Waiting for Mr. Darcy (25 page)

“Okay,” she said weakly. “I'm sorry about before.”

“I'm sorry, too, honey. But I don't want you to worry about that now.” He put his arm around her. “We're not far from the NYU Medical Center. How fast do you think you can get us there?” he asked the driver.

“I can get you there in fifteen minutes or less.”

“Let's make it less. Okay?”

“I'm on it.” The driver sped up.

Nathaniel took his cell phone out and dialed. “Hi, I need Dr. John Hubert, please.” He waited while they connected him.

“Dr. Hubert here.”

“John, it's Nathaniel Becker.”

“Hey, Nate, how are you?”

“I'm fine, but this isn't a social call. I'm on my way there with a patient who's in the midst of an exacerbation.”

“What are the symptoms?”

“She's unsteady on her feet and very dizzy. She had to be assisted to the car.”

“Is she on any medications?”

“She's taking Avonex.”

“I'll meet you in the ER and we'll evaluate her.”

“Actually, John, I need you to see her upstairs in the MS Center.”

“Why?”

“It's Alicia Archer, and it's not common knowledge that she has MS.”

“I see. We've had our share of celebrities here. Meet us in the front and I'll have someone there to take her upstairs.”

“Thanks, John. I really appreciate it.”

“Not a problem. Do you have an ETA?”

“How much longer until we're there?”

“About five minutes,” the driver answered.

“We'll be there in five minutes.”

“Okay. I'd better get off the phone so I can meet you.”

“See you in a minute.” He closed the phone and looked at Alicia, who seemed to grow paler by the minute. “Alicia, honey, are you still with me?”

“Yes,” she said weakly.

“We're getting help.”

Three minutes later the car pulled up to the front of the hospital. Dr. Hubert and two nurses were there with a wheelchair. The driver jumped out to open the door.

Dr. Hubert leaned down and looked at Alicia. “So this is our patient?”

“Yes.”

“Ms. Archer, can you hear me?”

“Yes.”

“I'm going to lift you out of the car. Okay?”

“Okay.”

“No.” Nathaniel got out of the car and rushed over to the other side. “I'll do it.”

“All right.” A slight man with graying hair, Dr. Hubert backed away as Nathaniel lifted Alicia and put her in the wheelchair.

“Let's get her upstairs, ladies.”

As the nurses wheeled her away, Nathaniel was on their heels. They rushed into a waiting elevator.

Nathaniel held Alicia's hand. “You're going to be fine. Dr. Hubert is one of the best neurologists in the country.”

Alicia nodded.

The elevator doors opened.

“Take her to room four.”

“Yes, Doctor.”

As the nurses wheeled her away, Nathaniel tried to follow them. Dr. Hubert stopped him.

“Come on, Nate, you know the drill.”

“But I'm a doctor. I have privileges here.”

“That might be so, but you have a personal relationship with the patient. You're not going to be able to be objective.”

“Of course I will. I'm a professional.”

“You're a professional in love. There's no way you'll be able to stand still in there.”

“But I don't want her to be alone.”

“She won't be alone. Listen, I'll keep you apprised of what's happening and I'll let you in as soon as I can. Okay?”

“Do I have a choice?”

“No.”

“Then it's okay.”

Dr. Hubert patted him on the back. “Good man.”

Nathaniel watched through the window as Dr. Hubert and his staff assessed Alicia's condition. He felt his heart break as he stared at her pale face.

A nurse came out. “We're going to take her for an MRI.”

“Okay.”

“We do have some paperwork for you. Are you the next of kin?”

“No. I'm her boyfriend. I'm also a doctor.”

“Well, maybe you can fill out some of the paperwork.”

“I can try.”

“If you go over to the nurses' station, they can help you.”

“Thanks. You'll let me know when she's back from radiology, right?”

“Yes, Doctor.”

He went over to the nurses' station and they handed him a clipboard. He filled out what he could and then he took out his cell phone.

“I can't use this in here,” he lamented.

“You can use this phone. Just dial nine for an outside line,” the desk nurse piped up.

“Thanks.” He picked up the phone.

“Hello?”

“Harrison, it's Nate.”

“Hey, Nate, how's the evening going?”

“I'm at the hospital with Alicia.”

“Oh, God, what happened?”

“She had an attack, but she's being treated here at the MS Center at NYU.”

“Are they admitting her? Should I come down?”

“I don't think so. They just took her for an MRI. I'm pretty sure she'll be home tonight.”

“But you're not positive?”

“I'll know more shortly. In the meantime they've given me a bunch of paperwork to fill out.”

“What do you need to know?”

He read the form. “I know some of the basic stuff but I don't have dates for her surgeries or anything like that.”

“I have a sheet with all that information here. Do they have a fax?”

“I'll ask.” He tapped the desk. “I'm sorry. Do you have a fax machine?”

“Yes. There's one in the intake area,” the head nurse answered.

“I've got this stuff to fill out and there's a sheet with all the details I need for the form. Can he fax it here?”

“Sure. The number is 646-555-8956.”

“Thanks.” He wrote it down. “Harrison, the number is 646-555-8956. Put Alicia's name on it, along with Dr. John Hubert.”

“Got it. I'll do it in a minute. Call me whether it looks like she's being admitted or not. If she is, I'll be down there as soon as I can.”

“Thanks. In the meantime, can you call everyone? I'm on the hospital's line.”

“I will.”

“I'll call you back with an update.” He hung up.

Just as Nathaniel was about to speak, the nurse stopped him. “I heard you. We'll check the fax machine and attach it to the clipboard.”

“Thank you.” Nathaniel walked down the hall and into the waiting area. It was a position he wasn't used to being in. As a doctor he was the one people waited for. He put his head in his hands, and, for the first time in a long time, he prayed.

After what seemed like an eternity, Nathaniel heard the familiar sound of a physician's wingtips coming down the hall. It was Dr. Hubert.

“Well,” Nathaniel said nervously.

“It's an exacerbation. But something tells me you already knew that.”

“I did.” He felt guilty.

“These things usually don't come on all of a sudden like this. There are signs.”

“I know, but she's Alicia Archer, superwoman. She's been running at full speed most of the week.”

“I see that a lot with MS patients. They can be quite willful.”

“You just described Alicia to a tee.”

“That's probably why she's so successful. Still, she needs to slow down and listen to her body.”

“I know.”

“We're giving her a course of intravenous steroids, which should help.”

“Are you admitting her?”

“No, she can go home tonight but she has to take it easy.”

“She will. She'll be outnumbered.”

“You can go in and see her now.”

“Thanks. I should call her family. They're probably pretty worried. Do you mind if I use the phone at the nurses' station again?”

“No, go ahead.”

“Thanks, John.”

He went back to the station and picked up the phone to dial Harrison.

“Hello?”

“Harrison, it's Nate.”

“Hey, Nate, what's the story?” Harrison was clearly distressed.

“I just spoke with the neurologist and she's okay. They stabilized her with IV steroids.”

“Thank God. But we both know why this happened.”

“She did too much.”

“That's going to change.” Harrison breathed a sigh of relief. “I guess I'll call everyone with the news and then I'll get her room ready.”

“Thanks. I'm about to go in and see her now.”

“Tell her I love her.”

“I will. I'll see you a little later.”

“Okay.”

Nathaniel walked down the hall to the room. When he peeped in the window, he saw Alicia lying there while nurses adjusted the IV.

He took a deep breath and entered. “Hey there.”

“Hi,” Alicia said softly.

He pulled a chair up close to the bed and took her hand. “How are you feeling now?”

“I feel like a fool but physically I feel better. I also feel bad for the way I treated you.”

“We don't have to talk about that now.”

“Yes we do. I pushed you away. I was wrong to do that. You were looking out for my best interests. I should have listened to you and gone to the doctor. It was stupid of me.”

“You're not stupid.” He kissed her hand.

She looked at the IV. “It doesn't feel that way.”

Before Nathaniel could say another word, Dr. Hubert entered the room. “I see you're looking better. How do you feel?”

“I'm definitely better now than I was when I arrived.”

“Good.” He looked at the IV bag. “You're nearly done, so we'll be releasing you.”

“Great.”

“Don't get too happy. You must follow up with your neurologist right away, at least by Monday.”

“Consider it done, John,” Nathaniel interjected. “Her family and I will make sure of it.”

“Good.” He paused. “I'm going to get your release paperwork started and you'll be able to leave.”

“Thanks, Dr. Hubert,” Alicia said gratefully.

Nathaniel kissed her forehead. “I spoke to Harrison and he told me to tell you he loves you and he'll have everything set when you get home. You realize you're going to be on house arrest when you get home, right?”

“I know,” she conceded.

“I asked him to call Gabby and Lauren so they'd know what happened.”

“Good.” She took his hand. “I really am sorry.” Her eyes filled with tears.

He wiped her cheek. “It's okay, Alicia.” He kissed her. “It's going to take a lot more than just MS to scare me away.”

* * *

Lauren hung up the phone. She and Randy had returned to her apartment after the exhibit.

Randy handed her a glass of wine. “How is she?”

“Thank you.” She took a sip. “She's better, thank goodness. Harrison said Nate took her to the NYU MS Center and they treated her.”

“Alicia has MS?” he asked, surprised. “I didn't know that.”

“No one knows outside of a very select and small group.”

He sat next to her. “I understand she wants her privacy, but it's MS and a lot of people have it.”

“I know, but that's the way she wants it. She thinks people will look at her differently if they know.”

“Do you think so?”

“No, but it's not up to me. I have to honor her wishes and I'd appreciate if you wouldn't mention it. Okay?”

“My lips are sealed.”

“Thank you.”

They kissed.

“Did I tell you how stunning you look tonight?”

“Yes, but I won't be too upset if you tell me again.”

He lightly traced his fingers on her shoulders. “Yes, you are stunning in this gown. I felt like the luckiest guy in the world.”

“Thank you.”

“However, the sight of you of out of this gown will be more ravishing.” He raised his eyebrows.

“Is that right?”

“Oh, yes.” He unzipped her gown and began kissing her neck.

Lauren closed her eyes. “That feels nice.”

“That's the idea, my love.” A chill went up Lauren's spine as he pulled her gown down along with her bustier, to reveal her breasts. He caressed her breasts in his hands while he lightly kissed the nape of her neck. She turned to face him, unbuttoned his shirt and kissed his neck and chest.

His body tightened as she placed her kisses further south until he could take no more.

He got up and lifted her into his arms and carried her into the bedroom.

* * *

With all the excitement about Alicia, Nigel insisted he stay for the night and Gabby was too tired to disagree. The next morning his ex was still the elephant in the room.

Eyes closed, Nigel reached over to find the other pillow empty. When he opened his eyes, he saw Gabby sitting near the window.

“Good morning,” Nigel said.

“Good morning.”

He sat up. “Why are you way over there?”

“I was just thinking.”

“I know you're still upset with me. I'm really sorry. I should have…”

“I accept your apology.”

Nigel looked surprised. “That's it?”

“Would you prefer me to yell and scream?”

“No, but you were pretty angry and you barely said anything to me at the exhibit. I thought you'd unload for sure.”

“I planned to, but then Alicia got sick and it changed things for me.” She looked out the window. “She told us that she and Nate had a fight. Yet when she took ill, whatever happened disappeared. Nate focused on taking care of her without hesitation.”

“He loves her and that's what you do when you love someone.”

She shook her head. “That's when I realized that maybe I shouldn't have gotten so upset with you. It's not like you have any control over what your ex does. But you have to admit you should have told me about the custody case.”