“Tell me about your father.” It was a subject she normally never broached.
He froze. “Does it matter, love?” he stiffly replied.
“Please?”
He closed his eyes, rested his head on the seat back. “It’s not something I wish to revisit.”
“Did he treat you badly?”
Tyler shook his head but didn’t open his eyes. “He grew quite stern in the year or so before he left, always pushing, always demanding more and better.”
“From you?”
“All of us.” He finally opened his eyes and looked at her. “But especially me. Why do you wish to know now, love?”
She shrugged. “I just wondered.”
“Because of Delores?”
Nevvie nodded.
He sighed, closed his eyes again. “It hurt when he left. We came home from school and he’d left without even saying good-bye. Moth—Delores told us he’d packed and ran off with another woman.”
“You haven’t seen him since you were seventeen?”
“He left when I was thirteen. I haven’t seen him since I was fifteen. I haven’t spoken to him since I was seventeen.”
“Do you have any brothers or sisters by his new marriage?”
“I don’t know. I don’t know if he ever married her.”
Nevvie’s intuition screamed. “Did you ever meet the woman?”
“No.”
“Wait a minute.” They’d stopped at a red light. Nevvie looked at Tyler. “Did he tell you what happened? Why he left?”
“No, I must say he didn’t. He never talked about it. The few times I saw him after he left, he only asked about school, sports, how we were doing. We didn’t ask him for details about the other woman, and he certainly didn’t offer any.”
“Did you visit his home?”
“No. He moved away from London. Near Oxford, I believe. Love, why is this important?”
“Because I’ve never asked and I’m curious.” It technically wasn’t a lie.
He studied her, eventually answered. “He always took the train, met us a few times. He never offered any details about his life except his job. He was a teacher.”
“Did you have his phone number?”
“I called a few times.”
“Did his wife ever answer?”
“Love—”
“Tyler.”
He sighed again. “No, none of us ever had contact with her.”
“Do your brother and sister talk to him?”
“I don’t think so. If they do they haven’t said so.”
Nevvie couldn’t confess her theory to Tyler. If she was wrong…
She didn’t think she was.
“I want to go with you the next time you go to London.”
He eyed her suspiciously. “Why?”
“Because I don’t want you going alone. And I want to see your brother and sister again.” She’d called them and told them about Tyler, then kept them updated with calls and emails. While she couldn’t claim a close relationship with them, at least they were cordial, polite, and people she didn’t mind being related to. Especially since they hated their mother almost as much as Nevvie did. Over the past few years, Tyler had formed a closer relationship with them.
“Again, love, why?”
“Because they’re family. I don’t have family except for you guys and yours. You said it yourself, they’re nothing like your mother. This whole bullshit mess has put a few things into a different perspective for me.”
Okay, so that was the truth. Apparently her response satisfied Tyler. “Very well, love.”
She’d always sworn if she ever met Tyler’s father that she’d deck the son of a bitch for the emotional scars left on Tyler’s psyche when the man abandoned his wife and children.
Now…well, maybe her anger had been directed at the wrong parent all along.
Chapter Thirteen
At least Nevvie could sleep a couple of hours each night, although it felt weird and wrong not having Thomas in bed with them. Nevvie still awoke, praying, in the middle of the night that she’d look over and see him lying in bed with them.
She had grown to like the quiet night shift in the ICU. Nevvie greatly appreciated the staff bending the rules, allowing her to visit and take care of Thomas every night. The third night Tyler was home, she realized after waking at one a.m. that she wasn’t going back to sleep.
As she tried to dress in the dark, Tyler’s voice drifted to her.
“What are you doing, love?”
She sat on the bed next to him. “I need to go see him. I’m sorry, I can’t sleep.”
He felt for and found her hand, squeezed it. “It’s okay, love. Kiss him for me, too. I’d go with you but I’m hurting right now.”
“Want your medicine?”
“No, don’t panic. Not that kind of pain. From the surgical site. I’m cutting back on the pain medication. I don’t like how it makes me feel.”
She leaned over and kissed his forehead. “Okay. I’ll be back soon.”
Ben was on duty again. “Are you a vampire?” she joked.
He’d brought her towels and other supplies as soon as he saw her arrive. “No, but I’ve been accused of biting too hard.”
The comment briefly stunned her. Then she clapped a hand over her mouth to stifle her screams of laughter as Ben smiled. He hugged her. “How’s your other half?”
“He’s good. Healing. We miss Tommy. We need him back.”
“Well, you’ll be happy to hear they’re backing off his meds.”
“Really?”
He patted her shoulder. “Just take it one day at a time.”
She set up the MP3 player and started her routine, shaving him, bathing him, his massage and range of motion exercises. Then she read to him for a while until she started yawning. It was after four o’clock. Ben returned from his break. “You’d better head home. You look beat.”
“When should we come back?”
“Wait until after nine. Get some sleep, rest. He’ll be here.”
At home, Tyler stirred when she slid under the covers after undressing. “I’m glad you’re home, sweet.”
They were the best words she’d heard in weeks.
* * * *
Nevvie worried Tyler would wear himself out and end up back in the hospital. The fourth day after Tyler was discharged, the women agreed amongst themselves to let him stay by Tom’s bed while they took turns rotating out so they wouldn’t have too many people in the ICU at once. Tyler tried to protest but the women overruled him. They all ate lunch together in the hospital cafeteria. Later, Nevvie walked back to Tom’s bedside with Tyler to sit for a while.
Tyler watched his lover’s face, held his hand. For the first time, Nevvie saw how much the previous weeks had aged Tyler. He’d always looked younger than his years, and the lines now etched around his sweet blue eyes saddened her.
Sensing her gaze on him, he looked at her, mustered a smile for her benefit. “It’s a waiting game, sweetheart.” He noticed her shocked expression. “What?”
He followed her gaze to Thomas. His lover’s eyes were open, but unfocused. He squeezed Tom’s hand. “Welcome back, love,” he said, his voice choked with emotion.
Thomas didn’t acknowledge Tyler’s voice. Nevvie waved at Carol and stepped back while the nurse checked his vital signs. “Mr. Kinsey, can you squeeze Tyler’s hand for me?”
Tom’s eyes finally drifted to Carol, then closed.
Nevvie fought the urge to shake him. Instead, she squeezed his other hand. “Tommy, please, honey, wake up,” she desperately urged.
He didn’t open his eyes again.
“That’s okay,” Carol assured her. “I’ll get his doctor and let him know he opened his eyes.” She left them alone. Nevvie looked across the bed at Tyler. His eyes were focused on Thomas.
* * * *
Thomas didn’t open his eyes again that afternoon. Nevvie forced Tyler to go home with Karen because he was obviously in pain. Peggy sat with Nevvie, on the other side of the bed, holding Tommy’s other hand. Eventually after midnight, Peggy returned home. Karen came back with Tyler a half-hour later.
“I thought you were supposed to be sleeping,” Nevvie gently scolded him.
“I wish you’d go home and get some yourself.”
She stared at Thomas and stroked his hand. “No. Not until he wakes up.”
Tyler settled in his chair with a pained grunt. “Love, he would not want you to wear yourself out.”
She shook her head and refused to meet Tyler’s gaze, knowing if she did she couldn’t resist him. “No, Ty. I’m not going home until he wakes up. I was here when you woke up. I’ll be here for him, too.”
He realized there was no sense arguing with her and settled in to wait. Karen only stayed a few minutes, then returned to the house.
Around two a.m., Nevvie dozed with her head resting on the bed when she felt Tom squeeze her hand. She sat up, immediately alert. Tyler was awake but lying in the recliner and staring at Tom’s face.
“He’s trying to come out of it, I think, love,” he softly spoke. “He’s moved his head a few times.”
“Why didn’t you wake me?”
Tyler’s face hardened. “Sweetheart, if you collapse from exhaustion it does no one any good. You have to rest. I would not have let you slept if he awoke.”
“I’m sorry.”
“No apologies, love. Just please, take care of yourself and don’t run yourself ragged over us, right?”
She stroked Tom’s hand. He squeezed, but it felt more like a reflex than Tyler’s deliberate motions when he’d emerged from sedation. She squeezed again, praying he’d respond. He didn’t. The staff had put restraints on him once they discontinued the drugs that kept him in the coma, so he couldn’t rip out his breathing tube. She hated the restraints even though she knew they were necessary.
Nevvie dozed again, her head snapping up at the sound of Tyler’s voice.
“Nev.”
She looked at Tom. His sweet brown eyes stared at her. Her vision tripled as she cried. “Hi there, handsome.”
He squeezed her hand and she dropped her head to the bed again as she cried with relief.
Tyler changed position so he could lean closer to the bed. “You gave us a rather bad fright, love,” he whispered.
Tom slowly swiveled his head toward Tyler.
“By the way,” Tyler said, reaching out to stroke Tom’s cheek, his eyes never leaving Tom’s face, “I love you, too. More than you’ll ever know.” He kissed Tom’s hand.
Tom’s eyes slowly shifted back to Nevvie. She kissed his hand, nuzzled it against her cheek as best she could. “I love you, Tommy. You’re not allowed to scare me like that again, got it?”
He weakly squeezed her hand.
* * * *
Nevvie and Tyler stepped out while Ben and the on-call doctor checked Thomas. Twenty minutes later, Ben called them back from the waiting room. “Are you two going to get some sleep now?”
Tyler nodded and slipped his arm around Nevvie’s waist. “After we say good night to him, I promise.”
Tom slowly opened his eyes when he heard them by his bed. Nevvie didn’t tell Tyler that Tom’s awakening felt drastically different than Tyler’s. While Thomas had obviously returned, it seemed like there was still something missing. Tyler had been immediately awake and aware once he came to. She prayed it was only effects of the sedation and not brain damage.
Tyler carefully leaned over and kissed his lover’s forehead. “I need to take our girl home so she can sleep. We’ve run her ragged between us. Mom and Karen are at home with the baby.”
Thomas didn’t respond, just stared at Tyler with a blank look on his face.
Nevvie leaned in and kissed him. “We’ll be back in the morning, sweetie.”
His eyes seemed to focus on her but he didn’t make any acknowledgement he understood her words.
They reluctantly stepped out of his alcove. Ben talked with them by the nursing station. “Don’t worry. He’s been out for two weeks, it’ll take him a while to feel like himself again.”
Nevvie didn’t want to ask but the words came out before she could stop them. “Brain damage?”
“I’m not a doctor. You need to talk to his neurologist about that. Now that he’s awake they’ll evaluate him, see what’s going on. From my personal experience, anyone coming out of a two week coma isn’t going to be fully with it as soon as they wake up. It’s common to have disorientation, weakness. Talk to his doctors after they have a chance to evaluate him.”
They walked to the car in silence, hand in hand. Tyler started to open the driver side door for Nevvie when she looked at him. They hugged, both sobbing, holding each other as their relief poured out of them.
Their tough guy came back. They’d take him any way they could get him.
* * * *
The next morning, Peggy and Karen cried when Nevvie told them Tommy had awoke. Nevvie and Tyler hurried to the hospital. Peggy and Karen would join them later and bring Adam.
As they walked into the ICU, Nevvie found Tyler’s hand. Tom looked asleep, but when he heard them he opened his eyes.
He was still intubated and restrained. Perhaps marginally more aware than the night before, his eyes followed them as they stepped into the alcove. His nurse talked with Nevvie while Tyler settled next to him and leaned in close.
“I’m so sorry, Thomas,” he whispered, gripping his lover’s hand. “I feel like this is my fault. If you hadn’t been rushing to be with me…” He choked up and couldn’t continue.
Tom stared into his face but made no sign he’d comprehended Tyler’s words.
Nevvie finished with the nurse and leaned over to kiss Tom’s forehead. “She said they’ll get that tube out pretty soon. It’s going to be good to hear your voice again, mister.”
His eyes slowly followed her as she settled into the chair on his other side. When she took his hand and squeezed, he didn’t return it. Eventually his entire head moved, and he stared in her general direction. As she tried to look into his eyes it was as if he didn’t focus on her.
Swallowing back her fear, Nevvie tried to hide it from Tyler.
“You need a haircut,” she said, trying to joke with Thomas, wanting to provoke a smile or a wink or any expression at all she could hang her hat on as comprehensive acknowledgement of her words.
Nothing.
After twenty minutes, Tyler dozed off in his chair. Nevvie stood and walked to the end of the bed, watching Tom’s face as she did. His eyes eventually followed her movements, then he moved his head. When she walked back to stand next to him, again he was slow to move his head even though his eyes moved to follow her.