She nodded.
“Good girl.” His foot kicked the bag, making it rustle. Nevvie noticed.
“What was that?”
He silently swore and bent over, looked through it, found a smaller bag with Tom’s watch and wedding band. He handed the ring to Nevvie. “Put this on, keep it safe for him.”
After trying a few fingers, Nevvie finally settled for her right thumb. He realized for the first time that she wore Tyler’s band on the middle finger of her left hand. Nevvie stared at her hands, her fingers working the men’s rings.
“Can we get a wheelchair for her?” he asked the nurse. “And any paperwork we need to sign for Tom?”
She went to get it.
Now alone, Bob turned to Nevvie. “You can do this. The boys have faith in you, and so do I.”
Nevvie wouldn’t meet his gaze, just continued staring at the rings. He helped her complete the paperwork. Then he guided her off the gurney and into the wheelchair, carried the bag and her purse as he pushed her back to the waiting room.
* * * *
Bob stepped to the waiting room doorway and called his partner, Terry. He answered on the second ring.
“Hey, you. Where’d you disappear to?”
“I won’t make it home for dinner, buddy. I’m sorry.”
“What’s going on?”
Bob took a deep breath and went through the brief version, which met with stunned silence.
Terry finally spoke. “Holy shit. Both of them?”
“Yeah.”
“Crap. Listen, I’ll bring you an overnight bag. You plan on staying with her. She’ll need you there if she’s that bad.”
Bob closed his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose. “Tell the kids I’m sorry and I love them. I’ll call them before they go to bed.”
“It’s okay. Don’t worry about it. I’ll run home and get you some stuff.”
“Thanks, Ter.” They said their good-byes as Bob watched Nevvie. Pete sat between the women and held Nevvie’s hand on one side, Peggy’s on the other. Nevvie’s blank face terrified Bob in a way. The shock was too much for her. He had no doubts if it was just Tyler, once Tom arrived she would have looked to him for strength and been the strong, kick-ass woman he watched take on her asshole ex-boyfriend and his lawyer during the trial.
This woman looked broken, an empty shell. Those two men
were
her life.
Dr. Robertson walked down the hallway to the waiting room. Bob stopped him. “Are you here for Tyler Paulson’s family?” he whispered.
The doctor nodded. Bob pulled him a few feet down the hall. “Please tell me he’s alive.”
The doctor eyed him. Bob quickly added, “I’m the family attorney.”
“What?”
He told the short version and the doctor closed his eyes. “Holy crap.”
“Yeah, it’s been one of those kinds of days around here. Please, tell me he’s okay. If you’re not gonna tell me that, go back right now and get a sedative ready for Nevvie, because it’ll be her last straw.”
“He’s in recovery, and he’s doing fine.”
Bob blew out a relieved breath. “Oh, thank God! One down. Let’s go tell her.”
Nevvie and Peggy looked up when Bob walked in with the doctor. Bob immediately flashed them a smile and a thumbs-up. Nevvie started crying again, this time with relief.
The doctor knelt before her. “Mr. Paulson is critical, but he’s stable. That’s normal for his situation. His vital signs are good, and I think he’s going to be fine.”
She nodded, silent tears falling in her lap.
He continued. “He’s going to be on the ventilator for at least a day but I’ll take you back there to see him, okay?”
She nodded again, still weeping.
“He can’t speak to you, he’s unconscious. That’s to keep him comfortable and out of pain.” He dropped his voice. “Your attorney just talked to me. When we get done, I will go back to the OR and check on your other husband for you, okay?”
She closed her eyes. “Thank you.” Dr. Robertson patted her leg and she stood, swaying on her feet, a little woozy.
Bob steadied her. “Honey, why don’t you let me push you?”
She shook her head and straightened. “No. I can do this. He needs me.”
Thatta girl.
“I’ll go with you.” He turned to Pete. “Stay here with Peggy, please?”
“Yeah.”
Bob kept his arm around Nevvie’s waist all the way to the ICU. Irony of ironies, Tyler occupied the bed next to where Nevvie had stayed nearly five years earlier after Alex’s attack. The doctor slid a chair next to Tyler’s bed. Bob gently guided Nevvie to it.
The doctor glanced at Bob. “Mrs. Paulson, do you have any questions?”
She reached through the bed rail and carefully stroked the back of Tyler’s right hand, being careful not to disturb his IVs. “Is he going to make it? Really?”
“I think so. There’s always some risk. Infection, bleeding, blood clots. In my experience, since he’s not overweight, he’s not a smoker, he’s not a diabetic and he’s otherwise healthy, I think it’s safe to say he should recover.”
She carefully gripped Tyler’s hand. “I love him so much. Both of them. He’s my brain, Tommy’s my tough guy. They’re my life. I can’t lose them. They’re my boys.”
The doctor laid a gentle hand on her shoulder. “I don’t think you’re going to lose Tyler. I don’t know anything about your other husband’s condition right now. I’ll go check for you.”
“Thank you.”
Dr. Robertson turned to the nurse and whispered something to her. She noted the chart. He turned back to Nevvie. “I’ll talk to the nursing supervisor, see if they’ll bend the visitation rules for you. You can’t sleep in here, and during shift changes you’ll need to leave, but that way you’d be able to spend more time with both of them.”
Nevvie turned to him, shocked. “Oh no! Thomas will be in here?”
“Most likely.”
She frantically shook her head. “No. Tyler can’t know. Oh, God, this will kill him.”
Bob prepared for another bout of hysterics but she actually seemed calmer, determined.
“Make sure they put orders in his chart not to tell him about Thomas,” Nevvie demanded. “They can’t tell him. I don’t want him having another heart attack!”
The doctor tried to reassure her. “Mrs. Paulson, it’ll be okay.”
“No!” She sounded strong, resolute. Bob glimpsed Nevvie the fighter, Nevvie the woman who called him from this very hospital when the administrator gave her a hassle, the woman who, even while in ICU, stood up to Tyler and gave him a run for his money.
“No. They cannot tell him. Absolutely not. I’ll tell him, but not until he’s out of here and in a room.”
Dr. Robertson looked at the nurse, who noted it.
“Can I be alone with him for a minute?” Nevvie asked.
They left to give her privacy. Nevvie bent close to Tyler’s ear so she could whisper to him. She didn’t know if he could hear her.
“You’re going to be fine, Ty,” she said, then choked back a sob. She stroked his hair. “Your little slave is very happy with her sweet master. You’re coming home to me, do you hear me? They said you’ll be fine. You have to come home to me because I love you and I need you. Thomas needs you, and Adam needs you. You’re not allowed to die on me.” She touched her forehead to his and took a deep breath.
Bob was right, she had to be calm, strong, for her boys.
After five minutes with him, she kissed his cheek and rejoined the others outside.
“Okay. Let’s go find out how Thomas is.”
Bob looked at her. “Are you all right?”
She forced a grim smile. “I have to be. I’m sorry I lost it earlier.”
He put an arm around her and hugged her. “It’s okay, sweetie.”
They followed the doctor back to the waiting area and he left them with a promise to return in a few minutes. Peggy and Pete looked at Nevvie. She forced another smile. “The doctor said Tyler should be okay.”
They both sighed with relief. Peggy was going to say something when Karen, dragging a rolling suitcase behind her, ran into the waiting room. “Nevvie!” She enveloped her with a hug. “How’s Tyler? Is he out of surgery?”
Bob raised an eyebrow. Nevvie shook her head. “Karen, we need to talk.”
“Is he okay?”
“He’s in the ICU. He’s out of surgery.”
“That’s good, right?”
“Yes, but—”
Peggy spoke up. “Sit down, Karen.”
Karen picked up on her mother’s tone. “What? What’s wrong?”
Nevvie sat next to her. “Thomas had an accident on his way up here from Ft.Myers. A car pulled out in front of him. He was on the bike.”
“Oh no! Is he okay?”
Nevvie tried to retain her calm. “We don’t know. He’s in surgery.”
Pete stood. “I need to call Eddie. I haven’t told him yet. I’ll check on the Ant for you, babe.”
When he patted her shoulder she covered his hand with hers and squeezed. Before she met and “married” Tyler and Thomas, Nevvie was essentially alone in the world. Now she had an extended network of family and friends she could lean on. Bob was right—she could do this.
But it hurt so much.
While Pete was gone, Dr. Robertson returned and talked to them. “He may be in surgery another hour or more.”
Bob moved to stand behind Nevvie and put his hands on her shoulders. She gripped them for comfort.
“How is he?” she asked.
“He’s critical, but don’t let that scare you because that’s just a label. He’s stable, which is more important to focus on. His left leg had been broken in several places and they surgically set it. That’s already been done.”
She took a deep breath. “Okay.”
He continued. “They removed his spleen but except for some broken ribs, that looks like the extent of his internal injuries to his torso.
That’s not so bad.
She could deal with that but she suspected there was more.
“Apparently his helmet came off during the accident and he suffered head trauma. That’s what they’re working on now.”
She’d been doing so well until that. Bob firmly gripped her shoulders and leaned down. “Stay strong for him, Nev. You know he’d want that.”
She met the doctor’s eyes. “Does he have brain damage?”
“I don’t know the full extent of his head injuries. I got the short version. Someone will come out and talk to you in the next hour and update you. I talked to the surgeon’s PA and told them about your family situation so they know what’s going on.”
“Thank you, Doctor.”
Nevvie looked at Peggy and Karen, who held hands and stared at her, both in shock. Bob was right—she had to be strong for her boys and for the rest of her family.
“He’ll be okay,” Nevvie insisted. “I know he will.”
Both women nodded. Karen fought her tears. “Oh, God, I’ve got to call the others.”
“No,” Peggy said, her firm tone surprising Nevvie. “I don’t want them to know. I especially don’t want Em to know. Not after she showed her ass.”
“But Momma—”
“No! Do you hear me? Don’t you
dare
call them. Once he’s out of surgery and we know more, we’ll call April and Cheryl and tell them. I don’t want Katie knowing, because she’ll tell Em sure as God made little green apples, you know she will. Your brother wouldn’t want Em here after the stunt she pulled. I don’t want a fight on my hands on top of everything else.”
Peggy looked at Nevvie. “They love you, Nevvie, they love each other, and they love that baby. They’ll be okay.”
Nevvie hugged her and felt Karen wrap her arms around them from behind.
Chapter Eight
Pete volunteered to stay in the waiting room while Bob took the women to the cafeteria. Karen had taken a cab from the airport and they stowed her suitcase and the bag of Thomas’ effects in Nevvie’s car along the way.
Bob made the women eat and wouldn’t let them return to the waiting room until they’d each had at least a bowl of soup. Nevvie’s initial burst of determination after learning Tyler was okay had waned, although she wasn’t as despondent as before.
They’d just settled in the waiting room when another doctor entered. “Mr. Kinsey’s family?”
Nevvie stood. Bob moved to stand next to her.
“Follow me, please.”
They all exchanged nervous looks and followed the doctor down the hall to a small conference room. “I’m sorry, I didn’t want to talk in front of others out there. Dr. Robertson informed me of the special circumstances. Mrs. Kinsey?” he asked Nevvie.
“Yes.” She introduced everyone else.
“I’m Dr. Gonzales, the neurosurgeon. Dr. Spivey—his other surgeon—will be in here in a few minutes.”
“Is he going to be okay?”
The doctor took a moment to collect his thoughts. “During the accident his helmet came off. So the good news is it saved his life during the initial impact. The bad news is he sustained a severe blow to his head. We’ve relieved the pressure and we’re giving him medication to take care of the swelling, but we’re keeping him in a medically induced coma while we monitor the situation.”
Nevvie tightly gripped Bob’s hands.
“Once we take care of the swelling we can see if there is any lasting damage.”
“Brain damage?” she gasped.
“I’m not saying there will be, I’m not saying there won’t be. We have to wait and see.”
Even Peggy seemed stunned, unable to ask questions.
Dr. Gonzales continued. “Now, his other injuries, he’ll heal from those. There’s no reason he won’t. As long as there’s no infection or complications, physically he should recover from this, too. The big question is lasting neurological effects. He might be fine. He might have memory loss. He might need occupational or physical therapy.”
“Whatever he needs, I’ll get it for him. Whatever he has to do to heal, I’ll do it.”
The doctor patted her hand. “And with an attitude like that it’ll help him a lot.” The door opened and another doctor walked in and looked at them. “This is Dr. Spivey, I’ll let him tell you about the rest.”
Dr. Spivey ran through a laundry list of what happened and what they did. Nevvie finally tuned out. She had her answer—Thomas wasn’t dying. She didn’t care what shape he was in, she would take care of him, both of them. They were her boys, and if they weren’t dying, that’s all that mattered. A third doctor, an orthopedic surgeon, took care of Tom’s leg. He’d already taken on another case and was unavailable to talk.