Not Quite Forever (Not Quite series) (28 page)

For two days, Walt juggled his father’s care, his mother’s snotty disposition, Stanley, and the nursing staff on the unit.

Dakota managed meals, not that she cooked much of them, but she found a caterer that packaged premade lunches and dinners so all they had to do was heat them up when they returned to the house. Dakota sent meals, and not just pizza, to the ICU staff during both shifts. She made notes of who took care of his dad and started sending boxed bottles of wine to each one of them. She even made sure Dr. Altman’s staff in his office didn’t miss out.

Dakota listened. She heard each of Walt’s requests once and used her time to make everything better.

Walt kept her away from the inside of the hospital as much as he could. Made love to her when he had the energy and simply held her when he didn’t.

The night before his father’s surgery, the five of them exited the hospital and sat around a table at a local Italian restaurant.

“Dad looked ready,” Brenda said once they were all seated and drinks were served.

“He did.” Larry smiled at his wife and leaned into her.

“I know everyone will want to be at the hospital tomorrow, but visiting after surgery is no more than a glimpse of him before we’re all shooed away,” Walt explained.

JoAnne picked at a breadstick. “I’d worry more if I stayed home.”

Walt couldn’t argue that.

“There’s no harm in staying long enough to know he’s through surgery.” Walt reached for Dakota’s hand that sat on the table. “I really don’t like the amount of time you’ve spent in the hospital as it is.”

Dakota shook her head. “I doubt the pregnant doctors and nurses take nine months off.”

“They’re not you.”

“That’s sweet, Doc, but I’m still going tomorrow.”

There was a pause and then Brenda changed the subject.

“So, Dakota . . . how did the two of you meet anyway?” Brenda asked.

“He was horning in on my room at a conference.”

The memory of her squaring her shoulders and meeting his stare on that day made him grin. “You were teaching a class on . . . what was it again?” he asked.

“Crafting a satisfying sex scene.”

Larry spit out the water he was attempting to drink and Walt’s mom scoffed.

“Keep your voice down.”

Walt looked around, didn’t notice anyone within earshot. “Let it go, Mom.”

“He made some crack about bodice rippers and I did everything in my power to one-up him.”

“You did,” he agreed, thankful their conversation had moved from hospitals and surgery. “But that’s not when I first noticed you.”

“Oh?” Brenda leaned on her elbows to listen.

“She walked into a bar wearing a Lakers cap, sat at the bar, and started eavesdropping on conversations.”

Walt ignored his mother when she rolled her eyes again.

“I call it research.”

“Did you hear anything juicy?”

Dakota grinned. “I was listening to the pickup lines at the bar. It’s amazing what comes out of people’s mouths.”

“I’ll bet.”

“So you listen to personal conversations and then exploit them?” his mom asked.

“No. I study people. Try and figure out what makes them tick. It helps when I’m creating fictitious characters in my books.”

“I can’t imagine why that’s needed when writing
your
books.”

Brenda spoke out first. “Wow, Mom. Try not to hate so much. Besides, if you haven’t read them you shouldn’t cast stones.”

Walt saw through Dakota’s smile. Even though she didn’t show it, he knew his mother’s words stung.

“You and my mother would get along very well,” Dakota said. “She says I write smut.”

“There’s nothing smutty about your work,” Brenda said. “What are you working on now?”

Walt kept glaring at his mother, hoping she’d get a hint.

While Brenda kept quizzing Dakota on her next book, the waiter delivered their dinner.

Hours later Walt tucked Dakota into his arms as they snuggled in bed. “I’m sorry about my mom.”

“Don’t be. She’s got to be under an enormous stress.”

“We all are, but that doesn’t give her the right to paint a target on you.”

Dakota turned her dark eyes on him. He pushed a lock of hair behind her ear. “Your mom and I will work things out. You have enough to think about and our relationship doesn’t have to be one of them.”

She rested her cheek into his palm and smiled at him. A tsunami of emotion rolled over him. “I love you,” he whispered.

She paused and sighed. “Walt, I—”

“I’m not telling you that to hear the words returned. I just can’t keep them to myself anymore.”

Her eyes softened, if that were possible, and he knew he wasn’t alone.

Instead of saying a thing, Dakota reached for him, covered his lips with hers in a kiss that picked up his soul and intertwined it with hers.

“Make love to me,” she said against his lips.

Walt smiled, pulled her under him, and loved her with every ounce of energy he had.

Chapter Twenty-Five

Dakota sat, stood, paced, walked the halls of the hospital, did just about everything other than relax for the hours it took for Walt’s dad to come through surgery.

As the hours ticked by, each of them grew more silent, a little more humbled on how fragile life was.

When the hour that they should have heard something came and went, uncertainty wiggled its nagging little bone into Dakota’s head. Each time the door leading into the surgery suites opened, they snapped their eyes to the door, hoping to see Dr. Altman.

“Walt, please ask someone how it’s going?”

Walt placed a hand over his mother’s. “Stanley knows we’re all waiting. He’ll be out as soon as he’s done.”

Yet even with his words, Dakota saw his eyes shift to the volunteer desk, the door to where his father was lying on a table.

She squeezed his hand, saying silently that she was right there with him. He kissed her fingertips and jumped when the door to the back opened.

“Stanley!”

They all stood only to have Dr. Altman wave them back into their seats. Dressed in scrubs from the top of his head to booties on his feet, Stanley Altman appeared just as stressed as they did.

He offered a smile and directed his attention to JoAnne. “He’s resting, JoAnne.”

“How is he?”

“He’s a tough bastard. He gave me a little trouble but came through just fine.”

Dakota felt tears in the back of her eyes as a collective sigh moved through all of them.

JoAnne grasped both of Stanley’s hands. “Thank you.”

“He’s in recovery right now, on a ventilator for a little while longer.” Dr. Altman ran through some of what Dakota thought were routine procedural steps Walt’s father was going to have to endure.

“When can I see him?” JoAnne asked.

“Let me get him off the vent first. Then you can see him. After that, I want you to go home. I’m sure your son has already explained that there’s nothing you can do. He’ll be up for visitors tomorrow, even more in a day or two.”

Walt shook Dr. Altman’s hand and pulled away with him to talk privately.

Brenda called her grandfather and another friend of the family who was in charge of informing the rest of their extended family.

Dakota attempted to text Mary, and noticed her battery dead on her phone. She placed her phone into her purse and waited for Walt to return so she could use his.

“We have at least an hour’s wait to see him,” Walt said when he left Dr. Altman’s side. “I could use some fresh air.”

They left the others in the lobby and took the elevator to the ground floor. Walt’s silence sparked her concern. “What’s wrong?”

He waited until they were out of the hospital, and walking around the cold sidewalk of the hospital grounds. “He’s doing all right, but not great. Stanley didn’t want to worry my mom. There was a little more bleeding than he would have liked, and a longer time on the bypass machine.”

“What does all that mean?”

“It means the next night is going to be touchy. More than normal.”

Not good.
None of that sounded good.

“You should stay down here then. I’ll get your mom home.”

“She’ll figure out something’s wrong if I stay.”

“You’re a doctor. You can actually do something, where all we can do is stand by and worry. Your mom might actually like you staying back.”

“You have a point. We should know by midnight if he’s going to have any issues.”

Dakota shrugged. “So we make an excuse for you to stay behind a little longer, and work from there. I can endure another silent drive with JoAnne.”

Walt shook his head. “I owe you.”

“Big-time, buddy.” She winked. As they moved back into the hospital, she lifted her palm. “I need to use your phone to text Mary. Mine died.”

He handed it over, grinned. “You need me.”

“Yep, I do.”

“I know you’re hiding something from me,” JoAnne said ten minutes into their drive. They’d managed to crawl out of the city and were at the base of the mountain. It was past eight, black ice covered the road, and snow was going to be a factor if they didn’t make it to the Eddy home before nine. The streets were deserted and the glittering of Christmas lights lit up the homes, making the winter scene bearable.

“Why would I hide anything from you?” Dakota turned the radio down, the heat up. The windshield wipers whisked away the falling snow seconds after it hit.

“Why did Walt stay behind?”

Dakota gripped the wheel. “He told you. The snow might make it difficult to come down early in the morning. He wanted someone to stay and since he’s a doctor, he’s the most practical candidate. Besides, hospitals always have beds for the doctors to sleep in if they’re needed.”

Dakota feathered the brakes as she came to a stop at a light, felt the car slip, and eased off and back on. Driving in the snow wasn’t her strong point, but she’d grown more used to it since she’d arrived in Colorado. She couldn’t help but think this trip up the mountain was going to test all her reflexes.

The light turned, the wheels to the SUV gripped the pavement, giving Dakota some encouragement.

“I don’t believe you.”

“Oh? What don’t you believe? The part about your son being a doctor? I thought you knew that.” Dakota’s attempt to get JoAnne to smile failed.

“You think you’re funny.”

No, I know I’m funny.

Fifteen minutes later, they were only a couple of miles off the turnoff to the mountain road to the Eddy home. The road was in relatively good shape, but the snow was starting to pile over the tracks laid by other vehicles.

“Should we put on the chains?”

JoAnne rolled her eyes. “It isn’t that thick yet.”

Having never put on chains before, Dakota opted to go with JoAnne’s words and continued on. As luck would have it, the more snow that fell, the easier the car gripped the road. As long as she didn’t get in a hurry and hit the gas, she felt the car would eventually make it.

Dakota had to lean forward in the car to see the road signs, and even then, they were covered in snow.

“It’s not this one,” JoAnne said when Dakota slowed the car down.

She drove a little farther, listened to JoAnne tap her fingers against the armrest. “Can’t we go a little faster? I’d really like to get to bed before midnight.”

“Do you want to drive?”

“My husband just had open heart surgery. No! I don’t want to drive.”

Dakota took her eyes off the road for only a second to glare at JoAnne. “Then kindly be quiet and let me get us home safely.”

“My home is not yours.”

Dakota tried not to take offense. “You’ve made that painfully clear, Mrs. Eddy.”

“Then please refrain from calling it
home
.”

Her back teeth ground together. “Yes, ma’am, I’ll do my best.”

“Oh, now you’re being sarcastic. Your accent always makes an appearance when you’re trying to dig at me.”

She glanced left, looking for the giant boulder that signaled the upcoming street. “It’s a wonder as to how I don’t sound like this all the time, don’t you think?”

“I don’t care for you.”

Dakota was about to tell JoAnne the feeling was mutual, and then decided to try something different. “Well, that just sucks for you. I’ve actually grown fond of you.”

JoAnne twisted her head to stare out the window. “Oh, please.”

“No, really. You’re a loyal wife, devoted in a way I didn’t see coming.”

JoAnne huffed, but didn’t say a word.

“You raised two great children. Brenda’s just a doll.”

Dakota kept searching for the rock, didn’t see it. Probably up ahead. Going as slow as she was, it was a wonder they had gone so many miles.

“
Did you like Larry when he and Brenda first started dating?”

“Larry was always a gentleman.” Yes, but Dakota knew that JoAnne had given him trouble at first.

“Bless his heart. A gentleman will always win a woman’s devotion.”

JoAnne scoffed, peered over the dash. “I think you missed the turnoff.”

Dakota slowed the car, which didn’t take much. “I did?”

There weren’t any lights ahead or behind them. “Should I turn around here, or is there someplace wider up ahead?”

JoAnne sat back, crossed her arms. “There’s another road a half mile or so up, we can go around the back way. Driving downhill in this isn’t nearly as easy as driving up.”

Dakota wanted to argue. Her shoulders were killing her for all the tension she was holding. Deep inside, the baby kicked her.
I’ll get us home.

The half a mile came and went, still no turnoff. “Is it farther up?”

“It must be.”

They kept driving. Two miles later, Dakota took her time turning around. She put the car in low and crawled back down.

JoAnne pointed. “This is it . . . I think.”

“You think?”

“This is it. I do live here.”

Dakota stopped the car, looked down the snow-laden street, the tall pines were covered with snow and it was coming down so hard the windshield wipers couldn’t keep up even at the highest speed. “Now is not the time for grandstanding, JoAnne. Getting lost out here isn’t something I want to do.”

“That isn’t likely.”

Everything was a blanket of white, all landmarks were gone, and the dark made it even harder to see.

Dakota turned down the road and watched the tracks behind her fill with new snow.

Walt checked his watch for the third time in fifteen minutes. He huddled over his cup of coffee and checked his phone.

He left a third message at home and still he hadn’t heard from Dakota. The snow was coming down, which added to the anxiety crawling in his chest.

Finally, he called Brenda. “Hey, sis.”

“Oh, no. Is everything OK?”

“Dad’s fine. Stanley’s right. He’s a tough bastard.”

His sister sighed. “Oh, good. How are you holding up? Did they find you a bed? Those foldout chairs kinda suck.”

“No, not yet. Listen, have you heard from Mom or Dakota?”

“No. They left when we did.”

“I know. It’s just, they haven’t called and it’s been an hour and a half.”

“You know how it is driving up there in the snow. Slow. I’m sure they’ll call soon.”

He needed to hear that. “Do they still plow the road?”

“Of course. There’s been some new housing developments going in, so it might take them a little longer to make the rounds, but they go nonstop.”

“Good. Well, if you hear something from Mom, call me.”

“Why don’t you just call Dakota’s cell? The service up there isn’t that spotty.”

“Her phone died.”

“Call Mom’s then.”

Good point.

He hung up and dialed his mother’s number. When it went directly to voice mail, he started to panic all over again.

As the clock struck ten thirty, Walt woke Larry. “No one is answering. There’s no way it takes two and a half hours to get up that hill.”