When Morning Comes (32 page)

“I'll go get her.” Rising on tiptoe, she kissed Cade on the cheek.

*   *   *

Cade watched Sabrina leave, then turned his attention to Stephen. He was a good-looking kid and, from what Sabrina had said, he'd had a rough beginning. But he'd been adopted by people who cared. He'd had the life Cade should have had.

He heard sniffles behind him, but didn't look. Slowly, Christine Thomas approached Stephen on the other side of the bed, her body trembling, her eyes red and puffy. Regardless of how right or wrong it was, no matter how many times, he couldn't let it go that she cried for a man she adopted, but never for him, her own son.

Gently, she brushed her shaky hand over Stephen's forehead. “I love you, Stephen. We all do.”

“Send in his father,” Cade said, unable to keep the anger from his voice.

Her gaze jerked up to his. He expected to see annoyance at the very least. There was such a mixture of emotions, he couldn't decipher them all.

“Thank you.” With one last look at her son, she was gone.

Almost immediately, her husband entered. Cade didn't expect the strong hand on his arm, the extended hand. He didn't know how to react to either. Stephen's father didn't wait, just reached for Cade's hand and firmly shook it once. Releasing Cade's hand, he went to the other side of the bed and leaned over.

“It's going to be all right, Stephen. Your family and friends are here and praying for you. You've got the best doctor in the country.” Upright, he looked at Cade, then left.

Cade turned to see Sabrina. Her gaze lingered on her brother and then she was wrapped around him. Tears dampened his scrub shirt. “Shh. He's a fighter.”

Sabrina lifted her head, brushed away the last tears with a tissue. “I know. Just like you, but I wasn't crying for him.” She went to the bed and placed her hand on her brother's forehead. “There's a wonderful man I want you to meet when you wake up.” She gently kissed him. “When you do, we'll be here. Granddad and Grandmother send their love.”

“That might not be for a while. Go home and rest,” Cade told her.

She shook her head. “Watch over him for us, Cade.”

She knew him well. “Please call my service and have them contact Iris. Let her know I won't be in today.”

“All right.” On tiptoe, she kissed him on the cheek. “I love you.”

Cade watched her leave. Sabrina was a fantastic, intelligent, and loving woman. He couldn't deny he was glad she'd come into his life, no matter the circumstances.

Cade turned to stare down at Stephen and in doing so finally understood why he fought so hard to help people, stayed close by after they had major surgery. He wanted them to have a chance for the life he'd never had, to be happy and loved.

Maybe, just maybe he had a chance after all.

*   *   *

Texas Hospital in Dallas was buzzing with the news that Dr. Mathis had operated on Sabrina Thomas's brother after he'd been injured by a line-drive baseball. The operation wasn't speculated on as much as the reason Dr. Mathis was in Houston. The staff had noted they were getting chummy, but on Monday Dr. Mathis had been a bear to work with and Sabrina'd had red, swollen eyes.

Kara was barely in the hospital lobby before she heard the “juicy” gossip. Frightened and worried, she quickly went into her office and called Sabrina's cell phone number. The call went to voice mail. She picked up her desk phone and called Texas Hospital in Houston. In less than a minute, the phone in the ICU waiting room rang.

“Hello.”

“Sabrina Thomas, please. Kara Simmons.”

“Just a moment.”

“Morning, Kara. I guess you heard about Stephen through the grapevine. Sorry. I haven't called,” Sabrina said, sounding tired.

“Stop talking nonsense.” Kara wrapped her arm around her waist. “What can I do to help?”

“Just keep praying,” Sabrina said. “He came through the night all right. Cade is with him now. He made the difference. If…”

“He was there, and that's what matters,” Kara said, hearing the strained emotions seeping through Sabrina's unsteady voice. “I can be on a plane and there by noon.”

“No. I appreciate the offer, but there isn't anything you could do.”

“I could be with you.” Kara sat behind her desk. “You've been there for me too many times to count.”

“And you for me,” Sabrina returned. “Besides, you'll be able to tell me all the gossip when I get back.”

Aware that Sabrina needed to get her mind off Stephen if only briefly, Kara said, “I was barely through the hospital door before I heard people talking. The big question is if Cade was already there with you or if he flew down to do the surgery. I gather his office manager isn't talking.”

“I wish others would take a clue from her,” Sabrina said, a hint of annoyance creeping into her voice.

There wasn't enough privacy in the waiting room for Sabrina to tell her whether either speculation was right. The important thing was, he was there. “Is everything all right between you two?”

There was a slight pause. “I'm not sure. It's complicated.”

Kara leaned forward and propped her arm on her desk. “I know complicated. Mother can't stand Tristan. We had lunch here yesterday since Mama is still complaining that she doesn't feel well and I don't want to leave her. I can tell he questions my sanity for staying with her.”

“And you love them both.”

“Tristan kind of snuck up on me,” she admitted. “I actually teared up last night when he dropped by unexpectedly just to check on me. I wanted to go with him so badly.”

“Why didn't you?”

“I'm not up for hearing any more of Mama's criticism,” she admitted. “Besides, I have enough on my mind with the open house this weekend. His mother is showcasing my paintings.”

“You're going to be a sensation. People will love the paintings as much as the house.”

Thankfully, Kara didn't become nervous as she usually did. Tristan was making a believer of her with regard to more than just her paintings. “I've made two sales already. The builder's wife came by, and she wants the paintings in the dining room. She and her husband live a couple of houses down from Tristan. They're coming over to his place tonight to look at more.”

“I knew it! You're going to be a sensation. I want a full report.”

“You'll have it. By the way, is your phone off on purpose or do you need to charge it?”

“On purpose,” Sabrina admitted. “I knew you'd track me down. I took the week off, but I left a message for my supervisor yesterday about Stephen. Most of my friends and relatives are here. I figured you'd send an e-mail to the neighbors.”

“Good thinking. I'll let you go. Call me if there's anything I can do.”

“I will.”

“Bye. Love you.”

“Bye. Love you too, and thanks for the call.”

Kara hung up, then punched in Tristan's number.

“Hi, honey.”

Just hearing that made the tears she'd held at bay threaten to fall. “I—” She swallowed.

“Are you hurt? Is your mother at you again?” he asked, his voice rising.

She wasn't surprised by his question. “It's Sabrina. Her brother was injured yesterday. Cade is there. He-he did the surgery. She didn't say, but it must be bad since he's still there. He always monitors his patients if they're critical.”

“Do you want to fly down? I can go with you.”

It didn't surprise her that he'd asked. “No. I asked, and she said not to come. I-I don't know.”

“She's your friend and you feel helpless since you're not there for her.”

“Yes.” Was there ever anyone who understood her better?

“You have an incredible capacity for love.”

And the reason people ran over her. Instead of making her feel better, she felt worse.

“I have a lot of contacts in Houston. Why don't I come over? I can make some phone calls and at least we can make sure they have some decent coffee and food. Call Sabrina back and ask her to find a place to set things up and ask how many people.”

That would be costly. She didn't hesitate. “Can you take any of the paintings to pay for everything? I put the money you paid me in a CD.”

“Don't worry. It's a gift from both of us. I'll be there in fifteen.”

“We could handle everything over the phone.”

“But I couldn't hold you, kiss you, reassure you. Bye, honey.”

Kara replaced the receiver, a small smile on her face. It was wonderful having a man you could count on, a man you didn't have to be afraid was using you. She just couldn't let herself believe it would be forever. She'd just enjoy the time they had—at least try to with her mother's outspoken disapproval.

Lifting the phone, she called Sabrina back, pushing her own problems away.

*   *   *

Sabrina had forgotten what money, power, and respect could accomplish. When she told her grandfather what Kara and Tristan planned and that they needed a place to set up, he'd made a phone call. In less than five minutes a representative from the hospital was there to show them a room on the same floor. They even brought in a recliner so her mother could stretch out if she wanted.

Food for at least thirty people along with two servers arrived thirty minutes later. Kara hadn't listened to her when she said six people. She probably remembered that her parents had lots of friends and associates.

It didn't take her long to appreciate the refreshments when, besides the people coming to visit them, the chief of staff, the head of neurosurgery, and a couple of board members stopped by. They knew her father and grandfather, but Cade was the big draw.

She didn't have to be a mind reader to know they wanted him to relocate there. They hadn't been so insensitive as to say anything, but between their effusive praise and their repeating “we need a skilled neurosurgeon like you” it wasn't hard to get the picture.

Cade had quickly drank his coffee and gone back to Stephen's room. The men were left looking uncertain, and Dr. Fielding miffed.

She'd waited until the room was empty to go get Cade so he could eat and relax in peace. Her mother had called her over and asked her to make sure Cade ate something. “I will,” she said, happy that her mother had noticed and cared.

It took a bit of doing, but he came back to the makeshift lounge. She prepared him a plate and placed it on the table. “Please sit down and eat.”

“Quite a spread.” Cade took his seat at the conference table. He'd changed into another scrub suit.

“Thanks to Kara and Tristan.” She made a face and stepped behind him to massage his shoulders. “I told her six people. This is for thirty people easily. I told the two servers we didn't need them. This is costly enough. Kara can't afford this.”

“She's probably not worried about cost. She wants to help a friend.” He leaned back and stared up at her. “You're a good friend.”

She couldn't resist brushing her lips across his. “Some people make it easy to love,” she said, her mouth inches from his.

“Sabrina, I told you—”

“And I told you I'm not giving up on us, so tell the bigwigs here that they can't steal you from Texas Hospital in Dallas.” She laughed. “You can bet the people in Dallas won't be happy when they hear about this.”

“I've already had two ‘important' calls. One from the hospital administrator and the other from the chief of staff in Dallas. They wanted to know if there is anything else I need to keep me happy.”

“Smart thinking on their part. Stop picking at your food,” she said. “You think I can go peek in on Stephen when you're finished?”

“I thought he would be fully awake by now.” Twin furrows raced across his brow.

Her hands trembled. “Stephen was always a sleepyhead. He made me late to school more times than I can count.”

Cade squeezed her hand. “I bet you were a bossy big sister.”

“I prefer decisive.”

“Figures.” He finished his quiche and juice, then stood and reached for her hand, squeezed it again. “Let's go.”

Cade didn't pay any attention to the people waiting, or at least he tried to tell himself that. But it seemed, each time he entered the room, there were more people there. They might have been visitors for the other patients, and perhaps a few were, but the majority of them were for Stephen. Cade was glad for the young man. He needed their prayers.

Inside the cubicle, he released Sabrina's hand and went to the bedside. Removing a penlight from his pocket, he lifted Stephen's eyelid. The pupil constricted. He breathed a sigh of relief. Progress. The vitals were stable and good. It was up to a higher power now.

He looked up to see Sabrina watching him closely. She trusted him to make this right for her. He did what he never had in the past, said a prayer and offered hope when he wasn't sure. “What are you going to tell him when he wakes up?”

Her smile trembled. Going to Cade, she slid her arms around his waist and just held on. “That I love him. That I found a man to love and he can play the overprotective brother. That he can't—” Her voice broke.

Cade's arms closed around her protectively. “Don't give up hope. You're the strong one.”

She sniffed and lifted her eyes to his. “Because you're here. If you weren't, I don't know how I would have gotten through this.”

“Bree.”

Cade and Sabrina jerked toward the bed. Stephen's eyelids fluttered. Opened. “Bree.”

Laughing through her tears, Sabrina caught her brother's hand and tried to stay out of Cade's way as he checked her brother's neuro signs. “I'm here, Stephen. I'm here and so is Mother, Daddy, and our grandparents.”

“How do you feel?” Cade asked.

“Head hurts.”

“I'll bet.” Cade took Stephen's hand. “Squeeze. Good. What's the last thing you remember?”