Chapter 51
That evening Bud met Francesca at the baggage claim and called to her, "Ms. Paretti, it's me, Bud Roberts."
"Si, Mr. Roberts, I remember you. Tell me, how is my father?"
"There has been no change, I'm afraid Ma'am. If you'll follow me, I'll take you to the hospital so you can see him," said Bud picking up her luggage.
"Si, I want to see Papa. Please let us hurry."
Bud drove her to the hospital and helped her out of the car. Taking her inside the waiting room, he sat down with her, and told her, "Ma'am, your father is being taken care of by a wonderful woman by the name of Tami Kearney. The only way she could stay with your father was to tell the nurses that she was his wife. She and your father have been seeing each other and I believe are in love. I would ask you not to make her leave his side."
"I would not be so cruel, Mr. Roberts. If my Papa and this Ms. Kearney are truly in love and she has taken such good care of him I couldn't do that to either of them."
"I'm glad to hear you say that, Ma'am, Mrs. Kearney has been worried and I promised to talk to you."
"You have done a good thing, Mr. Roberts, and I will let her help me care for Papa."
"Thank you, Ma'am, and if there is anything you need, please let me know. Harriett and I will be visiting your father, so we'll be seeing you."
"I will be looking forward to seeing you, but right now I want to see my Papa."
Bud called a nurse and Deloris, the evening nurse, came to take Francesca back to see her father. Once back in the room, she saw a woman sitting by her papa's bed and knew her to be Tami, then she looked at the man lying in the bed. This man could not possibility be her papa, he was too frail and weak, to be her strong and healthy papa.
As the tears started falling, she walked up to the bed and lay with her cheek on her papa's hand saying, "Oh, my Papa, my poor Papa, what have they done to you? You have to get well for me, Papa. I need you. We have had so little time together; I don't want to lose you now. Please, Papa, open your eyes and look at your Francesca."
Tami, watching AJ's daughter, as she saw him for the first time, went and put her arms around her and said, "His vital signs are stable and that's a good sign. We will help him fight, you and I."
Looking up at the older woman Francesca nodded, "Si, you and I will fight for him and we will win."
"I am Tami Kearney, and I love your father very much."
"I am Francesca Paretti and I am happy to meet you, Tami Kearney."
"Please, call me Tami, and let's become good friends, that will make your papa happy when he wakes up."
"Si, and you may call me Francesca. Papa must love you a lot, you are such a wise woman."
"We haven't had an easy time, but I hope he still loves me when he wakes up."
"Why should he not love you, Tami?"
"My two children haven't made it easy for us and we had broke up. After he was injured, I realized I couldn't live without him. When he wakes up, this may come as a surprise to him.'
"Yes, but a nice surprise, I should think."
"That's what I'm hoping for, Francesca. I'm so glad to finally meet you. Your father talks of you often, he loves you very much."
"I love him very much. We have only been close a short time and the thought of losing him now, is to awful to think about."
"Then we won't think about it, we'll think about happy things."
"Yes, like when papa opens his eyes and sees two beautiful women sitting beside him," smiled Francesca.
"Exactly like that, Francesca. Did you know you have a very beautiful smile?"
"Si, it is Papa's smile."
To be continued…
