The room was very dark when Zach opened his eyes. The small windowless room was created for sleeping at any hour – but he hadn't heard the alarm that normally woke him for his nightly vigil with Kendall. He lay quietly for a moment trying to determine what had caused him to wake, but could hear nothing except the faint hum from the alarm clock on the bedside table. A moment later, though, the cell phone he had forgotten to remove from the pocket of his jeans vibrated and he pulled it out – noting as he answered that there was one missed call.
"Slater," he said brusquely. It was his assistant, Edie, calling from her own cell phone. Some documents requiring his signature had arrived at the casino and she was bringing them by the hospital on her way home from work along with an overnight bag of clean clothing. He smiled and accepted her offer of Chinese take-out as a welcome respite from the cafeteria fare he had subsisted on for days.
He rose from the bed and turned off the alarm before leaving the cell-like room. He settled himself on the sofa of the lounge area and read through the remainders of a scattered newspaper while he waited for Edie's arrival. He looked up expectantly as the door opened, and briefly frowned in annoyance at the arrival of Ryan Lavery and his wife, Greenlee.
"Slater," Ryan said in his usual irritated tone as Zach looked at him with an enigmatic smile.
"Lavery," was Zach's only reply other than tilting his head to the side. His demeanor was calm and patient, although inside he was irritated at the intrusion of the overbearing man and his narcissistic wife… but Kendall cared about them and he would exhibit whatever patience he had to for Kendall's sake.
"It's time for your grandstanding to end," Ryan answered. He stood looking down at Zach as if the difference in height between him and the seated man gave him more power in their confrontation, which only served to cool Zach's ire by nearly causing him to laugh aloud.
Greenlee Lavery looked down her nose at Zach and continued, "You are an embarrassment to the entire family… all this deciding who can see Kendall and when they can see her… you are not some god, you know."
Zach merely tilted his head the other direction without losing his expression of longsuffering patience and continued to wait for someone to reach a point.
"You're going to have to go home sooner or later… and I'm sure Kendall could do with a rest from your constant jabbering," Ryan continued. Zach's eyes danced at that comment but he said nothing to the man who continued to talk. "I hear that Kendall may be moved out of ICU in a few days. Once she's in her own room, we've decided that you don't need to sit with her. It's time to go back to the casino and make sure that you don't lose all of Kendall's money… after all, business is why you two are married."
"Your concern for my wife is touching, Lavery… as is your concern for our casinos," Zach said, continuing to smile. "But we're doing just fine."
"Zach," Greenlee said and then paused a moment before continuing, "I know you think you're doing what's best for Kendall… but did it ever occur to you that she might not want to wake up with you around? After all, she's not used to you being a part of her life… she could be staying in that coma to keep from facing your constant presence."
"Yeah… I know that I'd think twice about coming out of a coma if I had to deal with the likes of you," Ryan said in a hostile tone.
Just at that moment Edie opened the door and stuck her head in. She looked at the people in the room and smiled at Zach when she saw him seated on the sofa, "Hey, boss. I didn't realize you had a meeting… I'll just come back…"
"No, Edie… it's quite alright. The Laverys were just leaving," Zach answered and held out a welcoming arm to his assistant.
Edie entered the room carrying a bag with several cardboard boxes of Chinese food in one hand, and pulling a small wheeled suitcase carefully behind her with a briefcase precariously balanced on top. She grinned as she set the food on a table, "I wasn't sure what you'd be in the mood for so I got a little bit of everything."
"That's what I was in the mood for," Zach answered. He looked at Greenlee and then at Ryan, "Thanks so much for stopping by."
Greenlee huffed and opened her mouth as if to say something more but caught Ryan's gaze and instead flounced out of the room with Ryan following. The door was shut with a distinctly loud snap, as if Ryan had jerked the door in anger as he left the room.
Once the couple had departed, Zach smiled at Edie, "There's plenty of food here… why don't you join me and fill me in on everything that's been happening at the casino."
Edie seated herself in a chair and assisted him in opening up the cartons of food before asking as he started to eat, "Is there any change in your wife's condition?"
Zach nodded and answered after a moment, "She hasn't regained consciousness, but the doctors seem to think she's improving."
"I hope she wakes up soon," Edie said with a nod. "Your attorney had these documents sent by courier to the casino. I figured you'd want to see them right away."
Zach nodded and set his food on the table as he took the documents from Edie and looked them over. They were the paperwork showing that his divorce petition had been withdrawn, as well as the final documents creating Slater-Hart Gaming. Two of the documents required his signature and the rest were copies for his records. He signed as needed and gave them back to Edie for returning to Livia and laid the others on the table. He moved quickly to his locker and pulled out his overnight bag and handed it to his assistant.
She smiled, "Thanks, boss. Hopefully I won't have to bring you another suitcase of clothes again… but these will be ready whenever you need them."
"Thanks, Edie," he answered with a nod of his head.
Edie helped herself to an egg roll as she rose from her chair, "The casino is quiet without you there, boss. I'll talk to you tomorrow."
Zach nodded and smiled briefly as the lovely woman left the room.
Zach finished his meal and then placed the suitcase that Edie had provided into his locker before pulling out his computer case and placing it on the table. He cleaned up the remains of his dinner and then gathered up the papers Livia had sent. He read through them carefully and placed the documents underneath his laptop. He turned on the computer and worked for a little while before returning the computer in its case to the locker. He pulled A Tale of Two Cities from the shelf and laid it on the table. After a few moments of quiet thought, he decided to take a brief walk around the hospital grounds before making his presence known a little early in the ICU that evening.
Even though it was just over an hour until he would relieve Bianca, the Laverys little visit had proved that it was past time to remind the Kane-Montgomery's that he was Kendall's husband. Knowing that one or two family members always waited for Bianca each evening, he smiled to himself as he imagined their discomfort in sharing the room with him for even a short period of time. He picked up the book and sauntered down the hallway to exit the building, almost looking forward to irritating the Laverys and anyone else who might be visiting that evening after he finished his walk.
"Zach Slater," said Myrtle Fargate with a smile as Zach entered the waiting room half an hour later. She patted the seat next to her as she continued, "You just sit yourself down here next to me."
Zach smiled warmly in response to her and seated himself as she had indicated. He clasped her hand gently in both of his own as he leaned over to kiss her on the cheek.
"What do you have there? Is that the book you've been reading to Kendall?" Myrtle asked Zach with interest.
He nodded in reply as he handed it over to her for inspection. He observed her quietly as she looked at the book for a moment and then handed it back to him with a smile.
"Well… I notice that you're just as talkative as ever. I guess that means that I'll have to carry this conversation by myself. Oh well… that's never stopped me before," Myrtle said with a twinkle of her eye and a pat on Zach's arm. "I hear that Kendall had a good day and that they're starting to get her off that breathing machine she's been hooked up to."
Zach nodded, "Yes... it will be good to have her breathing on her own. What are you doing here this late?"
Myrtle's eyes twinkled as she lowered her voice conspiratorially, "Bianca has arranged for me to sneak in and have a few minutes with Kendall this evening. I hope you won't 'rat me out' as the youngsters would say."
Zach patted Myrtle's hand, smiled and shook his head as if to say that he would keep her secret. They sat quietly enjoying each other's company until someone came to the door and beckoned for Myrtle to accompany her. Zach squeezed her hand briefly and helped her from her seat. He stood and watched her disappear through the doorway before resuming his own seat and glancing around the room.
While most of the occupants were unknown to him, he noticed the presence of Jackson Montgomery's adopted children playing cards at a small table in the corner. Zach smiled to himself… he had always enjoyed his conversations with Lily, and found her honesty to be refreshing. Suffering from autism spectrum disorder, the girl had no guile and always spoke the unvarnished truth from her perspective – and made no secret that she liked Zach and was glad that he was her step-brother-in-law. Unfortunately, no one else in the family agreed with her opinion except Kendall, and she had been reprimanded more than once for engaging Zach in conversation. Since she was seated with her brother Reggie who did not like him at all, he decided to keep to himself rather than cause her any further grief… but he had neglected to take Lily's determination into consideration.
"Zach! Now that Mrs. Fargate's visiting with Kendall you can play blackjack with us," Lily offered with a broad smile.
"You wouldn't find it very much fun to play with a professional gambler, Lily," Zach answered with a shake of his head. "You and Reggie enjoy your game."
"You may be a professional gambler… but I don't think you can count as many cards as I can," Lily said in a matter-of-fact tone. "No one can beat me."
"Is that so?" Zach said with amusement. "Just how many cards can you count?"
"Oh… hundreds of them… I can't lose," she answered.
"Come on, Zach! It'll be fun to see you lose to a girl!" Reggie taunted.
Zach chuckled, "I'm always happy to lose to such a lovely young woman… but I bet that you're tired of losing to her. I'll tell you what… the odds may be a little bit more in your favor if you play me instead of her. Lily, why don't you watch and make sure that I don't cheat your brother."
"I can do that… I'm very good," Lily answered seriously as she walked over to Zach and handed him the deck of cards.
Reggie seated himself opposite Zach and pulled a table between them while Lily sat in the chair recently vacated by Myrtle Fargate. After Zach made some flourishing shuffles of the cards that would have impressed one of his dealers, he handed the deck to Reggie who promptly put them in Lily's hands.
"You deal, Lily… I trust you," Reggie said with an edge to his voice.
Zach sat quietly and played the game with Reggie, not making any comments except to tell Lily when to add a card or when he would stand firm. After several hands, it was obvious that Reggie was outclassed, but the boy showed determination that he would not give in to the man seated opposite him. Zach, however, would not insult Reggie by throwing a hand and the tension was only broken by Lily's sometimes unusual comments.
"I really think that you are very good at cards for someone who can't count cards like I do, Zach… at least you are at blackjack," Lily said. "Did you and Kendall play a lot of cards before the accident?"
"No… we didn't play very often. It takes a lot of work to run a casino, and we didn't have much time to play," he answered softly. He felt very sad at that moment that he hadn't taken more time to play… more time to make Kendall laugh and to see her eyes sparkle as he teased her… he lost track of the cards as images of Kendall flitted across his mind – the way her unruly curls would blow in the breeze, the way she lifted her face into the sun and laughed, how his hand always ached to caress the nape of her neck…
"Blackjack!" Reggie crowed as Zach completely lost track of the game.
"You win, Reggie," Zach answered with a smile.
Reggie scowled at Zach, "You let me win! That's as bad as cheating… and I'm no cheater!"
Zach respected the young man's comments and held out his hands with his palms up, "No, Reggie… I let myself get distracted… but that's no excuse. You won fair and square. Now I believe the wager was some frozen yogurt in the cafeteria?"
"That's right, Zach… but they're closed now. You'll have to get it for him tomorrow," Lily volunteered.
Reggie had been thinking for a moment before he offered his hand to Zach who accepted it seriously, "Thank you. I figured that you would either let me win or try to beat me up like the big bad casino owner – maybe you're not so bad after all."
"Thank you, Reggie," Zach answered as he shook his hand. He smiled and leaned forward to whisper, "Don't tell Kendall you beat me… I'll never hear the end of it."
Reggie laughed before glancing at the clock and gathering up the cards, "It's almost time for B to come out. We better get ready to go, Lily."
"It was nice gambling with you, Zach," Lily said as she stood up and collected her things.
"Did you get to see Kendall tonight?" Zach asked both of them.
"Oh, yes, we saw her after dinner and then Reggie volunteered us to wait for Bianca tonight so that Dad and Erica could spend more time with Miranda. Why haven't you come over to see Miranda yet? Isn't she your niece too? I mean… not just because you're married to Kendall?" Lily asked.
"Yes she is… but I've been staying at the hospital to be with Kendall. Maybe Bianca will let me see her before she goes back to Paris – after Kendall wakes up," Zach said very quietly.
"Bianca better let you see that little gal," Myrtle Fargate said from the doorway, "… or else she'll be hearing quite a lot from me."
Zach walked over and placed his arm gently across the woman's shoulders, "And how did you find Kendall this evening?"
"Restless… probably waiting for her man to come and read to her," Myrtle replied brusquely.
Before Zach could reply, Bianca followed Myrtle from the doorway and touched his hand. He looked at her with a patient expression that turned to curiosity as the young woman handed him an envelope. He accepted it, but made no move to open it.
"A few pictures of Miranda… I thought you might enjoy them," Bianca said softly.
"I will… thanks," Zach said. He turned to Myrtle and kissed her on the cheek before whispering, "Goodnight." Without another comment or glance, he picked up his book and entered the doorway to make his way to Kendall's room.