Bride on the Children's Ward / Marriage Reunited: Baby on the Way (5 page)

Clearing his throat, he closed the journals and returned them to the shelves, wondering what he could do to apologise for trampling on her emotions. Should he get her flowers? No. She didn’t like cut flowers. A pot plant? No. She wouldn’t be in town for long. He needed to think of something.

Perhaps a nice quiet dinner at one of her favourite hangouts? That might be nice. Just the two of them. His eyes widened at the thought. He knew he’d vowed less than an hour ago to keep his distance where Eden was concerned, but his
faux pas
couldn’t be left as it was. Besides, they were friends. Nothing more.

He could cope for one night.

Without stopping to think further on his idea, he decided to be impulsive and hauled out the phone book, quickly locating the number of a small Italian restaurant she’d frequented in her teens. He knew it was still there because every time he drove past it he would think of her and the way she’d slurped spaghetti until the sauce was all over her face. She would laugh brightly and encourage Sasha to do the same. David shook his head, remembering the way Eden had unlocked the gate of his sister’s emotions. Sasha had been a girl who had been too shy to open up to anyone before Eden Caplan had entered their lives, filling it with laughter and sunshine.

He dialled the number and made reservations for that evening, knowing he could easily cancel them if she had other plans, although he secretly hoped she didn’t. Once it was done, he realised that it was the first spontaneous thing he’d done in a long while. He’d always equated spontaneity with Eden, and here he was, back in her presence and already acting on impulse.

He laughed at himself. ‘Really letting go, Montgomery. Dinner reservations? What a fly-by-the-seat-of-your-pants thing to do.’

Now all he had to do was to get Eden to agree to come. Would she?

Eden sat in the chair by the window, pretending to read a glossy magazine, but every so often her gaze flicked to Sasha, who was lying in bed, her eyes closed. Robert had gone to make a few phone calls, so it was just the two of them.

Eden was pleased she felt more in control. Thanks to David she’d been able to let go, to weep for her friend, and now she was ready to be strong, to get Sasha through the next few weeks at least. She flicked a page in the magazine, barely scanning it.

‘Stop faking.’ Sasha’s weak words came from the bed. Eden looked at her but didn’t move.

‘Meaning?’

‘You hate those glossy things. I remember you saying if women took the money they spent on shoes and put it towards a good charity instead, poverty in the world would be less and women wouldn’t have so many painful calluses on their feet.’

Eden smiled. ‘Well, it’s true. I mean, just look at these shoes and the price they’re asking for them.’ She held up the page so Sasha could see. ‘It’s ridiculous.’ She put the magazine down and walked towards the bed. ‘I’m not saying people shouldn’t buy shoes. Of course they need shoes to wear. But you can only wear one pair at a time.’

Sasha laughed. ‘Same old Eden.’

‘You sound like David—and enough with the old. You’re the same age I am, missy.’

Sasha reached out her hand and Eden instantly took it. ‘I know, but right now I feel ten times my age.’

‘Rubbish.’

‘Eden, it’s true.’ Sasha glanced behind her at the closed door. ‘Where’s Robert?’

‘Gone to make some phone calls. He said he wouldn’t be long. Do you want me to go find him?’

‘No.’ Sasha’s word was insistent and her big brown eyes—which were so much like her brother’s—stared at Eden. ‘I’m scared, Ede.’ Her lower lip began to quiver and her eyes instantly filled with tears. ‘I’ve put on a brave face. I’ve told everyone not to cry, not to lie and not to look back, but…’ She hiccuped. ‘I can’t walk.
I can’t walk!
’ The tears bubbled over. ‘One minute my life is on track, and the next I’m lying in a hospital beneath a big round X-ray machine being told my spinal cord’s been severely damaged and that I may never walk again. It’s not fair. It’s
so
not fair. Poor Robert looks at me like he doesn’t know what to do next, and I don’t know what I want him to do, and we’ve only been married for a few years and I love him so much, but it’s not fair to put him through this, but if he leaves I’ll just shrivel up into nothing, and I have to know…What am I supposed to do now?’ She broke down and sobbed, clinging to Eden’s arm.

Eden reached for a tissue with her free hand and gently dabbed the tears away, brushing the hair from her friend’s face. The door to the private room opened and Eden glanced up as David slipped in. She silently communicated that he should stay back, which he did. Sasha’s sobs were so heartwrenching, so full of pain and despair it really was heartbreaking, but Eden was glad Sasha had finally broken down.

Softly she spoke. ‘
This
is what you’re supposed to do, Sash. You’re supposed to cry, honey. You’re allowed to wallow, to feel sorry for yourself. You need to let the emotions out so the healing can come in.’ She leaned closer and kissed Sasha’s forehead. ‘Don’t be ashamed to cry.’

Sasha reached up with her other arm and hooked it around Eden’s neck, holding her friend close as she cried. Eden could feel the pain, feel the anguish, and it was impossible to stop her own tears.

‘I hate feeling sorry for myself,’ Sasha whispered. ‘What if I get so depressed I stay that way?

‘Not going to happen. You’re too strong for that. Besides, a little depression is more than natural given what you’ve been through. You need to let it out, let out the stress and the anxiety and the uncertainty. You are surrounded by people who love you.’

Eden looked over at David and he walked towards his sister. Sasha looked up at him and David’s heart constricted at the look in her eyes. It was as though she was six years old again and had done something wrong, and didn’t have a clue what to do next.

‘Cry, my sweet friend, because you’ll feel much better—I promise.’ Eden spoke softly but clearly near Sasha’s ear. ‘It’s OK to cry. It’s OK,’ she soothed. ‘I’m here, David’s here, and let’s not forget that brilliant husband of yours. We won’t let you fall.’ Eden sniffed as she spoke, her voice thick with emotion as she made such solemn promises to her friend. Tears slid down her cheeks as she felt Sasha’s pain. Her tears must have landed on Sasha because her friend looked up.

‘Why are
you
crying?’ Sasha asked, sniffing and releasing her grip on Eden to reach for a tissue.

‘Me? I’m not crying.’ She wiped at her own eyes, belying her words. ‘I merely have itchy eyes. On my way here I walked by the catering hall and they were chopping heaps of onions. I must have breathed in deeper than I thought and that’s why my eyes are watering. Crying?
Pffttt!
’ She waved the suggestion away as though it was ludicrous.

Sasha started laughing at the ridiculous excuse. ‘That’s our Eden. Isn’t it, David? Always saying the craziest things.’

David looked across at Eden and acknowledged the deep, abiding friendship the two women had shared for most of their lives. For two weeks he’d watched his sister being brave, helping everyone else to deal with what had happened. He’d been deeply concerned that her own grieving process hadn’t started, but now he realised she’d simply been waiting…waiting for Eden. Eden would be strong for Sasha, would help his sister through this difficult time.

What was
his
role, then? To be strong for Eden? To let her lean on him as she had just a few hours ago? The idea certainly had a definite appeal to it.

Eden smiled at her friend. ‘It’s what I’m here for. Now, take a deep breath. Nice and slow.’ Sasha did as she was told. ‘Then let it out just as slowly. There. Feel better?’

Sasha’s answer was to look at her friend and laugh again. ‘That’s my Eden,’ she repeated. ‘You’re such an amazing person.’

Eden dabbed gently at the corner of Sasha’s eyes with a tissue. ‘Right back at ya.’

‘Ugh. I must look a sight.’ Sasha tried to finger-comb her hair and Eden quickly found a brush and passed it over. David smiled at them.

‘You both look like you’ve been chewing raw onions.’

‘You’re such a charmer, David Montgomery.’

‘But you did eat raw onions once, right? I distinctly remember coming into the kitchen and you were both redfaced, puffy noses and eyes, and eating raw onions.’

Eden groaned. ‘Do you remember every stupid thing we ever did?’

David grinned and crossed his arms over his chest, enjoying the opportunity to tease her a little. ‘Pretty much. Why were you eating them again?’

Eden squared her shoulders. ‘It was a test. To see if boys were stupid enough to do anything for a pretty girl, even if she smelled like onions.’

Sasha giggled. ‘That’s right. We had a dance on at school and three different boys had asked you to go. That was a funny night.’

The door to the room opened and this time it was Robert who came in. Sasha immediately put on a bright face, not wanting her husband to see she’d been upset. Eden gave her hand a squeeze and leaned down to whisper in her ear. ‘Let him see you like this, Sash. Vulnerability is sometimes a good thing, and he loves you very much. Open up to him. Let him help you.’ She kissed her friend’s forehead again before pulling away.

Robert walked over to his wife’s side and smiled down at her. ‘You all right?’

‘We’ve been eating onions.’ Eden spoke matter-of-factly, as though the comment was perfectly normal. Sasha giggled when Robert looked blankly at her. ‘I’ll let Sash explain. David?’ Eden smiled brightly at him and crossed to his side, lacing her arm through his and flicking her hair down her back. ‘Why don’t you show me your ward? I’d love to meet some of your patients.’ She urged him towards the door and thankfully he picked up on her cue. ‘I’ll be back in about half an hour,’ she said to Sasha over her shoulder.

‘OK.’ Sasha was looking lovingly at her husband.

‘Eat some onions with Robert,’ David suggested, before escorting Eden from the room.

Once they were out, Eden kept her arm where it was, even though she felt him shift away. ‘They need to be alone.’

David agreed. ‘It looks as though you’ve broken the drought.’

‘Yes, thank goodness. Now hopefully they can cry together and heal together.’

David shook his head as they walked slowly along the corridor. ‘You’re quite a woman, Eden.’

‘So glad you’ve noticed,’ she said saucily. Since she’d discovered his parents had been the real reason why he’d left all those years ago, she felt as though at least one huge weight had been lifted from her shoulders. She tightened her grip on his arm, liking that she could be this close to him again.

David was well aware of the looks he was receiving from the nursing staff, and he smiled politely—as though it was more than natural for him to walk around the hospital with an incredible redhead on his arm.

‘Eden. You’re flirting again.’

‘Am I, David? Well, thank you so much for pointing that out.’

‘Perhaps you need to really eat some onions.’

‘Would that stop you from holding my arm?’

‘Who’s holding whose arm?’ he countered. He paused for a moment, then asked, ‘Did it work?’

‘Did what work?’

‘The onion test. Did the
three
boys who asked you to the dance do anything and everything for you?’

‘Two did, one didn’t. He was the one I dated.’

‘How old were you?’

‘Fifteen, I think. Yep. Bryce Martineau. Dated him for a whole two weeks. But the chemistry wasn’t there so it was soon over.’

‘Chemistry.’ He muttered the word as he led her into the stairwell. He didn’t want to think about physical chemistry when he was this close to her.

‘It’s everything.’

‘Hmm.’ He’d hoped that in the stairwell she’d let go of his arm, but instead she simply moved closer and he knew exactly what she meant when she said
chemistry
. Awareness was coursing through him, the need to haul her into his arms and press his mouth to hers was overwhelming and difficult to resist, but resist, he would. ‘Eden, we’re not going to fit up these stairs squashed together.’

‘No?’ An imp of mischief buzzed through her and she felt young and free, being with him, being this close to him. He’d used to like it when she was this close. In fact, she could recall plenty of times when he’d crushed her into his arms, holding her tightly as his mouth devoured hers. It had been the best time of her life so far, and a part of her wanted that throw-caution-to-the-wind feeling back again.

Her smile increased. ‘Are you sure you don’t want to try? Could be fun?’ She wriggled a little, closing the distance, the side of her breast grazing against his chest.

David groaned and dropped her arm, moving right away from her—which was difficult given the confined space.

‘Should have taken the lift,’ he muttered, and she laughed, reaching down to take his hand.

‘How about this? Is holding hands OK? After all, we are such dear old friends.’ Without another word she tugged him forward, and he had little option but to follow her up the stairs. ‘Now, which way to the ward?’ she asked, not letting go of his hand.

He decided he might as well enjoy it for the moment, because he was only fooling himself if he denied the chemistry which coursed between them. It still didn’t mean he was going to act upon it.

‘Left.’

She turned left and soon they were at two big doors which were painted with a bright and cheerful mural of animals, flowers and rainbows.

‘Lovely. Your ward is just lovely, David.’ She gave his hand a little squeeze before she let it go. ‘Shall we?’

‘We shall.’ David opened the door, holding it for her like the gentleman he was.

‘Ahh, there you are,’ said one of the nurses, phone receiver in hand, as they walked to the nurses’ station. Her badge said her name was Francie, and she replaced the phone. ‘I was just about to page you.’

‘What’s the matter?’

‘It’s Dart.’

‘Gone downhill?’

‘Quite rapidly.’

‘Is his mother here?’

Francie nodded. ‘She arrived about an hour ago.’

‘Did you tell her we were thinking of letting Dart go home tomorrow?’

‘I did.’

David shook his head. ‘Well, here’s hoping we don’t disappoint her. Has he had his medicine?’