* * *
VAUGHAN STOOD ACROSS from Kelly, on the other side of the gurney their daughter lay on. They were preparing to roll her into the operating room, and Kelly paused to press a kiss to Maddies forehead after brushing the hair away from her eyes, already heavy with the first step of sedation.
She looked so small, so vulnerable. Fear sent Kellys heart pounding fast, but she worked to keep her tone upbeat. To hold it together because that was her job. I love you. Ill be waiting right here when you get out.
That her daughter already knew that meant everything to Kelly. And when Maddie murmured, Love you, Mommy, that was enough to get through and be the person her children could always depend on.
Vaughan whispered that he loved Maddie and would see her soon before he stepped back, standing next to Kelly as the hospital staff wheeled the gurney down the hall and through another set of double doors.
She kept her gaze on the spot Maddie had been. A sob tried to escape the pit of her stomach and she wrestled it back. But not before Vaughan heard it. He took her hand then, squeezing it. Shes going to be aces, Kel. You know it.
That made it a lot harder to wrestle tears away, but finally, Kelly nodded, hearing the fear in his tone, adjusting her tone to soothe. He needed her, too. Shed dealt with stitches and middle-of-the-night croup-driven sessions in a foggy bathroom with the hot water running. That kind of parenting had taught Kelly just how amazing and resilient kids could be. Maddie would be just fine and she needed to keep her focus on that.
Vaughan hadnt had to deal with an emergency in the middle of the night, she reminded herself. Empathy was something she could give him freely and it wouldnt harm her. Kelly smiled at her ridiculously beautiful ex-husband. Thanks.
They headed out to the small waiting room and she slumped into one of the chairs with a sigh. It was nearly one in the morning and the adrenaline was beginning to wear off, leaving her exhausted and jittery at the same time.
Thank God Kensey was safely elsewhere so she wouldnt need to be disturbed and Kelly could be there at the hospital without worry. She ticked off her mental checklist, making sure she hadnt missed anything important.
Vaughan looked her over critically, looking a little more settled. How long has it been since youve eaten?
It flustered her when he was like this. It was easier when he was gone from her life for long periods of time. She could not love the man whod chosen to let go of his family so he could keep from growing up. Kelly had two children; she didnt need a third. Didnt need to chase after the fleeting moments of true connection when she had something good with Ross.
Her fiancé, she reminded herself when she started to think about the way it sounded when Vaughan said her name. Eight years after her heart had been broken and she finally had the chance to make a family with someone else.
I made Maddie dinner at five. She hadnt been feeling well so I made her tomato soup with a grilled cheese sandwich. She didnt eat much.
My mom used to make me that when I was sick. He smiled and her stomach did a little flippy thing. Probably just because she was worried. I noticed you told me when Maddie ate, but not if you did.
I had soup and a sandwich, too. Did you eat? You just got off stage. I remember what you were like. She colored, though she tried not to. After a show hed be starving. For food and for sex. No one had ever made her feel like Vaughan had. Shed wait for him in his dressing room and hed head straight to her. It would be raw, hard. He left bite marks on places only he would see. It had been overwhelmingly hot. So sexy and intensely pleasurable shed gotten lost in it. And in the end it hadnt been a good thing. She shook her head to release her memories. Because it had never been more than that to him, while for her it had been part of the everything hed been.
You can go if you want to. Ill keep you updated on her status. Youve got to be exhausted.
Vaughan looked at her for a really long time. Long enough shed started to squirm. Finally, he said, Im done going.
She knew he meant something other than just Maddie. She forced herself to ask, though she wasnt entirely sure she was ready for whatever he might answer. What?
He shook his head. Im not going anywhere, Kelly. Im just glad I stopped at your place. Im here. This is our child. We can do this together.
Maybe she was projecting and he hadnt meant anything more than that. She was too tired to push. Her eyes burned. Her stomach hurt and she was jittery and emotional.
He was Maddies dad. And Kelly always encouraged the girls relationship with their dad and his family. Here was Vaughan trying and she decided to let him and be grateful. Okay. Im glad youre here, too.
I have a proposal. Theres a twenty-four-hour joint not too far away. Nothing fancy, but I stop there with the girls sometimes before I bring them home. How about I go and pick some food up and bring it back?
Her hands had started to shake a little so she balled them into fists a few times before shoving them into her pockets. Food would be good, especially since theyd be up hours more.
She also needed some time alone to get herself together and make some calls.
Yeah, thatd be great. Thanks.
Ill call it in so its ready when I get there. I should be back in half an hour or less. Vaughan smiled for a second. I said this already, but Ill say it again. Im glad I stopped by tonight. He handed her his sweatshirt. Here, you look a little chilly.
He left quickly and she leaned her head back, closing her eyes.
Shed given up on Vaughan being there when shed needed him at all a long time ago. Wished it didnt matter that hed been there that night.
It made a difference. And she was a fool to let it.
It seemed as if shed been trying to get over Vaughan Hurley since before they divorced. Of all the people shed sought attention and affection from in her life, only Vaughan still had a hold on her heart and it made her so stupid, but love did that.
With a groan, Kelly sat up and pulled out her phone to text her best friend. Stacey was across the country in Manhattan. She was attending some conference where she was presenting a paper. As much as Kelly wished Stacey could be there with her right then, this paper was a big deal.
So she kept her text pretty light. Gave the basic details and urged her to stay in New York. There really was nothing Stacey could do at that point, but Kelly would keep her updated.
That done, she texted Ross. He didnt like Vaughan, though he never showed that in front of the girls. He was resentful of any time Kelly spent with him, even for family events, and jealous that Vaughan had a connection to Kelly through their children. She filled him in about the situation with Maddie and said shed talk to him when he got up.
All that done, Kelly stood, stretching. She pulled on Vaughans sweatshirt, as it was indeed chilly in the waiting room. It had been years since her skin had been this close to his scent and it sent her reeling.
An ache that shed grown accustomed to many years ago throbbed at the memories of what it had been for a brief, shining time. She slammed that shut by remembering the Hurleys would be showing up soon enough.
Of this she had zero doubt. Theyd drop whatever they were doing and rush over because Vaughan needed them, and every damned one of them would show up to support him and Maddie.
Of this she had zero doubt. Theyd drop whatever they were doing and rush over because Vaughan needed them, and every damned one of them would show up to support him and Maddie.
Mostly she was grateful her children had that support and love in their lives. Mostly. Her former mother-in-law might hate Kelly, but she loved her grandchildren and her sons.
Kelly had no room to judge. Especially because she had absolutely no plans to call her mother. Rebecca Larsen was in the Hamptons for the summerat the house Kellys money had boughtand Kelly liked it that way.
Kelly had grown up in an angry, turbulent household. At twelve, when shed walked a show for the first time, shed recognized it as her means to get away from Rebecca.
When shed given birth to Maddie and theyd gotten home from the hospital, Kelly had been alone with her daughter and shed made a promise right then and there to make a family with that tiny creature. To keep her safe and loved and to do her all to empower and raise a child who knew every moment of every day that she was worthy.
With a sigh, Kelly focused on the prerequisite black-and-white nature photo on a far wall as she sank into a chair. Letting herself go blank, a meditation technique shed learned from an old roommate back in her modeling days, Kelly let go of everything that wasnt Maddie.
Being a mother hadnt made Kelly into a woman or anything like that. But it had dug roots into Kellys life in a way shed never really experienced before. This was a toss-yourself-in-front-of-a-speeding-car-to-save-someone love, and it had revolutionized her entire existence.
Shed been strong in a way she could look herself in the mirror every morning and not flinch. Sometimes the only thing that gave her the ability to keep going was to always be a good example to her kids. Maddie would be fine because Kelly would rip the world apart to make it so.
* * *
THEY MOVED DOWN to the main waiting room once Vaughan had returned with the food. Only he and Kelly had been allowed in the one just outside the pediatric surgery, but they could see through to those doors from where they were seated now.
Not the first time weve eaten diner food after one in the morning. He grinned at her. She wore his sweatshirt and though it had been so long, he wasnt surprised that it still made him greedy for her. Or that it made him remember the way shed looked in nothing but one of his T-shirts after a show.
She balled up her napkin after wiping her mouth. Im not as young as I was then. Im going to have to take an antacid. As far as a meal in a hospital this late at night goes? Its top-notch. Thanks for going to pick it up.
It gave me something to do and like I said, I was hungry, too.
I hadnt really had the chance to ask how the tour went. There was a caution in her tone that he rarely heard from her on other subjects.
This topic was full of briars and hidden traps between them. Had been. And maybe, just maybe, it was his fault.
Before he could answer, though, Kelly stood, a smile on her face. Why are you here? I told you to stay home.
Vaughan withheld his growl of annoyance at the sight of Kellys boyfriend Ross strolling into the waiting room and enfolding Vaughans wife into a hug she clearly needed. One Vaughan hadnt offered. Because he had no right to anymore.
Ross kissed her forehead and Vaughan wanted to punch the guy. The guy who said, I decided you could be forgiven for such a ridiculous request since you were under duress. Of course Im here. Where else would I be?
All Rosss attention had been on Kelly but Vaughan knew very well the other man hadnt missed Vaughan in the room. Especially when Rosss gaze focused on Vaughan for long moments before he released Kelly and held a hand Vaughans way.
Hey, Vaughan. Good to see you. Sorry about the circumstances.
Ross may not have liked Vaughan, but he had good manners. He also clearly loved Kelly. And why shouldnt he? Kelly was gorgeous. She had her own businesses, she was a great mom and she was smart. And funny. Her skin was really soft and she smelled really good.
Good to see you, too. Which was a total lie. Vaughan would be happy if he never saw the other dudes mug again.
Ross turned back to Kelly. Whats happening with Maddie? He brushed her hair away from her face. Lets sit. He led her back to where theyd been sitting, settling next to Kelly.
Vaughan used that opportunity to check in with his brothers but even with his back turned, he could see their reflection in the window he stood before.
* * *
KELLY LEANED INTO ROSS. Relieved that hed come. Soothed by the stability he always brought into her life. Whos with the girls? Ross had two daughters roughly the same age as her own.
My mom came over. I wouldnt even have seen your text until the morning but I got up to go to the bathroom and I saw my phone as I passed back to bed.
He kissed her temple and spoke into her ear. Did you think I wouldnt come? With all his family most likely moments from descending on this hospital?
Of course he would have thought about how it would feel for Kelly to be the only non-Hurley in that room. She knitted her fingers with his. Ross was what she needed. Steady. He would carry his weight. He was what shed been missing most of her life.
Though it had been something she found herself having to repeat over and over like a mantra, and she was pretty sure it wasnt because it made her so happy to think about.
Halfway through her telling, Sharon and Michael Hurley came in, heading straight to Vaughan, hugging him and speaking quietly before they all returned to settle in to wait for news.
* * *
THE DOCTOR CAME in shortly after that to let them know Maddie was out of surgery and that things had gone well. Vaughan stood at her side and squeezed her hand at the news.
They went back to recovery where they were allowed to kiss Maddie and tell her they loved her. Kelly pulled Pete from the pocket of her hoodie and tucked him in against Maddies side. Daddy brought Pete to keep you company.
Maddies smile was goofy as her eyes slowly closed.
So glad you brought him, Kelly murmured as they left.
Yeah?
He looked so eager for her approval it made Kelly feel guilty.
Yeah.
Theyre buds. He shrugged, blushing a little.
He may have never taken his kids to a dental appointment, but he knew that. He didnt know their friends, either, but he knew how much his daughter loved that stuffed animal and that it would comfort her. He paid attention when it mattered. At least when it came to his children. Which in the big picture was important. She chided herself to always remember. Especially when she started to get bitter. Things could always be worse.
Hang on a second. I need to stop by the nurses station.
He stood at her side as she made sure they had her daughters allergies noted. She also got the times they could come back to see Maddie.
In the long hallway, before they hit the swinging doors leading back to the waiting room, Vaughan stopped her. Hey, thank you for letting me be here. It means a lot to me.
It means a lot to her, too.
His smile was lopsided. The one shed dropped her panties for way back when. It still made her happy and sad all at once.