Forever Starts Tomorrow (21 page)

The hospital greeted them with its cool interior and smell of medication—the first a welcome change after the heat of the day, the second not so much. Melanie got out of the ambulance, helped by one of the paramedics. José hopped out as well, his eyes still glued to the interior of the car. He was regretting that they hadn't used the siren, she thought with amusement, forgetting the pain in her arm for a second. He was a kid, excited and interested in things kids liked. To see him like that, even after all that had happened in his short life, gave her hope for the future.

‘We’ll get you to the emergency, Ma’am,’ the paramedic said.

She nodded, resigned to following procedure, even though she felt her impatience boil as she peeked around. Hopefully Marnie was there, so she could explain to her about José and his unexpected ‘trip.’

‘You’ll need an X-ray and a cast.’ She followed the man, leading her down the cream-colored corridor. The walls were decorated with generic pictures of gardens filled with flowers and drenched in sunlight. She cast a quick glance at José, worried about what memories would be evoked by the hospital. He seemed fine, though. And then they turned the corner and arrived at the large emergency area, the big space divided into rows of chairs, a reception desk, and a small restaurant. Apparently, the wait time could be long enough for people to get hungry, she thought, as she listened to the paramedic talk to one of the nurses.

She got whisked away to the examining room, leaving José safely installed in the waiting area. The kind nurse reassured her he’d be fine and provided a drink for him. Marnie was nowhere to be seen, which was to be expected, given the short amount of time they had been there.

Melanie cast a quick glance at José. His head was already bent as he played with one of the handheld gaming devices available to kids in the waiting room. He seemed fine. She felt relieved and cursed Raoul for not picking up his phone. She had tried multiple times, during the ambulance ride and later on in the hospital, with no success at all.

The exam was short and the results not surprising. Her arm was probably broken, the doctor confirmed, as he wrote a recommendation for an X-ray down the hall. She sat on the white bed, covered with paper sheets that made her slide each time she wanted to move, listening to the doctor explaining to her how lucky she was to walk away with just the one injury. A short checkup proved that she had no other injuries. They chatted for a moment, before he guided her to the door, the X-ray prescription in her hand.

She had two surprises the moment she walked out the doctor’s office. First, when she searched for José’s familiar shirt in the waiting area, he wasn’t there; the seat was empty and the game still on the side table. Before Melanie could allow herself to panic, she noticed the second surprise. Her world slowed down and came to a halt as she focused on the tall, dark-haired man with crumpled clothes and in a need of a good shave who was chatting animatedly with a nurse. She took a few steps toward him, her legs suddenly made of jelly. She had kept it all together, not allowing herself to experience any weakness, mostly for José’s sake. She was one of the few people José had to support him, and she would be damned if she let him down. However, seeing Scott standing there with a worried expression on his face, she felt her self-control slip a little, the realization that she wasn’t alone any longer finally hitting home.

He looked up as if feeling her gaze, his formidable eyes instantly focused. He was at her side in a blur, his long legs closing the distance in a second.

‘How are you feeling?’ The way he looked at her, one would think she’d just escaped a tsunami or a tornado, not a bike in a parking lot. ‘I came as soon as Marnie let me know.’

Scott pulled her closer, and she could not prevent a whimper from escaping her lips. Her arm hurt like hell, now that the bliss of seeing him—which had reduced the pain to a dull ache—was gone. The fire licked her tissues again, her damaged arm protesting his touch.

‘Sorry. I am such a klutz.’ He let her go. ‘Marnie took José for lunch at the hospital restaurant,’ he added, correctly interpreting her searching gaze. ‘We’ve had a small chat about what happened. I managed to track down Raoul, who is frantic.’

They walked together to the X-ray room, as she filled him in on what had happened. He knew most of it, courtesy of José, who didn’t hesitate to let everyone know how she had saved him. Melanie felt awkward, listening to Scott. She hadn't done anything that unusual. Anyone else in her shoes would have reacted the same way.

She mostly felt tired and spent, the adrenaline rush from before finally dissipating, replaced by a weariness that had something to do with the fact she hadn’t eaten since the day before. Having a bout of morning sickness didn't help, she thought, as she felt her whole body sag gratefully against his supporting arm.

‘Do you want to sit down?’

She decided to send Scott off before he could ask any more questions. Talking about her pregnancy was not on the list, for the moment.

As with many other things in the last weeks, fate had intervened before she got the chance to take charge of the situation. There was no waiting line for the X-ray, and the technician ushered her in and took one look at her awkwardly held arm before encouraging Scott to help out. ‘You can help your wife take off her blouse,’ the man suggested, gesturing toward the small buttons. ‘We need to have the top part off. If it's OK with you, of course.’ He glanced at Melanie, who could do little but nod in agreement, since she preferred not to struggle with those pesky little buttons herself.

The technician pulled the curtain to provide them with some sort of privacy, which was kind of pointless from Melanie's point of view. He’d see her in her bra soon enough, right?

‘Any chance you might be pregnant?’ She wasn’t prepared for that question. She recalled vaguely the risks associated with taking X-rays and the impact on fetuses. She bit her lower lip, watching Scott work his magic on her blouse, blissfully unaware of her struggle.

She hesitated too long. ‘Are you pregnant?’ Apparently, the technician didn’t believe in subtlety, she thought acidly, her cheeks warming.

She couldn’t lie. Not if it meant possible danger to the tiny life inside her.

‘Yes.’ She cleared her throat, not daring to look at Scott. His fingers stopped moving, the last button popping open in slow motion. She held her breath, the blood rushing through her veins fast enough that she could actually feel the drumming sensation of her pulse against her skin.

‘Congratulations. All right, you’ll need to wear this.’ The technician handed her a thick, heavy apron and demonstrated how to fasten it onto her back. She felt Scott’s fingers brush the nape of her neck, the caress gentle and tentative.

‘Step up, please.’

Melanie followed the technician and stood patiently as he took numerous shots of her arm. She obediently turned and adjusted her position to let him get a better view of her mangled arm.

‘All done. You can get dressed, my dear.’ Cheerful encouragement did little to make her feel better. She had to wonder what Scott would say about her revelation. After all, sharing the news that way hadn't been her plan. She wanted to tell him slowly, preferably when they weren’t distracted with José, his uncle, the funeral, his project… the list went on and on, pushing her news further and further back down the line.

‘A really clean break; that’s good news,’ the technician boomed from his desk, where he was going over the images on his large computer screen. ‘You’ll heal in no time—you’ll see.’

Scott held the blouse for her, their eyes making contact for the first time since she had let her news slip. He looked stunned, confused, and most of all, happy. She blinked, not sure if she could trust her eyes. The Scott she knew didn’t like things to happen out of his sphere of control. He decided what would happen when and how, both at work and in his private life. True, their relationship was respectful and mutually gratifying, but Melanie well knew that he didn’t take to being pushed beyond his comfort zone.

‘I've got good news too,’ Scott whispered, dropping a quick kiss on her naked shoulder before helping her to pull up her blouse. ‘I am still deciding which I should like better, and I think I'll take yours a hundred times over.’ He kissed her, ignoring the man on the other side of the flimsy curtain. She felt his lips caress hers and had her answer.

He pulled away just in time. The technician shuffled over to them and explained what would happen next.

‘You’ll have your cast prepared as soon as I send these to your doctor. It shouldn’t be long at all.’ His eyes twinkled.

They left the room, the beige and cream-colored hallway bright after the semi-darkness. She blinked, readjusting her vision, and was relieved to see that Marnie and José were still not there. She had to wait for the doctor again. The sitting area was as appealing as an overcrowded beach, so they moved to one of the large windows, away from curious eyes and disruptive noises. For a split second Melanie felt guilty, but she needed time alone with Scott.

‘Not sure where to start?’ He was smiling at her, his expression still stunned. ‘How long have you known?’

‘I took the test today.’ She didn’t want him to think she'd kept him in the dark on purpose. They might have had their difficulties, but some things were too important to be hidden. ‘I was wondering how I would ever tell you, to be honest.’

‘Well, I bet that none of our friends can boast such a great story.’ He laughed. He looked virile and relaxed, the tired smudges under his eyes and around his mouth gone as if they'd never been there. ‘Just imagine our kids when we tell them this story one day.’

She stared at him with an open mouth, until he laughed softly and kissed her again, a swift kiss that had a new dimension she hadn't felt before.

‘If your arm weren't broken, I’d show you just how happy I am.’ His white teeth flashed a grin in the stubble-darkened face. He looked like some kind of an exotic pirate or oriental prince, she thought dazedly, unable to look away from the hypnotic power of his onyx gaze. ‘And for what it’s worth, I wanted to apologize for today.’ He got serious. ‘I promise that from now on I won’t ever turn off my phone like that, sweetheart. It was absolutely idiotic of me. In case you were wondering, Marnie made me aware of how dumb it was, all the way on the drive down here, and then some. She charged into my office and practically dragged me away from my team.’ He smiled, clearly not very upset with his sister. ‘I had to agree; I failed you completely. It won’t happen again. I promise.’

The nurse called Melanie's name and saved her from answering Scott. It was probably for the best, anyway. She wasn’t sure what to say to his speech. Scott apologizing like that was another first. He had never been good at admitting being wrong, ever since they'd met. She suspected that he saw it as weakness, something that he didn’t want to be part of, whatever the cost. Learning about his childhood and what he and Marnie had gone through had made her more understanding of his need to be in control. She'd wanted him to learn that being vulnerable wasn’t such a bad thing. Apparently, he was much more advanced in that process than she'd given him credit for.

He didn’t leave her during her visit. Instead, he accompanied her to the doctor and waited stoically while she got her cast. She could only imagine how nervous he must have been, putting aside his work for at least an hour during the final stretch of a long project. Those were the adrenaline-driven moments he lived for, his commitment, excitement and pride in the accomplishments elevated as everything pulled together in a perfect union of talent and work. But if he was feeling any impatience, he hid it well. He waited with Melanie, making her laugh with wry comments and jokes that had both the nurse and the young doctor who tended to her laughing as well.

Finally, she was ready, a brand-new white cast wrapped around her arm and a set of doctor’s directions in Scott’s hand. The sitting area had already filled with patients and their families. She searched the crowd for familiar faces. In the end it was Scott who spotted Marnie, José, and Raoul, still in the restaurant and deep in conversation. They joined them, Melanie’s skin burning with awareness under Scott’s palm. Ever since the revelation in the X-ray room, he seemed unable to let go of her, even for a moment.

They told her that José would go with Raoul, whose chagrined expression left no doubt that he felt responsible for the unexpected drama. Whatever had transpired between Raoul, José, and Scott earlier in the waiting room had been enough to calm everyone down. Melanie didn’t really feel like pushing Scott for an explanation. That was something he needed to work out with his brother, and if he felt like sharing it with her, she was there for him to listen.

In the end, she found herself in Scott’s car, her head resting against the beige upholstery that welcomed her like a long-awaited guest. She closed her eyes, too tired to even pretend she wasn’t dead on her feet. Her stomach growled loudly, reminding her of the fact she hadn’t eaten anything since yesterday, and she saw his mouth twitch in amusement.

He reached into the glove compartment and produced a chocolate bar, the cheerful wrapper promising an instant energy boost. ‘Not the best, but it will have to do for now.’ He handed it to her, his eyes apologetic. ‘Once we get home, I promise I’ll cook you something amazing. Of course, you’ll have to pick from my narrow repertoire, so start thinking.’

‘We’re going to your house?’ She was surprised, even after his display of affection earlier. She was sure he’d want to get back to his office as soon as possible. Wasn’t that the way he usually handled things? Especially on a day that was as important as that day.

‘Of course. You need to rest.’ She blinked, speechless at his matter-of-fact statement. ‘We can order something in or stop somewhere on the way, if you’d like.’

She unwrapped the bar, the dubious dark slice peppered with colorful bits of what she hoped were nuts and berries. She took a cautious bite and let the flavor melt on her tongue, surprisingly tasty.