Accident (25 page)

“We're fine. Honestly,” she insisted, “everything's in control, and for the moment, Allyson's condition is stable.”

“That could change at a moment's notice. Alexis wants to talk to you anyway. David gave her the name of a fabulous plastic surgeon, if you need it.” They would eventually, but it was the least of their worries now. First Allie had to live, and then her brain had to recover something approaching normal function. But Alexis only had one thing on her mind: her niece's looks, and making sure that everything was perfect.

“I really think you shouldn't come out,” Page said, trying to sound calm, but she wasn't. The last thing she needed right now was her mother, let alone Alexis.

“Don't argue with me,” she said firmly. “We'll be there on Sunday.”

“Mother …you can't … I have no time to take care of you … or Alexis. I need to be with Allie, and Andy just had an accident.” She wanted to do everything she could to dissuade her.

“What?”
For once her mother sounded ruffled.

“It's nothing serious, he broke his arm. But I really need to spend all my time with the children.”

“That's why we're coming, dear. We want to help you.”

Page sighed, listening to her. She didn't know what more to say. “I really think you should reconsider.”

“We'll be there on Sunday at two o'clock. Alexis will have David fax Brad the details. I'll see you then.” And before Page could say another word, she hung up, and Page sat staring at Trygve.

“You won't believe this,” she said miserably.

“Let me guess. Your mother's coming from the East. Will that be difficult for you?”

“Difficult? Are you kidding? How was Samson for Delilah? … or maybe David for Goliath? …or the asp for Cleopatra? Difficult doesn't even begin to touch it. I've been trying to keep her at bay for a week. And not only is she coming out, but she's bringing my sister.”

“Whom you hate?” he asked, trying to catch up on family history all in one lesson.

“Who hates me …but most of her energies she spends on loving herself. She is completely narcissistic. She's never had kids and she's married to a plastic surgeon in New York. At forty-two, she has had her eyes done twice, three noses, new breasts, liposuction everywhere, and a full face-lift. Everything about her is perfect. The nails, the face, the hair, the clothes, the body. She spends every moment of every day taking care of herself. She has never taken care of a living, breathing soul in her life, and neither has my mother. Let me explain the scenario to you. They
are
coming out so I can take care of them, and reassure
them
that there's nothing wrong with Al-lie, and if there is, it won't hurt, embarrass, inconvenience, or affect them.”

“You don't make them sound very helpful,” he said, kissing the tip of her nose, and amused at how she described them. His own parents were wonderful, and had been offering to fly out all week. But he had insisted they not come, since they had retired back to Norway. But looking at Page, he suddenly realized she was serious. She actually looked depressed as she stood up, speaking about her mother and sister.

“Helpful is not a key word here.”

“Where are you going?” He pulled her closer to him, and took her in his arms again.

“To set fire to my guest room,” she said despondently, but in a moment they were kissing again, and she had all but forgotten about her mother.

“I have a better idea.” His voice was hoarse and hungry, and he was kissing her neck, as she closed her eyes and savored every moment. How was it possible? In ten days, she had lost the only man she had ever loved, and now suddenly she was in the arms of another, someone who had been so decent to her, who wanted her as much as she wanted him … it didn't make sense but it was lovely …

“Not yet,” she whispered as he kissed her again, and he smiled and looked down at her.

“I know that, silly girl …I'm not a fool. We have lots of time. I'm not rushing anything.”

“Why not?” she teased him, pretending to be insulted, but he looked at her very seriously, and he meant what he said to her.

“Because I want you for a long time, if you come to me, Page. And I don't want to lose you.” He kissed her again then, and it was a long time before they pulled apart, and she reminded him that he had better leave before Andy woke up, and found them kissing in her bedroom.

He promised to come back again later that afternoon, to check on them. Maybe he'd bring Bjorn. And he promised to look in on Allie for her at the ICU. She didn't want to leave Andy for the rest of the day, and he promised to take care of all of it, and maybe even cook her dinner.

“Anything else I can do for you?” he shouted from his car before he drove away, as she stood outside and waved at him.

“Yeah,” she shouted back.

“What?” He stopped the car for a minute to hear her answer.

“Kill my mother!” He laughed and drove away, smiling like a schoolboy.

CHAPTER 11

B
rad was very upset when he heard about Andy's arm, and it sounded as though he blamed Page, but he didn't say it.

“Are you sure he's all right? It's his right arm, isn't it?”

“It is, and it's a nasty break, but they said it should heal cleanly. He has to be a little more careful with the shoulder. No pitching this year, and maybe even no more baseball till next year.”

“Shit,” Brad said, sounding almost as upset as he had been about Allie. But their reactions were no longer appropriate. They were both filled up with fear and disaster. She understood perfectly why he was reacting the way he was about Andy.

“I'm sorry, Brad.”

“Yeah …”he said absently, and then remembered to ask. It had been such a relief to be in Chicago. “How's Allie?”

“The same. I haven't seen her since this morning. I stayed home with Andy.” She didn't tell him that Trygve and Bjorn had brought dinner for them, and oddly enough neither did Andy. She didn't tell him not to tell Brad anything, she wouldn't have done that to him, but it was as though he sensed there was already enough trouble with his parents.

She and Trygve had been very circumspect while they were there, but there was something warm and different now that passed between them. Just since that morning, things had changed, and it was suddenly very hard to deny their feelings.

They had sat and talked in the living room for a long time, while the boys played quietly in Andy's room with the dog. Bjorn really liked Andy's baseball cards, and his rock collection from the previous summer. Bjorn wanted to play slapjack too, but Andy was too tired.

They were both sorry to see them go, and Page let Andy sleep in her bed that night, and for once he didn't wet it. He had been having accidents ever since Allie had been hurt. But now he seemed calmer than he had in a long time, and the pain pills let him sleep peacefully until morning. And while he slept, Page lay in bed and held him for a long time, stroking his hair, and thinking about him …and Brad …and Trygve. She didn't know what she was going to do. Trygve had become a dear friend and she was very attracted to him. But Brad was her husband of sixteen years. She still couldn't bring herself to believe she would lose him, and yet in a way she already had, and she knew it. But she had never cheated on him before, and no matter how attractive Trygve was, or how difficult her situation, she didn't want to do anything she'd regret later, or start their relationship in a way that might spoil it.

But when Brad came home from Chicago on Wednesday night, he was distant and cool, and he acted as though he scarcely knew her. He stayed away Thursday night, never called, and was chilly with her on Friday night when he came home briefly. It was impossible to pretend that the marriage wasn't over. The mark of Stephanie was all over him. He was wearing different ties, new suits, and had had a different haircut. But no matter how far Brad went, she didn't want to go to Trygve on the rebound. She wanted more than anything to sort out her situation with Brad, and what they were going to do, before she did anything, but he wouldn't even discuss it. The only thing he would discuss with her now was how furious he was about her mother's visit.

“How can you let her come out here right now? And your sister on top of it! Did you hire a hairdresser to stay with us, or are you going to call 911 and have one sent over anytime she needs it?”

“All right, Brad. I'm not happy about it either.”

They were discussing it on Friday night before he went out for dinner, supposedly with clients. “How can I tell them not to come? Allie's in critical condition, and they want to see her.” It sounded reasonable, but she also knew that her mother and sister were not reasonable people. Brad had always hated them, and they really weren't fond of him either, although her mother pretended she was, but she wasn't. He knew too much about the past, her mother had always held it against her that she had told him. “I did everything I could to discourage them, but she just announced that they were coming.”

“Then you just announce to them that they can't stay here.” She could see from his expression that he meant it.

“I can't do that, Brad. They're my family,” she said uncomfortably. She had managed to run away from them finally, but she still couldn't bring herself not to see them, or keep them away completely.

“Horseshit, you can do anything you want and you know it.”

She started getting angry then. He didn't do a damn thing to help her, all he did was issue ultimatums. “Like you do, Brad? Are you afraid they might interfere with your social life, now that you've become so open about it?” The war was on again, it had actually been very restful while he was in Chicago.

“I've been busy at the office.”

“Like hell you are. And I'll bet you were real busy in Chicago.” But he wheeled on her then with an angry look that warned her not to push him any further. He was in the wrong, but he still didn't want any pressure from her. It wasn't fair, and he knew it, but he wasn't ready to do anything to change that.

“That's none of your business,” he said in a taut voice.

“Why not?”

“Things are moving too fast for me.” They were moving too fast for her too. They had moved with the speed of lightning in the last two weeks, but it wasn't her fault. “I want things to calm down before I make any major decisions.” And then he turned to her and said something that surprised her. “I've decided that I'm not ready to move out yet.” She didn't say anything as she looked at him, wondering if he'd had a change of heart, or if he was fighting with Stephanie now too, or just scared of too many changes.

“Does that have anything to do with geographies, or our marriage?” she asked, her heart giving a little leap of confusion. No matter what he had done to her in the last two weeks, he was still her husband, and maybe she still loved him.

“I don't know,” he said unhappily, but making no move toward her. “Moving out is such a big step, it scares the hell out of me. Maybe I've been a fool … I just don't know. But I don't think I could go back to the way things were either.”

They both knew that nothing would ever be the same again. She would never trust him, and they both suspected he couldn't give up Stephanie. He wondered about that most …but leaving Page meant leaving Andy. In the past week, he had thought about that a lot, and the pain of it almost killed him. Stephanie didn't seem to understand that. She said Andy could visit them, but it wasn't the same thing, and Brad knew it. “I just don't have any of the answers.” He looked at Page unhappily. “I don't know which way to turn.” He sat down on the bed and ran a hand through his hair, as Page watched him. She was leery of him now after he had hurt her so much, and was continuing to do so daily.

“Maybe we should wait and see.” Maybe some of it was a reaction to the accident, but she knew now that a lot of it wasn't. “Want to try seeing a counselor?” Page asked hesitantly, not sure she wanted to herself, but Brad's answer was quick and certain.

“No.” He shook his head. Not if it meant giving up Stephanie. He wasn't willing to do that. He didn't want to leave Page yet, but he didn't want to lose Stephanie either. Stephanie was more important to him. She seemed to embody youth and hope and the future, almost like Allie. But even he knew that his life was a mess, and everything he touched confused him.

“I don't know what else to suggest. Other than an attorney.”

“Neither do I.” He looked at her honestly. “Can you go on living like this for a while, or is it too hard on you?”

“I'm not sure. I couldn't do it forever. Or maybe even for very long. Not much longer.”

“Neither can I,” he said, looking tired. Stephanie was pushing him like crazy to leave Page, and marry her, and he knew he needed to make a decision.

And in a way, everything he'd shared with Page was being destroyed moment by moment. Their marriage, their child, their relationship, their trust. In an odd way, to him, Page seemed like the past, and Stephanie the future. But when they lay in bed that night, the past began to stir him.

Andy was asleep, and their door was closed. Page was reading quietly in bed, ignoring him, and suddenly he was kissing her as he hadn't in months, with a passion and a fire she scarcely remembered. At first, she resisted him, but he was so forceful and so aroused, that before she knew what had happened to her, Brad had her nightgown pushed up and pressed himself against her. And much as she didn't want to make love to him again, she found her resistance melting. He was, after all, still her husband, and only weeks before she had thought that she still loved him.