Chapter 13

 

Keith didn’t wake up until noon. He was stiff and sore from sleeping on the couch, and his head was pounding like someone had put a sledgehammer to it. And he was still in the tux.

He was disgusted with himself. "You’re a mess, you know that?" he muttered. Slowly, he sat up, then cautiously made his way into the kitchen, where he found the bottle of Advil. He downed three, because this was a granddaddy of hangovers and needed serious help. Then he headed for his bedroom.

An hour later, showered and shaved and dressed in clean jeans and a flannel shirt, he padded out to the kitchen and put on a pot of coffee. Standing at the counter waiting for it to finish dripping, he thought about last night’s decision to leave Rainbow’s End and go back to Alaska.

Sure, that would mean he’d never have to see Susan again, but what about Scott? Scott considered Keith to be his friend, and Keith really cared about the kid. Was it right to abandon Scott just because Susan had turned out to be someone other than the person Keith had thought she was? After all, Scott was an innocent bystander in all this. He didn’t deserve to be hurt, and he would be hurt if Keith left. And the kid had been hurt enough in the past year. Plus, he owed Paul. He’d let Paul down once. He would not let him down again by abandoning his son, too.

Bottom line, Keith didn’t really want to leave Rainbow’s End again. Rainbow’s End was his home. Being back like this, he now knew just how much he’d missed it all these years.

Anger began to mount again.

He’d be damned if he’d let Susan drive him away.

“I’m not goin’ anywhere,” he said aloud. “Let her leave town if she’s uncomfortable around me, because I’m not going to stop seeing Scott, either. So she’ll just have to deal with it!”

* * *

It was well into the afternoon when Susan remembered Scott.

“Oh, no,” she said, clapping her hand over her mouth. What was Scott going to say when Keith no longer came around? He adored Keith! He would be devastated.

Fresh tears pooled in her eyes. She put down the scouring pad she’d been using on the bottom of the oven and sat down at the kitchen table.

You should have thought about Scott a lot earlier. Like before you asked Keith to the dinner dance.

She sat there a long time, just staring into space and wishing she could turn the clock back.

What was she going to tell Scott?

* * *

By Wednesday Keith’s anger had faded. It was replaced by a mixture of frustration and confusion. Something just didn’t add up. He couldn’t have been that wrong about Susan. She didn’t care about the Sheridan money. And she didn’t care about what he did for a living. He’d stake his life on both things.

And she was honest.

Yet he knew she hadn’t told him the truth when she’d said that all she felt for him was sexual attraction. She liked him. She liked being with him. Over the past months, they’d forged a real friendship.

But obviously, there was some reason she felt she couldn’t marry him. He might have understood if Scott didn’t like him and Susan was worried about how Scott would react if she and Keith married, but Scott sure wasn’t a problem. Keith and Scott got along like a house afire. Why, Keith couldn’t care more about Scott if he’d been his own kid, and Susan knew it.

So what the hell was it?

Since he could come up with no good answer and knew he would have no opportunity to see Susan again until Scott came home, he tried not to think about her for the rest of the week. He was only marginally successful. Days were easier than nights. He was busy during the day, and lucky, too, he supposed. The kind of work he did, and the people he did it with, weren’t conducive to contemplation or deep thinking.

But at night...that was a different story. Every evening he wondered what she was doing. Every evening, he had to fight to keep from driving past her house. And late at night, when he was in bed trying to go to sleep, was the worst time of all. Because then the thoughts of her refused to be banished. And with the thoughts came the wanting and the frustration.

By Saturday he was strung tighter than a fiddle string. He found himself snapping at people for no good reason.

“Hey,” Rory said, frowning after the second time Keith had said something sarcastic in answer to a question, “what kind of bug you got up your ass?”

Keith bit back a sharp reply. Sighing, he said, “Sorry. I don’t know what my problem is.”

Rory gave him an odd look, but he didn’t pursue the subject.

A few minutes later, Patrick Jr. pulled him aside. “Rory tells me you might want to talk.”

Keith looked at his brother. It would feel good to unburden himself. And Patrick Jr., being married, was probably the best one of his brothers to give him advice. “Let’s knock off for lunch, okay? There is something I’d like to ask you about.”

They climbed into Patrick Jr.’s car and drove to their favorite hamburger joint. Over burgers and Cokes, Keith told Patrick Jr. the whole story. He concluded with, “If I thought she was telling me the truth, I could accept it. At least, I think I could. But I don’t believe her.” He looked at Patrick Jr. hopefully. “Now I don’t know what to do.”

Patrick Jr. gave him a wry smile. “You know,” he said slowly, “just because I’m married and have four daughters doesn’t mean I understand women.”

Keith couldn’t help it. He laughed.

“You should talk to Jan,” Patrick Jr. said. “After all, she’s a woman. She probably knows exactly what’s going on in Susan’s head.”

Keith shook his head. “No, I don’t think so. I think I’d better work this out myself.”

“Okay. It’s up to you. I won’t say anything to Jan, either, you don’t have to worry about that.”

Keith smiled. “Thanks, bro. I appreciate you listening.”

Patrick Jr. shrugged. “Sorry I couldn’t be of more help.”

Throughout the afternoon, Keith’s mood was vastly improved, even though nothing had changed. It had just felt good to unburden himself. He even accepted Glenn’s invitation to drive to Austin that evening. While there, Keith saw an advertisement for the circus, which was coming to town the following week. Perfect, he thought. The perfect reason to call Susan’s house tomorrow.

The next day, he waited until noon before calling. He got the answering machine and left a message.

Two hours later, an excited Scott called him back.

“Hey, Scott. Did you have a good time in California?”

“Yeah, it was great!” The boy proceeded to tell him all about the trip.

When Scott was done, Keith told him about the circus. “So what do you think? Want to go?”

“Yeah! But I need to ask my mom.”

The boy obviously did not trouble to cover the phone, because every word said between them carried clearly, and Keith heard Susan say it was all right for Scott to go to the circus next Saturday.

“Keith? I can go!”

Keith smiled at Scott’s unbridled enthusiasm and his penchant for talking in exclamation points. “Great. I’ll call for tickets, then give you a call back and let you know about the time, okay?’ ’

“Okay!”

Twenty minutes later, tickets purchased, Keith called Scott back. Keith hoped Susan would answer the phone, but she didn’t. Afraid it was me, he thought wryly.

“How would it be if I pick you up about four?” he asked Scott. ‘‘We can drive to Austin, get some pizza or a hamburger along the way, and then go to the circus.”

“Okay!” Scott said. “This is gonna be so cool!”

After they hung up, Keith smiled. For the first time in a week, he felt optimistic.

* * *

Susan was on pins and needles all week. Knowing she would see Keith on Saturday, both when he picked Scott up and when he brought him home again, was enough to affect her concentration to the point where she had to constantly talk to herself.

Even Rhonda commented on Susan’s state of mind, saying on Wednesday, “Susan, is something wrong?”

Susan’s head jerked around. She’d been staring out the window, something she’d done far too much for the past couple of days. “No. Nothing’s wrong. Why do you ask?”

Rhonda shrugged. “I don’t know. You just seemed...preoccupied. Worried.”

Susan sighed. “Sorry. Guess I was daydreaming.”

“You don’t have to apologize. I just thought if there was anything wrong, well, maybe I could help.”

“Thank you, Rhonda. I appreciate the offer. But really, there’s nothing the matter.”

After Rhonda walked back to her office, Susan told herself to shape up. This would never do.

If the days were bad, the nights were impossible. Susan, who had never had a problem sleeping, suddenly found herself lying awake until well after midnight. She would turn her pillow over, try moving into a different position, try thinking of something pleasant like what she would do if she won a million dollars—anything to lull her into sleep.

Nothing worked.

Images of Keith kept superimposing themselves over everything else. She played and replayed the night of the dinner dance. Lived the kiss they’d shared over and over again. Remembered the feel of his hands against her skin. Remembered how it had felt to dance close to him. And each time she did, she ached with longing.

Keith, oh Keith...

Why had she invited him to the dance? Why had she put herself in a position where her defenses would be so lowered that she would succumb to the desire she had imagined she could continue to manage?

Now that the desire had been unleashed, her body cried out for Keith—for his touch, for his kisses, for the fire and wonder they’d once shared.

For years she hadn’t allowed herself to think about that night so long ago. Now it was all she thought about. Sex with Paul had been sweet, comforting, even satisfying. But there’d been no shooting stars, no fireworks, no burning passion that simply had to be quenched or you would die of it, the way there’d been with Keith.

She remembered once when she and Paul had been married for a couple of years. It was a Saturday night and they’d gone out for dinner—Scott was spending the night at Laverne’s—and when they came home Susan knew Paul would want to make love. He always wanted to make love on Saturday nights. She never refused him, no matter how she felt. After all, she owed Paul a lot, more than she could ever repay.

Afterwards, she’d been lying in the circle of his arms and he’d kissed her forehead and told her how much he loved her and how glad he was that they were together. She had smiled and murmured something back, but she’d been filled with the most unbearable sadness, because even then, and despite his goodness to her, she knew she still didn’t love him the way she should, not the way he loved her.

Not the way she would have loved Keith.

She acknowledged that fact now, even as she’d buried it then.

Finally Saturday came.

It turned out to be a beautiful day: crisp, cool and sunny. Susan spent the morning doing laundry and other chores indoors, then headed outside to work in the flower beds for an hour. Scott and a couple of his friends were playing in the tree house, and all the while she worked, she could hear their laughter. The sound comforted her, but it still didn’t take her mind off the awareness that very soon she would see Keith again.

How would he act? she wondered.

He would be polite, she knew. He was too much of a gentleman to be otherwise. But what would be in his eyes? Contempt? Dislike? Or would they simply be cold?

Oh, Keith, I’m so sorry.

At two-thirty, she went inside to get cleaned up. After showering and changing clothes, she called Scott indoors so that he would be ready when Keith arrived. While he was bathing, she fixed her hair and put on her makeup. Then she wiped half of it off. It would be best to look as if she hadn’t made any special effort on Keith’s account. She didn’t want to send him mixed signals. She certainly didn’t want to behave as if his coming to the house was special to her.

By four o’clock, she was a nervous wreck. She was telling herself to calm down when the front doorbell rang.

“I’ll get it!” Scott cried, racing to the door.

Susan took a deep breath and walked slowly toward the foyer. Her heart pounded, and her hands felt clammy. He’ll only be here for a few minutes. Just a few minutes. And if you don’t say much, you’II be okay. Just act normal.

Keith, in jeans and a royal-blue sweater the same shade as his eyes, looking more handsome than any man had a right to look, was standing in the foyer.

At the sound of her footsteps, he looked up, and their eyes met.

“Hi.” He didn’t smile, but his gaze was not unfriendly.

She could hardly breathe, but somehow she managed to get out a weak “Hi.” Walking over to the closet, she removed Scott’s jacket and handed it to him, avoiding additional eye contact with Keith. Her heart was beating so hard she was sure he could hear it.

Scott screwed up his face. ‘‘Aw, Mom, do I hafta wear that?’ ’

“Yes, I think you’d better. It’s supposed to get colder tonight.”

“I’ve got my jacket in the car,” Keith said.

“Oh, okay.” Scott happily put the jacket on.

Keith’s eyes met hers over Scott’s head, and there was an amused twinkle in them. “I’m not sure what time we’ll be back tonight,” he said. "It might be really late."

“It doesn’t matter. I’ll be here.” Looking at him, looking at the two of them—the man and the boy—Susan was seized with the most desperate longing. She would have given anything to be going with them. For the three of them to be a family. The longing was so intense, she was suddenly afraid everything she was thinking and feeling would show in her eyes. To cover her confusion, she put her arm around Scott and kissed his forehead. “’Bye, honey. Have a good time.”

“’Bye, Mom.” But he was already pulling away, impatient to be gone.

“’Bye, Susan,” Keith said. He put his hand on Scott’s shoulder and gave her a parting smile. Together he and Scott walked out the door.

She stood in the open doorway and watched them. The lump in her throat was as big as Texas. Father and son, she thought. The man I love and the son we created together. And neither of them can ever know.

Stop thinking about it. What’s done is done. No amount of agonizing will undo it.

All right, she thought determinedly. She would put all thoughts of Keith and their impossible situation out of her mind for the rest of the evening. She would use the time Scott was away to do something productive, something she’d been meaning to do for months without finding the time.

Heading for the spare bedroom which doubled as a home office, she took out the new Rolodex she’d bought, her old address book, and set to work.

* * *

“So what do you think?” Keith said about halfway through the performance. “You like it?”

“Yeah, it’s great!” Scott said, bouncing in his seat. “Boy, look at that!” He pointed to the center ring where three elephants had just stood up on their back legs, holding the pose for long moments. The crowd cheered as the trainer put them through their paces.

“Amazing, isn’t it?” But Keith wasn’t really looking at the elephants. It was more fun to watch Scott. Every emotion was clearly etched on his face. As he had so many times before, Keith thought about how great it would be to have Scott as a son.

And if I could just convince Susan to marry me, he could be my son.

She had been nervous tonight. Nervous and embarrassed. Hell, he’d been nervous himself, although he felt he’d done a pretty good job of not showing it. Until he’d actually seen her, he hadn’t been sure how he’d act or what he’d say. Then, when he did see her, he had decided to just cool it. It wasn’t the time or the place to say anything personal, anyway.

“Keith! Look!”

Scott’s exclamation snapped Keith out of his thoughts, and he saw what had excited the boy: the high-wire performers were climbing up the ladder in preparation for their performance.

For the next twenty minutes, Keith gave his full attention to the high-wire act, which was terrific. When it was over, the house lights came up. It was intermission.

“Want some popcorn or something?”

“Yeah,” Scott said with an enthusiastic smile.

They made their way to the concession area and after some thought, Scott decided he wanted popcorn and orange soda. Keith settled on peanuts and a Coke. Once they’d gotten and paid for their snacks, they started back toward their seats.

“Keith!”

Keith turned at the sound of his name. At first he didn’t see who it was who had called to him. Then he smiled, recognizing the pretty blonde walking toward him. Lorrie Carmichael was a former high-school classmate. He hadn’t seen her in years. Someone had told him she’d moved to Austin.

“Hey, Lorrie,” he said.

“I thought that was you.” She gave him a pleased smile. “It’s great to see you.”

“Yeah, you, too.” He’d always liked Lorrie. She’d been a cheerleader and lots of fun.

“And this must be your son.”

Keith started to say no, he was the son of a friend, but Lorrie kept talking.

“I would have known him anywhere,” she said, smiling down at Scott. “He looks just like you, especially those eyes.” She laughed. “My God, those Callahan eyes. They’re like a trademark.”

Keith gave an embarrassed laugh. “Uh, Lorrie, this is Scott Sheridan. He’s Paul Sheridan’s son, not mine. You remember Paul, don’t you?”

“Oh!” She frowned. “Really?” She smiled uncertainly. “Gee, now I feel stupid.”

“No, don’t. I guess it was a natural mistake, you know, seeing us together.”

She nodded. “I heard that Paul—”

“Yeah,” Keith said, interrupting her. Without actually looking at Scott, he gave her a meaningful look.

She obviously got the message that he didn’t want to talk about Paul in front of Scott, because she smiled brightly and said, “So what are you doing now? Bob Howard told me you were living in Alaska.”

“I was, but I’ve moved back home now. I’m working for my dad.”

“Married?”

“Nope. How about you?”

She nodded happily. “Seven years now. I have twin boys. They’re six.”

They talked awhile longer, then Lorrie said she had to get back to her family. Keith and Scott returned to their seats, and soon after, the lights dimmed, and the second half of the performance started.

Keith thought about Lorrie’s comment. Funny, he mused, studying Scott, but she was right. Scott did kind of look like a Callahan. Yeah, he could see why she’d assumed he was. I wish, he thought.

I wish.

* * *

At eight-thirty Susan finished writing the last address on a card and inserted it into the Rolodex. Then, sighing, she stretched. Her back and neck muscles ached from sitting at the desk all evening. But at least the Rolodex was finished.

Gee, she thought wryly, I should be unhappy in my love life all the time. I’d sure get a lot of jobs done around the house.

Her stomach growled, and she remembered that she hadn’t eaten any dinner. Getting up, she decided she would go downstairs and make herself a cup of tea and a turkey sandwich. She was halfway down the stairs when the phone rang. For a second, she debated whether to go back upstairs and answer it in her bedroom or continue on downstairs and answer it in the kitchen. She was closer to the bedroom, so that made her decision.

She caught the phone on the fourth ring. “Hello,” she said, slightly breathless.

“Susan?”

“Yes?”

“Susan, this is Birdie Collier.”

“Oh, hi, Birdie.” Birdie Collier was one of Laverne’s friends, part of a bridge foursome who had played together for years.

“Susan, I’m at the hospital. Laverne has had a heart attack.”

“Oh, no! Is she all right? Wh-when? How?” Shock caused her to stumble over her words.

“Listen. Calm down. They’ve got her stabilized, although she’s in the critical-care unit. We were playing bridge tonight, you know, the way we always do, and we’d just had our dessert and started playing when she suddenly took a sharp breath and cried out. It was pretty scary, because she turned gray in the space of seconds. But thank God, Marian—you know Marian Schuler, don’t you? Well, Marian kept her head and immediately called 911. I would have called you then, hon, but everything happened so fast, and all we could think about was Laverne and getting her help. Anyway, this is the first chance I’ve had to call you.”

Susan’s mind was racing. “But she’s okay? You’re sure?”

“According to Dr. Willis, she’s stable. He’ll explain everything when you get here. You are coming, aren’t you?”

“Yes, of course, I’m coming. But I can’t leave until I find someone to come and wait here for Scott so he’ll know where I am. He went into Austin to the circus and there’s no way for me to get in touch with the person he’s with. But as soon as I make those arrangements, I’ll be there.”

“I’m in the waiting area outside critical care. It’s on the third floor.”

As soon as they’d hung up, Susan called Zoe. Thank God she was home and able to come over. Five minutes later she was at the door. And five minutes after that, Susan was on her way to Tri-City General, the hospital that served the same three towns served by the community college.

It took her forty minutes to reach the hospital, find a parking place, and get to the third-floor critical-care waiting area. When she walked off the elevator, she immediately saw the group of women sitting together near the windows. Birdie, a big-boned woman in her seventies, stood, followed by Marian Schuler, a petite former schoolteacher in her mid-sixties, and Virginia Jacoby, Laverne’s neighbor. They walked toward her.

Seeing them all there, with their worried faces and sympathetic eyes, caused the fear Susan had been holding back to break loose. Trembling and tearful, she let Birdie enfold her in her capable arms. The others fluttered around her, murmuring words of comfort and support.

When Susan once again had herself under control, Birdie said, “Go tell that woman who you are. She’ll call Dr. Willis and tell him you’re here and they’ll let you go in to see Laverne.”

Susan belatedly noticed the volunteer who sat behind a registration desk. She walked over and identified herself. The woman picked up the phone and spoke into it softly. When she replaced the receiver, she inclined her head toward a set of double doors at the far end of the room.

“You can go in. The nurses’ station is just inside, to the right. Tell them who you are and they’ll take you to your mother-in-law.”

Five minutes later, Susan was standing at the side of Laverne’s bed. She blinked back tears, even though Laverne was sleeping and couldn’t see them.

Please, God, she prayed. Please don’t take her. Scott and I need her. We love her. Please give us more time with her.

Laverne looked smaller lying there. Smaller and so helpless. There was something about all those tubes and machines that brought home the fact that, in the end, most of us have to leave our fate in the hands of others.

Susan lightly touched Laverne’s hand. I love you, Mom. Please fight. Please don’t leave us.

“Mrs. Sheridan?”

Susan turned at the sound of the low voice to see Laverne’s physician standing behind her. She hadn’t heard his approach.

“Let’s go out there,” he said softly. “We can talk.”

They walked back to the critical-care waiting area and he gave her a careful explanation of exactly what had happened to Laverne. “Now, you know I’m not a cardiologist, but there is one on staff here, and he’s the one who looked at the results of her tests and is overseeing her care. He’ll talk to you, too, later tonight. He and I concur that the heart attack she suffered was a major one, but we’ve both seen patients pull through even worse attacks and go on to lead fairly healthy lives afterwards, especially if they follow the prescribed regimen.”

“But you do think she’ll pull through?”

‘‘I hope she will. So far, things look promising. We’ve stabilized her and she’s resting comfortably. The next twenty-four hours will tell the tale, though.”

They talked awhile longer, then the doctor said he was leaving for the night. “But Dr. Mullins will be here, and when he leaves, there will be another specialist on call. So there’s no need to worry that your mother-in-law won’t have good care. She’ll be monitored carefully and they’ll be called immediately if there’s any change or any cause for concern. Plus I’ll just be a phone call away.”

Susan thanked him warmly. She felt better for talking to him, even though she knew she wouldn’t be able to relax completely until Laverne was totally out of the woods. She rejoined Laverne’s friends and told them what Dr. Willis had said. “Thank you all for coming,” she said when she was finished. “I really appreciate it.”

“I’ll stay here with you tonight, Susan,” Birdie said.

“Oh, Birdie, you don’t have to do that.”

“I don’t want you to be alone.”

“We’re staying, too,” the others echoed.

It took Susan some time to convince the three of them that she didn’t want them to spend the night. But it wasn’t until she said they’d be no good to her tomorrow if they didn’t get any sleep that they finally acquiesced and said their goodbyes. She was relieved to see them go. Yes, it would have been nice to have company, especially Birdie’s, but none of the women were exactly spring chickens, and she knew a sleepless night would take much more of a physical toll on them than it would on her.

Once they were gone she walked over to the courtesy phone and called home. Zoe answered on the second ring. After giving her an update, Susan gave her the number of the waiting area and told her to have Keith call her when he and Scott returned.

“Don’t tell Scott what happened,” she cautioned. “Just say his grandmother is sick and I wanted to come and be with her.”

“No, I won’t,” Zoe assured her. “Good luck, Susan. Try not to worry. Everything’s going to be all right.”

After saying goodbye, Susan saw it was nearly ten o’clock. She walked over to the windows and looked out. To the east she could see the lights of Rainbow’s End. All those people, she thought, going about their ordinary lives, some of them watching TV, some of them reading, some making love, some already in bed and asleep. And all of them blissfully unaware that in an instant their lives could change irrevocably, just as Laverne’s had changed tonight.

Please, God, she prayed again. Let her be all right.

She stood there a long time. Then she sighed and walked to the closest chair and sat down to wait.

* * *

Keith thought Scott would fall asleep on the drive home, but he was too wired. Instead, the two of them rehashed the evening, talking about the things they’d liked best about the circus.

It was well after midnight when Keith pulled into Susan’s driveway. The living-room lights were on, as was the outside light over the front door. He smiled. “Your mom’s waiting for you.”

But when the front door opened, it wasn’t Susan standing there. It was the redhead from next door.

“Oh, hi, Zoe,” Scott said. He frowned. “Where’s Mom?”

“Hi, Scott.” Her eyes met Keith’s. “Bit of a problem earlier.” She turned back to Scott. “Your grandmother is sick, honey, and your mom wanted to go to the hospital to be with her.”

“Gran?” Scott said in alarm. “What’s wrong with her?”

“Nothing bad. Your mom will tell you all about it tomorrow morning. In the meantime, you’re to come and spend the night at my house, okay?” She reached in her pocket and pulled out a slip of paper. She handed it to Keith. “Susan wants you to call her.”

Keith nodded. He could see by the expression in her eyes that she had tempered the truth for Scott’s benefit. With a feeling of disquietude, he excused himself and headed for the phone in the kitchen. “Yes,” he said to the unfamiliar voice that answered the phone, “may I speak with Susan Sheridan, please?”

A few moments later, Susan said, “Keith?”

“Yes. What happened?”

“Scott can’t hear you, can he?”

“No, I’m in the kitchen, and he’s in the living room with Zoe.”

“Good.”

Keith listened quietly as Susan told him about Paul’s mother. When she’d finished, he said, “Are you there by yourself?”

“Yes.”

“Where, exactly, are you?”

“Outside critical care, on the third floor.”

He looked at his watch. It was twelve-forty. “I’m coming. I’ll be there in less than an hour.”

She was silent, and for a few seconds, he thought she was going to tell him not to come. When she did speak, her voice sounded funny, and he knew she was on the verge of tears. “Thank you. Now may I please talk to Scott?”

When Scott finished talking to his mother, he came back into the living room. He looked subdued. “I hope my gran’s gonna be all right.”

“Oh, honey, I’m sure she is,” Zoe said quickly.

Keith gave him a reassuring smile. “She’s going to be fine.”

Scott sighed. “I guess I’ll go get my stuff.” Five minutes later he was back downstairs and ready to go.

“I’ll talk to you tomorrow,” Keith told Scott as they all walked outside together.

“Okay,” Scott said, waving as he and Zoe started across the lawn to her house. “Thanks for taking me to the circus.”

Keith made it to the hospital and was parked in under twenty minutes. During the drive, he wondered if he was doing the right thing. Susan was vulnerable right now. Had he taken advantage of that vulnerability?

But when he got to the third-floor waiting area, he took one look at her and knew he hadn’t made a mistake in coming. This wasn’t the time to worry about the awkwardness of their situation or what might or might not happen between them in the future. Even if Susan never married him, Keith was her friend, and she needed a good friend right now.

He walked over to where she was seated. A moment later, she was in his arms. He held her for long minutes, trying to convey without words that no matter what, he would always be there for her when she needed him.

Whatever awkwardness they’d felt earlier in the evening disappeared, and when he released her, they sat next to each other and talked softly. When it was time for Laverne to have visitors again, Susan looked at him questioningly. “I won’t be gone long. They’ll only let me stay ten minutes, but if you want to go...”

“I’m not going anywhere.” He squeezed her hand. “You go on. I’ll be right here when you get back.”

She nodded, and in her eyes he saw relief and something else. Something that reinforced his theory that she cared for him just as much as he cared for her.

As she walked toward the doors to the critical care unit, he watched her with a mixture of pride and love. I’ll always be here for you, Susan. Almost as if she’d heard his silent promise, she turned. Their eyes met briefly before she opened the doors and disappeared inside.

* * *

Laverne was still asleep. Susan stood at her bedside and watched her for as long as the hospital personnel would allow her to. She felt stronger now, much more able to cope with whatever tomorrow would bring.

She knew that nothing had changed between her and Keith. They could never have the kind of relationship they both wanted, but tonight had shown her that he would always be her friend.

And somehow, she would have to make that be enough.