Chapter Thirteen – Arriving To Shocking Revelations
Arriving in New York, he looks shyly at me as the taxi pulls before an apartment building. “We have a place here from when Gabriel worked at the hospital.” His voice trails off. “I thought you might enjoy staying here instead.”
I like the idea of a less constricting refuge. “Thank you.”
Entering the lobby, Andrew is greeted by a man sitting behind the desk. He introduces me and then slips Harry some large bills. I hear him whisper as I enter the elevator. “Thank you for handling the favor I asked.”
His penthouse is decorated similar to the rooms in sanctuary. Walking toward the window to view the skyline, I see the silhouette of his perfect physique approaching me, igniting my blood and jumpstarting my heart.
He stands directly behind me. I see his hands raise and then feel them retreat and drop. His seraphic face reflected in the glass reveals his longing. Staring into the depths of his sky eyes, I feel his nose gently glide up the side of my neck until he is nuzzling my ear, running soft kisses at the base of my neck as his arms enfold me. My heart is racing out of control and I am about to turn into his embrace. His soft utterance causes my eyes to shift from his. “Enjoying the view?” I am stunned, his reflection remains stalk still behind me with his arms still dropped at his side, yet the back of my neck tingles and my upper arms even now feel cooler.
I feel unsettled, my imagination is not that good and it felt too real. Turning, as my eyes meet his he appears disconcerted. Does he know? I tear my eyes from his and murmur. “It’s amazing. May I look around?”
He visibly relaxes as I put space between us. “Please.”
I feel his eyes follow me. Returning to the main room, “You have a beautiful place here.”
He is behind the breakfast bar. “Catherine purchased it. You must be hungry; sit and I’ll make you something” His features sly. He shuffles pans and then removes something from the stove. “I hope you like this impromptu delicacy.” He grins as he lifts the lid revealing a small filet with all the trimmings.
“How did you…”
He laughs. “Harry, he also stocked the refrigerator.”
“Is there anything you don’t consider?”
“Eat. What time are we meeting your family or would you prefer to do that alone?” He inquires thoughtfully.
“No, please come!” I feel anxious. “I could use a friend. My mother seems alright and my sister is preoccupied, but I haven’t spoken to my father or brother since leaving. However, if you would be uncomfortable, I understand. You have already done so much for me.”
He places his hand on my shoulder, his arctic touch causes me to shiver, but not from the cold, but desire. “I’m happy to go. I just didn’t want to intrude. I will always be around when you need me.”
Dressing to leave, I tuck my watch in my sweater, nestling it close to my heart. Entering the cab, Andrew’s sky blue eyes look even brighter as he gazes upon me. “You look lovely.”
“You look handsome yourself.” I reply shyly. I cannot believe this glorious man is going out of his way for someone like me. Knowing what happiness he brings me, makes me sad for him, his failing to find freedom has to be an impossibility.
The butterflies in my stomach flutter wildly as my uncle’s apartment comes into view. Andrew uncharacteristically embraces me tightly, his lips at my ear. “Relax, they love you.” His voice is barely audible over the hyperactive palpitations of my heart.
Stretching, I kiss his chiseled cheek, my lips lingering. I’m surprised he doesn’t pull away. “If you are trying to stop my panic attack, you have. Thank you.”
He gently caresses my hand as we walk to the door. Raising my hand to knock, I become nervous. What if they say something to change his opinion of me? I turn. “Can I ask you a favor?” My voice quivers.
“Anything” His eyes turn concerned.
“Please don’t leave my side tonight. Don’t let what they say change your opinion of me. I am a different person now.” Moisture fills my eyes.
Practically lifting me, we move to the stairwell. “Mia, there is nothing anyone could say to make me think badly of you.” His fingertips brush my jaw line until my chin rests in his palm. He lifts my face so our eyes meet. “I knew you were special the first time I set my eagle eyes upon you.” He smiles. “I won’t leave your side. Stop putting unnecessary pressure upon yourself. You are and extraordinary, compassionate woman and anyone who can’t see that is the one with the problem.” He encircles me in his arms, my head rests against his statuesque chest. “Are you ready?”
“Yes, thank you.”
We return and he knocks.
My uncle greets us. “Mia, it’s been too long.” He hugs me, but his features turn confused at he glances at Andrew and I know he cannot understand what someone like Andrew is doing with me.
Andrew extends his now gloved hand. “Mr. Stanford, it’s a pleasure to meet you.”
“My sister has spoken highly of you since finding out you were accompanying Mia.”
My mother unexpectedly hugs me. “I’m so glad you didn’t change your mind.” I’m stunned. My mother isn’t usually affectionate. She turns to Andrew. “It’s good to see you again.” She hugs him and whispers. “Thank you for ensuring she came.” A look passes between them that I don’t understand.
The door opens, David and Katrina enter. She smiles at me. “You look radiant. How do you feel?”
“Very blessed, it was touch and go for a while, now everything is good.” She rubs her stomach. “Oh.”
She allows me to feel the movement and I’m thrilled. “I’m so happy for you!” I hug her then David. “Congratulations dad!”
“I’m sorry, we are being rude. I’m Katrina and this is my husband, David.” They shake Andrew’s hand.
“Congratulations on your miracle.”
Katrina whispers to me. “Is he why your emails seem so calm and happy?” She leans closer. “Is he why you look radiant?”
I peer between her hair at him, but his features reveal nothing. I distract her. “So do you know if it’s a boy or girl?”
“We’re having a boy.” She replies as David say a girl.
“You may want to get together on this.” It feels good to laugh talking with her.
“We’re having twins.” She smiles.
An authoritative knock that can only be my father causes a tidal wave of anxiety to crash over me. Andrew moves closer, gently brushing the back of my hand with his. My father greets everyone cordially then turns to me. “Is he the newest reason you refused to come back and threw away your calling?” He shoots an accusatorial glance at Andrew.
Before I respond, my mother grasps his hand. “You promised not to do this Lawrence.”
“Ann, you know she is giving up again. Isn’t it enough to be losing one involuntarily already? What is she throwing it away for – him, that place or just to hide. I need to know!” His voice exudes frustration.
“Then address me directly” I snap angrily, fighting aggravated tears.
“Explain to me how you talk of practicing medicine there. Tell me, how many patients have you cured or do you just play house with him?” Sarcasm radiates from his every pore.
I want to scream, but the worried look on my mother and sister stop me. “Dad, I didn’t run away and I’m not playing house! Practicing your type of medicine didn’t work for me, but I can help people now.”
His eyes turn furious. “Oh yes, I remember how you helped that boy in Minnesota who jumped!”
The image flashes through my mind and I roar. “Maybe if everyone didn’t write me off, he would be alive!”
Stephan steps in. “Are you getting into that again, Mia?” He moves next to my father. My mother holds her head, sitting with Katrina.
“Mia, we are losing too many good doctors.” He glances toward the couch. He couldn’t be blaming Katrina for becoming pregnant. She won’t stay away from
the practice for long. Before I can dwell, his voice turns compelling. “We need physicians to find real cures and save lives, not hold someone’s hand and give them a drug to numb their minds because they can’t deal with their emotional dilemmas before sending them to bed.”
“Dad, I do want to save lives, just not in the way you think is the only way.” He opens his mouth to start again, but I raise my hand and turn to my mother. “I love you, but this is a mistake. I’m done fighting and making everyone uncomfortable.” I gaze at my father. “I don’t want to fight. We will never agree, but look at the toll this is taking on mom and Katrina. Stay angry, but this conversation is over.” Grabbing my coat, I storm out as my mother springs from the couch.
In the hallway, she grabs my hand. “Mia, wait!”
“Mom, I don’t want to fight.” Her face is drawn, gaunt and my tears finally escape.
“Mia, your father is under a lot of stress. I need you to come inside and make peace, please.” She pleads.
“Mom, maybe we could have lunch tomorrow, bring Katrina, but I can’t go inside again.”
She stares at me, her eyes haunted. I should have stayed away. “Mia, I know I have no right to ask, but please, you have to make peace with your father now.”
“Mom, maybe I can start tomorrow with Katrina.” She takes both my hands in hers as a worried look passes between her and Andrew. He nods.
“Mia, I don’t have much time. It has to happen now! I’m dying and I need to bring my family together before I take my last breath.”
Her words hit me like a wrecking ball. My knees buckle.
“We need to get her out of the hallway.” He says and sweeps me into his arms. He follows my mother up the stairs to the rooftop and sits me down.
My mother grasps my wringing hands. “Mia, I’m sorry. This is not the way I wanted to tell you, but I couldn’t let you leave. You, your sister and brother will be all your father has and I need you to get along.”
My throat feels like I’ve been walking in the desert for days. “What happened? When did you find out?” I croak.
“I’ve known for months, it’s an inoperable brain tumor.” She glances at Andrew.
“Is there something I’m missing?”
He nods to my mother answering an unspoken question. “I know who Andrew is. He is the reason I am here right now, the reason I have more time that I hope to use wisely.”
“I don’t understand.”
“He slowed the growth but can’t cure me.”
I can feel my jaw drop as I turn to him.
He strokes my cheek softly. “I wanted to help, but I don’t have the power to cure her.” He whispers sorrowfully.
My mother’s firm voice commands my attention. “I haven’t told your sister or brother. Stephan may slip and David said that the Katrina’s pregnancy remains risky. Mia, you need to promise not to say anything. Do you understand?”
I nod. She hugs me. “I’m sorry we wasted so much time fighting. You know that I always loved you right?”
“Of course, I know. You were just trying to find your voice. We pushed, you pushed back and we pushed again, but Mia what we did, we did out of love. Your father loves you. He is just frustrated that he cannot cure me.”
“What can I do to help?”
“I need you to give me these few days with my family. I’ll speak with your father, but I don’t want you to leave. Please.”
“I promise anything you want” and I do mean it.
She rises. “Don’t forget, not a word to your siblings.”
“I promise.”
When she leaves, my body slumps in the chair and I can’t stop sobbing. Andrew kneels beside me, rubbing my back. “Mia, you’re strong and so is she. You can do this for her, I know you can.” He allows me to carry on, but then hands me a handkerchief. Encircling me in his arms, he kisses my forehead tenderly. “I know it will be difficult, but I’m here for you and will help any way I can.” His voice is comforting.
The air in the room is tense. My father straightens his posture and stares at me. “We won’t have any more unpleasant talk.”
I sit with my mother and Katrina, glad for a happier topic. The babies are due March 23rd and they are considering the names, Vanessa or Kayla and Maxwell or Nicholas. Andrew brushes his fingers against my resting hand. His glorious touch keeps the sobs at bay. My mother looks relieved as we chat through dinner. She rises saying she needs to rest for tomorrow’s big night and I learn my uncle has planned an evening of dinner and dancing.
In the taxi, with the need for pretenses gone, I fall apart. Andrew’s tender embrace cannot stop the deluge of tears. I become more and more distraught. Even the taxi driver places some tissues in the cash slot. Andrew repeats the same words over and over again. “You’re going to be alright, I’ll help you get through this. Mia, please don’t cry.” Despite dealing with sorrowful families all the time, his voice is laced with anxiety and concern.
Lifting me from the taxi, he carries me into the apartment, placing me on the couch. Sitting staring out unseeing at the skyline as sobs rip from my chest, I become vaguely aware that he is on the telephone. He sits by me, taking my limp hands, staring into my red-rimmed, bloodshot eyes, searching to see how I am doing. I struggle through the tumultuous sea of despair crashing over me as I think of all the time we wasted fighting. After allowing me to carry on for minutes, hours, I’m unsure; he strokes my cheek lightly with his knuckles drawing me from my introspection. Finding my voice, “What happened when you met my mother?”
“Why don’t you change? I’m sure you could use a hot shower.”
When I return, he passes me some tea. The warm liquid feels good slipping down my throat.
His eyes are still concerned as he assesses me. Whatever he sees causes him to slip one hand behind my back and the other under my knees lifting me gently and moving me to his lap. I rest my head on his shoulder as he wipes the escaping tears which are finally slowing. My eyes shift up to his, still curious. “You know I met your mother helping a colleague. I saw someone waiting to take her across. One night, as we awaited results, we began talking. I asked her what she was suffering from. Shocked that I knew, she finally told me that she was suffering the side effects of an inoperable brain tumor and that it was her last case.” My tears flow quicker. I didn’t realize she was that far along. “I tried comforting her, talking about the legacy that she left behind. She told me how she regretted the rift between you two. She hates your solitude. She seemed desperate to bring her family together before leaving this life. The guardian watching her told me that I could help and give her some more time.” He kisses my temple and whispers softly in my ear. “I’m so sorry I couldn’t save her for you.”
He sees my bemusement. “Mia, remember I told you our gifts can only enhance or detract. I can help advance healing, or stabilize someone, but only if the illness is capable of being healed or the body is capable of helping itself.”
I vaguely recall him explaining it. “How did you help her?”
“I advanced her ability to fight the tumor’s growth to slow it down and give her more time so that she could make amends with you and pass without this regret.”
As he gently strokes my temple, I can feel the impending fog encroaching upon me threatening to overtake me. “Who is with her?”
Through drooping eyes, I see his tender expression. “Her mother”
Comforted, my eyes close. I sense him lifting me and walking, but I cannot open my eyes. My back sinks into the soft mattress as he cocoons me in the comforter. I feel his retreat, but I need him. I think I whisper “Please stay,” but am unsure if sound escapes my lips.
I feel calmer as the bed dips and his cool lips are at my ear. “I’m right here. Try to sleep.” He softly strokes my hair and I drift into an uneasy sleep.
Waking, the sky is still dark. My eyes glance up to meet Andrew’s sympathetic expression. As my eyes become better focused, I ca
tch a glimpse of something behind his compassionate eyes, a hunger and look of longing before he closes them. When he opens them again, his eyes are masked, his features revealing nothing but empathy. “How are you feeling? You should really try to get more sleep.”
“I’m better. It’s comforting to know that she won’t be alone.”
“Mia you could be there for her too.” What is he talking about, is something wrong with me too? “What?” I ask anxiously.
“We can bring your mother to Sanctuary whenever she is comfortable coming ensuring you are with her when the time comes.”
My tears begin again. “You would do that for me?”
He strokes my cheek. “That’s what we do.”
I shift myself upward, wrapping my arms around him and kissing him on his cheek. “Thank you.”
“Anytime, get some more rest.” He murmurs softly, hugging me to his strong chest.
“Do you mind staying?” I inquire tentatively.
“I enjoy this quite time watching you sleep. I’ll see you in a couple of hours.”
The next time I wake, it is gray outside with piercing pink hues. Andrew is staring at me; his face now unreadable; his lips moving in an almost undetectable manner, murmuring something inaudible. “Good morning.” My voice brings him out of his introspection.
“How are you feeling?”
“Better.”
He strokes my cheek. A fission of energy passes between us, igniting my desire. As I look at him, his desire mimics mine. He shakes his head and rises quickly. “Relax, I’ll make some coffee.”
“You don’t have to wait on me.”
“I like doing things for you, it makes me feel normal.” He ducks out.
Throwing on my black jeans and white sweater, I head to the kitchenette. Andrew is wearing his navy cargo pants and light gray fitting sweater revealing his muscular chest and perfect physique. I fight my desire to wrap my arms around his waist and run soft kisses across the back of his strong neck. He turns.
“You look beautiful.” He kisses the top of my head, passing me some coffee. “David is on his way.”
“Why?” I mutter to myself.
His response surprises me. “He may want to discuss your mother, he knows.”
“How?”
“Your mother wanted him prepared if she passes before the babies are born.”
The cup slips from my hands, shattering. I hadn’t thought of that. Andrew is at my side. “I will do all I can to prevent that. Your grandmother believes it will be alright.”
Kneeling, picking up the pieces as tears flow, he takes my hand. “Try to relax before David comes. He said it’s important.”
Returning from washing my face, I answer the knock, meeting David’s serious face. A new health situation which requires my secrecy and action is thrust upon me as David informs me Katrina’s pregnancy is so risky she will be put on permanent bed rest in hopes of allowing the children to come to term and they are carefully monitoring the cord fearing it will wrap around his son’s neck. David pleads with me to take the lead in my mother’s care when she begins to fail fearing that my father will retreat into his own world and my brother will try to rally Katrina to care for them, risking his unborn children.
I try to relieve his obvious anxiety by assuring him that Andrew has already made arrangements for my mother to come to Sanctuary and otherwise, I will go to wherever she is, but he doesn’t relax. He fidgets more.
Drawing upon the skills Eva is instilling in me to get patients to talk about their concerns, I get David to reveal that he has seen an attorney regarding the guardianship of his unborn twins. With trepidation he reveals that his parents are too old to raise twins, he fears for my father after my mother’s passing and although Katrina thinks the world of Stephan, David is concerned that he has a bit of a wild side when it comes to women. This is a surprise to me, I have always found him self-possessed and driven. I sit stunned as David reveals Katrina and my mother have shared my emails with him, that he believes I have always tried to stand up for myself and others and that he thinks going to Sanctuary was the right choice for me, finally settling my life and making me happy. Yet his biggest reveal is that he has named me as guardian for his unborn twins and is seeking my consent.
I’m astounded that he even considered me and worry that this will upset Katrina, but understand that he cannot speak to her about this now. Wanting to relieve his stress, I push beyond my astonishment and assure him I’m flattered and honored. He visibly relaxes and informs me that his parents have a copy of the paperwork and the original is in his lockbox before he leaves.