Authors: Tessa Dayne
~*~
The days had slid by, one by one, merging into a blurred three weeks of hospital food, mechanical noises, sore throats and plummeting hope. Lucy and Mike had come the weekend after New Year’s and had stayed for a week. They were heading to California to deal with the publishing house for Jonas. His mother and Ian had returned to New York, after a lot of convincing on his part. Now he was alone.
Jonas scrubbed his hands over his face and sighed, glancing at the half-full suitcase on the bed. The month of January had slipped by and faded into the past, leaving him with no choice but to pack his suitcases for Madrid. It had taken him nearly a week to wrap his mind around the fact that he had to leave Paige. There was little change in her condition and the doctors weren’t ready to bring her out of the coma. Judging by their grim expressions when asked when they would consider bringing her around, Jonas’s hopes were dashed considerably.
Jonas tossed yet another pair of jeans into the suitcase. He wouldn’t have to go back to Los Angeles before he had to be in Spain, so whatever he didn’t have, he would have to buy once he got to Madrid. Thankfully, he had the foresight to bring a wide variety of things with him from his trip to New York.
“Are you about ready?” Darcy asked, poking her head into the bedroom.
Jonas smiled warmly at her, glad that he had accepted her offer to stay at her opulent apartment while he visited Paige in the hospital. It had been a relief not to have to worry about finding a hotel or even traveling back and forth from the cabin, William’s home or Paige’s apartment. They had quietly grown to know each other over the last month and Jonas found he liked the outspoken, flamboyant woman a lot more than he thought he would.
“Yeah, Darcy. Just a few last minute things to toss in here,” he said, pointing to the suitcase.
“I’ll have the limo brought around. We have several hours before you have to be at the airport. I thought you’d like to see Paige once more, before you go.”
Jonas nodded, his lips set in a grim straight line. He had been dreading saying goodbye. He knew she would understand, would even tell him to take his sorry ass to Spain, but it didn’t make it any easier to leave.
Jonas tossed the last of his things into the suitcase, then closed it and pulled the zipper. For what it was worth, he was ready to go. He still had reservations about his decision to continue with the film, but he knew that Paige had been right. He would eventually resent not fulfilling his obligations to the film director. He would have resented Paige as well as the baby. He had to go and hope she would understand when she woke up.
Lifting the suitcase from the bed, he glanced around the bedroom one last time. He had everything and if he forgot something, Darcy could always send it along for him. He had left his contact information with her in case something happened significant with Paige. She had all his phone numbers where he could be reached, his hotel information, his flight information and the location of the set. Darcy could reach him at a moment’s notice.
“Limo’s out front, Jonas!” he heard her call.
Sighing once again, Jonas picked up the companion to his suitcase and left the room.
~*~
Darren stared at the nurse on duty and waited for his chance to sneak by the desk. He knew they had placed his
name on the restricted list. It was bound to happen eventually. He had expected it and had prepared for the inevitability of it. Seeing the nurse turn toward a set of monitors, her back to him, Darren adjusted the disguise and set out for Paige’s room.
With ease, he slipped into her room, closing the door softly behind him. The room was dark, the curtains pulled to keep out the bright sunshine. Shadows fell across her face, a peace that belied her situation in her features. Darren felt a slight twinge of guilt that passed as quickly as it had appeared.
Easing toward the bed, Darren reached out and brushed a strand of hair from her face. “We would have made it, Paige, you know that right?” he asked. “All you had to do was forgive me. I could have changed. I would’ve done better.”
A smattering of voices outside the door caused him to pause, but they moved away. Darren turned back to Paige and smiled sadly. “That was my child. I would’ve made a good father, Paige.”
Darren reached for the monitor, his fingertips playing along the on/off switch. All he had to do was flip a switch and that would be the end of things. He wouldn’t have to worry any more about what Paige would say once she woke up.
He wouldn’t have to worry about her telling the police he had fought with her on the street. The police wouldn’t find out that he had grabbed her and shook her. That he had been close enough to pull her out of the way of that car.
“Excuse me?”
Darren whirled to find a nurse standing behind him. “Yes?”
“Doctor, I was just coming in to take her vitals. How is she doing?” she asked, moving to check the monitors.
“There’s no change,” Darren said, hoping that was the truth. “I’ll leave you to your duties.”
The nurse turned away, leaving Darren the ability to escape with no further asked questions. Stepping into the hallway, he was relieved to find his path unhindered. He was almost to the stairwell, when the elevator doors slid open. He heard familiar voices and slipped into a room to his right.
Peering out into the hallway, he counted himself one lucky bastard as Jonas Barnett and Darcy Milian walked by. That had been close, he thought. Once the coast was clear, he slipped out of the room and down the stairs.
Safely in the stairwell, Darren shed the lab coat and pulled the fake wig from his head. With a grimace, he ripped the fake mustache from his upper lip and smiled. He just had to wait and see if she woke up.
~*~
Jonas opened the door to Paige’s room and had to step aside for the nurse. “How is she?” he asked anxiously.
“Didn’t the doctor tell you?” she asked, frowning.
“What doctor?” Jonas asked, an uneasy feeling in the pit of his stomach. He brushed by the nurse and took his place beside Paige’s bed. He looked her over, head to toe, and breathed a sigh of relief when she appeared to be fine.
The nurse looked around, confused. “He was just here.”
“What did this doctor look like?” he asked.
“Well, he was six foot, dark black hair and a must
ache,” she said, frowning. “I didn’t recognize him. He must be new. We get transfers in here all the time. That or else he was covering a shift for someone else. That’s not uncommon.”
“Did he have an identification badge?” Darcy asked.
The nurse frowned, trying to remember. “I really didn’t get a good look at him. I was coming in to take Miss Harper’s vitals and he was on his way out. He could have had a badge.”
“Could have had a badge? He could have had a badge?” Jonas growled. He wasn’t comfortable knowing an unknown doctor had been in Paige’s room.
“I’m going to call security and report this,” the nurse said and headed for the desk.
“Do you think it could have something to do with Darren?” Darcy asked.
“I don’t know,” Jonas said, pacing the small room.
“I’ll go talk to security. You stay and visit with Paige.”
Jonas watched her leave, and then settled into a chair beside the bed. “Well, today’s the day. I’m booked on a flight to Madrid in five hours. I really don’t want to leave you. Why don’t you wake up and shine that beautiful smile my way? I’ll put off leaving, I will. All you have to do is wake up and ask me to stay,” he said, brushing her hair from her forehead. “Come on….just wake up.”
Silence met his pleas and Jonas sighed. He knew that she wouldn’t wake up. The doctors weren’t optimistic about her odds just yet. She was making steady improvements, but nothing that would give them hope that she would come out of the coma anytime soon.
“Well, I will take lots of pictures and Darcy has agreed to bring you anything I send. Ian bought me a tape recorder so I will write to you that way. You’ll be able to hear my voice. The doctors say that could help.”
Still she laid there, the beeps and blips of her monitors answering his comments. If only she would show some sign of waking up, he could rest easy. He could even go to Spain and do the film, without feeling as if he was abandoning her.
Jonas sat there, her hand held in his, his fingers stroking the top of her hand, for several hours. He talked to her about their future and his plans for their wedding. He told her about his ranch in Wyoming and the role in
El Dorado
he was about to immerse himself in.
He related Ian’s message of love and well wishes, relayed Evelyn and Gray’s get well wishes and placed a kiss on her forehead from Chris and Sara. He talked with her for two more hours, before Darcy knocked softly on the door.
“Time to go, Jonas. I’m sorry.”
Jonas nodded solemnly and leaned over to kiss Paige’s lips. “I’ll be back in three weeks. I love you.”
Jonas gathered his things and headed for the door. He turned and looked at her still form once more, memorizing the soft features of her face for the lonely nights ahead. Quietly, he opened the door and slipped out, his heart torn in two.
~*~
Chapter Thirteen
~*~
A month later, Jonas found
he’d had little time to think, much less write letters or poetry to Paige. He had completed the sword preparations a week after arriving in Madrid. The lessons had been intense and involved, but he was happy with the results.
Then he had met up with Lawrence Johns for a weekend enjoying the music stylings of Cristina Rosario, his co-star from
Shotgun
. There had been photos released of the weekend, and though he looked relaxed in them, he had been far from it. He had still not received good updates on Paige. Her progress had continued to improve, but the doctors still saw no signs of her waking up. They weren’t ready to force her out of the coma with unconventional means.
By the last week of February, he had done a few personal appearances to promote the film and had participated in the first official photo call with his fellow cast members and the director. He had met the author of
El Dorado
and gotten a much better appreciation of the books that were to become the film.
Now he had just a few days, four at the most, before he wanted to be in Leon to continue his research into his character of Francisco de Orellana. He had found the small town a close match to the sound he needed to help create his accent.
“Attention, passengers of Flight 1247, this is the last boarding call for First Class passengers.”
“C’mon mate, that’s the last call.”
Jonas turned to glance at the man beside him. Tall, blonde and built like a rugby player, John Benton was a fellow actor and one of his best friends. He should be heading to Chicago to see Paige, and yet here he was, heading to England to visit with John. Not that he had much choice, seeing as how John had come to Spain to kidnap him. The excuse? He hadn’t answered his cell phone when John had called.
“We should have boarded long before this,” John continued, reaching for his bag. “I hate boarding this late. What if someone recognizes you?” he teased.
Jonas snorted. “You forget that your better half is the popular one. Even you are more watched than I am.”
“Aye, that’s the truth. I just hate the fact that we still have to sneak around. If only the world were more open-minded.”
“Someday, my friend, someday,” Jonas assured him.
John glanced at him and nodded. “From your lips to God’s ears. Now, tell me more about the woman who has finally snared your heart. After Marilyn, I never thought you’d find another woman to put up with your filthy habits.”