Page 15 of Shimmering Emeralds
Setting her cup down on the bedside table by the flowers, Dani shrugged out of the loose parka she’d been wearing. When I caught sight of her form-fitting, silk shirt and sleek dress slacks, my jaw nearly hit the floor.
Meg glared in my direction as I openly gawked at Dani, but then her eyes followed my gaze. “Oh my gawd!” She practically screeched. “Hello, curves. You look amazing!”
Dani tipped her head back and laughed at her friend’s obvious approval. The frumpy and somewhat overweight body of the smartest girl in our class had been replaced by a curvaceous stunner. The transformation was nothing short of astounding.
Proving that she was no longer the self-conscious, shy girl we remembered, Dani put a sassy hand on her hip and said, “Medical school was grueling and gruesome. It didn’t leave me much time––or desire––to eat.”
Dani’s newfound confidence and curvaceous form were attractive, but, after the initial surprise, I only had eyes for Meg. She was the strongest magnet for me in any room. The tiny spitfire of a woman always had been, and most likely always would be, the only one for me.
Her deep inner strength, despite the fragile appearance of her body, made me want to shelter her from this horrific storm we were facing. The flash of jealousy that I’d seen in her eyes when I’d ogled Dani during that brief moment of shock over the woman’s metamorphosis made me think that just maybe there might be a shred of hope for things to work out someday for me with Meg.
Unfortunately, that thin thread of hope was dashed when Dani looked me in the eyes and said in no uncertain terms, “I’m here, and I’ll take good care of Meg and Harper. You can go.”
13
Meg
As much as I loved Dani and appreciated her presence, it was tempting to kick her in the knee over her abrupt dismissal of Levi. The man was known for leaving when I needed him most, but it had been easy to start to believe that he was truly here for me this time.
Actually, now that Levi wasn’t right in front of me being his naturally sexy and irresistible self, I thought about it with a clear head and realized it was probably a very good thing that Dani had ousted him before I got too attached, and he chose to leave on his own––again.
He was extremely dangerous to my wellbeing. My memory prickled with the knowledge that with one whisper of his kiss on my collarbone or trail of his fingertip down my arm, all of my protective walls that I had so carefully erected around my heart would crumble.
That blasted man was my personal kryptonite, and I would be wise to remember it. He’d only been back in my life for part of one day and had already managed to set off a string of events that landed us in this dreadful hospital room with Harper hooked up to terrifying-looking, life-sustaining machinery.
Although I couldn’t fully bring myself to blame him for Harper’s condition, there was no denying the extreme turmoil in my life that churned in Levi’s wake, and he tended to bail out and leave right when things started to get sticky. With the exception of the frightening time when Claire was missing, my life had been much calmer while Levi was pursuing his dreams several states away.
I couldn’t imagine what had brought him back to our sleepy little town, or why he had been driving a school bus, of all things. I had heard through the infamous Brunswick Bay Harbor grapevine that he had achieved a moderate level of success in Nashville and was just awaiting his ‘big break.’ It didn’t make sense for him to be here at all, so chances were high that his stay in town wouldn’t last long.
I was saved from my thoughts about all the pretty, young groupies Levi must have chasing after him when Dani said, “You know you can’t get too attached to Levi. He’s the love ‘em and leave ‘em type.”
“Yeah, no one knows that better than me,” I admitted, not bothering to hide the sadness in my tone. Dani’s had been the shoulder I cried on when Levi left for Nashville, so she knew the full emotional damage caused by his departure.
Dani was saved from having to come up with a response to that by my mother’s arrival. She swished into the room and managed to only falter slightly when she saw Harper’s beeping and flashing ensemble of attachments to monitor her vital signs.
“Oh, my poor sweet baby.” She reached a hand out to brush along Harper’s pale cheek before reaching out to do the same to me.
We weren’t normally at all touchy-feely with each other, so her cold, clammy hand felt foreign on my skin, but I forced my lips to curl up at her attempt to comfort me. She might not be the warm, loving, and reassuring type of parent that I had always dreamed of having, but at least she had stayed and tried her best––unlike my father, who had abandoned us when we needed him most. There seemed to be a theme of men doing that to me, but I was doing my best to keep from becoming bitter about it.
“This just can’t be happening.” She removed her hand from me and placed it over her mouth as she dramatically sobbed into it.
I placed my arm around her shoulders, and in that fraction of an instant, we went from her comforting me to me being the caretaker for her. Despite how much I wished otherwise, this was the pecking order that we were both used to and the most comfortable with.
As my mother leaned on me, I asked, “Is there any news on Claire and the baby?”
“Oh, yes.” The woman sobbed again as she said, “Claire gave birth to a baby girl. She’s still in surgery, but the nurse said they have her stabilized. The infant has been rushed to the NICU. That stands for Newborn Intensive Care Unit,” she clarified with wide eyes.
I stared at her, not quite able to believe all of this was happening. When it didn’t seem like she was going to continue, I prompted her in a high-pitched, almost-panicky tone. “Is the baby going to be okay?”
“I sure hope so. She’s so tiny.” She shook her head as her voice trailed off into a wail.
I felt like snapping at her that, of course, we all hoped so, but Dani’s calm bedside manner saved me from lashing out.
“How about if you and I go up to the NICU and get an update on the baby for everyone, Mrs. Stark? I know some of the doctors up there, so we should be able to chat with someone that can give us some answers.”
When my mother nodded, Dani gave me a knowing look. I felt like kissing my friend for her natural ability to know just what I needed and how best to help. My mother’s presence wasn’t doing anything except making Harper’s small room, which was supposed to be kept calm, feel like a tension-filled jack-in-the-box.
I nodded to let Dani know I was on board with being alone with Harper, if it meant my mother would leave, so my friend circled the bed and smoothly led my mother out of the room.
