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“Will you please behave?” Waving a hand at Jen, Kirsten stared at the computer monitor and hoped the man would pass by without a comment. “Don’t say a word to him.”
“Can’t be unfriendly.”
“We have work to do.” Kirsten tried to concentrate on the scheduling chart on her monitor and to not be tempted to see where Brady was. Why was she letting him bother her? She had to admit Jen was right. Underneath the tattoos and scruffy appearance was a good-looking man, but she couldn’t let that interest her. Charm and good looks didn’t undo bad character. What kind of man would ignore his grandmother for years?
“Hello, ladies. Care to share some of my contraband?” Brady held up a plastic bag bulging with unseen goodies. “I caught some of the cafeteria workers before they’d completely closed down. They loaded me up with treats.”
“No, thanks. We’ve already eaten.” Kirsten berated herself for not following her own advice. She had engaged the man in conversation. Now she’d have to pay the price.
Jen cast Kirsten a quizzical look, then smiled up at Brady. “She’s not speaking for me. Let’s see what you’ve got.”
“Sure.” Brady set a large drink on the counter, then proceeded to take several plastic containers out of the bag. “Roast beef. Gravy and mashed potatoes. Corn on the cob. Chocolate cake.”
Jen stood and surveyed Brady’s bounty. “How did you manage to get all this?”
Brady grinned. “I used my considerable charm on the ladies.”
With her gaze downcast, Kirsten rolled her eyes. Besides being ill-mannered, this guy was full of himself, too. Hardly a captivating combination. But who was she to judge? She’d been rude, too. The urge to apologize sifted through her mind, but she couldn’t find the words and quickly dismissed any desire to join the conversation.
Kirsten recognized that it wasn’t just Brady’s unresponsive behavior toward Cora that bugged her. He reminded her of Lance Tucker, the man who’d broken her heart in college. A charmer just like Brady, Lance had convinced her that he loved her. In the end, though, he’d broken her heart. She’d gone to his apartment unannounced and found him with another woman.
Jen nodded. “Looks like you used your charm well.”
“There’s more. I helped myself to the vending machine, too.” Brady dumped several bags of junk food onto the counter. He picked up one bag and held it up. “I haven’t had pork rinds in a long time.”
“Not my favorite snack.” Jen wrinkled her nose. “On second thought, Kirsten’s right. We’ve already eaten so I’d better refrain from eating more, but you must be hungry.”
Don’t you have a grandmother to see? Kirsten wanted to ask him the question, but she pressed her lips together to enforce her own silence.
“Yeah, my stomach’s been growling since I hit Interstate 285. I would’ve stopped to get something, but I wanted to get here.” Brady split open the bag of pork rinds and popped one into his mouth.
“How far did you drive today?” Jen asked.
Brady swallowed. “Too far. Started out in Dallas this morning.”
“Wow! You’ve driven a long way. You must’ve been eager to visit Cora.”
Brady nodded and gathered his haul. “And I’d better get down there and see if she’s awake.”
As he sauntered down the hall, the bag swinging by his side, Kirsten couldn’t help but look. She watched him until he disappeared into Cora’s room. Aggravated with herself, she turned to find Jen grinning. “Okay, so you’re right. He is good-looking.”
“Aha. So are you going to ask him to the wedding?”
Frowning, Kirsten narrowed her gaze. “Absolutely not. I just met the man. What would he think if I asked him to a wedding when he barely knows me or anyone here?”
“He’d think his abundant charm had wooed you.” Jen laughed.
Kirsten shook her head. “Maybe I’ll take Dad up on one of his date suggestions just to put an end to this discussion.”
Jen tapped a finger on her head. “Oh, good thought. Make the new guy jealous.”
“You’re impossible.” Kirsten pressed a button on her keyboard and the nearby printer sprang to life. “I have reports to prepare. These days registered nurses spend more time filling in charts and reports than they spend with patients.”
“I agree with you there.” Jen lifted her own stack of papers and resumed her spot at the desk.
Kirsten grabbed the pages from the printer and pinned the schedule to the bulletin board, then sent an email copy to the nurse’s assistants and LPNs. While she checked the next scheduled doses of medications, she tried not to think of Brady, but the image of his broad shoulders and disarming grin flitted through her mind. Despite his appeal, too many things about him said bad boy. She’d already dealt with one of those, and she didn’t want to repeat the experience. Brady Hewitt was everything she didn’t want in a man.
Chapter Two
Cora’s roommate still had the TV near full volume when Brady returned to the room. His grandmother continued to sleep. A soft snore accompanied her breathing. How she slept through the noise was a mystery to him. He settled in the nearby chair, put his bag on Cora’s rolling tray and extracted his food. As he opened the containers, the aroma made his stomach growl again. He grabbed the plastic fork and ate with abandon.
He scarfed down the food so fast he forgot to savor it, and he’d forgotten to thank the Lord for his blessings. He put down his fork and bowed his head. Thank You, Lord, for bringing me safely here. Thank You for being with Cora and helping her to recover completely. And thanks for this food.
When Brady raised his head, Cora was sitting up in bed. “Brady, is that you?”
“Gram, you’re awake.” Brady jumped up from the chair, put his food aside and hurried to her bedside. He gave her frail shoulders a big hug. “I finally got your message and came as soon as I could.”
“Let me look at you.” Cora eyed him from head to toe. “You’ve grown up a lot since I last laid eyes on you. The pictures you sent don’t do you justice. You look a lot like your dad.”
Brady merely nodded. He didn’t want to be anything like his dad. Brady hadn’t seen the man in years. He’d made a promise to himself that he would make something of his life, not let his circumstances determine the outcome of his life as his dad had done.
“Why did it take you so long to get here?”
Hoping to avoid answering her question, Brady shoved the cart over to Cora’s bedside. “You want something to eat?”
Cora waved a hand at him. “No, they feed us dinner around five o’clock. Can’t eat another bite.” She peered at the cart. “Is that chocolate cake?”
He chuckled. “I thought you said you couldn’t eat another bite.”
“There’s always room for chocolate.”
Brady slid the cake closer to Cora. “It’s all yours.”
“We can share, but I don’t have a fork.” Cora reached for her call button. “I’ll page the nurse.”
Brady took a deep breath. Would that bring Kirsten their way? Probably not. Registered nurses didn’t usually bring forks to patients. Minutes later, his supposition proved to be true when a petite young blonde scurried into the room.
The young woman surveyed the room. “May I help someone in here?”
“I need a fork, so I can eat this delicious cake. And I want you to meet my grandson, Brady.” Cora waved the young nurse’s aide over. “Brady, meet Kayla. She takes really good care of me.”
“Your grandma is super. Everyone here loves her.” Kayla shook Brady’s hand. “I’m so glad to meet you. Cora talks about you all the time.”
That was the second time he’d heard the same thing today. “Thanks for taking good care of her, Kayla.”
“It’s a pleasure. I’ll be right back with that fork.” Kayla hurried away.
“Seems you have quite a fan club here.”
Cora waved both hands at him. “The nurses here love everyone. They’re so caring, but I still want to get out of here and back into my own place.”
“I’m sure you do.” Brady sat down again as Kayla returned with a fork.
Cora thanked the nurse’s aide, then turned to Brady. “Now you can answer my question.”
“You mean why it took me so long to get here?”
Cora nodded. “I had them calling you every day.”
So that’s why he’d had so many messages. Maybe he’d been a little too hard on Kirsten. “I know. When I retrieved my phone, I heard them all.”
“Retrieved your phone?”
Brady scooted the chair closer to the bed. “I went up to Alaska this past May—”
“Alaska? You never told me.”
Nodding, Brady grimaced. “I know. I haven’t been good about staying in contact with you, and I promise I’ll do better in the future.”
“So why were you there?”
“I hired on as a deckhand on a commercial fishing boat during salmon season. Good pay.” Brady reached over and took Cora’s hand. “Gram, I would’ve been here sooner, but when they called I was in the middle of the sea. I got my messages when I retrieved my phone on the mainland.”
Cora smiled. “I knew something wasn’t right when you didn’t return the calls.”
“I got on the first flight out of Anchorage into Dallas. My pickup truck was there because I’d planned to return to Texas when the summer fishing season was over.”
“And you drove from Dallas today?”
Brady nodded. “Twelve hours.”
“You must be exhausted.”
“But seeing you has made the long trip worth it.”
“And seeing you has made my day, my whole year. I was afraid I would never lay eyes on you again.”
Brady hung his head. He wasn’t good at saying he was sorry, but he was. Cora had aged, and he had to face the fact that the time he had left with her was limited. He’d missed too many years with her. How could he ever make up for that? “I’m here now. So let’s make the most of it.”
“After you got out of the army, I didn’t hear much from you. You wrote a couple of times, but you never told me anything of significance about your life. I prayed for you every day while you were in the army and every day after you got out.”
“Thanks, Gram. Your prayers saved me more than once.” Not only from enemy bombs and bullets, but also from his own self-destructive behavior.
Her prayers had led him to Chaplain Howard, who’d urged Brady to take another look at Christianity. He’d remembered the Bible lessons from his youth and his grandmother’s devotion to God. With the Lord’s help, Brady stopped drinking to excess, misusing women and destroying his life. He’d spent the years since getting out of the army roaming from place to place, trying to find out where he belonged.
As Brady recounted the years since he’d been gone, he recognized the pattern—moving from one place to another, never finding a place to call home. Maybe he was more like his dad than he realized. The army had given him the discipline he’d lacked, and Chaplain Howard had capped that discipline with a moral code, but the army had also contributed to his wanderlust.
Now Brady wondered where the Lord was leading him. Did he belong here? He’d left his grandmother’s house in anger when he’d been barely seventeen, vowing never to return. This was one of the last places he would have picked to settle down, but his grandmother and the challenge of getting a pretty but petulant nurse to like him invited him to stay.
“What are your plans?” Cora peered at him through the large glasses that covered a significant portion of her wrinkled face.
Brady didn’t want to make any promises he couldn’t keep. Staying here to help his grandmother was something he should do, but the thought of living in Georgia again didn’t appeal to him. Finding a job was the only way he could stay, but he didn’t have to make any decisions now. “I don’t know, Gram.”
“I wish you’d settle here. You’re the only close family I have left.”
“I’m going to have to figure that out.” More guilt. He’d been gone for nearly twelve years, only visiting Cora twice during that time. He should’ve made more of an effort to be part of his grandmother’s life.
After leaving on bad terms, he hadn’t known how to make it right. The visits had always seemed uncomfortable. Cora had already been a widow when his mom, Cora’s only child, had died in a car accident. After that his dad had gone into a deep depression and never recovered. That’s when Cora had taken Brady in. She’d done her best to give him a decent life, but he’d done his best to make life difficult for her. Could he ever make it right?
“I can hardly wait to get out of here. I don’t mind being in the assisted-living apartment, but I’ll go crazy if they keep me in here.” Cora’s green eyes grew bright with tears as she grasped his arm. “You have to be my advocate.”
Brady furrowed his eyebrows. “You mean, like having a medical power of attorney?”
“Yes, that’s what it’s called.”
“But I thought that was for people who were dying or something.” Brady’s stomach sank. “You’re not dying, are you?”
Cora chuckled. “No. Nothing like that, but I want you to be able to talk to the doctors and nurses about my medical issues. Sometimes, I’m not sure what the doctors are telling me. So I’d like to have you know what’s going on, too. All that privacy stuff makes it so they can’t talk to you unless I say so.”
“What do I need to do?”
“Talk to the nursing home administrator, Ian Montgomery. He’s a lawyer, too. I’m sure he’ll know exactly what’s required.”
“Where do I find this administrator?”
“He has an office in the main building near the front gate.” Cora waved one hand toward the door. “But you’d better do it soon. He’s getting married in ten days. Then he’ll be gone on his honeymoon.”
Brady nodded. “I’ll do it tomorrow.”
“Good, because I want out of here so I can go to Ian and Annie’s wedding. In fact, if they don’t let me out, I’ll escape.”
“Gram, you aren’t in jail.”
“Well, it sure seems like it.”
“I heard that. They’ll be no escaping.”
The familiar voice made Brady turn toward the door. He wasn’t sure what to say as Kirsten pushed a cart into the room.
“Kirsten, have you met my grandson?” Cora saved him from having to say a thing.
Kirsten nodded. “We met earlier when he was looking for something to eat.”
Cora looked at Brady. “She’s the one who was calling you.”
Brady gave Kirsten a wry smile. “Yeah, I know.”
When Kirsten returned his smile, he almost fell out of his chair. Had the touchy nurse suddenly become friendly? There was a hint of humor behind her prickles. Maybe he had her wrong. She’d only done what his grandmother had asked.
Kirsten brought a little cup to Cora’s bedside. “Time for your pain medication.”
Cora frowned. “Do I need that stuff?”
Kirsten waved a finger at Cora. “You know if you don’t take it now, you’ll be waking up in the middle of the night in pain.”
Cora poured herself a glass of water, then took the little cup. “I hate taking these pills.”
“Gram, you need to stay ahead of the pain. You’ll get better much sooner if you do.”
“Listen to your grandson. He’s right.” Kirsten retrieved the empty cup after Cora took her medications. “And as for going to the wedding. If you work hard at your therapy and can walk the entire corridor with your walker, you can attend the wedding.”
“And the reception, too.”
Kirsten hesitated. “Why don’t we leave that decision up to the doctor and the physical therapist?”
“But you’ll put in a good word for me, right?”
Shaking her head, Kirsten laughed. “No promises from this corner. You have ten days to improve.”
Cora released a heavy sigh. “That therapist is a slave driver.”
“That’s because she’s on your side. She wants to help you get out of here, so you don’t have to plan an escape.” Kirsten looked at Brady. “I hope you’re not assisting in any way with her intention to break out of here.”
Brady held up his hands, trying to hide a smirk. “Not me. I wouldn’t dream of it.”
“I don’t know why that doesn’t comfort me.” Kirsten took hold of the cart. “Take care, Cora. I’m off to finish delivering these meds.”
As Kirsten wheeled the cart into the hallway, Brady looked over at Cora. “I’ll be back in a minute. I want to ask her something.”
“Out for a date?” Cora’s eyes twinkled.
Brady frowned at her. “I’ll pretend I didn’t hear that.”
“You should think about it,” Cora called after him.
Brady stepped into the hallway, hoping Kirsten hadn’t heard his grandmother’s remark. A date. He could barely remember the last time he’d been on one. Or maybe he’d chosen not to remember because it had probably been a drunken one-night stand. He didn’t want to remember those. Since he’d discovered his newfound faith in God, he’d been too busy working on oil rigs or catching salmon to bother with dates.
Besides, he doubted a date with Kirsten would be that great, or would it? He liked challenges. He liked adventure. He liked pretty women, even if they were a little on the hypersensitive side. What was he thinking? He’d only met the woman a half hour ago. She was likely to turn him down if he asked, but give him a few days and she would look at him through a different lens. That was the plan.
He looked both ways down the hall but didn’t see Kirsten. She’d probably already gone into another room. He stood there for a moment, and she reappeared. “Hey, Kirsten.”
She turned, a little frown puckering her eyebrows. “Yes?”
He went down the hallway in her direction. “You have a minute to talk?”
She hesitated. “Not now. If there’s something you’d like to discuss, I can do it after I finish delivering the meds. I can stop by Cora’s room after I’m done.”
“Sure.” Brady watched her push the cart to the next room and forced himself not to think of her as just another attractive woman who’d caught his eye.
For a few minutes he leaned against the wall in the hallway and took in the sights and sounds of the place. He tried to put himself in Cora’s shoes. Everything was clean and the nurses and assistants seemed very attentive to the patients here. But there was no denying the place had the feel and smell of a nursing home—a place from which patients often didn’t go home. Was that what was worrying his grandmother? He supposed Kirsten couldn’t really tell him anything until he got the medical power of attorney, but maybe she could at least put his mind at ease concerning Cora’s condition.
With a heavy sigh, Brady returned to Cora’s room. Her roommate sat in the chair with her eyes fixed on the blaring TV. No wonder Cora wanted to escape. He would, too.
“While you were out asking our pretty nurse for a date, I got ready for bed.”
“By yourself?”
“Do you think I’m helpless?”
“Well, no, but I don’t want you falling down again.”
Cora waved a hand at him. “I have to learn to get around on my own.”
“Okay, I guess, and for the record, I wasn’t asking anyone for a date.” Brady hoped his grandmother wouldn’t embarrass him with this date business when Kirsten came to the room.
For the next half hour, Brady answered Cora’s battery of questions about what he’d been doing since he’d gotten out of the army. He filled in the gaps between the postcards he’d sent and the infrequent phone calls he’d made to her. Her questions reminded him of his inattentiveness and made him feel more and more guilty that he’d neglected to keep in touch. “Alaska is too beautiful to describe, especially compared to Texas and North Dakota.”
“How nice that you could travel and see so many places. That’s one thing I wished I could’ve done, but I never had the money to travel.” Cora picked up a book lying next to her Bible. “But I can travel the world by reading a book or listening to you. Do you have photos?”
“A few.” Brady pulled his phone from the pocket of his jeans and scrolled through his pictures. “These are some I took when I was in Alaska.”
Cora took the phone as Brady showed her how to go through the photos. “Oh, Alaska is a beautiful place. I wish I could go there.”
“I wish you could, too.”
Wonder painted Cora’s wrinkled face as Brady watched her study every picture. He wished he could show her Alaska, but what were the chances his grandmother, with her less-than-good health, could make such a trip? He had a lot of regrets, but he couldn’t let regret keep him from moving forward. He couldn’t undo the past, but he could try to make the future better. Did that include staying here and putting down roots?
Chaplain Howard used to tell Brady to put it in God’s hands. Brady often found that hard to do. He was used to finding his own way and doing his own thing. Trusting God for guidance didn’t come easy. In fact, this whole Christian-living thing wasn’t easy. He’d been able to survive the cruelty and hardship of war, the physical labor of the oil fields and the treacherous seas of commercial fishing. Humility, putting others first, loving the unlovable—these things required more strength than Brady had on his own.
“Thanks for the tour of Alaska.” Cora handed Brady his phone.
“That’s only a small part of that big state. I didn’t have much time for touring. Too busy working.”
As Brady shoved his phone back into his pocket, Kirsten appeared in the doorway. “Ready for that talk?”
Brady nodded, then turned to Cora. “I’ll be back in a few minutes. I’m going to talk to Kirsten about the power of attorney you mentioned.”
“Good.” Cora grinned. “And ask her about that other thing.”
Brady shook his head as he hurried toward the door, hoping Cora wouldn’t actually say what that other thing was. He wanted to keep this conversation with Kirsten strictly business. He would decide later if he wanted to pursue the social side.
As soon as Brady stepped into the hallway, Kirsten turned and looked at him. Her brown eyes brimmed with curiosity. “What’s on your mind?”
Brady couldn’t help grinning. Did she know what a loaded question that was? Thoughts floated through his mind. He had to concentrate on Cora, not on the attractive brunette standing in front of him. “I know you can’t discuss Cora’s specific medical information with me directly, but I was hoping you could give me a general assessment.”
“That could be walking a fine line.”
“Jen said Cora was making good progress, but I want to know whether her prognosis looks good. When she talks about trying to escape to go to this wedding, I was worried there is more to her condition than the broken hip.”
Kirsten opened her mouth, but Brady shook his head and held up a hand. “First, let me tell you Cora asked me to get a medical power of attorney. That worried me because I thought only people who were incapacitated had such things.”
“Not necessarily. Your grandmother could use an advocate, not because her health is poor now, but her status could change. And if you have a medical power of attorney, you can talk to her doctor and any of the nurses about Cora’s situation.” Kirsten nodded. “You should do what she asks.”
“I intend to, but I was concerned about her reasons for making the request. How important is it that she attend this wedding?”
“Very important. It’s a big event for everyone here. The administrator of this facility is getting married, and your grandmother was a bit of a matchmaker in that love match. I understand her eagerness to witness the nuptials.”
“So is there anything I can do besides help her escape?” Brady grinned.
Kirsten narrowed her gaze. “Are you trying to be helpful or trying to be smart?”
Brady contemplated his answer. They’d been having a congenial conversation, but his last comment had brought out her prickly side again. He should’ve known the amicable mood wouldn’t last, but he hadn’t done anything to help. Did the woman ever joke around, or was she always serious? Maybe for now he should be serious, too. “I’m trying to help.”
“Good. When you come for a visit, encourage her to take a walk. You could walk with her out to the courtyard out those doors.” Kirsten pointed toward the end of the hallway. “Do you plan to stay in the area?”