Page 62 of Slow Burn (The Boston Beauties)

‘I don’t think you should be left alone,’ he stated, sounding genuinely concerned.

‘Maybe Deb will stay the night,’ I countered. ‘Besides, there’s security here in the hospital and no one knows I’m here. People just can’t walk into my dad’s room, I’m fine. You look like shit.’

‘Aww, thanks cupcake.’ He smiled at me.

‘You know you’re gorgeous, but you'll feel better and be able to take care of us better if you're clean and rested. I know you want to manage everything, but you’ll crash if you don’t take care of yourself first.’

‘But…’

‘You know on the airplane when they do the safety demonstration with the masks that fall from the ceiling? They tell you to put your own mask on first before helping others.’ I looked at him knowing. ‘I...We need you to take care of yourself first.’

He took a deep breath, ‘Fine, but I’m going to be back first thing.’

CHAPTER 19

JESSA

The doctor told us that they had stopped the sedation and my father was expected to wake up around lunch time, however, everyone was different.

True to their word and my father being the ever-punctual man that he was, his eyes started to flutter just before noon. My mother was right next to him, taking his hand.

‘Sweetheart,’ she cried, her voice cracking just a bit. ‘I’m here, you are fine.’

He smiled at her and his eyes roamed the room, looking tired and as if it were a chore for him to do. Seeing Deb at the end of the bed, he had a smile for her and a silent nod with his eyes to Drew, who stood behind me. Then my father’s eyes fell on me. I reached out to squeeze his hand to let him know that he wasn’t still dreaming, that I was really here with him.

‘Hi, Daddy,’ I whispered, hearing my voice crack as tears rolled down my cheeks.

‘Jessa.’ The first word out of his mouth was my name, and he started to cry.

His heartbeat increased rapidly. ‘You have to calm down,’ I reminded him. ‘I’m not going anywhere, but let’s not use my name right now.’ I leaned over to kiss his head.

My mother gave him some water and a tissue for his tears, which we all ended up needing a few ourselves.

‘What…’ he asked no one in particular.

‘You’ve had a heart attack,’ my mother informed him. ‘You’ve had surgery and will need another one soon.’

He looked surprised and his eyebrows furrowed as I heard his monitors increase. ‘What day is it?’

‘It’s Sunday, and before you even think about work and end up with another heart attack, know that my Dad stepped in and everything is under control,’ my mother warned him in a serious tone that I didn’t hear her use with him very often.

He looked up to Drew who smiled and nodded.

‘If all it was going to take was a heart attack to get you to come home, I would have had one sooner,’ my father joked when the beeping got a bit more regular.

‘Steve, that’s not even funny,’ my mother scolded through her smile.

‘She’s in disguise,’ Deb informed him. ‘Don’t blow her cover with the nurses.’

‘I’ll go let the nurses know,’ Drew said, turning to leave the room.

Now that Dad was finally awake and it was apparent that there hadn’t been any brain damage, the time went by quicker than it had over the past two days. The doctors and nurses had been in and out all day to monitor him and give us updates and next steps, including letting us know he was booked in for another surgery within the next few days, but in the meantime, the doctors wanted him to stay in the hospital until then for observation.

The sun was setting, and I was still in the clothing I wore on the flight yesterday morning.I hadn’t showered, barely slept, nor hardly eaten anything where the nutritional value outweighed the simple carbs. I was spent and had very little left in me to give, but I wanted to be there with my dad and for my mom. It basically took my aunt forcing me out of my father’s room and into Drew’s awaiting car—my old Audi, as it were—to take me home to wash up, change, eat and sleep.

On the drive back to my parents’ home we passed the neighborhood Zoe used to live in. I couldn’t help but think of her and long to pick up the phone to hear her voice.

‘Zoe lives just a few blocks up there,’ I pointed out the driver’s side window.

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