Dex was quiet the entire flight down to Florida. He’d spoken to Myra first thing this morning while we were headed to the airport and found out that his father needed a triple bypass, along with a valve replacement. His heart was weak after the massive heart attack, but they couldn’t waste time because of the ninety-nine percent blockage. Surgery was scheduled for this afternoon.
When we arrived at Good Samaritan Medical Center, Dex already knew the room number so we breezed right past the line at the patient information desk and followed the signs for the elevator. It wasn’t until the doors closed that I had really given any thought to what my showing up might do to Dex Sr. Up until then, I’d been only focusing on wanting to support Dex.
“Maybe I should wait out in the hall when you go in to see him.”
Dex was normally so present, so aware of everything around him; it was odd to see him in a fog. “I’m sorry. Did you say something?”
“I said maybe it would be better if I didn’t go in to see him with you. I could just wait in the hall.”
“Is that what you want or what you think is best for him?”
“I don’t want to upset him.”
Dex took my hand and nodded as the elevator doors slid open. “You’re coming in with me.”
Dex Sr.’s wife was in the hall outside of CCU talking to a doctor. When we approached, they turned to us. Myra forced a smile. “Hi, Dex. Thank you for coming.”
“Of course.”
“Dr. Sharma, this is Dex’s son, Dex Jr.”
The doctor nodded. Then, Myra looked to me. I extended my hand. “Bianca George. I’m a…friend…of Dex’s. I’m sorry about your husband’s health.”
The doctor looked at his watch. “I was just about to go in and visit with your father. You’re welcome to join while I review his morning stats.”
Dex nodded.
Dr. Sharma turned to me. “I’m sorry. But CCU is limited to family members, so you’ll need to wait out here.”
I saw Dex’s face and braced for it. He pulled me close to his side. “Bianca is my girlfriend. But there’s also a pretty good chance she’s his daughter. So, she’ll be joining us.”
Not knowing how to respond to that, the doctor motioned us to follow him inside.
Even though he was paler than I imagined he normally was, and he had monitor lines and IVs hooked up all over, I would have recognized Dex Sr. anywhere. He looked just like my sister, even more so in person than he did in the pictures.
His eyes caught on Dex first. There was a moment of surprise at seeing him, and I thought it might be happiness. But the light in his eyes quickly extinguished when he looked at me standing next to him—a real-life reminder that darkness in the past always comes into the light. Frequently, at the worst times.
“Dad.” Dex nodded.
His father attempted to take the oxygen mask off his face, but the doctor stopped him. “You need to leave that on, Mr. Truitt.” Dr. Sharma then went on to examine the chart and immediately began talking about the risks of the heart procedure Dex’s father was about to undergo. I thought all of us were listening intently until I felt Dex Sr. staring at me. As I turned to meet his eyes, he gave me a soft smile. Then he looked to the man standing next to me, who I realized was no longer listening to the doctor, either, but instead watching the interaction between the two of us. When Dex Sr. lifted his weak hand in my direction for me to take, I didn’t know what to do. My eyes flitted back and forth between the two men, looking for someone to give me the answer. We hadn’t talked about it since last night, but it was that moment that I knew. Taking his hand in mine, I needed to know if this man was my father.
We stayed at the hospital the entire time Dex Sr. was in surgery.
When Dr. Sharma finally came out to tell us that the procedure was a success, Dex and I let out a collective sigh. Dex planted a relieved kiss on my lips, the doctor looked confused; I think he’d given up on trying to figure out our relation to one another.
“Can we see him?” Dex asked.
“His wife is in there now. I would say wait a little bit, since he’s still waking up. Give it about a half hour.”
Myra eventually came out to let us know that it was okay to go in and said her husband had actually asked to see us.
My heart was racing as we entered the recovery room.
“How are you feeling, Dad?”
He swallowed, seeming like his mouth was parched. “I’ve been better.”
“Well, the operation went well. I’m really glad to hear it.”
Dex Sr. turned his head toward me. “I can’t get over it. Before I went under, I thought you were her. You look like just your mother.”
“Yes. Many people tell me that.”
His voice was groggy, but he continued to force out the words. “I really did care for her. There were a lot of women who passed through my life. Most of them were forgettable. But I will never forget Eleni.” He looked at Dex for a moment then said, “My son has the same look in his eyes now, the one I had whenever I was with her. Except, what you have going on here seems to be even stronger.”
“Dad, don’t talk too much. You’ll waste your energy.”
“No, I have to say this.”
Dex blew out a breath. “Alright.”
His father reached for my hand as he addressed both of us. “I’m sorry about this situation. I’ll do whatever you need me to do. Nearly dying has put a lot into perspective. I’d really like to know the truth. Mostly for you but also for me.”
Dex was quick to say, “Well, you need some time to recover before we deal with all that.”
“Nonsense. All they need to do is swab my cheek. You get the guy in here today, and do it while you’re still down here. No sense in stalling.”
He seemed troubled by his father’s insistence. “We haven’t decided one hundred percent on the test.”
Still holding his father’s hand, I made sure I was looking Dex straight in the eyes when I said, “Yes, we have.”
“We have?”
“Yes, Dex. We need to do it.”
He just kept nodding and blinking, as if realizing he’d just given up on a losing battle. “Okay.”
About an hour later, someone from the lab came in to take our samples. The entire time my cheek was swabbed, I was looking deeply into Dex’s penetrating eyes while I silently prayed for a favorable outcome.
Dex then called the main lab where my sister’s sample had been sent, and they informed him that it would take about two days for all of the results. I knew they would be the longest two days of my life.
We decided to stay in Palm Beach until the results came in. That way, in the event that it turned out Dex Sr. was my biological father, he and I could have a moment to absorb the news together. My sister opted to stay in New York since her husband couldn’t take time off from work; she felt she’d need his support more than anything.
After I called Bandit’s doggy day care to let them know we’d need to extend his staycation, I spent a good part of that evening on the phone with my father as he assured me that regardless of the outcome, nothing would change between us, that I would always be his little girl and the love of his life. When I’d finally gotten up the nerve to have the conversation with my dad, he had admitted that he always questioned Alexandra’s paternity in particular over the years, but he’d ultimately decided not to pursue testing because he felt it wouldn’t have changed anything in his mind or heart.
Dex and I ended up spending the night at his father’s guesthouse, which was adjacent to the Truitt’s main waterfront property. So exhausted from the long day at the hospital, I relaxed into Dex’s arms. The mood was somber as we fell asleep in the king-sized bed listening to the sound of the waves crashing just outside the French doors.
The following morning, he snuck up behind me as I was looking out at the ocean from the patio.
He handed me a mug of freshly brewed coffee. “How are you feeling?”
“Sort of numb.”
“I know what you mean. It feels like a shock. I went from preparing myself to possibly never find out…to now inevitably dealing with the truth as soon as tomorrow.”
“We couldn’t have lived like that. We would have always wondered.”
“I think deep down I knew that, but I still didn’t want to believe it.” Dex suddenly looked panicked. “We can’t waste these last hours, Bianca. I feel like we need to not let a second pass us by unnoticed.”
“What do you want to do?”
“We have a huge day ahead.”
“We do?”
“Fuck, yes. They said the results could potentially be in tomorrow…that means today could be the last full day that we’re living in ignorant bliss. I feel like I need to give you a lifetime today.”
“What does that mean?”
“It means there are certain things that I want to see and do with you while you’re still my Bianca, in case I never get a chance to experience them. Although, the one thing I really need to do, I can’t.”
“What are we going to do?”
“I want to take you to a few different places.”