Love in the Falls (7 page)

“Looking for my fiancee,” he said with a wry smile. Preston leaned down to kiss Camden, but she turned her head so he could only touch her cheek with his lips. “Of course, I just saw my fiancee washing another man’s chest…”

“You could have called,” Camden muttered. “I don’t want you coming here and stressing him out.”

“I really don’t understand this attitude, Camden. Why are you angry with me?” His tone was sharper now, and his irritation was growing. “Before you went on that hike, we were on track… ready to get married and start our lives together. What has changed?”

Camden paused for a moment, her eyes filling with tears. She did feel bad for this man who had invested his idea of the future in her, but she also knew that any rich, good looking woman would have been able to stand in her place. He loved her for her connections, her trust fund and her future.

“I don’t know what to say, Preston. I need time to think about where we are going from here…”

“Time to think? What do you mean? We are engaged to be married, Camden. Are you backing out on me?”

“No… I don’t know…”

“I can’t believe this,” he said running his fingers through his hair.

“Preston, you know I have fought against what my parents have wanted for me for years. I love you, but I don’t want the same things that you do. I don’t want charity balls and cocktail parties and a private office in a city hospital. I want to help real people with real problems. I want to get my hands dirty. I want to make a difference. I just don’t know if we are a good fit… for a lifetime,” she said looking up at him.

“Why are you doing this now? What happened on that mountain, Camden?”

“I just got some clear air, I guess. Sometimes God shows us a new plan when we least expect it,” she said.

“So it’s over? Is that what you’re saying? Are you choosing a stroke victim over me?”

“He has nothing to do with this, Preston. And, I can’t make any decisions right now. I need space. I need time.”

“I won’t wait forever, Camden. Make a decision and stick with it. I won’t be made a fool of in front of my friends and family,” he said as he turned on his heel and walked out the double doors to the parking lot.

She took a few deep breaths and went back into Sam’s room. He was looking at her as she approached.

“Boyfriend?” he asked quietly.

“Fiance, actually. Although he might not be my fiance anymore after that conversation,” she said looking down.

“Sorry.”

“It’s not your fault.”

“Isn’t it?” Sam asked softly. She had never seen such a sad look in someone’s eyes before.

“No, it’s not. Things happen. And I wanted to be here for you. You needed me, and that was nice. No one has really needed me before,” Camden said.

“Still do,” he said smiling.

“Good. Right now, I need a distraction.”

“You can go home,” he said softly.

“I don’t want to.”

“Okay.”

Before the conversation could progress any further, a woman walked into the room. She was petite with red hair down to her shoulders and wearing a brown pantsuit.

“Mr. Steele?” she said as she approached the bed. “I’m Valerie Jameson. I’m a stroke specialist, and I will be coming to see you everyday just to monitor your progress.” The woman reached down and touched Sam’s hand and he nodded without speaking.

“Hi, I’m Camden,” she said reaching out to shake Valerie’s hand.

“Are you Mr. Steele’s wife? Or girlfriend?”

“Um… no. Neither, actually. I’m the person who helped him up at the falls. But, we have become fast friends,” Camden said smiling down at Sam. He smiled back.

“I see. Well, I am looking forward to working with you, Mr. Steele. I have heard great things about your progress, and that you will be getting into a room today.”

“Yes,” Sam said.

She stood by the bed and looked down at him. His eyes were emotionless, almost as if the gravity of the situation was just hitting him.

“I need to do a daily assessment of you, Mr. Steele, okay?”

“Sam.”

“Alright. Sam. Can you tell me your full name?”

“Samuel Jack Steele,” he said slowly and quietly. His voice was nowhere near normal in volume or speed, but he was clear. Camden knew that was a good sign as she stood at the foot of the bed watching the assessment.

“Good, Sam. Now, do you know what day of the week it is?”

“No.”

“That’s okay. It’s easy to lose track of time when something like this happens. We will work on that,” she said. “Are you able to squeeze my hand with your right hand?”

Sam squeezed her hand. It was not the strength of a normal man who ran a farm, but it was enough to be usable to him. She moved to the other side of the bed and reached for his left hand.

“How about this one?” she asked. His hand did not move. Camden wasn’t surprised because she had not seen him move it yet.

“No,” Sam said with a sad look on his face. His eyes searched for Camden’s and she smiled at him to let him know it was okay.

“That’s okay, Sam. We will work on that,” Valerie said.

Valerie started to move toward the door, and turned around to look at Sam.

“Once you are in your room, we will visit daily and work on some tasks. You will also see a physical therapist a few times each week to work on gaining some strength back. I think your outlook is good, Sam.” With that, she turned and left the room. Camden could tell she was all about business, and didn’t have a lot of friendliness in her personality.

“See? You are going to do great. Everyone thinks so,” Camden said smiling as she sat back down next to him in the chair.

“Hope so.”

***

Rebecca and Drake arrived around lunch time. They brought clothes for Sam as well as some of his most cherished items. There was a picture of his late father, who was also a very handsome man. They even brought a picture of his dog, a black lab named Gruff.

Camden was getting to learn more and more about Sam through his sister, his friend and even his belongings. She wondered why she had this strange attraction to a man she hardly knew. She only knew that she wanted to continue knowing him and helping him.

That afternoon, Sam was moved into a private room on the north side of the hospital. His window faced the beautiful mountains of north Georgia which were covered in shades of orange and yellow. Small cabins and houses peppered the landscape, and Camden could see puffs of smoke billowing from several chimneys across the hills.

Sam was sleeping when Camden decided to go outside and get some fresh air. The hospital had a lovely little courtyard that was situated in the center of the grounds. She made a cup of hot cocoa and walked outside. As she sat down, her cell phone rang.

“Hello?” Camden said as she put her cocoa on the concrete picnic table.

“Camden?” She was surprised to hear her mother’s voice on the other end of the phone since it had come up as an unknown number.

“Mom,” Camden said.

“Don’t hang up, Camden. It is important that we have this conversation,” her mother said sternly.

“What is it mother? And where are you calling from?”

“I knew you would ignore my calls, so I am using a friend’s phone at the club,” she said. Camden had never noticed just house snooty her mother’s voice really was until now.

“Go ahead…” Camden rolled her eyes and began to sip her cocoa.

“Camden, you are twenty nine years old. You will reach thirty years old in November, just two short months from now…”

“Yes, mother, I know how old I am. What are you getting at?”

“You know that your trust fund is due to be released to you at age thirty,” her mother pointed out. Camden started feeling uneasy in the pit of her stomach. Her family’s wealth had gone back two generations, and she was due to get a trust fund with two million dollars in it when she turned thirty. The release of the money was at her parents’ discretion.

“Are you threatening me, mother?”

“Of course not. I am simply saying that your father and I are not happy with your current situation, and we may not feel comfortable releasing that kind of money to you… unless you fulfill your promise to Preston and get back to your normal life.”

Camden sat there in shock for a moment. Her mother was basically blackmailing her. Anger started to rise from deep within her, and she didn’t know how to channel it properly in that moment. She had been excited to get her trust fund, but mainly so that she could extricate herself from her parents’ hold over her life.

“Now, you let me tell you something, mother. I will not be pushed into living a life I don’t want to live. I haven’t made any decisions yet, and you will not force my hand. If you want to keep my trust fund from me, so be it. I’d rather be poor and have control over my life than be under your thumb forever.”

“What has happened to you, Camden? I thought you wanted to live a successful life,” her mother said in a disappointed tone.

“And what is a successful life, mother? Having a lot of money? Fancy cocktail parties? Snooty friends, yachts, expensive homes?”

“Well, that may be part of it. It is important how we look to the world, Camden. This family has a long history of being respected in our community,” she said.

“See, mother, that is where we are different. I don’t care what the world thinks of me. I want a man who loves me for who I am. Who stands in my corner, and I stand in his. A man who will fight for me. A man who works hard and wants to come home to me every night. I don’t need a lot of money to have the kind of life I want. I don’t need snobby friends or charity balls or cocktail parties. I need a true love, and I don’t know that Preston is that man. And you blackmailing me over my trust fund is not going to force my decision. You got that?”

There was silence on the other end of the line for a moment. Camden wasn’t sure if her mother hung up or was in some state of shock. After about thirty seconds, her mother spoke.

“Camden, you have always been difficult. I don’t suppose that will change. I’ve told you my thoughts, and I am sure you will make the decision that you feel is right. As will I. Goodbye.” With that, her mother hung up leaving Camden feeling attacked and shell shocked.

“You okay?” She turned to see Drake standing there.

“Yes. I suppose you heard that conversation?” she asked realizing that she had tears running down her cheeks.

“Yep. Sorry. I wasn’t trying to eavesdrop…”

“It’s okay. Family stuff.”

“If it means anything, I would love to hear a woman talk passionately like that about me someday,” he said smiling.

“I wasn’t talking about anyone in particular…” she said sharply.

“Weren’t you?” he asked, cocking his head to the side with a smile.

“No. I wasn’t…” she said, desperately wishing to change the subject.

“Sorry, then. My mistake…” Drake said with a wry smile. “But, can I ask you a question?”

“Sure. Why not?” she said wiping the tears from her cheeks with the back of her hand.