Emerald Fire (Christian Romance) (The Jewel Series) (31 page)

His head was still reeling from seeing her so awake and … alive. “Win what?”

“Whatever you did in court.”

“Oh.” He shrugged. “Probably. They didn’t have much of a case.”

“What was it?”

He caught himself staring into her eyes, green pools that captured him and held him. Once dazed with drugs, her eyes now looked clear and sharp. “What was what?”

“The court thing.”

“Sexual harassment.”

The pull was immediately broken when she closed her eyes for a moment. He shook his head to clear it and rubbed his own eyes. He must be more exhausted than he realized. “Who were you harassing?”

“It wasn’t me. It was Tony.”

She smiled. “I’d laugh but I’d end up needing that shot if I did.”

He smiled. “I know. I think she thought we’d settle out of court instead of going all the way with it. But she rather irritated your brother-in-law with the whole thing, and he refused to settle anything.”

Her eyes were closed and she grew quiet, so he settled back in his chair. The relief at seeing her like this lifted such a huge load, one he’d gotten used to carrying over the last two weeks. As soon as it was gone he felt all the nervous energy he’d been riding on leave him behind. His eyes burned and his arms felt heavy.

Her voice startled him, and he realized he’d nearly dozed off. “I want to talk to you, but I’m so tired.”

He gingerly lifted her hand and gave her the lightest of kisses on her knuckles. “Shush. Rest. We have later. We have the rest of our lives.”

BY
the end of the first week of consciousness, Maxine thought she was going to go out of her mind. She’d managed to avoid taking the shot for the pain, though there were two nights when she thought her resolve might vanish. It was silly, she knew, to manage the pain of a broken body to avoid the pain of the shot. Illogical, actually, but a phobia was a phobia. She couldn’t grasp the concept of willingly subjecting herself to the shot regardless of the bliss it would have provided.

Robin came daily for short bursts of time because of the baby. Tony saw her twice in between court and traveling to one of his businesses in Utah, and Sarah stopped by for a few minutes before and after her shifts and on her lunches.

Every morning before work, Barry came to see her. Every evening, he would come in after work. Most nights he slept in the chair next to her bed, but occasionally he went home only to return within just a few hours. He would come in, brush a feather light kiss on her lips, then sit and talk. Many of their conversations were lighthearted, as if they were seated across the table from each other at dinner. Sometimes he prayed with her, sometimes he talked about work, sometimes he told her football stories, sometimes he talked about his family.

He was driving her up a wall.

If he touched her, he always seemed surprised. When he kissed her, it was so light she wondered if there was actual contact. He treated her emotionally, mentally, and physically as if she were made of glass, until she wanted to scream at him that she was still Maxine, broken bones or no broken bones. But while she couldn’t remember the events leading up to the last week, her brokenness, her touch and go status, she knew that he could remember. He remembered vividly. Robin had finally broken down and told her what it was like. She guessed he just needed some adjusting time.

As frustrating as it was, she willed herself to wait until he figured out that he could at least give her a real kiss and she wouldn’t shatter.

BARRY
leaned back in his chair and closed his eyes. The state of weary had been a constant companion for weeks now, and he felt like he might be coming to the end of his rope. He needed to get some real rest soon. Except he didn’t know how to turn it all off and rest.

He heard his office door open, but it took a moment for him to feel willing to open his eyes. Instead of Elizabeth, he saw his best friend.

“What’s up, brother?” He asked as he straightened his chair and lowered his feet to the floor.

Tony smiled. “Robin said that they’re releasing Maxi.”

Barry felt a twinge in his heart. “To a nursing home.”

The smile faded from Tony’s face. Barry knew it had more to do with his tone rather than the information. His lips pursed and he offered, “I thought it was a long term care facility.”

“It’s a nursing home, Tony.”

Tony held out an open hand and asked, “Problem?”

“Yeah. She needs to come home. She’ll get better faster at home.”

“Okay.” Tony sat back and Barry could see the wheels turning in his mind. “What will that take?”

With a gesture, Barry drew his attention to the stacks of folders and brochures that littered his desk. “Hospital bed, doors wide enough for a wheelchair, ramps, renovation on the bathroom to handle her needs, a physical therapist, some specialized equipment for therapy…”

“You have everything you need?”

Barry cocked his head and stared at his amazing, God given friend. He knew the question Tony was actually asking. Could he afford it? Did he need financial assistance or strings pulled? “I do. But I love you and appreciate you.”

“Good. Let me know if that changes because I want to help any way I can.”

“I know,” Barry confirmed, nearly choked up on some unexpected emotion.

Tony cleared his throat. “I am here on a mission.”

“Oh?”

“Yes. My wife sent me, so there is no arguing.”

Despite it all, Barry laughed. “Okay.”

“I am to take you to your favorite restaurant and buy you a thick steak. Then I am to take you to church tonight and attend the Wednesday night prayer meeting, where we’ll pray over you. Then I am to take you home and watch whatever sporting event you pick from what you have saved in your recorder to watch until you want to go to bed. Then I’m to sit sentry in your home while you sleep tonight, knowing your sisters-in-law, your mother, and your sisters, will be with your wife.”

That sounded … wonderful. “I …”

“No arguing.” Tony stood. “Do you need to take any of that stuff with you?”

Barry shook his head. “I’ve called someone to handle the details for me.”

“Good. Delegation. I do that all the time. In fact, Derrick is surprisingly good at project management. Maybe have your guy call him. He has spring break starting soon. He’ll enjoy the project.”

“Maybe I will.” Barry stood and grabbed his jacket from the back of his chair. “Benedict’s steaks?”

Tony pulled his keys from his pocket. “Wonderful choice.”

BARRY
let himself into the house quietly, not wanting to disturb Maxine. He wasn’t quite sure what his reasons were, but he wasn’t sure of a lot of things about himself when it came to his wife.

His love for her was absolute, he knew that, but her feelings for him after the accident remained a mystery. Her spark was gone, which was understandable considering what she was going through. She found little joy in anything anymore, and the times she appeared to be enjoying herself seemed contrived. Toward him, she gradually became cool and detached, and the flicker of annoyance in her eyes as he bent to kiss her each night tore his heart a fraction at a time. Soon, she would be able to get up and walk away. Part of him wished she never could, and he hated himself for it.

He slipped his keys into his pocket and moved silently through the house. He’d converted the dining room to create a bedroom for her, and the glow of a full moon lighted the room through the thin curtains enough to see her perfectly.

Before the accident, she took over any bed, buried under covers, on her stomach, her head under the pillow. The hindrance of the cast on her leg had retrained her to lie perfectly still on her back. He wondered if she would ever get her vibrancy back, either asleep or awake.

Worried he would disturb her slumber, he stood in the doorway and looked in on her, but didn’t enter the room. Instead, he moved silently through the house and up the stairs to his room. The master bedroom. Their room. He wondered if she would ever join him there, or if he was facing the end of their unconventional marriage. The last surgery on her leg was the last surgery the doctors would perform. They removed the cast tomorrow. Maybe another surgery would have to be performed on her hand, but that was inconsequential to the scheme of her freedom outside of this house. Their house. Their home.

Weary, he shed his clothes on his way to the shower. Every step toward healing was a step away from him, he feared. He didn’t know how to bring it up to her.

“GIVE
me two more, Maxine.”

“You’re out of your mind.”

“Just two more and that will be it for the day.”

Maxine closed her eyes and concentrated on lifting the weights. Her leg objected to the movement, tried to refuse to obey the command of her mind. After two more surgeries and three months of confinement in a hard cast, the muscles screamed in protest.

Sweat poured off her face, mixing with tears, but the weights lifted and fell again.

“Okay, once more.”

She opened her eyes and glared at Muriel Harrison. For the first few days after her release from the hospital, Muriel had been her near constant companion, acting as nurse and physical therapist. Once the cast had come off her arm and her muscles started working again, she no longer spent the night, but came for several hours a day to torture Maxine. She stood tall for her lean frame, with dark straight hair she kept cut nearly to her chin, and light, light blue eyes. She’d been so kind and patient as a nurse, but the second Maxine’s arm had been freed, she became a sadistic drill sergeant, pushing and pushing until Maxine knew she couldn’t take anymore, then pushing her one more time.