Married Or Not?. Brenda Jackson
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first met was that he was a man of action and didn’t talk much. Clams were chattier, she was sure. She hadn’t understood then that without open communication between them, their marriage could not succeed.
Granted, she didn’t expect him to talk about his work. She understood that. Eventually, they didn’t talk at all. She couldn’t live that way. He knew her entire life history. She knew little about his background or past. She understood that there were people who hated to talk about themselves, but Greg had carried his reticence to an extreme.
What had ended the marriage as far as she was concerned was that she’d discovered he’d lied to her. Flat-out lied. The other things had been tough enough to deal with, but when she’d found out the truth about him and that he had hidden it from her for their entire marriage, she knew she could no longer live with him.
And yet… He’d heard about her accident and had come to see her. Okay. She could understand that a little. I mean, they had known each other intimately at one time. She supposed he could have been concerned about her.
However, she was at a loss to figure out why he came each day to see her. It was ridiculous. They had little to talk about. She certainly had no intention of getting involved in his life again.
Each time he’d left she’d politely told him not to come back. He came anyway.
Well, if he showed up today she’d give up the polite part and tell him to leave her alone. If he didn’t show up, she’d be gone. As far as she knew, he didn’t know where she lived—No. Wait. He’d said something about her living on the second floor. He couldn’t know that if he hadn’t been by there.
Well, when she saw him, she intended to set him straight. She did not want him in her life in any way. Thanks for the offer, but no thanks. She hoped that the meeting would happen later rather than sooner. She needed to get her strength back before facing him. Otherwise, she might end up throwing herself into his arms crying, “Save me! Save me!”
Not her style at all, but then whenever she was around Greg, she had trouble thinking coherently.
The aide came in with her breakfast. “The doctor wants to check to see how you are this morning. He’s making rounds now, so it shouldn’t be too long.” She set the tray on the rolling table. “Enjoy.”
Sherri looked at the tray. Enjoy. Right. Clear liquids. No coffee. She had to be on a special diet until everything damaged inside her healed. She’d have to give Joan a list of the things she could eat and have her bring them home. It would be good to get home and let Lucifer, her cat, love her. Or rather push his head into her hand to love him. He was company, all the company she needed.
She began to eat, resigned to the diet for now.
Greg pulled into the parking lot of the hospital. Sherri was being dismissed today and he already knew she wasn’t going to like what he’d done.
Too bad. Like it or not, she would have to accept that this was the way things would be for the foreseeable future.
Greg saw her doctor as soon as he stepped off the elevator. Dr. Hudson stood at the nurses’ station, going over a chart with one of the nurses.
Greg waited until the two were finished and walked over. “Good morning, Dr. Hudson. I understand Sherri is being moved today,” he said as he approached the doctor.
“Yes. I was just in there. She’s doing well, considering, but will still need plenty of rest. The bones should knit back together with no problem. My only concern would be that she might start hemorrhaging. I wouldn’t leave her alone for the next several days.”
“No problem.”
Greg nodded, his mind racing. He walked to the open door of Sherri’s room and knocked on the jamb. When she glanced up, he walked inside, his hands in his pockets.
She scowled. “What are you doing here? I thought I made it clear that you don’t need to keep checking on me. I’m fine.”
“Ah. You must be feeling better.”
“I am. In fact, I’m going home today.”
“Good for you.”
“So you don’t need to worry about me.”
“Okay.”
“I’m waiting for the nurse to come help me dress. So if you’ll excuse me…”
“Want me to help? I’m right here and it wouldn’t be the first time I’ve helped you to dress…or undress.”
Her sigh was filled with frustration. “No, Greg. I do not need your help to dress or undress. Thank you for coming but—”
“But don’t let the door hit me in the—”
“Goodbye, Greg.”
He shrugged and walked out of the room. Hoo-boy. His powers of persuasion better kick in really fast or he was going to be in bigger trouble than he already was.
He’d finally had to face his real motive in helping her. The fact that she had no family was part of the reason, but the hard fact was that he was in still in love with her. He was supposed to be completely over her by now. Instead, he hadn’t wanted to leave her side since the accident. Once he realized that his feelings for her had never changed, he knew that he would provide whatever she needed to heal, whether or not she was comfortable with his help.
After signing her release papers, Sherri was placed in a wheelchair and taken to the lobby. When she looked outside, she didn’t see her cab. Well, it should be here soon.
“You can leave me here by the door while I wait for my taxi,” she said to the nurse.
The woman looked at her as though she’d lost her mind. “I don’t think so,” the nurse replied. As the automatic doors opened for them, the nurse continued, “You aren’t going home in a taxi, honey. Your husband is taking you home.”
The doors closed behind them as Sherri whipped her head around. She saw Greg, leaning against a black sports car parked at the front entrance, his arms folded over his chest, his ankles crossed. At the moment he was in profile, gazing across the parking lot.
Panic set in. “He’s not my husband!”
The nurse chuckled. “Well, that’s good to know. Then can I have him? Whoever he is, he’s here to take you home, according to your discharge papers.” She continued to push Sherri’s chair toward Greg.
Greg saw them and straightened. He wore wrap-around sunglasses and still had on the dazzling white T-shirt and snug-fitting jeans he’d worn earlier. He’d finished off his haute couture ensemble with sneakers that might have been white in a far-distant past.
“What are you doing here?” she said.
“I am here to whisk you away in my chariot, milady,” he said with a bow.
“That really isn’t necessary,” she said, looking over her shoulder at the nurse, intending to ask the woman to take her back to the lobby. The only problem was that the nurse was staring at Greg with a dazed grin on her face.
Sherri quickly ran through her options and realized that she had been outmaneuvered. She rubbed her forehead where an ache began to throb. “Great,” she muttered, and said nothing more while Greg and the man-hungry nurse helped her into his car.
Once inside, she stared straight ahead pretending he wasn’t there, which was a little difficult to do when he leaned over and carefully fastened her seat belt. “I know you’re glad to be out of the hospital. No one can sleep well with all the activity going on.”
She didn’t reply. There was no way she could interact with him and keep her distance, and it was essential that she remain distant.
They’d been driving for about ten minutes when she broke her silence. “Wait!”
“For what?”
“This isn’t