Page 64 of Marcel

“Mama is dead.”She whispered into his chest. “I am never going to see heragain. Oh God! She is dead.” Suddenly, it was as if a dam hadburst. With her slender body shaking, she started sobbing,deep-wrenching sobs that tore at his heart.

“Cry, darling,”he whispered achingly. Stretching full-length, he cradled her againsthis chest, his hands racing up and down her back, as she soaked hisshirt with her tears.

*****

“I gave her asedative.” Dr. Andrew Royal was a personal friend of the familyand was on the board of Mercy General. He had not hesitated to comeover when Nikki became hysterical.

“Thanks forcoming at such short notice. Drink?” They were both in thedownstairs living room.

“Please. Iwould not say no to bourbon.”

“No.”Taking the glass, Andrew went over to sit by the fireplace. “Shewas close to her mother.”

“Very. Fromwhat I gather, my mother-in-law has been locked into her small worldfor several years, and nothing the doctors tried worked.”Tossing back the drink, Marcel went to stand against the mantle, agrim expression on his face. “She is devastated. My wife hadhoped that she would come to herself one day.”

Andrew noddedsolemnly. “She lost her husband.”

“Who was thelove of her life? It’s as if her life ended after that.”

“I have seen afew cases like that.”

“I am concernedabout her. She has a funeral to plan and -” Shaking his head,he went to pour himself another two fingers. He wanted to be alert ifshe woke up tonight.

“It will taketime, and you must be there for her.”

“That’sa given.”

Andrew finished thedrink and rose. “I am afraid I have to go. I have to consultwith a patient.”

“Of course. Iwill see you out.”

“If there isanything else I can do, please call me.” He turned at the door.“She is going to need counseling, and there are some excellentones at the hospital.”

“I will let herknow. Thanks, Andrew.”

Locking the door andsecuring the alarm, he stood there for a minute before turning andbounding up the stairs. He had changed her clothes and put on anightgown on her. Moving into the room, he sat on the edge of the bedand brushed the hairs off her face.

It had killed him tohear her acute suffering. He felt helpless and could not do anythingto help her. When it started to get beyond him, he had called Andrew.

Her lashes werespiked with tears, her cheeks still damp. She was so strong that itwas difficult for him to see her like this. She looked so damnedvulnerable that he felt his heart aching for her.

He was going to bethere for her. “I love you so much, my sweet,” hewhispered gently. “And I am here.”

Sliding off hisshoes, he climbed in next to her. Carefully putting his arm under herhead, he eased her next to him until she was cradled against hischest. Kissing the top of her head, he stared into the silence, afrown marring his brow as he listened to her deep breathing.

Chapter 14

She spent the nextday in bed, and he worked from home with her.

“You don’thave to babysit me.” She told him when she woke up at noon.

“It’spart of my job description. He had been sitting on the sofa facingthe bed and saw when she stirred.

Putting away thebrief he had been reading, he sat on the bed's edge. Brushing backtendrils of her hair from her forehead, he peered at her closely.“How are you?”

“I feeldrained.”

“And hungry?”

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