Unworthy Heart: The Donnellys, Book 1 (28 page)

Chapter Thirty-Eight

Maiya was staring at her mother’s still form in a hospital bed less than four hours after leaving Ryan’s home.

Joanie lay beneath a buttercup-yellow blanket tucked neatly around the edge of the bed. Her eyes were closed and there were two separate IVs providing medicine and fluids into her bloodstream. The metal railings sat in the raised position on both sides, caging her in place. The room smelled like antiseptic and sickness and the knots in Maiya’s stomach tightened further. Hospitals were so not her favorite place.

With her arms crossed, she waited for the doctor to come in and let her know what the hell was going on with her mother. Maiya stared at the unconscious woman in front of her. She no longer looked like her mother. Years of drinking, and Lord knows what else, had distorted the pretty face Maiya once knew.

Her mother had been beautiful when Maiya was a child. She’d had the creamiest pale skin and shiniest raven-colored hair. Her once-beautiful locks were now a straggly mess of dark-brown with gray laced through them. The once smooth skin had wrinkled and was tinted a yellow, almost orange color from her liver’s inability to filter the bilirubin from her blood. With a shaking hand, she smoothed the hair off her mother’s forehead. “Mommy?”

No response.

“I’m here, Mommy.” She stroked her mother’s arm. “Just rest, okay? It’s going to be all right now.”

Again, no response. The only sound in the room was her mother’s rattled breathing and the soft beeps of the heart monitor. Turning away from the bed, Maiya paced the room.

A man wearing a lab coat entered, carrying a binder. “Hi, I’m Dr. Guzman. You’re Ms. Rossini’s daughter?”

Jesus, this is the doctor?
The guy looked like he was barely twenty years old. “Yes. I’m her daughter, Maiya Rossini. Nice to meet you.” She shook his hand. “What’s happening with my mother?”

“Let’s step outside the room.” After checking another chart hanging on the wall, he ushered her into the hall.

“She’s an alcoholic.” Cringing, she covered her mouth with her hands. The words were out before she had a chance to stop them.

“Yes, we gathered. We’re giving her Valium as a precaution to avoid any complications. Is she a daily drinker?”

“Sorry. Yes. And smoker. She has cirrhosis and COPD and is under the care of two physicians for both.”

“We’ll need the names of her doctors to obtain her records. Do you have a medical Power of Attorney?”

Maiya shook her head. The various times she’d tried to broach the subject, her mother had flat out refused. “There won’t be any need for that shit,” had been her exact words if Maiya remembered correctly. So much for not needing it.

“We’ll have someone come talk to you about obtaining one since this is an emergency situation.”

“Great, thank you.” Nodding, she crossed her arms. “Please tell me what’s going on.”

“It appears the ammonia levels in her blood rose extremely high. This would have affected her cognitive function causing symptoms such as confusion and delirium, finally, unconsciousness, which is how she was brought in.”

“Can you fix it? Is it treatable?”

“We’ve administered medication to reduce the levels. We’ll know in about twenty-four hours if her body will respond. If the medicine does what it’s designed to do, she’ll begin to wake up.”

“What do you mean? Is she in a coma?”

“Of a sort, yes. She’s unconscious and unresponsive. We’re doing everything we can to make sure she’s comfortable. For now, she’s as stable as can be expected.”

Maiya’s hands tingled and she flexed them. “So, that’s it? We just wait.”

“Basically. Her body will heal itself if she’s strong enough. We’re also monitoring her oxygen levels. Her lungs are in poor condition. We’ll be watching for signs of pneumonia.”

Placing her hand on her forehead, Maiya closed her eyes. “She saw the doctor last week for a checkup. He wanted to do some procedure to drain the fluid in her stomach. She refused.”

The doctor checked the chart again. “Yes, her abdomen is quite distended. Once we have a handle on the ammonia levels we’ll schedule her for the paracentesis procedure to drain the fluid.”

“Is that why this happened? Because she didn’t have the fluid removed last week?”

“Most likely, but from the results of her blood work, she’s in end-stage liver disease. Unfortunately, this was only a matter of time.” He closed the chart. “Feel free to ask the nurses to page me if you have any other questions.”

“Thanks.” Releasing a frustrated breath, Maiya walked back into the room. She should have made her mother do the damn procedure instead of letting her blow it off. Instead, she was too focused on Ryan and then ran off to L.A. for him.

Guilt welled up like a tidal wave, swamping her, and she swallowed down the bitter taste. Sure work had wanted her there, but in truth, the real motive for the trip had been to see him. Some good daughter she turned out to be.

Speaking of Ryan, she took a seat in the oversized vinyl recliner in the corner of the hospital room and sent him a text.

Maiya:
Hey, I’m at the hospital. It’s not looking good. I’ll text later.

Ryan Painintheass:
I’m sorry, baby. Is there anything I can do?

Maiya:
No. I’m fine.

Ryan Painintheass:
I’m worried about you.

She didn’t respond. Whatever. He didn’t need to worry about her. The man had enough on his plate. Although it wasn’t his fault her mother was lying in a hospital bed, she couldn’t help but feel a bit agitated at him. Maiya didn’t want to deal with her own feelings, let alone his. He’d have to get over it.

A few minutes later, her phone rang. Seeing it was Ryan, she let it go to voicemail. Then, it rang again.
Dammit.
He wasn’t going to give up. Again, she sent it to voicemail. Then she got a text.

Ryan Painintheass:
I’m coming out there.

Staring at the screen, it occurred to her how apropos the contact name she’d assigned him in her phone was. The bastard was still a pain in her ass, and tenacious to an insane degree.

Maiya:
No. I told you, I’m fine. Besides, I’m going to be at the hospital all weekend.

Ryan Painintheass:
I’m coming out there and that’s the end of it. I’ll see you in three hours. I suggest you let me know what hospital unless you want me wandering around Vegas searching every one of them.

Maiya:
Fine. University Medical Center.

Fucking fabulous.

Chapter Thirty-Nine

Rather than letting Jacob go to after care, Ryan picked him up at school. He wanted to be sure his son understood why he was suddenly rushing out of town. Jacob had gotten so sad when Ryan told him Maiya’s mother was sick. Little man had such a kind heart; he’d colored a picture for Joanie. Ryan would be sure to hang it in the hospital room if Maiya let him.

Her short text messages and refusal to answer his call scraped liked a piece of sand paper at the patience Ryan normally had with her. He had no idea what the hell was going on, but he intended to find out. The situation with her mother must be grave and would surely explain her curtness. At least he hoped it would.

After Jimmy arrived to stay with Jacob, Ryan left for the airport to catch his plane. Thankful for the short flight, he grabbed a cab from the airport straight to the hospital. He sent her a text when he got there, asking her to come outside. Plus, he figured she could probably use a cigarette. Knowing his Maiya, she hadn’t stepped out of the room since she she’d stepped into it.

Taking a seat on a bench down the sidewalk from the main entrance, Ryan waited.

And then she was there.

Coming to a stop when she cleared the threshold of the automatic doors, she turned and spotted him.

Ryan stood. With his arms loose at his sides, he waited. Maiya took two steps forward but then halted in her tracks. Her head fell forward and her shoulders began to visibly shake.

Son of a bitch, she was crying. A fierce need to protect her coursed through his veins. The amount of energy it took to quell the urge to run to her, hold her, and ease her suffering was enough to launch a rocket. Yet, he couldn’t allow himself to move. After the story she’d told him last night about her brother, Ryan believed, deep in his soul, no one had taken care of her since Jeremy died.
But she hadn’t allowed anyone near her heart to try, either. Maiya
needed
to reach out, and then
let
someone take care of her for once, and he just so happened to be the lucky bastard she needed to reach for. It cut him to the bone watching her stand there and cry though.

After what felt like an eternity, she looked up and then ran to him. Ryan opened his arms, sent up a silent prayer of thanks and enfolded her into his embrace. Cradling her against his chest, he stroked the back of her head. “All right, baby. It’s all right.”

With a death grip on the back of his shirt, her heart-wrenching sobs shook them both. When her tears ebbed, he kissed the top of her head and led her over to the bench. They both needed to sit.

“I’m sorry,” she mumbled.

He stroked her hair. “You don’t ever have to be sorry for crying, Maiya.”

“Easy for you to say.” Pulling a tissue from her pocket, she blew her nose. “Damn, I need a cigarette. I haven’t had one since I landed.”

“I figured you might. You’ve been in her room for the last eight hours straight, huh?” He rubbed her back.

“Yeah.” She shook her head. “I keep waiting for her to wake up. The doctors said she wouldn’t though, not today, anyway.” She lit a cigarette, inhaled and then blew out a stream of gray smoke.

“What are they saying’s going on?”

“I told you she was sick, but I didn’t tell you what she was sick with.” She put the cigarette to her lips and took a long drag. “She’s in end-stage liver disease, cirrhosis to be specific. She also has COPD, basically emphysema.” She sniffled and looked over at him. “Don’t look at me like that. I know I should quit.”

“Babe.” Wrapping an arm around her shoulders, he pulled her closer. “Yeah, sure, I would love it if you quit smoking, but it wasn’t what I was thinking.”

“Then what?”

“I happen to be thinking you’re an incredible woman. And—” She scoffed and rolled her eyes. “Hey, now. Let me finish.” He squeezed her shoulder. “And because she’s all you have left, this has got to be hard on you. It’s scary, baby.”

Maiya leaned forward, staring at the ground. “I don’t know what I feel. My relationship with my mother is far from pleasant. I mean, I love her—she’s my mother, but I don’t like her.” She drew on her cigarette again. “Jesus, I sound like such a horrible person, huh?”

“No. You sound like a woman who grew up in a home where she never got taken care of.” He stroked her back and she looked over at him. “You sound like a woman who takes care of her mother, even though she never took care of you.”

“I’m no saint, Ryan.” She stubbed out her smoke. “I just do what I have to do.”

“It’s more than a lot of people would do.”

She lit another cigarette. After a little while, she rested her head on his shoulder. “Thanks for coming, even though I said not to.” She cleared her throat. “You’re kind of a pain in the ass.”

He chuckled. “Yeah, you’ve mentioned that a few times.” He mussed the top of her hair. “So, I’m guessing you’ve not eaten, right?”

“Heyyyy. Watch the hair.” Smiling, she poked him in the side. “Nope, I haven’t eaten. Haven’t had any coffee, either.”

He raised his arms in the air in a mock stretch. “Guess it’s a good thing I came anyway then, huh?”

“Yeah, yeah. Pipe down.”

“Ah, there’s my girl.”

“Don’t make me slap you.”

“Tell you what, give me your keys, I’ll go drop my stuff at your house and come back with hot food and equally hot coffee. Good?”

“You don’t have to do that—I mean, you can go to my house and hang out or something. You don’t have to bring food or anything.”

“Look at it this way, I have to eat too, right? And besides—” he held up his hand to stop her from interrupting, “—I came here to not only take care of you, I came here to be with you. So, not another word. Now, keys, please.”

She narrowed her eyes. “They’re upstairs in my purse.”

Standing, he held out his hand to her. “Lead the way.”

She shook her head and let out an exasperated sigh, took his hand and did what he said.

About damn time.

Maiya couldn’t believe he was determined to stay. In addition, he intended to take care of her. Fat chance. The level of anxiety and annoyance pulsing in her veins far outweighed her patience for his domineering bullshit. She’d managed to take care of herself for the last nineteen years since Jeremy died; she sure as hell didn’t need someone stepping up now. What? Did he think he was some prince with two shiny luxury cars come to rescue her from a tower? Not quite.

For now, she’d humor him and let him do what he wanted, but she intended to nip it in the bud as soon as this ordeal was over. She didn’t need or want the complication of a relationship in her life. Never mind all the heartbreak often accompanying it.

They were quiet when they entered her mother’s hospital room. As expected, nothing much had changed since she’d gone downstairs. Ryan set his bag down and took a moment at the foot of the bed, looking at her mother and the various machines set around the room, she assumed. Before sending him off with her car keys, Maiya asked him to grab a sweat jacket from the mudroom closet for her. Might as well, right?

She eyed the oversized recliner. It folded out to a makeshift bed and she wondered if they would fit in it, but then dismissed the thought. There was no reason to think he was going to be spending the night there with her. Maiya glanced at his bag still sitting on the ground at the foot of her mother’s bed. Maybe he intended to stay after all.

Ryan returned in less than an hour with a bag of clothes and some toiletries for her. Food and—thank you, baby Jesus—hot coffee for both of them. A downpour of guilt drenched her, washing away her earlier feelings of annoyance. He handed her one of the steaming cups and then pulled the rolling hospital bed table over to where she sat in the recliner.

Thanking him for the coffee, she took a sip of the fresh brew. Ryan lowered the table to a proper level, took a seat in a plastic chair and set out two containers of food for both of them. Every time she’d convinced herself he was going to let her down, he proved her wrong. He said he was here to take care of her and maybe he meant it. Maybe he meant all of it.

He stopped what he was doing when he noticed her watching him. “What?”

“Nothing. Just watching how efficient you are.”

His brows peaked as if he wasn’t sure if she was being serious, but then he went back to his task.

“Thank you for this.”

“No big deal, babe. It’s just food and a coffee.” He took a bite of his sandwich.

Maiya covered his hand with hers. “It’s so very much more than food and a coffee, and I need you to know I appreciate it.”

“I do. Now eat. You’re going to need your strength.”

“It looks delicious.” She picked up a corner of the sandwich and bit in. Nodding, Ryan smiled and then took a bite of his own. She glanced at her mother. “I’m probably going to stay here tonight.”

He wiped his mouth with his napkin. “I figured as much.”

“I don’t know if we’ll both fit in this recliner.”

“It’s all right, I’ll sleep in this folding chair if I have to. Either way, I’m not leaving.” He sipped his coffee. “Well, at least not until Sunday at six to fly home.”

“Where’s Jacob?”

“He’s with Jimmy at my house for the weekend. I’ll get home and they’ll have built racecar tracks running down the stairs and through the formal living room.” He chuckled.

“No doubt.” She laughed with him and took another bite of her sandwich.

A nurse with short black hair and bright-pink lipstick came in to hang another bag of something for her mother and check the monitors. Before leaving, she erased the prior nurse’s name from the white board on the wall and added her own. “If you have any questions let me know.” She smiled and left the room.

“Thank you,” Maiya called after her. Not able to eat another bite, she pushed the container away and sat back in the recliner.

“Did you eat enough?”

She patted her tummy. “Yes, I’m stuffed. Thanks. Now I need another cigarette.”

“Good. I’m just about full myself. Why don’t you head down and have your smoke, and I’ll clean up.”

“You sure?”

“I got this. Go ahead; we’ll be here when you get back.” He started packing up their mess.

“All right.” Releasing a breath, she got up and stepped next to the bed. Maiya stroked her mother’s cheek with a tenderness she wasn’t used to showing and gave her a kiss on the forehead, then left the room.

When she got back, Ryan had extended the recliner into a bed and was lying down, looking all perfect and comfortable, reading a magazine. Glancing up at her, he scooted over and rolled to his side. He patted the cushion for her to lie next to him.

Fear and desperate need warred inside Maiya and she hesitated. There was no energy within her to fight it though. In truth, she really did want the warmth of his arms around her. Maybe they’d fit after all.

And the irony of the statement hadn’t escaped her, either.