The Door Into Summer
Chapter 30Rachel lay in her hospital bed and wondered how her life had gotten so complicated. Once upon a time there was only one thing she wanted – to be with Don Waverly. Now she didn't even know where he was. And she wondered . . . seriously wondered . . . how had she ever let herself become involved with a sociopath? Rachel shuddered at the thought of Tony Daggett and the time she'd spent with him. The only good thing was he'd never laid his hands on her.
She shifted in the hospital bed and let out a "youch!" when she accidentally put pressure on her foot. Why in the world had he shot her in the foot? She supposed that was her own fault . . . if she'd called the Bailey and Spencer offices like he demanded, she might have been spared that indignity. The doctor told her she'd have to wear a soft cast for several weeks to give the foot time to heal; either that or she'd be immobile, and she couldn't imagine sitting still that long.
She sighed and wondered when her parents would get there. And she worried about what they would think of her, and whether they'd want to press charges against Don. She hoped not; he didn't deserve to spend time in prison. Especially since the whole running away had been her idea . . . basically. She'd made the initial suggestion and he was easy to persuade it was a good idea. Her father slapping her that afternoon had just exacerbated the situation. If she could just have a 'do-over.' Of course, that wasn't possible, so she would take whatever steps were necessary to get back in her family's good graces. And she wondered what she would have to do to make things right with Don
That hadn't been important to her the evening she ran down the alley behind the motel; all she could think about was getting away so she wouldn't have to return to Yuba City. Then she met Tony, and the longer she 'lived' with him the less she thought about Don. She was too busy worrying about what she'd gotten herself into and how she could get out of it. But she'd had plenty of time to think once she ended up in the hospital, and she'd come to regret almost everything she did since leaving home. Especially the flirtations with Kookie – she felt so cheap. Rachel sighed again. She hoped she would have the chance to make amends with everyone she'd wronged. She shifted in the hospital bed again and drifted off to sleep; that's what the medicine she was on kept doing to her – making her sleepy constantly.
How much time passed she had no idea, but when she woke, someone was standing next to her bed watching her. "Hiya, doll," the voice said. It was Kookie.
"Hi," she answered. "How long have you been here?"
"Not long; just a few minutes. I didn't mean to wake you."
"You didn't. I drift in and out like that constantly. Kookie, I have something to say to you, and it's really important to me that you listen.
He gave her that beautiful smile. "No problemo."
"I was a brat to you and everyone trying to find me. I'm sorry for all the trouble I caused, and I'm really sorry about Mr. Spencer. Is he doing any better?"
"Inching his way back to us slowly. Stu's been really worried, even though he tries not to show it."
"I've made such a mess of things, and I never really understood that until Mr. Bailey came up here and talked to me. I guess . . . all I could see was what I wanted, not what it might do to other people."
That smile again. "Like your parents?"
Rachel nodded. "And Don. And poor Mr. Spencer – he was the most innocent of them all. If I'd just realized how dangerous Tony was . . . Anyway, I'm sorry. I hope you can forgive me."
Kookie was serious when he spoke again. "No need for apologies to me. And you'll have plenty of time to show your parents you've grown up some, and make it up to them. As for Jeff . . . well, we'll just have to see how it goes, won't we?"
"I guess. Thanks for understanding. I hope I get to tell Don and Mr. Spencer how sorry I am."
"I hope you do, too, Rachel." Kookie leaned over the bed and kissed Rachel on the forehead. "I'll see you later."
"Thanks for coming up to see me."
Kookie gave the girl a final wave and headed back downstairs. Once he was in the ICU Waiting Room he told Stu and Suzanne what had happened and shook his head in amazement. "I'm glad you sent me up there, dad. She's really changed since the last time I saw her."
"Hasn't she? I think Jerry and Gloria are going to be quite surprised by the person she's become when they get here. They just need to give her a second chance."
Unexpectedly the door opened and a nurse poked her head in. "Mr. Bailey, the doctor's in with Mr. Spencer now. It appears he's waking up. Come with me, please."
Stu jumped to his feet and glanced at Suzanne as he followed the nurse. "I'll come get you, Suzanne."
They waited outside the door to room 349 while the doctor finished his exam. When he came out and met them there was a smile on his face. "He's definitely waking up, Mr. Bailey. I thought it might help if there was a familiar face when he opened his eyes; keep him from being so disoriented. You can go on in now."
Stu hurried into the room and stood by the side of the bed. There was a small amount of moaning and groaning, then Jeff seemed to settle down. "Jefferson, don't you think you slept long enough?"
The eyes didn't open and the voice was soft and strained, but it was Jeff that answered him. "Stu?"
"No, it's your third cousin Harold. Who did you think would have waited all this time just to hear you ask if it was me?"
"Waiting? For me . . . " This time the eyes fluttered and squeezed themselves open a tiny bit.
"Of course for you. I'm not here to catch a train."
There was no answer and Stu took his partner's hand. "Don't you go back to sleep, now. There's a couple other people that want to see you. And you have no idea how happy I am to have you here and alive."
"Been long?" Jeff asked, with his eyes a little wider and his voice a little stronger.
"Almost forty-eight hours. But you know how time flies when you're having fun."
Jeff tried to laugh and ended up coughing instead.
"Alright, I won't make jokes anymore. I thought I'd lost you."
Jeff noticed the singular rather than the plural and gave Stu what he could manage of a smile. "Rachel?"
"She's upstairs in room 543. He shot her in the foot and the right shoulder, but she's going to be fine. She's acting like a human again, wants to come down and thank you when you're up to it. Suzanne and Kookie are both in the waiting room. And Gil's already called to see how you were."
"And Stuart Bailey?"
"I've been better. And I will be, now that you're awake. I wish you'd waited for me to get back from Rialto."
"So he could shoot . . . both of us?"
"Maybe he wouldn't have caught either one of us. He used Rachel for bait and shot her when he thought he'd finished you."
"Can't . . . go after him . . . alone."
"That's not for you to worry about. I better go back to the waiting room so Suzanne can come in and see you. Jeff, she's been sick with worry . . . but I guess this isn't the time or place to tell you what you must already know." He squeezed Jeff's hand. "Try to stay out of trouble, would you?"
"You going . . . home now?"
"No, I'm not. I need to be sure you're really on the road to recovery before I leave this hospital. As a matter of fact, I may rent a suite and just live here. I'm sure we could work out a deal with the hospital." Stu finally let go of Jeff's hand and set it down gently. "The next person to hold your hand will be a whole lot prettier than I am."
"Says who?"
"I'll see you later. Get the nurse if you need me."
"Kay."
Stuart Bailey almost bounced down the hall; he was so happy. There was still a long way to go, but right now Stu could count Jeff Spencer among the living! He hurried back to the waiting room to send Suzanne in to see Jeff. She was smiling but didn't seem nearly as delighted as Stu expected. "Are you okay?"
"I am," she answered. Suzanne made a deal with God and it was time to hold up her end of it. That meant she would stay away from Jeff and keep her feelings for him deep inside, without letting him know she loved him. It was a hard bargain but she'd do everything in her power to abide by it. If that's what it had taken to bring him back from the dead, so be it.
She walked down the hall to ICU room 349 and stood outside the door. She wasn't the only one there; Jeff now had a police officer guarding the door, courtesy of Gil. She straightened her shoulders and went in to see the man she secretly loved.
Jeff's eyes were closed, and for a moment she thought he had slipped away again. She touched his hand and his eyes opened slightly . . . those beautiful hazel eyes. "Hi."
"Hi, yourself," Suzanne answered. "We're glad to have you back."
"Are you?"
"Of course. There wouldn't be a Bailey and Spencer without you."
"Is that all?" Jeff asked. He didn't quite understand why, but he was on a fishing expedition of sorts. Once and for all he wanted to know if Suzanne had feelings for him – besides feelings of friendship. Feelings that might match his own. So far it wasn't going well.
"What else is there?" she lied convincingly.
"Oh . . . I don't know. I just thought . . . "
"You're a dear friend, Jeff, and we were all terribly worried about you. Is there anything I can do for you?" Suzanne bit her tongue to stop her from saying the things she really wanted to say . . . how important he was to her, how she didn't want to think about a life without him, how much she loved him. Things better left unsaid.
"Uh . . . no, not really." Jeff did his best to open his eyes completely. She seemed different somehow, distant and aloof, and he wondered why. Had he said something, done something that caused this change in her? Had he possibly let it slip how he felt about her? "Will you come back later?"
"I will, I promise. Do you want me to send Kookie in, or do you want to wait a while?" He seemed to be fading, and the last thing she wanted to do was wear him out. He was going to need all his strength for the battle ahead.
"Wait, please. Tired . . . I'm tired." Jeff tried to move and felt a terrible burning in his chest. He moaned and grabbed for the button to call the nurse but missed it.
"What's wrong? Does it hurt? Do you need the nurse?" she asked, worried about the grimace of pain she'd seen roll across his face.
"Yes," was the only answer he could choke out.
Suzanne reached for the call button and pressed it. Within a minute the nurse was in the room, and Suzanne told her about Jeff's reaction after he moved around. "Are you in pain, Mr. Spencer?" Cathy asked.
"Yes, chest . . . my chest."
She hurried back out of the room and returned with a wicked-looking needle. It wasn't meant for Jeff's arm, but rather the IV attached to him. "That should help in just a minute," she checked his chart at the end of the bed. "He'll probably go back to sleep now," she explained.
"Thanks," Jeff murmured as he drifted off under the influence of the medication. The pain had been tempered but he couldn't keep his eyes open.
Once Suzanne knew he was sleeping she bent down and kissed his forehead. "Sleep well, sweet man."
Kookie was glancing at a magazine when she got back to the waiting room. "Where's Stuart?"
The carhop chuckled. "Went out to have a smoke. He knew you were with Jeff and figured he could escape for a couple minutes, I guess. How's the patient? Can I go see him?"
Suzanne shook her head. "Not right now. The nurse had to give him a pain shot and he went back to sleep. Wait a while."
Kookie nodded as Stu reappeared. "How was everything? How did it go?" the P.I. asked.
"It was fine. We got to talk for a few minutes before he got his next pain shot. He's sleeping now."
"And how are you?"
Suzanne sat down and pretended to search for something in her purse. "I'm fine. Why should I be anything else?"
"I just thought maybe . . . never mind." Stu had no idea what happened in Jeff's room but it was obviously something she didn't want to discuss. You've done enough prying, Stu thought. Stay out of their relationship . . . or whatever's between the two of them. "Are you going to stay with us for a while or do you want to go home?"
"I'll stay a bit longer, if it's alright with you," Suzanne replied.
"I'll tell you what I told Kookie – you don't need my permission to stay . . . or to go, for that matter. I'm going to the cafeteria for some coffee. Anybody want to go with me?"
"Sure, dad, I could use some coffee myself. Miss Fabry?" Kookie asked.
Suzanne shook her head. "No, thank you." When Stu and Kookie left the waiting room and she heard the elevator doors open and close, she knew she was truly alone. She pulled a handkerchief from her purse, held it up to her face, and began to cry.