Second Summer Read online

  Heath had seen Annie twice, once at the board meeting, where she’d been cordial, and once while he was having lunch downtown with other businessmen. She’d been seated across the room with a man he didn’t recognize. He wore dress slacks, a long sleeved shirt, and tie, and appeared to be fascinated by every word Annie said. He kept pushing his blond hair off his face and at one point reached toward Annie to place his hand on top of hers. Heath didn’t like the man on sight.

  He’d called her twice that week but she never responded. Heath knew that Caroline had told Annie about his split with Diana but it had done nothing to change her mind about renewing their friendship. He hadn’t given up but realized rebuilding anything with her would take more time than he’d first thought. He’d been a fool, not recognizing what he had until it was too late.

  The phone rang. He would’ve liked to ignore it but that wasn’t an option.

  “MacLaren,” he said into the receiver.

  “Good. You’re in the office,” Caroline said. “I just spoke with Annie. Something’s happened to her son, Eric. He’s been in some type of accident. She’s determined to drive over there…”

  “Where is she now?” Heath was already standing, reaching into his pocket for his keys, and grabbing his jacket.”

  “Throwing some clothes together, then she plans to leave…”

  “I’m on my way now. Call Robert and have him prepare the plane.”

  “Good. I was hoping you’d say that.”

  Heath made the drive in record time, jumping from his car, and racing up the front walk. He pounded on the front door. When there was no answer, he grabbed the hidden key, and let himself inside.

  “Annie! Are you here?” he called. He looked into the great room, then turned to walk down the hall. “Annie?” he called again.

  “In here.” Her voice came from the last door down the hall which he guessed was her bedroom. She saw him stop at the entrance, stunned to see him in her house. “How’d you get in?” He held up the spare key. She’d been the one to show him the location last summer. “Look, Heath, I can’t talk now. I need to…”

  “Pack what you need. We’re taking my plane so that you can get to Eric faster.”

  “But…”

  “Don’t argue with me on this, Annie. My pilot is already preparing the plane. It will be ready to take off as soon as we board.”

  She stopped to stare at him. She’d ignored him, refused his attempts to meet, and requests to reconnect. Now he was here, ready to spend who knew how much money getting her to Los Angeles where Eric was undergoing emergency surgery.

  “Thank you, Heath,” she whispered and closed her suitcase.

  He grabbed the bag and headed toward his car.

  Robert had the small jet ready, a flight plan filed, and waited their arrival. The plane was in the air twenty minutes after leaving Annie’s house.

  They sat in silence the first part of the flight, each lost in their own thoughts. Heath knew Annie needed some time to settle down, relax, after the frantic phone call from Eric’s roommate.

  “Do you feel like telling me what happened?” he asked.

  She looked at him, worry and exhaustion apparent on her normally serene face. “I’m not entirely sure. Eric’s roommate, Doug, called from the hospital. They’d been riding their motorcycles with a group of friends when a truck came from behind, side-swiped Eric’s bike, sending him off the road and down a ravine. He was unconscious when Doug and the others arrived.” Her hands shook and she clasped them together in a futile effort to conceal the shaking. He moved next to her and took both hands in his. “They called an ambulance. I don’t know what they found, but he’s in emergency surgery at the UCLA Medical Center. It was the closest to the accident.”

  “I know of it. The hospital has a great reputation.”

  “He celebrated his birthday over the Christmas holiday. I gave him the down payment for the motorcycle. He loved that bike…” her voice trailed off, her hand tightening around Heath’s.

  Annie looked down at their joined hands, praying that whoever was in charge took good care of her youngest boy. She glanced back up at Heath, tears welling her eyes, pain filled her face. Annie pulled away, resting her hands in her lap and letting her head fall back against the seat. Fear gripped her, the helpless fear of a mother who could do nothing to help her child except pray and make sure the best treatment available was provided.

  Heath watched as Annie pulled away and closed her eyes. He couldn’t imagine what she was going through. He had yet to experience this type of situation with either Trey or Cassie, and knew Jace had never gone through this with Blake or Brett.

  He stood and walked up toward the cockpit, opened the door, and whispered instructions to Robert and his co-pilot. At least he could make sure transportation was available as soon as they landed. The faster they arrived at the hospital the sooner they’d know what was needed to help Eric.

  ~~~~~

  Chapter Eleven

  Heath sat, watching Annie pace the small waiting room. He knew how much she hated hospitals, finding it hard to spend time in them.

  Eric’s roommate, Doug, sat near a window across the room, staring out into the night. Eric was out of surgery and the three were waiting to speak to his doctor. They’d received no answers to their questions on the extent of his injuries or the success of the surgery.

  Annie struggled to stay calm knowing that demanding answers wouldn’t help. She’d gone through this with Kit during his illness, waiting, praying for a miracle. She hated that she was in the same position again. A hospital was the last place she wanted to be.

  Her other children were on their way. Cameron, the oldest, was driving down from his job in Sunnyvale, and Brooke was coming from San Diego where she was finishing grad school. She’d been harder to reach. Annie had finally gotten through to her on the drive to the hospital.

  The outside doors burst open, Cameron rushing in and heading straight toward Annie. He grabbed her in a hug then pulled back. “How is he?”

  “He’s out of surgery but the doctor hasn’t come to explain anything.”

  Cameron nodded then looked past her, noticing Heath for the first time. “Hello, Heath.” He walked over and extended his hand.

  “It’s good to see you, Cameron.”

  The three looked up when they heard someone approach from further down the hall. He was of average height and wore the standard hospital green clothing. He carried a cup of coffee in one hand.

  “Are you Mrs. Sinclair?” he looked toward Annie.

  “Yes, I’m Eric’s mother.”

  “I’m Doctor Levine. I performed your son’s surgery.”

  “How is he? Will he be all right?” She worked to keep the panic, and impatience, from her voice.

  “Why don’t we go in here and talk.” He indicated a room to his right. He held the door open while the others walked past and took seats. “Your son had a nasty accident. I don’t know the details but the police were here earlier so they’ll have more information.” He scrubbed a hand over his face then looked at Annie. “Overall, your son is lucky. He has a broken leg, fractured arm, plus numerous cuts and bruises, but there is no sign of internal injuries which is quite rare in this type of accident.” He sat back and sipped at his coffee. “We need to keep him in the hospital a few days after he’s out of recovery to be sure nothing else is going on.”

  “No head injury?” Heath asked.

  “No. My understanding is that he was wearing one of the full helmets. From the injuries, I’d guess his left side, where the breaks occurred, took most of the impact.”

  “When can I see him?”

  “He should be coming out of the anesthesia within the hour but he’ll be groggy. I’ll have a nurse let you know as soon as he’s awake.” The doctor stood. “All and all, your son is a very fortunate young man. None of the injuries are permanent. He’ll have some recovery time, but I expect he’ll back to normal in a few months.” He shook hands and g
ave Annie an office number if she had more questions.

  The four remained in the room after the doctor left. They’d yet to find out any details about the accident. Heath turned to Doug. “Tell us what happened.”

  Doug was about Eric’s age, of medium height, and looked like he hadn’t slept in a week. “A group of us were talking. It was a beautiful day and no one had any other classes. Eric was the one to suggest we take a ride—seemed like a great idea.” Doug stopped and drew in a shaky breath. Annie knew Doug was a quiet, serious student, finishing his pre-med courses before entering medical school the following year.

  “There were eight of us. Everyone is a good rider, no jerks or showoffs. We rode for about an hour then took a two-lane highway toward some restaurant one of the guys knew about. We were heading through an intersection and someone in a truck pulled out from our left, side-swiped a couple of bikes, then raced off. He barely touched one bike, but hit Eric’s full-on, sending him off the road. There was about a six-foot drop. Eric landed on his left side and was wedged under the bike. We lifted it off and waited for the ambulance.”

  “Did anyone get anything on the truck?” Heath asked.

  “Two guys rode after him. They got the license plate and make of truck. The police who came to the accident have the information. Don’t know how they wouldn’t be able to find him.” Doug pushed back from his seat and stood. “I need some air.”

  The others followed Doug out of the small meeting room to find the waiting area full to overflowing. “How about going to the cafeteria?” Heath suggested.

  “Sounds good to me,” Cameron replied.

  “But what if the nurse tries to find us?” Annie didn’t want to be too far away from Eric until she’d had a chance to see for herself that he’d be all right.

  Heath placed a hand on her shoulder. “I’ll let them know where we are and provide my cell number. It’s just a floor down according to the map on the wall.”

  Ten minutes later they were seated in a surprisingly busy cafeteria. Annie and Heath had opted for just coffee while Cameron had grabbed a sandwich and soda. They sat in silence for a while before Annie’s cell buzzed. Brooke.

  “Hi, Brooke. Where are you?” Annie listened for a few seconds. “We’re in the cafeteria on the ground floor.” Annie stood to look toward the doors as Brooke entered the cafeteria and waved. She looks exhausted, Annie thought as she slid her phone back into her pocket.

  Brooke dashed over and wrapped her arms around Annie. “How is he?”

  “He’s going to be all right. We’re waiting for the okay to see him.”

  Cameron hugged his sister then went on to explain what the doctor had told them. “Now we just wait.”

  Brooke glanced at the table. “I need some coffee.” Annie accompanied her to the food line. “What now, Mom? What about school? He’s just a few weeks from graduating?”

  “I don’t have any answers, honey. Right now I’m just grateful he’s alive with no permanent damage. We’ll work the rest out, we always do.” Annie put an arm around her daughter’s shoulders then glanced over at their table to see Cameron and Heath talking.

  “I was surprised to see you here,” Cameron said as he took a bite of his sandwich.

  “Why’s that?”

  “Mom mentioned she hadn’t seen much of you the past few months. Told us you’d met someone. That it was pretty serious.” He set down his food and crossed his arms.

  “It’s true that I met someone but that’s over—has been for a couple of months.”

  “I see.” Cameron took a big swallow of soda. “We all thought maybe you and Mom had something going. Guess not.”

  “Would that have been okay with you? If Annie and I had been a couple?”

  Cameron considered that a moment. “I never thought about it that way. Mom seemed happy with you, relaxed, like she was before Dad died. You would’ve had to know her before to see the change. She always made the best of things but nothing could pull her out of the hole she was in after his death. It was tough on all of us, but especially, Mom. Seeing her happy again was all we wanted.”

  Heath’s cell went off as he glanced up to see Annie and Brooke approaching. “Yes?” he said into the phone. “Thanks. We’ll be right up.” He closed the phone. “Eric’s awake.”

  ******

  Annie closed the door with a silent click, then leaned her back against it. Eric had been groggy, not able to answer many questions as he continued to nod off every few minutes. They’d stayed just thirty minutes, most of it in silence. It was after midnight and he was sound asleep—at least until another nurse came in to wake him for his next round of medication.

  Heath, Cameron, and Brooke stood down the hall, talking, watching her approach. “We’ll meet you there,” Annie heard Heath tell the others as she walked up to stand next to them.

  “We’re headed to the hotel, Mom,” Brooke said as she gave Annie a brief hug. “We’ll meet for breakfast at eight o’clock then come back here, okay?”

  Annie looked at Heath.

  “We have rooms at the W Hotel just down the street. I’ve already given the nurse the number there plus she has everyone’s cell.” He placed a hand on the small of her back to guide her toward the door. “Come on, Annie. You’re exhausted.”

  Heath was right, she was exhausted. A bed and sleep sounded good. Unfortunately, when she closed the door to her room she felt wide awake. She took a few items out of her suitcase, set it on the floor then fell back on the bed. An image of Eric, his left side wrapped in bandages hit her full force. She was so thankful he was alive. Annie didn’t think she could lose anyone else.

  She rested an arm over her eyes, trying to settle her nerves enough to find sleep. Instead, an image of Heath, holding her hands, putting an arm around her, taking care of everything so effortlessly, came to mind. She’d wanted to wrap her arms around him, pull him close, and never let go. Annie knew that was a fantasy that she alone owned. He didn’t feel the same, never would. But he’d been here for them, for Eric, and she’d always be grateful. The phone rang just as she pushed herself up.

  “Hello.”

  “It’s Heath. Did I wake you?”

  “No. Actually, I’m not that tired. Strange, isn’t it?”

  “Not really. Coming down from what happened today takes time. Even if your body says it’s tired, sometimes your mind doesn’t get the message.” Heath changed the phone from one ear to the other and propped himself against the headboard.

  “Must be the same for you tonight.” Annie pulled back the covers, plumped a pillow and sat down.

  “That it is.”

  “I want to thank you again for everything you’ve done. It’s much more than I had any right to expect.” Annie felt a lump in her throat, gratitude overwhelming her.

  “Why would you not expect my help, Annie?” Heath’s voice sounded confused.

  “I know you wanted to continue our friendship, have reached out to me lately, and I’ve avoided you. I’m sorry.”

  Heath didn’t immediately respond. The silence stretched between them.

  “How tired are you?” he finally asked.

  “Not very, why?”

  “I’d like to come to your room, talk for a few minutes if you’re up to it.” Heath held his breath not at all sure which way she’d answer.

  “I guess that would be fine. Would you like some coffee or anything?”

  “No, just want to talk. I’ll be right there.” Heath pulled on a shirt and slipped back into the boots he’d set aside. He grabbed his room key and walked across the hall. He’d made sure Annie was close by.

  Annie pulled the door open as soon as she heard the knock. “Hi. Come on in.” She stepped aside as Heath walked in and took a seat on the posh sofa.

  He leaned back, settling his hands behind his head. His eyes focused on Annie, standing before him, watching uneasily. He let her wrestle with whatever it was that bothered her, not trying to force a conversation. She took a seat in a ne
arby chair and turned towards him.

  “I, um, heard you aren’t seeing Diana any longer.” She didn’t know why that was the first thing to pop out.

  “That’s right.” He continued to watch her, wondering how it had taken him so long to figure out who he wanted was the woman seated before him. For a smart man he’d been a colossal fool. “I knew it wasn’t right after a couple of months. Broke it off after New Year’s.”

  “Oh.” Annie had so many questions but didn’t feel she had the right to ask. “I’m sorry. I know you hoped it would work out for you.”

  He leaned forward, placing his arms on his knees, and focused on Annie. “I thought Diana was special, but I was wrong. It didn’t take long to know she wasn’t the woman I wanted.”

  Annie didn’t know how to respond. She felt bad that it didn’t work out for Heath and Diana. She’d met her just once, at Caroline’s party. Annie had seen why Heath would never be attracted to her the way he was to the picturesque, dark haired beauty.

  “Why?” Annie asked.

  “Why what?”

  “Why did you call it off? She seemed so perfect for you. I know I haven’t met most of the women you date, but Diana was a stunning young woman, and from what Caroline said, smart and sophisticated. I would have…” she trailed off, losing her train of thought. She must be more tired than she realized.

  “Would have what?”

  “I guess you just seemed so right for each other, that’s all.” Annie stood and grabbed the bottle of water on her nightstand. She took a long swallow.

  “We weren’t. But there is a woman who is.”

  Annie stared at him, surprised at how soon he’d found someone else. “Oh, well, I guess that’s great. I mean that you’ve already met someone else. I hope it works out this time.” She turned her back to him and paced to the window, opening the curtains to peer out.

  “Yeah, I hope so too.” He stood and walked the short distance to stand behind her. Annie stiffened when he placed his hands on her waist and pulled her back towards him.

  She’d heard him walk up and was surprised to feel his large, strong hands rest on her waist. She knew she should break the contact and put some space between them. When he pulled her back against his chest she was startled at how right it felt, how she wanted to push back further and feel his strength surround her. She began to pull away but he held tight, not letting her move.