Roommating (Preston's Mill #1) (6 page)

She wasn’t going to work over the weekend—that would be
going well beyond the call of duty, since Chris didn’t need this information
for a real deadline—but she wanted to get as much as possible done today, so it
all wouldn’t be waiting for her next week.

She looked up when she heard Jenny greet someone who had
just walked into the office.

It was a man delivering two big boxes.

Jenny handled ordering supplies, so Heather didn’t know what
was in the boxes, but she figured they were probably office supplies. With this
determined, she turned back to her spreadsheet.

“Heather?” The male voice caused her to turn back toward the
front of the office, where the delivery man was approaching her. “I’d heard you
were back in town.”

Heather smiled and stood up as her eyes focused on the man’s
face, and she recognized Billy Watson, who had been in her class at school from
kindergarten on. “Billy! How great to see you!”

They hugged briefly, and Heather was glad of the distraction
from her tedious work. Billy had been one of those guys who were always around.
Nice enough, but nothing special. But he’d grown into a decent looking man, and
Heather was always happy to see a familiar face.

They chatted for a few minutes, catching up on each other’s
lives. Then Billy said, “Hey, we should get together some time.”

“Yes, of course. That would be great.”

“What about this weekend? Are you busy?”

“I was planning to do as little as possible this weekend,
but I could probably manage dinner.”

“Tomorrow then?” Billy looked excited, as if he hadn’t
expected her to say yes to a date.

Heather wasn’t sure why she wouldn’t say yes. She liked him,
and she needed to rekindle her social life, especially since she was spending
far too much time thinking about her emotionally unavailable roommate. “Sure.
I’m in Preston’s Mill. Unit F.”

“Great. I’ll pick you up around six-thirty, if that sounds
good. We’ll just do something casual.”

Heather agreed to this plan and watched him as he left the
office. When she turned around, she was startled to see Chris standing silently
outside her father’s door.

He must have heard at least part of the conversation.

“So much for your lazy weekend,” he said, his expression
unreadable.

Heather had no idea why she felt flustered. There was
absolutely nothing wrong with going out on a date, no matter what she’d said to
Chris the day before. “I’ll still have plenty of time to be lazy.”

“At this rate, you’ll have dated every single guy in town
before the month is out.”

Heather narrowed her eyes at him, trying to figure out why
he was being so snide. He was almost acting jealous.

It was probably just a male territorial thing. It was silly,
and she wasn’t going to let it bother her. She gave him a very sweet smile.
“When I run out of eligible men in Preston, I’ll have to start scouring the
surrounding towns too.”

Chris made a wordless sound as his only reply.

Two weeks later, Chris walked into
the office and smiled. There sat Jenny and a girl from the temp agency that
they’d hired to help transfer all of those old files onto the computer, and
that was it. Heather was now the proud occupant of her own office in the far
back corner of the building.

Where eager-beaver delivery guys couldn’t see her and ask
her out on dates.

Damn Billy.

Not that it had helped much. Oh no. Not only had she gone
out to dinner with Billy, but she’d done lunch a couple of times with Randy and,
just two nights ago, Heather had gone to some food truck rodeo with Dave, the
landscaper over at their condo.

Unbelievable.

Freakin’
Dave
.

Although, if he was being fair, he could admit that she had
been putting in long hours and he could see that she was pulling her weight. They
were never going to be equals here in terms of the physical stuff, but she was
dealing with more of the mental aspect with all of the office and paperwork
stuff.

And there was no way he wanted to deal with the paperwork
end of the business. No thank you.

With a little spring in his step at the new office layout,
he stopped by his own office, did a quick job of entering in his receipts for
the day and followed up with some emails to a potential new sub-contractor and
supplier he had met earlier in the day. Feeling good about the way things were
going, Chris got up and went to find Tom. He enjoyed the time they spent together
daily, talking about the progress on the jobs and the things Chris was lining
up for future prospects.

He waved to Tom as he walked into his office when he saw the
older man was on the phone. He was going to turn and leave, but Tom held up his
hand and motioned for Chris to sit, and that he’d be done in a minute. Not a
big deal.

Chris took a seat and looked at his friend. Something was
off. He couldn’t quite put his finger on it, but there was
something
. He
looked worn out, and his voice was a little strained. Maybe he was just tired
or was talking to someone that he didn’t like, but in all the years Chris had
known Tom, this was something he had never witnessed before.

Tom hung up the phone and looked at Chris with a weary smile.
“How did things go today? Did the drywall show up on time?”

This was what they normally did—they talked shop. But right
now, it was the last thing on Chris’s mind. “You feeling all right, Tom?”

Rather than answer right away, Tom leaned back in his big
leather chair and sighed. “Just tired,” he said, but it didn’t sound
convincing. “It’s nothing.”

“Tom—”

“Did we ever hear back from Connor on that lumber for the
Madison job? If he can deliver at the cost he pitched to us, we should jump on
it.”

“Tom,” Chris said a little more sternly. “Come on. Don’t
worry about drywall and lumber. You look like hell, and to be honest, you’re
freaking me out a little. Let me go and get Heather—”

“No!” Tom interrupted a little too quickly, and then sighed
again. “Okay. I’m just…I’ve got a pain that just…well, it won’t go away.”

“Okay…where? Abdominal? Head? Chest? Did you fall? Get hurt
on one of the sites?”

Tom shook his head. “Chest pain. It’s been on and off for a
couple of hours now. I took some antacids, but it’s not helping. I was going to
call my doctor, but I got stuck on that call with my damn financial advisor and
just kept hoping the pain would go away.”

Chris stood and looked down at the older man. “You need to
go to the emergency room. Now. When did this start?”

“After lunch,” Tom said, his voice weak. “That’s why I
thought it was just something I ate, but now…”

“Tom, I’m not joking here. You can either let me drive you,
or I’m calling an ambulance.”

The two men stared at each other for several moments, and
Chris knew there was no way in hell that he wasn’t getting Tom to the hospital.
He was just about to play his ace in the hole and get Heather in here when Tom
stood up.

“Okay,” he said with relief. “Come on. I’ll drive you.”

“Thank you,” Tom replied. “Let me just—”

It was the last thing he said before he collapsed.

It was chaos after that. Chris screamed out for Heather while
he was already calling 911 on his cell phone. Everyone in the office came
running, and Chris thrust his phone at Jenny while he began to try to get Tom
to come around. Heather was beside him, frantically crying out to her father to
wake up, and all the while Chris silently prayed that they hadn’t waited too
long to do something.

He started to try CPR, but Tom was breathing so that didn’t
seem to be what was needed. Tom just wouldn’t wake up. Finally, the rescue
squad came through the door. Stepping aside immediately, he gently helped
Heather to her feet and held her as they both watched helplessly as Tom was
placed on oxygen, put on a stretcher and wheeled out.

They worked together to get Heather’s belongings so they
could follow the ambulance to the hospital. Chris called out over his shoulder
to Jenny to make calls and let people know where he was going to be and they
could reach him—and him only—on his cell. He didn’t want anyone bothering
Heather right now.

It didn’t take long to get to the hospital, and Chris instinctively
took control of the situation—although he held Heather’s hand the entire time. The
ER receptionist noted that they were there and promised to call them as soon as
they had any information on Tom. It wasn’t the answer he wanted, but he also
knew it would be pointless to argue right now.

He led Heather to a quiet corner of the waiting room and
they both sat down. “Do you want something to drink?”

She shook her head.

“Something to eat? Maybe a snack? Did you eat lunch today?”

She shook her head, but her hand never left his.

He was pretty sure she wasn’t aware of just how strong her
grip was, but he might have some serious bone fractures if he didn’t do
something.

Soon.

Casually, he pulled his hand away and put his arm around
her, tucking her head on his shoulder. It felt…nice. Kind of perfect, actually.
It was beyond inappropriate to be thinking like that right now, but he couldn’t
help it. He rested his head against hers and struggled with what to say. If
anything.

And that’s when he felt it.

A tear. Then another. And another. All landing on him. Her
slight frame trembled against him, and it almost gutted him.

“He’s going to be all right,” he said softly, gruffly. “He’s
strong and healthy, and we got him here in record time.”

“That was the scariest thing I’ve ever seen,” she whispered.
“He looked so pale and so helpless. It’s…he’s never…I’ve never…”

“Shh…” he said, not wanting her to get herself worked up. “I’m
just glad we were all there and that he wasn’t alone.”

She sat up and straightened, looking at him. “Was he all
right before he collapsed or…”

Chris immediately told her about his conversation with her
father. “He tried to downplay it, but we were getting ready to go.” Guilt
washed over him at how much time he might have cost Tom. Had he only insisted
sooner, then maybe…

“You know how stubborn he is,” she said, and then resumed
her position against him, her head resting on his shoulder again. “I know he
doesn’t take as good of care of himself as he should. I get on him for it all
the time. But I don’t know what I’ll do if something happens to him, Chris. I
can’t lose him. He’s all I have.”

He shook his head, emotion clogging his throat. “You have
me,” he said, his voice rough. “I’m right here with you.”

“It’s not the same,” she said, but there was no bitterness
in her tone. “Ever since my mom left, my dad has been everything to me. He’s
been both my mother and my father. He’s been my friend, my confidant, my
champion. That’s the only life I’ve ever known.”

“That’s a good life to have,” he responded, hugging her a
little closer. “You’re very lucky that you have that relationship. I don’t know
a lot of people that do. And knowing your dad, I think he would have been that
way even if your mom had stayed. He’s just that kind of guy.”

“Maybe. I know it just about killed him when she left, and
he was struggling with his own emotions the whole time, but he always put me
first. He would sit there and listen to me cry and try to understand how my mom
could leave me. Me!” She gave a snort of disgust. “It didn’t even occur to me
back then that she had left him too.”

“You were a kid, Heather. It’s completely natural at that
age to only see what immediately pertains to you.”

She shrugged. “I know. And we talked about it when I was
older but…still. He’s just such a huge presence, and to see him like that…on
the floor…and…”

“Miss Carver? Mr. Dole?”

They both looked up at the doctor approaching them and
immediately stood. “Yes?” Chris said and automatically gripped Heather’s small
hand in his.

“Please, let’s sit down.” He motioned back to the seats. “I’m
Dr. Mallins, and I’m assigned to your father’s care.”

Heather squeezed Chris’s hand. “How is he? Is he awake? Was
it a heart attack?”

The doctor looked at her and gave her a small smile. He was
an older man—in his sixties with gray hair and kind blue eyes. “He is awake,
and we’re running some tests now. From the initial EKG, we don’t believe it’s a
heart attack. There’s a blood test we can do to verify that as well. Now that
he’s awake and was able to tell us where the pain was exactly, I’m leaning
toward a gallbladder attack. That’s what we’re looking at now with an ultrasound.”

“When will you know for certain?” Chris asked, concern
lacing his tone.

“We’ll need a couple of hours, and we’ll be observing him
overnight as well.”

“Can we see him?” Heather asked anxiously.

“Not right now. He’s heading down to radiology for the ultrasound.
Why don’t the two of you go and grab something to eat, and maybe in two hours
we’ll have a room for him. I’ll make sure you get to see him.”

“But—” Heather began to protest.

“Thank you, Dr. Mallins,” Chris quickly interrupted. “We’ll
do that.”

With a curt nod, Dr. Mallins turned and walked away.

Heather pulled her hand from his and faced him. “Why did you
do that? Maybe we could have gone back to see him sooner? Maybe I could have
gone to radiology with him? He’s all alone! Someone should be with him!”

Her voice was nearing hysteria, and Chris knew if he didn’t
put a stop to it now, she’d lose it in a matter of minutes. “That’s enough,” he
said firmly and almost smiled when her mouth snapped shut and her eyes went
wide. “The doctors need to do their jobs, and they don’t need us back there
getting in the way. Now, he asked us to give him a couple of hours, and we need
to respect that.”

And then her eyes began to well with tears.

With a muttered curse, he immediately pulled her into his
arms and held her as she cried.

***

It was after midnight when they
finally arrived home. Both were exhausted and quiet as they walked in. Lucy was
near frantic and Heather immediately scooped her up and apologized profusely
for being home so late.

“I’m so sorry, sweet girl,” she cooed. “Let’s get your
leash.”

“I’ll take her,” Chris said and walked over to the hook near
the door and got the dog’s leash.

“What? Why?”

“You’re tired. It’s been a long day. Why don’t you go and
get ready for bed, and I’ll take care of Lucy. She’ll need to eat too, and I’m
not sure I’m ready to go to sleep yet so I’ll stay up with her.”

“Chris.”

At the sound of his name on her lips like that, without
thinking, he walked over to kiss her, catching himself at the last minute and
pressing a light kiss on her head before getting the dog hooked up and walking out
the door. Thankfully, Lucy was quick to do her business and they were back
inside in less than five minutes. He unhooked her and then went over to the
kitchen to put food and fresh water in her bowls before opening the
refrigerator and pulling out a beer. He held it in his hands and decided it
wasn’t what he wanted and put it back before grabbing a bottle of water.

Behind him, he heard Heather moving around in the bathroom—no
doubt washing her face and brushing her teeth. All the things that went into
her nightly routine.

She’d been quiet on the ride home. They both were. It took a
little over two hours after they’d first talked to Dr. Mallins before they were
able to go up and see Tom. He was sedated and barely knew they were there, but
Heather had sat at his side and talked to him for hours, while Chris had gone
out and talked with the doctor.

“As far as we can see, this isn’t a cardiac event. We’ve
done all the tests, and his heart is fine. His blood work is good.”

“Then what’s the problem?” Chris asked, raking a hand
through his hair in frustration. “A healthy man doesn’t collapse like that!”

“We saw gallstones in the ultrasound. They’re fairly common
but when they go on the move, they’re quite painful. We’ll be removing his
gallbladder in the morning. He’s scheduled for tomorrow at eleven in the
morning.”

Chris had sagged with relief and, when he’d told Heather,
she had been equally relieved. When he finally convinced her to leave, she had
only agreed because Tom was sound asleep. She’d vowed to be back here first
thing in the morning. There was no way Chris was going to argue with that or
remind her that her car was still at the office and she’d have to rely on him
to get there.

Lucy’s bark brought him back to the present.

“You ready to go out again?” he asked with a chuckle, and
the dog pranced back over to the door. Putting her leash back on, they repeated
their path down the stairs and outside where Lucy was a little slower to do her
business. Chris wanted to be annoyed, but he figured the poor dog had suffered
enough with them coming home so late and being locked inside all day. And as
much as he hated to admit it, she was a good dog.