by Laura Scott
Without waiting for Ethan, she ducked out of the debriefing room and headed outside. She drove her car around the Lifeline hangar to Trinity’s parking structure.
Inside the hospital, she walked to Granddad’s room. He was on the third floor, just down the hall from the CICU. Straightening her shoulders and pasting a bright smile on her face, she knocked on his door before peeking in.
“Granddad? It’s Kate.” She pushed the door open and wasn’t surprised to see Miranda seated in a chair at Granddad’s bedside, holding his hand.
Miranda had been there day all day and well into the evening, ever since Kate had first called her with the news. The woman was sure taking her role as Granddad’s girlfriend seriously.
“Hello, Kate.” Miranda beamed. “Tony has been waiting for you.”
“Sorry, but our shift ended a little late.” Kate crossed over and bent to give him a quick kiss on the cheek. “You look great. Have you been up walking today?”
“Of course, I have. Do you think the nurses here would allow me to slack off? Not a chance. They’re evil taskmasters.”
She was relieved to see that his color was good and his voice was almost back to normal.
“Great. I guess the bribe money is working.”
Granddad laughed as she’d hoped he would.
“Sit down, Kate. I have some wonderful news to tell you.” Granddad gestured to the second chair in the room.
“Really? What’s that—you won the lottery?” Kate dropped into the only empty chair, although she felt awkward sitting across from the cozy couple.
“No, something far better.” Granddad lifted Miranda’s hand and kissed it. “Miranda has agreed to be my wife. We are getting married.”
Chapter Fourteen
Her smile froze, and she suspected her face resembled that of a ridiculous cartoon character. There was a long pause before she could make her jaw work enough to speak. “Congratulations. I’m happy for you.”
Kate knew her granddad wasn’t fooled when he frowned. “Katie girl, I don’t know what’s wrong with you lately. You having boyfriend trouble?”
“No, of course not.” Kate didn’t even want to think of how she’d sneaked away from Ethan just ten minutes earlier. Yeah, she was having boyfriend problems all right.
The man thought he loved her when she knew very well that he didn’t.
“Humph. I don’t believe you.” Granddad glared at her. “When are you gonna stop running away from love?”
“I’m not,” she protested, sitting straighter in the chair.
“Yes, you are. I recognize the signs. I did the same thing for years, you know. But now . . .” He looked over at Miranda, and his expression softened. “I know exactly what I was missing. And I refuse to let a second chance go to waste.” He sighed and turned back to Kate. “We’re getting married on Saturday right here in the hospital chapel.”
“What? Saturday? Are you crazy? You can’t. Granddad, that’s only two days away. Mom and Dad are still in Europe. Why can’t you wait another ten days until they come back?”
“Because I don’t want to. Saturday is the day I’m scheduled to be discharged, if all goes as planned, and I don’t want to waste another moment.” Granddad nodded as if he hadn’t dropped a bomb. “Katie girl, it’s time for you to stop avoiding the truth. Skating along the surface of one relationship to another isn’t healthy. Trust me, I know what I’m talking about.”
“I agree, Mr. Lawrence.”
Kate snapped her head around in shock when Ethan entered the room. “What are you doing here?” She sounded ridiculously like a petulant child, and she knew it.
“I came here to be with you, remember? But you left without me.” He crossed the room, extending his head to Granddad. “I’m Ethan Weber, a friend of Kate’s. It’s nice to meet you.”
“Heh, heh, heh.” Granddad had the audacity to chuckle as he shook Ethan’s hand. “Well, now, it’s nice to meet you, too. So, you’re a friend of Kate’s, are you? The one she cooked for?”
“That’s right.” Ethan rocked back on his heels. “How did you know? Oh, I see, you must’ve helped her plan the meal. It was great, by the way.”
“I did,” her granddad agreed. “And I must say I’m glad everything was a roaring success.”
They were talking over her as if she didn’t exist, and she was growing seriously annoyed. Although she also felt wobbly, as if she’d just donated a pint of blood, instead of hearing Granddad’s plan to marry Miranda. Not just marry her but to have the ceremony here in the hospital in two days. She forced herself to stand. “Look, I have to head home. I’m glad you’re doing so well, Granddad.”
“Wait, you can’t leave yet.” Granddad raised his hand as if to stop her. “Miranda wants to know if you’ll stand up with her at our wedding.”
Stand up? Like a bridesmaid? Seriously? Kate glanced back and saw the hopeful expression on Miranda’s gently lined face and felt like a complete heel. “Of course. I’m honored. What about a dress? Is there something specific you’d like me to wear?”
“Oh, anything nice is fine with me.” Miranda smiled and squeezed Granddad’s hand. “I’m wearing an ivory dress, so you can choose any color in any length you like that might match. Doesn’t have to be something new either.” She smiled at Granddad, then turned back toward Kate. “I’m thrilled you’ll be my maid of honor.”
“Me, too. It will be great. Well, then.” Kate subtly edged closer to the door. “Now I really have to go so I can scour the contents of my closet. If I can’t find something nice to wear, I’ll head to the store. Congrats again, Miranda, Granddad.” She ducked through the doorway, heading blindly into the hall.
“Omphf.” She bumped into someone and took a faltering step back. A man’s large hands came up to grasp her shoulders long enough to steady her.
“Kate?” a male voice said in surprise. “Wow, it’s nice to see you. How are you?”
“Klutzy, apparently. Sorry about that. How are you, Daniel? Is cardiology keeping you busy?” She recognized the tall, slender cardiology resident, Daniel Jones, a guy she’d had some fun with last year. He’d gone through a rough time when one of his fellow residents had passed away unexpectedly, and she’d helped him get over the loss.
“Yeah, pretty much.” He tilted his head, regarding her thoughtfully. His voice dropped in pitch. “You look great, Kate.”
“Thanks. So do you.” She forced herself to stand calmly when all she really wanted to do was run home. Her day was going from bad to worse. She noticed Daniel’s gaze set on something over her shoulder, and at the same time, she felt Ethan step up behind her. Ethan placed a possessive hand on her arm.
“Are you busy? Oh, er, never mind.” Daniel grinned ruefully at Ethan. “I can see the two of you are together.” He lifted a hand. “See you around, Kate.” He nodded at Ethan, and added, “Good luck.”
“Thanks, I have a feeling I’ll need it,” was Ethan’s dry reply.
What was that about? Kate frowned and shrugged off Ethan’s grip. “I have to go and so do you. Carly’s waiting, I’m sure.”
“We need to talk.” Ethan’s voice was grim.
“About what?” She crossed her arms defensively over her chest.
He sighed. “Who was that guy? Someone you dated?”
“Yes, he’s a friend, we went out for a few weeks when he was having some trouble. I helped him find his sense of humor.” Kate couldn’t figure out what Ethan was getting at. “So?”
“So, he was looking at you as if he wanted far more than simple friendship. Like you were a tasty meal and he hadn’t eaten in weeks.” Ethan shoved his hands into his pockets. “I thought the men in your life didn’t want a relationship with you?”
“He didn’t,” she protested, but doubt had already begun to creep in. Daniel had looked at her strangely until Ethan had shown up. She thought he’d simply been surprised to see her. But maybe . . .
“You know, I think your grandfather is right. You are running
, Kate. The minute our relationship turned personal, turned real, you backed off.”
“Are you finished psychoanalyzing me yet? Because I need to find a dress.”
“Your grandfather’s wedding is really bothering you,” Ethan observed. “Probably because of your own fear of commitment.”
“I’m not upset,” she lied, desperately wishing she could leave. “You don’t know what you’re talking about. I have to go.”
She brushed past, desperate to get away.
“Kate?” His voice stopped her midstride. Hesitating, she turned back to look at him. “I’ll let you go if that’s what you really want. But if you ever get sick of running, give me a call.”
Irrationally, her heart squeezed painfully. Did he really mean to cut off their friendship? Just like that?
Hiding her wounded soul, she shrugged. “I’ll see you at work, Ethan.” Before he could continue to tell her what else was wrong with her, she made a quick escape.
At home, she told herself Ethan didn’t know what he was talking about. Rummaging through her closet, she pulled out and tried several dresses, discarding each of them for one reason or another. She wasn’t running from anything. Was it her fault Miranda wanted her to stand up for the wedding? Having the proper dress was important, and it wasn’t like she had time to waste.
After what seemed like hours, with the contents of her entire closet strewn about the room, she finally settled on a satin dress in a pretty forest green. Hopefully, Miranda would like it, she thought grimly as she began the tedious task of cleaning up.
Would Ethan see her in it? Doubtful.
Later that night, she stared blankly at the ceiling, unable to sleep. The familiar heavy weight of depression and hopelessness settled over her heart, just like in the days following David’s death.
For years she’d emulated her grandfather’s relationships, seeing her job as wanting to spread fun and laughter to those who needed it most. Ethan had been a prime example of someone who needed her help. The man hadn’t smiled until she’d shown him how to have fun.
Now, though, she forced herself to face the truth. Keeping things light without allowing for anything more was a form of running. She had pushed Ethan away when he’d gotten so serious. David’s death had taught her how much love hurt. Holding men at arm’s length was her subconscious way to avoid getting hurt like that again.
Which was exactly what had happened. Thinking about life without Ethan and Carly hurt far worse than anything she felt after those dark days on the heels of David’s suicide. Precious Carly, with her wide, too adult eyes, thrilled with her very own dream catcher. Ethan’s solid strength in helping her resuscitate Granddad, then coming back to the hospital, after making arrangements for Carly, just to be there for her.
Her chest ached, and her stomach clenched painfully.
All this time she thought she was helping them when, in reality, they had shown her something new, too. Ethan and Carly had given her a glimpse of what life could be like with a family of her own.
Except she’d blown her chance. Ethan hadn’t left her the way David had. No, this time, as with all the other relationships in her life, she’d been the one to walk away.
The pain was hot and sharp, but there was no one to blame but herself.
Kate drove like a madman into work, breaking every speed limit in the book. She’d overslept and could only imagine how annoyed the night shift was going to be with her tardiness.
She’d awoken with a new sense of purpose. Okay, so maybe love had hurt her once. But it didn’t have to hurt forever. Hadn’t Ethan told her to call if she decided to stop running? Well, she would.
Soon.
Today.
With her foot on the brake, she squealed around a tight curve, then raced into the Lifeline parking lot. She parked her car haphazardly, then ran inside.
Was Ethan working too? She thought they were scheduled together when she entered the debriefing room, though, disappointment stabbed deep.
Zane Taylor was the physician seated in the chair waiting for her instead of Ethan. There was no sign of the night crew. They’d obviously debriefed without her.
“Sorry I’m late,” she apologized quickly. “Anything new?”
Zane shook his head. “You didn’t miss much. Is your grandfather doing all right? You don’t look as if you got very much sleep.”
“He’s fine, should be discharged tomorrow.” Kate avoided the topic of Granddad’s wedding. “Do we have a call?”
“No, the chopper is down for maintenance.” Zane flashed an evil grin at her crestfallen expression. “If you had called to say you were running late, I would’ve told you not to hurry.”
“I can’t believe it,” she groaned, dropping into a nearby chair. “All that rushing around for nothing.”
“Yep.” Zane’s tone was positively cheerful. “Guess you’ll get to do follow-up visits today.”
The idea of doing post-flight follow-up visits brightened her mood. She liked seeing how their Lifeline patients fared after their transfer. Still, it was a little early for visits. She glanced at the schedule. And frowned. “Why did you switch shifts with Ethan?” She tried to keep her tone nonchalant even though she was dying to know.
“He called, saying he needed the next two days off.” Zane lifted the shoulder. “I didn’t ask why. He’s working for me Sunday and Monday instead.”
“I see.” Kate swallowed hard, accepting the truth that Ethan was avoiding her. She couldn’t really blame him but was disappointed all the same. A sense of urgency had her tapping her fingers on the clipboard. How early could she call Ethan, anyway? Carly must need to get up for school. Should she wait until after Carly had left for the day?
She bit her lip with uncertainty. What if he’d changed his mind? What if he hadn’t meant what he’d said about falling in love with her? What if—
Stop it! Kate put her hands over her ears in an effort to silence the doubting voice in her head. All she needed to do was get through her shift, then she could talk to Ethan. Tell him what a fool she’d been and how sorry she was for being stupid.
Surely, he’d give her a second chance.
Kate couldn’t believe how slowly the day dragged by. She finished her follow-up visits in record time, seeing all the patients they recently transported. The young college student with the eight, yes, eight chest tubes had undergone surgery and now only had two chest tubes. He was doing much better and had been transferred out of the ICU. The biker dude was doing fairly well, although still confused from his head injury. Even the Miranda look-alike patient, Lucille, was doing well. The only patient she hadn’t been able to see was Rick Roberts, the lung transplant patient, because he was in surgery, getting a new set of lungs. Hopefully, he’d do well after his transplant, and she made a notation to do another follow-up visit on him in a few days.
Unable to stand it a moment longer, she picked up the phone and quickly dialed Ethan’s number. When he didn’t answer, she waited another hour and called again. And again. By the fourth time, she knew his number by heart. Each time, the phone rang three times before his deep husky voice sounded on the recording. “Hi, I’m busy but leave your name and number and I’ll call you back.”
Just listening to his voice made her want to see him. She’d hung up the last three times she called, but her shift was almost over. Gathering her courage, she left him a message.
“Ethan, it’s Kate. You told me to call, so I’m calling.” Brilliant, just brilliant. She inwardly groaned. “If you’re not doing anything tomorrow, I’ll be at Granddad’s wedding.” She paused, then added, “I’d like to talk.”
She slowly disconnected from the call. Maybe he’d return her call yet tonight. Kate sat in the debriefing for the next shift, then headed home.
She pulled out everything she needed for her granddad’s wedding, laying out her dress, shoes, and handbag in an orderly fashion. She tried to eat, although she wasn’t hungry. Finally, she went to bed.
Et
han didn’t return her call.
Trinity Medical Center staff were thrilled to have a wedding of a former patient in their chapel. Granddad was officially a former patient because he’d been discharged first thing that morning.
A small group of people gathered in the chapel, waiting for the minister to arrive. Kate had tried once again to convince Granddad to wait for her parents to come home from their trip, but he refused to consider even a short delay. He claimed he was too old to care about what his son and daughter-in-law thought. As long as Kate was there, that was all he needed.
She smoothed a sweaty hand down the side of her dress. Inside, she was agonizing over her stupidity in pushing Ethan away, but today was Granddad’s special day, and she was not going to ruin it for him.
She felt as if she’d ruined enough already.
“Miranda, you look beautiful.” Kate clasped the older woman’s cold, frail hands in hers and gave her a warm smile. “Granddad is a very lucky man.”
“Oh, Kate.” Miranda blushed and squeezed her hands. “Thank you, but I’m the fortunate one. Finding him again after all these years, well, I just have to believe this was meant to be.”
“Again?” Kate wrinkled her brow. “You knew him before? When?”
“Yes, he and I first met in college. He, well, he was my first love.”
Kate was surprised at the news. “But you broke up, married other people, then fell in love again all these years later?” The idea was mind-boggling.
“Tony has always held a special place in my heart, but yes, we both went our separate ways. We married, had families, and now we’re both widowers, you know,” she confided as if it were a big secret. “It just seems right to be with him again after all these years.”
“Well, I’m very happy for both of you.” True sincerity rang through Kate’s tone because she meant every word. “Honestly, I haven’t ever seen Granddad so happy.”