Take the Long Way Home
Chapter 12
"Well, so far, so good," Angela spoke in hushed tones to Vincent as they walked swiftly to Catherine's room. "See I told you...Uh?"
"Angela are you back on duty already? I thought you would be home for at least another week."
"Alexa!" Angela said startled at the sight of one of her hospital friends.
"Who's this strapping doctor? All ready for surgery, I see. Oh, honey, you can take down the mask. We all breathe each other's germs on this part of the ward," Alexa joked looking up at Vincent's tall height.
Angela not really knowing what to do at this point just tried to shrug out of any introductions when Vincent suddenly lowered his mask and brazenly said to Alexa.
"I'm Vincent. Angela's brother-in-law and we were just up at the Children's Ward trying out my new Halloween costume.
Alex not really thinking anything was amiss looked Vincent and up and down and said, "Well, if you are going for a lion like rockstar, you nailed it. How did the kids like it?"
"They loved it!" Angela quickly said. "Look, Alexa, I would love to stop and chat for a while, but Vincent does have a patient to see on this floor. We have to get her transported back to his hospital to be under his care and we need to get it done tonight because she is really, really in need of his care."
Alexa, being a nurse and a human being, certainly could understand the urgency in the request.
"Of course, I didn't mean to keep you. I'm just a talker and I haven't seen Angela look this good for a long time, so I apologize for keeping you."
"No apologies needed. I would love to chat some other time, but like Angela has stated, I do need to get to my patient," Vincent said shaking Alexa's hand.
"Well, if you'll excuse me then," Alexa said and trotted off on her rounds.
"Whew! You should be an actor. That was courageous of you to lower the mask like that. Thank God it is October, so your excuse was perfect!"
"She seems like a very friendly woman and the last thing I wanted to do was scare her or cause alarm. It can still happen from time to time, so I am always wary."
Angela just smiled up at Vincent and then they continued on their way to Catherine's room.
When they arrived, Peter met them at the door.
"You made it!"
Peter paused a moment and then continued.
"Vincent, she's hooked up to a heart monitor because her heart rate keeps dipping and I don't want to lose her. So if it goes silent..."
"It will not come to that. I am sure. If it does, I have been trained in CPR and she's my wife so I will keep calm and know what to do," Vincent said calmly. He was more calm than he actually showed. If they could see through into his heart, Peter and Angela would have seen a man shaking and frightened that he was seeing his beloved wife for the last time. Vincent would not survive if something happened to Catherine.
"Ok, go ahead in," Angela said.
"Vincent walked in and Angela closed the door. She decided to walk to the nurses' station and speak to a couple of her friends while she was there throwing them off the scent that someone close to her had a problem. She dragged Peter with her and properly introduced him to her friends. Catherine was being monitored like Peter said so if anything should happen while Vincent was in there they would know and could run interference.
Peter hoped his instinct was correct in exposing Vincent's existence in this way.
Meanwhile, Vincent slowly removed his mask, gloves, and hat letting his red gold mane spill over his shoulders in the dimmed light of the hospital room. Catherine's bed was lengthwise to the width of the room and sat next to a window to which the blinds had been drawn to afford privacy. The beeping of the machine was the only noise in the quiet room and it surrounded and penetrated Vincent's ears and brain as he walked over to the still form of his wife.
His gaze fell upon her and he noticed how pale she was. She looked drained of life and blood. She was hooked up intravenously to saline and blood because her body still had not stopped bleeding after the delivery of the twins. She needed to be built up. Vincent swallowed hard knowing that Catherine lie in the bed indirectly due to him and his passion for her and his taking of her in love. He knew if she could read his thoughts he would have gotten out of that bed and denied it all and knock some sense into his head. Vincent knew how much she loved him and how much she desired him as much as he had always desired her.
Vincent bent over Catherine's sleeping form and gently kissed her on the forehead. He took her one hand in his and wiped an unbidden tear fallen from his eye with the other.
"Catherine, I'm here," Vincent said softly hoping this would illict a response.
She did not stir. Vincent sat down on the chair placed beside her bed. Still holding her hand he laced his fingers with hers. He put their clasped hands against his face with her knuckles touching his cheek.
"Catherine. I know you can hear me. You wouldn't leave me like this. Our family is now so complete." Vincent kissed her hand and then changed hands and brushed some hair away from her forehead which had fallen there in her sleep.
"Well, he's in there," Angela said to Devin on the phone from the nurses' station. I hope this works. He said she felt he could feel her slip away a little further which made sense because Peter said her heart had slowed down even more alarmingly."
"Did anyone spot you with him? How did you get him in there?" Devin wondered because there was one thing that an over six foot tall lion faced man would excite was either fear or curiosity.
"We had a close call. One of the more gregarious nurses I work with spotted Vincent and me. We weren't paying attention looking behind us to see if anyone had seen us get off the freight elevator."
"Who was it?" Devin asked. He was fascinated at how they did get Vincent into Catherine's room without him scaling the side of the building. Vincent never had had too much difficulty climbing but he was a lot older and heavier now and out of practice Devin was assured since Vincent had not had to scale Catherine's building to see her anymore.
"Alexa Sneed," Angela stated.
"Alexa! She's got the biggest mouth this side of the Mississippi," Devin said. He really liked her but she never knew when to keep her mouth shut.
"How did you manage to get him in there in the first place?"
"Peter left a set of scrubs with cap and gloves near the loading dock door. We went in as he was coming out and then Vincent put on his outfit and we rode the freight elevator up to the sixth floor and out we went."
"Vincent was covered from head to foot in scrubs?"
"The whole enchilada. Hey, how are all the kids? Are you holding down the fort or do you need me to come home right now?"
"Believe it or not, they all get along so great and all six of them were cooperative when I had to feed the babies. Angelica helped feed Caroline and then she went off with her sisters and cousins and they are having a ball outside in the yard."
"Ok. It's getting late, though, don't you think you ought to bring them in."
"Sure. In a few...I was just watching them and they are squealing and laughing and falling down and just having a ball."
Angela could feel the smile in her husband's voice and it made her very happy. She knew in the last couple of months the last thing she had seen was her husband's smile. It was the one of things she loved about him. When she had met him he was just realizing his worth after so many years being told he was nothing. She could not imagine any one not appreciating Devin's big heart. To accept a being like Vincent and accept him as if he were his blood relative, took a heart and soul so giving and loving that Angela felt honored to be Devin's wife.
The mood of the call changed and Angela just stated after a momentary silence.
"I'll see you a little later, Dev. I love you."
"Love you, too."
