After The Fire (One Pass Away Book 3) (3 page)

“Because it would be cruel to show up with roses meant for
someone else. You aren’t cruel.”

“I can be.” Gaige didn’t know why he said it, but it was
true. He had a streak of his father in him, no matter how much it pained him to
admit it. Most of the time he kept it at bay, but it was there. Always lurking
just under the surface.

“No. I don’t believe it.” Violet shook her head. “You like
to get your way, don’t you? When you want something, you don’t stop until you’ve
exhausted every path—then you try again.”

Gage frowned. Violet had him pegged and it was a bit
disconcerting. He wasn’t certain how to feel about her uncanny insights.

“How do you know?”

“Because I’m the same way. Did you ever read
Anne of
Green Gables
?” Violet laughed before Gaige could answer. “No. I don’t
suppose it would be at the top of a boy’s reading list.”

“No.”

“Anne was always on the lookout for a kindred spirit.”

“I know what that is.”

Violet nodded. “That’s us, Gaige. I knew it right away. We
connected. Please tell me you felt it?”

“I did, but you put it better than I ever could.”

“I read all the time. Anything and everything.”

“I like to read.” Mostly playbooks and sports biographies.

“See that pitcher of water? Will you put my flowers in it?”

“I can find something nicer.”

“It doesn’t matter. I can’t tell the difference. Put them by
the bed. The scent is heavenly.”

“Violet.” Gaige did as she asked, but his mind was on a
different matter. “Yesterday you said you were nervous. Are you worried about
your eyes?”

Violet took a deep breath, then sighed.

“I don’t want to be the sad girl you feel sorry for.”

“Sorry for you? Never.”

“I hit my head pretty hard. The doctors aren’t certain if
the reason I can’t see is because of the swelling behind my eyes, or something
permanent. We’ll know more on Friday.”

Five days. Gaige couldn’t imagine losing his sight. For him,
it would be the difference between playing football or falling back on his
degree in economics. He liked numbers. And he loved making money. But to never
again feel the rush of standing behind his offensive line? Or the anticipation
just before the snap of the ball as he watched the defense shift formation? The
split second when his mind ran through all the possibilities?

Gaige didn’t know what losing her sight would mean to
Violet, but he knew what it would mean to him. His heart went out to her. The
wait would be interminable.

“I’m scared, Gaige.” Violet put her head back on her pillow.
“You’re the first person I’ve admitted that to. Mom tells me to put my faith in
God.”

“Jesus,” Gaige scoffed under his breath.

“I know.” Violet laughed. “I believe what I can see—no pun
intended. I’m a scientist. Logic. People cure people. That’s why I’m going to
be a doctor. Or rather, I was going to be a doctor. A surgeon. The chances of
that have taken a steep dive.”

“I’m sorry.”

“Me too. But I refuse to indulge in a pity party. I can hold
onto hope. At least for a few more days.”

“Hope is good.” Gaige knew what it was like to try to keep
hope alive—the idea that one day his mother would leave her abusive husband—and
watch it die when that day never came. But for Violet, he would summon the tiny
supply he had left.

“Do you believe in a higher power?”

“You mean God?”

“God? Buddha? Fairies dancing around a blazing fire late at
night? Something. Anything bigger than us.”

“I don’t know.”

“Thank you.” Violet reached for his hand. Gaige met her
halfway.

“What for?”

“For not lying. For letting me know you have doubts—like I
do. Everyone keeps telling me that God is watching over me. Okay. Let’s say I
accept this omnipotent being hovering somewhere up there. Why, when the world
is filled with so much suffering and tragedy, would he bother with me?”

There wasn’t a good answer to that. So he said the first
thing that popped into his head. “If it were me, I would. In a heartbeat.”

Violet froze. Had he gone too far? Too fast? Gaige liked to
keep his feelings close to the vest. But Violet brought out something in him he
didn’t recognize. A softer side. The tough kid who turned into the tough
athlete didn’t have the time or inclination to spill his emotions all over the
place.

“I’m sorry,” Gaige rushed his words, needing to explain
before she kicked him out. “I know that was corny. Kind of cringe worthy.”

“Kind of,” Violet nodded. “Don’t tell anyone? But I like
corny. At least from you.”

Zing
! Gaige felt it. Right in the region of his
heart. He might not have any experience with this kind of thing, but he knew it
when it happened. He was falling in love. The timing couldn’t have been worse.
He already had more on his plate than he could handle.

What was the old saying? Love happens when you aren’t
looking. Here. In Brooklyn. Dealing with his father’s crimes. He meets a young
woman with problems of her own. Inconvenient didn’t begin to describe it.

“Bad timing.”

Violet made a sweeping gesture from the top of her head
toward the bottom of the bed. “Tell me about it.”

“Let’s not worry about it.” Gaige liked to face things head
on, but for now, he was willing to forget about tomorrow and live for right
now. “I’d like to get to know you better.”

“One day at a time?”

“Yes.”

“I’d like that too.” Violet sat up, all business. “I have a
million questions. But I’ll start with my mother’s. What brought you to the
Brooklyn Medical Center?”

This was where Gaige had to be cautious. He didn’t want to
lie, but the truth was a bitch he would try to circumvent as much as possible.

“I grew up in Brooklyn. My family still lives here. My
father is in the hospital.”

“I’m sorry. Is it serious?”

“He’ll recover.” Unfortunately. Yes, the truth
was
a
bitch.

“That’s good. Long Island.” Violet pointed toward herself. “My
parents moved to Brooklyn last year after I graduated from high school.”

Happy to move the conversation in a different direction,
Gaige said, “I just graduated from college.”

“Which one?”

“Yale.”

“Impressive. What was your major?”

“Economics.”

“Wow, followed by another wow. Big school. Big degree. What
are your plans? Wall Street?”

“I’m not sure what I want to do with my degree.” No lie
there.

Violet seemed to understand that. “What’s the hurry? You’ve
spent most of your life in school. Why not enjoy a little down time? Do you
want to travel?”

“I see a lot of it in my future.” Again, Gaige was telling
Violet the truth. There were eight road games in an NFL regular season. A
different city every time.

“I would love to see the world.” Violet groaned. “I never
realized how often I use that word.”

“What word?”

“See. Or some form of it. I might have to rearrange my
terminology. If… you know.”

Gaige weighed his options. Some people needed coddling. They
couldn’t handle straight talk without falling to pieces. Something told him
that Violet was made of sterner stuff.

“I would rather not pussyfoot around the whole blind thing.
Do you mind?”

“It would be a relief. My parents. The nurses. Even the
doctors refuse to use that word. As though saying it will make it true.”

“Exactly. You can’t stop using the word see, Violet. Do you
think blind people eliminate it from their vocabularies? If you want to see the
world, you will. Whether you have the use of your eyes, or not.”

“Young man! How dare you say such a thing?”

Sophia Reed stood in the doorway, a look of horrified shock
on her face.

“It’s okay, Mom. I want Gaige to be honest with me.”

“I apologize, Mrs. Reed.” Gaige knew how his words must have
sounded to someone just entering the room.

“Perhaps you should leave.”

“No. Don’t go.” Violet reached out for him, her hand
flailing through the air.

“I’ll be back.” Gaige brought her hand to his chest, just
over his heart. “Tomorrow. Same time. Same place.”

Violet smiled. “You won’t be able to miss me. I’ll be the
girl in the terribly chic hospital gown.”

“You joke, but on you, it looks fantastic.”

Gaige left, carrying the sound of Violet’s beautiful
laughter with him. Her mother had reason to worry. Though she didn’t know why.
Gaige would return tomorrow. And he would continue to lie. He only hoped when
the truth came out, Violet, and her mother, would understand.

VIOLET CONSIDERED HERSELF mature for her age. She had one year
of college under her belt. Maintained a straight-A average and held down a
part-time job at night and on the weekends. All of this without neglecting her
social life. In her opinion, she was nineteen going on thirty.

Her parents refused to see it that way.

“Why do you insist on treating me like a child?”

“You are a child, Violet.
Our
child.”

“And I always will be. But right now, I need you to think of
me as an equal.”

“Sweetheart—”

“Dad. Please. Your insurance will not cover my medical
bills. That is a fact. And the expense is only going to get worse—no matter
what the doctor says on Friday.”

“I don’t want you to worry about that. Your mother and I
will handle it.”

“My point is you don’t have to.” Violet didn’t need to see
her parents. She could picture them exchanging glances. Twenty-three years of
deep, abiding love and respect often made words unnecessary. She needed them to
understand. And
words
were
her
only way.

“I want to speak with the hospital administrator. I can
apply for aid to help pay my bills. If I need an operation, or if it turns out
I won’t be able to see again, it’s important to put the wheels in motion now. I
don’t want to be any more of a burden on you than absolutely necessary.”

“What a thing to say. You could never be a burden.” Violet
could hear the tears in her mother’s voice.

“Not emotionally.” Violet sighed. This was so much harder
when she couldn’t see them. “Financially, this could take you under. I won’t
let that happen.”

Gaige backed away from the hospital room door. He had heard
enough. More than Violet would have wanted him to. But he was glad he caught
the Reeds’ private moment. He knew what he was going to do. And the last thing
he wanted was for Violet to find out.

There was a bank of pay phones at the end of the hallway.
They were enough removed from the waiting area to give the user a bit of
privacy. Gaige walked to the last one in line. He put in the correct amount of
change and dialed.

“Gaige?” Walter answered after the first ring.

“You gotta love caller ID.”

“You’re making a joke so the news can’t be too bad.”

The news would come down on Friday. Fingers crossed, it
would all be good. Gaige had no control over that. But there was something he
could do—with Walter’s help.

“Walter, I need you to do me a favor.”

“I TOLD HIM I wasn’t feeling well, but he insisted on spinning
that sucker round and round. The results were inevitable.”

Gaige chuckled. Violet’s animated telling of her disastrous
carnival date was one he would remember for a long time.

“You threw up?”

“All over him.”

“Serves him right.”

“In all fairness, I knew better than to get on the
Whipper
Snapper
after I’d eaten two hot dogs, a diet root beer, and three bags of
popcorn.”

“You warned him. I say he deserved what he got.”

“No one deserves a lap full of sick. But I appreciate you
being on my side.”

“Always.”

Violet started to say something, but the nurse chose that
moment to show up to take her temperature. Just as well. The more Gaige looked
at her mouth, the more he wanted to kiss her. But he didn’t know how. He could
ask. All signs pointed to Violet saying yes. She smiled so sweetly. Her voice
held what could only be called affection. Plus, she told him she liked him.

Yet, Gaige hesitated. She couldn’t see him. Would he be
taking advantage of her? She thought he was a nice young man. She didn’t know
the dark side of his family.

The longer he waited to tell Violet the truth, the harder it
became. Gaige justified his silence, telling himself it didn’t matter. They
were friends. But it was a temporary situation. He was headed to Seattle.
Violet back to college. She had so much to deal with. Why dump his problems on
her?

Then his feelings for her changed. Gaige began to imagine a
life with Violet beyond the walls of the hospital. So he justified his silence
by reminding himself that she needed to maintain a positive attitude. Why upset
her before she found out her prognosis?

For a man who prided himself on facing every challenge head
on, Gaige’s lies by omission weighed on his conscience. However, today was the
day. Friday. No matter what, he would confess everything. He hoped Violet would
understand.

“There you are. I have been looking for you everywhere.”

“Walter?” Gaige couldn’t believe his eyes. “What are you
doing here?”

“After our last conversation, did you really expect me to do
your bidding without coming here first?”

“Yes.”

Walter blinked, obviously surprised at Gaige’s emphatic,
one-word answer.

“Then your Ivy League education was a waste of time. That’s
a lot of money you want to part with, Gaige. I wouldn’t be doing my job if I
didn’t make certain you weren’t throwing it away under duress.”

“I’m an adult. And it’s my money. I don’t appreciate you
treating me like some feeble-minded child. When I ask you to do something, I
expect it to get done.”

“No questions asked?”

“You can ask, Walter. But you had your chance when we spoke
on the phone. You left me with the impression that you had no problem with my
request.”

With one hand, Walter smoothed back his thinning hair. His
dark eyes narrowed. Gaige knew when his agent was weighing his words, picking
just the right ones to sway a client to his way of thinking.

“Save your breath. I’m not changing my mind.”

“I have one question. This Violet Reed. Are you paying her
medical bills out of guilt?”

“What?” Gaige frowned. “Why would you think that?”

“Then you don’t know? I didn’t think so.”

“Know what? Spit it out, Walter.”

“She’s the woman your father ran down with his car.”

Gaige felt the words like a sucker punch to his
gut—unexpected and unprepared. They almost sent him to his knees.

“No.” Gaige shook his head, refusing to believe it. “I’ve
repeatedly asked about her. I tried to find out how she was doing. They wouldn’t
even tell me her name. But she was always referred to as a girl, not a woman.
And I was told she was being treated at a different hospital.

“Sit down.” Walter urged Gaige toward the waiting area. “When
you told me to find her and pay all of her medical bills, it didn’t take long
to discover her name. The same name as the
other
woman whose bills you
wanted to take care of. Naturally, I was confused.”

“Jesus.” Gaige dropped his head into his hands. “This can’t
be happening. Why didn’t you call the second you found out?”

“Take a deep breath.” Walter patted him on the back. “I
wanted to do some digging before contacting you. I thought we might have our
signals crossed. When I confirmed my information, I hopped on the first plane.”

Gaige waited for the rubble from Walter’s bombshell to
settle, but the mess was too much for him to comprehend. All this time he hadn’t
been falling in love with a random young woman. No. Not falling. He was in
love. No doubt about it.

The obstacles he thought they would face were nothing
compared to this. His father was the reason Violet might never see again. How
was he going to tell her? And when he did, would that be the end?

“I know this is a shock.”

“That’s putting it mildly.” Gaige looked Walter in the eye. “It
doesn’t change anything. Arrange to have her medical bill paid in full.”

“Gaige.” Walter used his,
I know what’s best
, agent’s
voice. “You don’t know how long she’ll be here. Or what further treatment she
might need. Don’t commit yourself, or your money, until we take a look at the
bigger picture.”

Gaige rounded on Walter, his eyes blazing. “Jesus Christ.
Why the hell am I paying you a shitload of money? When I tell you to do
something, do it.”

Without another word, Gaige stalked away.

Walter stepped back, shocked by the outburst. He had dealt
with volatile clients, but Gaige had always been easy to handle. He listened to
Walter’s advice, taking it ninety-nine percent of the time. Whatever was going
on, he needed to stop it. Now.

Approaching the nurses’ desk, his practiced smile dripped
with sincerity.

“Excuse me, I’m a friend of the Reed family. I was supposed
to meet Alden for coffee. Is he in with Violet?”

“Mr. Reed isn’t here. But I did see Mrs. Reed. Would you
like me to page her?”

Walter’s smile widened. “That would be perfect.”

GAIGE LEFT THE hospital and hailed a taxi.

“Drive.” Gaige tossed two hundred dollar bills at the
cabbie. “Until that runs out.”

Gaige didn’t look at the view. They could have gone off the
Brooklyn Bridge and he wouldn’t have noticed. Or cared. At the moment, oblivion
seemed like a damn good option.

Violet. Fuck. He didn’t see her injuries anymore, only her
smile. But he could picture them now—in all their horrific glory. The broken
bones. The hints of bruises he occasionally spied under the pink elephant
pajamas her mother brought for her to wear.

Briefly, the happy memory of Violet’s mortified blush when
he told her which pajamas she was wearing made Gaige smile. But it didn’t last
long. His brain swirled in a violent pattern of chaos. Thoughts bumping into
each other and careening around like demented pinballs.

What had Violet told him about her accident? Gaige took a
deep breath and tried to remember. So many of their conversations began one way
and quickly evolved into something else. It was a bit like jazz. They would
riff off each other’s thoughts—playing off the words. They could start out
talking about books and end up debating the merits of two versus three-ply
toilet paper. It was nonsensical. And wonderful. Violet kept him on his toes,
making references to books and movies he didn’t know. Gaige had started a list,
planning to catch up as soon as possible.

He closed his eyes and concentrated. What had Violet said?
She was walking home after visiting some friends. They only lived a few blocks
from her parents’ brownstone. There was an accident. She didn’t remember very
much, for which she was grateful.

Gaige didn’t think she said anything else. And he hadn’t
asked. He could tell it upset her, so he changed the subject. And now he was
paying the price.

Suddenly his thoughts cleared. This was ridiculous. What was
he going to do? Run away? Leave without explaining? Violet deserved the truth.

“Turn around.”

“We’ve only gone fifty bucks worth.”

“Get me back to the hospital as fast as possible and you can
keep the difference.”

With a hundred-dollar tip as an incentive, the cab driver
made a U-turn, cutting across traffic.

Unprepared for the sudden move, Gaige slid across the seat,
rapping his head against the window. “Kill us both and the money won’t do you
any good.”

“We’ll make it in one piece.”

One piece was a relative term, but Gaige wasn’t quibbling.
He could live with a few bumps and bruises. The cab pulled to a halt exactly
where it had picked him up.

“Have a nice day.”

Gaige was about to tell the cabbie where he could shove it
when he heard someone call out his name. Violet’s father waved at him from the
outside seating area. He stood when Gaige walked toward him.

Alden Reed wasn’t a big man. Around five foot nine with a
slight build, he had a thick mop of light brown hair—the exact color of Violet’s.
He obviously adored his daughter and his wife. A good father and husband. Gaige
admired any man who fit that description.

“Mr. Reed.” Automatically, Gaige shook the other man’s hand.
It felt different. As though even his handshake was a lie. He couldn’t tell
Violet’s father the truth—not until he first spoke with her. But it made
greeting him difficult.

“I hope you don’t mind me flagging you down.” Alden Reed ran
a hand over his face. “The doctor finished his examination.”

Gaige swallowed. From the look on Alden’s face, it wasn’t
good news.

“She can’t see?”

“No.”

“I’m—”
Sorry
? Hell, of course, he was. But he was
also sick down to his soul.

‘It isn’t hopeless. There’s an operation that might restore
Violet’s sight.”

“That’s wonderful.” Gaige couldn’t understand the problem. “Is
it dangerous?”

“According to the doctor, Violet would either see, or she
wouldn’t. But there’s no reason to believe there would be any complications.
She’s young and healthy. He believes the chances of her seeing again are good.
Very good.”

“Then why do you look like it’s the end of the world?”

“My insurance won’t cover the operation.”

Gaige opened his mouth, ready to assure Alden that it wasn’t
a problem. He wanted his financial help to remain anonymous. But suddenly he had
the overwhelming need to unburden himself—to tell Violet’s father everything.

“Mr. Reed?”

Miserable, Alden turned to Gaige. “What is it, son?”

“I want to pay for the operation.”

“You?” Alden’s blue eyes grew wide, a dozen questions
flitting through them. “I don’t understand. I didn’t think you had a job. Does
your family have money? Look, Gaige, I appreciate the offer. And if you’d be
willing to make it a loan, I’ll say yes. Anything to give Violet a chance to
see again.”

“My family—” Gaige swallowed. “The money belongs to me, not
my family.”

“I don’t understand.”

“No. But if you’ll give me a chance, I’ll explain
everything. My name is Gaige Benson. And my father is the reason Violet can’t
see.”