Even though the bedroom door was open he knocked before entering,
�Hey.� She stuck her head out of the bathroom,
�I�m in here. Come on in.� He stood in the doorway and leaned against the wall. She had the ironing board up and a basket full of clothes,
�Are you going to iron all of that?� Ironing wasn�t his thing. In fact, he never ironed.
�Yes, if I iron them all now when its time for me wear something all I have to do is pull it out of the closet.� She was so damn well-organized. It makes sense but still, it seemed like a waste of time to him.
�So how�s Ashley doing?� He looked at her and she was looking down at her chore. He didn�t want her talking to Ashley�or any other girl he knew for that matter. He and Ashley didn�t talk about Quinn because he didn�t want to have to be the one to bring her up. But he was very curious about what they talked about. There was really no use in asking Quinn and expecting to get the truth. Ashley didn�t seem mad and she didn�t hear any screaming so he figured Quinn didn�t bitch her out again.
�She�s fine.� She wasn�t going to give him any information so he wasn�t go to be so quick to let her know what his conversation was about.
�She�s a really nice girl.� He frowned,
�What makes you think that?�
�Just the way she came to the hospital and brought Mac a gift. She seems like she has a nice heart.� He wasn�t sure what to say,
�I apologized to her for the way I acted at the hospital.� She looked over at him, �I was out of line and I was wrong. I let her know that.� He was impressed. He knew Quinn was aware she was wrong but he didn�t think she would apologize to Ashley.
�You should invite her to the hospital. You know�so she knows I was sincere and there are no hard feelings.� He was pretty sure he was looking at her like she was some type of alien. He couldn�t help it. Throughout this whole thing, to say Quinn had been on edge wouldn�t be enough. Of course he knew she was a good person but she hadn�t been a nice person since Mac was in the hospital.
�I�ll see. I�m sure she has to work and all that.� Actually, he didn�t know what she did and he really didn�t care to be honest.
�Do you like her?� She glanced over at him, �I mean, are you guys dating or something? She�s nice. I think she�d be good for you.� What was with her? Not too long ago they were having sex, they were telling each other they loved each other and now she�s playing matchmaker. It was obvious that she wasn�t feeling for him what she led him to believe. He had thoughts of them being together but that wasn�t what was on her mind obviously. She didn�t want him. She wanted to get rid of him so she could be with James and not have him around. Well, she didn�t have to worry about that. He wasn�t going to hang on to any hope that they could be together, especially after she got married. He wasn�t going to be some piece of meat for her to cheat on her husband with. He had higher standards than that.
�Well, yeah we�re kind of�you know.� He looked at her and she nodded.
He made himself comfortable on the floor. His legs stretched out and his arms under his head.
�But I don�t know if she�s going to be the one. She�s not the only one I�m dating.� He looked over at her and watched her smile as she shook her head at his bad ways. There were others but they were one-night stands that he�d never see again. Hell, he wasn�t even dating Ashley.
�There is this one girl. She�s really special I think. She�s nice. She likes to have fun. She doesn�t rag me too much. She�s been on a few trips with me before. The guys know her and she�s even friends with one of our dancers.� He could tell he had her interest and decided to take it further, �She�s from a good family but the only thing is they don�t like me. They would rather she was with some doctor or lawyer�something like that. Not some celebrity.� He could see the discomfort on her face as she realized he was talking about her. He sighed heavily,
�I like her but I don�t think its something that could happen. I mean, I live in Florida and she lives in Houston. It would be different, maybe, if she lived in L.A�.you know?� He looked over at her; her head was down and she was concentrating on a shirt. The air had been let out of her tire; it was a little mean maybe but he didn�t really care. He had to endure her marrying someone else why did he have to seem pathetic with no one in his life but her�someone who didn�t want him back?
�Um, yeah. Its not like you go to Texas for anything. So, what�s her name? This cowgirl.� He wasn�t prepared for that and it seemed like forever before he came up with a name,
�Karen.� She nodded and looked as if she was going to ask another question so he cut her off, �But I might give Ashley a chance. She is a cool chick. I�ll see if she can come over tomorrow.� She pulled the plug out of the socket but she still had half a basket of clothes left.
�You done?� She nodded,
�Yeah, that�s enough for now. I�ll finish the rest tomorrow after I leave the hospital.� She sounded a little down and he kind of felt bad for lying about all those girls. There hadn�t been anyone in his life that came close to what he had with her�and what he wanted with her. There was only one girl who might be able to claim some type of relationship.
Her name was Sheryl and was a waitress at one of the bars in Marathon. She didn�t mean shit but she was a warm body connected to a cute face and she didn�t really have any expectations. He was rarely home and when he was he could act as if he wasn�t. It wasn�t like she could just drive up and knock on the front door. It was nothing special. He would go to the bar, get drunk, take her back to the compound and fuck her. No gifts, no dates, nothing special.
For a moment, they stared at each other and he wondered maybe if he tried her again she would give in to him. But he didn�t try because sitting in a frame on the countertop next to a bowl of flowers was a picture of James and Quinn. She had made her decision and he was going to live with it. He wasn�t going to sulk over her. He was going to move on. He had been crazy to even think about being something special with her.
Nick and Quinn stood before the doctor and he held her closely as she cried. A couple of nurses were standing over Mac on the other side of the room. Quinn pulled away and headed over. He followed and stood beside her as they looked down at their little girl. She looked so peaceful, her eyes closed and her perfect little lips slightly parted.
�I can�t believe it.� He rubbed his hand up and down her arm,
�Well believe it. This is what we prayed for.� She nodded her head and wiped her eyes,
�I know, but to finally hear that she is going to be ok and that the recovery is going as expected? Its just good to hear you know? I mean no guessing. Its 100%; she�s going to be ok.� He knew what she meant. His own eyes watered as the doctor told them Mackenzie�s recovery was on time and looked perfect.
�I know Winnie, I know.� She looked up at him and smiled,
�I can�t believe it, but I actually like that nickname.� He laughed,
�Right now, there isn�t anything I don�t like.� They turned their attention to Mac lying in her bed. His little girl was going to be ok. Finally, he allowed the tears to roll down his face. He had come a long way during this process. He was now a father�a proud one.
~THE END!!~
Reunited
Stories