“Good morning, Vivienne, Carolyn,” says Mr. Rockhurst as he strolls out of his office and up to Carolyn’s desk. Technically, I guess it’s my desk too.
“Good morning, sir. Carolyn was just getting me acquainted with your schedule.”
“Wonderful. Carolyn, be sure to bring Vivienne up to speed about next Saturday. I’m stepping out for a few minutes but shouldn’t be long, and I have my cell if you need me.”
“Sure thing, Mr. Rockhurst,” said Carolyn. “And don’t worry about next Saturday, we have that covered.”
“I know you do,” he says, smiling.
As soon as he’s out of sight, I turn to Carolyn and ask, “What is happening next Saturday?”
“Mr. Rockhurst is holding an event at his home for all JetStreams’ major clients and a half dozen potential new clients he hopes to reel in. He’s pulling out all the stops. Much of the planning has already been done, but you and I will be spending the next few days on little else.”
“Wow, okay. How many people is he expecting?”
“A little north of one hundred, including some current JetStream executives and their spouses. But don’t worry, we’ll spend the rest of the morning going over the usual and then we’ll get onto the plans for Saturday.
I nod as Carolyn guides my attention back to the computer screen. She goes over all Mr. Rockhurst’s files, making sure I understand her digital filing system and how to retrieve important documents and memos. The system isn’t organized that different from how we did it in I-Sales, so everything seems rather intuitive to me.
The rest of the day goes smoothly; well, other than the moment I accidentally disconnect Mr. Rockhurst’s mother. I am mortified, but he seems more entertained than upset, saying she’ll get over it. And although we don’t get any planning for next Saturday’s party accomplished, that is first on our agenda for tomorrow. It was a productive first day.
Walking towards the elevator, I pull my phone out and see a text from Rach. It came through over an hour ago.
He moved his hand today! The doctors think
he might actually be starting to come out of it!
I text back:
That’s great! Just finished work. On my way!
Room 326, she replies.
When I get to the hospital, I head straight for Luis’s room. Though it’s been weeks since the accident, I haven’t seen Luis yet. But I knew if he was regaining consciousness, Rach wouldn’t leave his side. Waiting outside would be futile.
As I walk through the heavy doors separating the waiting area from the patient rooms, my nostrils become invaded by the pungent smell of antiseptic and urine. As I go down the corridor, nurses zigzag between the rooms ahead of me. Hampers overflowing with old towels and bedding appear abandoned in the hall. I can hear low whispers, muffled moans, and cries from patients’ rooms, and the consistent beeping of machines as I scan the numbers for Luis’s. A nurse pushing an old man in a wheelchair exits one of the rooms in front of me, nodding as she passes by in the opposite direction. I see room 326.
Rounding the corner into Luis’s room, I find curtains drawn around the bed. They don’t quite reach the floor, allowing me to see Rach’s feet folded beneath the legs of a chair pushed up tight to the side of the bed. I whisper her name as I draw back the corner of the curtain, but she doesn’t hear me. She is resting her head on the edge of the mattress with Luis’s hand in hers.
Luis lies there, eyes closed, IV bags and monitors filling the space near the head of the bed. He has white bandages on his skull and his left arm is in a cast, but there is no sign of a breathing machine or mask on his face, which I’d been prepared to see. I lean forward and gently touch Rach on the shoulder. She turns around and smiles at me.
“You’re here!”
“Yes. He looks good. I thought you said he was on a breathing machine?”
“He was, but they removed it earlier this afternoon. He’s breathing on his own now. He even opened his eyes slightly, but he hasn’t spoken yet. The doctors don’t want to rush it, but said if he hasn’t come around on his own by tonight, they will give him a little nudge—whatever that means. Can you believe it, V? He’s coming back to me!”
I lean down and give her a hug. “It’s amazing.”
He’s in a semi-private room but the curtains are drawn around the other bed, so it’s unclear whether it’s occupied. There are fresh flowers on the windowsill and what appears to be a bath bomb on Luis’s nightstand.
“Is that a bath bomb?” I ask.
“Yes, I found it in the hospital gift shop. It’s fragrant in a good way and helps mask some of the unpleasant hospital smells. I don’t want the first thing Luis smells when he wakes up to be rubbing alcohol and urine.”
“Well, it appears to be working. It smells better here than it does out in the hallway. So, can I get you anything? I didn’t take time to stop on the way, but could head back out and grab you some dinner now, or maybe a coffee?”
“No, I’m okay for a bit, but thanks.”
There’s a light tap on the door. Luis’s doctor strolls in and walks up to his bed.
“How’s Luis doing tonight?” he asks.
“He moved his fingers a few times and opened his eyes briefly once or twice since you were last in,” Rach replies.
“Well, I think it’s time to see how he’ll respond to some stimuli,” the doctor says as he pulls back the sheets from the end of the bed. He runs the back of a pen up and down the bottoms of Luis’s feet while watching to see if there is any response. And there is: movement. Luis’s feet respond, and he opens his eyes, albeit only slightly.
“That’s good,” says the doctor.
“Luis, honey, can you hear me?” Luis’s eyes open a little more. “He hears me!” Rach stands and leans in closer as the doctor covers Luis’s feet and moves up the side of the bed towards his head.
“It appears as if he does,” says the doctor. “Welcome back, Luis. Can you blink once for me if you can hear us?”
Luis blinks. “Oh, my God! Did you see that?” Rach can barely contain her excitement.
“Yes. That’s wonderful. Now, can you try to follow my finger, Luis?” says the doctor as he proceeds to move his finger from side to side in front of Luis’s eyes and then up and down from the bridge of his nose to the top of his lip.
Luis’s eyes do exactly as they are instructed. The doctor nods approvingly and says, “You’ve been asleep for quite a while and we’ve only just removed your breathing tube this morning, so I’d like you to take it slow. But if you can, I’d like you to try to speak.”
Rach lifts his hand off the bed and whispers, “You can do this, Luis. I know you can.”
Luis’s eyes fix on Rach, and he lets out a weak, “Hi, Bebe.”
Rach’s emotions flood to the surface, tears stream down her cheeks as her whole face lights up. “Hi. Welcome back! I’ve missed you,” she responds, clutching his hand tightly.
“How are you feeling? Any pain?” the doctor asks him.
Luis shakes his head but doesn’t take his eyes off Rach. “How long have I been out?” he asks.
“Weeks. It’s been weeks.”
Rach barely responds when the doctor asks if we’d both mind stepping out of the room for a few minutes so he can examine Luis. “I’ll be quick, then you can visit a bit longer before I recommend we let Luis get some rest.”
“Okay, we’ll be right outside.” Rach lowers Luis’s hand back to the bed and leans down to kiss him on the cheek before she turns to follow me out of the room.
We are no sooner in the hall than she throws her arms around me, squealing in delight. “He’s awake! I’m so excited, he’s awake!”
“I can see that,” I say as a little laugh escapes my lips. Her giddiness is infectious.
“I knew he’d come back. I just knew it!”
“I couldn’t be happier for you. You’ve been a trooper this whole time. Camping out here, being by his side day in and day out… You never gave up
on him.”
“How much longer is the doctor going to take?” she asks, pacing the floor.
“I’m sure he’ll be out any minute now. I’d like to give you and Luis a bit of privacy. Maybe now is a good time for me to go grab us some dinner.”
“Oh, sure, okay. Thank you. It means a lot to me that you’ve been here to support me. I don’t know what I’d do without you.” A single tear drops onto her cheek as she continues. “I couldn’t ask for a better friend, truly.”
I take a wet wipe out of my purse and clean Rach’s face with it. Her make-up is long gone, but the blackened streaks of her mascara remain. “I feel the same about you.”
An hour later, I return with our dinner to find Rach’s entire family in the waiting room. They are all smiling and laughing.
“Hey, sweetie. Did you hear the news about Luis?” Lucca asks as I enter the room.
“Yes, I was here earlier. I went back out to grab Rach some dinner.”
“Oh, she didn’t tell me that and I just took her in a huge plate of food.”
“No, worries. I’ll have extra for lunch tomorrow. Think it’s okay to go in and say a quick hello?”
“Yes, of course, we were just giving them a few minutes to themselves.”
As I walk in his room, I see Luis sitting up and talking. He and Rach are deep in conversation, and don’t notice me until I’m right beside the bed.
“Luis, you look great. It’s wonderful to see you awake. How do you feel? Can I give you a hug?”
“Sure, I won’t break. Not anymore anyway. I feel pretty good, considering.” Luis hugs me back. “Rachel tells me you’ve been here with her every night since the accident.”
Rach smiles but doesn’t take her eyes off Luis. “You’ve been my guardian angel, V.”
“Well, I’m not certain it’s been every night.” I’ve come to realize that as much as I want to do it all, be in control of every situation, I don’t need to be. Rach is fine, she’s been fine. She has so many other people who love and support her. “I saw your family out in the waiting room. When did they arrive?”
“Oh, about thirty minutes ago. I know you went out to pick up dinner but you know my mom, she had to bring in a ton of food.” Rach looks up, pointing her chin in the direction of the stacked Tupperware containers. “Luis’s nurse told us he can try to eat something if he feels up to it, so they are bringing him up a tray in a few minutes. They prefer he starts out slow. Guess they think mom’s empanadillas and alcapurrias might be a bit rich for his first meal.” She lets out a little laugh.
“Well, I think you two should enjoy your meal without a third wheel hovering around. I’m going to take my dinner and head home. I don’t want to intrude, and if I’m being honest, I’m getting tired.” I place my hand on Luis’s right arm. “It’s great to see you feeling better, Luis. We’ve missed you.”
“Thanks, it’s good to be back.”
“Thanks again, V, for everything,” Rach says. “I’ll call you tomorrow.”
“Sounds good.” I wave goodbye over my shoulder as I head out the door.
On the drive home, I can’t help but think how lucky Luis is to make such a remarkable recovery, and how happy he and Rach looked tonight. I’m sure their relationship will be stronger because of this ordeal, and I imagine as soon as Luis is up to it, the wedding plans will get back on track.
These few weeks have shown me how life moves forward regardless. It’s impossible to control every situation and trying to do so is exhausting, and futile. Things have a way of working themselves out. I don’t have to be Wonder Woman. Sure, I will always work hard at whatever I do, but I’m realizing it’s all right to let others take the reins sometimes.
After I park the car, I grab the dinner bag from the seat beside me and head up to my apartment. I reach the third floor and peer down the hallway. Who is that? I take a couple of steps closer and gasp. No, it’s not possible. I stand with locked knees; my keys and dinner bag slip from my hands. The noise of them hitting the floor draws attention from the dark figure outside my apartment door. He lifts his head towards me and stands.
“Vivey!”
“Oh my God!” Am I seeing things?
He walks towards me. My feet stay glued in place. When he reaches me, he bends and picks up the keys and dinner bag off the floor. I can’t speak; it’s as if I’m looking at a ghost.
“Are you okay?” Danny asks.
“I—I—don’t understand. What are you doing here? Is this even real?”
Danny chuckles, grabs my hand, raising it to his lips, and softly kisses it. “Yes, this is real. I’m back.” He picks up my keys and bag. “I’ve been doing a lot of self-reflection lately...”
“You and me both,” I add.
“I’ve made a decision and I needed to see you.”
“What decision?”
“Let’s go inside and I’ll tell you.” His eyes fall to my neck. “You’re wearing the locket I gave you.”
“Yes,” I respond, reaching up to touch it. I stop short of telling him it’s the only necklace I wear now and ask, “How long have you been waiting here?” I’m still trying to process this is actually happening.
With my hand still in his, Danny guides me to my apartment door, unlocks it and leads me inside, closing the door behind us.
“My flight got in a few hours ago and I came straight here.”
“Why didn’t you tell me you were coming home?”
“There was no time.”
“You could have texted.”
“Does that really matter now? I’m here.”
“No, no, it doesn’t matter.” I wrap my arms around him and cover his face in kisses.
“So you are happy to see me,” he chuckles.
“Yes, delighted. I’m just shocked. You’re the last person I would have expected to find waiting on my doorstep.”
“Oh, yeah, who else would you have been expecting?”
“No one. You know what I mean. Okay, so tell me, what is this decision you’ve made?”
Danny pulls me to the couch. “Vivey, these last few months away from you were harder than I imagined. I realized I don’t want us to be apart. I don’t want you to move on. What I want is for us to be together.”
“I want that too.”
“I don’t know what the future looks like, but I’d like for us to figure it out together. I love you, and I’m hoping you still love me?” His eyebrows rise as he anticipates my answer.
“Of course I still love you.”
“You understand going to Saudi wasn’t about leaving you, but about trying to provide for my son, right?”
“Yes, I know, but that doesn’t mean it didn’t hurt me when you left.”
“It hurt me too, and that’s why I had to come back. I don’t have everything worked out yet and I know things won’t be easy. I’ll probably need two or three jobs to make up for what I could have made had I stayed in Saudi. And that means things might be a little crazy at times—but it can be our crazy.” He pauses for a moment to take a deep breath, his eyes staring intently into mine. “I’m so sorry I hurt you, Vivey. That was never my intention.”
There is no time for me to respond or prepare myself before Danny slides off the couch and onto one knee. “If you’ll have me, I’d like to spend the rest of my life making it up to you.”
My heart races and I cover my mouth with my hand in a weak attempt to mask my surprise. Is this really happening? He pulls a small velvety box out of his pocket, opens it and slides it towards me, revealing a sparkling diamond solitaire atop a rose-coloured band.
“It’s not as spectacular as you deserve, but it’s….”
“Perfect, it’s perfect.”
He removes the ring from the box and takes my left hand in his. “Vivienne Ramsey, will you spend forever with me, as my partner, my wife?”
“Yes. Of course, I will!” I can feel the goosebumps running up and down my arms.
He slides the ring onto my finger and clim
bs back on the couch beside me. Placing his hands on either side of my face, he presses his lips to mine. “I love you, Vivey.”
“I can’t believe this—did we just get engaged?” I ask while admiring how the light bounces off my ring.
“I believe we did,” Danny says, smiling.
I drop my head back against the top of the couch. “Wow, what a day this has been. I have so much to tell you. So much has happened while you’ve been away. I don’t even know where to start.”
“Well, how about we grab a drink to celebrate our engagement and you start at the beginning? I have a few things to share with you too,” he adds.
“Sure, and Danny…”
“Yeah?”
“This time, I promise to let you take the lead.” I smile and wink. “Sometimes.”
Epilogue
One week later, Danny’s employer dissolved all three-year contracts due to the rise in violence in Saudi Arabia. Danny and others who had loyally served three months or more with the company were allowed to keep their hefty signing bonuses. His bonus, along with the profit he’d made selling his house, allowed him to catch up on all of Nick’s medical bills. Sure, Danny was near broke again, but it was worth it.
The tensions of Vivienne and Danny’s past faded to a distant memory as they planned their future. Danny reached out to his old boss at The Rail and secured his previous position. And with his first paycheque, he kept the promise he made to his son and the three of them returned to the zoo to visit the wolves Nick so adores.
Danny also returned to work at JetStream and was swiftly promoted to head mechanic. His new position came with a nice pay bump and allowed him to drop his late-night job at The Rail a few months later. Meanwhile, Vivienne continues to help steer the ship at JetStream as Joel Rockhurst’s executive assistant, a job she loves.
Our Forever Crazy Love: Contemporary Romance Page 15