�Did you sleep well?� He looked up to see Quinn�s dad sitting next to him,
�Yes sir.� Although, by now, everyone in the world knew he and Quinn had sex he didn�t want her father to think anything had happened. Wait, something had happened. A lot happened but admitting it to her father wasn�t a good idea. Besides, she was engaged to be married and not to him.
�Quinn�s couch is very comfortable.� Her father frowned at him,
�You slept at Quinn�s place?� It was just like him to get himself in trouble by giving more information than was needed. He just assumed Mr. Garner knew he spent the night at Quinn�s house. Nate knew. He didn�t want to makes things uneasy. He had just gotten on good terms with Quinn. He didn�t want to mess things up by having her father question her about what he was doing at her house spending the night.
�Yes sir. Everything was crazy at my hotel and I needed some sleep.� He looked over at Mr. Garner and he wasn�t giving him a look that said everything was ok.
�Quinn was nice enough to let me spend the night.� He still wasn�t getting a look of comfort from him,
�Nate came by and brought us dinner and hung out. He�s a cool cat.� Finally, he was given a smile. He was sure it was out of nothing but sympathy,
�Yeah, he is. So, I hope you got your sleep.� He knew that was code. He knew her father was trying to say something and it was embarrassing. It�s like he knew but that wasn�t possible. The way he and Quinn had been going at each other the last thing anyone should think was that they were any kind of intimacy. He needed to get away from Quinn�s father before he felt the need to deliver a confession.
�I�m going to see MacKenzie. I�ll talk to you later Mr. Garner.� The older gentleman nodded and watched as Nick walked out of the room.
As he walked through the halls of the hospital for the first time he felt like he belonged there. He felt like he wasn�t an outsider. He turned the corner and almost ran Quinn over. His arms quickly moved to her body and kept her from falling to the ground.
�I�m sorry. Are you ok?� She nodded and smiled as she held on to his arms,
�Yeah, I�m fine. I was just going to the chapel. The doctors feel better and better about Mac as each hour goes on.� He frowned,
�Then why are you going to the chapel?� Every time he went to the chapel it was because he was pleading for his daughter�s life of trying to make sense of it all.
�To say thank you.� That was something he wasn�t sure he had ever done; gave God thanks for all his good work. He wanted to be there when she said thank you, he wanted to do the same.
�I�m coming with you.� She didn�t protest and allowed to him to guide her by placing his hand on her lower back as they walked down the hall towards the chapel.
They sat in the front of the chapel alone after praying.
�She�s really going to be ok.� He looked over at her and couldn�t help but smile when he saw the smile on her face. It wasn�t anything the doctors said, Mac was still under close supervision in critical condition, but it was something they both felt in their hearts. At least he did and he could only assume that was what gave her the hope she had. He felt in his heart that she was going to be ok because she was his daughter, she was a part of him, and he could feel it.
�Yeah, I can�t wait until she�s better. I want to take her everywhere.� His mind began to fill with thoughts of vacations and birthday parties; walking the carpet at animated movie premieres and being on video sets with her.
�I want see her walk and I can�t wait until she talks. That�s going to be a trip.� From the corner of his eye he could see her shake her head,
�What?� He asked as she smiled.
�Nothing, it�s just that you sound like my dad; and my brother. I guess there�s something about men. You guys don�t know how to bond with kids until they can walk for themselves.� The mention of her father instantly brought back his earlier moment with him. He needed to tell her, she needed to know.
�Uh, there�s something I need to tell you. It�s about your dad.� She looked a little worried and maybe she was right to think so. There was no telling what her father might say or think about him spending the night with Quinn.
�What Nick? You�re making me nervous.� That would make two of them because he was already nervous, very nervous.
�I messed up and your dad knows I spent the night with you.� The look on her face said it all. She was just as uneasy about her father as he was.
�What do you mean by spent the night with me? How much does he know? How does he know?� He knew she wouldn�t be thrilled but he didn�t think she would become panicky.
�I told him I slept on the couch. He doesn�t know we slept together.� She was frowning at him and for the first time he felt like their relationship was on it�s way back to the rocky road they had just gotten past.
�Why did you say anything about it at all?� He didn�t mean to say anything about it. It just seemed to come out of his mouth.
�I figured since your brother saw us last night that he already knew.� That seemed to make sense to her and she sat there for a moment. He placed his hand on her thigh,
�I�m sorry. I didn�t mean to cause any problems.� She sighed and looked up at the ceiling,
�I just hope it doesn�t get back to James.� James. He hadn�t even thought about that particular problem. At this point, he wasn�t intimidated by James, or anyone else, but he didn�t want there to be problems for her. Although, he wouldn�t mind seeing James disappear from the picture. Those were for his own selfish reasons though.
�Are your brother and dad close with James.� She sighed deeply and I could tell that they got along.
�My dad loves him and my brother doesn�t have any problems with him but neither one of them would rat me out like that.� He squeezed her thigh,
�They don�t know there is anything to tell. They don�t know we slept together.� She looked over at him, almost with a smile on her face,
�But the thought will cross their minds and if James found out it will be the first thing he thinks.� She shook her head and shrugged,
�It�s nothing to worry about. I�ll make sure they know it was innocent and that there is no reason to say anything to James.� She stood up and he followed. As he walked down the aisle behind her his eyes couldn�t help but fall down to her butt. It was so nice. And those black pants were just tight enough to show all her curves. He caught up to her and placed his hands on her hips, stopping her from moving forward.
Chapter 89 cont'd