Pin-Up Fireman Page 12

  Boyd curled his hands into fists to keep quiet.

  “Jace took a couple months to work up nerve to ask Wendy out. He was slow in the romance department.”

  Well, thank God for that.

  “But the moment I laid eyes on my Susan at the beach, wearing that red bikini. God, I knew right then.”

  Boyd whirled on him. “Shut up! Shut the fuck up! Can’t you understand how crazy mixed-up my life is right now?”

  “Then you need to talk to her, tell her how it is, how you feel.”

  “Hell, you think I haven’t done that, Mr. Aspirin-Birth-Control-Pills?”

  “Are you pissed?” The captain placed his hands on his hips and had the nerve to grin like a simpleton.

  “Hell, yes, I’m pissed!” Boyd yelled and recalled Graci-Ella’s remark that once you began yelling, you’d lost the argument.

  The Old Man, as the firemen called him behind his back, patted Boyd’s arm. “Then my job here is done. Call when you need your car. I’m going back to the station and deliver the good news to the guys. Smile, man, the object of your lust made it through surgery.”

  Boyd followed him out the exit door into the bright sunlight. “Don’t you dare talk about her that way! She’s the sweetest woman I’ve ever met. I won’t have her maligned. Do you hear me?”

  The captain whirled. “You need to get a grip on things. Time for you to unwind about this custody hearing and enjoy life. You’ve lived like a damn monk for nearly a year. I don’t know of a man who was meant to be a dad more than you. Or to love a woman.”

  Boyd stared at the tops of his shoes and blinked to maintain some control.

  “Now, either you’re in major lust for this lovely young woman or you’re falling in love with her. I’m betting on the latter. Now, go back inside and get your shit together.” He loosely embraced Brad. “You’ve got this custody business, son. You got this. Stop obsessing about it and decide on how much Graci-Ella means to you.” The captain got in his car and left.

  Boyd took a long walk around the parking lot. Walked and thought. Kicked an empty water bottle and evaluated how he’d been living his life. Tossed the bottle in the trash and contemplated some more. He was not in lust with Graci-Ella. His feelings were full-blown love. It was time he stopped questioning himself about it and admit how he really felt.

  He headed for the hospital entrance. He was going back to her floor to see if April had heard any news.

  April rushed to him as soon as he stepped off the elevator. “Boyd, they’ve moved her to ICU. If you go down to the first floor, you might get to see her for five minutes. She’ll be in and out of it, so five minutes is the time limit.”

  He hugged her. “Bless you, April.” In too much of a hurry to wait for the elevator, he ran down the steps.

  Before he was allowed in for his brief visit, he had to put on a sterilized cap and gown. The fastidious nurse handed him a pair of gloves and ushered him in. Boyd glanced over all the machines and monitors they had her hooked up to. It looked like tubes were coming out of every orifice. An arc of her hair had been shaved over her ear. Stitches took up a large portion of that area. She looked so pale and vulnerable.

  He leaned over the railing of her bed. “Sweetness. It’s Boyd. You’re going to be okay, baby.”

  Her hand rolled over exposing her palm. She’d heard him. She recognized his voice. He lifted her hand and pressed his lips to her palm. They were developing a silent way of communicating.

  “I’m only allowed to stay for a few minutes. Then I have to wait two hours. Tomorrow, I can see you every hour. You were so strong during the surgery. You fought. I’m proud of you.”

  Blue eyes opened and stared at him. What a beautiful sight. “Fought for you.”

  “Oh, baby. I love you.”

  “You love me.” She smiled and drifted off to sleep.

  Thanks to Wolf and Jace bringing his car to the hospital, Boyd was able to meet Graci-Ella’s parents at the airport. He held a sign on which Ivy Jo had printed “Santana” for him to hold at the luggage area.

  A haggard looking couple hurried over to him. “We’re Ellis and Grace Santana,” the man said.

  “I’m Boyd Calloway, the guy you’ve been talking to over the phone.”

  “How’s our little girl?” Grace dabbed at her eyes with a crumbled tissue.

  Boyd took her hands in his. “She’s been upgraded to ICU.”

  “Upgraded? That’s good, right?”

  “Yes. She spent two hours in recovery and once she became responsive, they upgraded her. I got to spend five minutes with her in ICU. She rolled her hand over for me to kiss her palm. And her eyes opened. My God, the most beautiful sight I ever saw. She has your eyes, Mrs. Santana.”

  “Please, call us Grace and Ellis. Did our girl recognize you? I mean, did she seem like herself?” Her father wrapped his arms around his wife’s shoulders. Of course they’d be worried about brain damage during surgery.

  “I told her she fought hard and I was proud of her. She replied she’d fought hard for me.”

  “Well, this is all so much to take in.” Grace blew her nose.

  “Yes, but it’s all good. Point your luggage out to me. I’ll get it off the carousel.”

  “Royal blue with a red ribbon on the handles. My, you are a big man.”

  “Grace, don’t drool. You know how testy you get when I stare at skinny blondes.”

  Boyd wanted to laugh. He bet the two had a close marriage, full of teasing and protection. “Follow me and I’ll take you straight to the hospital so you can see her. It’ll be scary at first. She’s hooked up to a lot of machines and monitors. Part of her hair has been shaved. Her eyes are black and blue. But the sweetness in her soul is still there.”

  He placed their luggage in the back of his Mustang. “Grace, do you mind a back seat? There should still be room with Matt’s car seat. Ellis you can sit up front with me.”

  Grace glanced in his vehicle. “You have a child?”

  “Yes, a first grader. I currently have primary custody, but I’m trying to get permanent custody. Matt suffers from asthma and should not be around cigarette smoke. My ex smokes both legal and illegal cigarettes. Every Monday or Tuesday after spending the weekend at her house, he gets a severe asthma attack and often ends up in the hospital.”

  “Oh, how awful. I teach second graders and every year have a few with asthma.”

  “I’ve had a rough week or more. Matt had an asthma attack that turned into pneumonia. I’m a firefighter and marine rescue team member. I had to go back into a burning building to retrieve a kid who’d snuck back in to get his dad’s ball glove. His dad’s fighting in Afghanistan and that glove is his only link to him. I had him and the glove in my arms, and we fell through the steps and a floor to the basement. I ended up in the hospital for a couple days. Then Graci-Ella’s car wreck. If I don’t make a whole lot of sense at times, just overlook me, please?”

  “You strike me as a strong man. I bet you tackle anything thrown at you. Look at all these palm trees, Grace. What water is this we’re crossing?”

  “It’s the Intercostal Waterway, the bridge is called the Clearwater Memorial Causeway. It’s a major evacuation route during hurricanes.”

  As soon as he eased into a parking spot at the hospital, the three of them hurried toward the entrance. Boyd led them to the ICU. He spoke to the head nurse, explaining who Grace and Ellis were and that they’d just flown in from Maryland.

  “There are rules to be followed regarding visitation. But your daughter is progressing very well. Her vitals are good. If you promise no crying in front of her or doing anything to upset her, I’ll allow you to go in now, ten minutes early. I know you’re dying to see her. I would be if it were one of my kids. Follow me. I’ll show you the sterilized gowns, slippers and masks to wear.”

  “Thank you so much. She’s our only remaining child.” Grace dabbled at her eyes. “Don’t worry. I won’t cry in front of her.”

  Boyd wasn�
��t so sure he believed that.

  Ellis pivoted and grabbed Boyd’s arm. “Come along. The family stays together.”

  In response, Boyd wrapped an arm around each parent’s waist and walked them in. When Grace gasped, he leaned down and kissed her forehead in a show of comfort. “It’s a lot to take in. All these machines, but they’re helping her. If you’ll look at the area over her ear, you’ll see where they operated. Let me see if I can get her attention.”

  He took a couple steps away from the parents and they moved closer together as if to lean on each other. Boyd leaned over the railing, her parents shifting to stand beside him. “Sweetness. Sweetness, how are you?” Her hand rolled over, exposing her palm and he kissed it. “You mom and dad are here. Can you open your eyes to see them?”

  “Mommy? Dad?” Her speech was a little slurred.

  “Graci-Ella.” Her mother dabbed her sodden tissue at her eyes and Boyd smiled.

  Blue eyes opened. “Mom, are you crying?”

  Her mother spun into her husband’s embrace, burying her face against his golf shirt. Her shoulders shook with sobs. “No.”

  Graci-Ella smiled a little. “Mom, five dollars in the lie jar. Right, Dad?”

  “Whatever you say, Tiger. Are you in any pain?”

  “No. So many drugs. Isn’t my man the best?” She looked at Boyd. “We’re in love.” Her eyelids started to droop again. “Mom, Dad, thanks for coming. Stay at my condo. Third floor. Parking lot entry code forty-eight twelve. Extra key in my make-up kit in purse. Sleepy…” Her eyes drifted shut and she slipped into deep slumber again.

  “I feel better. Don’t you, Grace? She recognized us. Knew you’d cry.”

  Grace chuckled. “Yes, and she remembered that five dollar lie jar. That’s a detail you wouldn’t expect so soon after surgery.”

  “She remembered where her extra condo key was.” Her dad shook his head, his eyes filling with tears. “I didn’t expect her to be this alert during the short times she was awake.”

  “Ellis, are you crying?”

  “Hell yes! Grace, you’re not getting my five dollars in that damn lie jar.” He glanced at his watch. “Our time is almost up. We should leave.”

  Graci-Ella flipped her hand over and Boyd leaned to press a kiss in her palm. In her ear, he whispered, “I love you, baby.”

  “My man,” she mumbled.

  CHAPTER FIFTEEN

  The next week seemed extra busy for Boyd. While the Santanas took taxis back and forth to the hospital from Graci-Ella’s condo, he still made his visits as often as his work schedule and time with Matt could allow. She’d been moved from ICU to a regular room which was a big help as far as time management went. He could see her whenever he wanted. The physical therapy team had her walking, using a walker. Her parents were delighted with her progress. So was he.

  While Matt was in school, Boyd stopped by the florist to get her some red roses and white daisies. Graci-Ella was slowly walking around her bed when he opened the door to her room. “Don’t you look pretty in your clown nightgown?”

  She yanked on some of the material. “This…this is a sore subject. Obviously my mother picked it out. I haven’t liked clowns since I was a little girl.” She stilled and shook her head. “Oh, Boyd, we had an argument over this gown that turned nasty.”

  “That doesn’t sound good.” He set the flowers on her nightstand and she inched over to smell them.

  “They’re beautiful. Thank you. Could you lift me into bed? Do you know it’s five miles from it to the bathroom right behind me? Or so it seems. God, I hate being weak. My physical therapist stepped things up today and gave me quite a workout.” She was out of breath, which he didn’t like to hear, so he scooped her into his arms and kissed her. She clasped her arms around his neck. “I wish I could snuggle against you for an hour or two. You always make me feel better.”

  He carried her over to the big leather chair and sat with her on his lap, curving her against him. “Do you want to talk about the argument?”

  She kissed his neck and kept her face against it. “Years of my trying to live up to my brother’s image came to a head. Eli could do anything. All A’s in school, captain of the basketball squad, track team star and had a bright future ahead of him. He wanted to go into law and he’d have been great at it.”

  “Sounds like big brother was your hero.” It also sounded as if she’d tried to take his place.

  “I can’t say my parents ignored me before Eli’s death, but he was always their main focus. Discussions at the dinner table focused on what Eli had accomplished that day. I didn’t mind being in the background, because I adored him. After his death, Dad worked more hours, Mom tried to insert herself into my life and I did all the things Eli had done or was going to do to help lessen the loss my parents felt.”

  “Which is why you played basketball and went into law.” His hand stroked up and down her back in a show of sympathy.

  “Playing basketball was my way of keeping him close. He’d taught me how to play and allowed me to tag along to pickup games in the neighborhood. It turned out I was probably a better player than he’d been. Soon, my dad started to notice. His spirits lifted a little because of what I was doing. So, I tried harder and harder to excel.”

  “I’d say you did that very well.”

  “To a degree. I had an aptitude for photography and took classes in it in college. My parents tolerated my little hobby, but told me law was where I belonged. So, I worked hard at it to make them proud because I was all they had left. And yesterday when Mother gave me this nightgown, I didn’t show the proper gratitude. Dad growled me for it. I fired back. Long story short, in a matter of minutes I told them how I was worn out from being both Eli and me. That I hated being a lawyer and wanted to go into photography. They accused me of being jealous over Eli’s memory, blah…blah…blah.”

  He held her closer. “Baby, I’m sorry.”

  “I hurt my parents. What kind of person does that make me?” She swiped at some tears.

  He pressed a kiss to her palm. “One who wants to be her own person. You helped them through their grieving process. Now I think it’s time you do whatever it is you wants to do.”

  She shifted on his lap and made eye contact. “That’s just it. I don’t know what I want to do. At times I’d like to open my own law practice, but I don’t have enough money set aside to keep me afloat until I pick up enough clients to pay the bills. At other times, I’d like to go into photography. Either way, starting a business takes money, and I have to buy a new car. First, I have to smooth things out with my parents.”

  He trailed the backs of his fingers down her face. “They love you. They’ll come around.”

  “I should call them and apologize. I can’t bear having them upset over an argument.”

  “That sounds like a good idea. I’ll put you back in bed and head for home. Then you can talk to them in private and work things out.”

  After Matt got home from school, Boyd decided to talk to him about Graci-Ella and to see how he reacted to someone else being included in their lives from time to time. This was the first he’d introduced a woman to Matt. His stomach was a mass of jitters.

  They were lying on the floor, building spaceships with Legos. “You know mommy has a boyfriend.”

  “Yeah, and he’s mean to me sometimes.” They’d had this conversation before, so Boyd didn’t pursue the matter. He knew how the jerk acted.

  “What if your daddy got a girlfriend?” He watched Matt’s face for any reaction.

  “A nice girlfriend or a mean one?” Matt pressed on a red block.

  Boyd picked up a blue one. “You always come first, buddy. If she’s mean to you, then she won’t be my girlfriend any more. Unless you’re misbehaving on purpose.” He set the blue block on their spaceship. “But I think you’re too smart for that.”

  “Yeah…I am. So, when are you going to get one?”

  He played dumb for a minute. “One what?”

  Ma
tt smiled and rolled on his side, slinging his arm over his eyes. “Dad! What were we just talking about? You must be getting ‘sepile’! A girlfriend.”

  “That’s senile, buddy. And I’ve already got one. She’s in the hospital right now.”

  Matt sat up. “Why? Did she have an asthma attack? Does she have to use inhalers like me?”

  “No, she was injured in a car accident and had to have brain surgery. But she’s doing much better. Sometime soon, I’ll take you to see her.”

  The boy snatched his sneakers and slipped them on. Tugged on his shirt, examining it for any spots. “Think I need a clean shirt, Dad? You know it wouldn’t hurt you to put on a clean one and shave. I’ll go brush my teeth.” The six-year old tornado was up and gone in an instant.

  Boyd shook his head. He’d agonized for two days over telling Matt about Graci-Ella. When he’d mentioned going to see her sometime soon, he didn’t mean in the next ten freakin’ minutes. He stood and went into his bathroom to shave and freshen up. He came out of the bathroom to find a grey t-shirt with aqua, pink and lime surfboards across the chest lying on the bed. Matt had one just like it; was he wearing his too?

  In less than three minutes the surfboard duo was headed to the car. “What is she like?”

  “Well, she’s a really good basketball player. She made All American.”

  “Wow,” Matt’s voice was full of awe.

  “She’s a photographer, a lawyer and she likes to tease me.” And she’s got the sweetest pair of lips in the whole world.

  “Dad, we need to stop at the grocery store. The one that has a big flower section.”

  “That’s okay, buddy. I’ve already gotten her some flowers.”

  “Shouldn’t I take something? I want to make a good ‘imbression’ so she likes me.” Matt pointed. “Here. This is the store.”

  Boyd could hardly keep up as Matt charged to the flower section of the market. His son marched up to the florist. “Do you have any basketball holders for flowers or plants?”

  “Well, let me see. I used to have a few.” She rummaged around under her counter and retrieved what Matt obviously had in mind for his face lit up.