Page 60 of Reunion at Mistletoe Lodge
Zac frowned as his eyes searched hers. “Okay.”
“When I went to have the procedure done after Trevor's death, the clinic had a note for me from him,” Barb swallowed and rubbed her temple. “In the note, he told me that you had helped him when he needed it the most. It was up to me if I wanted to go through with the procedure after knowing the truth, but no matter who the donor was, the child was ours.”
Zac’s eyes widened as he gaped at Barb. “You knew?” His heart jumped into his throat, and his skinfelt like it was vibrating from the waves of shocked disbelief coursing through him.
“I never thought I’d ever love anyone as much as I loved Trevor ever again,” Barb told Zac, her voice dropping and wobbling with emotion. “The thought of not having Trevor in my life had left a big hole in it. One that Oscar healed.” Her eyes sparkled with unshed tears. “My last name had already been changed because I had to change my identity, so I was already a Gardener. So when Oscar was born, I left the father blank in honor of the brave thing you did for your best friend.”
“Barb, I…” Zac swallowed, his throat suddenly dry. He stared at Barb, and his heart swelled. He didn’t think he could love her more than he already did, but Zac was wrong. “I’ve grappled with how to tell you for so long. Then I thought about Trevor, and I didn’t want to dishonor his memory.”
“I was wondering if you would like to have your name on both of your children’s birth certificates.” Barb cleared her throat and rubbed her throat.
Zac had to fight back the burning lump trying to suffocate him with emotion. “I’d love that.”
Barb sniffed and wiped her cheek with the back of her hand, smearing red paint on it. “When you left earlier with Oscar, I realized that while things between us are not right, it was unfair of me to punish my children,” she stated. “They deserve to know and spend time with their father. I have no right to keep you from your kids.”
Zac couldn’t find the words as he stared at Barb in amazement. His spirits lifted a little more. Maybe they could find their way back to each other. “Thank you, Barb. I appreciate that.”
“But there have to be rules, Zac,” Barb told him.
“Would you allow me to take you to dinner to discuss them?” Zac asked, holding up his hands. “Not a date. Two parents are discussing how to share parental duties.”
She stared at him for a few moments. “Okay.” She nodded. “I can do tomorrow night whenJackie’s back.”
“That’s great.” Zac’s heart picked up even more speed as excitement coursed through him. “I thought we could go into Frisco.”
“I’d like that,” Barb told him, rubbing her temples again, and Zac’s brows creased as he noticed her cheeks were now not just flushed but really red.
She pinched the bridge of her nose and started to sway.
“Barb, are you okay?” Zac looked at her worriedly.
“Just a headache,” Barb assured him right before her eyes rolled back in her head, and she started to sink to the ground before Zac reached out and caught her.
CHAPTER 16
Barb
Barb slowly regained consciousness as she was wheeled through the hospital corridors. The sterile smell of antiseptic mixed with the soft hum of medical equipment. Her body ached, and her head pounded as though it had been caught in a vice. Her throat burned with each shallow breath, and her ears throbbed with a dull pain. Every sense felt dulled as if she were submerged underwater, hearing and seeing through a thick fog.
She forced her heavy eyelids open, struggling to focus. Figures in white coats and scrubs blurred around her, their voices distant and muffled. A sense of disorientation overwhelmed her, and she instinctively tried to move, but her limbs felt leaden, unresponsive.
Through the haze, a familiar face came into view. Zac. His dark hair was tousled, his amber eyes intense with worry as they locked onto hers. He was right by her side, his hand resting gently on her arm. "Zac?" she croaked, her voice barely a whisper, hoarse and dry.
"Shh, it's okay, Barb," Zac said softly, leaning closer so she could hear him. His voice was soothing, a lifeline in the sea of confusion. "You're in the hospital. You have a high fever, but you're going to be okay."
She blinked, trying to process his words, but everything seemed to blur together. Her throat ached, her ears buzzed, and the world spun around her. But Zac was here. He was with her. She tried to smile, but it was a weak attempt, and before she could say more, her vision darkened, and she felt herself slipping away. "I'm glad… you're here…" she murmured, her voice trailing off as the fever pulled her back into unconsciousness.
When Barb next opened her eyes, the room was dim, the only light coming from the monitors that beeped softly beside her bed. Her mouth was dry, her throat raw. She tried to swallow, but it felt like she was swallowing shards of glass. "Water…" she whispered,her voice rasping.
Immediately, Zac was there, holding a cup with a straw to her lips. "Slowly, Barb," he murmured, guiding the straw to her mouth. "Just small sips."
She took a tentative sip, the cool liquid soothing her parched throat. She reached for his hand as if he was her lifeline. "Don’t leave me," she whispered, her voice a faint echo in her ears.
Zac squeezed her hand gently, his expression full of tenderness. "I'll never leave you again, my love," he promised, his voice steady and warm, a beacon in the darkness that surrounded her.
Her grip on his hand tightened briefly before the exhaustion took over, and she drifted off once more, his words echoing in her mind.
The next time Barb woke, it was to a bright light being shone in her eyes. She winced, trying to turn away, but a soft, female voice coaxed her back. "Barb, I need you to open your eyes for me," the voice said, gentle but firm.
