Scarlet Fever - Hill Country 2 (23 page)

“Oh, but you’re wrong.
 
I’m very much dependent on your stroking.”
 
He rolled her over on top of him and nuzzled her on the neck.

“Listen to me, Alex,” she was giggling so hard, trying to get her breath.
 
He eased up so she could finish her thought.
 
“I’m talking about the feelings: the love, the sense of belonging to someone.
 
Even if it was for just a little while.
 
I adore you.”

“My sweet baby.”
 
He framed her face with his hands, forcing her to look at him.
 
“How in the world do you ever expect me to live even one day without you?”

She didn’t answer.
 
What could she say?
 
They only had three more nights, seventy-two hours, before she had to leave.
 
Letting out a long, tortured breath, she nestled against him, wishing for a miracle.

♥ ~
Chapter VII
~ ♥

The girls went shopping.
 
Scarlet had to take it easy and sit down every few minutes, but she convinced her sister that it was because she had slept poorly the night before.
 
That hadn’t been true.
 
In Alex’s arms, she had slept like a baby.
 

“I want to go to Chico’s and Cold Water Creek.”
 
Annalise announced.
 
They had pulled into the beautiful Arboretum mall.

“I want to go to Barnes and Nobles and look at our books on the shelves.”
 
Cecile was serious.
 
She loved to do that.
 
“What do you want to do, Scarlet?”

There was no doubt in her mind; it was #33 on her bucket list.
 
“Cheesecake Factory,” she said with awe and reverence in her voice.
 
The other two girls cracked up.
 
Their day was planned.

************************

Alex spent the day at the doctor’s office.
 
Doc Gibbs ran him through a battery of tests.
 
They had to be certain that Scarlet’s body would accept his kidney.
 
Ethan and Bobby went with him, knowing how very important and serious this was to him.
 
“Don’t worry, Alex.
 
Everything’s going to be all right.
 
You’re going to be a perfect match.”
 
Bobby tried to reassure his brother.

“I have to believe that, Bobby.”
 
Alex sat in the waiting room, his head in his hands.
 
“Your brother and I have pulled a thousand strings, and I have put Scarlet on my insurance role at Econ.
 
So I can keep her alive with dialysis and medicine.
 
That is, if she’ll let me.”
 
Alex’s voice cracked.
 
“She just has this hard-headed idea that she doesn’t want to be a burden to anyone.
 
I don’t know how to make her understand that I can’t live without her.”
 
Both brothers placed their hands on Alex’s back.
 
One sat on one side of him and one on the other.
 
“What I really want for her, though, is a normal life.
 
I want my kidney to be a perfect match, so we can make all of our dreams come true.
 
I want to be married to her for fifty years.
 
I want to show her the world, not just the modest requests on her bucket list.
 
I want to give her everything she deserves.
 
I want children with her.”
 
Alex stopped talking.
 
He hated to appear weak in front of his brothers.

They didn’t look at it that way, however.
 
Ethan leaned over, close to his brother.
 
“You will, Alex.
 
You will marry her tomorrow, and in a few days, you’ll give her a hell of a wedding gift – a future.
 
I know it.
 
I’m praying for it, Bobby and I both are.”
 
Bobby voiced his agreement.

“The doctor will see you now.”
 
The nurse’s simple words brought all three of them to their feet.
 
It might not have been normal, but all three brothers filed into the office, anxious to hear what the verdict was.

If the sight seemed strange to Doc Gibbs, he didn’t say so.
 
“Alex,” he looked at the largest Stewart brother straight on.
 
“You and Scarlet have a match on only three out of six antigens.”
 
At Alex’s stricken look, the doctor held up his hand.
 
“No, wait.
 
There’s still one more thing to check.
 
We have performed a crossmatch test that will tell us the likelihood of Scarlet’s body rejecting your kidney.
 
We’re hoping for a negative result.”

“Negative, how could that be good news?”
 
Alex didn’t understand.

“A negative result would mean that the probability of rejection of your kidney would be small.
 
Don’t lose hope, in fact, be positive – to not be related, the two of you seem to chemically and physiologically have much in common.”

“Well, I could have told you that,” Bobby said.
 
“You two were created for each other.”
 
Bobby’s words gave Alex a tremendous sense of peace.

“You’re right, Bobby.
 
Scarlet was created just for me.”
 
And he intended to use those words to Scarlet as he presented his case to her.
 
He wasn’t naive enough to think that she was going to fall in easily with his plans.
 
She was just too stubborn and too protective of him.
 
Scarlet was going to have to be convinced.

Doc Gibbs wasn’t finished, however.
 
“I sent Scarlet’s blood off to the premier research laboratory at the University of California.
 
The results should be here this afternoon or in the morning.
 
This will tell us exactly what we’re dealing with, how much time we have, and the best way to proceed.
 
Due to malpractice law, I can only call
her
with the results.
 
So stick close to her, just in case she decides not to share with you what I’ve told her.
 
And I’ll call you both as soon as I have the results of the cross match. ”
 

“Thanks, Doc.”
 
Alex assured him, forcing himself to remain positive.
 
If he had his way, Scarlet was going to live.
 
Now, if everything fell into place, all he would have to do is convince her to accept his gift of life.

“How much will the transplant cost?”
 
Alex asked taking out his checkbook.

“She doesn’t have insurance?”
 
The doctor wasn’t really surprised.

“No, I’ll be taking care of everything.”

“Why don’t we wait and see, there’s no use you paying for something that is just a maybe at this stage.”

“No,” Alex said.
 
“I believe in the law of attraction.
 
I’m going to act as if this transplant is a done deal.
 
Now, how much?”

“I can’t be completely sure, but approximately $375,000, give or take a dollar or two.”
 
Alex never hesitated.
 
He wrote the check, tore it out and handed it to the doctor.
 
“We’ll divide it up between you and your hospital later, Okay?”

Doc Gibbs knew that this was Alex’s way of hanging on to hope.
 
He took the check and placed it in his safe, hoping against hope that he would have reason to cash it.

************************

It was time for the cakes.
 
Scarlet had decided to bake the groom’s cake first.
 
The cake itself had chocolate syrup and real butter in it.
 
Rich was not the word.
 
The icing was made with heavy cream and chocolate chips, absolutely sinful.
 
“That smells heavenly,” Alex murmured as he embraced her from behind.
 
He was holding nothing back.
 
Every waking moment, he conveyed his love and desire for her.
 
And there was no doubt that she shared his feelings, loved the attention.
 
In fact, she ate it up.
 

Turning in his arms, she fitted her body to his.
 
“I made you a small one.
 
You can have it now, if you’d like.”

“Thanks, love.
 
That was nice of you.”
 
He fitted his mouth to hers, drinking from her mouth like a man who was starving for a life-giving drink of water.

“Did you actually suppose that I wouldn’t think of you?
 
You’re always on my mind.
 
I’d do anything for you.”
 
She was surprised when he pulled away and reached for a pad and pen.
 
“What are you doing?”

“I’m writing this down,” he said playfully.
 
“I’m going to hold you to those words, Scarlet.”
 
He actually put pen to paper.
 
“Scarlet Rose Evans says that she will do anything for one, Phillip Alexander Stewart.
 
Duly noted.
 
Here sign it.”
 

He held it out to her and she giggled and did as he requested.
 
Then, he put it away for safe keeping.
   

Scarlet mischievously pushed at him with her bottom, and he reacted as expected.
 
Clasping her bottom with both hands, he pulled her into his heat.
 
“When can you stop?
 
I’m hungrier for you than I am for cake.”

“Not for a while, unfortunately.
 
I’ve got the batter mixed up for the wedding cake, but there’s a lot left to do to get it all baked, assembled and decorated.”
 
She glanced at the clock on the wall.
 
“I’ll be at this till midnight.
 
I‘m just grateful that you have these commercial appliances, that alone is going to save me a world of time and effort. ”
 

“Let me help,” he urged.
 
“I’m as talented as a pastry chef as I am in the bedroom.”

“Honey, if you were, they would have you teaching at the French Culinary Institute.”

“Am I that good?”
 
Male egos need to be fed.

“Do you have to ask?
 
Aren’t my screams of ecstasy testimony enough?”
 
Looking over at him, she saw that ravenous look of lust in his face.
 
“Uh, oh.
 
No time for that.
 
Go, do manly things.
 
You’ve wasted entirely too much time entertaining me this week.”
  
As she said the words, she realized what she had done.
 
His face fell.
 
She had inadvertently reminded him of their meeting, when he had hurt her with his thoughtless words.

“Impossible.”

“I didn’t mean it, Alex.
 
Stay with me, please.”
 
She didn’t have to ask again.
 
He followed her directions, and together, they created a masterpiece for his brother and her sister.
 
A masterpiece of love.

************************

After midnight, he carried her to his big clawfoot tub.
 
She was exhausted.
 
“Sit here, sweetheart.
 
I’ll run us a bath.”
 
The tub was huge, a seventy-two inch Randolph Morris.
 
Pure luxury.
 

“Can we take this tub with us to our house?”
 
Alex looked at her in wonder.
 
Did she know what she was saying?