Fighting History (Fighting For Love Book 4) (8 page)

Chapter Thirteen

The next evening, Maggie stepped in to the restaurant, trying to keep calm.

OK, finalize the sketch for the second apsara as fast as possible, then get to Mom. A few minutes isn’t going to change anything… just hang in there.

Joe glanced up to see her standing at the top of the stairs. She looked nervous and nervy, like she was both worried and frightened. He blinked.

“You OK?” he asked her.

“Yeah.” She walked over to him. “Let’s make this fast, OK? I have to be somewhere.”

“Sure,” he said. “I don’t want to make any changes to the original sketch you did.”

She stared at him. “So I’m here… why?”

“Because I wanted to give this to you in person.” He handed her a piece of paper. “You can take it away and have your lawyer look it over, if you want. Get it back to me in the next couple of days.”

“What is it?” she said, then read the title and her eyes widened. “An addendum? About what?”

“Read it.”

She did, her face wrinkling in confusion. She looked up at him again. “You’re – you’re giving me an extra four weeks to get the job done? Without any kind of penalty or other change to our original agreement?”

Joe nodded. “That’s right. Everything in the agreements stands… except for the completion date. That moves thirty days. No loss of fee, no percentage deducted for late delivery.”

“Why?”

“Because you’re doing an awesome job, Maggie, and I’m really happy with the apsara that you’ve already done. I want the rest of them all to be equally amazing… and for that, I think you need more time.”

Her beautiful green eyes searched his blue ones. “There’s more to this.”

“Why do you say that?”

“I don’t know. Just – just something. What else?”

Joe sighed. “OK, you’re right. The truth is that I’m worried about you. After what happened last night at your studio, I feel like you’re pushing yourself way too hard, and I don’t want you to get hurt. I think if you had a bit more breathing room on the deadline, maybe you’d be able to take care of yourself a bit better.” He grinned. “You know. Get some rest, eat regular meals.”

“I don’t want your pity or charity.” Her face was hard. “I’ll manage just fine on the current deadline.”

He rolled his eyes. “Jesus Christ, Maggie! It’s
not
fucking pity or charity, OK? It’s just – concern. Also, a smart business decision. I want your best work, and I have a better chance of getting it if I ease up a bit on the deadline. No big deal from my side, but it’ll make a huge difference to you and the final product, I think.”

“What about the restaurant opening date? You can’t change that, can you?”

Joe shrugged. “I can have a soft opening on the scheduled date, then do the hard opening one month later. I’ll invite the press and my investors to the second opening. Gives me a month to work out the kinks with staff and the menu, anyway, and wait for you to be done.”

Maggie stared at him.

“So,” he said. “What do you think?”

She was mortified when tears welled up in her eyes and she looked down quickly, trying to hide them. No fucking way she was going to look weak in front of him.

Joe saw her eyes brighten suddenly, and he knew what was happening. Gently, he reached for her arm. “Hey. You OK?”

Maggie pulled away, turned away. “Yeah. Thanks for this. It looks fine to me, but I’ll have my lawyer look it over in the morning. If she says it’s OK, I’ll have it couriered over in the afternoon.”

“Sure.”

She nodded and started towards the door. Joe watched her go, wondering why it felt like she was always leaving him. Maggie had just reached the stairs when the restaurant door burst open and a police officer stood there, gun drawn and a tense expression on his face.

Maggie shrieked in surprise and Joe rushed over to stand by her side.

“Anyone else in here?” The cop was looking around. “Anyone in the back?”

“No,” Joe said. “What’s going on?”

“How many other ways in and out of this place?” the cop asked.

“Four.” Joe cocked his head. “What’s wrong?”

“Those four ways locked up?”

“Yes. And they all have alarms that sound when opened.” Joe didn’t like any of this. “Hey, you going to tell us what’s happening? Or are you just going to carry on freaking us out?”

“Yeah.” The man put the gun away. “We’re looking for a suspect in a bank robbery, and he may be hidden in a building in this area.”

Maggie gasped. “Bank robbery suspect?”

“Uh-huh. We’re sweeping all the buildings along this section of the street, so we’ll need you two to stay in here, OK? We’ll let you know when it’s safe to leave.”

“Wait,” Maggie said. “Shouldn’t we be evacuated if there’s a dangerous criminal?”

“No. This area is full of apartments and businesses, and the evacuation would just waste time and tip him off. We don’t need a hostage situation, but we
do
need you to stay put, alright? Stick together, don’t take eyes off each other.”

“OK, whoa.” Maggie felt panic rising in her. “How long is this going to take?”

“About three hours, I figure.”

“Three hours! I – I can’t be here for three hours!”

“How come?”

“Because… because I have to be somewhere.” Maggie was twisting her hands together. “It’s an emergency. Please.”

“What kind of emergency?”

“Family.” She swallowed. “I need to get to the hospital.”

“Hospital?” Joe said. “What’s going on?”

“None of your damn business,” she said, then turned to the police officer. “Please… just let me go, OK?”

“I’m really sorry, ma’am.” He did actually look pretty regretful. “The streets are already being blocked off now, and they won’t let you past the barricades. You’ll just have to wait.”

“But –”

“Look,” he said. “As soon as I hear that the coast is clear, I’ll come and get you first. OK? I’ll get you out of here personally. That’s the best I can really do, though.”

“Please,” she said again. “I can’t stay here… I need to go.”

The police officer really looked at her now, really took in her panic. “Hey,” he said gently. “I’ll get you as soon as this building is cleared, OK? I’ll get you past the barricades. Give me an hour or two. Alright?”

She sighed. “OK. OK, thanks.”

“Remember,” he said. “Stay together, alright? If anything happens, it’s best if you’re with someone else.” He headed back out the door. “Lock this behind me and don't open it again, unless the person on the other side shows you a badge. This guy is considered armed and dangerous, so don’t do anything dumb. Got it?”

They nodded and watched him leave. Joe locked the door and set the alarm, then turned to look at Maggie. She was very pale, her whole body shaking. She looked to be seconds away from bursting in to tears.

“Maggie?”

“Dammit,” she said and pulled her cell out of her purse. “I’d better call the hospital.” She walked across the room and he followed. She spun and pinned him with a glare. “Um. What the hell are you doing?”

“Didn’t you hear the man?” Joe said. “We have to stick together.”

“I’ll be in the kitchen with the door open, if it makes you happy… I’m pretty sure you’ll still be able to see me.”

He shook his head. “No way. You stay right here, within reach.”

She stared at him. “Are you fucking serious?”

“Completely.” Calmly, he crossed his arms. “So go ahead and make your call.”

She glared harder. “Fine. But don’t listen."

“Fine.”

For no reason that made any sense – since he was less than two feet away from her and could hear everything – Maggie turned her back on him for privacy. She dialed the nurse’s station on her Mom’s floor and waited. Joe stood and looked at her tense shoulders as she spoke.

“Hi,” she said. “This is Maggie Branson, Rita’s daughter. I know I said I’d be right there, but something’s come up, and I won’t be able to get there for about two hours. Maybe a bit more.” She paused. “Any change?” Another pause. “OK, well, that’s good. I’ll call when I’m on my way. Who’s on duty tonight?” Pause. “Yes. Yes, she’s well aware of Mom’s wishes. I trust her to do what Mom requested if things take a turn for the worse.”

Joe stared, starting to get an inkling of what was going on.

My God… is Rita sick? Maybe her kidney finally failed? What the fuck – is she on life support? What else can ‘wishes’ at a hospital mean but ‘final wishes’? Shit, Maggie.

She hung up and took a long time to turn around to face him again. When she did, he was taken aback at the vacant look in her eyes. “Not one fucking word. I’m serious.” She pushed her hair off her tired face. “I’m not going to tell you anything.”

“OK,” he said quietly.

The silence stretched out between them.

“You hungry?’ he finally asked.

Maggie opened her mouth to say no, and then her stomach gave a loud grumble. She blushed and Joe laughed.

“Is that a yes?” he asked teasingly.

“Ummm. Maybe.”

“So let’s go.” He gestured at the kitchen. “I’ve got lots of food here. Let me make us something, alright?”

She hesitated.

“Come on, Maggie.” His blue eyes were warm and watched her closely. “What else are we going to do stuck in here for hours, especially since you’ll barely speak to me? Let’s eat.”

Her stomach rumbled again. “Well… OK. I haven’t really eaten today.”

“No?”

“Nuh-uh.” She bit her lip. “I had – I had some personal things to take care of, and I just didn’t have time.”

“Well.” He was gentle. “We have time now, right? So, let’s go. Yeah?”

“OK.” She remembered all of those amazing meals Joe had made for her when they were together, and her mouth started to water. “OK. Yeah.”

**

Ten minutes later, Maggie was relaxing with a glass of white wine and watching Joe stir something that smelled delicious. He’d brought her some vegetable wraps from the fridge and she was inhaling them at roughly the speed of light as she sat and waited.

Joe joined her at the table now. “OK, so. That’ll be another ten minutes, then I’ll stick it in the oven for twenty minutes. Can you hang on that long?”

“Sure.”

“Good.” He sat and took a sip of his own wine. “So how are you doing now?”

She stiffened. “Fine.”

“OK.” He studied her. “You going to want dessert, too?”

“You got some?”

“Yeah. I was just fooling around with some ideas for the menu today, and I made a few things. I was planning to take them to a soup kitchen near my place, but we can sample them, I guess. You interested?”

“Sure.” Despite herself, Maggie smiled at him. “I love sweet stuff.”

“Yeah, I remember.”

She looked away and he fell silent again.

“Maggie?”

She glanced back at him.

“Is your Mom OK?”

“I told you I wasn’t going to talk about it.” Her voice was cold but he saw her lips tremble.

“I know. I know you did. But…” He hesitated. “I always liked your Mom, you know, and I remember that she was sick when we were together. Is it – is it her kidney?”

Maggie looked down, and was suddenly overwhelmed by the urge to talk to Joe about it. He had adored her mother, she knew, and Rita had loved him right back. When she and Joe had broken up, Rita had been upset too. And even though she absolutely thought that Maggie had done the right thing, she’d always held out hope that he’d come to his senses and come back to her daughter. She’d always said that Joe was a good man, even if he had no idea of it yet.

“Maggie?”

She closed her eyes. God, that
voice
… Joe’s voice was deep, tough, husky. But when he said her name like that – so soft and gentle – it just about undid her every single time. It always had.

“What?” she said.

“Is Rita really sick now?”

She opened her eyes. “Yes.”

He exhaled, hard. “You want to tell me?”

“I – I don’t know.”

He waited a few seconds, then he asked, “
Is
it her kidney?”

“Yeah.” She bit her lip. “The dialysis was failing, and she needed a transplant. She got it about six weeks ago, and everything was OK for a while. But now – now she’s septic.”

“What does that mean?”

Maggie ran her fingers along the table cloth. “It means that all the drugs she was taking to prevent her body from rejecting the kidney actually made her way more vulnerable to infection. Her stomach and lungs got infected, and the infection is strong and her body is weak. And even though she’s putting up one hell of a fight, now her entire body in inflamed with sepsis.”

“Inflamed?”

“Hot. Swollen. Red. The infection is running rampant in her body, and they’ve been trying for a month to control it with more drugs… but it’s tough. Sometimes she’s better, then suddenly, she’s worse. Up and down, all the time. She hasn’t been able to leave the hospital at all.”

“Maggie. Look at me, OK?”

She forced her eyes up.

“How bad is this, baby?”

She started at the endearment, but then let it slide. “Bad. If they can’t get it under control, she’ll start to go in to MOF.”

He shook his head.

“Multiple Organ Failure.” She sighed. “Her body will just start to shut down, one organ at a time. And she’ll – she’ll…” Her voice trailed off.

“My God.” Joe was quiet. “What’s her status right now?”

“Conscious some of the time, sleeping well and normally, but with sepsis, things can turn on a dime and ten minutes can make all the difference. And here I am, stuck in here for two or three fucking hours.”

“Hey.” Joe reached for her hand and this time she let him take it. “As soon as we get out of here, I’ll take you to the hospital myself, OK?”

“You’d do that?”

“Of course I would.”

“OK… OK, thank you.”

“You’re welcome.” He paused. “You said that she got the transplant six weeks ago?”

“Yeah.”

“That’s the same time you took this job,” he said slowly. “I’m guessing that’s no coincidence?”

“No.” She cleared her throat and pulled her hand away. “No, it’s the whole reason that I finally took the commission, after almost a year of telling you to take a hike.”