“My lawyer is here. He wanted to speak with the both of us. It won’t take long,” I tacked on the last as she turned to glance back at my son’s room. There was a rosy hue to her cheeks and those beautiful eyes of her glimmered under the harsh fluorescents that seemed to leech everything else of its shine. It was becoming a daily battle to avoid staring too long, hanging on her every word, and being so obvious about it that my son’s family noticed.
“Okay, let’s do this.” Mel backtracked a bit and opened Chevy’s door slightly. “If you need me, I’ll be right here at the nurse’s station. Yell or hit your buzzer, okay?”
“Got it,” Chevy agreed quickly, and Mel waited for his response before moving back over to the desk where my lawyer waited for us.
“We’ll have to do it here so that I can still keep an eye out,” she informed me as Ian moved closer.
“Mel, this is Ian Blackwell. He represents me personally and also handles the band’s interests.” Ian stuck his hand out, as if to shake Mel’s, but she ignored it.
“No offense, Mr. Blackwell, I avoid shaking hands while on duty. It helps keep the germs at bay.” For some reason, I thought maybe Mel was lying. I remembered her shaking other people’s hands when offered. It made me wonder if it was just Ian who bothered her, or lawyers in general.
“None taken,” Ian informed her as a genuine smile slipped in place on his face, despite her snub. “My client, Gabriel Northman, made an offer to the hospital to staff you for the duration of Chevy Kendrick’s stay, as well as to come live with him during his at-home recovery process. There was a substantial bonus pay of $150,000 for the year on top of your normal salary.”
Mel glanced over to me, puzzlement in her eyes. “That is not what was explained to me or laid out in the contract I signed.”
“As Mr. Northman made me aware,” Ian confirmed. “They planned on only coughing up $20,000 of your $150,000 bonus to you and keeping the rest. It’s criminal and I have documents being served to those responsible parties as we speak. We would like to rectify this mistake by-”
Ian was cut off when the elevator doors opened and the hospital’s Chief of Staff, along with two security guards, stepped onto the floor. “Melanie Gusterson, you are officially suspended from duty without pay, pending an investigation into breach of contract with Lee Harvey Meadows Memorial Hospital.”
My lawyer grinned. “That was a shit move on the hospital’s part,” he said. “Melanie, you have nothing to be concerned over. Stay right there with Gabriel while I get this sorted.”
“Actually, Melanie is being escorted off the premises,” the prick told us with a particularly dickish gleam in his eyes. “You should be familiar with how that works considering you had Sophie wrongfully removed from the hospital recently.”
“You’re a miserable cunt of a man,” Melanie told him. The two security men didn’t bother containing their surprised laughter, and neither did I.
“Mel will be leaving on the medical transport that is coming for my son. She will be given the full pay we offered for her services, and as she is here at mine and my son’s will, she will not, under any circumstances, be escorted from the premises.” It was more than a demand. I was giving the asshole an order and the red-faced bastard knew it.
“I was not aware that a medical transport was incoming or that your son was given clearance for discharge or transport to another facility.”
“Your hospital’s communication issues are not my problem any longer, but they are the reason my son is being moved to another facility.”
“Contracts were signed,” the man blustered.
“Contracts the hospital violated when they decided to attempt to hide the fact that payments were not being directed to the intended recipients, but we’ll discuss that further in court.”
“Come on,” I told Mel as I took a gentle hold on her arm and guided her away from the unfolding drama and toward my son’s room. “We need to get Chevy ready to fly.”
“Honestly, my head is spinning right now,” Mel mumbled. “Did I just lose my job?”
“No need to worry. You gained a far better one.”
“A temporary one,” she sputtered.
“We’ll see about that,” I assured her. There was no way I’d let her go without, when she’d fought for my son’s best interest every step of the way. “About that travel,” I began. “How does John’s Creek, Georgia sound to you? It’s near Atlanta, close to the mountains, and not too far from the ocean either. There’s plenty of medical jobs and best of all, it’s a hell of a lot cheaper than trying to live in New York.”
“Are you still trying to sell me on going? I have nothing else holding me here except a best friend who works opposite shifts from me, so we never see one another.”
“Maybe she’ll follow you south.”
“Doubtful. She’s a New York girl, born and bred.”
“What about you? Are you also a New York native?”
“No. I was born and raised in West Virginia.”
“What brought you to New York?”
“I followed a boy here and it didn’t work out,” she said without going into any further details. “Hey Chevy, you ready to catch a different kind of flight?”
“You know I am. My family will be closer, and I’ll be able to see Opal as soon as I’m mobile.” My kid had it bad for his girl. Unfortunately, he wasn’t aware that her family probably wouldn’t allow him to see her, even when they both got better. I knew Opal’s mom was grateful to my son, but her father was livid and didn’t want him near his daughter again. He blamed his daughter’s prognosis on Chevy, rather than the asshole who hit them. I hoped they would change their minds by the time we got back.
~*~
It was strange watching Mel leave with my son, knowing I couldn’t hop on the same flight. We left an hour after they did, since we had to drive to a small, private airfield outside the city. Once we got to Atlanta, we were stuck in traffic for a bit, though we were assured that Chevy and Mel landed safely and were tucked away in a private suite at the John’s Creek Health Center.
“Did you get the realtor on the ball about closing on the house I chose?” I asked Ian as he tapped a message out on his phone.
“Should be able to close it all out this week.”
“Good, I need a place for them to come home to once he’s released.”
Ian stopped what he was doing and gave me his full attention then. “What’s going on with that?”
“What do you mean?”
“First, I figured since you were coming back to his hometown that Chevy would go from the hospital to his mom’s house to convalesce. He already has a room there, he’s comfortable, and family is around. I thought that was the logical conclusion. You get along with Kendra, so I figured there wouldn’t be an issue going to visit him there.”
“I don’t know. I thought he might enjoy the quiet of my place.”
“Okay, well whatever he decides is up to him. That brings me to my second concern. You said, ‘they’. Are you planning on bringing someone else home?”
“Yeah,” I explained, though I could not fathom why I’d have to since he set up the new contracts for her. “Mel will be coming too, to help care for Chevy.”
“Are you sure you want her in a live-in situation?” Ian asked.
“Of course, I am. Why?”
“Live-in scenarios have a tendency to get messy when they end. Have you thought about what will happen when she has to leave?”
“We’ll figure it out when the time comes and have an exit strategy ready.”
Ian sighed. “If that’s what you want, I’ll make an ironclad plan for it. Just keep me abreast of any changes and try to remember that the woman is business and not there for your pleasure.”
I rolled my eyes. “I’m not some wet-behind-the-ears baby rock star anymore. I know how shit works.” I knew Ian was only looking out for me, but he didn’t understand. Having already failed to keep my son safe, there was nothing I would
n’t do to make sure he was comfortable and received the best care possible.
Then there was Melanie. My son liked her – true enough, but the way she advocated for him above me or anyone else who had their own demands, it was beautiful to watch. We were also responsible for harming her career. Dragging her into my son’s life, my life, had changed hers. With multiple lawsuits on the horizon, I wasn’t sure she would be welcome back to the health care world in New York. It didn’t matter that she was great at her job, that everyone knew her previous boss was a sexist asshole, or that she should have never been sued for some shady shit that hospital was trying to pull. No one there would touch her now. She was a risk to them. That was all on me.
Not for the first time, I lamented my money and rock star status in the world that allowed me the privilege to go above and beyond to fix something for one person, while simultaneously tearing down another. That seemed to be my other price to pay for the fame I’d achieved. Going home was a long time coming, and now it felt so bittersweet too.
6 – Home Care
My apartment had been packed up by strangers, and all of my belongings had arrived two days ago, only to be put into storage because I didn’t have a place of my own to move them into yet. Not that I hadn’t been looking for a job as well as a place to live, but I had to yet to find either. Gabe had been right about one thing though, the cost of living was so much cheaper in Georgia, that I might actually be able to afford an apartment, pay off my student debt, and eat a step above the Ramen noodle diet I had in New York.
“We’ll be transitioning Chevy home in a few days,” I overheard the doctor in charge of his care telling Gabe in the hallway. “I know you were closing on a new house. Will it be ready in time, or should we be having this conversation with Ms. Kendrick about how to set up for your son’s arrival?”
“I closed yesterday, and contractors are already there working to outfit the lower-level suite to accommodate a wheelchair for now. It’s looking like his girlfriend may be chair-bound for life, so it’ll probably remain that way.”
“That’s on me,” Chevy whispered, having overheard them as well.
“No, it’s not. The fact that she is still alive at all is on you. The loss of her ability to walk is on the asshole banker who was too coked up to notice someone climbing out of a car that he tried to illegally pass in the first place.” I sighed, knowing my pep talk would do no good. “It could have happened anywhere, Chevy.”
He didn’t say anything as I jotted his vitals and other information down to hand off to the doctor once they entered the room. “Are you ready to go home and see the house your dad set up for you?” A twinkle of brightness appeared in Chevy’s eyes that I chalked up to anticipation.
“It’s weird,” he told me. “I’m technically an adult and excited to be able to live with my dad.” He laughed. “But then again, I feel like I’m betraying my mom if I do.”
“Well, forget that! Kendra is excited for you, and I have it on good authority, that she’s helping Gabe get everything all set for you too. I think you’re confusing your situation for a divorced parents scenario. If Kendra is anything like me, I bet she’s just happy that you’re finally getting to have that time with your father. She had 18 years with you and knows exactly what both you and Gabe missed out on. Plus, I’m pretty sure your mom and siblings will be coming and going so much that you’ll be glad to hang your head in a different house at the end of the day, just for a little quiet and rest. Especially after you start physical therapy, where you’ll get moody and worn out easily.”
“You’re probably not wrong. What about you, Mel?”
“What about me?”
“Are you excited to move into a new home too?”
I laughed at him. “I still have to find one. I’ve been so busy since we got here that I haven’t had a chance to actually go check out neighborhoods or see places in person. It’s much more difficult here without a car than it was in New York.” When I glanced up from the chart, Chevy was giving me an odd look.
“Why are you looking for your own place? I thought you were moving in with us?”
I slowly shook my head. “Why would I move in with you and your dad?”
“To take care of me?” He answered my question with one of his own.
“I’ll be by for shifts but I’m still going to need my own place.”
“I don’t think that’s what my dad intended…”
The door to the room squeaked and I turned to find Kendra standing there glaring at Gabe who had sort of a stunned stupid expression as his eyes remained trained on me.
“I told you,” Kendra hissed. “You better fix it before it’s too late.”
I turned back to Chevy to see him grinning like a lunatic at his mom and dad. Suddenly, wary of the Kendrick clan, I took a step back and patted Chevy’s good foot, that was hidden away under his blankets. “I’ll be back to check on you in about an hour or so. You know the drill, if you need help, hit the magic button. Have a good visit with your parents.”
I whizzed right on past Kendra and Gabe as quickly as possible in order to hand the chart off to the doctor, only he was no longer in the hallway when I got out there. Josh, Kendra’s fiancé and Ford were both there though. I discovered that as I accidentally ran right into Josh while actively trying to flee from the rest of the family. “Whoa there,” Josh managed to say as he caught hold of my shoulders to keep me from stumbling back.
“Sorry, I didn’t think anyone was behind those two,” I apologized.
“I figured.”
“Man Mel, you have everyone spinning their heels, don’t you?” Ford asked me.
“What?”
The little, underaged shit winked at me. “I can’t wait to come visit my brother in his new house. It’s going to be the best.” Josh popped Ford in the back of the head and pushed him into Chevy’s room.
“Sorry about him. I do hope you know what you’re getting yourself into though,” he mentioned. It sounded an awful lot like a warning before he turned to enter the room too. “Fucking rock star life,” I thought I heard Josh mumble.
I’d made it two steps before Gabe was back out of the room and trailing after me. “Mel, can we talk?”
“I need to,” the clipboard was still in my hands. “Shit! Sorry, I got distracted by everyone,” I explained as I moved to go hang the chart outside of Chevy’s door since the doctor wasn’t out there to take it from me directly.
“It’s okay. Can we talk now?”
I glanced at the clock on the wall. “Can it wait an hour? I was about to go on my lunch break, and since I skipped breakfast, I don’t think I can wait much longer. I have hanger issues,” I joked.
Gabe laughed, but continued walking with me. “That’s fine. How about I treat you to lunch while we talk?”
“That’s not necessary,” I began to protest but Gabe gave me a look that suggested it really hadn’t been a question. “Fine, but fair warning, I’m stuffing my face – not talking – and you’re definitely buying now since this just became a business lunch.”
Gabe laughed again and this time it was genuine, making his predominantly green eyes sparkle while the actual laugh lines appeared at the corners. “Fair enough, Mel. Lead the way to your food paradise. I’ll pay and do most of the talking.”
~*~
We ended up at a little Mexican restaurant across the highway from the care facility where Chevy had been transported after we left New York. Gabe watched as I practically inhaled my food. When I was about eighty percent of the way finished, I finished chewing, wiped my mouth, and turned my attention to the man that didn’t seem to have any issues with demanding more of my time. “It’s really weird that you’ve just been staring at me while I eat, Gabe.”
He chuckled again but had the sense to seem embarrassed too. “You weren’t kidding when you said you were here to eat, not talk. Sorry, I got distracted by watching you, because in my world, women barely touch their food in public.”
I
glanced at my plate again. “That would be a waste of damn good food,” I told him.
“Usually is,” he confirmed. Before I could ask what he really brought me here to talk about, Gabe’s beautiful hazel eyes met mine once more. It was the first time I noticed they were an odd mix of green, gray, and gold. “You told Chevy that you were looking for a place to live,” he finally stated.
“I did. That’s what a person usually has to do when they move. I’ll probably just grab a cheap, long-term stay hotel room once Chevy gets discharged until I can find a place. Don’t worry, I’ll work out transportation to your house and everything until then.”
“No.” Gabe’s eyes were assessing as he spoke the single-word demand.
“No?” I questioned.
“No!” He reaffirmed.
“What exactly is that supposed to mean, Gabe?”
“We had a deal. You stay with Chevy until he’s fully healed. I didn’t drag you out of New York to leave you high and dry without a place to live in Georgia. Besides, there are security issues now.”
“Security issues?”
“You’ve been isolated at the hospital here, but surely you had to have seen or heard things?” He questioned as the man pulled his ball cap lower over his eyes. It was only then that our surroundings came into focus for me. People were staring. Actually, they weren’t just staring, cell phones were being held up and pictures were being taken. “Times up. I hope you got enough to eat?” He questioned while tossing money onto the table and holding a hand out for me to take. “Head down, walk fast, don’t speak, and don’t let go,” Gabe coached, quietly, in my ear just before we started speed-walking out of the restaurant.
Our hands stayed clasped as we moved through the space. At first, people seemed too stunned to move, but just as we reached the door the questions started flying. People – strangers – were asking if we were dating, fucking, and when our baby was due. Suddenly, my lunchtime munch-fest I’d just enjoyed made me feel sick. They thought I was eating for two.
“Follow me,” a uniformed police officer told us as we were leaving. “You heading across the street?” He asked in a low tone, so as not to be overheard. Gabe nodded and we followed the officer out to his patrol car where he proceeded to put us into the back. Once the door shut behind us, I let out a breath I hadn’t even realized I’d been holding.
Revived Page 6