What a Girl Wants (31 page)

Thanking Nick and Andy again, he bid goodbye to everyone and headed out, but first he needed to make a quick stop. He swung the doors to the chapel open and stepped inside.

The next day, Maddie enjoyed one of the best dreams she’d had in a long time. She dreamt she was rubbing the top of Alex’s head, feeling his thick hair through her fingers. It seemed that all through the night, his soapy citrus scent had surrounded her. She felt his chin’s stubble on her face.

She coughed. Damn, that hurt. It was the first time she’d felt pain in a dream.

“Careful, sweetheart. Don’t force it.” Alex’s voice sounded real, whispering next to her ear.

Alex called her sweetheart. Smiling, she ignored the dryness in her throat and forced herself back to the dream. She wanted to go back to the part where he was brushing her hair away from her face, kissing her forehead, telling her how everything was going to be fine.

Cough. Cough.
“Ow!” Damn. She had no choice but to wake up. Her throat was parched for real and her ribs were killing her. She’d have to do some stretches to work out the stitch in her sides, get something to drink and then slip back into bed to recapture that dream.

Yanking herself out of the dream, she opened her eyes. Alex was bent over her—he had that rumpled morning look, all warm and sexy. Cripes, she was in too much pain to enjoy it.

Where were they? Something heavy was weighing her right arm down.

Oh, the pain
. Breathing frickin’ hurt. What the hell was going on?

A chair scraped. “Should we let the nurse know she’s awake?” a woman asked.

Maddie lifted her head.
Ow!
“Felicia?” Damn. Obviously she hadn’t woken up yet. The pain, the strange room and Felicia interrupting them—her dream had turned into a nightmare.

She lifted her hand to rub her aching head. Searing, white-hot pain stopped her. “Damn.”

“Easy there.” Alex gently adjusted the pillow under her right arm. “Nurse will be here with your pain meds.” He looked at his watch. “In about a half hour.”

She coughed again. “Ow. That…frickin’ hurts. Hurts…to breathe.”

“I know, baby.” Alex pressed something cold to her side. “I’ll hold this here for you.”

Felicia stood on the other side, pouring water into a cup. “I’ll go get the nurse—”

“What are
you
doing here?” She glared at Felicia. Her mother looked pale, her eyes were bloodshot. Maddie turned to Alex. “What is she doing here? What am
I
doing here?”

Alex was about to answer when two doctors—who looked familiar—walked into the room.

She squeezed her eyes shut, hoping this was still a freakish dream and any minute now she’d wake up. But when she heard the doctors’ voices, it all came back to her.

Oh, yeah. Now I remember. I was attacked by a runaway bike. But I nailed that jump.

Alex and Felicia left the room while the doctors examined her. They prodded, poked and asked her to rate the pain in her ribs from one to ten, and encouraged her to move her fingers.

Her mother and Alex returned to the room. She was now wide awake and able to absorb the doctors’ explanations regarding the surgery. The doctors asked if she had any questions.

“Alex, what about Nick and Andy?” she asked. “Are they okay?”

“Not a scratch,” Alex said. “They’ll be by later to see you again.” He smiled. “You don’t remember them popping in to say hi yesterday? Tim, my parents and sisters were here too.”

“I thought it was a dream.” Relieved about the teens, she turned her attention to the doctors. “So, it looks like no biking, zip-lining or kayaking for a few weeks?”

Doctor Dimples—she forgot his name—shook his head. “More like months. Could be close to a year before you can attempt those activities again.”

She wanted to cry, but she didn’t. “How about swimming? Golfing?” At Alex’s hiked brows she said, “Hey, I was beginning to appreciate golf.”

The doctor who looked like Michael Caine—she couldn’t remember his name either—answered, “In time, yes. With physical therapy and patience, you’ll be able to do most things you did before.”

“Most things?” A wave of depression seeped into her. Okay, worse things could have happened. She decided to lighten things up. “Will I still be able to bake pies like Maryanne? Be a gourmet cook?”

Felicia looked at the doctors. “My daughter doesn’t bake or cook.” Her voice was panic-stricken. “Maybe she suffered a head injury. Are you sure you checked her thoroughly—”

“No worries.” Alex shook his finger at Maddie. “She’s kidding.”

“What Mommy Dearest is saying is that I swim in the shallow end of our feminine gene pool.” Maddie batted her lashes at the doctors even though they felt like hot shoots spiking her eyelids. “She’s always telling me to be more girly.” She looked at Doctor Dimples. “She’ll pay you top dollar to give me implants.”

“Madison, please.” Felicia gave the doctors a nervous smile. “I don’t want to cause a problem. I think I should leave and come back later—”

“Will you be bringing my daddy for a visit?” Was it fair to be such a bitch to Felicia? Probably not, but it hurt to breathe, and she was agitated and incapacitated. On top of all that, she had to pee, and there was no frickin’ way she was using a bedpan. “And have we figured out who he is yet?”

Felicia’s eyes watered, even though Maddie had seen her mother’s crocodile tears over the years, these seemed different. It was unlike Felicia to wear no makeup in public.

“I think that conversation can wait,” Alex said.

Oh yeah, it was coming back to her now. “Hmmm, I see you’re still on
their
side.” Scrutinizing him closer, she noticed he looked worn out. She realized she hadn’t been dreaming, he’d been here the whole night and probably hadn’t gotten any sleep.

Ashamed by her outburst, Maddie lowered her head. She should apologize to everyone, and make a joke to thin the air that was now thick with tension. But she had nothing. The doctor’s prognosis had sunk in, and she had excruciating pain in her arm and ribs, so if she apologized to her mother and Alex she’d probably end up blubbering like a baby.

“Mrs. Saunders,” Doctor Dimple said to Felicia, halting her exit. “Morphine can cause some patients to become uneasy.” He glanced at his watch and the chart in his hand. “And her pain medication is wearing off. This can also cause anxiety.” He turned to Maddie. “I hear you had a panic attack when you came in.”

Shit, she remembered that too.
Her face heated. Damn memories were crystal clear now. Someone had had to hold her down for the X-rays and blood tests.

“I’ll apologize to any hospital staff that I threatened. But I did mean it in a nice way.”

Doctor Michael Caine put his hand on her shoulder. “Acute pain can cause that reaction.”

“Hey, there’s nothing cute about this pain.” She winced. “Yeah, I know. If you had a nickel for every time you heard that…”

“Right.” Dr. Michael Caine flipped through a chart. “Your vitals are good. Once you’re feeling up to it, you can start eating solids and we can disconnect your IV.”

The rest of his sentence faded into the air. She looked at her good arm and seeing a long, silver, drill bit—well, it did look like a drill bit—inserted into the back of her hand, she fainted.

Later that evening, after a short walk up and down the hospital corridor, Maddie was propped up in bed, finishing a light snack of applesauce and biscotti. Felicia had left, promising to return with Maxwell so they could talk. She said it was Maddie’s call as to when she wanted that to happen.

Alex sat in the chair next to her bed, watching a hockey game on ESPN.

“You don’t have to stay here all night again,” she said. “You’re going to go stir crazy.”

“Returning the favor, Nurse Nightingale.” Smiling, he patted his head. “Remember?”

She rolled her eyes. “At least you got a shower out of it. All I got was a sponge bath.” She stared at the cast on her arm. “You can call me Bionic Woman now.”

“I’m thinking Wonder Woman. Picturing you in those shorts and boots. Smokin’.”

Painkillers and his soothing voice were the only things that made this place bearable. “I’m sorry for being such a bitch the other day. You know, at the hotel.”

He clicked off the TV, stood and leaned over her. “There’s something else I remember my parents saying.” He gave her a gentle kiss on the lips. “Never be too proud to admit when you’re wrong and apologize. I should have remembered that instead of walking away from you.”

She held his tender gaze. “Guess I have a lot to talk about with Felicia and Maxwell, huh?”

Sitting on the edge of her bed, he held her unharmed hand. “Sweetheart, the only thing you have to do is get better so they can spring you out of this place.”

“I’m going to work my butt off with the physical therapy, but I’ve waited a long time to get answers about my father.” She squeezed his hand. “I…I’d like to talk it over with you now. That is, if you want to. I wasn’t exactly in a receptive mood the last time we tried this.”

“We both said things out of frustration. And I screwed up as the messenger.” He caressed her face. “Nothing, and I mean nothing you can say would ever stop me from being there for you. If you want to talk about this now, I’m in.”

She squeezed his hand again. “Do you think Maxwell could be my father?”

“According to the timelines, yes. And remember, Maxwell told me he has no doubt you’re his daughter.”

Her heart pounded with an emotion, but she wasn’t sure if it was relief, fear or both. “It’s so hard to wrap my mind around it. I spent an afternoon with the man. Wouldn’t I have felt something? Like a bond or a pull toward him?”

She shook her head. “I didn’t feel a thing.” She paused. “He did give me some hints. His interest in me. Our conversation about nature versus nurture. And he set me up with eligible millionaires.” She had to smile at Alex’s glower. Sighing, she laid her head back. “The information I received led me to believe I was conceived in a sperm bank. But Felicia isn’t the type of woman to get artificially inseminated. She never craved motherhood that badly. Do you think the PI I hired stiffed me with bogus information?”

“That information had nothing about Hollister or his family? A connection to Felicia?”

She shook her head. “Nothing. It led me to a few clinics. Reece was going to check them out for me.” She lowered her gaze. “I know this is all so bizarre and I don’t know if I even want to be in the middle of this mess. And I’ll totally understand if you don’t want to be involved—”

He lifted her chin. “I’ll get the information from Reece and see what I can find out.”

Smiling, she nodded. “I don’t know how to thank you.”

He winked. “Bake me a pie?”

“Smart ass.” Taking a careful breath, she said, “I’m going to let Felicia know I’m ready to talk tomorrow.”

“They’ll understand if you’d rather wait a few more days.”

“I’m ready.” Holding back tears, she locked her gaze with his. How could she ever have thought he wasn’t on her side? “Will you be here with me?”

He lifted her unharmed hand and kissed her wrist. “Count on it.”

Chapter Thirty

“There are no good girls gone wrong—just bad girls found out.”

—Mae West

“I suppose Tim and Alex are pampering you?” Reece laughed. “Lucky beyotch.”

After a morning of therapy with Jonathan the physical therapist, Maddie had taken a bath with the help of a nurse’s aide, lunch and a nap, and was now enjoying light banter with her friend on the phone. She had kicked Alex out last night so he could get a decent night’s sleep at the hotel.

“Oh, yeah, they fan me, peel grapes and feed them to me one by one while wearing buckskin.”

“Nice fantasy you have going there,” Reece said. “Have they come up with a nickname for you yet?”

“Lefty. What else?” Maddie smiled. It was still too painful to laugh. “Actually, Mrs. Donovan is the one who spoils me. She brings me homemade pasta and cookies. She pinches my cheeks and says,
‘Eat, Madelina, you’re too skinny.’
It’s not good for the thighs but it’s great for my ego. Gotta love her.”

“She wants to widen those hips so you can accommodate Donovan grandkids.”

“Are you insane?” Maddie’s tummy somersaulted. Probably from the lumpy oatmeal at breakfast. “There’s nothing wrong with my foot. I can kick your ass when I get back.”

“Bite me,
Lefty
. Admit it, your biological clock is ticking like the rest of ours.”

Maddie took a sip of apple juice. “Not mine. It’s digital.”

“Mine sounds like Big Ben these days,” Reece said. “Speaking of Big Ben. London?”

Maddie worried the chain on her silversword necklace. “He leaves in a few weeks.”

“You could always ask if he’d consider not going at all. He could write his own ticket in New York. You could give up this Evil Knievel crap, write books, settle down
¾
”

“Have you met me?” Maddie attempted a short laugh. “You weren’t joking about that biological clock of yours, were you? Besides, I don’t want to be his Yoko Ono.”

“Did you at least decide if you’ll join him at some point?”

Question of the day. “Giving it
some
thought.” She looked at her arm. Well, she did have a valid reason for her indecision. “I forgot to tell you, Crystal Washington sent me four boxes of chocolate as an apology on behalf of the rookie photographer and
Reckless Times
.”

“Did you get a taste tester first?”

“Didn’t keep them. I donated them to the nurses. And they were Godiva.”

“
You
passed on Godiva? You
must
be pissed. What happened to that photographer?”

“Apparently she had to be sedated, she was so upset. But I’ll deal with her later.” She had bigger issues to solve. “She quit the rag. She had the nerve to volunteer to be my assistant.” Maddie shook her head. “As if. It was an accident and I’ve forgiven her, but I don’t have to tell her that, yet.”

“Hey, getting her to transcribe for you isn’t a bad idea. How else are you going to write?”

“With Alex’s get-well gift.” Maddie smiled, looking at the box propped on the window sill. “He bought me text-to-speech software. Look, Ma, no hands.”

“What a guy,” Reece said. “What time are you meeting with Felicia today?”

“Actually she’s here now.” She nodded her mother in. “Thanks again for the book basket.”

“I’m going to borrow those books.” Reece laughed. “Good luck. Miss you. Ciao.”

“How are you feeling?” Felicia asked once Maddie had hung up. “Have you had lunch? Can I get you something?”

“Doing okay.” She pointed to the tray. “Mrs. Donovan brought lunch earlier. I’m stuffed.”

“I see they took your cast off. Does that sling hurt your neck?”

Could this conversation be any more stilted? “I only have to use it for a week or so.” She carefully slid off the bed and headed to the bathroom to brush her mussed hair. She hadn’t mastered one-armed blowing drying yet. “Be right back. I’m going to put my hair up.”

She stood in front of the mirror, brushing her hair and wondering how the hell she was going to fix it into a ponytail. Felicia came in and took the brush from her hand. Without asking, she brushed Maddie’s hair and gathered it up, securing it with a band, twisting it and pinning it up.

“You’ve always had gorgeous hair.” Felicia put her hands on Maddie’s shoulders and stared at her through the mirror. “You really are a beautiful young woman
¾
great skin, a healthy body and—”

“—if I would just get my boobs done, use more makeup, take modeling classes and—”

“And nothing. I paid you a compliment. A simple thank you would have been nice.”

“My bad.” Maddie lowered her flushed gaze from the mirror. “Thanks.”

Maxwell’s voice echoed from the hall. “And I don’t understand how you could allow her to risk her life out there like that.”

Both Felicia and Maddie poked their heads outside the bathroom door.

“She’s an excellent mountain biker,” Alex responded. “It was a careless accident that wasn’t her fault.”

Maddie stepped into the room to greet them. “Maxwell, Alex knows my passion for biking, and he could no more stop me than I could stop him from going to the front lines for a story.”

Maxwell approached her, touching her uninjured elbow. “You should be in a wheelchair. He glanced around the room. “I’ll arrange for a bigger room and a private nurse.”

“Please don’t fuss.” She stole a glance at Alex, who was rolling his eyes and shaking his head. “Everyone’s been great. The nurses, doctors. And this room is fine.”

“Let’s get you into bed then,” Maxwell said. “You shouldn’t exert yourself.”

Alex nodded hello to Felicia, went to Maddie and kissed her cheek. “She’s not an invalid. Walking and doing things for herself is good. She needs to do more of that.”

So much for being pampered. Maddie smiled to herself. “He’s a taskmaster.” She winked at Maxwell when she saw he was about to start in on Alex again. “I’m kidding. I wouldn’t want it any other way. However, there are no rules against slipping the inmates some Milk Duds.”

A half hour later, after Maddie assured Maxwell she was up to this meeting, the four of them sat in a private sunroom which Maxwell had requested. Maddie, Felicia and Maxwell sat in overstuffed chairs with Maddie in the middle. Alex stood, leaning against a desk across from Maddie.

“Well, this isn’t too awkward.” Maddie looked from Felicia to Maxwell. “Shall we play rock, paper, scissors to see who goes first?”

“This isn’t easy for any of us.” Felicia wiped her hands on her peach linen dress. Maddie noticed her engagement ring was missing. “I guess I should start first?” Felicia asked Maxwell.

He nodded. “Okay.” She blew out a breath. “I had an affair with Maxwell. Since he was already married when I got pregnant and I knew we couldn’t have a future together, I thought the best thing to do was move away and keep your birth a secret. I’m sorry.”

“We both are,” Maxwell piped in. “Now that the truth is out, our main concern is your recovery. I look forward to getting to know you better and I hope you feel the same way.”

“And the hills are alive with the sound of music and everyone lived happily ever after.” They were
so
not going to get away with the
Readers Digest
version of the story. “How did you two meet?”

Maxwell’s expression turned grim and Felicia fidgeted in her seat. Her face was flushed.

“At a social gathering of a mutual acquaintance,” Maxwell responded.

Simple question, interesting reaction from the two of them. Maddie wondered if this acquaintance had been a mob boss. “How long were you two…involved?”

“Close to two years,” Maxwell said.

She looked at her mother. “Why didn’t you let him know about my birth at some point?”

 “There were reasons why Maxwell had no choice but to remain married. I knew if I came forward it would cause him and his family a lot of problems.”

“Your mother had no choice, either,” Maxwell said. “I recently found out that my ex-wife ordered Felicia to never mention her baby.”

Maddie shifted to the edge of her seat, watching them both. “How did your wife know about the pregnancy when you yourself had no clue?”

Maxwell shot Alex a dirty look. “An intrusive reporter who thrived on destroying successful men discovered our affair and went to my wife and family behind my back.”

“So your wife
and
family knew about me?”

Maxwell nodded. “To my regret, my father sided with my wife at the time.”

“Way to go, Gramps.” Maddie was glad she’d refused painkillers today. She needed a clear head. “Wait a minute.” Turning to Felicia. “You told his father and wife, but not him?”

“I was mad. I blurted it out to them.”

Maddie pushed herself up and leaned on the arm of the chair, staring at Maxwell. “So fast forward twenty-eight years and what happened, your ex-wife appeared and said, ‘Congrats, it’s a girl’?”

Maxwell exchanged a look with Felicia, reminding Maddie of two chess players, after one made a move and looked at the other one to indicate it was her turn.

Felicia smoothed down the skirt of her dress. “Your uncle met him when Maxwell returned from Europe after his divorce. Maxwell asked George about me, but I was married at the time so Maxwell didn’t follow up. George didn’t tell him about you that time.”

“I ran into George again a few months ago,” Maxwell said. “I asked him how Felicia was doing. He informed me that Felicia and Madison Elizabeth were doing fine. As soon as he mentioned your name, I became suspicious and asked who you were. After a lengthy discussion, he finally confessed you were my daughter.”

Her uncle would never refer to her as Madison Elizabeth. And the plot thickens.

Maddie glanced at Alex—she could tell he was itching to say something. He cupped his chin, shaking his head when he caught her
Can-you-frickin-believe-them?
look. “Why would my name trigger your suspicion?”

“My late wife
¾
my first wife’s name
¾
was Elizabeth. Your mother knew how much she meant to me. It is an honor that you carry her name.”

“Madison holds a special meaning to me and Maxwell.” Felicia looked at Maxwell. “It was my way of remembering him.”

It took Maddie three seconds to process the
special meaning.
She got up and stood beside Alex. “Am I the only one who feels like she’s landed in the middle of an after-school special featuring C-list actors?”

Alex shot her a sideways glance. “I hear you.”

She had been livid at Alex for keeping the details from her, but now she understood that the real story
was so convoluted, she did, indeed, need to hear it from these two.

“Why couldn’t you two have hooked up in Queens?” Maddie said. “Queen Elizabeth Saunders. Purple
is
my favorite color. Madison’s been so overdone since
Splash
.”

“I’ve put up with your flippancy over the past few days,” Felicia said. “But I will not allow you to mock Maxwell’s late wife’s name—”

Maddie rolled her eyes. “This whole conversation is a mockery. It’s time you both canned this rehearsed script.” She turned toward Maxwell. “The DNA test. Can we have a look-see?”

Felicia’s eyes widened. “What DNA test? When?”

Maxwell glared at Alex. “You told her?”

“I said I would. She has a right to know she was being tested.”

Felicia looked like she was about to faint, and Maxwell shot Alex an icy scowl. “Madison, I apologize for going behind your back. I have not looked at the results. I shredded them as a show of faith. After a long discussion with your mother, I came to the conclusion that you are my daughter.”

She hiked her brows at her mother. “Must have been some discussion, huh?”

Felicia met Maddie’s stare with an unspoken plea to shut up. “You’ve always wanted to know about your father. Now you know.” Felicia cleared her throat, twisting her hands in her lap. “I hope you can both forgive me for keeping you away from each other all these years.”

Maxwell nodded. “It’s time to forget the past and start fresh.”

“What now, a group hug?” Maddie said. “Tell him, Felicia. Tell him now or I swear I will.”

“You’re out of line.” Felicia’s voice quivered. “We should get you back to your room
¾
”

“This is not right.” Maddie sucked in a slow breath. Damn ribs still hurt. “Let’s call whoever authorizes blood work. We’ll take blood tests. Then we can all see the results—”

“No!” Felicia put her hand up. “I won’t put you through that. You hate needles.”

“You don’t give a rip about my needle phobia. You’re protecting yourself.”

Maxwell went to Maddie. “Your mother is protecting
you
. You’ve been through enough.”

She backed away, positioning herself closer to Alex.

 “For years you wanted to know,” Felicia said. “Why can’t you accept he’s your father?”

“I can, if it’s the truth.” She turned to Maxwell. “The lab must have a copy of that DNA test. I’ll give my consent or whatever you need—”

“Stop it.” Felicia let out a sob. Maxwell reached out to her, but she shoved his hand away. “You got what you’ve always wanted, now let it go. In all likelihood, he is your father.”

“Likely but not guaranteed.” She bit back a wince. Raising her voice caused pain in her side. “You went to a fertility clinic. An anonymous sperm donor could be my father, right?”

Maddie ignored Maxwell’s shocked expression. “I did some research on my own. Did you think I was just going to accept this secret baby fairytale?” She glared at Maxwell. “I expected crap from her. Not from someone like you.”

Felicia bolted out of her seat. “Well, Madison, allow me to live up to the low expectations you’ve always had of me. You want to know how we met?”

It was Maxwell’s turn to pale. “For godssakes, Felicia, don’t.”

Felicia turned on Maxwell. “Now you care?” She spat the words out. “It wasn’t too long ago you threatened to tell her yourself.” She placed herself in front of Maxwell, her face contorted with rage. “You screwed with my head. You kept coming in and out of my life, messing things up when I thought I finally had it together.”

“I’m willing to share some of the blame for the past, but not all of it. You chose—”