Doris O'Connor (20 page)

****

Kitty woke up much later to the insistent
ringing off her phone. Shoot, how long had she been asleep. This
was supposed to be a power nap only.

She snatched the phone of the
receiver.

“
Can I speak to Ms. Jenkins
please?”

“
This is she.”

“
Oh hello there, this is Sister
Bates here. There has been a development with Mr. Giovanni, and as
your son is named as his next of kin in his notes now, I think you
ought to come in.”

Kitty’s heart turned into a jack-hammer.
Surely the woman would not sound so cheerful if this was bad news,
would she?

“
Can you tell me what the
development is please?”

“
Mr. Giovanni is awake.”

Chapter
Twenty-Three

Alex hurt. That was his first clear thought.
Everything from the waist up hurt as though he’d been run over by a
truck. The treacle was still there at the fuzzy corners of his
brain, but the pain was real. The ache in his muscles, the pounding
in his head, the beeping in his ear, so loud and consistent. And
the smell, what was that? Where was he? The beeping increased.
Someone held his hand, a woman cried, a cloying smell this time,
more voices, loud and insistent.

Words in Italian, tears on his face, and then
such blinding light. Switch off the light, no, no, and then blessed
darkness.

Alex came to again, to more bright lights
shining in his eyes. Someone held his hand, someone cried, and
there was that smell again, heavy, sweet, making him
gag.

A kind voice.

“
Easy, Mr. Giovanni, that’s it. No,
don’t try to sit up. You have been out for some time. Just lie
back; take it easy. Your mother and fiancée are here.”

No, not them! Where was Kitty? She’d been here
before, he was sure. He shut his eyes again. There was no point;
she wasn’t here.
You blew it, remember
.

“
Oh no you don’t. Open your eyes,
Alex.” Irene’s voice, shrill and urgent – the cloying scent of her
perfume made him gag.

Alex shook his head. Tears leaked from behind
his eyes. He had to wake up to this?

****

Kitty stood frozen at the doorway. Irene leant
over Alex. He was awake, shaking his head, tears on his face. His
mother held his hand on the other side of him. She was crying
softly and speaking to him in Italian.

“
I told you he would wake up for
me, Stella. He’s come back to us. I knew he would!” Irene looked
triumphant, and Kitty’s heart shriveled into a prune. All the time
she had spent sitting with Alex, talking to him, reading, praying,
and it had to be Irene he woke up to.

“
Alex, look at me. Open your eyes.”
Kitty held her breath as Alex slowly opened his eyes and looked
straight at Irene. Yes, he was definitely crying, his voice rough
as he turned his head to look at his mother.

“
Mamma, Irene, what am I doing
here? What happened?”

“
Oh that doesn’t matter. Don’t
worry about it. You’re awake; you’ve come back to me!” Irene
crowded him, and Alex struggled to get some breathing space. What
was the darn woman doing? He’d just woken up, and he wasn’t looking
too good. She grabbed one of the cardboard bowls stacked on the
trolley in the corridor and shoved a startled Irene out of the way
in her haste to get to him. Kitty managed to get the bowl under
Alex’s chin just in time before he threw up.

“
Stella, pass me another one, and
Irene, help me to sit him up.”

Alex retched in earnest now. His big shoulders
heaved, and his whole body trembled with the force; and Kitty did
her best to prop him up. Stella produced another bowl, and Kitty
murmured her thanks. A quick glance toward Irene showed the useless
woman backing away, her expression horrified. No help there
then.

“
Oh for pity’s sake, Irene, at
least ring for a nurse,” Kitty said desperately trying to keep Alex
semi-upright. After what seemed a small life time, he finally
stopped retching and collapsed in Kitty’s arms. He looked
exhausted, his face pale, his long eyelashes a stark contrast to
his white skin, his full lips pale, his breathing
labored.

“
Get a nurse, Irene, now. I think
he needs some oxygen.
Irene
,
move!”

Kitty could not believe the woman. Stella
barked at her in Italian, and Irene finally moved. He looked so
pale and worn out.

“
Stella, help me sit him up a bit
more. It may help him breathe better.”

Kitty’s eyes collided with Stella’s, and the
older woman nodded at her. Together they managed to prop Alex up a
bit more, and his breathing eased. Kitty closed her eyes and sent a
silent prayer up to the heavens. When she looked down, she looked
straight into Alex’s deep blue eyes, and her heart missed a beat at
the expression in his intense gaze.

****

Alex looked up into the green eyes that
haunted his dreams and breathed a sigh of relief. She was here; he
hadn’t imagined it. She was really here. He closed his eyes and
breathed in her unique scent, snuggling closer to her warmth. His
smile deepened, listening to her racing heartbeat under his ear.
Now this was worth waking up for.

“
Here we are, Mr. Giovanni. Have
some oxygen.” Someone wrenched Alex out of Kitty’s embrace. Alex
tried to yank the mask off his face, even though his lungs had
stopped protesting, and his chest eased. His eyes sought Kitty. She
shook her head at him and made him put the mask back on, her green
eyes full of concern.

“
Keep it on, Alex. It will help you
breathe. Shhh, it’s okay. I’m not going anywhere. That’s it; go
back to sleep. I’ll be here when you wake up.”

Alex couldn’t help it. His eyes were too
heavy, and they shut on their own accord. He tried to speak. He had
to tell her something she had to know, and then darkness claimed
him again.

****

When Alex came to again with a start, his
heart pounded, the blood rushing in his ears. His hands groped
blindly. He was pinned and couldn’t move, and there was so much
pain. His eyes flew open and sought Kitty’s. She took his hand and
held it, her soft murmurs in his ear.

“
Sshh, it’s okay. Go back to sleep.
You were dreaming. It’s ok. You’re safe.”

His eyes drifted closed again, his hand an
iron grip on Kitty’s.

****

She stroked back Alex’s dark hair and pressed
a kiss on his forehead. It was late, and Alex was whimpering in his
sleep again. It was so good to see him restless. She had to resist
the urge to poke him when he was sleeping quietly. She was
terrified that he would slip back into his coma. Her hand lay
clasped in his, and she closed her own eyes, resting her head on
his chest, reassured by the steady beat of his heart.

Loud throat clearing next to her woke Kitty up
with a start. Sunlight streamed in through the open blinds, and
Irene glared at her. She pointedly looked at the hand that was
still being held by Alex. Stella was just behind her, her
expression thoughtful as she took in the scene before
her.

“
Have you not got a home to go to?
He’s not in a coma anymore, so you can stop with the hysterics,
Kitty. I’m here now, so go already.”

“
He had a restless night, Irene, as
you would know if you’d been here. I’m sure Alex will be touched by
your obvious concern.” Kitty’s voice dripped with all the disdain
she felt right now. Her fingers itched to wipe the smug grin off
the useless woman’s face. “But then I guess you couldn’t risk
having to deal with him being sick again, too much for your
delicate sensibilities. Where did you get to last night
anyway?”

“
There are people trained to deal
with that; there was no need for me to get involved. I don’t need
to ingratiate myself like—”

Stella’s cool voice interrupted Irene. “Was he
sick again, Kitty?”

Kitty shook her head. “No, he was just very
restless.”

“
Have you been here all night? You
must be exhausted. Irene and I can take over. Go home and be with
Noah. Thank you for looking out for Alex. I‘m sure he‘ll appreciate
it. I know I do.”

Kitty couldn’t believe her ears. Kindness and
gratitude from Stella? This really was the day for miracles it
seemed. Stella took Kitty’s free hand and gave it a squeeze. “Go
home, and tell Noah his dad is going to be okay. He will be okay;
he has to be.”

Stella’s voice shook, and Kitty took her hand
out of Alex’s and clasped Stella’s clammy one with both of hers.
Alex stirred, his hand searching for something, before he woke up
with a start.

Irene threw herself at him, almost pushing
Kitty out of the way.

“
Darling
,
you’re
awake. I’m here. I’m here.”

Alex ignored her. His eyes sought Kitty, his
face looking grim.

“
Kitty, why can’t I feel my
legs?”

Chapter
Twenty-Four

Panic consumed him as he clutched Kitty’s hand
as though his life depended on it. This was the moment of truth.
Would he ever walk again? And if he didn’t, what did that mean for
him and Kitty? He couldn’t do this to her; she deserved so much
better. What woman could love a cripple?

He shut his eyes, waiting for the verdict of
the specialist his mother had insisted on bringing in, and relived
the moment he realized he was numb from the waist down with
sickening clarity.

He’d woken up with a start, aware of Irene
throwing herself at him, but he had only had eyes for Kitty. Irene
was leaning on his legs, and he couldn’t feel a fucking thing.
Nothing. It had been as though they weren’t there, didn’t belong to
him at all, and every god-damn test since then, it had been the
same. His legs were completely and utterly useless lumps of meat
attached to his body. Thankfully he hadn’t lost all sensation past
his waist. Just looking at Kitty had reassured him of that. For all
the good that would do him. He wouldn’t blame her if she ran a
mile. He had treated her so badly. He’d been such a god-damn fool.
So hung up about her not telling him about Noah, that he wouldn’t
have known happiness if it bit him on the ass. It didn’t really
matter whether she contacted him back then or not; he should have
believed her. He’d been in such a state; he may have easily missed
the call. In fact his phone had gone missing for a bit. It was
Irene who had found it; he remembered now. And why had he not
pursued Kitty after their incredible night in Amsterdam anyway? He
had had her number, and if it hadn’t been for his god-damn pride
this could all have turned out so differently. He didn't normally
give up that easily, and Kitty had been important him, even back
then.

He wanted a second chance with Kitty so badly
it hurt. She was so much more than just the mother of Noah. He was
a cripple, and he couldn’t tie her to him. He just couldn’t. But he
couldn’t let her go either. Hell, she was here, and she had been
all through his coma. His mother of all people had told him that.
And she’d said something else that would have floored him, had he
not been lying in this blasted bed.

Kitty had just left after a visit with Noah,
which had had them all giggling. His little man had entertained
them all with stories of his visit to the beach with Kitty’s
friends, and Alex had had to promise him very solemnly that he
would come with them all next time. Irene had groaned at that, and
Kitty had looked at his mother, some sort of silent communication
going on between them.

Stella had turned round to him and propped up
his pillows. She had looked at Irene, who had been reading a bridal
magazine of all things, and had talked to him quietly so that Irene
could not hear.

“
Think carefully over whom you will
marry Alex.”

He’d looked at his mother and her enigmatic
smile. “I just want you to be happy, so follow your heart,
son.”

“
Oh for goodness’ sakes, will you
just tell us!”

Irene’s shrill voice brought Alex back to here
and now and the Damocles sword that was about to fall on his head.
She was glaring at Kitty, who scooted a bit closer to him,
squeezing his hand. His mother, seated on his other side, also took
his hand.

The consultant looked at his notes once more
before he smiled and addressed Alex.

“
Mr. Giovanni, all the tests have
shown the same really. Your spinal cord was badly compressed during
the accident. There is still some swelling, and this is what is
causing the paralysis. We would have expected for the swelling to
have reduced by now, and I am bit baffled why it hasn’t; but you’re
a fit, young man. There is hope that it will reduce further, and
you should regain some movement in time.”

“
What is that supposed to mean?”
Irene wrung her hands in a rather dramatic fashion, and Alex could
feel Kitty bristling next to him.

He wondered once again why he had ever thought
that marriage to Irene would work. No matter what happened, he
couldn’t marry her. He would tell her so as soon as he got her on
her own.
Scusi, Pappa!