“Dear God. This could put her in class three heart failure. I’ve done my research. I know what it means to have another blockage at the same site. I know how high the mortality rates are. And you’ve been sitting on this information. You hate me that much?” He spun round, hands digging through his pockets. “Have you seen my car keys?”
“I don’t hate you, Felix. Although I’ll admit, I had miscast you as the archvillain when you’re actually more of the antihero. That’s a huge difference.”
“Really? Nothing personal, but I’ve never trusted you. And after tonight, I certainly never will. Now where are my bloody car keys?”
“I’m sorry. Please, can we not do this?”
He glowered at her. “Have you seen my car keys?”
“You can’t go, Felix. Ella insisted you stay here with Harry. She made me promise. Nothing can ruin his birthday party—she was adamant.”
Felix collapsed back into the chair. “Ella’s mother died on her birthday.”
“Exactly. She’s fine, Felix. I wouldn’t have left otherwise. And the nurses have my cell number. You need to stay here and supervise the boys. You need to honor Ella’s wishes and make sure Harry suspects nothing until after the sleepover. I promised, and I don’t break my promises.”
So they shared something after all.
“Listen,” Katherine continued. “I’m going to forget this little spat. But for Ella’s sake, you and I have to start trusting each other. Are you with me?”
It was Felix’s turn to nod.
“I’m returning to the hospital. I’ll call when I get there, even if there’s nothing to report.”
“Is she . . . in the CCU?”
“Yeah.” Katherine pulled back her hair, twisted it into a ponytail, and let it bounce free. “I thought she was having another heart attack, and I could tell the staff was worried. I mean, that part of her heart’s already taken a hit. But they sucked out the clot and put in a second stent, and they’re adding another blood thinner. Dr. Beaubridge says she could be in for two more weeks while they get all the medications adjusted. Now they move to medical therapy and watching and waiting.”
“Waiting for what?”
“I don’t know.” Katherine threw out a brief smile. “I got the impression he’ll know more by Monday. He wants to meet with both of you then.”
Were there two repelling magnets inside of him? How did a person split himself in half to be a supportive parent and a supportive spouse? He needed to be in the hospital with Ella, and he needed to be here with Harry. And in front of him, making it impossible to move forward, was the mammoth concrete wall labeled “The Truth.” He couldn’t do this alone, could he? He needed Katherine, a person he wanted to hate for taking his place by Ella’s side.
“That ruddy cardiologist.” Felix wrapped his arms over his head and began rocking back and forth. “I knew he was an incompetent imbecile. I knew he was too good-looking to be a serious doctor. First thing Monday, I’m getting him fired.”
“For what? Being arrogant? I checked his credentials, and he’s some sort of cardio superstar. Besides, he’s not that good-looking.”
“He is. He’s bloody gorgeous.”
“Seriously? Don’t you ever notice women watch you walk into a room, Mr. Colin Firth clone? Does anyone ever accuse you of being too gorgeous to do your job?”
Felix wasn’t sure what to say, but it appeared that Katherine had given him a compliment. The dope must still be in his system. “When you call from the hospital, please don’t use the landline in case you wake up the boys.”
Katherine raised her eyebrows. “You expect them to sleep?”
Felix glanced at the door. “They won’t?”
“Didn’t you ever have sleepovers?”
Felix shook his head. “I stayed with a friend during the summer holidays to avoid going home. It was a somewhat large house. He slept in one wing, I slept in another.”
“A word of advice. If you have Benadryl or anything that might knock you out, take it. Sleepovers get noisy.”
Felix gulped. Although noise levels hardly seemed important. He shook off the image of Ella alone in her hospital bed, reconnected to all those tubes. Would there be another sandbag on her groin?
Katherine stifled a yawn.