Hart's Victory (15 page)

B
Y LATE
T
UESDAY
afternoon, Charlie’s condition had greatly improved. Kellie had been thrilled that her son had been eating, for oftentimes an infection meant dramatic weight loss. She sat in the chair, a novel open in her hands. Outside the sun was bright, a gorgeous spring day. Soon school would be out, the beaches would be full seven days a week, and summer would be here full force.

She glanced over at her son. Aside from talk shows, one of his secret vices was watching afternoon soap operas, those silly and dramatic shows that hooked people with their story lines. Since he loved everything to do with ghosts, the paranormal story line of the current show had totally caught his attention.

A light knock sounded at the door, and both Kellie and Charlie turned their heads. It was too early for the doctor, and too soon for blood work. “Come in,” Kellie called.

They heard the door swing open. “Hey, anyone home?”

Kellie stilled, her fingers dropping the book into her lap.

She knew that voice, as did Charlie, who said, “Hart! What are you doing here?” when Hart came into the room.

“I heard you couldn’t come visit this weekend, so I came to see you instead.”

Kellie stared, tilting her head so that she could see around him. No entourage. No cameras. Just Hart, holding by the ear a large overstuffed bear at least two feet tall. He offered the present to Charlie, who reached for it eagerly.

“Are those for me, too?” Charlie asked, teasingly, seeing that Hart held in his other hand a bouquet of mixed flowers wrapped in clear cellophane.

“Nope, these are for your mom. Figured she probably needed a present, too, if she’s had to hang out in this place with you,” Hart joked.

“Good idea,” Charlie said, propping the bear beside him. Kellie knew that even though he was just about sixteen, her son had instantly fallen in love with the bear.

“So you came all this way to see me?” Charlie asked.

“I did,” Hart said. “You met my pilot. He flew me here as soon as I heard your mom’s message.”

“That’s awesome,” Charlie said, giving Kellie a pointed glance. Charlie had said Hart cared. Her son had been right. Again, Kellie had misjudged, and she softened her further opinion of him.

“Oh, by the way,” Hart said. “That bear has a zipper on his right side. Take a look.”

Charlie’s fingers found the zipper and pulled it down. He shoved his hand inside and removed a brand-new handheld gaming system, several games and a few movies that could also be played on the system. “Thought you might need something to keep you busy,” Hart said, glancing up at the soap opera.

“Thanks! The system I have is way too old, and they don’t make any games for it anymore. This is perfect!” Charlie said.

“Then I guessed right,” Hart said with a smile. He handed Kellie the flowers, and the clear plastic wrap crinkled. “I guess I forgot to buy a vase.”

“I’m sure I can scrounge one up,” Kellie said, touched by the fact that he’d brought her anything at all. “If not, the gift shop downstairs will have something.”

“Not very decorative in here, is it?” Hart asked, glancing around. While the room was cheerily decorated in a hot air balloon motif, the room lacked homey touches.

“I don’t want to personalize the room,” Charlie answered with a shake of his head. “That means you’re settling in. I’m ready to get out of here and go home. The food’s a lot better.”

Hart laughed and took a seat in the room’s second chair. “You made quite a splash last weekend. Everyone at Hampton Racing sends best wishes. In fact, Cynthia’s overnighting a huge care package. It’ll arrive at your house tomorrow. She raided the gift shop. I think you could probably outfit all your nurses and doctors with Hampton Racing gear with the amount she told me she sent.”

“You didn’t have to do that,” Kellie said.

“Yeah, I did,” Hart said, his gaze holding hers across Charlie’s bed.

The soap opera having ended, Charlie had turned on the game system and installed a game. “This is too cool,” he said as the device made dings and beeps. Kellie could see the program reflected in his glasses. Charlie suddenly gave an unhappy protest. “Hey, I already died.”

“You know what they say about practice,” Hart said.

“Yeah, it makes perfect,” Charlie answered. He set the handheld aside. “I’ll play later, after you leave. So what car are you driving this weekend?”

“Wally and I talked about that yesterday, and we’re going to run the same setup as on Saturday. We’ll need to work fast to get the car we’re bringing ready, but my team’s great with stuff like that.”

“I’ve never seen a car built,” Charlie said. “I mean, you guys do it all, right?”

“We do.”

“All your cars?”

“In the past, Hampton Racing has built about seven hundred engines a year and maybe forty to fifty new chassis. Even the Car of Tomorrow can take six weeks to build, and we use around thirty-eight different templates to build a car. Those help make sure all the parts match up.”

“Wow, I’d like to see that,” Charlie told Hart, his eyes wide.

“Well, the fabrication shop’s pretty noisy. Mine’s a little quieter. You get better, and I’ll take you on a personal tour.” Hart looked at Kellie. “Do they have wireless Internet here?”

She shrugged. “I have no idea.”

“Because if Charlie’s got a laptop, he could go online. Some race shops have cameras on the floor, and you can watch what’s going on. Hampton Racing’s got one in Billy Easton’s area.”

“I’ll ask,” Kellie said.

“Do,” Hart insisted. “And I’m serious about the tour, Charlie. You pick the day and I’ll fly you out. Mondays through Wednesdays work best. Depending on where and when the race is, we leave for the track either Thursday or Friday.”

Charlie glanced over at his mother, seeking her approval. Kellie looked down at the flowers she still clutched in her hands. This was her son’s dream. His hero had taken a personal interest in him. She’d left a message only this morning, and Hart had hopped on his plane and flown here to be with Charlie. He’d brought cool gifts. Who was she to deny her son that?

And, as much as it pained her to admit it, she’d taken just a tiny interest in Hart herself. Oh, who was she trying to kid? She’d taken a huge interest. The flattery was awesome. Mind-blowing, actually. To think a man of his stature could be interested in her was beyond comprehension. Still, she refused to let herself get too carried away. She rose to her feet, deciding that escape might be a good thing as she tried to sort out all these sensations flowing through her.

“I’m going to find a vase,” she said.

“Okay,” Charlie replied.

Hart rose to his feet as she passed by.

“I’ll be back soon,” she said, ducking her head and exiting.

She carried the flowers out to the nurses’ station. Since Charlie was such a frequent visitor, Kellie knew everyone pretty well. “You don’t have a vase back there, do you?” she asked.

“We might. Let me go check.” Suzanne said. She came back in a few minutes with a large white vase, the mass-produced kind that were sold with thirty-dollar arrangements down in the gift shop. “You can use this one.”

“Thanks,” Kellie said. Suzanne lent her some scissors and Kellie began to remove the flowers from their packaging.

“So is that really Hart Hampton in with Charlie?” Suzanne asked, grabbing a few fallen leaves and tossing them into the trash.

“Yes.”

“I thought I recognized him from his Elementals ads. He’s cuter in person.”

Not sure how to answer that, Kellie kept arranging the flowers.

“So do you think he might be willing to meet with a few of the other kids? Charlie’s got a bunch of them hooked on NASCAR.”

“I don’t know. I’d have to ask him. He dropped in unannounced, so I don’t know what his schedule is,” Kellie said. Suzanne removed the trash and Kellie lifted the vase. She’d fill it with water back in Charlie’s room.

“Let me know,” Suzanne said. “Charlie will know exactly who I’m talking about.”

“Okay,” Kellie replied, feeling a bit uncomfortable. While she wanted to have Hart meet everyone and make their day, part of her felt awkward and on the spot. Just because she knew him didn’t mean she felt comfortable requesting favors.

“Those look great, Mom,” Charlie said as she returned. Kellie glanced from Hart to Charlie. They’d been talking but she had no idea about what. Somehow, though, she sensed at least part of the conversation had been about her. She set the flowers on the windowsill and emptied the water pitcher into the vase.

“Hart, I feel awkward asking this, but Suzanne, she’s one of the nurses, wanted to know if you’d be willing to pop in on some of the other kids. Charlie’s got them all hooked on NASCAR.”

“Oh, Quan’s here!” Charlie said excitedly before his face fell. “Quan’s not doing very well. He’s pretty resistant to the chemo. They’re trying a new drug but if that fails…”

“I’d be happy to meet him,” Hart said, and Kellie could tell his response was genuine. “And anyone else. All your friends. I just don’t have any of my autograph cards with me.”

“They won’t care,” Charlie answered. “They’d be honored just to meet you.” Charlie hit the call button and Suzanne appeared within seconds. “Am I able to leave the room?” he asked.

“You’re still pretty weak, but…”

“Can I have a wheelchair?” Charlie asked. “Hart and I are going to start by visiting Quan.”

“I think he’d like that,” Suzanne said. “But why don’t you let me check with his mother and get the official go-ahead? Better yet, write me a list of people you want Hart to visit and I’ll make the arrangements.”

“Okay,” Charlie said. He gestured to his mom for a pen and paper, then he grabbed the cup full of Cheerios in front of him. He popped a few into his mouth. “Want some?” he asked Hart.

Hart shook his head. “Thanks, but they’re all yours.”

Kellie was ready with a piece of paper and a pen. She wrote down Quan’s name. “Okay, who’s next?”

The rest of the afternoon passed in a blur. Someone found a digital camera, and Hart visited no fewer than fifteen rooms. He posed for pictures, chatted with each child, signed autographs�real ones, using his wrist�and throughout it all always had a genuine smile.

Only Kellie had seen how shocked and touched he was, especially when he’d gone into Melissa’s room. She was seven, but looked years younger as cancer had stunted her growth. Hart had made the little girl’s day.

After seeing him in action, Kellie knew she owed him a big apology the next time they were alone.

What she’d seen in the media and what she’d read in the magazines didn’t come close to capturing his true personality. Hart was actually a deep person who truly cared and gave completely of himself. After promising each child a special care package to follow, Hart left each room with an address.

“I don’t know how you do it,” he admitted to Kellie as they walked back toward Charlie’s room. “I can’t imagine facing that day after day.”

“But you just did,” Kellie said. “You flew here to be with Charlie.” She reached out and touched Hart’s arm. “Thank you. You were awesome, and I appreciate what you did.”

His half smile lifted his right cheekbone. “I still couldn’t do enough.”

“None of us can,” she said. “I�” She paused until Charlie and Suzanne disappeared into Charlie’s room. “I really owe you an apology. You’re nothing like I thought you were.”

With that, she didn’t wait for an answer but darted into the hospital room.

“I wondered where you’d gotten to,” Anita said. “I was starting to…Oh my God!”

“Hey, Grandma. Glad you got here before he left. This is Hart Hampton,” Charlie said easily.

Tears came to Anita’s eyes, and she quickly brushed them away. “Anita Wertz. Nice to meet you.” She held out her hand, and Hart shook it. “Thanks so much for everything you’ve done for Charlie.”

“It’s been my pleasure,” he said.

“You look a little tired, sport,” Anita said, turning her attention to her grandson. “How about you eat the dinner that just arrived?”

“I am hungry,” Charlie said. “But what about you, Mom?”

“I’ll get something later, after Hart leaves,” Kellie said. She usually got something in the cafeteria and often ate dinner with her son.

“I bet Hart’s hungry, too. How about you take my mom out to dinner? Like La Cantina.” Charlie named a Mexican restaurant.

“Charlie, that’s way too fancy. And I’m sure Hart has other things to do,” Kellie protested.

“Nope,” Hart said. “I think it’s a great idea. If that’s too fancy, you pick the place. Anything but the hospital cafeteria.”

“They actually have great food here,” Kellie said. “People from around the community come in just to eat.”

“That sounds fine, but I’d rather skip it this visit, if you don’t mind. I want somewhere you don’t carry your own food on a tray. Name the place.”

“Fred’s Pub is pretty good. Great burgers and steaks,” Anita suggested.

“Perfect,” Hart said, settling the matter. He pulled out his cell phone. “Shall we go? I’ve got a car service on call.”