Sweet but Sexy Boxed Set (23 page)

Chapter Eight

Hailey picked her coat up from the kitchen chair. Without thinking, she ran onto the ice-covered sidewalk.

The paramedic caught her as her legs began to slide out from under her.
“Careful. Let’s get you in the back of the ambulance. Your father is asking for you.”

She climbed up and sat next to the other paramedic on the small metal ledge connected to the sidewall.

Her father called out her name.

She reached over and gripped his hand.
“I’m right here. I’m so sorry. I shouldn’t have left you alone.”

“
Get your momma for me. Where’s your mom at?”

Hailey covered her mouth with her free hand and swallowed the tears blocking her throat. Even though there had been episodes and indicators over the last few days, she
’d refused to believe her siblings when they said her father couldn’t be alone. She had accused both of them—and Nate too—of exaggerating the magnitude of his disorientation.

She
’d asked for an ultimate sign that her father was as bad as everyone had said and now had seen the worst with her own eyes.

He
’d been screaming for his wife since she’d returned home and confused Hailey for her mother for a second time in two days. And when she first tried to help him, he had used abusive language and swung at her once.

“
Can’t you give him anything?”

“
We have to be careful about what we administer. I’m betting they take him to surgery tonight. We don’t want to do something that will prevent that.”

“
But he’s in so much pain.”

“
I know. We’ll be there in a few minutes and the doctor will do what he can.”

She bent slightly at the waist, trying to get closer to her father. The ambulance swayed as it rounded the corner and she nearly lost her balance. Holding her father
’s hand, she chastised herself for leaving him alone to go investigate her unresolved feelings about the past.

Nate.

After kissing him, she’d fled the house in an embarrassed state of horror. Why did he have this effect on her? Maybe avoidance
was
her auto-response to the tough issues.

But it was more than that. She
’d almost turned around to go back to Nate’s twice, but resisted the urge. There was nothing cut and dried about the situation. Obviously there was still a physical attraction, but their worlds were wildly different and so much time had passed.

Even if Nate wanted a second attempt at a relationship—and she wasn
’t sure he did—they’d both endured so many changes, they had to be different people than they were back then.

Still, calling Nate for help was her first thought when she found her father.

Seeing him on the bathroom floor and not being able to help him struck a panic. Feeling helpless, she wanted Nate’s strong arms around her again.

If only…

Several moments later, the ambulance came to a full stop. Hailey heard the doors to the cab slam. “I think we’re at the hospital. The doctors are going to help you.”

Her father
’s only response was to moan. At least he wasn’t crying out, but Hailey now doubted that he was fully aware of his surroundings.

The back doors flung open. The paramedic nudged at her shoulder.
“Go ahead and jump down so we can get him out.”

She followed orders, and walked the few short steps to the hospital bay doors. Folding her arms in front of her chest, she waited. So focused on her father
’s care, she didn’t realize Nate was there until his hand brushed her shoulder.

“
How did you beat us here?” It was all she could think to say.

He shrugged his shoulders.
“You called and I came.”

Her first urge was to step closer, lean on him for emotional support, but even though they
’d had a nice long talk at his place earlier, it still felt like there was a divide between them. She pushed her hands into her pockets in order to resist the urge to touch him. “I appreciate it.”

“
I’m so sorry. Your dad is a good man.”

“
Why didn’t I listen to Jake? He told me not to leave him alone for too long.”

“
You didn’t know something bad would happen.”

She took a couple of steps toward the ambulance.
“What did you say about my big-city, rose-colored glasses?”

“
You staying home wouldn’t necessarily have prevented the fall.”

She knew Nate was right—it wasn
’t as if she’d been following her father into the bathroom—but it didn’t lessen the shadow of guilt that darkened her already dim spirit. “But he wouldn’t have been all alone and in pain for so long.”

“
You weren’t at my place for more than an hour. He couldn’t have been down that long.”

She turned back toward Nate and really looked at him. He
’d answered her plea for help, even though she’d turned and ran from him. More than once. “I’m not sure why I called you.”

“
I’m glad you did.”

She wondered if that kiss she had wanted for so long had meant something to him. She was still trying to sort out her frayed emotions but knew that it felt more right than any other decision she
’d made since her mother had passed away.

But it wasn
’t only her life that had changed.

Realizing he was alone, she asked,
“Where is Lori?”

“
Anna came home after you left. She could babysit.”

Jake approached the two of them as the paramedics brought her father out of the back of the ambulance.

“What happened?”

She crossed her arms and took a step away from him. Toward Nate.
“I told you on the phone. He fell.”

“
You said you left him alone. For how long?”

“
I went to talk to Nate, about the house,” Hailey said.

Nate continued where she stopped.
“She was at my place an hour at the most.”

Jake scrapped his hand across his chin.
“Obviously it was too long.”

“
Just what I need, more guilt. I’m sorry. You were right. Is that what you want to hear?”

“
I don’t want to be right. I just want you to understand how serious this is. I want you to realize Kelly and I haven’t been overreacting.”

Hailey now knew she was the one who
’d been misreading the situation. She’d been in denial over her father because it was hard enough to lose one parent. She didn’t want to think about the other one slipping away. “I see that now. He’s asking for mom.”

Before Jake could respond, a nurse with a familiar face that Hailey couldn
’t put a name to approached them. Thankfully, she started talking to Jake, and let Hailey hide behind her veil of embarrassment and remorse. She turned, taking a few steps away from them.

Within seconds, strong hands came to rest on her shoulders. She didn
’t have to turn to know it was Nate. The way he gripped her might have given it away, or the combined scents of strong soap and the aftershave that had been making her light-headed at his house, but it was something more than that.

“
Your brother is just angry and frustrated with the situation.”

“
I don’t deserve your kindness. Not after everything that’s happened between us.”

“
You apologized. We’re moving forward. Right?” He put a gentle pressure on her shoulders, guiding her to face him.

She did without fighting.

“Right now isn’t the time, but you’re not leaving town until we talk about what happened earlier tonight.”

In a moment of weakness, she
’d given in to her desires and expressed the yearnings that still burned inside her. He didn’t seem angry about it—he wasn’t showing any emotion at all—but he was making it clear there were not going to be any more loose ends.

He
’d drawn a line in the sand and insisted upon resolution.

If only she could figure out what resolution her heart really wanted.

****

Hailey and Jake followed the nurse back into the pre-op area. They
’d been told the doctor would give them a brief update before taking their father to surgery. She’d asked Nate to come along, but he opted out, whispering in her ear that there wasn’t a place for him in the family discussion.

The doctor stood near a nurses
’ station, all of the beds in the room were empty.

“
Where’s my dad?” Hailey asked.

“
They’ve already taken him down to surgery.” The doctor barely looked up from their father’s chart as they approached. “It’s going to take about two hours for me to get the hip set. With the anesthesia and the follow-up pain medications, you shouldn’t expect to see him again until morning. My best estimate for recovery time is a few days here in the hospital, and then another ten days to two weeks in a rehab facility. After that he’s going to require around-the-clock care for quite some time.”

Jake spoke before Hailey could.
“He won’t be going home. He was set to go to Pioneer next week. Can he transition from rehab to there?”

The doctor nodded.
“Looking at his medical records, I think that’s a very wise choice.”

Hailey closed her eyes and took one step away.
“I feel so guilty. Is there anything I can personally do to help him recover?” Hailey said.

Jake spoke through clenched teeth.
“Please. Don’t reopen this. These decisions have been made.”

“
I know he can’t come home, but does that mean I can’t help with his recovery at all?”

The doctor turned his focus to Hailey, despite Jake
’s vocal dissention. “Often, traumatic injuries—like he’s suffered tonight—lead to an even more rapid decline in general health. But, you can still play an active role in his recovery if you want. Most of the therapists here at the hospital don’t mind family members being part of the process by helping with the exercises and being encouraging.”

Hailey nodded her response. She could do what he suggested, and knew that taking an active role would be a good way to deal with her mounting guilt about being absent.

After the doctor left the two of them alone in the empty pre-op room. Hailey felt as if Jake was staring clear through her, looking into her conflicted heart. She started to turn and retreat to the waiting room, but his voice called her back.

“
There’s something going on with you.” It wasn’t a question. His voice was softer, resembling that of the big brother she remembered of their youth, when he was her protector.

“
I just hate this.”

“
We all do. But I get a feeling it’s more than that. You’ve been moody. Withdrawn.”

“
I’ve been really homesick for a while now. I feel like Dad needs me. Maybe I should move home and help you and Kelly take care of him.”

“
You said that last night. But what about your job?”

Hailey rubbed her temples as she moved toward a chair next to one of the beds. She dropped to the seat and struggled with the voice in her gut saying it was time to come clean with her family. No matter how she tried, she couldn
’t find the strength or the words to say that she’d failed.

Quickly, she ran the numbers in her head. There was enough money in her savings account to cover six weeks
’ worth of bills. She could go back to the city and continue her job search second-guessing if that’s where she belonged, or she could stay in town, help with her father’s care, and explore those feelings about Nate that refused to diminish. If she stayed, she could search for a job via the phone and internet.

“
I don’t have a job.”

By the look on Jake
’s face, she’d just said the last thing he ever expected.

“
I got fired just before Thanksgiving. I’ve been trying to find something else.”

“
Why didn’t you tell us?”

“
I didn’t want anyone to think I failed. I figured I would find another job and then I could tell you all about what happened.”

“
Why did they fire you?”

“
Because they wanted me to drop a case that wouldn’t have a huge payoff. They didn’t care that my client deserved to be heard. I wanted to go into law to help people, but oftentimes the final decision on what cases we took and what we let go were determined by the prospective payoff.”

“
If you weren’t happy, why did you lead us to believe you were?”

“
Don’t get me wrong. I was happy for a while. College and law school challenged me. The neighborhood I live in is wonderful, all these little hide-a-way shops the likes of which you’d never find around here. I always missed home though, and over time, I’ve become disillusioned with what I’m doing.”