Another beep came from Alex’s pager. His friend slapped him on the shoulder as he walked past him on the ramp. “Try to stop by tomorrow night. I know everyone would love to see you.”
“I will.”
Chase had no idea how Krista would feel about his crashing her sister’s engagement party. He could ask her, but that would leave it wide open for her to shut the idea down. Why risk it? He’d go and deal with the fallout later. At the very least it meant that he would get to spend more time with her. That was good enough for now.
Chapter Eight
Krista walked into the hospital room and blinked twice. She couldn’t believe what she saw in front of her. The curtains were pulled back. Abby was sitting up in her bed. A pink flush of color was in her cheeks. She looked more alive, more vibrant than Krista had seen her look…ever.
Never before had Krista seen a stroke have that effect on someone. Krista had expected to walk into a darkened room and see a frail Abby lying in the center of the hospital bed. She didn’t know what medication they had Chase’s mom on, but whatever it was, it was working.
“Is it true?” Abby asked, excitement dancing in her dark eyes. “Is he really here?”
Ahh. So this miraculous recovery had nothing to do with doctors or medication. Krista should have known that the only person who could make Abby spring to life was her estranged son. It made total sense.
“He was here yesterday,” Krista said. She was fairly certain that he was still in town. At least he was as of one o’clock this morning, but she didn’t want to get Abby’s hopes up if he’d already left for some reason. Not that she really believed he’d split without saying goodbye to her. She knew better. Chase would never do that.
“Did you talk to him? How does he seem? Does he look good?” Abby asked, firing each question in rapid succession.
Krista moved across the room, her rubber-soled shoes squeaking on the freshly mopped linoleum. “Yeah I talked to him. He seems…” Krista paused, not knowing how to continue. Finally she went with, “Good. And yes, he looks good. Really good.” She knew she hadn’t needed to add the ‘really,’ but come on. Not only was he beyond gorgeous, he was walking, talking sex-on-a-stick. Not that she would say that to his mother.
“They moved me into this room for privacy, in case Chase visits.” Excitement bubbled out of Abby’s voice as she spoke.
Krista couldn’t get over how incredible Abby seemed to be doing. She did not look like a woman who had just suffered a stroke. The only sign that she had was some weakness in her facial muscles on the left side of her face, which meant that the stroke had affected the right side of her brain. The mild paralysis was only noticeable when Abby smiled. Luckily her speech seemed fine. She was speaking clearly and not slurring her words. Those were very good signs.
Sitting up even higher in her bed, Abby reached up and smoothed her hair down, asking nervously, “How do I look?”
“Great!” Krista answered both enthusiastically and honestly. She pulled a handheld mirror out of the drawer in the overbed table. Lifting it up, she turned it so that Abby could see her reflection.
Abby’s eyes widened at what she saw staring back at her. “Oh no. Do you have a brush?”
“I think I can scrounge one up.” Krista moved across the room and pulled open several drawers. The hospital kept disposable brushes that had been donated to them in some of the patients’ rooms.
Jackpot.
Grabbing the last blue brush in the drawer, Krista removed the cellophane wrapper and stepped back to the bed, handing it to Abby.
As she reached out to take it, Krista noticed that her hand was shaking.
“Did you want me to brush it for you?” Krista offered, not knowing if the shaking was occurring due to nervous energy about the possibility of seeing her son or the stroke. Abby’s spirits were high, which was amazing, but she knew that Chase’s mom had to be exhausted. She didn’t want her to exert all of her energy doing something that Krista could easily do for her.
Abby nodded furiously. “Do you mind?”
Krista shook her head. “Not at all.”
Moving closer, Krista supported Abby as she leaned forward. The mattress dipped as Krista sat down beside her and began running the brush through Abby’s hair. Memories came flooding back to Krista of when her mom used to brush her and her sisters’ hair every night after their baths. Jessie and Becca, who were the youngest, hadn’t liked it and would sit still only long enough for their mom to get the knots out. Krista, on the other hand, had loved it. She would always ask to go last. Then she and her mom would talk about their days. Sometimes she would even read a story out loud, sitting on the floor in front of her mom while she took her time separating then brushing out Krista’s long red hair.