Page 79 of A Chance at Forever
He gave no indication he heard her. Victoria sat by his bed and spoke to him, watching his chest rise and fall as he struggled to breathe. She murmured a fervent prayer for his recovery.
Fifteen minutes later Dr. Morrison escorted her back to the waiting room. Mia rose and gazed anxiously at Victoria.
“Is Rusty going to be all right?” Victoria asked the doctor. “He’s still unconscious.”
Was it her imagination or did Dr. Morrison wince?
“We’re doing everything we can for him. His recovery will take time.” Dr. Morrison glanced at his watch. “We’ll speak again after my rounds.”
When they were alone, Mia said, “Let me take you home. You can’t do anything for Rusty right now.”
“No. I’m not leaving him. Not until I’m able to speak with him.”
“I’ll get us some coffee while we wait.”
When Mia had to leave later, Victoria returned to sit by Rusty’s side in fifteen-minute intervals. She sang to him, hoping the sound of her voice would reach him since she couldn’t touch him. Dr. Morrison permitted her to stay in the room for longer periods of time, but after eleven hours, she grew weary and even more frightened as Rusty’s condition remained unchanged. She found Dr. Morrison’s responses to her questions detached and unsatisfactory.
“He has a massive infection deep in his chest. Don’t expect too much too soon.”
Victoria recalled those comfortless words now. She stood at the window of Rusty’s ICU cubicle and stared at the snow swirling through the night. She repeated the prayer she’d been uttering all day and reached deep inside herself for her faith. This time, as she returned to the bed, she saw the fruits of her prayers. Rusty’s emerald eyes finally opened, and he gazed at her in recognition.
He managed a lopsided grin. “Guess I missed breakfast.”
Victoria burst into a flood of hot tears.
“Don’t cry, sweetheart. I never want to see you cry.”
CHAPTER 23
Rusty’s recuperation inthe hospital occurred over a period of two weeks. He insisted Victoria return to work the day after his admittance, but she did so with reluctance. After arguing that she could bring him paperwork to do and his textbooks to create lesson plans, she relented. During the first week of his hospitalization, Victoria kept asking one question after another about his health. Both he and Dr. Morrison provided satisfactory answers, but Rusty saw the anxiety she felt in her eyes and countenance.
Dr. Morrison ordered Rusty’s release on Valentine’s Day. Victoria brought him home and prepared a special dinner for them. In the hospital he’d surprised her with a bouquet of two dozen apricot roses, and she placed them on the dining room table between two tall candles. After they ate, Victoria presented Rusty with her own gift. She had purchased a leather-bound notebook filled with thin pages trimmed in fine gold. The brown cover was engraved with the wordsResearch by Dr. Rusty Sinclair, and inside she had written a loving dedication.
Rusty stared at the gold-embossed cover as Victoria waited for him to say something. When he remained speechless, she blurted, “Well? Aren’t you going to say anything?”
He ran a hand over his name and looked at Victoria. “I don’t know what to say, Tori. This is the finest gift I’ve ever been given.”
“Does that mean you like it?”
“I love it. Come here.”
She perched on his lap. His arms weren’t quite as strong as they were before, and he trembled as he pressed Victoria against him. Still, he took her lips passionately and ignited the flame between them.
Becoming aware of his weakness, she pulled away and murmured, “You need to rest, Rusty. Let me help you upstairs.”
He wanted to climb the stairs under his own power, but his legs wobbled like jelly. Even so, Rusty initiated lovemaking and kissed away Victoria’s objections, arguing he wasn’t in any physical shape for rigorous activity. He proved her wrong. Holding her tight against him, he whispered, “I love you, Tori. No matter what happens, remember I will always love you.”
“I love you, too, Rusty. So much.”
The next morning Rusty suggested Victoria that go on to work ahead of him. Alone, he almost changed his mind about leaving her. He held her Valentine’s Day gift in his hands and sobbed like a baby. Then, he packed a suitcase and drove to school.
*
As she stoodwaiting for her drama class, Kaylee, Brian, and Troy startled Victoria when she overheard their distraught chatter. She heard Rusty’s name mentioned several times, and she saw tears shining in Kaylee’s eyes. After the tardy bell rang, she addressed them. “What’s going on, Troy?”
“You mean you haven’t heard? Coach Sinclair walked into class earlier and announced his resignation. He cleaned out his office, waited for a substitute to arrive, and left. As he passed by my desk, he shook my hand and said he was sorry. Then he was gone. I’m surprised you didn’t know about this. Aren’t you and Coach dating?”
Victoria’s first impulse was to laugh and chide them for pulling a bad joke. But as she gazed at their earnest faces, she knew Troy had told the truth. Her heart began to race, and she grew dizzy. Even so, she remained calm on the outside for her students’ sake.
