“Anna, we should be getting along and let the young people work.” Pop pressed a hand to Gram’s back. “If we leave now, we could grab a bite to eat in town and be back on the farm before dark.”
Emma and I exchanged secret, amused smiles. This preoccupation of my grandparents with not being out after dark was new, and even though it was something that I understood—neither of them should have been driving after the sun went down—it still made me laugh. I’d accused Gram of being a reverse vampire.
As they left, Pop drew me aside briefly. “You’ll tell us if anything happens with Ted, right?” His eyes were shadowed, and I realized that this visit had been harder on him than I’d known. “If he gets worse, or if he . . . you know. Takes off.” He glanced at Gram. “She’s getting her hopes up. I know she’ll say she isn’t, but I can tell. We’re going to go home, and she’ll be up in his room, dusting and changing the sheets. I can’t stand the idea that he’s going to hurt her again.”
I nodded. “I’ll let you know if there are any changes.” Something occurred to me, and it was troubling. Lowering my voice, I asked a question I dreaded. “Is that how it was when I went away last year? Did I hurt Gram—did I hurt both of you? Were you worried that I was following in Ted’s footsteps?”
I’d never thought about that, but looking back, I could imagine it now. It was my own secret fear—that I had enough of Ted in me to make me a perpetual flight risk. But I hadn’t thought that my grandparents might harbor the same concerns.
“Never.” Pop’s response was swift and sure. “Son, you’re nothing like Ted. When you left for Europe, I won’t say we were happy, but we knew you’d be back. It never crossed our minds to worry that you’d stay on the road for good.” He clapped a hand on my shoulder. “You might be Ted’s son biologically, but you’ve got too much of your gram and me in you to make the same choices he’s made. And your mama, too. You’ve got a lot of her in you, boy, and she was a fine woman.” He sniffed. “She’d be proud of you, Deacon. Gram and I are, too. Mighty proud.”
With that, he turned and ushered Gram outside, the two of them waving as they went.
“Hey. Are you okay?” Emma threaded her fingers into mine and held on. “I came looking for you when I got here, but you were knee-deep with Mr. Gephart. And then I saw you going into Ted’s room, so I figured I’d wait.”
“It’s been an interesting day.” I tightened my grip on her hand and smiled into her eyes. “But better now that I’m with you. Are you . . . okay?”
A teasing smile spread over her face. “You mean, am I walking all right? I can manage.” She rose onto her toes and whispered, “And if you’re asking about my panty status, I’d have to say it’s on a need to know basis.”
I glanced around us. Where we stood, next to the exit of the wing, was deserted just now, so I gave in to temptation and skimmed my hand down her dress over her ass. “Well, if that’s the case, I’d classify myself asreallyneeding to know.”
“Maybe later, you could come home with me, and we could, uh, delve more deeply into your . . . academic curiosity on this topic.” Her eyes sparkled.
“I think we can arrange that.” I was about to throw caution to the wind and kiss her when we both heard footsteps approaching and eased apart.
Jonah turned the corner, moving at a rapid pace, and came to screeching halt when he saw us. “Dr. Girard. Uh, Deacon, I mean.” The new NP was still getting used to our more casual ways around here. “There’s a problem with one of your patients. The one who’s your father. When Andi went in to take his vitals, he was acting weird. His temperature’s a hundred and four, and just as I was coming to get you, he starting seizing.”
“Shit.” I gritted my teeth. “Damn it. Okay, Jonah, let’s go.”
As we half-ran down the corridor, Emma keeping up with us, I barked orders for fluids, meds, and tests out of pure instinct, but all the while, my head was spinning. And even though I knew it was completely irrational, I couldn’t help being pissed.
Fucking Ted.Trust him to pull something like this.
“Deacon.” Emma grasped my arm just before we reached Ted’s room. “It’s going to be okay. We’ll do what we need to do to make him better. We’ve got this.”
I spared her a terse smile, but inside, I had my doubts. Ted Girard didn’t like staying in any one place for long . . . and maybe this was his way of making a fast exit the only way he could.
12
Emma
By the time the sun went down that evening, tests had confirmed that Ted Girard was fighting off a massive infection. It had happened fast, but that wasn’t unusual, not in someone whose cancer was as advanced as Ted’s was.
“All we can do now is treat what we can and keep him comfortable.” Deacon stood next to his father’s bedside, staring down at the slight figure. Ted had been non-responsive since his seizure, but the CT hadn’t shown any visible brain damage.
“What do you think?” I glanced up at Deacon’s face as we moved into the hall. “What are his chances?”
Deacon shrugged. “I don’t know. Probably not great. But Ted’s an enigma. If I expect him to die tonight, he’d probably pull through just to prove me wrong.” He sighed and shook his head. “Will you think I’m a horrible person if I say I’m really disappointed that I’ll have to take a raincheck on tonight? Ted’s got crap timing. Always has.”
I laughed softly. “No. You’re allowed to have mixed feelings about this man, Deacon. He might be your father biologically, but we both know that Jimmy’s the real father figure in your life. He’s the one who’s always been there for you. So you don’t have to pretend to look at Ted as anything but another patient.”
“I guess so.” He rolled his shoulders, wincing. “God, I can feel the tension knotting up my neck. And this day started out so well, too.” He winked at me. “I had been hoping it would end the same way. But I think I’m going to stay at the hospital tonight. I don’t want to be far away if they need me to make decisions about Ted’s care.”
“I understand.” I slipped my hand through his arm. “I’m going to stay with you.”
Gratitude flashed across his face. “You don’t have to do that, Emma.”
I ignored his words. “But first, I’m going to get us some dinner. We can eat it in your office. It’ll be like a picnic, only not outside. And at night.”
