Dog Days of Summer (30 page)

“
Hey, I know some things,” Jeremiah said with a grin and a fake defensive tone.

David asked how things were with everyone else and they all talked with each other. Joci closed her eyes and fell back to sleep. She had only been awake for a few minutes, and she was exhausted again.

Some time while later, Joci woke to David’s voice, low and menacing. “Get out.”

Joci opened her eyes to see Connor and an older man standing in her room. Jeremiah looked at David and then at Joci. Gunnar was watching David as well. Jackie
’s mouth had dropped open, but not a sound came out.

“
I said get out,” David said again as he stood up.

Connor stepped forward and looked at Joci.
“Joci, he demanded I bring him here when he heard about your accident.”

Joci looked at the older man again and then gasped. It was Keith. He looked horrible, like he was twenty years older than he was.

Jeremiah looked at Joci with a question in his eyes.

“
Keith,” was all Joci could say.

Jeremiah stood to his full height.
“Now I’ll tell you. Get the fuck out.”

Keith looked at Gunnar. Gunnar stared at him for a long moment. He was trying to get his mind around
what was happening. This man was his biological father. He wasn’t sure what to feel.

Keith looked at Joci. He stepped forward, and Jeremiah moved to block him from getting any closer. Keith stopped and looked at Jeremiah and then Joci.

“I just needed to say I’m sorry. I didn’t know how badly you were injured. I’m sorry about your accident. But in case you didn’t make it out of the hospital before I died, I really wanted to say I’m sorry. That’s it.”

Keith
’s voice was barely audible. He was struggling to breathe. It must have been hard for him to make it here today. He was clearly very sick. His skin was ashy and gray.

Keith looked at Gunnar and nodded slightly.

“Why?” Gunnar asked.

Keith looked at him.
“Connor told me what your mom said.” Keith looked over at Joci. “It isn’t true, Joci. I’m not worried about my mortality. I’m ready for any punishment God thinks I deserve. I wanted you to know that I do realize how badly I treated you…and Gunnar.”

His eyes flicked to Gunnar and back to Joci. In a soft, breathy voice, he said,
“I’ve thought about it so many times over the years. Dianna has told me so many times to try and touch base, but I was scared. When I was diagnosed with cancer, I worried that I wouldn’t get the chance to tell you.

Keith took a short, trembling breath, then went on. “
You were a wonderful girlfriend, Joci. You’re a great person. Connor has kept me up to date with you and Gunnar all these years. I’m sorry I was such a dick-head. I have no excuse for my horrible behavior. I hope someday you’ll be able to forgive me. I treated you terribly, for no reason whatsoever. I really am sorry.”

Keith looked at Gunnar.
“I’m sorry, Gunnar. I really am.”

Gunnar bobbed his head once and held Keith
’s gaze.

“
I hope, with my whole heart, that you’re happy, Gunnar.”

“
I am. Dog is my dad. I now have brothers.” He nodded to JT and Ryder sitting across the room with them. “I have a great mom and a great life.”

Keith nodded, tears glistening in his eyes.
“Good.”

Keith turned to leave. Connor helped him out the door. That was it. He just said what he needed to say.

Connor looked back at Joci. “I’ll call you later.” And they left.

They were all quiet for a long time. Things just couldn
’t get any more surreal than this week.

Joci looked at Gunnar.
“Gunnar?”

Gunnar looked at his mom,
“Yeah, I’m good, Mom. I don’t feel anything really, other than sorry for him. He looks like hell…how about you?”

Joci shrugged her left shoulder a little.
“I would say stunned.”

David walked over and put his arm around Gunnar.
“I’m sorry, Gunnar.”

Gunnar shrugged. He had a lot to think about today. Joci was watching Gunnar very closely. She would have given anything for that meeting to not have happened on the heels of her accident. Poor guy had enough to deal with.

Gunnar looked at Joci again. “I’m okay, Mom. Please don’t worry about me.”

Then Jeremiah walked over to Gunnar and wrapped him in a hug.

Joci leaned her head back against the pillow and closed her eyes. She was tired again. Her arm and shoulder hurt. She was grateful, though. For some strange, weird reason, it did help to hear Keith say she hadn’t done anything to make him cheat on her. For so many years now, she thought maybe she wasn’t good enough. In bed, out of bed, it didn’t matter, to keep a man happy. It was one of her biggest fears with Jeremiah. How could she make him happy when she didn’t know what she had done to make Keith unhappy? Now, she knew it really wasn’t anything she had done or hadn’t done. It was him. It felt good to know that.

The nurse walked in. Joci opened her eyes when the nurse asked her to open her mouth so she could take Joci
’s temperature. Joci chuckled a little and the nurse looked at her with a funny expression on her face.

“
I was just thinking you must be psychic. I hurt again and in you walk. You and Jeremiah must both have crystal balls hidden somewhere.”

The nurse looked at Jeremiah with a funny look on her face.

Jeremiah smiled. “We’re having a baby girl.”

The nurse nodded. She gave Joci something for pain and Joci floated off to fairy land one more time.

The next time Joci woke up, she heard female voices speaking softly. She opened her eyes to see Staci, Jackie, Sandi, and Emily sitting in her room talking. Sandi looked up and noticed that Joci was awake. She got up and walked over to the left side of the bed. She leaned down and kissed Joci’s forehead. 

Sandi started crying.
“God, Joci, I was so scared when I heard you had an accident. They wouldn’t let me come last night. Are you okay? How are you? You’re going to have a baby!”

Sandi was blubbering and prattling on and on without giving Joci the chance to speak. The other women started laughing at her. Jackie got up and came over next to Sandi, then put her arm around Sandi
’s shoulders.

“
Sorry, Joci. She promised she wouldn’t cry again.”

Jackie was smiling. Sandi did get emotional over things. This could be considered a big thing. Joci smiled and reached for Sandi
’s hand.

“
Hey. It’s okay. I’m going to be fine. Jeremiah thinks we’re having a girl,” Joci smiled.

Stiffly, she looked around for Jeremiah. Staci piped up then.

“We sent him home to change clothes. He was still wearing his bloody clothes from yesterday. He was going to shower and change and be right back.”

Joci smiled and nodded slightly. It hurt to move her head more than a little.

Jackie spoke up next, “We were just talking about babies. Do you realize that Staci’s grandchild and your baby will be just a few months apart in age? Jeremiah’s daughter and his niece or nephew will be the same age.” She was smiling. “Emily and Thomas will have a grandchild and great-grandchild in the same year. Christmases will be fun.”

The girls were all giggling and talking about babies again when the nurse walked in a few minutes later.

“We have to get you up today, Joci. How are you feeling?”

“
Wait. No. We have to wait for Jeremiah. He’ll be pissed if he misses that,” Staci said. She looked at Joci and shrugged. “We have strict orders that he wants to be here when you get out of bed the first time.”

Staci looked at the nurse.
“Can we wait a few more minutes?”

The nurse looked at Joci.
“Can you wait a few minutes, honey?”

Joci smiled.
“Yes. I don’t want Jeremiah to worry that every time he leaves here I’ll hit some milestone he wants to be here for.” To Joci, this did feel like a milestone.

The nurse smiled and went on.
“We aren’t going far with you, Joci. Actually, we just want to get you sitting up in the chair for a little while so your lungs can work better. We don’t want pneumonia setting in. I’ll change your sheets. Then we’ll get a new gown on you and get you back to bed. I’ll have pain medication right here for you for afterwards.”

Joci nodded. She could do that. A few minutes later, Jeremiah walked in. God, he looked so good. He had showered and shaved and pulled his hair back into a ponytail. In his fresh shirt and clean jeans, he looked yummy. She could look at him all day. It made her feel better to see him not so tired and dragged out.

Jackie said, “You’re just in time. They want to get Joci up.”

He walked quickly over to the side of the bed on Joci
’s left. He leaned down and kissed her and put his hand on the baby. He did that every time now.

“
Are you up for that?”

Joci looked at him with a bit of a shrug.
“I guess it’s better for me to move around a little.”

“
But is it going to hurt?” He was worried.

“
Like hell, I think. But, I want to get better fast. So, I need to do what they ask of me.”

Jeremiah
’s jaw was tight. Joci watched him process this. “Hey, if you can’t handle it, Jackie can stay with me.”

Jeremiah shook his head no.
“If you can take it, I can.”

“
Good to hear,” the nurse said from the doorway.

She looked at the rest of the girls.
“She might be uncomfortable with a big audience. Can I encourage you all to wait in the family room?”

The girls stood to leave. They said they would be back shortly, and then walked down the hall. The nurse closed the door.

She held up a syringe. “When we’re done, it’ll help you with the pain. Are you ready for this?”

Joci swallowed. Here goes. She nodded.

The nurse bustled around, getting the chair ready so Joci wouldn’t have to go far. Her hip was going to be very sore. The nurse explained to Jeremiah and Joci what needed to happen. Jeremiah could stand close by, but she would help Joci. She reminded Joci about all the places she had stitches, as if Joci wasn’t aware. It would hurt, like hell, but Joci should try and breathe through it. It was important. The nurse moved the IV pole and then it was time for Joci to move as well.

Joci took a deep breath while the nurse raised the head of the bed and lowered the bed so her feet could touch the floor without having to drop down. When the bed was set, she instructed Joci on how to turn toward her and scoot forward. Joci did as she was told. More than once, she gasped in pain. She breathed through the pain and kept moving. By the time she reached the chair, she was sweating and panting and crying. The nurse got her situated, covered her up with a blanket, and started changing the sheets.

Jeremiah kneeled down next to Joci. His eyes were bright with moisture. That was murder, watching her in so much pain. With all his heart, he wished he were the one sitting there. He didn’t want her in any pain.

With a hoarse voice, he said,
“I’m so proud of you, Joci. You did so good, baby.”

Joci smiled weakly. Whew, that had been hard. Before long, the nurse was finished with the sheets and told Joci it was time to move back to the bed. Tears slid down Joci
’s face. She wiped them off and nodded. She was still kind of shaky from moving to the chair, but she was so tired that all she wanted to do was get back to bed and sleep.

She took a deep breath and they moved her back to bed. She felt as helpless as a baby. True to her word, the nurse gave her a shot of something to manage the pain and told Jeremiah she would let the girls know it was okay to come back in. She looked at Joci and said,
“After that, labor will seem like nothing.”

Joci groaned. She couldn
’t even think about labor right now.

Jeremiah was shaking. God
, Joci was one tough woman. He leaned forward and kissed her lips. He touched her hair and the baby.

“
I love you so much, Joci. God, I’m so proud of you.”

The next morning, Joci woke up feeling better. Jeremiah couldn’t be swayed to leave her alone at the hospital. He slept in the recliner next to her bed, holding her hand.

The night before, Jackie had asked if there was anything Joci needed. Joci asked
her to bring her something else to wear besides these hospital gowns. The doctor had said they were taking the catheter out today and Joci would have to start venturing all the way across the room to the bathroom. She wasn’t sure how she was going to do that, but at least she wanted to have something that fit a bit better, not so baggy. She thought a pair of yoga pants and an older tank top would be great. Joci was excited about the prospect of wearing real clothes again.

Joci looked over at Jeremiah. He was still sleeping in the chair. His breathing was steady and strong. He was beautiful. Their baby was going to be beautiful, whether it was a boy or girl. She couldn
’t blame LuAnn for wanting him. What normal, red-blooded woman could look at Jeremiah and not want him?

She reached down and touched her belly where their baby rested. It had been three days now. The doctors were feeling more and more positive that she wouldn
’t miscarry. She had been trying not to get too excited about having another baby. If she did miscarry, it would be heartbreaking.

While she lay here in the hospital, she found herself dreaming about their lives together. Having the girls around chatting about the baby increased her excitement. Now she found that she couldn
’t think of the future without thinking about the baby.

Joci whispered,
“Please be okay, little one.”

Jeremiah had opened his eyes and was watching Joci talk to their baby. God, his heart swelled with love. He was beyond excited. His fear of losing them was subsiding. It was still there, but it wasn
’t this overpowering emotion anymore. His family had rallied around and convinced him to be strong and stay positive

“
I love watching you talk to her,” Jeremiah smiled at Joci.

Joci smiled and looked into his eyes.
“I love that you place your hand on my tummy every time you kiss me, as if you’re telling her hello as well.”

“
I am. I can’t wait to hold her in my arms and kiss her.”

Joci sighed. She was happy. She was still sore, but she was happy.

“You know it could be a boy, right? I don’t want you to be disappointed.”

Jeremiah laughed at that.
“Baby, I could never be disappointed with a child we made together…but it’s a girl. I’ve dreamed about her.”

Joci smiled.
“You know we have a lot of work to do at the house, right? We aren’t exactly set up for a baby. I was getting overwhelmed listening to the girls talk about it yesterday. So many things to buy, so much stuff to get. God, I forgot about all the stuff!”

Jeremiah leaned forward and put his hand on her tummy.

“We’ll be fine, sweetheart. Whatever we need, our families will have it in a snap. We’re fortunate this time. Money isn’t an issue like before.” He leaned up and kissed Joci’s tummy. “Good morning, little one.”

Then he looked at Joci, leaned in and kissed her good morning.
“Good morning, little one. How are you feeling this morning?”

“
I feel better. I’m excited over getting to put clothes on. Simple little things like that, and it was the first thing I thought of this morning—although the prospect of trekking to the bathroom has me practically hyperventilating.”

“
I hate that you have to go through this. I would take it myself in a second if I could. I’m here for as long as it takes, baby. I hope you know that.”

Joci smiled. She knew that.

There was a knock on the door. “Glad you’re awake. I have clothes.” Jackie was smiling. “I knew you couldn’t wait to get dressed. So, I got up early and picked up some of your things.” She walked in and set a bag on the bed near Joci’s feet. “How are you this morning?”

“
I’m better today. Thank you so much for bringing me real clothes.” Joci smiled at her sister.

“
You’re welcome. How are we going to do this?”

Joci tried adjusting herself in the bed.
“I think I have to wait for the nurse to remove the catheter before I can put pants on.”

Jackie nodded. She had forgotten about the catheter. The nurse rounded the door just then.

“I saw a bag of clothing walk through the door. I bet you’re ready to take off that designer gown you’ve been wearing.”

Joci nodded.

“Okay, the first thing is to remove the catheter. Then we can work on getting you dressed. If you still have some strength, we’ll take a trial run to the bathroom.”

The nurse looked at Jackie as if to say,
“You need to leave.” Jackie got the message. “I’ll be out in the hall.”

Then the nurse looked at Jeremiah.
“I’m not leaving.”

It was a statement that brooked no argument. The nurse looked at Joci and Joci smirked.
“Pick your battles.”

Catheter removed, it was now time to get dressed. The nurse helped remove Joci
’s hospital gown, and Jeremiah gasped at all the bruises and marks on Joci.

“
God, Joci. Oh, honey, I’m so damned sorry.”

Joci looked at him and touched his face.
“Please don’t worry. They’ll heal.”

They wrestled with her clothing. Jeremiah helped where he could. The nurse cut the right strap of her tank top and the
n slid the right side of the tank top up under her arm and over her breast. Then the nurse pulled the straps back up over her shoulder and with a couple of safety pins, fastened them together. They all laughed. It wasn’t designer, but it would keep her from showing her visitors anything they shouldn’t see.

“
Do you feel like trying to get to the bathroom?” the nurse asked.

Joci nodded.
“I need to know I can do it. Dreading it won’t help. I need to try.”

Jeremiah stood close to Joci.
“I want to help her.”

The nurse nodded and instructed him on how to be of the most assistance. She was cut and bruised everywhere. It made him sick to his stomach to see all those injuries. Joci slowly stood and grabbed Jeremiah
’s arm. She was shaking from head to toe.

“
We don’t have to do this, honey.”

Joci shook her head.
“Yes, we do. I need to do this.”

She took a
tentative step. Then another. With long pauses between each step, it took them forever to get to the bathroom. Once they made it there, Joci was exhausted. She wanted to brush her teeth and wash up a little. Jeremiah insisted on helping her. They filled the sink with water and he grabbed a washcloth. He wet the cloth and added soap. Gingerly, Joci sat on the edge of the toilet and washed her face, then her underarms. After the two of them wrestled her yoga pants down, she finally washed her lower region. It wasn’t great, but it felt better to feel a little cleaner.

“
I never would have dreamed you would have to help me take a sponge bath. It’s embarrassing.”

“
Joci, there isn’t a part of you I haven’t already seen. Besides, do you know how impossibly useless I feel not being able to help you? This at least makes me feel like I’m of some use.”

“
Okay. I’m sorry. I have no idea what you must be feeling. But, I can guess.”

“
Ready?” he asked.

Joci took a deep breath and nodded. Jeremiah held out his arm and Joci grabbed it and hoisted herself up. She cried out a little at the pain, but it wasn
’t as bad as yesterday. They slowly made their way back to the bed. Joci eased her exhausted self into bed. She was shaking and sweating from the exertion. But, she felt pretty great that she had accomplished what she had.

Jeremiah leaned down and kissed her.
“I’m very proud of you. You are one tough cookie.”

Joci smiled,
“Thank you.”

Jackie came back in and saw how pale Joci looked.
“God, Joci. Are you okay?”

Joci opened her eyes.
“I went to the bathroom.”

Jackie looked at her with a puzzled look on her face.
“Ooooookay.”

Jeremiah laughed.
“She means she walked to the bathroom.”

“
Ohhhhh. How great. How did it go?”

“
Well, I’m exhausted now. So I guess I’m still pretty helpless,” Joci said.

Jackie smiled at her.
“But yesterday, you wouldn’t have been able to do that much, so you did great.”

Joci closed her eyes and quickly fell asleep.

People floated in and out all day. Joci took catnaps between visitors. She just couldn’t help it. Jeremiah never left. Around 6:30 that evening, Jeremiah’s phone rang. Gunnar, JT, Ryder, Dayton, Staci, Jackie, and David were there visiting. Jeremiah looked at his phone. Tommy. Hopefully he had some news.

He answered his phone and grabbed Joci
’s hand. They still hadn’t found LuAnn and everyone was hoping they would soon. Joci felt safe in the hospital. Good grief, there was always someone there. But, when she finally got to go home, she wasn’t sure how safe she would feel.

“
Tommy, what’s up? When?”

Jeremiah looked at Joci and watched her face.

“That’s bullshit. You saw the recording. She knew exactly what she was doing…Okay. I know…sorry. Thanks, Tommy.”

Jeremiah put his phone back in his pocket.
“They have LuAnn. They found her in Upper Michigan hiding in a run-down motel. She’s claiming she didn’t know what she was doing with the bike; she was just mad at Joci.”

Gunnar jumped up.
“That’s fucking bullshit.”

Jeremiah held his hand up.
“I didn’t say it was true, Gunnar. I was simply repeating what Tommy said. We have the video of her cutting the brake lines. We could clearly see the look on her face. She’ll go to jail.”

Joci watched Gunnar and Jeremiah. Gunnar respected Jeremiah, as well as loving him. She was so grateful for him in her life. She was grateful for both of them. Jeremiah was able to calm Gunnar down quickly by speaking to him, not at him. Yes, she was a lucky woman.