Bad Ideas (First & Forever 4)

“Do you really think so? I like her too, but I wasn’t sure if she was interested since I’m in sixth grade and she’s in seventh.”

“She gave you her email, that’s a big deal. Are you going to keep in touch with her?”

“Uh, yeah. She’s really cute,” he said. “She’s nice, too. I don’t get what she sees in me.”

“Dude, seriously? You’re handsome, smart, and nice. Any girl who can’t see that is missing out.” It made me happy when he grinned and sat up a little straighter.

We’d almost made it back to Oscar’s room when Theo intercepted us, looking flushed and excited. “Perfect, you’re already up,” he said to Oscar. “I have a surprise for you. It’s downstairs, so maybe Nurse Casey can help get you there.” I shot a questioning look at Theo over the top of Oscar’s head. When he smiled and nodded, my heart leapt.

Oscar asked, “What is it?”

“You’ll see. It’ll take us two minutes to get there.” The three of us were already on our way to the elevator.

Theo pushed the button, then held the door open when the elevator arrived. I backed in so Oscar was in front of me, facing the door. Then Theo joined us and pressed the button for the first floor before coming to stand beside me. As soon as the doors shut, he took my hand and gave it a squeeze. I turned to him and smiled. It was all I could do to stop myself from kissing him, but we both knew this wasn’t the time or place.

We let go of each other as soon as the elevator door opened, and I wheeled Oscar out of the elevator and turned right. When the kid read the sign indicating we were heading toward the intensive care unit, he asked, “Is it my mom?”

Theo was walking quickly right beside the boy, and he squeezed his shoulder and said, “She woke up, Oscar.”

“Is she alright?”

“She seems to be doing fine,” Theo told him. “I went down to see her when the ICU doctor called up to pediatrics, and she was talking and alert. The first thing she did was ask about you.”

I was overcome with emotion when I wheeled Oscar up to the glass wall that fronted his mother’s room, and the boy knocked on it and called, “Mama!”

There were two nurses and a doctor attending to her, and they all turned toward us. Then I caught a glimpse of Oscar’s mom. The redhead looked pale and fragile, but she smiled when she saw her son.

Theo went into the room and spoke with the other doctor, while Oscar turned to me and asked, “Can we go in and see her, Casey? Please?”

“Doctor Koenig’s asking about that right now. Let’s see what he says when he comes back.”

The boy anxiously wrung the blanket in his one good hand until Theo returned to us. Fortunately, he’d been gone less than a minute, and he smiled at Oscar and said, “Let’s go say hi to your mom. This is just going to be a short visit because she’s going to get tired really fast, but you can come back for a longer visit tomorrow, okay?” The kid nodded. He was barely listening as he craned his neck and tried to get another look at his mother.

I pushed his wheelchair into the room, and Donna Harris started crying when she saw her son. “Oh, Ozzie,” she rasped, in a weak voice, “sweetheart, are you okay?”

“I’m fine, Mama,” the boy said, as he grasped her hand. “I missed you so much.”

Theo and I stepped back out into the hall since the room was crowded, and I said softly, “It feels like an absolute miracle, not only for her to wake up after all that time, but to be talking and alert.”

He nodded. “I was worried about long-term cognitive damage, but her doctor is optimistic that she’ll make a full recovery.”

“How does he know?”

“I only found out she was awake shortly before I came to get Oscar, but she actually regained consciousness a few hours ago,” he explained. “Several specialists have already been in to see her today, and the news was positive across the board.”

“That’s amazing.”

“It is. It’s better than I’d dared to hope for.”

As Theo watched the happy reunion, I studied his profile. He was in full work mode with his dress clothes and white lab coat, totally buttoned down and restrained. It made me ache to bring out his wild side, and I whispered, “I really wish I could kiss you right now.”

My boyfriend kept his gaze directed forward, but he reached over and caressed the inside of my wrist as he whispered, “Me, too.” I felt that light touch right down to my toes.

“Meet me in the stairwell at five,” I said softly. “You’ll be off duty, and I should be able to take a break before the patients’ dinner hour.”