While her car was in the shop getting a new back window, Carmen drove a rental car. It wasn’t as nice as hers, and it reminded her of the fact that Alex had picked her car out for her. He didn’t want them to be spoiled with too many things, but he wanted the best quality. He was always looking out for them. In fact, that had been his last conscious act.
The second week slipped by without change. The doctors still said they expected him to wake up any day, but Carmen was skeptical about how much they believed it. Each day now was not drawing closer to wake-up time. It was marching away from possibilities. The only thing that kept her from breaking down was the fact that Jonathan and Destiny needed her. Destiny no longer mentioned Alex, and even Jonathan seemed resigned to living without him. Sometimes at night she still hugged his pillow and cried herself to sleep. Some people never knew what they had until they lost it. She had always been aware of what a great husband and father he was. For her, Alex was irreplaceable.
On Thursday of the third week, she arrived at the hospital and walked into the room he shared with another man. A nurse was hanging an IV on the other bed and glanced up.
“Good morning,” she said with a smile.
Carmen leaned over and gave Alex the usual kiss and then paused, staring down at him.
“Alex?” She said.
The nurse turned around. “What’s the matter?”
“His lips are warm,” Carmen said.
The nurse raised her eyebrows “Hmmm. Let me check and see if there have been any changes.”
She was gone for only a few minutes and then returned.
“They said his pulse rate has increased over night, which might mean he is trying to wake up.” She crossed her fingers. “Keep talking to him.”
Carmen sat down beside his bed and pulled out the horse book she had been reading to him. Scooting the chair closer to him, she began to read. After a while she stopped reading, staring at a picture.
“The markings on this Appaloosa look just like Ed.” She mused. “I bet you wish he’dcome here to talk to you.” She glanced up and her giggle ended in a gasp.
His eyes were open and he was watching her, his expression bland. For a moment surprise captured her tongue and she basked under the warmth of that chocolate gaze.
“Alex! You’re awake!” She finally gasped. She glanced up as a nurse walked in and Alex rolled his head that way.
The nurse caught her breath and smiled. “Well look at you!”
Alex didn’t respond to either of them. He was only awake a few minutes and then fell asleep again.
“I read that when people wake up from a coma, it’s always gradual. Is that true?”
“Usually. We’ll notify his doctor that he was awake briefly today. That’s a good sign.” She continued to work at the other bed for a few minutes and then stopped, turning to Carmen.
“Oh, I was supposed to tell you. That man came in again this morning. We asked who he was and he said he was the father. I thought his father was dead.”
Carmen frowned. “He is.” Why would someone claim to be his father? The idea was disturbing. The only reason she could think of was that the man didn’t want anyone to suspect him. Maybe she should tell the police. And yet, the man who stabbed him was behind bars, and the person who hired him had confessed. What was there to tell them? She glanced up at the nurse.
“Is there some way to restrict the man from seeing Alex unless I’m here?”
“Probably,” the nurse replied. “Why don’t you talk to administration?”
“I will,” Carmen said, and she did. The next time the man came to visit, they were supposed to tell him he couldn’t see Alex unless Carmen was there.
Then she called Katie to tell her about Alex waking up. Carmen left early to pick up Destiny so that Katie could go see Alex. He didn’t wake up while she was there, though. Still, it must have been a big relief for her to know that he had been awake, however briefly.
That evening Carmen studied the picture of Alex and Katie’s parents. His father looked like a tall man. He had blue eyes like Katie, and light colored hair. His mother had dark hair and eyes . . . For a minute she stared at the picture, remembering what he had said so long ago about his mother having an affair. Maybe the man in the picture wasn’t his father. The man at the hospital was built like Alex. He had the same air of confidence, and the bronzed tan . . . but surely Alex would have said something. On the other hand, maybe he didn’t know. But how would the man know Alex was in the hospital?
Something wasn’t right. She grabbed her phone and called Katie. It was late, nearly 10:00 pm. The phone rang four times and Carmen was ready to hang up when Katie answered.
“I’m sorry, Katie. I didn’t mean to get you out of bed.”
“Carmen? You didn’t get me out of bed. I was folding clothes in the laundry room. Thanks for the rescue.”
“Katie . . .” Carmen hesitated a moment and then continued. “Someone has been visiting Alex at the hospital almost every day. I wondered if you might know who he was.” She hesitated again. Alex might not want her to know. But if it wasn’t his father, they needed to know who he really was.
“He says he’s Alex’s father.”
For a few seconds there was silence on the other end of the line. “What does he look like?”
In that moment, Carmen knew it was true.
“He’s a Spanish gentleman, very distinguished looking. He is clean shaven and his hair is graying at the temples. He was dressed in a nice suit.”
Again a long hesitation. “Well, he’s probably not lying. That sounds like his father. I didn’t know he was in the area, much less knew Alex was in the hospital.”
Carmen dropped into a chair and leaned her elbow on the table. Had he been the reason Alex had been acting strange? Was he the reason Alex had hopped on the phone so quickly, and was he the person Alex had been meeting, not Lori?
“Carmen?”
“I’m here.”
“Alex hasn’t ever told you about him before?”
“No. I can see why it would be embarrassing, but it is his father. Maybe they don’t get along very well.”
Katie snorted. “That’s an understatement.”
“But, we’ve been married so long and I didn’t even know he had a living father.”
“Well, you know how you are about the morals. Maybe he thought you’d disapprove.”
“What? That’s not fair. I’ve never given him any reason to think anything like that, and I don’t think I have any reason to apologize for having morals.”
“Well,” Katie said with a sigh. “I wouldn’t know. I’m not the one with a husband hiding a father from me.” She hesitated a moment. “I’ve got to get the stuff out of the dryer before it wrinkles. I’ll talk to you later, okay?”
“Sure. I’m sorry to interrupt you. Good night.” She flipped her phone shut and stared absently at the table. How could Alex think she wouldn’t want him to talk to his own father? Did he think she was that much of a prude? Was she? The answer came with her next thought. She was looking forward to meeting this man. At last she had a father-in-law she could talk to! Where was he staying? What was he like?