“Well, we have news,” Dylan said. “Seeing you distracted us a bit, but while we were in visiting Dad just now, he responded.” And then he related the events.
“This is the best news,” Ash said. “He’s going to keep getting better, and when he wakes up, maybe we’ll finally findout what happened. Hopefully, he’ll know who did it. Or at least give us a starting point.”
Gunner glanced at Nora. “You’re our good luck charm. You brought good juju with this pie.”
“I sincerely doubt the veracity of that would ever stand up in court,” she said, and poked his shoulder.
He laughed, and both brothers stared at Gunner in disbelief. Laughter like that from him was rare.
Asher kept watching her changing expressions, and the light in her eyes, and thought maybe being with him and his brothers was good for her, too. She’d been the only guard at the family gate for too long.
The camaraderie of their conversation became easier as the time kept passing, and the stories of “remember when” were all after they were on their own with their dad. But it was an eye-opener for Asher. He had memories of his mother that were good, until they weren’t, but his two younger brothers had either blocked them, or forgotten them. Either they had not had her in their lives long enough, or the brutal betrayal of what Brenda Kingston did had destroyed any memories of the family they thought they were.
Nora loved listening to them bickering and teasing, and it even reminded her of times when she’d been with them, and the joy and innocence of those years, but she was conscious of not wanting to overstay her welcome.
She was still there when visitation time came again, and she was about to gather up her things and leave when Ash glanced up at the clock and saw the time.
“Nora, if you want to go see Dad with me, you can. He doesn’t look terrible, or anything like that, but if it’s too soon after spending so much time with your own father, then I understand.”
To his surprise, she didn’t hesitate. “Yes, I would like tosee him. The last time I saw him was when I dropped off his to-go order from the Rose. I sat with him while he ate. We had such a good visit. I would like to think he might hear my voice and know I came.”
“Yes, you go, Nora. We’ve both been in and out countless times,” Dylan said.
“Is it time now?” she asked.
Asher stood and held out his hand.
“Is it okay if I leave my coat here?” she asked.
“You can even leave your purse if you want,” Gunner said. “I’m good at surveillance. I’ll watch them for you.”
She grinned. “Then, I will and thank you,” she said, slipped her purse beneath her coat, and took Asher’s hand as they left the room.
The brothers looked at each other and grinned. “He’s still got it bad,” Dylan said.
“She isn’t fighting him off, either,” Gunner said, then as promised, went over to where Nora left her things, and sat down in the chair beside them.
* * *
Despite Nora’s claim that this visit wouldn’t be a trigger, when they first walked up to Jacob’s bedside, the memory of sitting in a place not unlike this watching her father taking his last breath was all too real. And then Asher reached for his dad’s hand.
“Hey, Dad, it’s me, Asher. Nora is here with me.”
“Jacob, it’s me, Nora. Pearl is the one who found you and saved your life. She sends her love, as does everyone in Crossroads. We’re all praying for you, honey. We miss you. Get well soon so you can come home.”
Within seconds, Asher jumped. “He just squeezed my hand. He heard you. He knows we’re here. Dad, you’re doing great. Stay strong. We need you to wake up and tell uswhat happened, and who did this. We’ll find them, but we don’t know where to start.”
Jacob’s eyelashes fluttered, and then he stilled.
“He’ll wake up on his own time,” Nora said, and then moved to the foot of the bed and slipped her hands beneath the covers. “His feet are cold. I’m going to ask a nurse for another blanket,” she said, and walked away, leaving Asher speechless.
They’d never even thought to check for discomfort, but she had, because she’d just gone through several years of palliative care for her dad.
A few moments later, a nurse returned carrying a heated blanket, put it over Jacob’s legs and feet, and then slipped her hand beneath the sheets and nodded.
“You were right,” she said. “His feet are cold. We’ll get some socks on his feet shortly, but this will help. I’ll make a note of it on his chart for future reference,” then walked away.
Ash kissed her on the cheek. “Thank you, darling. Thank you for thinking of his comfort in that way.”
