by Laura Scott
“Yeah, I love her or I wouldn’t have proposed. Besides, I refuse to leave Leigh high and dry with a baby to raise. I’m gonna marry her, don’t try to talk me out of it.”
“Listen, Mark, take a breath. Supporting the baby is your responsibility, and you can help Leigh without marrying her. But you’ll need a job to do that. A paying job. Writing is a dream, but you need to face reality. Don’t do something rash that you’ll regret later.”
“You’re a jerk, Jared, you know that? I’m going to quit school and get married. With or without your brotherly support.”
Mark had stormed out the door, crashing his car into the concrete median less than ten miles from Jared’s apartment.
Of course, in hindsight, Jared had suspected that some of his brother’s comments could have been the alcohol talking, especially upon discovering in the final autopsy results that Mark’s blood alcohol level was twice the legal limit. He should have known Mark was drinking and dropped the whole subject from the start.
Guilt had been his constant companion ever since that fateful night. Jared knew if Mark were still alive, he’d be the one here at the hospital, comforting Shelly. Mark and Shelly would be married, possibly already having had a second child, this one a girl with her mother’s big green eyes and chocolate-brown hair. Jealousy nipped at the back of his neck. Was he going nuts? How could he be envious of his dead brother?
Easy. Because Shelly loved Mark. Had created a beautiful child with him. Would still be with him if Jared hadn’t goaded his brother into driving under the influence.
He forced himself to admit the truth. He was jealous of the love Shelly and Mark had shared. Knowing Shelly’s Wonder Woman tendencies, he knew she would have fought hard to make the marriage work. Not like so many others who threw in the towel when they hit the first storm at sea. Wonder Woman wouldn’t have let any storm separate her from her man.
Or her son.
Jared turned back toward the waiting area with a deep ache in his heart. He watched as Shelly nervously paced the small length of the room. Mark might be dead, but his essence lived on in Jared’s guilt. All he could do was to somehow make it up to Shelly and Ty.
Starting with mending the rift between Shelly and his parents.
12
“Ms. Bennett?”
Jared noticed how Shelly leaped to her feet, eyeing the weary-looking surgeon that entered the room. He understood her anxiety and rose to stand beside her.
“Yes?” Her voice held a note of panic.
“Your son’s surgery went fine,” Dr. Graves informed her. “I had to place hardware in his arm, so don’t freak out when you see the pins sticking out of his bones.”
She visibly gulped. “How many pins?”
“Four.” He identified the places on his forearm where he’d placed the pins. “The contraption looks much worse than it is, and the nurses will do their best to keep Tyler comfortable.”
“When can she see him?” Jared asked.
“He’ll be sedated for a while yet, but I’ve informed the post-anesthesia recovery nurses that you’d insist on coming in. As a nurse, I’m inclined to give you that permission. But only for a few minutes.” His brow puckered. “You know rest is critical to recovery.”
“I won’t be a bother,” Shelly assured him.
“How long do you anticipate keeping him here in the hospital?” Jared knew there was a push to get patients out of the hospital sooner, rather than later, but with the pins Graves had placed, he figured they were looking at one overnight stay, maybe two. Shelly was already bone weary, and there was still a long road of recovery ahead.
“We’ll see how it goes, but with Shelly being a nurse, I’m fairly certain we’ll be able to send him home in a couple of days.”
“Thank you, Dr. Graves.” Shelly clasped the doctor’s hand fervently. “For everything.”
The surgeon smiled. “You’re welcome. The post-anesthesia recovery area is through those double doors.”
Shelly nodded and turned to Jared. Despite their earlier argument, the long waiting had eventually worn her down. She was talking to him again, and he was glad she indicated he could come along.
“After you,” he said, gesturing toward the PACU.
The area was a bustle of activity, even on a Saturday evening. When they walked in, a nurse glanced up and waved them over. Although he and Shelly both knew what to expect, seeing Ty so tiny and frail against the stark white sheets deeply bothered him. The little boy was so young, facing the surgery with courage and bravery.
“Ty? Mommy’s here.”
The boy opened his eyes in response to Shelly calling his name, but his unfocused gaze convinced Jared that he was still feeling the impact of anesthesia.
“We’ll stay close by,” Jared told the boy. But this time, Ty didn’t open his eyes or acknowledge that he’d heard.
They didn’t stay long, especially knowing they were in the nurse’s way. She promised to call them as soon as Tyler was assigned a room, so they could meet him there.
Back in the waiting room, Jared glanced at his watch. Did he have time to meet with his parents to fill them in on what was going on? He wanted to be there when Tyler woke up, but by the looks of how groggy he’d been, Jared knew it could take several hours before the little boy knew they were there.
Best to do it now, rather than later, he decided. He turned to Shelly. “I have a quick errand to run.” He wasn’t about to tell her that his parents had impulsively decided to arrive in town. The last thing she needed was that added stress on top of everything else. “I’ll be back in an hour. Will you be okay here while I’m gone?”
“Sure.” Her smile didn’t reach her eyes. “I’ve been a single mother for a long time, Jared. I can handle it fine without you.”
Ouch. Hearing her boldly tell him she didn’t need him any more hurt, more than it should. She clearly hadn’t gotten over his request to allow Ty to meet his grandparents, and at this rate, it might be best to convince his parents to turn around and head back to Boston.
He wished once again that he could turn back the clock, returning to the time she’d taken him into her arms and kissed him. Logically, he knew it was impossible, and he did his best to ignore the stab of longing.
“You have my cell number, right?” It was a rhetorical question, and he knew it. “Please, Shelly. Please call me if you need anything. Or if they bring him out of the PACU earlier than expected. I want to be here for him. I don’t want to break my promise.”
“Then maybe you shouldn’t go.” Shelly looked at him expectantly, as if waiting to hear what errand was so important.
His determination to leave wavered. Was this Shelly’s way of asking him to stay? Did he really need to go meet his parents? One more glance at Shelly’s closed facial expression convinced him. Yes, he needed to go. Surely once he explained the situation, his parents would relax their all-fired mission to meet their grandson.
He needed to buy a little time. A few days. Long enough for Shelly to have cooled down for a rational conversation. When he reminded her of his father’s health issues, she’d have to understand his need to see his grandson before he died.
“I’ll be back in an hour,” he repeated. Then he turned and left.
His parents weren’t hard to find. They’d ignored his instructions to stay near the airport, choosing a very nice hotel close to his condo. He should have figured that’s what they’d do.
“Where is our grandson?” His mother’s demanding tone made him scowl.
“Sit down, Mom. Dad.” His authoritative tone must have gotten through because his parents sank down onto the sofa in their suite. “Ty broke his arm when he fell out of a tree this morning. He’s already gone through surgery. The doctor had to place four pins in his arm to keep his bones stabilized. He’s fine,” he added quickly when his parents’ faces registered frank alarm. “But he’s not up to having visitors, especially from grandparents he doesn’t even know about. And frankly, neither is Shel
ly.”
His mother sniffed. “What kind of mother lets her son climb a tree?”
Jared shot her a narrow look. “Knock it off. Don’t you dare go there. Shelly is a wonderful mother. She also holds the key to allowing you to see Ty. Don’t you think it would be better to think of ways to get on her good side rather than insulting her parenting abilities?”
“Hrmph.” His father had more color in his cheeks than he’d noticed the last time they were together. Maybe news of finding Ty had given him a boost. “We have the law on our side. There’s plenty of case law to support our rights as grandparents. We can sue for visitation rights.”
Jared wanted to rail at them to knock it off but managed to hold his tongue. Swallowing hard, he decided to try another tactic. “Think about what you’re saying,” he begged. “Shelly and Ty have been doing very well on their own, without you. Without any of us. Creating animosity, especially by pulling cheap lawyer tactics, isn’t going to help.”
“Cheap!” His mother jumped to her feet and planted her hands on her hips. “She’s the cheap waitress who took off, denying us the ability to be a part of our only grandchild’s life!”
“And why is that, Mom? What exactly did you say that made Shelly run?”
She flushed and sank back down onto the sofa. With one hand she smoothed the wrinkles in her slacks. “I—we were afraid she’d do something crazy after finding out that Mark was dead. She was a cocktail waitress! All we wanted was the chance to give Mark’s son a secure future. The life he deserved. We didn’t mean to scare her off.”
“Yeah, because any woman would jump at the chance to get a million dollars, right?”
His mother dropped her gaze. “I just thought . . .” She didn’t finish.
Jared’s anger dissipated. As much as he wanted to blame his parents for their ridiculous behavior, he knew that none of this would have happened if he hadn’t argued with Mark in the first place. He should have supported his brother, instead of calling him nuts for wanting to follow his dream.
The fault solely rested with him. Not his parents.
“Well, you did scare her away. So you need to trust me when I tell you this isn’t a good time. Shelly doesn’t have one iota of faith in your intentions, and she’s not a cocktail waitress anymore. She’s a flight nurse. Telling her the law is on your side is a sure way to eliminate any chance you might have of meeting your grandson.”
His parents didn’t concede, the familiar stubborn glint in their eyes making him groan. What part of this didn’t they understand?
“Don’t we all want what’s best for Ty?” He looked between the two of them until they nodded. “I know Shelly. Once she understands that meeting you would be good for Ty, she’ll come around. We need to give her a little time.”
“Time? Bah.” His father waved a hand, his expression grumpy as he rubbed a hand subconsciously over his chest. “I don’t have time. Who knows when this ticker of mine will give out for good?”
“Joe, don’t say things like that,” his mother admonished. She put her arm around his shoulders.
“Dad, you flew here on your own free will, against your doctor’s orders, I might add. I don’t think a few more days will hurt.” Although Jared could relate to his father’s concern, he wasn’t going to budge on this. “I’ll be in touch with you tomorrow. For now, I’m heading back to the hospital.” He moved toward the door.
“Wait! When tomorrow?” His mother clearly didn’t want to let him go.
“I’m not sure. Sometime tomorrow morning.” He glanced over his shoulder. “I’ll call you to let you know how Ty is doing, okay?”
“All right,” his mother agreed.
On arriving at the hospital, he headed straight to the waiting room where he’d left Shelly. His timing was perfect because they were just wheeling Ty down the hall in a gurney. Shelly walked beside them, barely glancing at him, her gaze riveted on her son.
“Hey, Ty,” he greeted the boy.
“You’re here.” Ty’s pinched face lit up.
“You bet. And I’m sticking around to see that you get better soon.” Jared noticed Ty’s left arm was propped up on a pillow, four metal pins sticking out of his tiny arm attached to a stabilizing bar. He ached to ease the child’s discomfort and hoped that his being there helped a little.
Once they had Ty settled in his room, Shelly made herself comfortable in the lounge chair next to his bed. He took the hard-backed chair, knowing she needed the rest more than he did.
“So what’s going on at Lifeline?”
He looked surprised for a moment, then realized she assumed his errand was work related.
“I didn’t go to Lifeline.” He couldn’t lie to her, not with everything that had happened over the past twenty-four hours. He pulled his chair closer so their talking wouldn’t disturb Ty. He stared down at his clasped hands for a moment, then met her gaze. “I won’t lie to you, Shelly. I spoke to my parents to let them know what happened to Ty.”
“You what?” Her voice was a low furious hiss. “You’re giving them updates? Hourly reports?” The biting sarcasm didn’t suit her. “Have you told them about Ty’s bladder infections and his kidney tests, too?”
“No. Shelly, please, don’t do this. They care about Ty. I needed to explain things because they were getting impatient wanting to come and see him.”
“Good. Because the answer is still no.”
He sighed. She could teach stubbornness to a rhinoceros. “Would you please just—”
“No.”
He clenched his jaw and let it go. The more he pressed, the more she’d dig in her heels. His parents treated her terribly, but that was six years ago. It wasn’t healthy to hang on to this level of anger for that long. “I’d like to stay with you for a while, if you don’t mind.”
“You can do whatever you like, I don’t care.”
Her words cut deep. Jared tried to convince himself that she didn’t really mean it, but deep down, he suspected she did. Years of distrust wasn’t going to evaporate overnight. Somehow, he needed to find a way to convince her that his parents wouldn’t do anything to hurt their grandson.
Or rather, that he wouldn’t allow his parents to do anything to hurt Ty. He was on her side in this. Hers and Tyler’s.
If only he could find a way to convince her.
Jared didn’t leave even though he sensed Shelly wished he would. The night was long with Ty waking every hour, whimpering in pain. Shelly instantly jumped up the moment he stirred, determined to meet his needs. She even took to assisting Ty with his medication, staying at his side, cradling him close while murmuring words of encouragement and comfort until the effects of the medicine kicked in.
His parents were wrong. Ty couldn’t have a better mother than Shelly.
His presence was extraneous. He sat in the corner of Ty’s room, out of the way while watching Shelly, mesmerized by her intensity as she cared for her son. She didn’t need him, she had everything under control. He had no doubt that she would easily get through the next few days until Ty was truly on the mend.
Shelly would never know how he dreamed of their kiss. The way she’d stepped into his arms and wrapped her arms around his neck. What he wouldn’t give to have that moment back again. To share the good times with her, as well as these difficult hours.
But there was no denying that was over. Shelly would never invite him back for a visit. Once he left the hospital, he’d only see her at work.
At least he had his memories.
By the time Dr. Graves came in to see Ty, Jared knew it was time to go. Although Shelly wasn’t as cool to him as she’d been during the night, he was keenly aware of the fact that Tyler had no idea Jared was really his uncle. That his grandparents were so close, yet so far.
And nothing would change the fact that he wasn’t Ty’s father. He couldn’t live Mark’s life. No matter how much he cared about Shelly and Tyler.
“I need to get going,” Jared said, rising to his feet after Dr.
Graves left. “I hope you don’t mind if I call in to check on Ty’s progress.”
“If you’d like,” Shelly agreed.
There was so much more he wanted to say, but at that moment the door to Ty’s hospital room opened revealing his mother and father standing there.
“Hello, Ty.” His mother boldly walked into the room, carrying an oversized stuffed animal in her arms. A giant teddy bear wearing a blue ribbon around his neck. His father came in behind his mother, grinning broadly.
Jared heard Shelly draw in a harsh breath.
“Hi.” Ty looked at Jared’s parents curiously, then shifted his gaze to the giant teddy bear. It was as if he wanted the bear but wasn’t sure it was meant for him. “Who are you?”
Jared’s mother beamed, her eyes suspiciously moist as she stepped closer to Ty’s bedside, apparently oblivious to the twin green daggers Shelly was shooting in her direction. “I’m your grandma, and this is your grandpa. Ty, your daddy was our son.”
13
Get out! Get out! Get out! The silent screams echoed in Shelly’s head but remained locked within her tight throat. She gripped the side rail on Ty’s bed with white knuckles, hardly able to comprehend what was happening.
It was like watching a freight train barreling toward her precious son, yet unable to stop it. The teddy bear was a nice touch, she thought sarcastically. It would make her look small if she refused it as a gift for Ty.
She shot a venomous look at Jared. How could he have blatantly betrayed her wishes? Had he planned this little surprise visit all along? Was this why he’d asked to stay last night? Not for Ty’s benefit or even hers as she’d hoped, but rather for his own personal agenda? That had to be exactly what he’d done.
How could she have misjudged Jared so badly?
“Is that for me?” Ty lifted his right hand toward the bear.