Bottom Line: Callaghan Brothers, Book 8 (20 page)

Tugging the covers up to her waist, he moved to the other side of the bed.  He toed off his shoes and sat down beside her, stretching his legs out.  Not to be left out, Max leaped up and circled several times before settling heavily between them.  It felt good to have his warm, furry body against hers.

“Here,” Aidan said, pulling a small tray containing crackers and tiny slices of cheese from the night table onto his lap.  “Eat a few of these so you can take something for the pain.”

“I’m not hungry,” she grumbled, too distracted and confused by the fact that Aidan was sitting in bed beside her as if he planned on staying awhile.  Was he really serious about not leaving anytime soon?

“I know.  But just try to get a couple of saltines down.  Otherwise the meds will probably make you nauseous.” 

Mary had no wish to repeat any of the events of the last thirty-six hours, and throwing up again was at the top of her do-not-do list.  Her throat already felt like someone had taken sandpaper to it, and her abdominal muscles were sore.  And, as the hospital-provided meds wore off, she was feeling the after-effects of the work they’d done more and more.

She forced herself to nibble down two Saltines and sip enough strangely smooth and sweet ginger ale to take the pain medication.  “What kind of ginger ale is this?” Mary asked.

“The regular kind.  But I put in a spoonful of sugar to take out all the bubbles.  Thought it would be easier on your throat that way.”

“How did you know to do that?”

He shrugged.  “Get some rest, Mary.”

Mary closed her eyes, feeling the tug of sleep almost immediately.

“Can you let Max out before you leave?” she mumbled.

“I’ll let Max out,” he said as she drifted off, “but I’m not going anywhere.”

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T
he room was dark when Mary woke to the sound of muffled voices down the hall.  One was male and the other female.  Both sounded familiar, but she couldn’t place them.  Aidan wasn’t beside her anymore, but Max was.  At some point he’d taken over the spot Aidan had occupied and Mary found his cold, wet nose on the pillow, inches from her own.

Max’s eyes were open, looking at her expectantly as if he’d been waiting for her to wake up.  His tail began thumping against the bed the moment she did.

The soft blue display of the digital clock read seven p.m.; Mary had slept a solid eight hours.  Snug and warm beneath the covers, she would have happily stayed there for a while, but her full bladder forced her out of bed.  She had to move slowly and be careful of her movements, but she felt much better than she had that morning. 

One look in the mirror told her she didn’t look much better, though.  Her face was too pale; her eyes still held some of the fear that came along with being told she had cancer and what she had to endure because of it.

Surgery was as far as she would go, though.  She studied her reflection in the mirror, wondering if, in the coming weeks, the weary looking woman staring back would regain her healthy pallor or grow increasingly frail.  It all depended on whether or not the cancer came back.  The surgeon said he’d gotten it all, but what if whatever caused the cancer in the first place was still there in her system, waiting?  What if the test results on what they had removed came back as malignant?

She shook those thoughts away.  Positive thinking was imperative.  It wouldn’t do any good to focus on what might happen.  As of this moment, she was cancer free, and she was not going to waste another minute worrying about things she had no control over. 

In the weeks since she was first diagnosed, she’d gotten all of her affairs in order.  She’d made sure her will was up to date.  Created a notebook detailing all of her assets – the house, her car, the store, bank accounts, stocks, bonds, etc.  – as well as her liabilities.  She wasn’t exactly rich, but she didn’t have any outstanding debts, either.  She’d been able to pay off a lot with the settlement of Cam’s life insurance policy.  There was nothing left over, but with just her and Max she was able to comfortably make ends meet with what the flower shop brought in.

It might not be enough for many, but Mary was content.  As long as she had enough to get by, she was happy.

While pondering these things, she took care of business and splashed some cold water on her face, then used a liberal amount of mouthwash and brushed her teeth to get rid of the awful taste in her mouth.  Lifting her arms was painful and pulled at the multiple incisions, so she wasn’t able to do much about her hair.  The braid she’d put it in prior to surgery was still somewhat intact, at least.

Donning a pair of well-worn slippers (“scuffies”, she called them) and her most comfortable robe, Mary ventured into the kitchen, unsure of exactly what (or who) she would find.  It was a surprise to see Lexi Callaghan in front of her stove.  Cascades of hair in streaks the color of precious metals fell halfway down her back, swaying slightly as she vigorously stirred something in a big cast-iron pot.  At the gentle nudge of Max’s nose against her hip (Lexi was even shorter than Mary), she turned and greeted Mary with a friendly smile.

“Hi, Mary.  I hope you don’t mind me taking over your kitchen for a little while.  Aidan didn’t want you to have to cook anything for a couple of days, and he’s absolutely useless when it comes to that sort of thing.”

“No, I don’t mind,” Mary said, “but I wish Aidan hadn’t asked you to go to all that trouble.”

“It’s no trouble,” Lexi assured her.  “It is kind of what I do, after all.”  She waved her hand at Mary.  “Think you can handle some soup?”

Mary nodded and sat down at the table.  It did smell delicious, and she was hungry.  It was odd to feel like a guest in her own home.  Though she was sure she’d heard his voice earlier, there was no sign of Aidan.  Maybe he’d left after all.

Lexi placed a small bowl in front of her, along with a glass of something that looked like juice.  “Start slow.  Let your stomach get used to real food again.”

“You sound like someone who’s been through it before.”

Lexi chuckled.  “Honey, you have no idea.  Guess Aidan didn’t fill you in at all, huh?”

Mary shook her head and lifted the spoon to her mouth.  The soup tasted even better than it smelled.  With Lexi on staff at the Goddess, it was no wonder the place was so popular.  Mary had never been there, but she’d heard nothing but good things about it.

“I’m not surprised,” Lexi was saying.  “Aidan’s very protective that way.”

Yes, Mary could definitely see describing Aidan as protective, especially given the way he’d hovered over her earlier.  “Have you two have known each other a long time?” 

“Oh, yeah.  I used to work at his dad’s restaurant when I was in high school down in Georgia.  I wanted to go to culinary school after graduation, and his dad made that dream a reality.  Of course, I couldn’t have done it without Aidan.”

Though she was curious, Mary wasn’t sure if it would be too intrusive to ask, so she opted for another spoonful of soup instead.

“I have a rare genetic blood disease, you see.  Think hemophilia times a hundred.  Not exactly conducive to working around lots of sharp knives and pointy objects, I know.  Aidan’s father pulled a lot of strings and got me into some of the finest schools in Europe.  Aidan went with me.”

The first question that popped into her mind was “why?”, but that sounded a bit rude.  Instead she asked, “Did he study cooking, too?”

“God, no,” Lexi laughed.  “The most complicated meal Aidan is capable of is a PB and J.  He’s definitely more suited to the business end of things.  While I studied under the chefs, Aidan was getting some real life experience in all the other stuff – management, finance, staffing, logistics.”

That was something that Mary could understand.  “Kind of like me and Andrew.”

“Exactly,” Lexi nodded approvingly.  “Except Aidan and I have more than a business partnership.”

“Oh?”  Mary tried hard to ignore the uncomfortable feeling that squeezed around her chest, remembering that Lexi was married to Ian, and by all indications, the two were absolutely devoted to each other.

“Yeah.  Because of my disease, I needed transfusions frequently.  Aidan’s my very own personal blood bank.”  She laughed.  “Sometimes I think there’s more of his blood in me than my own.”

The shock must have been evident on Mary’s face, because Lexi said, “Crazy, right?  But not only does Aidan have the same uncommon blood type as I do, he also has a genetic condition that makes him susceptible to blood clots.  What could be a more perfect match for a woman whose blood can’t clot on its own?”  Lexi sipped her tea.  “You know, Fate really knows what it’s doing.  Sometimes, when things go wrong, we fail to realize the good that comes out of it.”

Lexi’s words caused Mary to recall several “bad” things that happened in her own life.  It was hard to find anything good in her father’s debilitating disease, or Cam’s long battle with cancer.  What was so great about watching the people you loved suffer?  Or realizing that even as a kid, you were more of an adult than your mother?  Or in living every day alone because of the ghosts everyone saw when they looked at you?

“I don’t think it’s possible to find good in everything,” Mary said quietly.

“Maybe not,” Lexi said, chewing thoughtfully on her bottom lip.  “God knows, I used to feel that way.  But so much has happened that I can’t help but believe everything really does work out in the end.”

“Like what?”  Mary blurted out, desperate for the hope to find something, anything, positive in such seemingly senseless tragedy.  Then she apologized for being nosy.  “I’m sorry.  It’s really none of my business.”

“It’s okay,” Lexi assured her.  “I don’t mind sharing.  But I think I’m going to need another cup of tea.  Want one?”

“Yes, but please, let me get it.”

Lexi looked like she wanted to refuse, but then nodded.  “Alright, but don’t let Aidan see you.  He won’t be happy.”

“I’ll handle Aidan,” Mary said firmly, causing Lexi to grin widely.  “I knew I liked you.  And you know what?  I bet you could, too.”

As Mary prepared the tea, Lexi began her tale.  “I’m originally from Pine Ridge, you know.  My mom died when I was little from the same blood disease I have.  My dad eventually remarried, and, well, let’s just say there was no happy ending there.  Long story short, my dad sent me away to live with some aunts down in Georgia.  That’s where I met Aidan.  If my mother hadn’t died and my father hadn’t remarried, I never would have met him.”

“I guess I can see where that’s a good thing,” Mary admitted, though she was far from convinced.

“I’m not done.  Fast forward about ten years.  With Aidan’s help I’m able to manage a fairly normal life, and I’ve even realized my dream of becoming a professional chef.  Everything’s great, right?  Then I get word that my dad died, and I head back to Pine Ridge for the funeral.  I took a bus north, and who do you think was also on the same bus?  Ian!”

Mary blinked, feeling as though she was missing something.

“I did mention that I had fallen deeply, irrevocably in love with Ian when I was fourteen, right?”  Mary shook her head, her eyes wide.

“Oh, well I did.  Of course I was just a stupid kid to him then, and I never thought I’d ever see him again, but there he was.  He didn’t recognize me, of course – I’d filled out quite a bit by then – but one thing led to another and we kind of hooked-up anyway.”

“So...,” Mary said, trying to follow along, “you’re saying that your father’s death led you back to Ian, and you got your happy ending after all?”

“Not quite.  See, Ian didn’t know about my disease, and I didn’t want to tell him for fear that it would change things.  I never intended to wind up in the hospital bleeding out and Aidan having to fly up in his private jet with a cooler of meds and a warm body, but that’s what happened.”

Mary leaned forward, caught up in the story now.  “So Aidan arrived in time, gave you the transfusion, and
then
you and Ian had your happily ever after.”

“I’m afraid not.  I left Pine Ridge, you see, thinking I would be too much of a burden on Ian.  It was only after I got back to Georgia that I realized I was pregnant.  Aidan was there for me, every step of the way.  He brought in specialists when my regular doctors told me I had to choose between my life and my baby’s.  I wasn’t even going to tell Ian after I knew everything would be okay, but Aidan flew up and did it anyway.  Boy, was Ian pissed.”

Mary felt like she was caught in a whirlwind.  “But you guys obviously worked it out.”

“Eventually, but it took some doing.  Ian was too afraid of hurting me, and I was so devastated by the fact that he saw me as nothing more than some fragile shell that I gave up and nearly died.  Michael Callaghan, Ian’s brother, is a genius when it comes to biochemical stuff, though, and he came up with this kind of organic chemo and a plan and now I’m kind of normal again.  Aidan still helps me out once in a while, but for the most part, I’m gloriously normal.  Ian and I worked everything out, got married, and even had a second child.  And that, Mary, is my happy ending.”

“Wow.” 

“Yeah.  So you see, all those bad things – my disease, my parents’ deaths, my father’s second marriage, almost dying – are what gave me the things I treasure most – my dream job, my best and closest friend in the world, my soulmate, two beautiful kids, and as close to a cure as I can get.”

Mary’s head was spinning. When she asked Lexi to explain, she’d never expected all that.  Lexi definitely had her beat on the life-is-unfair scorecard.  “That’s a lot for one person to deal with.”

“Sorry, TMI.  I get carried away sometimes.  Just consider the possibility that everything that happened – even the really crappy stuff – has brought you to this moment.  And maybe, where you are right now is exactly where you were meant to end up all along.”

The sudden appearance of Aidan and Ian saved Mary from responding – something for which she was grateful because she really didn’t know what to say. 

“Mmm, Lex, something smells awesome.”  His eyes lit up when he saw Mary.  “Hey, beautiful.  Feeling a little better?”

“Much,” she answered, somewhat bemused by just how comfortable he was in her home.  Aidan kissed her cheek and she felt the rush of warmth that came with it.  Yep, she was definitely feeling better.