Chapter 17
“Dad! How are you?” Nora’s father was awake and eating jello in his hospital bed when they arrived.
“Nora!” he said in a soft voice and she thought she detected a groan. Theo was standing behind her, but his presence was strong in the room. They hadn’t spoken much since they woke up and he’d even refused to shower or change before they came to the hospital.
Andy hugged his daughter as tight as he could and then beamed at his best friend.
“Theodor Heffernan!” he said jovially and Theo stepped up to him, and Nora felt the brush of his arm against hers which made her flinch with desire. She felt guilt coursing through her veins as she watched her father hug him and now she was certain that he hadn’t heard or suspected anything. The stroke had been entirely of natural causes.
“I was eating with you two and the next thing I remember, I was sitting up in bed and not being able to breathe,” her father said and Nora stood by him, looking down at him lovingly.
“You had a stroke, dad,” she said, placing a hand on his shoulder and he looked up at her with tired eyes.
“So they tell me. I was very lucky that you still hadn’t left, Theo,” he said, turning to his friend again. Nora felt her cheeks flush and she avoided looking at Theo beside her.
“I was just about to leave and we heard you groan and rushed upstairs,” Theo said and her father patted his heart.
“As bad as it was, it was good timing nonetheless,” Andy said and Nora couldn’t help but steal a glance at Theo now. He looked exhausted and clearly hadn’t slept well. Just like she hadn’t been able to keep her eyes shut longer than a few seconds the previous night. His stubble looked darker and she could see the lines of tiredness around his eyes.
“You’re a trooper, Andy. You’ll come out of this stronger,” Theo said, thumping his friend’s back and Nora delighted in watching her father laugh whole heartedly.
“Stronger and hopefully with a lack of appetite! The doctors tell me that I have to start watching what I eat,” he said and Nora stroked her father’s shoulder.
“And how much you eat,” she said in a mock-scolding voice. Her father looked up at her, smiled and then nodded his head.
“I’m sorry if this has inconvenienced you, honey. You were supposed to be on a vacation,” he said and Nora shook her head and patted her dad’s shoulder.
“It’s no inconvenience, dad. I want to stay a while longer. I called the office this morning and told them not to expect me back anytime soon,” she said and her father’s eyes widened.
“Wouldn’t that cost you?” he asked and Nora shrugged, aware the whole time that Theo was staring at her. She hadn’t told him all this yet, because she didn’t want to see the look on his face. She knew he wanted her to leave town as soon as possible, so that they wouldn’t be tempted again. But now with her father’s condition, she had to stay.
“I’ll deal with that when I get back to New York. For now, I’m here with you,” she said and kissed the top of her father’s head.
Andy patted his daughter’s hand and she sat down on the chair beside him.
“Andy, I’m sorry but I have to attend an important meeting,” Theo said, looking apologetically at her father.
“Go, go! You look like you need a shower anyway,” he replied and Theo leaned over to squeeze his shoulder.
“Take care of yourself. I’ll come see you in the evening again,” he said, and the two of them smiled heartily at each other.
“And Nora, call me if you need anything. Anything at all,” he said, turning to her abruptly. She colored immediately, because an image of him behind her, ramming into her popped up in her head.
“Yeah, sure, I will,” she stammered and Theo was gone from the room in a flash. She turned to her father with a gulp, already feeling her body physically withdraw because of Theo’s absence.
“I’m seriously glad that Theo was there last night, honey,” her father said, interrupting her thoughts. Nora shook her head and smiled.
“Yeah, he was a big help. I didn’t know what to do when I saw you like that. I panicked and froze. Theo was thinking on his feet and he performed CPR on you,” Nora said, still smiling encouragingly at her father.
“He’s a good man. He really is…and a good friend. People tend to think he’s arrogant and stuffy, but for me he always shows up you know? I can rely on him blindfolded,” he continued and Nora felt the hairs on the back of her neck prick up. Hearing her father speak about Theo, praise the man she loved…it filled her with joy. Even though she couldn’t confide in him what had happened after they went back home.
“I know, dad. You are both lucky to have each other in your lives,” Nora said instead and Andy took in a deep breath and sighed.
“And I’m lucky to have a daughter like you. You make me so proud and everything I’ve done in life has been worth it because of you, honey,” he said and they held hands. Nora’s eyes filled with tears as she smiled at him, happy that he was there in front of her and that she could hear his voice again. She didn’t even want to think about what she had felt the night before; how close she had come to losing him.
“Anyway, I hope I’ve taught you your manners and you’ve thanked Theo properly,” he said, half-jokingly and Nora’s cheeks flushed again.
“Yes, I have daddy,” she said.