Chapter Twenty-Two
Rebecca
I finished some dishes and sang along to Christmas songs playing through my phone. Kim and I would be going to Austin’s soon, and I smiled at the thought. The sound of a text message cut through the air, interrupting the music.
I dried my hands and walked over, tossing the towel over my shoulder before I picked up my phone. I read the message from Austin and gasped. Tears filled my eyes.
“No, no, no.” Panic gripped me. I took a deep breath and tried to calm down. But I couldn’t. All I could think of was getting to Austin.
I slipped my feet into my sneakers by my door and shrugged on a fleece jacket. I was just opening the front door when I realized I still wore my pajamas.
“Damn it,” I cursed and went to change into something more appropriate.
There was a knock at the door, and I paused.
“Sis?” Kim called. I yanked open the door. “What’s wrong?” She looked at me, and her face dropped.
“Austin’s dad is going to the county hospital. I need to get there, but…” I waved my hand over my outfit, and she surveyed me quickly.
I assumed it was his father’s heart, but Austin didn’t say. I didn’t ask him anything else about his father’s condition. It was obvious that Austin was already suffering.
“Go change into some jeans,” Kim said. “I’ll take you, and we’ll be there soon.”
I hurried to my room and threw on some jeans. My hair was a mess. I pulled it into a messy bun and rushed to the door where Kim was waiting for me. She wrapped an arm around me, walked me to the car, and settled me inside before starting the engine.
Tears slid down my cheeks as we drove to the hospital. It was a few towns over. In theory, it wasn’t far, but under the circumstances, it felt like it was on the other side of the world.
Was Mel okay? Was he going to make it? Was his mom handling this okay?
Was Austin okay?
I closed my eyes and sat back in the seat. I prayed harder than I had in quite some time. I had a lot of faith in my heart. Today, I would need all of it to get through this.
We made it the hospital and parked in the small lot. I opened the door, ready to run. Then I reminded myself that Kim was with me. I walked with her as slow as I could force myself. She still had to hurry to keep up.
We made our way inside the hospital and asked the woman behind the desk about Mel. She informed us he was in the intensive care unit.
We headed to the ICU.
The three letters were so serious in my head as I walked to the elevator. Every movement was wooden and automatic. I felt myself breaking inside. I wasn’t ready for anything like this to happen, not when everything was going so good.
As much as I enjoyed having Austin around, I didn’t want him to stay longer due to tragic circumstances. And I certainly didn’t want him to leave even earlier because of it. His mama needed him more than ever now, but if he had to go, Kim and I could work out a schedule to be with her.
I thought about all of this in a rapid-fire pace. Kim touched my arm. “Becs? We’re here.”
I blinked at her and stepped forward. Kim took my hand. We walked towards the ICU and found the waiting room. I searched for a familiar face. Austin stood in the corner, talking on the phone with his head bent forward. He paced restlessly.
We hurried over, and I dropped her hand to wrap my arms around him. I pulled him back gently against me so I wouldn’t interrupt his phone call. He reached back with his free hand to lace his fingers with mine. He kept talking on the phone, and I took in all his warmth.
Nobody could make me feel like Austin did. Nobody could fill my heart the way he did, even though I ached inside for him right now.
Austin ended the call and dropped the phone in a chair. He turned around and took my hands in his. “You’re here,” he said.
“Of course,” I said.
He looked at my sister. “Thanks for coming, Kim.” Austin’s voice was soft. He turned back to me and pulled me into his arms.
“How is he?” I asked him in a worried voice. He held me so tightly that it nearly hurt.
“He had a serious heart attack, but he’s going to make it. Mom’s in there with him.” He took a slow breath. “I guess he had more problems than we realized from the last time. Fucking small-town doctors. If he was in a bigger city, they’d know what they were doing. I called New York and got in touch with the best cardiologist there. He’ll be here soon. It’s cleared with the hospital already.”
I felt shock waves rush through me. How does that even happen? “Austin, how is a doctor coming to see one patient in a whole hospital full of doctors, and that’s not a problem with anybody?” I spoke hesitantly, not wanting to set him off. He already seemed like he hated Texas all over again, but the situation was mind blowing to me.
“My foundation donated twenty million to his latest research study a few months ago. He owes me one. I offered to give the hospital enough to cover a new wing, and they weren’t about to argue. This place is small. They could probably use a lot more than that.” Austin seemed pleased that he handled everything using money as leverage. That was his world.
I stiffened in his embrace, suddenly feeling trapped. I loved being in his arms, but this situation was too much to think about for me.
This wasn’t real life, was it?
Kim was on the phone with someone. She walked away from us. Austin let me go and dropped into a seat. I sat beside him, and he held my hand.
I noticed the looks he was getting from some of the people in the waiting room. I found it sad that people waiting in ICU were worried about a local celebrity. At least they had the decency to not approach him. He dropped his head forward and took a deep breath.
Kim came back and dropped beside me. She leaned forward to talk to Austin. “My parents send their love and prayers. That was them calling to wish us a Merry Christmas, Becs. I promised that we’d call them with news later. Mom is sending some flowers for your mama.” I nodded, looking at her and then Austin.
“It was you that saved the library, wasn’t it?” My voice was soft. I worked through the idea of that being such great news while I had mixed feelings about the deal he made with the doctors.
“I did,” he said. “I should have been helping this town a long time ago, since everyone was so good to me when I was growing up here. I owe it to my parents and the great teachers that I had.” He looked at me with a deep frown on his face. He looked so sad. I reached out to hold his arm. His pain hit me like a sledgehammer. “My dad could die, Rebecca. I could lose him. With doctors coming out to help him and handing money out to anyone that wants it, I could still lose him. I feel so helpless.”
“He’s alive, Austin. He’s alive, and he’s going to go home. He and your mama will be just fine.” He leaned over to hug me and pulled me to sit on his lap. Kim watched us with a small smile.
“He’s so young, Rebecca,” he said.
I knew how he felt. I worried about my own parents a lot.
“That’s why he isn’t going anywhere, Austin. He has a lot of life left in him,” I soothed him. He pulled me closer and buried his face in my neck. I just held him, not knowing what else to do or say.
I never expected this to happen.
We got news from the nurses that his father was recovering nicely. He was in stable condition. They were just keeping an eye on him to make sure there weren’t any complications.
Kim cleared her throat and excused herself. I could tell she felt uncomfortable. I stood to give her a hug, followed by Austin.
“Thanks for coming,” he said. “And thank you for bringing Rebecca to me.”
“It’s no problem. Let me know if you need anything, and I’ll be back.” She squeezed him tightly and then grabbed my hands again. “Keep me posted. Okay? Mom, too.”
We watched as she left. Then Austin searched the room again. “Mom will stay back there until he is out of surgery and in the clear. There’s no waiting room, she’ll just stand in the hallway until they tell her to leave again.” His voice was bitter and loving all at once.
I reached for his hand. “That’s love, Austin. She’ll be there for him as long as she thinks that he needs her.” Our eyes locked.
He licked his lips slowly. I dropped my eyes to watch. I was a horrible person for thinking he was as sexy at a moment like this. How could I want him when his father was in the hospital, and I was struggling with his unusual methods of getting him help? How could I love him so much?
Austin pulled me to the corner where we could see anyone that came into the room. We sat down on an old couch. “I have something to give you.”
He reached into the pocket of his jeans. “Merry Christmas, Rebecca.” Austin handed me a small red box that was suggestive of a gift of jewelry. My eyes widened. He wasn’t kidding about the present, but what was it? I took it, and I gazed at him with a faltering smile.
I opened it, tearing the paper quietly. I hunched over it, not wanting to share this moment with anyone else. I pulled the paper off in a clean rip and looked at the black box before I opened it.
It was a detailed, sterling silver dolphin. I stared at it, not expecting such a simple and beautiful gift from a billionaire after hearing that he dropped millions in donations to get his way.
A memory hit me as I looked at the necklace. I felt tears in my eyes. Austin watched me tenderly as I played back the night years ago.
We’d been dating for just a couple of weeks. After a movie, we found a meadow to look at the stars from. Austin parked by a tree in his old truck that he drove back then. We sat on the bed of it, on a pile of soft blankets, and we looked at the flawless night sky. I loved the peace of the moment, as well as the way he made my heart pound in my chest. He reached into his pocket and handed me a wrapped blue box.
I glanced up at him in surprise. “What’s this?”
“Just a little something that reminded me of you.” Austin kissed my nose before I giggled and unwrapped it excitedly.
It was the same necklace he’d just given me. I remembered, biting my lip and sniffling. We were so new, but I was already so in love with him, and the small gesture meant the world to me.
I blinked, finding myself back in the hospital. I stared into his eyes. “Oh, Austin. I still have the first pendant that you gave me. I can’t believe you remembered that night.”
“I remember everything about you, Rebecca. I gave this to you in my truck just two weeks after we started dating. I saw things everywhere that made me think of you that I wanted to buy you. I still do, in New York.” I felt a tear slide down my cheek. “I remember the first time that I saw you when we bumped into each other in the hallway at school. I can’t believe that it took me that long to see you. We wasted so much time.” He stroked my cheek gently, his eyes softening as he stared at me. “I remember all of the dates, and I saved everything that I could to remind me of them. I have a box of movie stubs, menus, and all kinds of stuff to remind me of you. Not that I need the reminder since I can’t get you out of my mind.”
I watched Austin shake his head. I clutched the box to my breast. He was telling me he thought about me as much as I thought about him. My heart jumped in my chest. He was about to speak when his phone rang, and we both flinched. Austin took it out of his pocket and looked at the screen before he jumped up.
“Austin?” I asked as I stared at him. I knew that the moment was over. He glanced at the phone, at me, and around the room.
“I have to take this,” he said in a grim voice before walking away to take the call. I clutched the box in my hands and watched him leave before the tears streamed down my face. The necklace was such a beautiful promise of our future, but the moment was broken. I curled my arms around my knees and rested my face against them.
He came back after a few moments, telling me that he’s explained to his mother that he had to deal with something. He needed to go.
“What about your dad?” I asked in shock.
He shrugged with a painful grimace. “The doctor is on his way, and I’m coming back later. I just need to take care of something. Want a ride home?” He pressed a hand to his head.
“I guess. Is your mom okay?” I asked.
He nodded. “The police chief is here waiting for news, and I’m coming back.”
I stood to leave, and he led the way to the car, his pace fast and cold compared to how he acted earlier. He dropped me off and told me that he’d call me later. I walked to the door, quietly feeling as though it wasn’t even Christmas.