A Face in the Crowd (7 page)

He didn’t stir as she checked him over and he had dark circles under his eyes, but exhaustion aside, he looked good. She smiled at Cathy, pleased. “I’ll be back in a few minutes.” She left the room as quietly as possible hoping Cathy hadn’t noticed her nerves, but considering the hawk-like observation she’d possessed, Lexie doubted that was possible.

After visiting her other two patients she went back out to her medicine cart and got everything in order. To give Bailey a few more minutes, she gave her other patients their morning meds first. They were both already awake anyway. She wouldn’t admit to herself she was stalling going back in the room with Cathy. She used to consider herself tough, but today she would much rather take the flight approach.

Out of stall tactics, Lexie stopped her cart in front of Bailey’s door and proceeded inside.

“Well, if it isn’t my favorite nurse. Hey there, Se . . . Lexie.” Bailey’s gaze cut to his mother when he omitted her nickname. It seemed Lexie wasn’t the only one who she could intimidate. “How was your time off?” His face was soft from sleep and his eyes a bit puffy, but he was his usual outgoing self.

“Good, thanks. How are you?”

“Doing okay, have you met my mom?”

“We met few minutes ago,” Cathy dismissed her son’s attempt at friendliness and turned her disapproving stare on Lexie. “What’s going on with my son’s treatment today?”

“Today is hopefully going to be an easy day, but we do need to take some blood.”

“There are no easy days, young lady.” His mother stood by him like a she-wolf, protecting her cub.

“Yes, ma’am. You’re right. I just meant as far as treatment goes, it’s not a busy day. It could be much worse.”

“Mom,” Bailey turned his boyish face up toward where his mother was hovering beside him, “I’m really hungry. Would you mind running down to the cafeteria and seeing if there’s anything to eat?”

She eyed Lexie one more time, rubbed a hand over her son’s hair, and picked up her bag before leaving.

“Sorry about that. My mom is intense.”

Lexie nodded. “I noticed.”

“She was our manager when the band first took off. As you can imagine she didn’t take any crap from anyone. She makes a good manager, but sometimes she doesn’t know when to relax.”

“Name and date of birth,” Lexie asked as she handed him his first medicine and a cup of water. He took the liberty of singing his name and date of birth back to her as though singing in honky-tonk bar somewhere.

“Good one.” She smiled at him, finally able to relax. “It’s good to have someone on your side. I was wondering when your family might show up.”

“Yeah, she was in Europe when I called her and then she went out to L.A. to tie up a few loose ends for me.”

She handed him his next pills. “Sounds to me like she’s a good mom.” She thought of her own mother and their strained relationship. Would she bother to fly all over the country to help her? Maybe if she could fit it in between marriages.

He shrugged and smiled as he swallowed. “She’s all I know. So, I heard you ran into the guys the other night.”

Lexie collided with the chair Cathy had previously occupied. “You did? I mean, yeah we did.”

“They said they checked out one of the bars you recommended and it was pretty cool.”

Lexie ignored her throbbing shin and held back from asking what else Oliver had said. It wasn’t like his brother was about to tell her that Oliver had said he was in love with her and couldn’t wait to tear her clothes off.

“It was strange seeing them out in a normal setting. We’re not used to celebrity sightings.”

“They said they met one of your friends, Simone, I think.”

“Yeah, that’s right. We were out celebrating.”

“I can honestly say I don’t know anyone by that name and I know a lot of people.”

“Her mom was a big Nina Simone fan.”

“Apparently.”

Lexie refilled Bailey’s pitcher of water and poured him a new cup. “The guys were a lot of fun. I’m sorry you couldn’t be there, too.”

“Next time,” Bailey winked.

“Definitely.” She smiled, relived he didn’t seem bummed about missing a night out. She handed him his final pain med. “Okay, I’ll be back in later. Take it easy.”

As she turned around, big hands caught her shoulders. “Morning, Miss Lexie.”

Her face burned at the sudden appearance of Oliver. When she finally managed a pathetic ‘Hi’, she started for the door again and ran into Cathy.

Orange juice splashed on the coral blouse she wore and Oliver stepped around Lexie to take the tray from his mother.

“I’m so sorry.” Mortified beyond belief, Lexie rushed to the sink to retrieve a damp paper towel.

Cathy plucked it out of her outstretched hand and blotted the spot on her shirt. “Are you still here? Don’t you have work to do?”

“Yes, ma’am. Again, I’m so sorry.”

Lexie escaped without looking back at Oliver, but she could hear him before the door finished closing.

“Come on, Mom, there was no need to be rude. I think you can afford the dry cleaning bill.”

“Your brother is in the hospital to receive medical care, not so that another little star struck girl can stand around swooning over the two of you.”

Face burning, Lexie took off down the hall. What had she been thinking? His mother was right. They had girls throwing themselves all over them, all the time. She was no different in their eyes and what made it worse was that she knew better. She had a job to do and she was good at it, dammit. She needed to let go of whatever silly fantasies she had cooked up about Oliver Honeycutt. He would be there for a little while and then he would be gone. Back to his life in L.A. and his many adoring fans and girlfriends.

Chapter 7

Back in his brother’s room, Oliver studied his calloused fingers while he let his mind wander. There was something about Lexie . . . and it was more than simple attraction. Over the course of his life he’d seen and spent time with more than a few beautiful women, but none had captivated him in quite the same way.

His mom reentered the room, wearing a new long-sleeved T-shirt sporting the hospital’s logo. “I swear.” She sat down next to Bailey and shot a scathing look at the new addition to her wardrobe. “We can’t get out of here soon enough.”

“Relax, Mom. It was just a shirt.”

Bailey grinned, “And, you have about a million of them.”

Oliver suppressed a smile when his brother pretended to faint by placing the back of his hand to his forehead and mock swooning behind their mom’s back.

“Be that as it may, these people seem borderline incompetent and I will not leave your brother’s health in the hands of a silly fangirl.”

“Lexie is hardly a fangirl. In fact, she works hard and seems to be pretty damn good at her job.” Surprised by not only the heat in his tone, but also the sudden urge to defend Lexie, Oliver blew out a breath.

“Dude,” Bailey offered by way of support.

Cathy cocked one of her eyebrows. “Oliver, this is not the time for you to indulge in some kind of flirtation.”

He let his head fall back against the chair. “For the love of Christ, Mother. That’s not what’s going on.”

“Mom, leave the guy alone. He needs to do something other than sit around my room and take up space.” Bailey smirked. “If he wants to hook up with Sexy Lexie, who are we to stop him?”

“Bailey, please.”

Oliver raised his head and held his arms up in surrender. “Can we drop this?”

“Certainly.” Cathy cleared her throat and folded her hands in her lap. “I almost forgot, Michelle called. She was very concerned about you.”

Ah yes, Michelle. His ex-girlfriend. The latest model in a string of other model-wannabe-actresses who tended to bore him in a matter of weeks.

“That was nice of her,” he offered as he bit into a croissant.

“You should call her back. I’m sure she would love to hear from you,” his mom eyed him over the brim of her coffee cup. He made a non-committal noise. “I’m serious, Oliver. She was a sweet girl, and beautiful.”

“Good riddance, I say,” Bailey shook his head.

“Why the sudden push for Michelle? I never thought you cared for her one way or the other,” he set his breakfast to the side and met her eyes.

“I just don’t want to see you going through this alone.” Her eyes turned red with unshed tears and she turned to take Bailey’s hand. “Either of you.”

“You don’t need to worry,” Bailey cupped his other hand on top of their mother’s. “The guys have been here every day and we have you.”

“I know, but it’s not the same as having someone to love.” She touched Bailey’s cheek. “I want my boys to be happy.” The first tear slid down her cheek. “I want you both to have the lives you deserve. I never want you to feel lonely, and in this place . . .”

The dam broke and nearly set off the wave of emotion Oliver had been working to hold back since learning his brother’s diagnosis. The rare display from his mother was difficult to endure, but also a relief. His feelings about his brother’s diagnosis mirrored his mother’s and now he understood why she was acting the way she was. She was ferocious when it came to family, but she wasn’t mean.

“I’m never alone, Mom.” Bailey smiled. “This is the most peace I’ve had in a decade.”

“Being alone is not the same as being lonely.” His mom knew that to be true more than most. She had rarely dated anyone when they were growing up and when the band took off, she devoted most of her time to them.

“I’m fine. We’re fine. And, after we get through this, life will go back to being as hectic as usual.”

She returned his smile through her tears. “My strong sons. When did you two get so grown up?”

Bailey stroked his chin and Oliver didn’t miss the mischievous glint that appeared in his eyes. “It must’ve been after the night we spent in jail in Taiwan. Prison really does change a man.”

“Bailey!”

Lexie breezed into Bailey’s room and tried to ignore the little flutter in the pit of her stomach at the sight of Oliver. “Hi, Bailey. How’re you feeling today? Hanging in there?”

He was sitting up with his legs dangling over the side of his bed. “I’m doing okay.”

Lexie nodded toward the acoustic guitar in his hands. “Have you guys been hard at work?”

Oliver tapped the edge of a pad of paper resting on his lap. “We were just fooling around. Trying to grab some inspiration while it lasted.”

“Where’s Cathy?”

“Don’t worry,” Oliver smirked, “she went back to the house for a few minutes.”

Relief and annoyance converged inside Lexie. She hated how easily she’d let Cathy ruffle her and how obvious it must’ve been. She was usually much better with family members. “How’s the song writing coming?”

“I think we found one that’ll work.” Oliver raised his arms and folded his hands behind his head. The motion showed off his biceps and the line of skin between his jeans and his gray T-shirt.

Lexie’s stomach muscles jumped in response.

“So,” Bailey set his guitar down and laid back in the bed. “What kind of torture do you have in store for me this afternoon?”

Lexie breathed a silent sigh of relief at the distraction. “I need you to pee in a cup.”

“How about not?”

“Well, if you want to make it difficult, I could always get a catheter and do it myself.”

“I bet you’d like that.” Bailey wriggled his eyebrows at her, which from someone else might’ve annoyed her, but she knew it was just Bailey being Bailey. Humor was his way of dealing with the unpleasantness of the situation.

“I bet you wouldn’t, you haven’t seen the size of the needle.”

He blanched and she smiled as she walked around to the far side of his bed to change out one of his IV bags with a new round of chemo. As she turned to go, a clump of hair on his pillow caught her attention. It was beginning.

He followed her gaze toward the pillow and his smile vanished. His usual joviality faded as the reality of what was coming set in. She’d seen it before in a thousand other patients, but it never got easier. Her heart ached for him as she reached for the hair and threw it in the trash. Bailey just kept staring at the spot where it had been.

“Bailey,” she said as gently as possible, “You knew this was going to happen. It’s just a side effect of the medicine. It won’t last forever.”

“Yeah. Yeah, I know,” his voice was quiet. “I’m really tired. Are you done for now?”

She nodded.

Oliver, who’d watched their exchange from the chair, remained quiet.

“Hey, Olie, you should get out of here, too. I’m going to rest for a while.” Bailey laid his head back and closed his eyes.

“Okay,” Oliver stood, a crease formed between his eyes as he looked at his brother. “I’ll be back in later.”

After they stepped out into the hall, Oliver stopped and leaned against it, head down. She glanced in both directions and then laid gentle fingers on his bicep. “He’s okay. His reaction is perfectly normal. It just takes time.”

“Rationally, I know you’re right, but I hate seeing him like this.” Oliver met her eyes. “I wanted to say it’s just hair, but I know that’s not what was bothering him. Hell, he’s shaved his head half a dozen times over the course of his life. He doesn’t care.”

“A lot of times this is what it takes for the patient to grasp the situation—that first tangible sign. The nausea can be controlled fairly well with anti-nausea medication, so in some ways the sickness doesn’t seem real until the hair loss begins.”

She hated it for him and wanted to put her arms around him and tell him it would all be fine, but of course, that was out of the question. A door opened and closed down the hallway. Lexie let her hand drop and stepped back.

“I have to go check on my other patients. You should grab some food or call the other guys. Bailey just needs some time.”

“Yeah,” Oliver ran a hand through his hair, “You’re right. Thanks, Lexie.”

She nodded and watched him walk away, shoulders hunched under the weight of helplessness. Her chest ached at the sight. When the elevator door slid closed between them, she shook her head reminding herself, she needed to pull back. She was starting to care too much. The fine line between attachment and giving comfort was a thin one and one she was in serious danger of crossing.

She walked down the hall and into one of her other patient’s rooms. Dorothy was an elderly woman who had had Leukemia when she was young and now it was back. Lexie hated to see someone as old as she was fighting what was going to be a losing battle. If it ever happened to her, she would not lay in a hospital being poisoned and waiting to die. She would cash in her 401k and travel for as long as she could.

“Good afternoon, Dorothy. I’m going to check you over. How’re you feeling?”

“About the same,” Dorothy’s voice was quiet like her room. Her daughter visited often and when she wasn’t there, Dorothy read, but she never turned on the television or listened to music.

The phone in Lexie’s pocket vibrated. She administered more pain medication to Dorothy, took her vitals, and finished up before glancing at the screen and sighing. Never a dull moment.

She pushed her cart back to its resting place until she would need it again and went to the desk. Janice, Ashley’s sister, was standing behind it looking harried. “Lexie, where have you been?”

“I was with a patient. What’s up?”

“You need to get down to Mr. Callahan’s room. He’s been calling up here every five seconds.”

Lexie knew he must’ve been driving everyone nuts if Janice had bothered coming out of her office. She was like her sister in that way. She could not be bothered by patients.

“What’s the situation?”

“How would I know?” Janice snapped.

Lexie bit her tongue and made her way to Mr. Callahan’s room. There were days Janice made her want to scream. Her bad attitude was normal, but as Lexie considered the patients surrounding her and their families and what they were going through, it made it hard to excuse Janice’s behavior.

Lexie exhaled and knocked on Mr. Callahan’s door, “Hey, Mr. Callahan, what can I get for you?”

He was one of their frequent flyers and had a tendency to run the nurses rampant with excessive requests while he was admitted. He always needed ice, tissues, a pencil, or whatever else he could come up with, but he never asked for them all at once. She smiled ready to play runner, but noted his complexion was pale.

“My chest,” he paused to take in a labored breath, “it hurts.”

She snapped to attention and after a quick assessment, determined he was in distress. “I need the rapid response team in room 409.”

A minute later, they surged into the room and administered several labs and tests’, confirming Mr. Callahan was suffering from a heart attack.

“You called,” Ashley met her at the door looking less than thrilled.

“I’m going to be stuck here with Mr. Callahan for a while and I need blood to be drawn from my other two patients.”

“I don’t see why you can’t take care of your patients.”

“Mr. Callahan is one of my patients and he needs me right now. Could you please help me out on this one? Besides,” Lexie lowered her voice as though speaking to a trusted confidant, “Mr. Honeycutt is one of the patients I need you to visit.”

Ashley’s attitude brightened.

“Oh, well, I guess I could do that for you. There’s only two.”

“Exactly,” Lexie mentally counted to ten. It was either that or throttle her.

If Mr. Callahan was needy before, this new level of demanding behavior would be classified as what—complete dependence? He was nearly impossible for the rest of the afternoon, even with all the drugs in his system. Lexie’s feet ached by the end of the shift. Counting in her head, she calculated she hadn’t sat down in the last seven hours. And, the growls vibrating up from her stomach reminded her she hadn’t eaten lunch. This job was going to kill her.

When Mr. Callahan finally let out a light snore, Lexie quietly made her way out of his room and breathed a sigh of relief. She was ready to put this particular day behind her.

Her feet dragged as she made her way down to Bailey’s room. What she wanted was to sit down and take a break, but it had been hours since she’d been by to check on Bailey. Not that she had any doubts Ashley had made her services available in her absence.

When she arrived, she was surprised to find Bailey’s mood unchanged. In fact, based on the way his head lay limp against the pillow and the hard look in his eyes, it was worse. In his current state, he was closer to a resigned broken man than the crowd pleaser he usually was.

“Where have you been all day?”

She took a deep breath, willing to give a little leeway where his attitude was concerned. “With another patient who had some complications. How’re you doing?”

“How am I doing? Are you kidding me with that?” He sat up, chest heaving, eyes wild. “I have f-ing cancer. How the hell do you think I’m doing?”

Reality had set in. Her heart broke for him.

“What can I do for you right now? What would make you feel better? Just tell me and I will try to help.”

“No one can help me. Don’t you understand? I’m weak and sick and pathetic,” he shoved his rolling table with enough force to knock it into the opposite wall.

Lexie moved to retrieve the table while Bailey continued to rant.

“I’ve let fans down, the band. I’m just sitting here wasting away while things fall through the cracks.”