Mac was lying on her back looking up at him as he smiled at her. Seeing her beautiful green eyes again was a sight for his sore eyes. He lightly ran his finger over her arm. He was so happy she seemed to have life in her once again. These had been some of the scariest days of his life. Having to look at his daughter connected to machine after machine just to stay alive was heartbreaking. One machine to help her breathe, one machine to monitor her heart, another her oxygen intake. Then there was the IV that filled her with fluids.
The door opened and he turned to see Quinn walking towards him. She looked down onto the bed and shrieked,
�Oh my God. Look at her. Why didn�t you tell me? How long has she been awake like this?� It wasn�t the first time her eyes were open. But before, it would be brief and her eyes were lazy. Now, there was more life to her eyes.
�It hasn�t been long. I was too shocked to think straight, sorry. I just saw her myself.� Quinn became more animated,
�I�m going to get the doctor.� He heard her mumbling �oh my God� as she ran out the door. When she returned she was followed by Mac�s doctor, Dr. Elder, followed by Elliott, James and her family.
�Well, someone is definitely looking like her test results�better and better.� They stood behind him anxiously as he listened to her heart and seemed to evaluate her. He smiled as he looked behind him. It must have been quite unnerving but he surely had to understand.
�She�s getting better. I can�t believe it. I�ve prayed for this every minute of the day.� He smiled over at Quinn as she had the biggest smile on her face. Lately, they had been alone together more and more. It seemed strange.
�Where�s your family and everyone?�
�Nate and James went to get something to eat. My mom and dad went to get some of Mac�s toys from the house and I�m not sure where Elliott is.� She turned to look at him,
�Where is everyone on your side?� It didn�t dawn on him that she didn�t know.
�They are all gone. They said to tell you goodbye.� She frowned slightly from surprise,
�And your mom?�
�Oh, she�s gone too.� He smiled at her, �I�m sure that makes you happy.� She shook her head and smiled,
�No, I mean. I don�t have a problem with her.� He looked at her incredulously, �I mean it. Ok, your mom and I don�t particularly see eye to eye but I can accept that we aren�t going to go shopping together and trade chocolate chip cookie recipes. I can be civil to anyone.�
�She isn�t anyone. She�s Mac�s grandmother.� And if his mother and the mother of his daughter didn�t get along it was going to be a nightmare for the next eighteen years.
�I heard things are going along with the foundation. I asked Dr. Callan about it.� Things had actually been going very well. His mother already had a lawyer to help with the initial set up.
�Yeah, you know that famous lawyer Kendall Coffey?� She nodded,
�Everyone in South Florida knows him.�
�He and my mother know some of the same people and he�s helping her right now.� He had to hand it to his mother. She came from nowhere and she had some of the most powerful people in several career fields in her phone book on speed dial.
�You know, she�s going to need people working in the office. You should work for the foundation.� She looked over at him,
�Work for your mom? Nick, I can stand to be in the same room with your mom and I can be civil but work for her? I don�t think so.� He didn�t know where that came from but as he thought about it, it seemed like a good idea.
�She won�t always be around that�s why someone needs to be available at all times.� She shook her head at him,
�Leave my job that I like and pays well to be a secretary? Nick, please.� It wouldn�t be as bad as she thought,
�You�ll love this one. You're helping kids. You�ll send out press releases, set up appointments, set up fundraisers, market the foundation, maybe run the website, take donations. I mean, whatever else needs to be done. It would be a good job and with Mac needing so much attention you can do a lot of the work at home. And if you needed to be in the office for a couple of hours you could take her with you. I know you can�t do that at your job now.� She seemed to be thinking about the idea.
�Working for free does not pay the bills or give Mac health insurance, she needs that more than ever now.� He knew he had her seriously thinking about it and wanted to go in for the kill,
�See, that�s even easier. You can be paid as much money as you want and the foundation is not taxed because we�re a nonprofit organization.� It was a little corrupt. That�s why celebrities placed their family members on their charities� board and then donated their personal money to their charities. It was a way to support a family member and not have the money taxed twice. He learned a thing or two from the lawyers he had been around.
�Please. Running a charity is an everyday thing and my mother can�t do that and be Aaron�s manager and the other acts she�s about to sign.� He placed his hand over hers, �And I don�t think there should be some outside person. I want someone who we can trust. This is a family thing and�you�re a part of this family. You would do things right. I want a real charity that means something to me. That does good things; makes a difference.� She stared at their hands,
�I�ll�I�ll think about it.� She glanced at him, �Really, I will. It sounds�it sounds pretty nice.�
He and Larry were sitting in Mac�s room early that evening. He was now the only person that was there for Nick. Mike was of no help and was never anywhere to be found except in bed during the day. At night he partied and chased women. He was pretty much useless but Nick felt comfortable with him and these days, in his life, he needed people he knew.
He was flipping through the channels when he stopped at Entertainment Tonight. They watched some little girl that was going to get her own television show on the Disney Channel talk about her long career. She was only thirteen years old and already she was some �seasoned veteran�. Suddenly as the correspondent stood in the middle of the stage there were pictures of Nick and Quinn, with Larry in the background, hugging. A body language specialist was asked to interpret what was going on in the pictures,
�Well, this one. He is kissing her on the forehead. He�s taken on the role of her protector.� A second picture flashed and it was of them hugging and her eyes were closed. According to the interpreter her closed eyes meant she trusted him and felt safe. Next was a picture of him walking ahead of her looking around while she was looking down. All the pictures were evidence, supposedly, that he was the protector, she trusted him and there was something that was genuine between them.
After the segment was over he and Larry looked at each other, neither knowing what to say. He was somewhat stunned. In his mind he began to wonder if he and Quinn should be together. Why should she be with James? He never saw with them what he saw in those pictures. The times he had seen them together, even before all the stress of Mac�s illness, seemed forced. He and Quinn could be good together. But what could he do about it? She had already made up her mind. He still couldn�t help but think there had to be something there between the two of them. They just told each other they loved each other. Was it possible for her to love him and James? And if she did, it was obvious she loved James more; she was going to be his wife.
Chapter 98
Reunited
Stories