“Where is Shelby?”
“At home. I promised to call her.” He buried his head in his hands and went to sit on one of the chairs. “I cannot lose him.”
“You are not going to,” Justin went to sit next to him. “He is going to wake up and be his usual ordinary self. You’ll see.” He looked at his wife.
“I will go and get us coffee.” she suggested.
“I have always thought of him as young, always there.” Gray linked his fingers together. “We are more like brothers than uncle and nephew. I told him to get his usual checkup and he told me that I am always harassing him, and I am behaving like an old lady.” He sat back against the chair. “He has to be okay. I am going to be a dad and I am going to need his help, big time.”
‘You have me, and you will have him.” Justin squeezed his hand. They both looked up as a team of doctors came into the room.
“How is he?”
“Out of surgery and recovering.” Doctor Blake said with a smile. “He is flirting with the nurses and demanding to see you.”
Gray closed his eyes as the relief swept over him in waves.
“Is he going to be okay?”
“He is going to be fine. His blood pressure went too high and caused the stroke. He will also have to quit smoking.”
Gray looked at him in surprise. “I thought he quit, several months ago. His primary care doctor ordered him to.”
“He has been sneaking a smoke or two and chasing painkillers with bourbon.” The doctor told him wryly. “He has to take better care of himself. I am reminding him that he is not young anymore.”
“I can just imagine what he had to say to that.” Gray said with a laugh.
“He berated me about embarrassing him in front of the pretty nurses.”
“Can both of us go in?” Gray asked.
“Only for a few minutes. He needs to rest.”
*****
“So, he is going to be okay?” Shelby asked as she climbed out of bed. She had been waiting for news for the past three hours and had fallen asleep in the process.
“He is already giving the medical team grief.” He said with a laugh. “I would say he is ready to leave.”
“When will he be released?”
“In a couple of days. They want to make sure he is okay.” He paused a little. “I want him to come and stay with us until he is able to go back to his place.”
“Of course.”
“Good. I would only worry if he goes back to his dump of his apartment. He runs away every housekeeper he hires by sleeping with them or refusing to.”
“I see,” Shelby said dryly. “Should I be worried that he will come onto me?”
“He considers you family,” Gray told her with a laugh. “So, you are safe.”
“Oh.” Shelby had no idea what to say to that. “How are you?”
“Tired but relieved. I am going to hang for a little bit before I come home. What are your plans?”
“I have a meeting with Moya about the latest designs, so I am heading there in a few hours.”
“How are you?”
“I am fine. I was waiting up to hear news and I fell asleep. Who is there with you?”
“Justin and Kiara. They want to meet you.”
“Why?”
“Why do you think? They are my friends; Shelby and you are- “
“The woman carrying your twins.” She broke off. “I am sorry. Bad timing. Of course, I would love to meet them. I have read about her exploits in the papers. She is definitely bad ass.”
“I will tell her you said so.” He said softly. “And Shelby?”
“Yes?”
“You are more than the woman carrying my children.”
*****
“You don’t have to babysit me, you know.” Benjamin murmured as he opened his eyes and saw his nephew stretched out on the cot.
“Somebody has to,” Gray stretched his arms above his head to work out the kinks. He squinted at his watch and saw that it was almost nine A.M. Justin and Kiara had left several hours ago to go home and get some sleep, promising to come back later. “And I am going to respectfully ask you never to do that to me again.”
“It is not like I sat there and decided that I had nothing better to do so I just thought to myself: why don’t I have a stroke and get my nephew’s attention.”
“You were still smoking.” Gray pointed out.
“Just a couple of packs over the last few weeks.” He hid a smile at the look Gray sent his way. “I know Mother, I have to take better care of myself and I intend to.”
“Who was the woman with you, who called 911?”
“She is engaged to be married so has to remain anonymous. Just a last fling before she take the plunge.”
“Look,” Gray got up and came over to the bed, pulling up a chair and straddling it. “I am not one to judge because I am in no position to do so but I think it is time you slowed down with the women and the drinking and the smoking. I kind of want my kids to see the closest thing they are going to have for a grandfather.”
Ben’s thick eyebrows shot up! “Grandfather? Are you high? I am too young- “
“You are sixty years old man and that is not young. I mean it, Ben. I cannot forbid you to settle down with one woman, but I want you to minimize the drinking and certainly the smoking.” His eyes blazed. “You scared the crap out of me, and I never want to feel that way again. Is that understood?”
“Yes, mother,” Ben said softly, understanding in his dark blue eyes. “It will never happen again. Now, tell me the progress with Shelby. Did you ask her to marry you?”
“No,” he said abruptly, running his hands over his face. “She said pointblank that she did not want to change the way things were and that we should keep it the way it was. She was talking about divorce in the same breath as marriage.” He shrugged. “So, I concur and told her that I was not offering marriage anyway.”
“Coward.” Benjamin muttered. “She is probably saying that because of your reputation. You are going to have to convince her that you have now become the impossible: a one-woman kind of guy. You have, right?”
He moved his shoulders restlessly. “I know that I have never felt this way about another woman before and I cannot stay away from her or keep my hands off her.”
“There you go. My guess is that you are getting sweet on her if you have not already. Grab the bull by the horns and tell her that you are ready to settle down with her so that the two of you can raise those children together. Trust me when I say that it is something you are going to need to do.”
“I cannot and will not force a woman to marry me. I have no need to do that.”
“You can be such a stubborn ass.” Ben muttered. “Another Cox’s curse.” He closed his eyes for a moment. “I am going to get some sleep and I want you to go and get one of those pretty nurses to come and fluff my pillows. I am suddenly tired of looking at your ugly mug. Go home and change and shave and check in on that pretty baby mama of yours. Also, check on the apartment. I have a feeling that it was not locked up properly.”
“You live in a fortified building, with people who are well paid to do their job.” Gray said dryly. “And before I forget. You are coming back to the house to stay with us until you are better.”