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"Welcome to sunny Manhattan," I said and gave Luke a faint smile.
"Back to civilization," he said and glanced around. "Funnily enough, I didn't miss it."
Luke and John loaded up their bags in the two separate vehicles. John said goodbye and he drove off. Then, our driver took us to the hotel we were staying at -- the Ritz-Carlton at Central Park West. They were notorious for providing excellent service and given Mrs. Carter’s disability, we needed that extra touch that the staff provided.
The driver dropped us off at the hotel and we got out and waited while he removed Luke's bags from the trunk. After that, we went inside the hotel and up to the suite of rooms Luke had booked for me and Mrs. Carter a while back.
I was glad he did book the suite of rooms considering what happened with Candace, but it was costing a fortune, even at the long-stay rate. I tried not to think about it. Luke was wealthy enough to afford it, but even Mrs. Carter was starting to get worried.
He loved Candace and hoped that one of his friends could be matched with her, but so far, she hadn't met anyone who did it for her and remained single.
"Well, this wasn't the way I hoped our trip would go, but I'm glad you could stay with Mrs. Carter while Candace is so sick. How's her mother holding out?" Luke asked as we dropped off his bags in the hotel.
"She's as good as can be expected," I said. "I'm glad I was here."
Luke came to me and pulled me into his arms. "I'm glad you were here, too. And I'm glad I came. I was feeling anxious being so far away when she's so sick."
We kissed and then I sighed. "Let's go."
So, we did.
We arrived at the hospital just as Candace was being seen by her physician and the team of students he was training. They were all gowned up and standing in a semi-circle around her bed. I introduced Luke to Mrs. Carter and then we turned and watched the room while the doctor checked Candace over.
"Any change?" I asked, because I'd been away for over an hour and that was a long time when someone was critically ill.
Her mother shook her head and didn't speak. She covered her mouth with a hand, so I reached out and took her other hand, squeezing it.
"She opened her eyes," she said finally. "The nurse says that's a good sign. It means she's more conscious. I hope that means she's fighting the infection."
"Thank God," I said and hugged her. "She was unconscious for a while. I was afraid it was the end."
"Me, too," she said finally. "She's still not out of the woods, yet. The doctor said it would be another twenty-four to forty-eight hours to see if this new drug they've added to the cocktail will do the trick. It has severe side effects in some people, so I hope she tolerates it."
"I hope so," I said and turned to Luke. "I'm glad you're here."
He took my hand and squeezed it. "Me, too. I wouldn't be able to enjoy the trip if I knew you were facing this alone."
Finally, the doctor and his entourage left Candace's room, removing their gowns and masks and the doctor came right over to us.
"She's doing much better," he said. "She's still got a fight ahead of her, but this new antibiotic appears to be having an effect. As long as she tolerates it well, I think we can be cautiously optimistic."
"Thanks, Doctor," Candace's mother said. He bowed his head briefly and then left us standing in the hallway.
As for Candace, she was lying on the bed with her eyes closed. All our eyes were trained on her, wondering if she was able to speak. Her mother went into the anteroom and gowned up, and I followed, doing the same. We were limited to two visitors at once, so we went in first and left Luke outside.
We went to the side of Candace's bed and of course, she opened her eyes and looked at me. "There you are," she said in a quiet voice. "I heard your voice, but I just couldn't seem to open my eyes yet."
"Hi, Candy," I said and felt tears well up. "I'm so glad you're feeling better. Luke just arrived from Sao Paulo. He'll come in and see you later to say hello."
"All the way from Sao Paulo? I must be sick," she said with a soft chuckle.
"He wanted to come and make sure you were okay, help out when you left the hospital."
"That's nice. Maybe I'll have a little sleep now. You tell him I'll talk to him later."
"I will," I said and felt tears drip down my cheeks.
"I love you," Candace's mother said to her.
