EIGHTEEN
Although it was necessary to tell them, Jesse swore both Ed and Sally to secrecy about his surgery. Consequently, by Tuesday evening, the entire staff, including Jesse’s boys, knew about it. It was possible the cleaning crew didn’t know, but even that was doubtful.
Naturally, his mother mentioned it to all of his siblings.
Owen juggled his flight schedule and offered both Jack and Alex a pint of his blood to cover the Argosy schedule for Wednesday and Thursday. He and Miranda picked up Mike and Kelly in Naples, Sky and AJ in Jacksonville and got in to Philly International Tuesday night after midnight. In the Ziegfeld family, no one faced a crisis alone.
Wednesday morning, the family gathered in Jesse’s room. His brothers traded barbs to hide their nervousness. The women rolled their eyes at this juvenile display. His mother repeatedly checked her watch. “I hope Sydney isn’t held up in traffic. I thought she’d be here by now.”
Jesse, drowsy from the pre-op medication, muttered, “She’s not late. I didn’t tell her.”
“What?” Miranda exclaimed. “Tell me you’re not serious, Jesse. Why didn’t you tell her?”
“You damn idiot.” Owen crossed his arms and glared at his brother. “If this operation doesn’t go your way, you’re going to call it quits with her, aren’t you?”
“She deserves better than having to take care of me for the rest of her life. If I can’t walk, can’t stand up, can’t have sex, why would she want to stay with me?”
“Because I love you, you dope.”
The group parted like the Red Sea to let Sydney get to Jesse’s side.
“It’s only because you’re drugged and can’t defend yourself that I’m not smacking you right now, Jesse Ziegfeld. How dare you try to go through this without telling me about it?”
Jesse started to reply, but Sydney stopped him with a shake of her head. “Don’t you play the pity card for me, mister. I tore that one up and threw it away. We both kept what scared us the most locked inside. I know your fear now, so it’s time you know mine.”
There was a general shuffling toward the door as the family tried to give them some privacy. Sydney held up a hand to stop their retreat. “You’ll all know eventually, so stick around.”
She sat on the bed and took Jesse’s hand. “I can’t have children, Jess. I was hit by a car when I was twelve, and they had to remove my uterus. My first love walked away when he found out. When I saw how fantastic you were at the gym with those boys, I knew you deserved a woman who could give you sons and daughters, so I was afraid you might do the same. I screwed up my courage to tell you anyway yesterday, but you seemed so distant and preoccupied, I lost my nerve. If it weren’t for Marcus spilling the beans, I wouldn’t have made it here in time.”
Jesse’s smile was lopsided as he slipped further under the tide of sedation coursing through his veins. “You’re getting kinda fuzzy, Syd. You said you loved me though, right?
She kissed his hand. “I did.”
“Good, because I love you, too. Don’t worry about kids. There are lots of them out there to adopt. I learned that much from Marcus and the other boys.”
An orderly appeared at the door, pushing a stretcher. “Folks, you’ll have to wait out in the hall while I move this young man to the stretcher. We’ll go by the waiting room on the way to the elevator—”
“We know the way, Ken,” Jesse’s father interrupted. “You go ahead and get him downstairs.”
“Sorry, doc. I didn’t notice you in this crowd.”
“No problem, Ken. You take good care of him now. He’s my son.”
Sydney stood, then leaned down to kiss him one more time. “I’ll be right here waiting for you, Jess. No matter what.”
The rest of the family encircled her as the stretcher disappeared into the elevator. There hadn’t been a ceremony, but she was already part of them.
* * *
Jesse insisted they use the back door in an attempt to avoid all the hoopla. Sydney shrugged but let him have his way.
His ploy was not successful.
A lot had happened over the past six weeks, and he wasn’t going to escape the well-wishers that easily. Sydney flipped the light switch as Jesse went into the main room.
Cheers and shouts rebounded off the gym walls. Jesse turned and scowled at Sydney from under lowered brows. She blew him a kiss. He went to her and tugged her along. “No way am I going through all this without you, Mrs. Ziegfeld.”
Marcus and the boys were first to surround them, followed by Ed, Sally and her husband with their one-month-old baby boy, proudly named Jess. “I waited as long as I could, boss. Luckily you found a replacement for me just in the nick of time.” She winked at Sydney.
Sydney hugged Sally and kissed the baby’s cheek. “He’s beautiful, Sally. Congratulations, again.”
“Your turn next, Sydney,” Sally said.
Instead of the lance of pain the comment would have once provoked, Sydney’s heart filled with joy. Their adopted baby was due next month, and she was giddy with anticipation.
Marcus came up and pinched Jesse’s bicep. “You’re lookin’ kinda puny, boss. I think you’d better get started on some training.”
Jesse tousled his hair. “I know who I’m going to use as a sparring partner, too.”
Marcus sobered. “You good, boss?”
“Good to walk, good to run, good to whip your butt, if you start treating me like an invalid, kid.”
Marcus looked at Sydney. “Gee, Mrs. Z, I thought you were going to mellow this guy out.”
“No chance. I like him just the way he is.
The End