His brother loved him, so his support was a given; he’d had it all his life.
But how did Ivey feel? It couldn’t be easy for her to get involved in his mess. There were so many things he’d like to do with her, and none of it was possible. Yet. Would she still be around when he got things in order? Christ, he hoped so. He couldn’t really imagine life without her.
It was as if he’d met the perfect woman for him, right when he needed her the most.
Dressed in casual tan khakis and a dark polo shirt, Corbin stopped outside Darcie’s hospital room. A heavy weight settled on his shoulders, keeping him from knocking on the door. So much rode on the success of this visit. He knew Darcie’s issues wouldn’t be easily resolved, but at least he had a plan. From there, he could only do his best.
Stiffening his resolve, he knocked on the door and waited.
“Come in,” came the weak reply.
He pushed the door open and came to an abrupt halt. Across the room, lying limp in a white hospital bed, Darcie looked like hell. Seeing her brought on a wave of sympathy that totally took him by surprise. Shaking himself, he continued in and tried for a moderate tone. “Hey.”
Through bloodshot, bleary eyes, she stared at him. “You better not gloat.” Her lips trembled, much as Justin’s did when he was afraid. “I don’t want to hear any lectures.”
The hospital room was as cheery as possible, but it didn’t affect the depressed atmosphere. “I don’t have any to give.”
“Good.”
Darcie was emaciated, her pasty skin lacking any real color, and with the dark smudges under her eyes, she looked as if she’d gone through hell and back. Real concern brought him closer. “You’re doing okay now?”
“Yes, so don’t hold your breath waiting for me to croak.”
“Darcie.” He pulled a chair up near the bed and slowly sat down, giving himself time to formulate the right words. “You’re my son’s mother. I don’t relish interference in his life, but I don’t wish you any ill will, either.”
“Ha!” At the outburst, she groaned, a hand to her stomach, her eyes closing.
Corbin waited, seeing the way she struggled.
“I almost died.” With a caustic glance around at the room, she said, “You think this place is bad, you should see the ICU.”
Bad? He thought the room looked comfortable and convenient, set up for someone who needed a lot of care. “I’m glad you were able to be moved.”
She swallowed heavily. “I looked everywhere for you.” She breathed a little harder. “But you were hiding.”
“Actually, I looked for you as well.”
Her gaze shot to his. “Why?”
“I knew you were in town. Others had...remarked on it. But I couldn’t find you.”
“Because I got dumped here.” Her hand curled into a fist. “Cops brought me in after I crashed.”
“The police were involved?”
Her mouth firmed. “People accused me of harassing them. Cops got there before the EMTs.”
Dear God. “Where was this?”
“Local bar,” she said without any further clarification.
“I see.”
She shook her head as if it didn’t matter. “Guess I had too much to drink.”
If by too much, she meant she’d damned near drunk herself to death, then he’d agree. She still looked two breaths away from death. “It wasn’t only alcohol, was it, Darcie?”
“So? Don’t act like you have all the answers.”
No, he wouldn’t. He couldn’t. There were too many occasions when he second-guessed his every decision. This was one of them.
He reached for patience. “How much longer will they keep you?”
Rolling a shoulder, she said, “They’ll let me out soon, but I don’t know what to do.” Very deliberately, she smoothed the sheet over her chest. “You might not believe this, but I never wanted to hurt Justin. He’s a good boy, just more than I could handle on my own.”
Corbin noticed that she hadn’t yet asked how Justin was doing. Seeing her so thin, more so than when she’d given him Justin, he couldn’t take offense. “I can understand that.”
“I thought Carl was going to marry me, but that fell apart.” Defensively, she said, “That’s the only reason I got so messed up. The damn pills didn’t mix well, I guess.” Tears welled in her eyes. “Now I have nothing and no one. I’m all alone.”
The piteous tone grated. “That’s not actually true.” He hesitated, feeling both compassionate and repelled. To think that his son had spent ten years with this woman, that he’d had no one else around to protect him, made Corbin’s blood burn. “You have your life, Darcie. And if you think you’d like to get things back on track, I’d be willing to help.”
Her eyes, the same shade of blue as Justin’s, took his measure. Miraculously, the tears disappeared. Letting her voice drop, she tried a coy smile that was ludicrous under the circumstances. “Our son could use two parents. It’d be easier together. I bet Justin would like that.”
It took all his concentration not to jolt away from that repugnant suggestion. Him, with Darcie? The things he felt for her, resentment, anger, remorse and pity, were not conducive to a romantic relationship. She was the opposite of Ivey, lacking her vitality, her spirit and her huge capacity for love.
Insulting Darcie in any way wouldn’t help his cause though. “I’m involved with someone else.”
“You’re not married,” she shot back with sharp annoyance.
Her mercurial moods likely explained a lot of Justin’s wariness. It wouldn’t be easy for a kid to never know how a parent might react. “Not yet, no.” He definitely wanted a lifetime commitment, though. With Ivey. “But our relationship is serious.”
Alarm flashed over her ravaged features. “Since when?”
“Darcie,” he chided. “I came here to see if there’s a way I can help you, not to talk about me.”
She eyed him. “So you’ll do what? Give me money?”
Money was what she’d asked for, and initially, even before her call, it was what he’d planned to give. But he sensed that would only make things better for the very short-term. There was also the worry that she’d use cash for drugs.
For Justin’s sake, Corbin wanted to see real, substantial change. “What do you hope to see for your future?”