All He'll Ever Need by Loree Lough

Author:Loree Lough
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Zebra Books
Published: 2019-07-18T16:00:00+00:00

Chapter Fourteen

The four-hour drive from Oakland to Baltimore went smoothly, and so had their arrival and check-in at Johns Hopkins.

Pete rested a hand on Phillip’s shoulder. “I gotta say, that kid of yours is as smart as they come. Tell him something once, he remembers it.” He laughed. “And those questions! I had a hard time answering them all. I think I might need a refresher course.”

Grinning, Phillip watched two nurses help Gabe into bed.

“He’s light as a feather,” said one.

The other agreed. “Yeah, but six months from now, he’ll weigh twice as much!”

“All comfy, sweetie?” the first asked.

“Yes. Thank you.”

“Smart,” she said, winking, “cute as a button, and polite, too.” She gave his knee a playful slap. “Think maybe you can squeeze in a nap?”

Gabe nodded, and the nurses left the room with a promise to return within the hour. He looked older than his years. Looked exhausted, too, thanks to a restless night of tossing and turning, whimpering and moaning. Once, while tidying his covers, Phillip noticed that tears had dampened the pillowcase, and almost lost it himself. He’d steeled himself, though, because if Gabe woke up and saw his father blubbering like a frightened child—

“Guess what, Dad! I know what a jump bag is, and what’s in it. It’s different from a medicine bag, you know.” He settled back into the pillows. “And a valve mask. And a spine board. There are monitors in the ambo, too. That’s what Pete calls it. An ambo. Oh, and blankets, and flashlights, and batteries, and bandages . . .” He inhaled a deep breath. “When I grow up, I want to be a paramedic, just like Pete!”

Not an impossible dream, Phillip thought . . . if the operation was successful.

“You’re makin’ me blush, kiddo,” Pete said from the hall. “And when you’re ready to sign up, I’ll help any way I can.”

He waved for Phillip to join him. “Didn’t want to say anything in front of Gabe, since he can’t eat, but I’m going to the cafeteria, grab a burger or something. What can I bring you?”

“Nothing, but thanks.” Food was the last thing on Phillip’s mind. “Any idea where your sister is?”

“Hunting down sleeping quarters for herself and me. Not that I expect either of us will make use of ’em.” He glanced at his watch. “I expect she’s firming up your meeting with Williams, too.”

Pete’s look of disapproval made Phillip say, “Not your favorite person, huh?”

“Oh, he’s good at what he does. Excellent, actually. But he’s an arrogant gasbag. A know-it-all. And he broke Emily’s heart, so no, he isn’t my favorite person.”

It broke his heart to hear that she’d been so deeply hurt.

“What happened to end things?”

“She turned down his proposal. And like any self-respecting narcissist, he had a hard time believing any woman would reject him.”

Phillip had looked into Williams’s background. It was hard not to be impressed by the list of academic, athletic, and medical accolades that ran onto a second page, where the list of the surgical procedures he’d developed appeared.

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