Scott nodded his agreement.
“I think buyin’ another boat’s the right thing to do,” I added. “What does he want for it, again?”
“He doesn’t want anything except to be here with his grandchildren and to fish. He’s proud of us, and my mom won’t be on his back about fishin’ so much if he’s helpin’ us.”
The chuckle I gave was genuine, because I knew all the players involved, and Scott was telling the absolute truth. His parents also treated my kids like they were their own. I pushed off the rail and scratched my hairline, knocking back the ball cap I hadn’t realized I was still wearing.
Scott snapped his fingers and pointed at me, locking my attention on him. “We’ll make him a silent investor that only gets paid if we can pull this all off.”
“Sounds good,” I said.
Scott was already trotting down the front steps. He lifted a hand, jogging toward his house. I went inside. The kitchen lights were off, the house silent. It was barely eight thirty. The girls had to be in the bath. Instead of going to my bedroom, where I really wanted to be, I took the stairs up to help with the children’s nighttime chore duties. Amelia had carried this load for weeks. She deserved a night off.
13: The Recovery
Beau
I headed into our bedroom, where Dash was peacefully sleeping. He had rested more today than he had over the past couple of days. His care team must have tired him out. Duke and Dixie were quietly lying on their beds, staring out the large window to our backyard, until I came inside the room. I tossed my baseball cap on the dresser, and tore out of my T-shirt, throwing it closer to the bathroom. Then I went to the dogs, bending and taking the few minutes—maybe ten—to quietly pet, and love on each one. They were remarkable creatures. I’m not sure how I sensed it, maybe it was through Duke’s heartbeat or the way his head fell between my crossed legs, but Duke felt calmer. Dixie scooted against the length of my thigh, content that we stay just like that through the night.
“How much longer until you join me in bed?” Dash murmured in the quiet of the dim room. Dixie lifted her head to the voice then stood. Not in her normal rambunctious way, but cautiously plodding to Dash’s side of the bed.
“I didn’t mean to wake you. They looked like they needed some attention,” I said, getting to my feet.
“I think you were right,” he replied. “I may have overdone on my first night home. I hope it doesn’t set me back. I’m exhausted.” He snaked a hand out of the heavy blanket to reach for Dixie’s head. “I miss my old life.”
“You’ve been through hell, Dash. It’s important to give yourself a break, reevaluate in a couple of weeks,” I said, dropping my shorts where I stood. I kicked those toward my T-shirt and pushed back my side of the blanket. I left our bedroom door open, allowing the dogs to roam free. My fingers went to Duke’s head, scratching behind his ear. “Do you need anything before I lie down? A sip of water?”
“No, I’m fine. The catheter makes me uncomfortable. I hope they remove it tomorrow.” Dash stared at the ceiling as I climbed into bed. It was always cold inside this room.
“Do you need more blankets?” I asked.
“More than the five covering me?” He chuckled. Apparently losing thirty pounds hadn’t messed with the internal heat he always generated. “Come closer. It’s been too long since we slept together. I don’t like it. You make me believe everything’s going to be all right, or that I’m safe, or whatever I feel.”
I scooted closer, finding his hand. His sleeping position had been set up at a pretty decent incline to help with his lingering cough. I tucked my free hand under the pillow at my head. I needed to be closer, and lifted his hand to his lips, pressing against his scaley skin. Something else I needed to work on.
“I wanted to be home,” Dash started, his face turning to mine. “But now, I’m not sure if it’s good for the children to see me this way.”
“I disagree,” I said. “We’re a team. A family. We need each other. They were beginnin’ to act out. West, our mild-mannered little guy, was fussy most of the time. They needed you home. And now you’ll have three little nurses tryin’ to take care of you, and West scootin’ on his belly to get to you.”
“What if I don’t get better?” Dash asked, his brows wrinkled, his handsome face turning to stare at the ceiling. I watched his Adam’s apple bobble as he swallowed the worry he was having.
“You’ve come so far, Dash. I think they expected the worst but here you are. There’s no reason to think you won’t return to your old self. Have you met you? You’re pretty stubborn,” I said, trying for a laugh. I didn’t get that, but he managed the faintest of smiles.
He swiveled his head back to me. “You shouldn’t have to be a nursemaid to me. You have UPS, the charter company, this family.” That was all his lungs could handle, and he took deep breaths and closed his eyes.
“I’m on leave at UPS. I have six weeks off and a gazillion hours of vacation and sick leave. Scott’s got the business taken care of. He says we’ve been busier than ever. His old man wants to invest in us with a substantial deep-sea boat. We’ll be able to offer expensive charters. Our company seems to be doing good.”
“Listen to me, Beau,” Dash started with labored breaths. “You, Amelia, and our children are taken care of if something happens to me.”
“Dash, stop. You’re on the other side of this health deal. Save your breath.”
“Beau. I need you to promise me that when my time comes, you’ll seek happiness. I don’t need to ask you to watch our children and Amelia, I know you will.” A tear slipped from the corner of his eye down his temple. I could hear the fear and weariness in his labored breaths. A second tear followed. “Since the first second I saw you, all I’ve wanted is your happiness, and I hoped that was with me…”
The words ignited a frenzy of hysteria that caused a scrambling chaos over every inch of my body. I rejected him discussing my greatest fear. Instinctively, I responded with a barely audible “pfft.” Of course, I’d never find another. Dash was irreplaceable. As his tears continued to fall, I had to stop them before another round of coughing tortured his body.
“Yeah, right. Tell your lies to someone else. I doubt my happiness was ever on your agenda. What you truly wanted was to prove your soulmate theory was correct, and your resoluteness to make it happen. I never stood a chance against you. And if you think you’ll look down at me with peace as I kiss another dude…hahaha.”
The tears stopped. Dash grinned a big, toothy smile, continuing to stare at the ceiling. “Your bad memory messed with my manipulative, selfless speech where I ensured you only thought of me until we were together again. You hooking up with someone else is gonna piss me off in the afterworld. And whatever I can do to show my anger at you, I will. That’s the truth.”
