The Doctor's Bride, page 15
The door to Albert’s office was open and the couple sat on a love seat, holding hands with their heads bowed, their eyes closed. Zack cleared his throat to get their attention. As one, they looked up with anxious hope in their eyes.
He grinned and said the first thing that came to his mind. “I’m looking for my aunt and uncle.”
Amy rushed into his arms. Albert jabbed his fist high and shouted, “Yes!”
They’d given and given with no promise of return. How could Zack ever repay their love?
They all moved to his grandfather’s big office downstairs. Catered food was there, and the Brennans began to arrive. His grandfather said he’d told Charlie to arrive later, but there was Albert and Amy, Albert’s brother, James—a thoracic surgeon, and his daughter, pretty blond Beth—a pediatrician—with her handsome dark-haired husband, Noah. Beth’s brother, Ry—an E.R. doc—came with his wife, Meg, and Collin arrived with his wife, Glenda.
Absent were James’s wife and older son, Trey—both were estranged from the family—but Trey’s wife, Isabel, was there. Also absent were his little second cousins, although one of them he already knew. Noah and Beth’s daughter, nine-year-old Kendra, had been his patient the day he’d met Flower.
His grandfather motioned Zack to come stand beside his chair, and Albert stood with them. J.T. got the family’s attention and told the story of their discovery of Zack and why they’d kept their secret for so long.
The group showed varying degrees of surprise. Zack kept his eyes on Collin, who held Glenda’s hand and showed no emotion, but Zack knew his friend. He was processing this news and wondering where they went from here. Charlie’s past affected Collin as much as it did Zack.
When Grandpa finished with “Help me welcome Zack to the family, everyone!” the group applauded and called out words of welcome, but Collin stepped forward, his face fierce with emotion. Zack held his breath…until Collin threw his arms around Zack and buried his face in Zack’s neck.
Zack held him tight, his eyes closed, savoring the moment. He had a brother. That was worth the embarrassment of having people know Charlie Brennan was his father.
“I always wanted a brother,” Collin said.
“I couldn’t ask for a better one.” Zack’s voice was husky, but then he’d never hugged his brother before.
Glenda worked her way into the hug, and Zack gave her a brotherly kiss on the forehead.
Zack had never been much of a hugger, but now that he was a bona fide Brennan, it seemed that he might get pretty good at it. He liked his new family so much. They enjoyed the caterer’s food and talked about celebrating holidays and birthdays together. He knew his world was changing forever.
The room hushed when the last person to be invited showed up. Charlie entered the room wearing golfing attire and a winning smile. Tall, trim, his blond hair streaked with grey, he seemed oblivious to the tension in the room.
“Sorry I’m late,” he said. “No cell phones allowed on the golf course. What’s the occasion?”
“We’re welcoming Zack into the family,” J.T. said. “It’s time he knew he was a Brennan. He’s Bonnie Jorgensen’s son, Charlie, and yours.”
From the blank look on Charlie’s face, he didn’t remember Bonnie. Zack could have killed him for that. He waited for embarrassment, shame, remorse—something—to show on Charlie’s face, but he just grinned and said, “Well, what do you know!”
Unbelievable! Zack glanced at Collin, and his brother shrugged. The rest of the family were more upset about Charlie’s sin than Charlie would ever be.
Collin pulled Zack aside. “Does Chloe know you’re my brother?”
Zack nodded, but his heart seemed to drop to his knees. He’d forgotten to call her. He’d promised he would. She should have been here for this once-in-a-lifetime experience. How was he going to explain that he hadn’t thought of her until now?
Actually it could have been later if Collin hadn’t mentioned her name.
Chapter Seventeen
By nature, Chloe was a patient person, but she wasn’t tonight. Not only was it her first day of not seeing or hearing from Zack, she’d been sorting through eight years of research notes. At first, her notes had brought back wonderful memories, but now, hours later, her neck, shoulders and head ached, and she was asking herself how she’d gotten herself into this mess.
It was a mess—in every way. Her bedroom looked like a hurricane had gone through it, and she might be doing the work for nothing.
This afternoon her new research adviser had dropped the bomb that so much time had lapsed since Chloe had done her original course work, she might be required to repeat all of it! A waiver might be granted because she’d been an exceptional student who’d done exceptional research, but the decision was up to a committee.
Since she wasn’t the kind of person who got bad news, folded her tent and went home, she’d asked to speak to the committee. No promises were made, but if she got to meet with them, she planned to be so prepared, they’d have to give her the go-ahead.
Then, if she worked flat out with no interruptions except her day job, she planned to get her dissertation written in record-breaking time. Some people took a couple of years to do it, but this kind of thing came easy to her. She thought she could do it in a couple of months.
In fact, she was counting on that. Until the project was done, her life was on hold—and by life she meant Zack. Two months seemed like a lifetime, but they’d started their relationship fast, and a slowdown might do them good.
She didn’t really believe that, but it sounded logical and might help her not miss him so much.
She missed him already. This time last week they’d been at the beach with Bonnie pushing them together as if she thought they were meant to be. Clearing her mind of that memory seemed like a sacrilege, but she had to focus on the work at hand.
Or did she? Was the sacrifice necessary? She didn’t want or need a Ph.D. Proving her dad wrong was hardly an incentive, and she hadn’t counted on his approval since she’d hit double digits.
She scribbled “Chloe Kilgannon, Ph.D.” on a yellow sticky notepad and waited to see if pride would kick in. Would she feel more confident if the moderators of her workshops introduced her as Dr. Kilgannon? She couldn’t imagine that she would, and she hated the thought of giving up her life for three letters and a couple of periods.
The only real motivation was her desire for her parents to know the Lord as more than a figure on a cross. If Dad thought she hadn’t kept her word, how could he accept her faith as real? How could she pray and not do her part?
Totally absorbed in her thoughts, she didn’t notice Cate standing over her with a healthy-looking sandwich and one of her famous fruit drinks.
“Am I invisible or what?” Cate teased. “Here, eat this. I worry about you.”
Chloe hadn’t realized she was hungry until she saw the food. “Thanks, Cate. You are so good to me. I’d ask you to sit down except—”
“There’s no place to sit! Not even the floor. Where are you going to sleep? On the sofa?”
“It doesn’t matter. I won’t sleep much until my paper is done—if I do it.”
“You’re not backing out!” Cate’s brows drew together in dismay. “Chloe! I stood up for you! I told Dad you’d do that paper and do it fast. I’m making sandwiches for you so you’ll get it done.”
Chloe hung her head, hearing the truth in Cate’s words. “Catie, I’m sorry, but the university has a strict time limit for completing the degree. Over the years I’ve been in contact with my adviser, but she’s no longer there, and my new adviser says I may have to repeat the course work and a year of on-campus time. It would mean giving up my job.”
“Well, you’re not doing that! That’s too extreme. Don’t worry about it. I don’t mind eating my words. No one takes me seriously anyway.”
“That’s not true. Don’t I eat what you say and wear what you say?”
Cate smiled and joy filled the room. She was like that. When Cate was happy, so was everyone else.
“Come join me for a swim,” she said. “It will do you good.”
“I’d love that, but I’d better stay with my work and keep sorting while I can still remember what’s in each stack.”
“Okay,” Cate said reluctantly, “but if you change your mind…”
“I won’t, but thanks anyway.” Not only did Chloe have more work to do, Zack had promised to call. She didn’t want to miss hearing about his first day back to work. Had he gotten along okay with the Brennans and her dad?
She’d thought he might call when he’d had a break between surgeries or after he’d seen his last patient at the clinic. He might have gone back to the hospital. There could be any number of reasons he hadn’t called.
Now that his vacation was over, was this going to be their life? She’d told him she understood the life of a surgeon, and she did…even if she didn’t like it.
She went back to sorting data she might never use. Her discontent grew as the stacks of data got higher. She’d set out to find the age when children would give up caution with strangers to accept love from anyone. If she knew that, she might know the approximate age she had realized she had to find love from people outside of her home. She’d been a little girl. That was all she remembered.
It was too early for an academic conclusion, but she knew this: people who had love in their lives—any love at all—had a gold mine of good fortune. For them to complain about the trivialities of life was a shame.
Compared to the lives of children who’d known complete devastation, she shouldn’t feel sorry for herself about anything, and Zack shouldn’t be so upset just because life had thrown him a curve. It wasn’t as if he’d gone without love. Bonnie had been there for him, and now the Brennans wanted to accept him. She herself had supported him while he’d dithered about whether he wanted to be part of the Brennan family. How could he even think of turning down love?
Zack pulled out his cell phone and called Chloe. The family wouldn’t question him making a call during a party. It could be patient-related.
His heart raced, wondering what he should say. He felt so bad that she wasn’t here on a night he would remember the rest of his life. She wouldn’t be as upset as he was, but that didn’t make his concern any the less.
When his call went to voice mail, he thought she must have stepped away from her phone. A few minutes later when he tried again and the same thing happened, he realized she might have turned her phone off, the better to concentrate on her project. He should try another number—Carmen’s.
She answered right away. “What’s up, Zack?”
“Chloe isn’t answering her phone, and I told her I’d call.”
“So you want me to take my phone to her.” There was a smile in her voice.
“Would you? I’ll buy your lunch tomorrow.”
“Good, since I have to get off my very comfortable chaise and walk all the way into Chloe’s bedroom.”
He heard her knock on Chloe’s door and say, “Zack couldn’t get you on your phone. You can use mine.”
Chloe took the phone from Carmen and inhaled several deep breaths. It wasn’t his fault she was in a bad mood. Everything related to the Ph.D. had thrown her off balance, but he might have had a really bad day. Loving him meant being there for him. She shouldn’t have turned off her phone, but waiting for it to ring had made it impossible to concentrate.
She started to apologize for that, but she could hear laughter in the background on his end of the call. “Who’s giving the party?” she asked in an upbeat tone that she hoped would hide her dark mood.
He didn’t answer, but the party noise continued.
“Hello?” she said. “Anybody there?”
“I’m here.”
He didn’t sound like himself. His voice was deeper and edged with irritation. Was he annoyed that he’d had to leave a party to fulfill his promise to call? He didn’t have to do that on her account.
“Chloe, it’s been a big evening for me.”
“I can hear that.”
“What? Oh, the background noise. Chloe, I’m sorry I forgot to call earlier.”
“Think nothing of it. I’ve been busy organizing my research notes.”
“Good. That’s good. The noise you hear is coming from the Brennans. Most of the family are here in Grandpa’s office.”
“Grandpa?” Zack must have accepted his Brennan family.
“That’s what J.T. says I should call him. I met with him late this afternoon, and he persuaded me to let the whole family know I’m Charlie’s son.”
“That’s big!”
“I wish you were here,” he said in a wistful tone that made her love him more.
She looked at all the work she had left to do, but was anything more important than sharing a special night with the man she loved? “If you want me there, I can be,” she said breathlessly.
“I’d love that.”
So would she. “Give me thirty minutes.”
“No, it looks like the party’s almost over. Most of the people here have to be at the hospital early tomorrow.”
“How did Collin take the news? What did Charlie do?”
There was another pause. “Chloe, I’ll tell you all about it, but right now everyone’s leaving, and I need to say goodbye to them. Okay?”
“Okay,” she said uncertainly. Did that mean he would call back later or stop by?
“Goodnight Chloe.”
Goodnight? That answered her question. “Zack, if you want to stop by when you’re through there, I’ll still be up.”
“That’s okay, Chloe. I have an early-morning surgery, and I should get some sleep. But I’ll be thinking of you.”
“Then, good night, Zack.”
She ended the call before he could tell she was angry.
Was an extra half hour of sleep more important to him than sharing such a big moment of his life? The urge to throw the phone was strong…but it was Carmen’s.
She found Carmen on the lanai and put the phone in her hand. “If Zack calls back tonight, I don’t want to talk to him. Okay?”
“Lovers’ quarrel?” Carmen said, her brows lifted.
“No, but I think I got too serious about him too fast. You wondered about it yourself. I don’t think I mean that much to him, Carmen.”
“Slowing it down is probably a good idea, but Zack looks like a man in love to me.”
“Zack met with his Brennan family tonight. If he were a man in love, wouldn’t he have wanted me there?”
“Maybe it was like a surprise party or something.”
“J. T. Brennan told Zack to call him Grandpa.”
“Well, that’s good, isn’t it?”
“I don’t know. Zack wasn’t on the phone long enough to say.” Tears welled in her eyes. “Carmen, I honestly don’t know why he bothered to call.”
“Because he wants you to be part of his life?”
“I would have been with him if he wanted that. I’m beginning to wonder if he just wanted me around to co-host his mother’s visit.”
“Chloe! Zack’s not like that.”
“You know him better than I do,” Chloe said, barely hiding her sarcasm. How could she have let herself fall for a guy she barely knew? “I think I was just a vacation romance.”
“Chloe, are you picking a fight with Zack so you can shut him out and focus on your paper?”
“No!” But she could understand why Carmen might think that. Chloe was good at shutting out the world. Her family thought it was for greater academic concentration. More often it had been to avoid the reality of her parents’ preference for her sisters.
To prove Carmen wrong, she said, “There may not be a paper. I may not get my doctorate degree.”
“What!”
Chloe told Carmen the variables of getting the degree. Like Cate, Carmen urged her to forget about it. Chloe knew it was excellent advice, but to keep her word to her dad, she would work on it until all doors slammed in her face.
Back in her room, she stared at the mirror over the vanity that doubled as her desk. “You’re a fraud,” she whispered to the woman in the mirror.
The image looked too lost to argue.
“You said that people who had love in their lives had nothing to complain about, yet you’re falling apart over a couple of disappointments. What’s wrong with you?”
The woman wouldn’t say, but a tear slipped down her cheek.
“You have sisters who love you. There are always children to love. Even if you are wrong about Zack’s feelings for you, you have nothing to complain about.”
The woman in the mirror closed her eyes and shut Chloe out.
Fine. She should be talking with the Lord anyway.
Zack was the last to leave the party, and his was the last car in the parking lot. He should be bone tired, but he was as wired as a kid high on birthday sweets. Would he sleep at all tonight?
Before he drove out of the lot, he admired the dramatic shading of lights on the building. To think that one day he would be in charge of this place was unbelievable! There would be others to guide him, but Grandpa was counting on him.
Grandpa—how awesome that he could think of the chief that way. Maybe it came from hearing it said so many times tonight, but saying it put Zack right in the middle of unconditional love.
Two weeks ago…not even that…eleven days ago, he’d met Mom’s plane and anticipated showing his mom a great time—nothing more. He hadn’t known he was a Brennan, he hadn’t known Chloe and he hadn’t known how much his life would change.
He drove toward his condo, thinking that his amazing day seemed like a fantasy. He was the future CEO of a billion-dollar clinic. The responsibility of it boggled his mind. Recognition and power could go to a man’s head…if he hadn’t been raised by Roland Hemingway. Chloe would say Roland’s influence was part of God’s plan. Tonight Zack was willing to believe it might be.
At least it was something to think about, but Chloe herself ranked number one on his mind. She hadn’t sounded like herself tonight. He might have been late in making the call, but he had called, and he’d had the best reason in the world for being late.
