Three Wishes (Dreams Come True #3) (16 page)

“Please stay,” I murmured as we waltzed through the office door.

The minute Gabriel realized we were in the room, he stood up from behind the desk and strode over to greet us. “Hello, beautiful one.” He planted a kiss on Isabella that had me blushing.

I looked away and stared at the architecture until Gabriel clapped me on the shoulder. “So good to see you, Ben. What brings you here?”

“I don’t even know where to begin.” I frowned, feeling helpless.

“Let’s begin by sitting on the couches.” Isabella pointed to the two couches parallel to each other beside the fireplace. I nodded and we moved to the furniture she’d indicated. Once seated, I leaned forward and rubbed my hands together.

“Is something wrong with Ollie?” Gabriel frowned, while Isabella studied me.

In answer to his question, she shook her head. “No. It’s Charlie. What happened, Ben?” Her brow furrowed as she curled up on the sofa.

“Damien returned. He’s Ollie’s dad. I went to the hospital, same as always and he was there.” I threw my hands up in the air. “Now everything is terrible and we’re fighting and I’m off balance and I don’t know how to fix this.” Everything came rushing out in one breath. I didn’t have a lot of experience talking about my feelings or women, but only because my feelings were always hidden safely inside me, and the women were non-existent before Charlie.

Gabriel nodded and tugged at his goatee. “I see.”

“Ben,” Isabella began seriously. “Go to her. Don’t wait. Even if she thinks she doesn’t want you around, you make sure she knows you’re there, not just for Olivia, but for her, and you aren’t going anywhere. Do whatever it takes.”

I nodded. “I am. I mean, I will. I want to.” I sighed heavily. “I want her, and Ollie. I want us to be a family.” I stared down at my hands.

“I know you do,” Isabella murmured words of comfort. “I could see it at dinner the other night. You two are really great together.”

Ah, but Gabriel seemed more focused on other aspects I’d relayed.

“I don’t like the sound of this guy,” Gabriel grumbled. “It’s highly suspect that he’s showing up now after your blog post.”

“Well, I’m kinda a big deal,” I tried to joke, even though it fell flat.

“Yes, you are.” Gabriel smiled at my attempt. “But this appearance is after the second post, right? The updated one where you talk about everyone’s generosity and the outpouring of love and gifts,
money
…” He stared at me as if he were waiting for me to catch on.

I brightened. “You think this is about money? I wouldn’t put it past him, but how do I prove it?” Man of action, remember? I was ready to go.

“I don’t know, but maybe you shouldn’t.” Gabriel’s eyes narrowed as he considered the options. I knew the look.

“Honestly, Ben,” Isabella interjected, “you can’t do anything. Not if you want things to work out with Charlie.”

“But…” I could feel the panic rising in me. “I can’t just do nothing. I can’t let them get hurt again.”

“You’re not doing ‘nothing’ exactly.” She held up a hand to calm me. “Be wary, but let her find out for herself. The more you try to convince her Damien’s shady, the more she’ll pull away from you.”

I leaned back in the chair and considered her advice. “You’re right.” I rubbed my temples as my head began to pound. “I just need to be there. Be patient.”

“Bella’s right.” Gabriel wrapped an arm around his wife. “Don’t worry. These chameleons always show their true colors eventually. You need to stay in the picture. Be nice. He’ll slip up soon enough.”

Isabella stood up suddenly. “Okay, I need to run to the restroom, then we need to eat before I pass out. Ben, please join us. We’d love your company.” She smiled at me before dashing from the room.

“Yes, stay. Then go back happy, calm, and prepared.” He winked at me before tugging me up from the couch.

“I feel much better now. I can do this.” I’m not sure who I was trying to convince, but slowly I was beginning to believe I really could hang in there.

Chapter Sixteen

Charlie

Hugging the wall, I watched Ben walk away and it felt like I was losing a piece of me. How could everything so right go so wrong so fast? I knew the answer. It was Damien. It was always Damien. He had ruined our relationship and now he was wreaking havoc on my relationship with Ben. Even though I recognized it, somehow, I still felt powerless to do anything about it. When we were together, I couldn’t imagine life without him. Now I’d spent all these years without him, but part of me still wanted the dream. I think I refused to admit defeat. How could he not want me, not want Ollie?

Then there was Ben. He was so good and perfect. Maybe he was too good for me, for us. Maybe I just wanted to push him away to see if he’d push back. No, that didn’t make sense. He had pushed plenty. Look at how he’d treated Damien. And I hadn’t supported him at all. I had no spine where that snake was concerned. I was so sad and disappointed in myself. How could I go back in there and tell Ollie Ben was gone, the strange man was her father, and I had ruined her life yet again?

“Oh, I’m glad I caught you!” The doctor smiled as he walked up to me.

“Ollie’s here. Where would I go?” I frowned.

“Right. Can we go talk with Olivia? I have some news.” He grinned.

“Sure.” In the back of my mind, I hoped whatever he had to say would distract Ollie from Ben’s absence.

Once inside the room, I sat on the end of Ollie’s bed and held her hand while we waited to hear what the doctor had to say. He glanced around the room for a moment. “Oh, I was hoping Ben was here, since this is his project.”

I frowned. “Is this about the donor drive?”

“No.” The doctor shook his head. “He’s a great guy. He must love you a lot, Olivia. Organizing the donor drive, and setting up the Toronto treatments took a lot of effort.”

“I’m sorry. Did you say Toronto?” I shook my head as I struggled to understand. “What’s in Toronto?”

“Oh. I thought he had already spoken to you about it.” The doctor glanced down at the notes in his hand. “Nope. Never mind. It says right here that he didn’t want to get your hopes up. Good thinking, actually.” The doctor closed the file and crossed his legs as he prepared to address us.

“Toronto?” I prompted. My mood was at an all time low.

“Right. So, Ben came to me about a week ago. Someone had told him about a special treatment offered at the children’s hospital in Toronto. It would boost Olivia’s immune system and help her get ready for the stem cell therapy, the last stage in her recovery. We don’t want her to relapse. Our goal is remission.”

I nodded. “I know. We dream about remission.”

“So, I reached out, per Ben’s request, to see if Olivia would be a good candidate for their program.” His smile widened. “She is.”

Hope flickered inside me. I gripped the bedding to hold in my excitement. “Okay…”

“They have an opening in just over a week. You’ll check in on that Sunday night, then the treatment begins bright and early Monday morning and lasts a week.” He leaned back in the chair. “So, I’m going to let you go home in a couple of days to get ready.”

My mind was spinning. We were getting to go home for a little while, but then we were off to Toronto. “How long is the drive? I don’t even know if my car is safe for a road trip like this.” I stood up and limped around.

“I won’t be in the hospital for my birthday,” Ollie whispered. Then she started bouncing. “We can have the party, just like Ben said!”

I licked my lips. “Yeah, and then you get to go to Toronto. New hospital, Olls.” I tried to sound excited, but I was exhausted and overwhelmed and everything seemed so hard without Ben to help me through it. Lord, how I wanted to talk to Ben, but I refused to call. While pride might go before the fall, I hovered so close to rock bottom on a daily basis, I wasn’t ready to bend.

“I’m not getting the treatment,” Ollie mumbled.  She turned her attention to the camera in her lap.

“Of course you are. Ben worked hard to set this up. You need it. Then maybe, after the stem cell therapy, you won’t need anymore treatments, ever.” This time, my joy was genuine. The thought of no more hospitals positively thrilled me. I watched her for a reaction, but she didn’t even look up.

Out of nowhere, she sighed and muttered, “I’m not doing that either.”

Frustrated, I stared at her. “What do you want to do, Ollie? What’s the alternative?” I crossed my arms over my chest in frustration. I didn’t have the energy to argue. Sadly, all I could do was torment myself with the thought that if Ben were here, he’d probably get through to her.

So I ignored her comments and turned my attention to grilling the doctor. Then, when he finally left, I managed to convince Ollie to eat her lunch and take a nap. The more time passed, the more time I spent watching the clock, wondering if he would return as he claimed. At two in the afternoon, he finally strolled in looking more like the Ben I’d fallen for, relaxed, confident, and exuding happiness.

“Hello, Charlie.” He strode over to me and held out a stack of storage containers with food.

“What’s this?” Even as I spoke, I began opening them. “Where did you get all this food?”

“Isabella sent a care package.” He sat across from me in the wheely chair.

“Oh. So you went to see Gabriel and Isabella?” I held the container of couscous in my hand, but didn’t open it. For some reason, I felt a little jealous. I enjoyed the time we’d spent with them and it would’ve been a nice to see them again. Even more than that, I was reminded he had people to turn to in times of need. Who did I have? Pretty much no one.

“Eat, babe,” Ben urged. “Then tell me what I missed.”

I had no fight left in me, or food. So, I pulled off the lid and took the spoon he offered and started to dig in. After loading my mouth, I noticed the corners of his mouth were twitching. “What?” I covered my mouth as I spoke, since it was full of food.

“I thought you might like to put some food on a plate. That’s a serving spoon.” He held a plate out to me, but I waved it away.

“Huh. I thought the spoon was a commentary on the fact that I have a big mouth, never know when to close it, that kind of thing.” I shrugged and shoved another spoonful of couscous into my mouth. Then I leaned back against the wall and chewed with my eyes closed.

Slowly, Ben stood and walked over to me. He frowned, then held the back of his hand to my forehead. “Are you sure you’re feeling okay?” He worried over me, studying my face.

I paused, unsure of how to respond. “I guess.”

“You look…tired.” He leaned in and rubbed my back after planting a kiss on my forehead.

“Well, healing from a sprain and a broken ankle while in the hospital with a sick kid will do that to a person.” I started to take another spoonful of food, but stopped and passed it back to him instead. “Maybe I need a nap.”

“Maybe you do. Could you catch me up on what I missed first? I ran into the doctor on my way up. He couldn’t talk, but told me you and I needed to have a discussion.” Ben tentatively lowered himself onto the bed beside me. I suppose he worried I’d bite his head off again.

“We’re getting out in a few days,” I began slowly.

His face lit up. “That’s wonderful. Now we can plan Ollie’s birthday. I have some ideas to run by you…”

“Oh, do these ideas include a trip to Toronto? Because apparently we need to be there a week from Sunday and treatments start on Monday morning.” I covered my face with my hands. My mind was positively spinning. Then an arm wrapped around me and Ben pulled me into his chest.

“Just breathe, Charlie. One thing at a time. We’ve got this.” He hugged me extra tight and waited until he felt me loosen up. “Okay. So, do you want to come back to my place? I’d love to have you two there.”

I saw the twinkle in his eyes and suspected there was more to it. Sadly, I shook my head. “Can’t. Damien wants to spend time with her. I don’t see that happening at your place.” Then I looked to the ceiling and cursed under my breath. “Fuck. Just fuck.”

“What, babe?” He had relinquished his hold on me.

“The apartment is a mess. There’s laundry and cleaning to do. I’d like to disinfect since she’s recovering from being sick.” The list continued to grow. “Gawd, and I even have that damn wall I’ve never finished painting.” I frowned. “I can’t do it all. I know because I’ve tried. I feel so…defeated.”

“We have a few days?” His eyebrows peaked as he waited for my response.

“Yeah. Sunday. We get discharged then.” I glanced at the calendar he had open on his phone.

Ben tapped on the screen then shoved it back in his pocket. “Done. The place will be ready for you and Ollie to return.”

I eyed him suspiciously. “So, about everything…”

“You mean like Damien everything? I’d really like to discuss that.” His mouth made a grim line.

“Yeah. I wouldn’t. Can we just get through her birthday and figuring out how we’re getting to Toronto? Then, we’ll see.” I wore my best pleading look.

“Absolutely.” He reached over and took my hand in both of his.

I felt ready to fall asleep sitting up. “Oh, and Ollie thinks the movie should be nearly done.”