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I nodded. “And I’m not going anywhere for a while. You just rest and get better. I’ll be here when you get out of the hospital.”
There was going to be a layover for her that Rian had mentioned. She’d need physical therapy at an in-house treatment facility. But she was alive and that’s all that mattered.
“I’m going to leave you and Dad alone for a bit,” I said.
“You’re not leaving are you?” he snapped.
“No. I need to make a call. I’ll be back shortly,” I replied.
He raised a brow and asked, “Venus?” Mom wasn’t herself and didn’t even pick up on the name. I nodded and he said, “Take your time. We’re not going anywhere.”
And obviously, neither was I.
Once out in the hall, I rang her cell phone. “Hello, Declan. Did you make it to Portland?”
“I did.”
“And your mother? How is she? Have you seen her?” she asked.
Here she was, worried about me when it was my job to worry about her. “Yes. I just left her room. She is very tired and weak, but it looks hopeful.”
“That’s good. I’m glad to hear it. You sound so tired. I bet you didn’t get any sleep on that flight home,” she stated.
“Not a wink,” I replied.
“Understandable. I’m sure you were worried about your mother.”
And you.
“How about you? Did you get any sleep on your flight?” I asked. There was a long pause, and I knew something was off. “You did find a flight, right?”
“I actually decided not to fly. There was a cruise ship nearby and I opted to do that instead.”
I was relieved. Leaving her alone in a foreign country didn’t sit well with me, but she insisted that I flew out. That my mother needed me. She was right, but that didn’t mean I liked it.
“Hope you didn’t sign up to go on the whale watch,” I teased.
“Not funny,” she said firmly. “But if a whale takes out a cruise ship, then you will never see me near water again. I might even become afraid of bottled water,” she joked.
It felt so good talking to her. And joking almost made me forget the distance between us. The words slipped out of my mouth before I could stop them. “I miss you.”
“I miss you too, Declan. But this isn’t about us right now, it’s about doing the right thing. I know that and so do you,” she reminded me.
“Have I told you that you’re amazing?” I asked.
She snickered. “I believe you have, but I’m okay with hearing it again.”
“I’m not joking, Venus. I have spent years worried about you when I realized that you have your shit together like no one else I’ve met. And even when life throws you a curveball, you roll with it.”
“Are you saying that you regret traveling to Halifax all the time to watch over me?” she questioned, her tone had changed, and she sounded shocked.
“No. I’d do that all over again. Well, not the same way. I’d make sure I would stop and let you know I was there. Maybe take you to dinner. We could’ve taken MaKayla sailing. Or...”
“Or maybe we don’t think about what we wish could have happened and just think about what the future holds. Maybe if you had let me know you were there, I wouldn’t be the woman I am today. It would’ve been so easy for me to lean on you back then. But without you there, I had to learn how to trust myself to make the right decisions. So really, you did what was best for me, and my daughter.”
And still amazing.
“Things usually do work out the way they’re supposed to. Well, except for our little vacation. I believe I owe you one,” I said.
