Page 70 of Waiting for Devon
Instead, Jack grinned at her and said, “I cooked breakfast. I hope you’re hungry.”
She gazed in wonder at the feast spread on the kitchen table. Scrambled eggs, bacon, French toast, a carafe of fresh orange juice and cups of steaming coffee beckoned her. Her stomach growled. “I am. Thank you, Jack.”
Devon sat down next to him, and he served her a plate of food. She ate at a moderate pace to avoid getting sick and savored every bite. Though she and her ex-husband faced a tough conversation, she appreciated his effort to keep her mind off what happened to her in Dallas through lighthearted remarks about things that interested her. And then Jack won her gratitude even more when he told her what she wanted to hear the most. He was following her model in his management of the ER pediatric care unit.
After they finished eating, Jack told Devon to lie down while he cleaned the kitchen. She carried a cup of coffee into the living room and curled up on the couch. When he joined her, she patted the cushion next to her.
“I haven’t thanked you for saving my life. I can’t imagine what would have happened to me if my not showing up in San Francisco or answering my phone hadn’t alerted you to the danger I faced. You have my eternal gratitude.”
Devon half-expected Jack to come on strong and press her for a reconciliation, but he didn’t. He laid a hand on her thigh and gave it a gentle squeeze. “I wish you hadn’t felt the need to get away from me. You have no idea how much I regret the way I acted when I saw you in your office almost five months ago. I don’t know what made me think I could impress you with a bunch of macho bullshit.”
She offered a slight smile. “Your outrageous ego?”
His lips turned up at the corners, and for a moment, it reminded Devon of why she found him attractive all those years ago and fell in love with him. Their eyes met, remembering. “Not anymore,” Jack assured her. “I’ve learned my lesson. If I hadn’t taken you by surprise that day, if I had forewarned you I was in town and wanted to see you, Shane Barrington wouldn’t have been able to drag you into his crazy, selfish scheme.”
Devon’s eyes clouded as she gazed into her half-empty coffee cup. “And I wouldn’t have met Reed.”
Jack made a face. “I know you’re in love with him, Dev, but the guy doesn’t deserve you.”
“You don’t know him.”
“Funny, that’s what he said. But I know how he acted when I was frantically searching for you. Like he didn’t give a damn.”
Devon winced. Unbidden tears sprang into her eyes. “I hurt him. I betrayed his trust and don’t deserve his forgiveness.”
“I disagree. His father and brother played with your life and hurt you both. Look, call Reed. Talk to him. Ask for his forgiveness and hear what he has to say. As I am asking for the same consideration.” Jack reached for her hand. “Forgive me, Devon. Please, I am begging you to forgive me.”
She cried. She couldn’t help it. Jack draped an arm around her shoulders and pulled her close to him. When she felt him shaking along with her, Devon glanced up in astonishment. Tears rolled down his cheeks. For the first time since she lost their baby, they cried together in mutual grief.
In a tender gesture, she brushed away Jack’s tears and placed a gentle kiss on his lips. “I forgive you. Do you forgive me?”
He knew what she meant. “The miscarriage was never your fault, Devon. If I blamed you unconsciously or not, I am deeply sorry.”
Devon drew a ragged breath. “We can move past our sorrow now, Jack. Do you intend to stay in San Francisco?”
“Yes. You may be my ex, but you’re my only family. Besides, I loveyourjob,” he teased.
She chuckled a little, then frowned. “About that. What am I going to do?”
“Oh, Jasper Barrington came through for you. He, uh, ordered Mr. Linhart to rehire you.”
“So, we’ll be working together again?”
“Yep. But with a difference. You lead and I’ll follow.”
Devon studied him and her pain over losing Reed eased somewhat. Having Jack back in her life was perhaps a blessing after all. “What if we lead together?”
“Is that what you want?”
“Yes.”
“Then I say we make SFGH the model for pediatric emergency care in the States.” Jack grinned and they clinked their coffee cups.
After checking hercell phone every day for a week, hoping and praying to hear from Reed, it became obvious to Devon that he wanted nothing to do with her. When she couldn’t stop crying herself to sleep every night, she volunteered to work double shifts. She didn’t want to have time to dwell on everything she’d lost when she left Dallas.
Although her friends at SFGH welcomed her return and refrained from asking her questions, Devon felt alienated from them. Only Jack gave her support when she needed it the most. He worked alongside her, and his presence offered silent comfort. More often than not they ate lunch and dinner together at the hospital, and when they weren’t working, he went over to her house and took care of odd jobs for her. Sometimes she cooked and other times they ordered take-out and watched mindless TV. Though Jack gazed at Devon with longing, he kept his distance and didn’t pressure her for more than friendship.
When October arrived on the vibrant wings of fall, Devon experienced inexplicable lethargy and episodes of nausea. At first she assumed her symptoms were the result of working too hard, but after vomiting three mornings in a row, the truth struck her like lightning. She rushed into her den and examined the desk calendar. As she counted the days, Devon realized she couldn’t be wrong.
