Fall From Grace

“She’s scared, Jack. I had to tell her something. I think if she sees you’re okay, then she’ll be less worried.”

“I’m n-not okay.” Damn his stammering.

Anne stepped to the side of the bed. and laid a hand on his dead appendage. He couldn’t even yank it back, away from her charity. All he could do was stare at their joined hands and hope she took the hint. Finally she pulled away.

She started pacing, her favorite pastime when her nerves got the best of her. “Look, Jack, we have a few things to discuss.”

When she faced him again, he noticed the worry in her expression and chose to ignore it. “Support check’s in the m-mail.”

Anger flared in her eyes. “I don’t care about your stupid money. I’m talking about your future. What you’re going to do when you get out of here.”

“Maybe I’ll…take up gardening.”

She fisted her hands at her sides. Annie was about to blow, and he couldn’t even get out of her path. “This isn’t a joke, Jack. You’ve got to consider your health. Your recuperation.” She strolled around to the other side of the bed, appearing unsure. Very un-Annelike.

“What d-do you suggest, Annie?”

“I want you to consider coming to live with me and Katie during your recovery.”

If that didn’t bring on another stroke, then maybe he was out of the woods after all. At least for the time being. “What the…hell for?”

“Because you’re going to need help. And we can help you. You don’t have to decide now. I just want you to think about it for the next few days.”

He didn’t understand her motivation, why she was making such a crazy offer. He suspected Hank had had something to do with this. Maybe even Delia. “I don’t need…any help. I wouldn’t want you to p-put yourself out on my account, Anne.”

“Quit being so damn stubborn!”

Annie had cursed at him. She was pissed, and he liked her that way. He liked her as pissed as he was over this whole mess. “You really want a vegetable…on your nice leather c-couch, Annie?”

In a matter of minutes, she recovered, erecting the emotional wall that had separated them for several years. She hadn’t changed her attitude about him one whit, but what could he expect? “You’ll get better.”

“Just ’cause you say it’s so…d-don’t make it so. Thanks for the…offer. But no…thanks.”

She shrugged and raised her hands all in one smooth move. “Okay, forget I asked. You hire someone to take care of you. And when you decide to stop feeling sorry for yourself, then maybe you’ll be ready to see your daughter again.”

When she spun on her crepe soles and headed for the door, a sudden fear gripped Jack. Irrational fear, yet too strong to ignore. He hated being at the mercy of everyone’s idea of what was best for him, but if he let her leave, he might lose his port in the storm. Again. Although there was a lot of garbage between Anne and him, he knew he could rely on her if he had to. She was the connection to his daughter, and he couldn’t survive without Katie in his life. He’d already given up too much.

“Annie, wait.”

When she turned, her eyes looked red-rimmed and moist. Surely she wasn’t going to cry over him. He wasn’t worth it. She was willing to make a sacrifice, and he’d gone and hurt her. The way he’d hurt her so many times already. But what the hell was he going to do? He gave her the only response that made any sense.

“I’m s-sorry. Bring Katie. Tonight.”

Now Anne stared at him, openly stunned. A long time had passed since he’d apologized to her for his shortcomings, and he had plenty. So many she’d never been able to forgive him, and most likely never would. “This probably wasn’t a great time to discuss this, Jack. It’s just that Katie cares about what happens to you.”

“What a-b-bout you, Annie?” An unfair question, yet he had to know.

“Of course I care, Jack. I still consider you a friend, and you are Katie’s father.”

But not her husband, or her lover, and despite what she said, not her friend.

Not anymore.

1984

Anne had never believed for a second she would become friends with a doctor, much less go out with one. Twice.

For the past hour she’d tried to find something about Jack Morgan that she didn’t like. Some hidden imperfection. Even the tiniest thing to discourage her. So far, she’d had little success. Of course, she could paint his persistence as a character flaw, and persistent he’d been since their NewYear’s Eve golf game, calling several times over the past week until he’d finally worn her down. But in all fairness, she couldn’t fault him for a trait that she also possessed.

She’d unfortunately discovered they had a lot in common, including a love of nature, which was precisely how she’d ended up sitting in a small outdoor café on her day off, taking a break from the myriad tourists who had flocked to the zoo on a sunny January afternoon following a few days of freezing temperatures.

“Exactly how did you manage this little excursion, Doctor?” she asked.

“Easy. I bought tickets at the gate.”

Considering his talent for teasing, she should have known not to expect a straight answer. “I meant, how did you manage to take the day off to entertain me?”

“I called in sick.”

She looked up from her purple plastic souvenir cup to find that his grin alone indicated he was lying. “You did not.”

“It’s my scheduled day off. Do you really think I’d call in sick when I run the risk of having to explain that to your dad, Annie?”

She bit back the urge to panic. “My father knows you’re out with me?”

“Not unless you told him.”

No, she hadn’t told him, or her mother. “I decided not to say anything, just in case. I was afraid it might create complications for you.” And for her. “I also don’t want people believing there’s more between us than friendship.”

Jack frowned. “Are you worried some of my fellow residents might cry favoritism if they knew I was fraternizing with the chief’s daughter?”

“Yes. Doesn’t that bother you?”

“Not unless it bothers you.”

“You say that now, but I doubt you’d be so cavalier about it if word got out.”

“I’ll deal with it if I have to.” He pushed his own cup aside. “Want to go check out the gorillas now?”

“The gorillas can wait. First, I want to talk awhile longer.” They’d been too engrossed in competition during the golf game for Anne to garner any intimate details, and he’d been in too big of a hurry during their previous phone conversations.

Jack leaned back in his chair and stacked his hands behind his neck. “Okay. Talk.”

“You’ve never told me about your family.”

His expression turned serious and hinted at sadness. “I have a brother who’s a banker. He’s married and lives in Boston. My mother died two years ago from breast cancer. When I was eleven, my dad died from restrictive cardiomyopathy.”

Like so many doctors she’d known, he’d been driven into medicine by personal experience, when she’d secretly hoped he’d been motivated by the money, prestige, power—all valid reasons for her to cling to the last of her resistance. “I’m sorry, Jack.”