34

Present day…

The minute Jonathan and Marilyn stepped into the hospital waiting room, they saw Erika sitting with her arms wrapped around her mother. Roman Jr., the spitting image of his father, was pacing the floor. At the sound of footsteps, the three glanced up and saw them. Marilyn immediately moved toward Traci and Erika, while Jonathan walked over to Roman Jr., who was fondly called RJ.

“Any word on how he’s doing?” Marilyn asked, holding Traci’s hand.

“No, and they won’t let me see him.”

“I told Mom that’s hospital policy,” Erika said.

Marilyn smiled at her goddaughter, Dr. Erika Malone-Collins, one of the top neurosurgeons in the country, who now worked at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, MN. “You managed to get here fast,” she told Erika.

“Not really. Silas, the kids and I landed a few hours ago. We were going to surprise Mom and Dad with a visit. Imagine my shock when Mom called me while we were still at the airport, to tell me about Dad. Then imagine her shock when I explained that we had just landed in Austin.”

When Roman married Traci he had adopted Erika. The two had always been extremely close and Erika was always quick to say that Roman was her only dad. Her biological father nor his family had never attempted to become part of her life. Erika had met Silas Collins while in medical school, and the two married after completing their internships. He was a heart surgeon, also at Mayo. Silas and Erika had three kids--two boys and a girl. Roman and Traci also had twin girls, who’d been born two years after they married. Roman Jr. had arrived a few years later. The twins had followed in their older sister’s footsteps and were now doctors, working at a hospital in California.

“Has anyone called the twins?” Marilyn asked.

Traci nodded slowly, wiping tears from her eyes. “Yes, Spring and Summer are on their way.”

Not long after getting married, Roman and Traci moved to Austin. A few years later, Roman was elected to the Texas Senate. After over thirty years in the political arena, seven years ago Roman had retired as a senator. Roman Jr. had followed in his father’s footsteps, first by becoming an attorney, then entering politics. A couple of years ago he was elected as a United States Senator from Texas, a seat once held by Senator Nedwyn Lansing.

Marilyn was about to assure Traci that everything would be all right, when a doctor appeared. Everyone rushed toward him. “How’s my husband,” a tearful Traci asked.

“I’m happy to say that he will be fine. His EKG came back normal, so we ran a few more tests. It seems he had a gallbladder attack. We’ve made him comfortable, but he will be here for a couple of days. Once he passes the gallstones, he should be fine.”

Relief was evident in everyone’s faces. “Thank God,” Traci said. Marilyn knew how she felt. She couldn’t imagine anything ever happening to Jonathan.

“How soon can we see him?” Roman Jr. asked the doctor.

“Once he’s assigned to a room, he’ll be able to have visitors. It shouldn’t be long.”

Roman Jr. nodded. “Thanks, Dr. Perkins.”

An hour or so later, they were all crowded into Roman’s hospital room. By that time, the twins had arrived as well.

“I can’t believe it took you two thinking I was having a heart attack to get you away from Houston,” Roman said to Jonathan and Marilyn, trying to grin against the pain they knew he felt.

“You need to stop trying to get attention,” Jonathan countered.

Roman forced a chuckle. “It worked. Just look around. All three of my physician daughters are here. Even my son, the senator, is here. It’s hard to get him out of the nation’s capital these days, and he still hasn’t found a wife. Maybe I should turn him over to your mother, Jonathan. She’s still in the matchmaking business, right?”

Jonathan grinned. “Yes, but right now, she’s working on Nolan. Now that Lee’s married, poor Nolan’s next on her list. And guess whose granddaughter she’s picked out for him.”

“Whose?”

“Helen Chapman’s.”

Roman shook his head, not hiding his smile. “Knowing your mother, she’s had that union planned for years.”

Jonathan nodded. “I wouldn’t doubt it. Mrs. Chapman and Mom have been friends forever.”

“I’m in no hurry to marry, Dad, you know that,” Roman Jr. protested, a serious expression on his face.

Jonathan knew Roman liked to push the ‘you need to get married’ button with his son more times than he needed to. Jonathan had to often remind Roman that when he’d been RJ’s age, he was the definition of a womanizer. Marriage hadn’t been on his radar, either. All of that had changed, though, when he’d met Traci.

“Don’t forget. Our annual Christmas party is in a few weeks, Roman. I expect you to be there, so you need to recuperate quickly, my friend,” Jonathan said, hoping to change the subject.

Roman reached out and took Traci’s hand in his. “My baby and I will be there with our dancing shoes on. Don’t worry.”

“And we can’t wait to see your new home,” Traci added smiling.

“Will Sterling Hamilton be there this year?” one of the twins asked excitedly. The heart-throb movie star turned movie director was a friend of Jake Madaris and his wife and usually attended a number of Madaris family events.

Marilyn chucked. “Not sure yet. All my RSVPs haven’t come in.”

After visiting for a few more hours, Jonathan and Marilyn headed toward the elevator. “I’m glad Roman is okay,” Marilyn said.

“So am I.”

“Do you know what I thought about while getting dressed to fly here?”

“No, what?” Jonathan asked.

“Our courtship, our breakup and our makeup. And do you know what I cherish most of all?”

“Umm, let me guess. That spanking brand new, sporty blue Camaro I surprised you with as an engagement gift?”

She chuckled, remembering that expensive gift. It had taken her brothers, his mother and Traci to convince her to keep it. Her first car. “No, that’s not it, although I admit you truly wowed me when I got it.”

“Taking you to Disney World for our honeymoon?”

“No, not that either, although we had loads of fun.”

“What then?” he asked her.

“The pact we made. To keep love first, always front and center. To always be the best of friends. Team Madaris. We’ve held strong to that, Jonathan.”

He leaned down and brushed a kiss across her lips. “And we always will, sweetheart. Now with the holiday season upon us, all we have to do is concentrate on getting our new home ready for the Christmas party,” Jonathan said. “You sure you’re up to it this year?”

Marilyn smiled over at her husband, the man she loved more today than she had the day she married him. “Yes, I’ll be fine. After all, there’s nothing like having family and friends around for the holidays.”