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Austin was exhausted by the time they left the hospital. After his father's condition had stabilized, he'd called his mom who had hurried in to see what had happened. There had been a lot of discussion between the nurse and Dr. Gaines, but in the end, they decided not to move his dad back to the intensive care unit.
Austin wasn't sure if that was the best idea. In the ICU they would watch him more closely. He didn't feel right leaving his father’s bedside, but the nurses made it clear it was time to go. Even his mother wasn’t allowed to stay overnight.
“Is your dad going to be okay?” Josh asked, when they finally climbed into the rental car.
“Yes, he’ll be fine,” he assured the boy. Too bad, he didn’t feel as confident as he sounded. He caught Lindsey’s gaze and his heart squeezed when she smiled at him.
He couldn't imagine going through all of this without her. During the crisis at his dad's bedside, she had been there, supporting him. She had taken control of the situation, knowing exactly what to do and what to say.
It was times like this that he couldn’t imagine his life without her.
He drove back toward The Cozy Inn motel which was only a few blocks from his parents’ home. He shared a connecting room with Lindsey and Josh. Since they've already grabbed a meal earlier in the cafeteria, there was no reason to delay going back.
After he’d parked the car, Josh ran ahead to unlock the door using his mom's key. He and Lindsey followed more slowly.
They paused outside the motel room door. “Are you sure you're going to be okay?” She asked with concern. “You've been through a lot.”
He forced a smile. “It's been a little stressful but I'm fine. Do you have time to change my dressing?” Their connecting rooms had enabled her to do his morning and evening dressing changes.
“Of course. Give me a minute.” She entered the room she shared with Josh, leaving him to step into his own room.
A few minutes later, she poked her head through the connecting doorway. “Ready?”
“Yes, thanks.” He drew his t-shirt over his head and stretched out on his stomach.
Since the back rub incident, Lindsey hadn't spent any more time than necessary in changing the dressing over his burn wound, her touched professional and impersonal as if he were just another patient. This time was no different. Once she finished, she rose and took several steps back. “You're all set. The area looks like it's healing well.”
“Good. Thank you.” He rolled off the bed and reached for his shirt. He caught her staring at his chest for a moment, but then she looked away. He quickly drew his shirt back. “Thanks for being there today.”
“That’s why I’m here.” Her tone was light, but she reached out to give his arm a light squeeze. “Goodnight, Austin. We’ll see you in the morning.”
“Goodnight, Lindsey.” He fought the urge to crush her close, kissing her the way he longed to. But with Josh in the other room, that wasn't an option. He followed her to the connecting doorway but didn’t close his side all the way. He told himself he wanted to be available if she needed anything.
For a moment he leaned his forehead on the door frame, wishing things were different. They'd been in Milwaukee for two days, but still hadn't had a chance to talk privately. As much as he loved his family, there wasn't a moment of alone time, between his siblings, their spouses and children, not to mention Josh.
Maybe he could persuade Alec or Andrea to watch Josh tomorrow night so that he and Lindsey could go out for dinner. A nice romantic meal. He was chagrined to realize they'd never really had a date. Not the two of them alone, without Josh.
Shaking his head at his idiocy he dropped onto on the edge of the bed. No wonder she hadn't taken his proposal seriously. He'd never even taken her out on a proper date. Obviously, he was losing his touch when it came to women. In truth, he’d never had to try hard to get dates. Often women approached him first, making it easy.
This was different. Lindsey had avoided him from the beginning. Keeping her dire financial situation a deep secret. She hadn’t seemed to want anything from him, but that was slowly changing. Or so he hoped.
He couldn’t bear to fail now.
Not when Lindsey mattered so much.
Lindsey had trouble falling asleep but must have dozed a little because a noise woke her up in the small alarm clock on the bedside stand read quarter past midnight.
She took note of Josh's even breathing from the bed next to hers. She stared into the darkness wondering what had woken her up.
Then she heard it again a muffled thump from the room next door. Austin? She slid out of bed, shivering in her thin pajamas which were not made for the chilly Wisconsin spring weather, and making her way to the door connecting their rooms.
Feeling foolish she hovered near the opening, straining to listen. She heard a voice but it sounded deep, like Austin’s, not the muted sounds of the television.
Was he talking to someone in his family? Had his father's condition changed for the worst? She wouldn't be at all surprised to discover the nursing staff at Trinity Medical Center had moved his father to the intensive care unit.
Biting her lip uncertainly, she debated going inside. Glancing over her shoulder, she made sure Josh was still sleeping, before reaching up to flip the lock on her side of the connecting door. She opened it, expecting his door to be closed and locked too.
It wasn't. She pushed the door further and stepped into Austin’s room.
