Something From Tiffany’s (8 page)

A little while later she reached the hospital, and going up to Gary’s floor she approached the nurses’ station near his room.

‘Hi there! Merry Christmas to you,’ she greeted happily. ‘I’m here to see Gary Knowles in room 303. How is he?’

‘Merry Christmas to you too! Go ahead on in. He’s fine and resting well,’ the nurse on duty said in what Rachel recognised as a thick New Jersey accent. ‘He’s a fidgety one, though. I’m guessing it’s the meds, but he’s been talking in his sleep off and on all morning. Something about a Ducati?’

Rachel smiled apologetically. ‘Yes, he’s a bit of a motorbike enthusiast. Sorry about that. I’m sure there are things you’d rather be doing on Christmas morning than listening to such ramblings.’

‘Don’t worry about it,’ the nurse chuckled, waving an arm. ‘It’s kind of funny – my husband has a Ducati too, and if I didn’t know better I’d ask if his injuries were from riding. Al, my husband, slipped on black ice two weeks ago and had rib problems really similar to your husband’s.’

‘Oh, he’s not my—’ Rachel caught herself before she uttered
husband
. But the very thought of the word sent fresh flutters through her stomach. ‘I mean, we’re engaged, but no, he got hurt in an accident, actually. His first time in New York and he gets hit by a yellow cab,’ she added, with an ironic half-smile. ‘I’m sorry to hear about your husband, though.’

‘Oh no, he’s fine. Couldn’t keep him off that bike if I tried. Honestly, I think if he had to choose between me and that thing . . . I’d probably be a single woman by now!’ The nurse laughed good-naturedly. ‘Well, I won’t hold you up. You have a nice visit.’

‘Thank you . . . Kim,’ Rachel said, reading her name tag. ‘I’m Rachel, and I’m sure I’ll see you on my way out.’

‘Sure.’

But, peeking around the corner of Gary’s room, the joy Rachel had felt all morning suddenly gave way to a potent dose of reality. Her boyfriend looked even worse than he had the night before. One side of his face was swollen, scraped and black and blue, and he was hooked up to an IV. He looked so still and pitiful that she felt her stomach lurch, and swallowed hard as she sat down in the chair next to his bed.

Wracked with guilt, she berated herself for being so carefree and happy when her poor fiancé was lying here in agony. Then, telling herself that he probably looked worse than he felt, and remembering that his injuries weren’t extensive, she leaned over and kissed Gary tenderly on the forehead.

As he batted his eyes open slowly, her vision blurred a bit through her tears. This was all so strange, she thought. Did this man who spent most weekends riding with his bike club, and who was getting ready for a three-week European tour next spring really want to marry her? And what if his injuries
had
been from riding – how would she feel then? Or what if—

She stopped thinking and rebuked herself for being negative, especially when she was usually so good at focusing on the positive. Maybe she just was so caught off guard by Gary’s intentions that it had really thrown her for a loop. The man had bought her a shockingly expensive diamond, for goodness’ sake, and was now ready to show her his sensitive side. Yes, that was it, Rachel told herself.

‘Good morning, my love,’ she said, when Gary moaned again. ‘Merry Christmas.’

It took a good ninety seconds for him to turn his head slightly and begin to respond. ‘Hey . . . was in a bloody accident . . .’ he slurred. ‘Some fool hit me.’

‘I know, I know, a taxi. But you’re OK. I mean, it’s nothing serious and . . . God, Gary, I’m so sorry.’ Rachel couldn’t help but feel responsible. ‘This was supposed to be the trip of a lifetime. I can’t believe this happened. Should I call your family? I wasn’t sure if—’

‘Yeah, stupid gobshite . . .’ he said, barely perceptibly, before his eyes fell shut once again. Hoping he was referring to the taxi driver and not her, it made Rachel smile. He was obviously high on the medication.

‘Hey, I’m sorry for being nosy,’ Kim whispered suddenly from the doorway, ‘but what does
that
mean? He’s been saying it off and on all morning too.’

Rachel was grinning. ‘It’s sort of an Irish swear word.’

‘Ah, I see. Well, pardon me for saying so, but I think that accent is kinda sexy,’ Kim chuckled, going to the top of the bed and doing something with the saline drip bag. ‘Even with that bruised face, I can see why you fell for this guy.’

Rachel smiled proudly. ‘Yes, I really did fall for him . . . hard and fast,’ she replied. ‘I just wish I could let him know that I . . .’ Her voice trailed off, and when Kim looked at her questioningly, she shook her head. ‘Me and my big mouth,’ she continued, somewhat guiltily.

She didn’t know if it was a combination of being basically alone in a strange city at Christmas, or just the excitement of bearing a big secret, but for some reason she felt very much at ease with this nurse. Or maybe it was the fact that Kim had experience of life with another motorbike enthusiast?

‘Christmas,’ Gary mumbled suddenly. ‘You’re gonna love what I got you . . . wait till you see it.’ He seemed to be talking to himself and Rachel wondered if he was aware that she was even there. ‘And you should see my new cufflinks . . .’ That was the last thing he managed before the drugs got the better of him yet again.

‘Well, now I’m intrigued!’ Kim said, smiling at Rachel. ‘Wonder what he got you that’s s’posed to be so great?’

‘Actually I kind of already know,’ she confessed, unable to hold it in any longer. She winced, hoping that telling someone else might help absolve her of some of the guilt. ‘I already opened the package.’

Kim was wide-eyed. ‘You’re kiddin’ me! And what did you get?’

When Rachel didn’t answer, but instead looked guiltily at a sleeping Gary, Kim raised an eyebrow. ‘Somethin’ tells me you could use a cup of coffee and a chat right now, sweetheart,’ she said, grinning. ‘I’m due to take a little break soon. Wanna join me? Trust me, he’ll never know you left.’

Rachel looked from Kim to Gary. He certainly wasn’t going anywhere. ‘Thanks, I’d love to,’ she said, meaning it.

‘I can’t go far, but let me grab us something from the machine and you can join me in the lounge,’ the nurse said, already moving in that direction.

‘Thank you. This is so nice of you.’ Rachel was delighted to have someone to unload to. As it was she could never keep anything to herself.

‘So I take it you had big plans for this Christmas?’ Kim asked, as they picked up two cups of coffee, with creamers, sugar packets and stir sticks. ‘A flight from Ireland is no short jaunt.’

‘Well, someone obviously had big plans –’ Rachel paused as she stirred in her sugar ‘– but I knew nothing about them.’

Kim nodded in the direction of Gary’s room. ‘You mean that good-lookin’ Irishman back there.’

‘Exactly. The problem is that it was supposed to be a surprise. A big surprise. You see . . .’ Rachel started to explain, but Kim cut her off, a question in her eyes.

‘Wait a minute. You said before that you guys were engaged, but I’ve just noticed there’s no ring on your finger.’ Suddenly her eyes grew wide. ‘Oh boy, I get it! He had his accident yesterday, on Christmas Eve. He was gonna propose today, and you found the ring in his pocket or something, right?’

‘Not quite . . . at least, not in his pocket.’ Rachel looked away but gave a big toothy grin that spoke volumes.

‘But you did find it? And now you’re excited, but frustrated that you can’t tell anyone, yet at the same time guilty?’

‘In a nutshell, yes.’ Rachel laughed, relieved she didn’t have to spell it out. She told Kim all about the Tiffany’s bag that had been with Gary’s shopping. ‘I’ll bet you’re a good nurse, but I think you’d be an even better detective!’

‘Well, don’t be so sure about that. And don’t feel so guilty either. See, he’s a typical man. He didn’t have his shopping done or gifts wrapped by Christmas Eve, then when he’s rushing back to try to make up for lost time he goes and gets himself hit by a cab.’ She shook her head in mock exasperation. ‘If you ask me, it’s his own damn fault you found that ring . . . and probably his own fault he got mowed down in New York traffic too!’

Rachel laughed out loud. ‘Oh I really shouldn’t be laughing, but thank you. Telling someone is such a load off my mind.’

Fifteen minutes after the start of Kim’s ‘ten-minute break’, the two of them were still chatting away. ‘It’s funny,’ Rachel was saying, ‘I suppose you just never know who you’ll end up with. I don’t know . . . there’s just something about Gary. This is so like him: hitting me out of the blue like this, catching me completely off guard. It’s exciting.
He’s
exciting.’

‘Exciting is good. Hell, so are big rocks on your finger. Not that I would know, mind you,’ Kim said with some sarcasm, looking at her own hands. ‘But you be sure you’ve got the lasting friendship stuff going on too. That’s one thing Al and I have. I was only kiddin’ before about him choosing the Ducati over me – at least I think I was,’ she said, smiling at her own joke. ‘We’re really pretty crazy about each other, you know. Got married young, and have been together a long time.’

‘I want to be like that,’ Rachel said dreamily. ‘Gary believes in me and that means a lot. He’s a builder, you know, and last year he helped my best friend and me turn our dreams of opening a restaurant into reality. He gave us the cheapest quote by far, and later admitted it was only because he wanted to ask me out,’ she said, fondly. ‘He worked day and night to get the refurbishments finished on time, and then the day before we opened he pulled up to the bistro.’ She smiled at the memory. ‘We were just having the equipment hauled in, and I was covered in dust and paint. I was exhausted and looked a complete mess, and suddenly I heard someone revving a bike. It was Gary. He insisted on helping us out, as a favour.’ She shook her head. ‘Looks like he’s surprising me for the second time, and again it worked.’

‘It
almost
worked,’ Kim clarified. ‘You make sure he gives you a proper proposal too. Don’t you let on for a minute that you know about that ring.’

‘No, of course I won’t. I’m just dying to have it on my finger, though. Oh you should see the size of it, Kim,’ she cried excitedly. ‘It’s absolutely breathtaking. It must be worth a fortune.’

Kim smiled and Rachel noticed her twisting the wedding ring on her own finger. It was a simple gold band. ‘I would say one thing – and don’t get me wrong now, this is just the standard advice I give to all of my friends who have got engaged, mostly ’cos marriage is such a huge leap.’

‘What?’ Rachel sat forward, only too happy to get the benefit of this lovely woman’s experience.

‘OK, here it is: you just make sure that he thinks
you’re
worth more than you think that ring is worth. There. And I don’t just mean the way you look with that body and that hair and those huge blue eyes . . . uh, you can stop me any time . . .’ She paused, laughing. ‘But seriously. You know what I mean. Make sure he really, you know, knows you, loves you, cares about what makes you happy.’

Rachel didn’t answer for several seconds. She took a long sip of her coffee.

Kim reminded her of Terri, in a way. Her friend was a real rock of sense, naturally cautious, and, unlike Rachel, wasn’t prone to mad bouts of reckless enthusiasm. Just as well she was the business brain in the partnership, although of course Terri was an amazing cook too.

As Rachel thought of Terri, she remembered how her friend also tried to give her advice. ‘Being impetuous can only get you into trouble,’ her friend routinely teased. But Rachel guessed that her impulsive nature had come from her roots, as her dad was second-generation Sicilian. He’d been dead for over ten years now and Rachel had almost got used to being alone, having also lost her mother when she was much younger. Suddenly, a bubble of happiness developed inside her when she realised that after years of being alone, Gary would now be her family. She smiled.

‘I know exactly what you mean, and I couldn’t agree with you more,’ she said, standing up. ‘I suppose I’d better go and see if Gary’s awake.’

‘And I –’ Kim said, checking her watch ‘– had better head back to the desk, half an hour too late. Ah, it’s Christmas, so shoot me.’

‘Thanks for this, I really enjoyed it. Will I catch you later? Or if not, will you be on duty over the next couple of days? Maybe we can do this again.’

‘Of course. I’m not going anywhere and I’d love to. Believe me, I can’t wait to hear how this love story turns out!’

‘Me neither,’ Rachel grinned, waving after her new friend.

Chapter 6

It was the following day, and Fifth Avenue was once again swarming with shoppers. While Ethan knew there would of course be crowds, this morning the surrounding buzz of activity merely exacerbated his worries and confusion.

All he could think about was Vanessa. Fortunately she had wanted to take advantage of the post-Christmas sales and had set off on her own for the better part of the day. That gave Ethan the chance to try to do something about the missing ring besides simply ruminating over it.

Yet he knew that Vanessa wasn’t much of a shopper by nature, didn’t usually care about sales, and hadn’t made any mention of shopping throughout the trip. Not until a particularly awkward moment the night before.