Someone to Watch Over Me (46 page)

“I had to get your mother’s approval,” Dad
amended. “I don’t give a damn what the doctors say.”

Mom cut him a glare. “You’re too stubborn
for your own good.”

“That’s where Cooper gets it from,” Tate
voiced, gesturing to me. “She’s a terrible patient. She kicked me
out of her room and had the nurse take out the IV for her pain
meds, then refused to stay in bed. I came back the next morning and
she was gone, doing laps around the fifth floor.” Levy was fussing
at Tate’s side, kicking him in the kidney as he, leaned forward,
reaching for me.

“Mmooommmmmommmmooommommmmooomm.”

My mother eyed Tate thoughtfully.

“No, Momma can’t hold you. She’s not
allowed,” Tate reminded Levy. “Remember, she has a booboo. Do you
want Grandma, Grandpa or Em to hold you?”

Levy fell silent, rested his head on Tate’s
shoulder. “No, you hold.” His tiny fingers drummed Tate’s chest in
a simple patting gesture, as if the child were pacifying the man
and not the other way around.

My mother’s causal study of my husband—yes,
my stomach still swam with butterflies when I thought of Tate
Watkins as my husband—concluded, and she smiled warmly.

I wondered if I just lost my son to the next
best thing in line. He and Tate had obviously done some bonding
while I was laid up. It was all due to my encouragement, of course.
I was inconsolable at the thought of abandoning Levy, as if Nolan,
Em, Carter, Jake and even Shane weren’t spoiling the shit out of
him on the drive home. In any event, I had talked Tate into
spending more time at home with Levy, where he would be of use, and
less time at the hospital pumping me full of needless opioids.

“Don’t let him fool you,” Carter warned,
bringing me back to the here and now. “He bought that kid’s love
with chocolate ice cream.”

“Ice cream makes everything better,” Tate
replied. “Coop told me so.”

You have no idea how much I wished ice cream
did make everything better. Absently, I touched the patch of gauze
at my throat. I couldn’t eat ice cream, or most dairy, for that
matter. Anything that would irritate my throat was off limits.

“Is something wrong, honey?” my mother
asked.

I mustered a smile and shook my head.
‘
I’m just pouting over the loss of my favorite food group.
Really, it’s a blessing in disguise. My waist will thank me
later
.’

“Coop can’t have ice cream,” Tate explained.
“At least for a little while longer. Anything that’ll cause her to
cough or clear her throat is off limits.”

Mom’s eyes reddened and brimmed. She turned
her head and hid against Dad’s chest. Dad patted her back
consolingly. “Don’t worry,” he told me. “You know your mother.
She’s been strong for the both of us the past few weeks. It was
only a matter of time…”

“Cooper’s going to be fine, Mrs. Hale,” Tate
assured her. “It’s going to be a slow recovery, but my mother says
that in time, she’ll be able to sing again.”

“Ooh goody,” Carter interrupted, “here she
comes now.” He ducked his head, watching through the tinted windows
of the bus as Nolan escorted her slowly across the street.

The two were doing well, slowly shuffling
through the snow. Nolan wore a smile, but Dr. Watkins had a look of
sheer concentration on her face.

“She’s so going down,” Carter observed with
amusement.

‘
Why don’t you go help
?’ I suggested.
‘
Instead of just standing there watching
.’

“Dad’s enjoying himself. Wouldn’t want to
spoil his fun.” Smiling widely, he stared, entertained with the
notion of Dr. Watkins falling. “Whoa!”

Her foot shot to the right, skating across
the ice, but she tightened her grip on Nolan’s arm and balanced
herself. Carter looked robbed of something owed.

“Aw man.”

“That was close,” Jake said, joining Carter.
Everyone was pretty much watching now, spurred by Carter’s
fascination.

Dr. Watkins and Nolan took another few
tentative steps and her feet scrabbled again, slipping and sliding
across the ice in an admittedly comical scene. The occupants of the
bus erupted in an anxious gasp. She went down fighting, grasping
Nolan’s waist and then sinking to her knees. Her face mashed
against Nolan’s groin, hands clenching his buttocks.

Carter bent at the waist, guffawing at the
look on Nolan’s face.

Nolan raised his brows, a slow smile
spreading across his face. Dr. Watkins blushed furiously and
struggled to collect herself. She scrabbled again, only succeeding
in worsening the situation, her head bobbing over Nolan’s groin in
a lewd but unintentional spectacle.

Cackling like a hyena, Carter held his
stomach, unable to contain his laughter. In his defense, most of us
were laughing with him. I, myself, was trying to suppress it for
all I was worth. I was well on my way to healing, but I was still
on voice rest and it wouldn’t do to have my vocal cords clapping
together like a set of felt erasers.

A moment later, Evan, Taylor and Derek
exited the bus and helped Dr. Watkins to her feet. She thanked them
fervently and hurried to compose herself, smoothing her skirt and
hair.

“I think that’s the most action Dad’s seen
since the divorce,” Tate confessed. Judging by the grin on Nolan’s
face, I would have to agree. He looked pleased as punch over the
travesty.

‘
I think your mom just got
owned
.’

“By whom?”

‘
Fate, Tate
.’ It was plain to see
that Mr. and Mrs. Watkins were still enamored with one another.
After Tate had talked to his mother—and his father—he learned the
reason for their divorce wasn’t as hostile as he had remembered.
Age and maturity had influenced his perception.

Dr. Watkins had dreams of attending medical
school, but when she fell pregnant with Tate, she put her
aspirations on hold. She stayed home to raise him. Later, as he
grew in age, and he wasn’t as dependant on her, she decided to
embrace the opportunity and returned to school.

Dr. Watkins was dedicated to her calling.
She worked. She studied. She tried to balance her professional and
her personal life, but the hours were long, the position was
demanding, and in the end, her absence caused tension in the
household. Tate resented her occupation.

Unfortunately, while Nolan argued over her
shift in objectives, bills piled. Student loans demanded payment.
Dr. Watkins couldn’t simply walk away from her job. She was in too
deep.

As many couples did, Mr. And Mrs. Watkins
succumbed to the stress.

“Oh,” Tate said, inarticulately, “well,
can’t say I didn’t warn her.”

“I knew it!” Carter exclaimed, his tone
accusing. “You
do
remember!”

I sighed and rolled my eyes. ‘
Do we
really need to go over this again? I don’t remember anything. I
only know what Tate told me
.’

“And I didn’t see what she saw,” Tate added.
“I only know what she told me.”

“It’s the nurse, isn’t it?” Carter pressed.
“That’s who I’m destined for?”

“Are you still going on about that stuff?”
Dr. Watkins asked. “It’s all nonsense, Carter. Don’t be absurd.
Next thing I know you’ll be eschewing black cats and carrying
rabbit’s feet.”

Tate dropped his head, pinching the bridge
of his nose, probably envisioning the atrocities his mother was
subjecting herself to by questioning fate.

“Yew faw down,” Levy told Dr. Watkins. He
smiled, his tiny nose crinkled in amusement.

“I guess I did, young man.”

“I no young man; I Wevy.”

“I stand corrected, Levy.” Dr. Watkins
smiled affectionately and touched my elbow. “He’s simply gorgeous,
Cooper.”

‘
Thank you
.’

“Can I hold you?” she asked Levy.

“No, Dad hold me.” He patted Tate’s
shoulder, politely declining. “Momma has booboo. Yew Grandma?”

Dr. Watkins blinked. “Well, um…”

“Yeah, that’s Grandma,” Tate interjected. He
smiled knowingly. His mother might not understand or accept it, but
he wasn’t questioning fate.

“Das her grandpa?” Levy inquired, pointing
at Nolan.

“He’s still mastering familial relations,”
Tate explained. “He wants to know if you’re married to Dad.”

“Oh…well…uh…”

“Don’t confuse him, Mom,” Tate pressed.
“He’s two.”

“Yes…yes, we’re married.” Dr. Watkins looked
nothing short of flustered, her cheeks stained with color.
“Technically.”

“Yew sweep over?”

The bus filled with the whispering of
snickers. Dr. Watkins tugged nervously at her earring, rolled it
between her finger and thumb. “Um. Sure. Absolutely.”

Nolan placed a hand on her shoulder,
squeezed it supportively. “We’re all together now,” he prompted,
changing the subject. “Tate, I think you’d better break the big
news before we get snowed in.”

“Ah, yeah, you’re probably right.” Tate
grinned beatifically and pressed a kiss to my lips. He threaded his
fingers between mine, balanced Levy in his other arm. “First, I’d
like to say a few thanks to everyone for all that they’ve done,
especially Derek for saving Coop’s life—”

“Just doing my job.” Derek shifted his
weight, glancing to the ground. He didn’t like to be the center of
attention.

“That was no small act,” Tate pressed. “It
was above and beyond. Every second counted. You kept your cool.
Cooper’s alive because of it. I mean it when I say that no amount
of money or words will ever be enough.”

Despite that Tate couldn’t put a dollar
amount to my life, I handed Derek an envelope with a nice chunk of
cash in it, and gave him a brief hug. He immediately shook his head
and pushed the envelope back at me.

“I can’t take this.”

“No amount of money will ever be enough,”
Tate repeated. “Just take it. Go home for the holiday. See your
family. Spoil your niece.”

Derek nodded graciously. “Thanks, man.”

“Marshall. Taylor.” I handed them their
envelopes. Likewise, both objected to the gift. Stubborn
idiots.

“You moved clear across the country to watch
over Coop,” Tate pointed out, “and if you’re thinking about tearing
that up, you’d better think twice. That’s cash in there. You’ll
need it to find your own place. We’ll be running out of rooms in my
house, shortly.”

Tate had been kind enough to provide him
with a room until he got on his feet. But Marshall didn’t feel he
deserved anything Tate offered, because I had gotten hurt. In
reality, he never stood a chance. Amanda Keller had started a small
riot that night. Security was grossly outnumbered. The fence
malfunctioned. Nevertheless, Marshall being Marshall, he took it
hard.

Taylor, himself, received a wound of his
own. During the scuffle, someone had cut him too. He ended up with
a nice gash across his forearm that took twenty-five stitches to
close.

Nobody could accuse Taylor or Marshall of
not doing his job.

“I’d like to thank Evan for handling the
police and arrests. It was a comfort and a relief that I could
focus solely on Coop’s health.”

Evan nodded, without argument.

“I want to thank Mom for everything you’ve
done—”

“I didn’t
really
do anything. The
doctors in Missoula deserve the credit. They did an excellent job
in repairing Cooper’s injuries.”

“You were there when I needed you,” Tate
assured. “Even if it was only a second opinion, you set my mind at
ease.”

“It was all my pleasure.”

“Everyone else, Dad, Em, Carter, Jake,
Shane, I—” Tate slipped his arm around my waist with a faint smile,
“—
We
want to thank you all for watching over Levy the past
few weeks. We are blessed, truly blessed, to be surrounded with
such a supportive group of friends and family. I can’t thank you
all enough.”

“Hear hear.”

Tate kissed me again, deeper this time. A
shiver rolled down my spine, despite our audience. When our lips
parted, his gaze held a hint of promise for things to come. To my
surprise and disappointment, he had refused close to all physical
contact during my hospital stay, and I was quite looking forward to
going home, wherever that might be.

“Yuuuucky,” Levy scoffed, gathering our
attention. “Das yucky. Yew kisted Momma wiff da tongue. Das
yucky.”

Chortles went off around the room.

“Remember that in twelve years, kid,” Tate
told him.

“Don’t worry,” Carter added. “I got it on
video.”

‘
You’re so not posting that
.’
Unfortunately, I was done with social media. What happened between
Tate and me remained between Tate and me. My private life was
exactly that. Other than our closest friends and family, the world
need not know every aspect of our lives.

“Wouldn’t dream of it, Coop. You know why?
Because we’re friends. And friends are cool with one another…”

‘
I don’t remember anything,
Carter
.’

“That’s ok, because someday you will, and
when you do—”

“You’ll be the first to know,” Tate assured.
“But let me move onto the big announcement.” He looked down at me.
“Ready, babe?”

I nodded.

“We have a few images of our own. If ya’ll
could gather round,” he instructed, gesturing to the television.
While everyone shuffled in front of the screen, I hooked my tablet
up to the USB and pulled up the first image. My mom and Em were the
first to react, and they did with a gasp of recognition and an
ensuing cry of delight. Dr. Watkins already knew, having seen my
charts, but she smiled.

The men reacted differently. They searched
the screen—though there was no mistaking the defined shape of the
two babies in the 3D image—and studied it as if held the secrets to
life.

In a way, I suppose it did.

“I’ll be damned,” Carter said, staring
absorbedly.

“Would you look at that,” Nolan agreed.

“You never do anything half way, do you,
Watkins?” Jake inquired.