that his father was finally getting the treatment he needed and that things would finally improve for the older man.
“Did you hear that? Your heart’s fine and you’re going home,” Mike clarified.
Silence.
“Edward, your son’s talking to you,” Clara said, no edge in her tone.
Because she wasn’t immediate family, she hadn’t been permitted to spend the nights at the hospital. But she’d been by his side every waking minute since Edward had been admitted.
Edward shrugged. “I got nothing to say to him. He thinks I’m crazy.”
“No, I think you’re sick and you need help,” Mike said with much less patience than Clara exhibited.
The doctor stepped up to Mike and tipped her head toward the door. “Can we talk?”
Mike followed her into the antiseptic-smelling hallway.
“Don’t worry,” she said after she shut the door quietly behind her so Edward couldn’t overhear. “Your father is fine. He’s now on an anti-anxiety medication, which has calmed him down and let him
“So he’s feeling anger. Toward me. The only person who’s stood by him?” Mike asked in disbelief.
Confusion, frustration and anger overwhelmed him, an impotent mix of feelings he didn’t have the first clue how to handle. Because along with those feelings came the guilt for being angry at a sick man.
“Welcome to the world of therapy, Detective Corwin.” The psychiatrist placed a hand on his shoulder. “It’s always really bad just before it gets better. But it
“I’ll have to take your word for it.”
“Sometimes counseling can help family members, too. It’s not easy to deal with the changes in their loved one.”
Mike let out a rough breath. He didn’t need counseling, he needed Amber.
Needed to tell her he was sorry, that he loved her. That he didn’t want to end up like his father, alone and afraid. He should never have sent her away. Mike wanted Amber in his life now and forever. And the sooner he told her those things, the better, as far as he was concerned.
But Edward was his first priority. And as much as that frustrated him, it was the way it had to be. “What does he need from me now? Can he stay alone?” Mike asked the doctor.
She shook her head. “But his friend Clara offered to move in and make sure he takes his medication and things like that. He seems to respond well to her so I have no objection if you don’t.”
The knot in Mike’s stomach eased. Not just because he wanted to hop a plane to Vegas, but because Mike feared for his own sanity if he had to move in with his father.
“Selfishly, that works for me,” he admitted.
The doctor nodded. “I understand. It saves you having to disrupt your life until we know if his medication is correct and he’s able to function on his own.” She scribbled a few notes on her chart as she spoke. Then she glanced up at Mike. “Any other questions?”
“Actually, yes. About my own life…” Mike paused, feeling extremely self-centered for what he was about to ask. “I need to go out of town for personal reasons. But I won’t go until you say it’s okay.”
“Detective-”
“Mike, please.” He had a feeling they’d be seeing a lot of one another.
“Mike. Your father is going through a rough time, and clearly he’s taking his anger out on the one person he trusts enough not to abandon him. That’s you.” She smiled, reminding him of his warm, caring mother. “That said, because he is angry, it wouldn’t hurt if you put a little distance between you. As long as Ms. Deveaux makes sure he takes his medication and contacts me if there’s a problem, you can feel comfortable taking your trip.”
Her words took him off guard. “Really?”
She nodded. “As much as you feel responsible for your father, he’s safe. He’s cared for. And he’s on the road to being healthier than he has been in years. I can’t promise, but I can say with ninety-nine percent certainly based on experience, he will come around. Edward knows he can count on you.” She touched his shoulder. “You’re a good son.”
Unbidden, a lump formed in his throat. “Thank you.” He forced the words out.
She inclined her head. “I’m just telling you like I see it. You’re a good influence and your father needs you.”
Grateful, Mike shook the doctor’s hand.
He’d help Clara get his father settled at home, then he’d see about booking a flight to Las Vegas, Nevada. The state where he’d met Amber, the city where his lucky streak had begun. With everything inside him, Mike hoped the streak didn’t end in the same place it had started.
His fate was in Amber’s hands.
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
BY THE TIME the bus pulled into Vegas, Amber’s body ached from the long hours of travel. Her heart ached even more, but she would have to learn to live with that. She didn’t go home first, but took a cab to the nursing home to visit her father. She doubted he’d know she’d even been gone, but she needed to see him and pretend for a little while that he was healthy and she was still his best girl.
Because it was the summer, his floor nurse had taken him outside for some fresh air, and after checking in, Amber wandered out back. She found her father sitting in a lawn chair, staring out at nothing.
She pushed aside the expected pang of sadness and put on her brightest smile. Pulling up a chair, she seated herself beside him. “Hi, Dad.”
She took his hand. As she’d gotten into the habit of doing, she didn’t wait for a reply.
“I’m sorry I haven’t been here in a while. My life got a little crazy.” She laughed at her bland description.
Also keeping with her promise to always keep things positive with her father, she omitted any mention of her problems with Marshall or King Bobby.
“I met a man,” she said instead. “A good man. You’d like him.” Visions of Mike entered her head.
Mike, looking sexy in his navy T-shirt as he’d rescued her from Marshall in Vegas. Mike, his face in shock when he’d found her sprawled on his bed in Boston. Mike, holding her after they’d made love. No matter how hard he fought it, he’d always come back to her.
Until now.
“Anyway, things between us didn’t work out,” she said to her father. “Guess what, though? I’m going to put out feelers to see if I can get a concierge job at one of the big hotels in Vegas. That’s what you always wanted, right? Me working close by?” she asked, a lump in her throat.
She breathed in deep. She’d only been East for a short time, but she realized she liked looking around and seeing green trees instead of desert. And she’d have even come to terms with the humidity and frizzy hair if it meant being with Mike.
In the end, the choice hadn’t been hers.
“I have to go now, Dad. But I promise I’ll be back soon. Hopefully, I’ll even have news about a new job.” She forced exuberance into her tone that she wasn’t really feeling.
Leaning over, she kissed his cheek and as she rose, she tried to tell herself she’d accepted the fact that he could no longer hug her back.
She lied.
She couldn’t accept losing her father any more than she could accept losing Mike. Not in her heart. Where she felt more alone than she’d ever felt before.
AMBER SLEPT WELL and woke up the next morning with a plan. As she glanced around her father’s old apartment, she realized she had to let the place go if she wanted to move forward. On a notepad she began a to-do list, starting with the intention to give notice on his apartment lease and find a new place of her own to live.
Amber glanced around her father’s home and realized she’d also have to begin sorting through his belongings if she really intended to move out-and on. Parting with his things wouldn’t be easy. She dreaded the task and knew she’d put it off until the very last moment.
