Nothing Lasts Forever (8 page)

Holly sat back, the pen in her hand now stilled. “Thank you. I’ll make my decision and please don’t be offended by my questions. I also want what’s best for Kevin.”

Abby reached out and shook her hand. “Of course you do.” She glanced at Jon as they left the office. A bead of sweat dripped from under the loose hair that always fell across his forehead. He would make a perfect father. She reached out and took his hand in hers.

“How did we do baby?” Jon let go and wrapped his arm around her waist.

Abby looked up at him and smiled. “We did great. Let’s go see Kevin.” As they stepped off the elevator and got closer to Kevin’s room, Penny began to act up. Her tail wagged back and forth. “Penny is also in love with Kevin,” Abby laughed.

When they got to Kevin’s room, two nurses stood by his bedside taking vitals. Jon held his hand up for Abby to wait while he went to confer. He bent low over the bed to speak with Kevin who tried hard to keep his eyes open. Jon told her to wait, but she didn’t listen. Neither did Penny as the dog leaped up on to the bottom of the bed and made her way to Kevin’s side.

When Kevin felt Penny beside him, he began to relax. One of the nurse’s spoke up. “We may need to keep Penny here day and night. He does so much better when she’s here.” Kevin’s eyes drifted closed. “Doctor Hatfield, can you step outside for a moment, please?”

Abby rushed to Kevin’s side. His skin looked so pale but his little chest fell in a slow, steady movement so she knew he was in a deep sleep. She caressed his cheek, and he stirred then his little fingers wrapped around her hand. Abby stared down at how his hand fit in to hers. “You are so beautiful,” she whispered, in awe of this gift God would give them.

She always knew someday she would want to be a mother but her life had been a whirlwind of events while growing up homeless. Then her desire to travel to help those less fortunate spoke to her soul. Now she realized as she peered down at this tiny creature that maybe all along what she needed was to make one life at a time count. She had the means to help this child plus the love to give. Her heart ached for him to heal and be able to go home with the two of them.

Jon placed his warm hands on her shoulders. His gentle touch loosed the tear that fell down her face. “I want him so bad,” she whispered.

“So do we,” he told her, his voice husky, so full of emotion.

She smiled through her tears because she knew he included Penny too.

“Kevin’s been running a fever all night. The doctor’s are concerned his lungs are filling up with fluid and they don’t want it to turn in to pneumonia. They’ve given him something to make him rest.”

“His breathing seems fine,” she said. His little chest moved steady as she stared at him.

“With a stethoscope they can hear things we can’t see.”

“What does this mean, Jon?” A fear began to take a hold of her. She swung around in his arms. “Be honest, I want to know.”

He ran a hand through his hair. “Abby, a fever means there is an infection somewhere. They will do all they can to keep it under control and try to lower his fever. He needs to rest so if he wakes up we must be positive and let him stay relaxed, can you do that?”

She nodded. “Yes, of course I can. Penny’s good for him, right?” She watched the dog settle in her same spot. She seemed content to lie there with him, her nose under his little hand.

“Penny is his angel right now. Look, I need to go see Sallie about some things. I’ll be back in time for you to do your show. Do you need anything?”

She sat down on the chair beside Kevin’s bed. “Yes. I need for his fever to break.”

Chapter 7

For the next two days, Jon and Abby took turns at Kevin’s bedside. His fever broke early in the morning, but he seemed weaker, as if the fight took so much out of him. His little eyelashes fluttered over his cheeks while he slept. She lowered her eyes and focused on his hand, rubbing his tiny fingers with her own. “Can I call you Mommie?” a little voice said out of the blue.

Abby looked up. “No one’s ever called me that before?” she whispered. It had such a profound affect on her. Her heart swelled with pride, her lungs filled with air when she realized she held her breath. “Is that what you want?” she asked him point blank.

His little blonde head nodded. “My Mom hates me. She didn’t like to be called Mom. I did anyway. But if I call you Mommie it’s different, right? It’s like I got rid of the old one and got a new one.”

“Oh Kevin, of course you can call me Mommie, but let’s wait until we see what they say about you coming home with us before you do.”

Penny’s ear perked up when Sallie walked in the room. Abby turned to see the dark-haired woman, a smile for Kevin on her face. “I think it is fine to call her Mommie, Kevin. Do you want to know the reason?”

He looked at her, in a way he seemed afraid of the lady in the white coat, but he sounded so brave when he spoke up. “Why?” he said in his little, brave voice.

She walked further in to the room around to the opposite side of the bed as she faced Abby. “Because your new Mommie and Daddy got approved this morning to become your foster parents for a three month trial. How about that Kevin?”

He looked at her, wide eyed. His little mouth opened and then closed and then he yelled out in a weak voice. “I knew it! I knew it! And do you know why I knew it?” he asked Sallie.

She shook her head.

“Because I asked God to make it so.”

A tear slipped down Abby’s cheek as she swiped it away. “Thank you.” She meant those words as she looked up in to Sallie’s face. The other woman grinned. It was as if Sallie knew she couldn’t ever win Jon and accepted the fact. Abby nodded to her in a silent exchange. She hoped Sallie found someone like Jon for herself someday, she couldn’t hate the woman any longer. She came through for them in a big way. “Does Jon know?”

Sallie shook her head. “He’s speaking with some of the doctors right now. I figure I’ll leave it up to the two of you to tell him.” She looked down at Kevin. “Now that you broke the fever, perhaps in a few weeks you can go to your new home.”

“In a few weeks? That’s a long time, right?” He looked so sad and yet he kept staring at Abby. She hung on to his little hand while Penny licked his other one. She swore Penny could read their minds about the good news. Kevin giggled at Penny’s long tongue as it tickled him.

“It will be over before you know it. Now I want you to get all the rest you can while you’re here, Kevin, okay? Because when we get home, there will be so much fun stuff to do but you must let your body heal right now.”

Kevin’s eyes began to droop. Almost any kind of emotional toll weakened him. “Can you wake me when Daddy gets here? I want to tell him I’m going home to the ocean.”

Sallie nodded and left the room while Abby sat there, her life about to change. It hit her all of a sudden. Perhaps she didn’t give birth, but this was so special. As she sat and watched Kevin sleep she realized she had no idea what a five year old needs. The tears began to flow harder. She slammed her fist to her mouth so she wouldn’t cry out. Kevin needed the rest, not to have to listen to some wild red-haired crazy lady cry because she was so happy he was going to be hers.

Her shoulders began to shake when two gentle hands steadied them. “Hey. What’s wrong, baby?” She never heard Jon come through the door.

Abby sniffed and reached for a tissue on the night stand. “I’m so, so, so happy.”

He knelt beside her and looked in to her eyes. He laid gentle hands on her shoulders. “You’re happy? Abby, you losing it?”

She sniffed again. “I know it looks that way but you don’t understand. But I can’t tell you why I’m so happy.” She began to sob more than thrust herself in to his arms, her face mashed to his chest.

“Abbs, baby, shh. It’s okay, whatever’s wrong, it’s okay.”

“Hi Daddy.” Jon pushed her back to look at her, his body rigid.

“Did you say Daddy?” Jon asked, so low she almost didn’t hear him. He was looking in to her eyes but spoke to Kevin. She smiled through her tears and nodded.

“Daddy and Mommie,” he repeated, his voice so soft and frail. His droopy eyes fluttered closed as if he popped out of a dream just to call them by their new names.

“It’s why I’m crying happy tears,” Abby told him. “Sallie was here a few minutes ago to bring us the good news.” She knew the instant he realized what happened.

“You serious?”

She nodded and in an instant his arms went around her as he squeezed her so tight she thought she would explode. Abby couldn’t talk he took her breath away. She was ready to burst inside because she realized he was as happy as she was. “We get a three month trial as foster parents. Details to follow.”

Jon closed his eyes. It was the first time she ever saw him tear up. She knew he was being a man and trying to hide the fact fluid built up in those beautiful dark orbs but she didn’t say anything. He had to deal with this news in his own way. “What happens after three months?”

“I have no clue but I’ll do whatever it takes to keep him.” Abby shrugged. Once she got him home, she would never give him back no matter what they said. Besides, Jon and her will make great parents, much better than the woman who gave up her rights. Jon, however, wanted to know more in detail.

“I can’t believe it and yet I can. Did he call me Daddy?” he repeated. His voice, filled with awe made Abby smile.

“Yes he did, Daddy.” She grinned.

He kissed her and placed his mouth close to her ear. “I think you calling me Daddy is a whole other thing.”

Abby flung her head back and laughed out loud. “Go on, go talk to Sallie. I know you have to get all the details. Besides, I want them too.”

Jon stood up, bent down and kissed her again. His steps were light as he left the hospital room. While Kevin slept, Abby slipped outside to make a phone call.

“Maggie McCoy, soon to be Maggie Hatfield here. What’s up Abbs?”

“Wow, you are engaged?”

“Sort of. He says we are going to be someday but right now we’re lovers.”

Abby laughed at her friend and future sister in law. Maggie and Jake fell in love before she met Jon. They were living together on No Name Key by the water and she wanted marriage but Jake kept stalling. Maggie was a famous author, incognito, and she could have any man she wanted because she was a beautiful person, inside and out. “You better tell Jake to step up the pace before someone else snatches you up,” Abby teased.

“I’m working on him. How’s the trip going?”

Abby took a deep breath. She wasn’t sure how this would fly with Maggie, but she wanted someone to tell right away. “I have some good news. Our trip is over, but in a good way, no, in a great way.”

“Why? Everything okay, girl?”

Abby nodded then realized Maggie couldn’t see her. “Jon and I fell in love.”

“Of course you did. Uh Abby, that happened before the trip. You sure you’re okay?”

She laughed. “No, not with each other. I mean we do love each other but we fell in love with a patient here. A five year old blonde haired, blue eyed little man who needs us.”

There was silence on the other end. Maggie cleared her throat. “What does this mean?”

“It means we get to bring the little guy home with us. We became foster parents.”

“Oh Abby. That’s great news. If the two of you are happy, we will be happy for you both. It seems like a quick decision, are you sure?”

“I’ve never been so sure of anything in my life. I can stay here for months and volunteer my time and it would help others a lot. But this little boy needs two parents right now. His Mom gave him up.”

“What!”

“Yep, she up and signed him away like he was a stray dog left at the pound. He doesn’t want to go back to her, ever. It was bad for him.”

“What can I do?”

“Well, we’re bringing him with us in a few weeks. He should be much better by then. We’ll head straight home but I need a room fixed up for him.”

“You got it. Do your parents know? I think they’re still around, they haven’t gone off on any adventures since you told them to chill for a while. I’m sure you’re Mom will help me. How old is he again?” Maggie’s voice filled with excitement.

Abby smiled. “Thanks Maggs. He’s five years old. I’ll call Mom and let her know about Kevin.”

“Abby, this is on Jake and I.”

“I have plenty of money, Maggs. Remind me to tell you about the old lady and Elvis who robbed us.”

“What?”

“Another time, okay? I gotta go, but keep me informed and tell Jake to expect a call from Jon.”

“I’ll let him know. He’ll be glad to hear from me since I’m working on my last novel with my current publisher. I’ve neglected him here of late. I should be done in a few hours, then I’ll be free.”

“Wow, Maggs, you never answer your phone when you’re working on a novel. What do you mean, you’ll be free?”

“You guys are out on the road. I had no choice but to answer,” she teased. “I decided to go solo.”

“What does that mean? You and Jake?”

“No, not about Jake. This is the last book for my current publisher. My contract is up the moment I get this one published. It means I can produce what I want, when I want and write whatever I choose.”