The Proposal

by Jennifer Lewis

“Thank you.”

  Blinking, he turned back to the middle-aged nurse and squinted at her badge. “Sure, thanks, Linda. I appreciate you taking care of my dad.”

  She only smiled and nodded.

  Benton went to rejoin Andrea. They found a coffee machine in the hall of the hospital that served lattes and cappuccinos and other fancy coffee. Benton went for black, Andrea went for fancy. They both took their coffee back to Jack’s room, taking seats next to one another.

  Andrea looked at him. “Do you think he can hear us?”

  Benton shrugged. “The nurse said people in comas can hear you. Maybe he can too.”

  “Well, in that case...” She cleared her throat. “I forgive you for your part in the kidnapping, Jack. Thank you for protecting your son. I’m sorry you got shot.”

  Andrea nudged him. Admittedly, he felt slightly strange talking to someone who couldn’t talk back. But if this was the last time he got to talk to his father... He couldn’t leave it like this.

  “Hey, Jack. I don’t really know what to say. I’ve got a lot of hard feelings against you. You weren’t there when Mom and I needed you.” He took a breath, leaning forward to rest his elbows on the bed next to Jack. “But you did a heroic thing, sacrificing yourself like that. It shows you... It shows that you love me. So... I forgive you, old man. I forgive you for all the shit you put us through. And yeah, I never stopped loving you.”

  Pain welled up inside, gripping him like the claws of a savage beast pinning its prey. Shoving the chair back, he rose and stalked from the room, going to the hall. Andrea didn’t follow, and he appreciated it this time. The whole thing seemed hopeless. Why the hell it had to end like this, he didn’t know. As ashen and frail as Jack looked in that bed, Benton didn’t think he would walk out of here.

  “Dammit, Jack.” Pulling a hand down his face, he blinked against the grit of weariness in his eyes.

  The room seemed impossibly small, and he needed a moment to himself. Everything closed in on him, and he didn’t think he could fully breathe. There were no guarantees. The surgeon told him earlier that his father’s chances of surviving after the surgery, of breathing on his own were less than 50%. Benton never wanted the man to die.

  Looking upward, he sighed. “You put me in one hell of a place.”

  God didn’t answer, but he didn’t expect Him to. The answer lay there in a hospital bed. If Jack survived, he didn’t know what he would do yet. Forgiving the man was one thing, letting him into his life was another entirely.

  Chapter Thirty-Five

  Sometime in the night, Benton awoke to the sound of blaring alarms. Shooting upright, grasping for a gun that wasn’t there, he took in his blurry surroundings and realized he was still in his father’s hospital room. Andrea slept curled up in a chair, a blanket sliding from her shoulders. He only felt guilt for a moment, before the lights flooded on and medical staff ran into the room.

  A nurse slammed her hand against a button on the wall, while another came in with a cart loaded with machines and drawers. His father’s bed flattened, the side rails came down, and the nurse started compressions. The monitor in front of him read a flat line, all vital signs a glaring, red zero.

  Overhead, her heard a disembodied voice call out, “Code blue, room 3022! Code blue, room 3022!”

  Andrea was up and next to him, grasping his arm. The room had erupted into controlled chaos. Men and women he didn’t recognize flooded the bedside, one in shouting orders. He figured that one had to be the doctor. He could only stare at Jack in the bed, body twitching with the intensity of the CPR. He wasn’t prepared for this, no matter how often he went over it in his mind.

  “Mr. Grant... Please, come with me.”

  A nurse directed them out of the room, and though everything in him wanted to fight to stay, he knew he would just be in the way. Besides, did he want his last memory of his father to be so ugly? Andrea wrapped her arms around him in the hall, saying something he didn’t hear. The rush of alarms and voices shouting overrode everything else.

  “Benton?”

  Blinking, he looked down at her face, flushed from sleep. An imprint of her sweater marred one cheek. Those blue eyes were filled with compassion and worry, for him, he knew.

  “I’m sorry, I...”

  “No, Benton. No.” She hugged him tightly. “I’m so sorry.”

  They stood that way, clinging to one another for what seemed like an eternity. He waited for anyone to update them, hoping for a miracle, and knowing it wasn’t likely. Neither of them spoke; they didn’t know what to say.

  After an indeterminable amount of time, the man who shouted orders came out, looking around. Spotting them, the only two people waiting in regular clothes, he came toward the.

  “Are you family?”

  Benton nodded.

  The man pushed up his glasses, looking harried and worn. “I’m sorry... He didn’t make it.”

  Benton could only nod again.

  “Thank you for telling us,” Andrea said for both of them.

  Obviously not knowing what else to say, the doctor hurried away. After him, the nurse from the earlier joined them. She explained to them what the doctor thought happened, gave her condolences and said it wouldn’t be long now before they could see him. Benton realized he had no plans, when she asked him of a funeral home. The impossibility of taking him back to Seattle and having a funeral loomed before him. But given his sacrifice, Benton felt Jack deserved it.

  Andrea held his hand, walking into the room with him. Everything was cleared away; every tube, wire and machine gone. Jack almost looked like he just slept, as if the entire thing hadn’t just taken place.

  “He looks as peaceful as he ever has, I guess.”

  “I’m so sorry, Benton.”

  He kissed the side of her face. “You don’t have to apologize. This isn’t the first time I’ve seen death. Just, didn’t expect all of this.”

  She sighed. “I wish he hadn’t gotten involved with Brad.”

  “Yeah, me too. I don’t know what happens next. I guess an autopsy? I’ll have his body sent back to Seattle. We can have a small funeral for him. It’s the least I can do.”

  “I know everyone would help.”

  Benton knew as well as Andrea did that they were surrounded by good people. How he became so lucky, a stray from the poor side of town, a reject from the Army, he didn’t know. He sure as hell wasn’t going to question it now. If Jack’s death taught him anything, it was to appreciate what he had.

  ****

  They boarded Deacon’s private jet later that day, flanked by Sam and Ryan. She said her goodbyes to her parents, with the promise to come visit them under normal circumstances next time. Benton wasn’t anymore quiet than usual, but she knew he chewed on his father’s death and what it all meant.

  After the last few days, she was beginning to think that a counselor might be a good option. She didn’t like sharing her feelings with strangers, but she could hardly sleep without a twisted dream and she knew she lost weight over the past months. She wanted to be a functioning wife for Benton and a capable secretary for Deacon. Though it dented her pride, she would swallow the bitter pill and go.

  Leaving Benton to male talk, she utilized the small cabin with the bed. Snuggling beneath the covers, she fished her cell phone out of her purse and called Emme. No doubt, her friend was foaming at the mouth to learn more details. Emme wasn’t a gossip, but she didn’t like not knowing something. And if Andrea knew Ashlyn and Emme like she did, she thought both were going to feel bad for encouraging her to go.

  “Emme.”

  “Hey, it’s Andrea.”

  A squeak on the other end of the phone and her friend rushed through her next words. “I’m with Ashlyn, Josh and Kate. We all want to make sure you’re okay. I’m so sorry, Andy. I never should have let you go.”

  “Slow down, Em. First off, I’m a big girl and I would’ve went anyway. Second, I’m fine, if a little tired. Not to mention, wounded pride, but hey
... That’s my fault. No, I’m more worried about Benton.”

  Emme made a sound she took to be an agreement. “I heard. That’s rough.”

  “He’s handling it really well. Outwardly, at least.”

  “That’s our Benton. What else do you expect?”

  “I’m just worried, that’s all, Emme.”

  Emme snorted. “Of course, you are. So, did you two get all kissy face and make up?”

  “Oh, my Lord, Emme. How old are you?”

  Emme laughed. “That was Josh’s question. Well, mostly.”

  “We’re fine, thanks. And that’s all your getting.”

  There was a scratching sound, and Josh’s voice filled the speaker. “Andy, you know that’s not fair. I need details!”

  “I don’t know who is worse, Josh. You or the girls.”

  “Oh me, by far.”

  Yawning, she shook her head, though he couldn’t see it. “That’s all you’re getting. I need to rest. We can all get together for lunch when I get back.”

  “We better.”

  She hung up with laughter ringing in her ears.

  Sometime later, after she drifted to sleep, Benton woke her and told her they were at the Seattle airport. Though it was only a few days, it seemed like ages since she left. Sam and Ryan rode in Ryan’s jeep and she went with Benton. Seeing the high, silver gates of Deacon’s property left her feeling comforted. Once inside Benton’s house, they both seemed at a loss for what to do.

  She made some hot chocolate and started dinner. Benton showered and joined her.

  “Well... Now that you don’t have to worry about Brad, where do you want to live?”

  Confused, Andrea stopped what she was doing. “What do you mean? With you, of course.”

  “No, I mean, here, or did you want to fix up your Aunt’s house and move?”

  “I forgot all about that house. I... We’d have to go look at it first.”

  He reached out, pushing hair from her face. “Alright.”

  Pulling the pan from the stove, she turned off the burner and rounded the counter. Walking into his arms felt so natural now. She knew he didn’t want to talk about what happened in Colorado, so she simply gave silently. Whatever happened, they would weather it together.

  ****

  They held the funeral on a gray day. The skies kept their secrets, and it didn’t rain. Andrea stood beside Benton, their friends around them. Josh brought Adam, and even Alex came. A priest spoke of Jack’s virtues and his follies, hoping he would be safe in the hands of God. For a man like Jack, it was a nice funeral.

  When they lowered the casket into the ground, all of them took turns throwing a handful of dirt. Andrea thought, inanely, as they walked up the lush, grass covered hill, that even the cars were black. They went for lunch afterward, a crowd of somber, darkly dressed people. Alex managed to liven them up, and soon they were laughing and exchanging stories. Andrea looked around at all her friends and felt grateful.

  She couldn’t imagine a better family to marry into. Josh was fond of telling her that she was stuck with all of them now, for good. Andrea hoped so.

  Benton brushed her hair over her shoulders, and she looked into his face, smiling.

  He leaned down to kiss her and whisper, “I love you.”

  “I know.”

  He raised his eyebrows. “You’re awful cocky there.”

  “I learned from the best!”

  He shook his head, chuckling. “I suppose I deserve that.”

  Josh made a comment about Ashlyn getting ‘larger’, distracting her from the conversation in time to see her friend slap him.

  “You should’ve hit him harder,” Benton told Ashlyn.

  “Don’t encourage her!” Josh whined, cupping his cheek.

  Deacon slipped an arm around Ashlyn’s shoulders, effectively pulling her away from Josh. “It won’t be long now before she comes.”

  “Not soon enough!” Ashlyn proclaimed.

  Josh leaned across the table, saying to Benton, “So, now it’s your turn. When are you two going to get to making babies?”

  Andrea raised her hand, pretending like she was going to hit him. “Don’t start, Josh.”

  He cowered, throwing her a wink under his arm.

  Looking around the table, Andrea felt complete in a way she hadn’t before. Hugging Benton close to her, she knew, these were the people she wanted to grow old with.

  About the Author:

  Jennifer Lewis lives in the Pacific Northwest with her husband and two wonderful children. She has an amazing, large and supportive family. When she isn’t writing, she can be found at a local hospital working as a nurse.

  You can contact her at: lewisjenniferann@gmail.com

  Thank you so much for reading! I appreciate you all! If you loved the book, please support an independent author and leave a review!