Total pages in book: 96
Estimated words: 91622 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 458(@200wpm)___ 366(@250wpm)___ 305(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 91622 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 458(@200wpm)___ 366(@250wpm)___ 305(@300wpm)
Erin touched his cheek, capturing his attention. “It’s all okay. I’m fine. She’s gone, but I’m here with you now, and we can focus on Jed. That’s what matters.”
He drew in a calming breath. “You have a way of making me insane,” he muttered.
She patted him on the shoulder. “Anything to keep you distracted from your problems.”
He shook his head. “She shouldn’t have gotten close to you. She’s crazy. What if she’d had a knife on her?” He didn’t know what he’d do if he lost her that way. His hands clenched into fists.
“Mr. Sanders?” A man in a white coat walked through the double doors.
“Yes?” Cole strode over to meet the man, nerves suddenly jangling.
No matter how much conflict existed between he and Jed, the man was his father. The only blood one he had, and dammit, the little boy in Cole still wanted the chance to make peace. Getting the other man’s approval might be asking for too much, but he’d settle for a cease-fire, a cessation of hostilities, and maybe even a permanent truce for the future. Especially since Jed was going to be his kid’s grandfather. There was no way Cole wanted his child to experience the kind of constant anticipation of disapproval or rejection from Jed that he had.
As long as Jed had a future, Cole thought, and, heart in his throat, he faced the doctor to hear his father’s prognosis. A few minutes later, only one word stuck out in Cole’s mind.
“Surgery.” Cole said the word out loud, but hearing it didn’t make it any more real.
Quadruple bypass surgery, without which, according to the doctor, Jed would have another imminent heart attack, this one probably fatal. The doctor, an older gentleman with sparse gray hair, continued to explain the procedure to Cole and Erin.
Cole vaguely heard him toss a lot of other medical terms around, but he didn’t hear everything. He couldn’t process all the details of how they’d crack open his father’s chest and use a heart and lung machine to keep him breathing during the procedure without wanting to jump out of his skin. He thought instead about their strained, difficult relationship and wished things could be different before his father went under the knife.
Erin slipped her hand into Cole’s, and her warmth registered against his palm. She not only calmed him but she focused him too.
He was able to concentrate more on what the doctor was saying, including Jed being a higher-risk patient. “Your father has high blood pressure and high cholesterol, and has been suffering from angina without reporting it to his doctors until the pain was so severe, he almost couldn’t call 911.”
Cole sucked in a startled breath. Damn the stubborn man.
The other man continued to run down the risks of the surgery for any patient, causing Cole to shut down again because he couldn’t let himself hear all the negative possibilities. Not if he would make it through the next however many hours.
“So, all that said, your father’s prognosis is decent, once he wakes from surgery,” the doctor said, his words, as well as Erin’s hand squeeze, bringing him back once more.
“When?” Cole managed to ask.
“First thing tomorrow morning. The surgery lasts four to six hours but could be longer. In other words, tomorrow will be a long day. I suggest you go home tonight and get a good night’s sleep.”
“I’d like to see him,” Cole said. He couldn’t imagine living with himself if anything happened on the table and the last words between them were Jed telling him he didn’t need him here.
The other man frowned. “The nurses told me your last visit agitated him. He’s in a fragile physical state. If he works himself up again, we won’t need the OR,” the other man said with brutal honesty that Cole respected.
“Fine.”
“Wait.” Erin spoke up.
“It’s okay,” he assured her. Whatever was best for Jed, that was what mattered now. Not Cole’s feelings.
She shook her head. “Jed and Cole have a difficult relationship, but now Jed knows his condition, right? He knows he’s having surgery tomorrow?”
The doctor nodded.
“So ask him if he’s up to seeing his son. Better yet, let me ask him.”
“Erin—” Cole said in a warning tone.
“Shh. I’ve known him for years. He likes me, or usually does.” Neither Cole nor Erin mentioned she’d thrown him out of her house a few weeks ago. Even Jed wouldn’t hold that against Erin. But that didn’t mean Cole wanted Erin to try to sway Jed on his behalf. He hated the embarrassment caused not just by their dysfunctional relationship but by Jed’s assessment of his son’s failings.
“Maybe knowing what he’s in for, Jed will want to talk to you.” Erin spoke in her softest, most understanding voice. Then she looked up first at Cole, then the doctor, with a sweet, imploring expression that probably had juries bending over backward to see things her way. Lord knew he couldn’t deny her anything. He was pretty sure she’d get Jed to see things her way.