The Price (30 page)

“Now that’s weird,” said the blond-haired aide, looking at the charge nurse.

“No, that’s the lifestyles of the rich and famous,” she stated as she returned to behind the station and started to work on the mounds of paperwork that were piling up on her desk.

TWENTY-ONE

LOVE WILL FIND A WAY

It was already after four and Jack was still stranded in the cafeteria with his son. By this time, Jesse was getting fussy even after eating a heaping portion of hand chopped green beans the cafeteria personnel handmade for the child. Jack fed him his last bottle. If he didn’t get to see Kate soon, he would have to abandon Jesse’s visit altogether.

He called several times to the nurse’s station but was informed Kate’s visitor had not left. He called Kate’s room, hoping she would answer. To his dismay, the calls were forwarded to the switchboard for messages only and her cell phone was shut off.

Jack was growing angrier by the minute. He needed a plan to get Paul out and him in.
Think Jack, think.
His mind was working overtime to come up with a solution. He looked around the room, hoping for an idea. He spotted the young blond aide, entering the cafeteria. She seemed friendly enough when he originally brought Jesse up to the floor. An idea floated through his head.
It’s worth a shot
, he thought as he stood and walked over to the girl who just sat down at a lone table to eat.

“Hi, remember me?” Jack gave her his infamous smile, the one that always gave him attention where women were concerned.

“You’re still here?” she asked as she watched him pull out a chair and sit next to her.

Jesse wiggled in his father’s arms and released a screech.

“I was hoping maybe you would be interested in helping me,” said Jack, flopping his son to his other knee. “You see, that guy in with my wife…well he’s her ex—you know… and well, he’s not a nice guy like me…”

“You’re a nice guy?” Her eyebrows arched as if in disbelief.

“I know. You think I’m an ass, right?” He needed to make nice in the worst way.

“You said it, I didn’t,” she laughed and picked up her sandwich and started eating.

“All right, I am an ass, but what about my son?” He looked at Jesse who was now squirming to get down. “He needs to see his mother.”

“So why is that my problem?” She didn’t appear to be moved by his situation in the least. “Take him up to see Mrs. McBride.”

“I can’t,” said Jack. “Not with her ex hanging around.”

“Why not?” She gave him an odd look, like he wasn’t making any sense.

Jack released a sigh. How was he going to explain this?

“I slugged him a couple weeks back for coming on to my wife,” he said, hearing his own words and realizing how bad it sounded. “Anyway, he’s got a restraining order against me. I can’t get a hundred yards near him or he’ll call the police.”

“You have a problem then,” she stated. “Because he ain’t budged from your wife’s room all day.”

Jack looked over at the aide’s name badge.

“Ann, I need your help,” he said, putting it all out on the line. “I need you to get him out of her room so I can slip in and see her. If I’m there and he walks in, I’m not breaking any court order, now am I?”

“Why should I help you when you have been a total jerk to everyone on the floor?”

It was penance time, and Jack knew he would have no choice but to grovel.

“I’m sorry,” he stated with as much sincerity as he could muster.

“You’re sorry…” she frowned. “Let me tell you something about my job. I came in today and I was given twenty patients to care for, when an aide should only have six. We are overworked and understaffed. I am paid a measly twelve dollars an hour for all this work and no appreciation from the hospital or families. So the next time you hit that call button, and I don’t come running right away, you might want to consider that I am with one of my other nineteen patients that require my attention, because they either shit themselves or have fallen.”

“I’ll remember that,” said Jack as he tried to hide his grin. In spite of his desperation he kind of liked the girl’s tenacity. “You and me ain’t that much different. I work hard just like you.”

“I don’t believe that.” She semi-laughed and rolled her eyes. “You’re Marnie St. Claire’s family. I doubt you even have to work.”

“Hell, darling, I come from a family that was piss-poor,” said Jack, thinking about his dad and that tiny shack he once called home. “My old man was a drunk and we didn’t have two nickels to rub together. I quit school, went to work with the rodeo and saved my money and bought a small ranch in Virginia City. That’s where Kate and me live now. I wouldn’t take a dime from Marnie St. Claire.”

“You don’t get along with your mother-in-law?” she asked, seeing his jaw tighten by the mention of her name.

“We’re like oil and water. We just don’t mix,” said Jack. “And she has done everything in her power to split us up, including having her ex try to come between us. Believe me, ma’am, I love my wife more than anything else in the world. There isn’t anything I wouldn’t do for her, and right now she needs me. She needs me cause’ she’s sick, and I need to be there for her and tell her everything is going to be okay and just love her…”

His voice cracked and he choked on his words. He looked over at his son and brushed his hair back as Jesse fussed again. Ann saw his eyes tear up and she couldn’t help feeling sorry for him. Yes, he was overbearing and barked a lot, but she suddenly realized the reason he did that was because he was afraid—afraid of losing his wife.

“All right, let’s get this over with,” Ann said, rising from her chair. “But you owe me!”

“Anything you want, it’s yours.” Jack jumped to his feet and placed Jesse on his hip then grabbed the diaper bag from the floor and threw it over his shoulder.

“No more hitting that damn call button unless it’s an emergency,” she stated as he followed her out of the cafeteria.

“You have my word,” said Jack.

He followed her into the elevator and up to Kate’s floor. They passed the nurses’ station and walked down the hall to Kate’s room.

“The room across the hall is empty,” she said, pointing to the vacant room . “Wait in there until what’s-his-name leaves. Then you can go in.”

“Thank you,” said Jack, and he slipped into the empty room, watching Ann disappear into his wife’s room.

Ann pushed open the door and saw Kate still sound asleep in her bed with Paul practically resting beside her. She frowned inwardly as she approached the sleeping woman.

“Kate, I’m here to check your bandages,” said Ann, grabbing a hold of the curtain and swinging it around the bed for privacy.

Paul rose from the bed and stood, stretching his back from lying in one position too long.

“Sir, you’re going to have to leave for a few minutes,” she stated matter-of-factly. “Why don’t you wait by the nurse’s station, or if you want you can grab a cup of coffee in the cafeteria.”

“I can wait by the door,” he stated, not wanting to leave.

“Suit yourself,” said Ann, “but I’m going to be with her for a while. You may be more comfortable in the waiting area.”

“Maybe I will grab a cup of coffee,” he said. “Is there a vending machine on the floor?”

“There’s one on the second floor,” she said, placing the blood pressure cuff on her patient’s arm. “Kate honey, you still sleepy?”

Of course she was still sleepy. He’d been hitting that damn button every half hour so she wouldn’t wake up. The last thing he needed was for her to keep asking where her husband and son were. It was bad enough she kept mumbling something about
Black Thunder
, but for the life of him, Paul had no idea what she was whispering about in her sleep.

Seeing the young nurse tend to Kate, Paul left. He walked down the hall and passed the nurse’s station, heading for the elevator.

When he was gone, Jack poked his head out of the room and looked to see if the coast was clear.
No Paul.
He grinned. Jack stepped across the hall and entered Kate’s room. He saw a groggy Kate with Ann leaning over her.

“Hey, baby,” said Jack as he walked to her side and sat on the bed. “How you feeling?”

“Out of it,” she said, giving him a tired smile upon seeing Jesse.

She raised her hand to her son and Jesse reached out and took it, wrapping his little fingers around hers.

“Hello my little man.” She barely got the words out.

Jack looked at Ann as a concerned look crossed his face.

“Why is she so out of it?” he asked, waiting for an explanation.

“You been hitting that button a lot, Kate?” asked Ann, stepping to the other side of the bed.

“I don’t know—maybe-” she said groggily.

Jack had his suspicion it was not Kate hitting the button. He looked at Ann and had an inclination she thought the same thing.

“Well lay off of it for a while, okay,” said Ann as she looked at Jack and smiled. “I’m going to let you have some private time with your family.”

“That sounds nice.” Kate looked at Jack and then at the blond nurse who was smiling oddly at her husband. Vaguely in the back of her mind she thought she remembered Paul telling her something about Jack and a blond nurse in the parking lot.

“I’ll put a do-not-disturb sign on your door,” said Ann, walking to the door.

Jack gave her a look of gratitude. “Thanks for the help.”

“Don’t mention it,” said Ann and left the room.

“What was that all about?” asked Kate as the foggy feeling began to lift a little.

“I’ll tell you later,” he said. “Right now, I think your son needs you.”

Jack shifted in the bed, nestling beside Kate as he placed Jesse between them. He steadied his son while Kate held him. It was difficult and she had no strength to hold him on her own so Jack kept a firm grip on both of them in order for Kate and Jesse to snuggle.

“What time is it?” she asked.

“It’s around five,” he answered, seeing his son try to nestle against her breast and Kate flinch. He moved him down over her belly only to have Jesse screech. “No boob today, my little champ.”

“Where have you been all day?” asked Kate, wondering how she lost track of the time. “You left right after breakfast and said you’d be back before lunch.”

“I’m not sure how to answer that,” said Jack. “I heard Paul stopped in to see you, today.”

“He was here this morning,” she said, feeling the fogginess leaving her head. “He’d been by the house this morning to see Marnie and said you were nowhere to be found.”

“I was at the house this morning,” said Jack sharply. “If you don’t believe me ask Maria.”

“Why wouldn’t I believe you?” said Kate, thinking Jack was acting rather odd. “Unless you were doing something you weren’t supposed to.”

“Like what would I be doing?” stated Jack, seeing that suspicious look in her eye. He knew whenever she got that look he was in the dog-house regardless.

“I don’t know. You tell me, Jack.” Kate looked away, directing her attention to her son.

She wasn’t sure she wanted to hear.

“I’ll tell you what I was doing.” His voice raised and his anger flared. “I was sitting with our son in that damn cafeteria all afternoon waiting for your boyfriend to leave.”

“What are you talking about?” He made no sense but if he wanted to fight, Kate was in no mood. She was too tired to argue.

Jack ran his fingers through his hair as the culmination of the day’s events shattered his last reserve.

“I’ll tell you what I’m talking about,” he yelled. “I couldn’t come in your room til’ Paul left, otherwise my ass would be sitting in a jail cell instead of this bed.”

“And that’s my fault?” Kate’s voice raised an octave.

“No-” Jack growled. “Oh hell, I don’t know.”

“Paul was here this morning,” she re-iterated. “So what’s your excuse for the afternoon?”

“Are you kidding me?” Jack was ready to come unglued. “I had to have Ann help me, in order to get rid of that son of a bitch, so I could bring Jesse in to see you.”

“Who’s Ann?” Kate frowned.

“She’s the aide that just left.”

“The one you were talking to in the parking lot by your truck this morning?” She raised a questioning brow.

“What the hell are you talking about?” he barked.

“I don’t like secrets, Jack.”

“No one’s keeping secrets, baby,” he replied, getting more confused by the minute.

“I hope not.” He saw her emotions getting the better of her.

“You have to trust me on this one,” said Jack. “This has been a day from Hell.”

Just then they heard commotion in the hall. There was a knock on the door and Paul entered proceeded by Ann and the head nurse.

“What do you mean, I can’t go in there,” shouted Paul as he blindly barged through the door.

“Sir, the family has requested no visitors,” proclaimed Ann, running after him.

Paul stopped short in the room seeing Jack lying next to Kate with their son in the middle.

“How did you-” Paul turned a deep shade of red seeing the smug look on Jack’s face.

“Sir, you must leave this minute before I call security,” said the charge nurse.

“Go ahead, call the police,” raged Paul.

“Paul what are doing here?” said Kate who was now more confused than Jack. “What’s going on?”

“You want to tell her or shall I?” Jack sat up and placed Jesse on his lap.

“I came back to check on you,” he stammered, as if to cover up his lie. “You are going to have to leave, Jack, since you’re not to be a hundred yards of me. You’re violating the restraining order.”

“I was here first,” said Jack with a grin that made the whole day better.

“Paul, I appreciate your checking on me but Jack is my husband,” interrupted Kate. “I don’t want him to leave. You’ve made your point, now enough already. I can’t get better with this thing hanging over us. You need to drop the charges and the restraining order. For my sake, please…”

“If I drop the charges, what’s to say he won’t come after me again?” Paul shook his head with a defiant
no
.

“I’m too tired to talk about this,” said Kate, flopping her head against the pillow and closing her eyes. “You two need to figure it out.”