Excitement filled me as I put Francesca at arm’s length. “He’s coming back to you.”
Francesca’s face lit up like the day I saw her for the first time with Carson. “I can’t wait to have him in my arms.”
Me, either. Butterflies danced in my stomach as I watched Francesca race to put her shoes on. In less than a minute we were headed to the door when Trent walked into the suite. “Andre is waiting out front to drive you guys back.”
There was all of this wasted food. “Trent, Francesca and I ordered this. Please see if your men want any of it.”
“I will.”
Not a moment to spare, we hurried down the hall at almost a jog. Thank you, Carson. Thank you for fighting. The ride down the elevator took forever.
Andre stood outside the driver’s door. “Good afternoon, ladies.”
“Afternoon, Andre.”
Gabe sat in the front seat next to Andre wile Francesca sat next to me. She grabbed my hand. “I hope today is the day.”
“Me, too.”
It had been a long two weeks. I was on pins and needles waiting to have Carson back with us. At the hospital we were out of the car before Andre put it in park. At the door, a security team member greeted us to escort us upstairs. Gabe was close behind.
There were a couple of times this last week when I wondered if we would be having a moment like this. We were almost at a jog when we exited the elevator on Carson’s floor. A nurse was checking Carson’s vitals. When we stepped around her, I saw his beautiful blue irises staring back at me.
I gasped as I covered my mouth, choking an ecstatic sob. I had missed this face being full of life. Francesca was at his side in an instance as I stayed rooted in place giving them their moment. She was sobbing. Carson’s hand came up and touched the back of her head. The movement weak and shaky. The tubes had been removed after the respiratory doctor and anesthesiologist gave the clear. He was stronger than I would have thought.
“Shh… it’s okay, baby. It’s okay,” Carson said in a voice hoarse from being intubated for two weeks.
Reaching back for Gabe, he wasn’t there. Frantically, I turned around and then saw him standing in the doorway. Carson. He had no idea.
Bennett came up to me. “He came to right after we called. We told him about Gabe. The cliff note’s version at least. I figured when you two talk you could give him the full one. He knows you and the baby are okay.”
“Thanks, Bennett.” I hugged him. “We have him back.”
“Yes we do, Willow. Yes we do.”
I walked to the end of the bed and touched Carson’s covered foot. He gave me his beautiful smile. Never again would I take that smile for granted.
“You gave us quite the scare.” My voice was thick.
Carson looked me over. “You sure you’re okay?” He sounded tired.
“Promise. We’ll catch up in a bit.”
His eyes squinted and I reached for the light switch dial on the side of the bed. “The light hurts the first day. You’ll adjust.”
For a second, Carson closed his eyes then reopened them to focus on me. “I kept hearing you tell me to fight and yelling at me like the time I competed in that triathlon.”
“It’s my job to be your pain in the ass.” Carson had busted his leg and refused to quit the race. When we saw him from the distance, I screamed the entire way, telling him to fight.
“Yes it is.” Carson looked around. “Is Gabe here?”
“He is. We weren’t aware you knew, so he stayed in the hall. Gabe thought it would be a good idea for us to tell you first.” I was rambling, a little worried what Carson might think.
Confidently, Gabe came to my side and slid his arm around my waist. “It’s good to see you awake, Carson.”
“Well, fuck me. It’s uncanny.”
Not sure how to take his words, I froze as Carson scrutinized Gabe, who remained silent.
“Welcome back, Gabe. I’m glad I wasn’t wrong about you initially.”
“Me, too.”
Carson coughed and Francesca fussed over him.
Marie stepped in. “It’s the tube he had in his throat. Doctor said it was normal.”
Taking a sip from the sponge Francesca put in front of his mouth, Carson closed his eyes. “I’m going to rest for just a second.”
Squeezing his foot again, I said, “Rest up. We’ll be here when you wake up.” I remembered how exhausting those first few days were when I came around, I slept more than anything.
Drifting off, Carson looked peaceful. I kept checking the monitors to make sure they were still tracking his heart rate.
“What did the doctor say?” I asked Bennett.
“Things look good. Responses are normal. Carson remembered it all. His first words were asking about the baby, Francesca, and you. Until you got here, we were going to leave the part about Gabe out. Somehow he knew we were holding back. So we told him. I’m sorry. I know it wasn’t our place.”
I held my hand up. “Bennett. It’s fine. I’m glad he knows. Carson knows if you knew about Gabe then I was fine. The last thing he needs is additional stress.”
Bennett grabbed my shoulders. “I have my boy back. We have him back!”
“Yes, we do!” The mood was lighter. With Carson back, things felt normal as if the dark looming ahead wasn’t as formidable.
Gabe placed his hand on my shoulder. “I’m going to take Willow to the cafeteria to get some food. They were about to eat when we got the call. Do you want me to get Francesca anything?”
Bennett checked his watch. “No, I’ll have something delivered. Thanks for telling me. I’ll call you if he wakes up again.”
Walking out of the hospital room, I let out a deep breath. “I’m so relieved.”
“Me, too, sweetheart.”
Needing to be in the moment, I threw my arms around Gabe even as nurses walked around. “He’s going to be okay. He’s going to be here. He’s going to see his baby grow up.”
“Yes, he is.”
Just hearing Gabe’s confirmation made it all real. I held him and he kept me close until I was able to gather myself. My stomach growled.
“Let’s get the three of you fed. My children are hungry.”
A carefree laugh left me. “We are. Those nachos looked so good back at the hotel.”
We entered the cafeteria and I scanned the board for what I wanted. Nachos. Score! I was in luck as I had craved those back at the hotel. The server fixed me a plate and handed it to me while Gabe paid. The cheesy goodness was like ambrosia. I had to refrain from licking the plate clean.
Gabe watched me with delight. “It’s good to see you eating.”
“I was so hungry. It’s like a switch was flipped. I’m so full now.” I made a mental note to eat something healthier for dinner.
I sat back in my chair. Now, I would be able to go home and not worry as much about Carson.
“What are you thinking about?”
I finished my water before I said, “Talking to Carson and heading home.” Trent’s men would have to be in two spots. “Wait. How will that work? Won’t that spread Trent’s men too thin?”
Gabe shook his head. “No. Some guys I knew from the force are joining the team at the house. Trent’s vetting them to make sure he approves. They left the force within the last three years and haven’t found the right job yet. If it works out, we’ll have more people I know I can trust and Trent will have some damn fine men.”
“Are people going to stay with the Whitmores?”
“Yes, but not as many. We’ll have—”
The ringing of my phone cut off Gabe. It was from Apple Blossom. I connected the call after showing him the screen. “Hello?”
“Ms. Russo. It’s Lisa Simpson at Apple Blossom.”
“Hey, Lisa. It’s good to hear from you. And please, call me Willow.”
A delighted older woman gave a quasi-squeal of delight. “I’m glad you’re feeling much better. I know it’s short notice, but we wanted to se
e if you were available to come tomorrow. The teacher we had got sick. You and the two assistants have been cleared. I know it’s soon, but I thought I would check just in case. Otherwise, it looks like we have an opening in about six weeks.”
Six Weeks? No, I wanted to get this over.
Whew, Gabe’s background check came back clear. That made the decision easier to go ahead with teaching. “That works great. Thanks for letting me come. I loved teaching while in college.”
“Perfect, I’ll see you tomorrow. If you could come an hour before class, that would be great. Andrea will be there.”
“We’ll be there. Thank you.”
I ended the call and stowed the phone away.
Gabe raised an eyebrow. “Tomorrow?”
“Yes, you’re cleared to go. I’m a guest teacher from eight to noon tomorrow.”
Gabe sent off a text after we threw away our trash and walked out of the cafeteria. He received an immediate reply. “Trent’s confirmed he can make tomorrow work.”
Since coming back into my life, Gabe hadn’t been far from me. “How are you going to deal with Alex Junior not recognizing you?”