Yours for the Taking (21 page)

“She looked me in the eye and told me to get the hell out of her life.”

“So? You pissed her off, you hurt her, and you left her. Leaving was your biggest mistake. Gina’s had a hard life. She’s never been able to count on anyone and by you leaving, you showed her she can’t rely on you. You did the one thing Gina will have the hardest time forgiving. Now all you have to do is figure out how to get back into her good graces. It ain’t gonna be easy, but nothing’s as important as true love is.”

Gramps patted his back and stood.

“Get up, take a shower, shave, and go buy us some food. Once we’ve eaten a decent meal, we’ll put our heads together and figure out a way to get your wife back.”

Ben wanted to tell him it was useless. He’d spent the last week thinking about nothing else, and still hadn’t come up with a plan. He always had a plan. But Gramps would never acknowledge defeat. Saying anything would be a waste of breath. “I’ll get up and go for a run. I haven’t done anything all week, so maybe a good run will help. After I get back, I’ll shower, change, and go shopping. Sound fair?”

Gramps nodded. “Sounds like a plan, unfortunately, not a plan that will get me something more than beans for lunch, but that’s fine. I can stand one more meal of beans if you promise me you’ll make something good for dinner.”

“I promise. Think about what you want while I’m gone.” Ben watched his grandfather leave, closing the door behind him. The last thing Ben wanted to do was run, which meant it was probably the best thing he could do to get himself out of this funk. He got dressed, hooked up his heart monitor, and headed out.

Joe watched Ben leave. He’d finally gotten through to the boy. He was too stubborn for his own good. Joe went back to the kitchen and tried to open a can of beans but for some reason, he was having a hard time. It took him three tries with the electric can opener, and the pain in his arm made it difficult to hold the can as he emptied it into the pan. Getting old was a bitch, getting ancient was even worse.

***

Gina’s phone rang and she considered ignoring it but answered it anyway. “Yeah?”

“Gina? It’s Annabelle Larsen, is Ben there?”

“No. Why would he be here?”

“Look, I need to find him. His grandfather is on his way to Columbia Presbyterian Hospital. I think he’s had a heart attack.”

Gina almost dropped her phone. “Oh my God.” She jumped out of bed. “Okay, I’m on my way. I don’t know where Ben is. Did you try his cell?” She couldn’t stop shaking.

“Yeah, I heard it ringing in the apartment. He must have forgotten it.”

Gina pulled off her shorts and stepped into a pair of jeans. “Keep trying him. I’ll call the rest of the family, and I’ll be there in a little while. Are you with Joe now?”

“No. I couldn’t leave the gallery. I called Mike, he’s going to meet him in the ER.”

Gina threw a top over her head, stepped into her shoes, grabbed her purse, and ran for the door. “I’m leaving now. Thanks for calling me, Annabelle.”

Gina ran down the stairs as Tina stepped out of the kitchen. “Where are you going?”

“Grandpa Joe is on his way to the hospital. They think it’s a heart attack.”

Tina put her hand on her hip. “And you’re going to the hospital?”

“Of course I am. I didn’t even know Gramps was in town. Ben is out and forgot his phone.”

Tina nodded. “I’ll get Sam up. He can drive you.”

Gina shook her head. “No time, I’ll grab a cab.” She gave Tina a hug. “Just take care of Jasmine for me.”

“Sure, call me.”

Gina ran down the stoop and up the block. When she spotted a cab, she stuck her fingers between her lips, and whistled. Thank God, the cab screeched to a halt. She jumped into the back seat. “Columbia Presbyterian Hospital on the double. I’ll give you an extra hundred if you break the land speed record.”

The cabby took off and Gina was flung against the seat back. “Hey, Gina, what’s the rush?”

She looked up at the cabby. “Oh Carlos, I’m so glad it’s you. My husband’s grandfather had a heart attack. I have to get there quick.”

Carlos slammed on the brakes and turned to look at her. Gina managed to catch the seat in front of her before she slammed into the Plexiglas partition.

“You got married? When the hell was that?”

“You remember the last time I saw you?”

“Yeah, when I asked you out?”

“That was the day. I told you I’d be busy. Now I need to get to the hospital. Just hurry, okay?”

“Sure, hold on.” He looked back at her through the rearview mirror. “Someone from the old neighborhood?”

“No one you know. Now do you want that hundred bucks or not?”

“Sure, sure. I got it. But I gotta say, it don’t look like marriage is agreeing with you.”

“Yeah, tell me something I don’t know.” Gina pulled her phone out of her pocket and called Kate.

“Hello?”

“Kate, it’s Gina. Grandpa Joe had a heart attack. They’re taking him to Columbia Presbyterian Hospital. I don’t know where Ben is, he forgot his phone, but I’m on my way there now. Could you text me a list of whatever meds Gramps is on in case he’s not conscious? I’ll need to tell the doctors in the ER.”

There was silence on the phone. “Kate? Are you there?”

“Yes. I’m here.” Kate’s voice shook. “Oh my God. Okay, I’ll text you a list, and get a flight out.”

“Good, send me his meds, his doctor’s numbers, whatever you think I’ll need. I should be there in about twenty minutes. I’ll keep trying Ben.”

Gina heard a sob, and then Kate cleared her throat. “Gina, tell him… tell him I’ll kill him if he goes off and dies on me.”

“He’s not going to die. This is Joe we’re talking about, remember? Just hurry up and send me that information, and get out here so you can threaten him in person. Call me when you land and I’ll send my buddy Carlos over to bring you to the hospital. He’ll take your things back to my house.”

Silence again. “Kate, take a deep breath.”

“Okay, I’m fine. Gina, you take care of my boys until I get there.”

Gina brushed the tears from her eyes. “I will. I promise. Just get me a list of Gramps’ drugs and I’ll see you later.”

Gina hung up and held onto the seat in front of her, thanking God that traffic wasn’t too bad. She tried Ben again, only to get his voice mail. “Ben, it’s Gina. I’m on my way to the hospital. I’ll see you there. Hurry.” She turned her attention back to Carlos. “Carlos, if I call you later, would you pick up my Aunt Kate when she arrives?”

“Sure, Gina, you got my number, right?”

“Yeah, I have it. I’ll let you know what airport she’s flying into and what time to pick her up. Just bring her to the hospital and then take her luggage back to my house. Do you know where I live?”

“Yeah, I take Tina home from work most days.”

“Good, Tina and Sam will be there.”

“Sure, whatever you need.”

Her mind spun as the miles flew by. When Carlos pulled up in front of the emergency entrance, she tossed money at him, ran for the doors, and stopped at the desk. “I’m Gina Walsh. My grandfather, Joe Walsh, was just brought in.”

The woman behind the desk gave her a clipboard with a stack of forms. “You’ll have to fill these out.”

“Sure, right after I see my grandfather.”

The woman stood. “Miss, you’ll see him just as soon as you fill out the paperwork.”

Gina picked up the clipboard and slammed it back on the counter. “I don’t think so. I need to see my grandfather now.”

Mike Flynn stepped through the ER doors and Gina ran for him. “Where’s Grandpa Joe? Is he okay? This woman won’t let me see him.”

Mike put his arm around her. “He’s holding his own. I’ll bring you back to see him. He’s been asking for you.” Mike turned and smiled at the nurse. “It’s okay, Becky, Gina can come on back. I’ll make sure the paperwork gets filled out.” He picked up the clipboard and walked Gina into the emergency room.

She held up her phone. “Kate sent me a text of all his meds and doctor’s numbers. Here.” She handed it to Mike and ran to Joe’s side as soon as she saw him. Lying there in the hospital bed, he looked so much smaller, not to mention older. He had an IV in his arm, oxygen tubes in his nose, and wires connecting his chest to monitors. “Oh my God, Joe.”

Joe waved his bony hand at her. “Calm down, girly. I’m fine.”

Gina brushed away her tears. “You call this fine?” She tried not to hurt him when she gave him a hug. “Gramps, you scared the life out of me. Annabelle called, Ben is somewhere but he forgot his phone, she’s still trying to find him.”

“He better be grocery shoppin’ because I’ve been eatin’ beans for a week.” Gramps looked past her to Mike. “Look at what I had to do to get my granddaughter to visit me.”

Gina laughed through her tears. “You could have just called. You didn’t have to have a heart attack.”

Mike sat on the orange pleather chair and copied the information from her cell phone onto the hospital paperwork. “Gina, Joe came in with chest pain. They’re doing tests to see what it is. As far as we know right now, it’s acute angina. I’m here as a family friend, not a doctor, but the ER docs are first-rate. Joe is being well taken care of.”

She held Joe’s hand and turned to Mike. “Is he going to be okay?”

“I called Dr. Glass in for a consult. He’s the best cardiologist around.”

Joe raised his free hand. “I don’t need any tests.”

Gina shushed him. “You’re going to be good and listen to everything the doctors say, do you hear me? Kate is on her way and I’m sure Ben will be here soon.”

“You called Kate? What are you trying to do, kill me? The last thing I need is that woman hanging over my bedside telling me what I should and shouldn’t do.”

Mike came around to her side. “Gina, you need to finish filling out this paperwork before the nurses stage a revolt. Joe’s wallet is in the bag with his clothes beneath the bed. I’m sure all his insurance information is in there. Let’s take it out to the waiting room. I’ll tell them to keep us informed. Right now, Joe just needs to lie back and rest.”

“I don’t want to leave him.”

“You need to let the doctors and nurses do their job. He’ll be fine.”

She looked up at Mike who looked way more calm than she felt. “Okay.” She took a deep breath and tried to stop shaking. “I’ll go then. They’ll let me know if anything changes, right?”

Gramps tried to sit up. “Stop talking about me as if I’m not here.”

Gina pushed him back down. “Don’t give me any trouble, Gramps. I’ll be right outside. I’ll come back in just as soon as they let me. Okay?”

“Do I have any choice?”

Gina smiled. “No. Now be good and I’ll see you in a little while.” She kissed his cheek. “I love you, Gramps. Just concentrate on getting better, okay?”

Joe patted her back and Gina realized she meant it. She loved the old fart. Gramps put his free hand around her shoulders and held her close for a moment. “I love you too.”

She pretended not to notice that he teared up. “I’ll be right outside.” She turned her back to him and brushed the tears off her face with her shaking hands before she gathered the paperwork, her phone, and Gramps’ wallet. She shot Gramps a quick smile and returned to the waiting room with Mike.

He led her to a chair. “I’ll get you a cup of coffee while you finish up the paperwork. How do you take it?”

“Strong and black.”

Gina drank bad coffee and filled in what she could of the paperwork. If she thought about Gramps in that bed, she’d lose it, and she couldn’t afford to lose it now.

Ten minutes later, Gina sensed something and looked up to find Ben coming toward her.

Ben stared at her. It took Gina a moment to realize he was out of breath, sweating, and wearing running shorts and a T-shirt. He looked lost. She wasn’t sure what to do. She didn’t know if she was experiencing an “oh shit” moment or a “thank God he’s here” moment. She grabbed the clipboard and stood, holding it like a shield. “Where were you?”

“I went for a run. I got here as soon as I could. How is he?”

“You went for a run and then ran all the way here?”

“Yeah, Annabelle told me as soon as I got back to the gallery. I didn’t want to waste time going upstairs, and I didn’t have my wallet so I couldn’t get a cab.”

Gina didn’t bother telling him he’d have gotten there a lot faster if he’d just grabbed his wallet and taken a cab. Ben probably figured that out halfway to the hospital. She shifted from foot to foot. “Gramps is in the ER. They’re running tests. I did my best to fill out these forms. I did all I could. Why don’t you fill in the blanks?” She held the clipboard out to him but he didn’t reach for it.

“Can I see him?”

“I don’t know.” Gina turned and looked toward Mike.

When Ben noticed Mike, he took a step back. “Oh, Mike. I didn’t see you.”

Mike came up beside her. “Nice of you to make it, Ben.”

Okay, maybe Mike being here wasn’t such a good thing. She thought the hard feelings Mike had toward Ben over Annabelle would be history since Mike and Annabelle got married. It looked like she was wrong again.

Ben wiped his sweaty forehead on the sleeve of his T-shirt. “Thanks for being here. I didn’t know pulmonologists handled this sort of thing.”

If it was possible, Mike stiffened even more. “Don’t worry, I’m not his doctor. I’m just here because Annabelle asked me to come by as a friend of the family.”

“I appreciate it. How is he? Can we see him?”

Mike nodded. “Sure, Gina can take you back, she knows the way. Just keep him quiet.”

Gina handed Ben the clipboard and looked up to Mike. She didn’t want to be alone with Ben if she could help it. “You’re not going to leave, are you?”

Mike shook his head. “No, I’m happy to wait.”

She smiled. “Good.”

Ben put his arm around her, which was the last thing she wanted. Okay, maybe not the last thing. The last thing she wanted was to be in the hospital at all, but it was a close second. “He’s through here. Come on.” When she got to Joe’s cubicle, she stopped, took a deep breath, pasted on a smile, and pushed aside the closed curtain. “Look who I found.”

***

Ben definitely hadn’t been prepared for what he saw. He left Gramps a couple of hours ago and though he hadn’t looked all that good, he certainly hadn’t looked like he belonged in a hospital. He sure did now.

Gramps opened his eyes and smiled. “It took you long enough to get here. I wondered if you had decided to run all the way back to Idaho.”

Ben grabbed the rail at the foot of the bed to steady himself. He’d never seen Gramps look so frail. “Hey, Gramps, I got here as soon as I heard.” His voice sounded weird to his own ears—what little he heard of it over the sound of blood rushing through his head. He cleared his throat and tried again. “How are you feeling?”

“I’d be better if they’d let me get the hell out of here. You know I hate hospitals.”

All Ben could do was nod and stare.

Gina tugged on his arm, dragging his attention back to her. “Ben, why don’t you sit down, you don’t look so good.”

“Yeah, okay.” He made it to the chair beside the bed and sat down hard.

Gina leaned on the arm of his chair facing Gramps and held the old guy’s hand as Ben’s vision grayed and cleared again. He blinked and swallowed, his mouth was dry, and his heart was going double-time. Thank God Gina was better at this hospital stuff than he was. He put his arm around her waist, needing to touch her.

She shot him a sideways glance and raised her eyebrows before turning her attention back to Gramps. “Mike says you’re doing just fine. He’s called the best cardiologist to check you out so you might as well give up on getting out of here any time soon and enjoy the company. Kate checked in with me on her way to the airport. Fisher’s already been in touch with Dr. Mike, and last I heard, Karma, Trapper, and Hunter were meeting Kate at the plane. They’re on their way.”

“They are?” Ben and his grandfather spoke in unison.

Gina smiled at Gramps; she hadn’t smiled at Ben once since he got there. She avoided even looking at him, much less talking to him. “Well, you didn’t think they’d wait in Idaho while you’re in the hospital, did you? Fisher’s on call, but he’s trying to get someone to cover for him for a few days.” She looked from Gramps back to him. “I’ve arranged for a friend to pick them up from the airport and bring them back here. He’ll take their things back to my place, and Tina and Sam will make sure the guest rooms are ready.”

Ben was amazed. “You did all that?”

“Why? Shouldn’t I have?”

Ben held her tighter and she stiffened under his arm. “No, I mean, thanks. I hadn’t even thought to call home. Kate would have killed me.”

“Yeah, well, you would have thought of it eventually.”

Ben wasn’t so sure. He’d never thought he was the type to panic but that’s exactly what he did when Annabelle told him what had happened. The whole way to the hospital, all he could think of were the fights he and his grandfather had over the last week. Gramps could have died. Ben always thought the old man would outlive him. He never thought there was anything strong enough to take the old goat down, until now.

Mike came into the cubicle. “Okay you two, time for you to leave. They’re going to take Joe up to ICU. It’s going to take a while, so why don’t you get something to eat, and then you can wait in the ICU waiting room. It’s in the Milstein Building on the fifth floor.”

Ben stood. “You’re taking him to ICU?”

“Lucky for us a bed just opened up. That’s the best place for him. Dr. Glass will meet him there, examine him, and look at the test results. Right now it looks to me like myocardial ischemia as opposed to an infarction.”

“What?” Ben wrapped his arm around Gina and held on. “In English, please?”

Mike ran his hand through his hair and looked as if he were holding his temper while talking to an annoying child. “There is evidence of injury to the heart muscle, probably due to a coronary blockage. Further tests are needed.”

He stopped talking and Ben couldn’t help but feel as if he were the one being examined.

Mike crossed his arms and rocked back on his heels. “Ben, you’re not looking good. When was the last time you ate?”

“I’m fine.”

“I didn’t ask if you were okay, I asked when you ate last.”

Ben shook his head. “I don’t know.”

“If you want my professional opinion, I think you should go and eat dinner. I’ll call you if anything happens, but I don’t think it will. Dr. Glass will meet with you later to discuss your options.”

Gina smiled at Mike. It irked Ben that she was spending a lot of time smiling at Mike and not even looking at him. She must have seen him scowl since she shot him a warning look, and turned to Gramps. “I have your wallet. Do you want me to take anything else? Your watch, your ring?”

Gramps nodded. “Yeah, that would be good. Just don’t go on a shopping spree without me while I’m stuck in here.”

Gina rolled her eyes. “Darn. Now I’m going to have to cancel the appointment with my personal shopper.”

“Don’t worry. Once I get out of here, I’ll buy you whatever you want.”

Gina reached over the side rail of the bed and brushed what little hair Gramps had away from his forehead. “All I want is for you to get better, so you listen to the doctors, and don’t give them a hard time. Ben and I will be waiting for you on the fifth floor. We’ll see you later.” She squeezed his hand.

Gramps held her hand, not letting her go. “You take care of Ben for me, huh. Mike wasn’t kidding when he said Ben’s not lookin’ too good.”

“I will. Don’t worry. He’ll be fine.”

Two orderlies walked into the small space and released the brake on the bed.

Ben moved when Gina shoved him toward the hall. He took a last look at his grandfather. “I’ll see you later, Gramps.”

He and Gina stood aside as they wheeled the bed out and turned to follow.

Mike stopped him. “Ben, listen to me, man. You look as if you’re about to drop. Go and eat. Gina doesn’t need to worry about you too. I’ll call if you’re needed. I know you left your wallet at your place. Here—” He reached for his wallet and Gina waved him off.

“I have money. I’ll take care of Ben. Just call if there’s any change.”

Mike nodded. “Will do.”

***

Gina took one look at Ben and wondered if she should get him some juice before they went hunting for the cafeteria. “I think I saw a soda machine in the waiting room. You need something to drink right now. Sit here and I’ll get you a Gatorade or something.” It would also give her a moment of much needed space. She hadn’t been prepared to see Ben, and she certainly hadn’t expected him to look so lost. He was more of a mess than she was, and that was saying something. She’d dealt with an awful lot in her life, but she’d never seen someone she loved in the hospital. If it was this hard on her, she couldn’t imagine how hard it must be for Ben. Gramps was all he had. Well, except for Kate, Karma, and the boys.

After digging through her purse for change, she took a few deep breaths and snuck a glance at him. The look on his face broke her heart. All she wanted to do was run up to him and hold on for dear life.

She had the urge to bang her head against the soda machine.
Madre de Dios
, Tina had been right all along. She’d gone and fallen in love with Ben. Now what the hell was she supposed to do? The orange Gatorade fell into the slot and she bent over to get it. When she rose, she found herself cornered between the machine, the wall, and Ben. “Here. Drink this.” She shoved the Gatorade at him.

“Thanks.” He took the drink. He didn’t step back, he didn’t open it, he just stared at her.

“You’re supposed to drink it.”

Ben shook his head. “I don’t need it. Gina, all I need is you.”

God, what was she supposed to do now? She put her arms around him and hugged him. She would have done the same for anyone who was upset. Of course, she probably wouldn’t have breathed in the scent of anyone else. Even though he was sweaty, he smelled like heaven—no, he smelled like Ben and he felt as good as she remembered every night when she’d close her eyes.

They held each other for a moment until Ben took a deep breath and kissed her head. “I’m so glad you’re here. I don’t know what I would have done without you.”

She looked away and slid to the side—anything to get some much needed distance. “You would have been fine without me.” Okay, she lied. He really did seem to need her.

Ben shook his head. “No, I haven’t been fine since you left. I’ve been a mess.”

God, she couldn’t handle this right now. “Come on. Drink up and let’s get you something to eat. We’ll deal with one disaster at a time.”

Ben nodded and took her hand. “As long as we can talk about us later.”

She was afraid to look at him, and fought the urge to run. She didn’t know which was worse, being away from him or being with him and waiting for the next shoe to drop. “Okay. We’ll talk after we know Gramps is out of the woods.”

“Thanks.” Ben bent his knees so he was eye to eye with her. “I just need one more thing.”

Gina opened her mouth to ask what when he swooped in and kissed her, pulling her hard against him. She dropped her purse and pressed her hand against his chest, not that it made much of a difference. His beard brushed her chin as he nibbled her lips. The feel of his lips against hers, his arms holding her, and his heart racing beneath her hand had every nerve-ending standing at attention along with few other things. She stilled, trying not to melt against him, and failing miserably. Kissing him had become second nature. She drowned in him, took comfort, and lost herself for a moment. Now what? She’d just set herself up for another heartbreak.

When reality intervened, she ended the kiss and Ben stepped back. “God, Gina, I’ve missed you every second of every day we’ve been apart.”

Gina closed her eyes; she didn’t want to hear this. She wanted to stick her fingers in her ears and sing to herself like she used to when she was a kid to drown out something or someone. When she opened her eyes, Ben was staring at her. “Let’s go get something to eat.”

“I’ll be fine with this.” He held up the Gatorade.

“Oh no, you heard Mike. Besides, I don’t want to answer to Kate if you pass out and end up needing your own hospital bed. You really do look like you could use a meal. It’s going to be a long night.”

He took her hand in his and plied their fingers. “I’ll eat if you eat.”

Gina shook her head. “That’s blackmail.”

Ben tugged her away from the wall and up against him. “Yeah, I know. I’m a desperate man.”

Ben wasn’t stupid. He wasn’t about to say that she didn’t look very good either. She was hiding it well, but she was as upset about Gramps as he was, she just handled the hospital thing better.

While they waited for the elevator, he drank the bottle of Gatorade.

Gina watched him with a smirk on her face. “Feeling better?”

He tossed the bottle in the trashcan between the elevator doors. “What are you talking about? I’m fine.”

“You looked as if you were about to pass out next to Grandpa Joe’s bed.”

“What did you expect? I’d just run ten miles on an empty stomach. It wasn’t my brightest move.”

“No argument here.” The elevator dinged.

He put his arm around her and stepped through the open doors. “I’ve done a lot of stupid things lately.”

He cursed under his breath when Gina’s phone rang giving her the perfect excuse to ignore him. “Hello?” she nodded. “As far as I know it wasn’t a heart attack. They took him to ICU for more tests.” She looked at Ben. “Yeah, he got here about a half hour ago. We’re just heading to the cafeteria to get a bite to eat.”

The elevator stopped at their floor and they stepped out.

“Do you want to talk to him?” Ben stepped closer to take the phone and she shook her head. “Okay, I’ll tell him.” She looked away. “Good, what time will you be landing? Ah huh. You’re flying into Kennedy? Okay, I’ll have Carlos pick you up. You can just leave your things in the cab and he’ll take them back to my place.” She shook her head. “Don’t be silly, I have plenty of room for everyone. I’ll see you in a few hours. Yeah, I’ll tell him.” Gina disconnected the call.