Chapter 13
After another week, Mac could mumble through his wired jaw, but not very plainly. He wasn't able to write yet because the medications he was on kept him shaky. He had tried to explain what happened now that he remembered. Amanda had done her best to decipher what he was trying to say. She had written a little at a time and he had confirmed that she was right. She knew now that he had been trying to help her. She had explained that he had been right when he said she had been grieving and when she got to that bar, she knew Mac was right and she had just sat there in the car and sobbed until she couldn't cry anymore. She had no idea that he had been coming after her. When she had found that he was checked out of the hotel, she assumed he just left, feeling like she didn't want him anymore and that their relationship was over.
Mac had to go through rehabilitation. Not only was he very weak after this long in bed, but his left hip had also been out of joint when all this happened. He could not do much yet because of his ribs and other bruises. But Mac was determined to get up as soon as he could. He wanted to go home. He was tired of staying in this hospital, although he had been moved to a different part of the hospital for rehab. He was alone most of the time. Everyone called him and sent him cards and flowers, but they had to work and couldn't stay there with him. He knew they cared about him. He was getting better every day now, and he had been talking with the police more about what happened. Franklin had come to see him. Mac was glad he had shown up when he did. He had no doubt that he would be dead if Franklin had not helped him.
Not only was Mac getting his muscles built back up and working the soreness out of his body, but he was learning to eat a liquid diet since he could not chew yet. He was learning to make his food in a way that he could eat it. He was glad he was not having to use that feeding tube anymore. It had made him nauseous to see the nurse putting the food through it. He was glad he didn't have to starve though.
After another week, Mac got out of the hospital. He was given an order for his rehab so he could continue going in New York. Amanda was there to pick him up and drive him back to New York. With all the metal he was carrying now, he would never get through the airport. "I wish I could kiss you," Amanda said, as she caressed his face gently.
"Maybe it won't be long," Mac mumbled through his closed jaw. He still had sore ribs and a sore hip, but he was much better.
Amanda kissed him gently. "That's better than nothing."
Mac tried to smile. Amanda could see it in his eyes. "Let's go," she said. It was Friday, and she intended to spend the whole weekend taking care of Mac, although she figured he thought he could take care of himself.
When they got to New York, it was afternoon. They went to Mac's apartment. He was relieved to be home and out of the hospital. He was hungry though, and he had to blend his food so he could eat it. "I want to learn to do this for you," Amanda said.
"You don't have to," Mac replied.
"I sure will be glad when you can open your mouth again."
Mac got a sly look in his eyes. "Me too."
Amanda put her arms around his neck and hugged him. "You animal."
"I might show you how much of an animal I can be."
"I hope you do."
Amanda watched while Mac fixed his food. "I have to make sure I eat nutritious food," Mac said, as he was pouring the chicken soup into the blender.
"Oh, don't worry," Amanda said. "You'll be eating pizza again before you know it."
"Don't mention that. It makes my stomach growl. Most of the time I don't even taste anything when I eat like this."
"When will you get this off?"
Mac shrugged. "It's according to how it heals. The doctor thought it was healing well though."
Amanda touched Mac's side and he jumped. "Oh, I'm sorry," she said. "I was trying to be gentle."
"It's really sore," Mac said.
Amanda was standing behind Mac. She couldn't help but admire his physique. Mac noticed how quiet she was. He looked over his shoulder. "What are you doing?" he asked.
Amanda smiled and walked up to the counter. "So, what can I do to help?" she asked.
"I think this is really a one-person job," Mac said. "You know you're in bad shape when you have to blend chicken soup before you cook it."
"I'll get a pan ready."
Mac got the soup blended and then cooked it. "You want some?" he asked.
"No thanks," Amanda replied. "I think I'll eat later."
"Oh, you're not going to eat some of my culinary masterpiece?"
They sat down at the table. "This may be disgusting," Mac said.
"Don't worry about that," Amanda said, as she was peeling an apple.
"I'll be glad when I can chew again. I want to chew."
When they were done eating, they went into the living room and sat on the couch. Amanda smelled Mac's cologne. She moved closer to him and kissed his neck. "I don't think I'm up to anything like that yet," Mac said.
Amanda smiled and kissed his neck some more, but then she just lay her head on his shoulder. "I'm sorry for the way I acted in Boston," she said.
"Hey, you've said that enough," Mac said. "I knew you were upset."
"That's no excuse for mistreating you like that. I acted like a fool." Amanda couldn't believe she had disrobed in front of Mac like that.
"Well, I had a good view," he said. "I just wasn't expecting it."
Amanda sat up and looked at him. "You animal."
"You have a beautiful body."
Amanda folded her arms. "You mean you remember?"
Mac almost laughed, but it hurt. "I don't think I could forget that, especially since you're so voluptuous."
Amanda's mouth dropped open. "You were enjoying that the whole time," she said.
Mac took her hand in his. "You're beautiful but I just think that we should wait about that. I don't want to make that mistake again."
"Me neither. The only man I was ever with was my husband."
"Unfortunately, I can't say the same. I thought that relationship would last forever, but…" Mac shook his head.
"You were hurt pretty bad, huh?"
"To say the least. I felt like I was just left hanging with nothing and no explanation. It took me a long time to get over that."
Amanda hugged his arm. "I don't ever want to let you go," she said.
"If you do, will you at least tell me why?"
Amanda snuggled closer to him. She didn't want to even think about letting him go. She wanted to hold on to him forever. Mac hoped it would last too. He wanted to be married again and settle down and just live the rest of his life in happiness instead of wandering around wondering if he would be alone forever.
By the time Valentine's Day came, Mac was getting the wiring off his jaw. He had never been through anything like that before. He had been asleep when they put the wiring on, but he was awake now. He thought they would pull his teeth out getting the wiring off. "I'm sorry," the doctor said, as he saw Mac grab the side of the table. "It won't be much longer."
When the wires and everything were off, Mac's jaw was throbbing, but he still didn't think he could move it. "That jaw muscle is very weak," the doctor said. "You'll be going to therapy to build up those muscles in there. No strenuous activity, like yelling, kissing, or chewing hard or chewy foods."
Mac was afraid to try and talk. His jaw felt like it was just hanging there. He thought he would sound stupid if he tried to talk. He tried to move his jaw, but it hurt. "It's healed now," the doctor said, as he felt of Mac's jaw. Mac jumped with the pain. "That soreness will work out. It may get a little stiff while you're building those muscles back up but you'll get back to normal." He looked at Mac. "You have any questions?"
Mac stared at him. He thought he probably had a thousand, but he wasn't sure he could talk. He just shook his head. "You'll have to try," the doctor said. "I know your jaw feels funny, but it's just weak. Can you at least say your name for me?"
Mac thought about that. It had been so long since he moved his mouth to talk, he thought he might have forgotten how. He put his lips together and said, "Mac." His jaw hurt even with that. He looked at the doctor. "Mac," he said again.
"See? That wasn't so hard, was it?" the doctor asked. He had seen people who wouldn't talk for a day or two when they went through something like this.
Mac had lost two teeth in that encounter too, so he would have to go to the dentist to get that fixed. He was glad they weren't in the front. He wondered what his doctor bills were going to look like. He had already seen the bill from the hospital. His insurance had paid a lot of it, but he would have to make a lot of payments on the rest to get it paid. Now, he was racking up doctor bills and therapy bills.
Mac went outside and over to the therapy center with his prescription. He dreaded this therapy. He had thought they would kill him when he was working on his hip, but it had finally gotten well. He wasn't having to walk like an old man anymore. He went into the therapy center and gave them his prescription. He was surprised that they wanted him to start today. He had wanted to get something for Amanda and take her out to a nice dinner for tonight because it was Valentine's Day. He supposed he would have time after this.
Mac went through the therapy session, which wasn't as bad as he had thought it would be, although it hurt a lot. He was more comfortable with talking by the time he left. His jaw was sore as he went out to get a cab. He picked up some roses and some jewelry for Amanda before he went home. As he was walking in the door of his apartment, his phone rang with a text message. He smiled as he saw Amanda's message: Happy Valentine's Day, my darling. I look forward to tonight. Love, Amanda.
Mac put the roses in a vase and then sent her a message: Happy Valentine's Day. I can kiss you tonight.
Amanda was sitting at her desk when she got his message. She smiled. She found herself thinking about Mac most of the day. Some of the time, she had to do work over again because she had been distracted and did the work wrong. She had succeeded at getting the work done quickly to keep the boss from knowing she had to do it twice. Mac had made her feel like a woman again. She didn't know what she was doing before she met him. She thought she must have been not really living, but just going through each day and doing what she had to. Now, she felt like she had a future. Her mother had even decided that she liked Mac. Amanda didn't know how anyone couldn't like him. He was such a gentleman and so sweet. She had helped him as much as she could while he was recovering. She had fixed different foods for him and tried to spice them up a little and make things have more flavor. She had enjoyed that and she thought they had gotten a lot better acquainted.
Mac sent a text message to Danny to ask if he had any paperwork to do. Danny looked at the message. He laughed when he saw it. "What's so funny?" Lindsey asked.
Danny showed her the message. "He must be kidding, right?" Danny asked.
"Oh, Danny, just tell him yes."
Danny texted: So much you'll never get it done in this lifetime.
Mac looked at the message. Then he texted: Do you have to be so sarcastic? Just bring it to me.
Danny smiled and looked at Lindsey. "I guess I'll have to box all that up and take it to him," he said.
"You better get a big box," Lindsey replied.
Mac was sitting in his chair working his jaw slowly when someone knocked on the door. He went to the door, and Danny was there with a big box full of paperwork. "I hope you don't have any Valentine's plans," Danny said. "Where do you want this?"
"Just set it in here beside the table," Mac said.
Danny put the box beside Mac's dining table. He looked at the roses sitting on the table. "Are those for your special lady?" Danny asked.
"Well, they're certainly not for you," Mac said.
Danny snickered. "Wiseguy. So, how are you and Ms. Houston getting along?"
"Very well. How are you and Lindsey getting along?"
"It's all smoothed out, and when she sees what I have for her tonight, I'll be on a pedestal."
"Right."
"Well, gotta get back to the old fort. Don't work too hard."
Danny went out the door. Mac sat down at the table and took out his first folder of paperwork. He opened the folder and got to work. He supposed he could work until it was time for Amanda to come and pick him up. He thought he was getting spoiled to her coming to get him in her car. She had come back in an electric blue car this time. Mac wondered how many cars they had. He took the jewelry box from his pocket and opened it. It was an engagement ring. He knew they had not been together long, but he loved her and wanted to marry her. He wondered if she would think it was too soon. They had spent a lot of time together over the last few weeks while he recovered. She had stayed by his side a lot during that time. All the time she was not there, he had missed her. He didn't want to be away from her anymore. He wanted her in his house…in his bed. He knew he could have already had her in his bed, but he didn't want to do it that way.
Mac signed paperwork until he thought he was doing it in his sleep. He would have to take a nap before he went on their date tonight or he would be yawning and probably fall asleep at the opera. He lay down on his bed and pulled a blanket over him…
Mac dreamed that his jaw and ribs were hurting so bad he thought he would die. He moaned in his sleep, but he felt like he couldn't move or wake up. Then he heard a knocking sound. He groaned as he felt like he was trapped…
Amanda was at the door. She shook the knob, but it was locked. "Mac, open the door!" she said. She was starting to get worried. She wasn't early to pick him up. "Mac!"
Mac finally woke up and almost sat up, but the pain in his ribs knocked him back down. He realized he was lying on the bed and he was hearing someone knocking on the door. He looked at his watch. "Oh, no," he said. He got up and went to the door.
"Mac!" Amanda was saying.
Mac opened the door. Amanda was relieved. "Mac, I was getting worried," she said.
"I laid down to take a nap," Mac said, as he let her in. "I was only going to sleep about an hour."
"Are you alright?"
"Yeah, I just had a dream. I don't know if I was really in pain or not." Mac sighed. "I'm sorry. I have to get ready."
"That's fine. I'll wait."
Mac went to his room. Amanda noticed the paperwork on the dining table. She thought he must have been working here at home. She took her coat off and looked around the kitchen. She noticed Mac's mail lying on the counter. She looked toward his room, but she could hear the shower. She looked at the mail and found the hospital bill and the other doctor and rehab bills. Amanda gasped when she saw the amounts. She knew Mac would be paying that for years. She took a notepad from her purse and wrote down the account numbers and addresses and amounts. She would call her mother and get the money for this. She would not let Mac have to pay all this when she could pay it easily. She wondered what he would think of that, but she would do it anyway.
When Mac was ready, he came back into the living room, where Amanda was sitting on the sofa. She could smell his cologne. "Oh, you smell so good you drive me crazy," she said.
Mac smiled. "I forgot something," he said. He went to the dining room and brought her the roses. "I had to put them in a vase."
Amanda smiled at the red roses. She smelled them. "Oh, they're so wonderful," she said. She set the vase down on the living room table. She put her arms around Mac's neck and kissed him. "Mmm, I can kiss your lips again."
Mac pulled her closer to him. "Let's take advantage of it," he said.
They shared a long kiss. "Sit down," Mac whispered.
Amanda sat down on the couch. "What?" she asked.
Mac got down on one knee and took the ring box out of his pocket. Amanda gasped and covered her face. Mac smiled and pulled one of her hands down. "Don't hide from me," he said.
Amanda was crying. "I'm not," she said.
Mac took the ring out of the box. "Amanda Houston, will you marry me?" he asked.
Amanda's hand was trembling as she held it out to him. "Of course I will," she said.
Mac slid the ring onto her finger. He kissed her hand and then moved closer to her. "Don't cry," he said.
"Well, what do you expect me to do?" Amanda asked as she laughed at herself.
Mac smiled and kissed her. Amanda held onto him and pulled him down. "Do we have to go out?" she whispered.
"I have tickets," Mac said.
"I want you to make love to me."
Mac looked into her eyes. "Why don't we wait until the honeymoon?" he asked. "It would be a lot more exciting. We can go crazy and wild."
Amanda laughed. She felt so wild now she thought she would explode. "Do you think we can wait that long?" she asked.
"If we try."
"I don't intend to wait long. You better get ready to go down the aisle."
"I'm ready. You plan it and I'll be there."
They shared a long kiss and then headed out for their date. "I can't wait to tell Mother," Amanda said. She looked sad as she looked at her ring. "I only wish Jennifer could have…"
Mac put his arm around her as they went out to the car. "I know she would be happy for you, Sweetheart," he said.
"So do I." Amanda gave Mac her car keys. "Will you drive?"
"Sure. You don't know where we're going anyway."
Amanda smiled. "It will be wonderful with you."
Mac drove over to the gourmet restaurant that he had chosen for this evening. They were seated at a table with candles. The waiter took their coats and seated Amanda. She was wearing a blue dress tonight. Mac reached for her hand across the table. "I love you," he said.
"I love you too," Amanda replied.
"I look forward to our future together."
"It's going to be exciting."
Mac smiled. "I can imagine."
Amanda leaned on the table. "We might never make it to the hotel," she whispered.
Mac cleared his throat. "Well, there's always the limo," he whispered.
They both laughed. "You wouldn't do that, would you?" Amanda asked.
Mac gave her that look that made her heart jump. "I guess I would rather not leave any evidence," he said.
"You animal."
Mac chuckled. "I think we're mature enough to wait until we get to the hotel."
"I'm sure we can handle that."
"You know, I didn't really think I would ever come to this point again."
"Me neither. I think I had given up on being alive again."
"I don't think you could have stayed single forever. Some guy would have come along and seen that beauty and he would have caught up with your race you were running."
Amanda smiled. "And that's what you did?"
"Well, I had to slow you down before I could catch you."
"I guess that will be something to tell our children; we met in the interrogation room. Your father thought I killed somebody."
Mac laughed. "You don't have to tell them that," he said.
"Oh, yes I do." Amanda sipped her water. "Are we having wine tonight?"
"What else?"
"Are you sure? We might be hanging from the chandeliers."
Mac almost strangled on his water. He almost couldn't swallow it. He finally got the water down and tried not to laugh out loud. He couldn't help but remember saying something like that to Danny and Lindsey. He covered his face trying not to embarrass himself.
Amanda was laughing herself. "I didn't know it was that funny," she said.
Mac took a deep breath and finally got himself composed, but when he looked at Amanda, he thought he would lose it again. "I'm sorry," he said.
"Don't apologize. I don't think I've ever seen you get that tickled."
"I'm sure you haven't. I don't usually do that."
"How's your jaw tonight? You don't seem to be having any trouble with it."
"It feels pretty good," Mac said, glad to have a subject change. "It feels a little stiff some of the time and a little sore, but it's not too bad. When they first took the wiring off, it felt so funny, I thought I would never be able to talk."
"I'm so glad you can talk again…and kiss again."
"Me too." Mac remembered dreaming. "I had the strangest dream when I was taking a nap. I thought I was in excruciating pain and I couldn't move or wake up. I don't know if I was really in pain or not."
"Maybe your brain just remembered being in pain and it created a dream."
"I think so because I wasn't hurting when I woke up. My ribs were sore, but not hurting like that."
"They're better, right?"
"Yes. I think maybe another week or two and I won't be having any more pain with them."
"I hope not." Amanda leaned on the table. "I wouldn't want you to be sore on our honeymoon."
Mac smiled. "You think it would interfere?"
"By the time I get through with you, it would."
Mac thought he must be blushing. "Are you going to keep me up all night?"
"No, I'm going to keep you down all night."
Mac laughed. "Okay."
Soon, the waiter came and took their orders and went back to the kitchen. Mac almost yawned, but he stopped himself. He thought he should not be sleepy after that long nap he took. He thought he had gotten lazy over all that time he was in the hospital.
"Are you okay?" Amanda asked.
"I just yawn sometimes," Mac said. "Even when I shouldn't be sleepy."
"Well, you're still recovering. I guess people are sleepy a lot when they are recovering from such an injury."
Mac thought about what he had been through. "I couldn't remember what happened before, but I remember now." Mac closed his eyes. "I thought they were never going to stop beating me and I thought they would kill me. I don't think I have ever been in pain like that. When I woke up and saw Franklin, I thought they were still there."
Amanda squeezed Mac's hand. "And you were trying to help me," she said.
Mac looked at her. "Don't you ever blame yourself for that," he said. "I had an eerie feeling there and I should have turned around and gone back to the hotel."
"I sat in my car and cried until I couldn't cry anymore. I don't know why I acted like I did. I just wanted to feel good, I think, and I wanted that from you. But it was because of my grief and it wouldn't have taken the grief away."
"I was hoping you wouldn't do anything. I was worried about you and I knew you were upset about your sister."
"I'm glad you didn't give in to me, and I'm sorry for the way I acted."
"Don't worry about that. We're getting married anyway."
Amanda smiled as she saw that mischievous look in Mac's eyes. "I can't wait to get to that honeymoon," she said. "We might never come back."
"We'll probably get tired after a while," Mac said, as he leaned on the table.
"It might take me a long time. I'm a deprived woman."
Mac bit his bottom lip. "I might be a little deprived too. What happens when two deprived people get together?"
Amanda laughed. "Explosive passion."
"I think we better stop talking about this."
"Why?" Amanda whispered with a mischievous look.
Mac stared at her. "I think you know why."
"Okay, I guess we can sit here and act like two middle aged people."
Amanda put her napkin in her lap and tried to act snooty. She looked at Mac. He didn't think they needed any wine. He thought they were drunk on happiness already. "I have not been this happy in years," Mac said.
"Neither have I," Amanda replied.
Soon, their meals came. They ate and then went to the theatre for the opera. Amanda leaned on Mac's shoulder while they watched. He inhaled the fragrance of her hair. He knew he had made the right decision to propose to her. He was ready to have a woman in his life, his apartment again, permanently. And this one wasn't going anywhere. Mac knew she loved him as much as he loved her.
When the opera was over, they headed home. "You go home first," Mac said. "I will get a cab."
"Why don't you just take the car?" Amanda asked.
"No. You need your car in the morning."
Mac walked Amanda to her door. He smiled at her. "Lunch tomorrow?" he asked.
"Come in for a few minutes," Amanda said. "I want a goodnight kiss."
Mac followed her inside. She closed the door and then they shared a long, passionate kiss. They stared into each other's eyes. "I'll see you tomorrow," Mac said.
Amanda kissed him again. "I love you."
"I love you too. I'll bring your roses by here in the morning on my way to work."
Amanda smiled. "Okay, Darling."
Mac went out the door. Amanda watched him walk down the hall. She closed the door and then jumped up and down and she almost squealed. She ran to her room and grabbed the phone. She had to tell her mother. There was no way this news could wait!