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Quietly opening the door, she went inside to see Greer sitting in the darkened bedroom, staring out the window. The bright sun from the window allowed her to see where to walk to him sitting in a wheelchair.
“Go aw-away,” he said in a thickened voice, turning from the window to stare up at her.
Greer’s ravaged face had her going to her knees. Unable to hold back the tears any longer, she burst into sobs.
Laying her head on his lap, she cried so hard that she couldn’t stop pouring out the anguish she felt at what had happened to Greer. The cocky man who had driven her nuts in jail and who had almost destroyed her wedding dinner by getting into an argument with the caterer, and pretty much anytime she and Matthew grilled out, was the former shell of the man he had been when she had seen him last; which was when he gave them a police escort to the hospital when she went into labor.
A heavy hand landed on her head. “Qu … it. I can’t te … ll which one of u … s is wett … ing my paj … amas.”
“You’re paying the price of me having a baby … I wasn’t meant to …” she hiccupped.
When they had come out of the doctor’s office with her pregnancy confirmed, she still hadn’t believed it possible. Matthew had sat in the car and explained about Greer’s healing power, which was a secret their family kept hidden. They had come to the conclusion that Greer must have healed her when he held her bandaged hand, inevitably healing her womb.
“You may have just been trying to heal my hand … but you gave me so much more, Greer.” She lifted her eyes to his. “You gave me a miracle.” Turning her upper body, she held out her arms to Matthew, who had come in behind her and gently gave her their child.
Holding her son, she turned back to Greer to place him on Greer’s lap, so the baby was lying longways, letting Greer get a good look at what he had made possible.
“We named him Greer Alexander Coleman,” she told him softly. “Greer after you, of course, then Alexander after Alexander the Great. We”—Alanna had to push back another sob—“named him after men who don’t have the worddefeatin their vocabulary. You made me whole again … Greer. Matthew may have brought the sun back into my life again … but, Greer, the gift you shared with me … made the impossible … possible. I should be the one paying … not you.”
Greer’s face twisted as he tried to form words.
“Don’t … stress yourself.” Wiping her tears away, she gave him a firm look. “So, this is what I’m going to do. Every day, I’m going to come over and bring little Greer Alexander with me, and I’ll work with you on your speech. Then I will help you with your physical therapy exercises.”
Instead of looking pleased, Greer started shaking his head. “Do … n’t need yer hel … p.”
Standing up, she placed her hands on her hips. “Holly and I will go over your menu, so you’re only eating the healthiest foods, which will help you regain the strength you need. No more fatty steaks, fries, triple decker burgers.”
Greer’s eyes started to bug out when she mentioned the triple decker burgers.
“You’re going to be back on your feet like this.” She snapped her fingers, which resulted in her waking baby Greer. She let the baby cry for a couple of seconds before lifting him into her arms to pass him back to Matthew, who was manfully trying not to laugh, while Dustin and Tate had to leave the doorway when they couldn’t hold their laughter back.
“Oh … and before I forget, I’ll have Matthew take down those ‘No Trespassing’ signs that read ‘you’re dead in sixty seconds’ to ‘you’re dead in ten minutes, give or take’ until you get the hang of running again.”
She turned to look at Matthew, who was putting baby Greer back in his carrier. “Did I forget anything?”
“No,” Matthew said before he couldn’t hold his laughter any longer at Greer’s affronted expression.
Turning back to Greer, she gave him one more tidbit to chew on. She reached out to smooth his white hair down then placed a hand on each side of his face. “By the way, don’t think you’re going to keep that door locked. Holly looked pretty upset when I got here. We don’t want her worried about you, do we? Take it from me, Greer, she doesn’t give a damn what you look like. I guarantee she’s just thanking God you’re alive.” Straightening, she moved away from Greer. “See you tomorrow. Rest up.”
She breezily left the room and went around the corner to find Dustin, Tate, and Holly waiting with admiration on their faces.
She opened her mouth to say something, but Tate put a finger over his lips, motioning for them to go outside.
On the porch, Tate double-checked to make sure the door was closed before doubling over.
“You know that cut Greer to the soul about his signs, right?”
Her lips twitched. “Matthew did mention how serious he takes his signs.”
“No one touches his signs.” Dustin snickered, having to brace his weight against Tate. “Then you threatened to take his food away. Jesus … I bet, when we go back in, he begs us to take him back to the hospital.”
Alanna curled her arm though Matthew’s, happy their spirits had been lifted and they didn’t seem so dire as they had been. Maybe a small part of Matthew’s gift was rubbing off on her.
“No, he won’t. He’s gotta prove who’s greater …” Holly gurgled with laughter, wiping her tears away. “Him or Alexander.”
Her expression grew serious. “Thank you for coming by. You gave Greer something to worry about more than his recuperation. Before you came, he was worried if he would be able to talk again. Now I think he’s more worried about whether I’ll ever let him eat steak again. The only thing Greer loves more than talking is eating.”
Alanna shot Matthew a teasing glance. “I thought on his wavelength.”
