Page 44 of Hearts of Wealth

I wasn’t sure how long I had sat beside him, thinking about all the things I still wanted to say to him and do with him. My dad began to stir, his eyelids fluttering open as he slowly regained consciousness. A surge of relief washed over me. I reached out to grasp his hand, squeezing it tightly in mine.

“Dad,” I whispered, my voice trembling with emotion. “You’re awake. I’m here, just take it easy.”

He smiled weakly up at me, his eyes filled with love and affection. “Hey, kiddo,” he murmured, his voice hoarse from the anesthesia. “How’s my little troublemaker?”

I chuckled through tears at his words, the sound a mixture of relief and joy. “I’m okay, Dad,” I replied, my voice choked with emotion. “I’m just glad you’re okay.”

He squeezed my hand gently, his gaze filled with gratitude. “Maybe you were right about those burgers and fries and soda,” he said with a wry smile. “Guess I’ll have to start eating healthier from now on.”

I couldn’t help but laugh at his comment, the tension of the past few hours finally starting to ease. “Yeah, maybe you should,” I teased, my voice laced with affection. “I guarantee you will be eating differently.”

“No more takeout and junk food.”

I smiled at him, my heart swelling with love and relief. “Deal,” I whispered, bending down to plant a soft kiss on his forehead. He closed his eyes at that, a content smile playing at the corners of his mouth.

Before long, the doctor came back to check on him. He looked me over before turning to Dad. “Well, Mr. Jacobsen, you gave your daughter quite a scare.”

Dad chuckled weakly, wincing before smiling. “Trust me, I’ve learned my lesson. I have no plans to do that again.”

He fell back to sleep a short time later. I checked in with Timothy, Luke, and Paisley and let them know I was going to be staying the night. I encouraged them to go home. “I’ll be back in the morning,” Timothy promised. “Tell John we’re all thinking about him.”

“I will. Thank you guys for being here. Tomorrow he’ll be up for visitors.”

I went back to his room to keep up my vigil. I trusted the doctors, but I had to be there. I had to keep an eye on him. The nurses were probably sick of me and my questions. I wanted to know what every medicine and machine was doing. I had become a hawk watching the numbers on the monitors. I felt like I was ready to take whatever test needed to be a doctor. At some point, I dozed off. The steady beeping and the constant pages over the intercom actually became soothing.

The next morning, I was awakened by a soft kiss on the forehead. It didn’t startle me because I recognized the touch and the smell of the man the lips belonged to. I opened my eyes and smiled. “Good morning.”

My dad was sitting up in bed smiling as well. I frowned. “How long have you been up?” I asked him. “You didn’t wake me?”

“You were sleeping so soundly,” Dad said. “I told the nurse to let you sleep.”

A nervous-looking Paisley was standing in the corner, her eyes wide with apprehension. “Hi, Paisley.”

“Hi. I can wait in the waiting room.”

“Stay,” Dad said. “I think it’s probably about time I got to know you a little better.”

I got up from my chair and stretched. “You can sit here,” I said. “I need to use the restroom.”

“I brought you a bag,” Timothy said.

I smiled gratefully at him, feeling a rush of warmth at his thoughtful gesture. “Thank you, Timothy,” I replied, reaching out to squeeze his hand. “That’s really sweet of you.”

“Go get some coffee and breakfast,” Dad said softly, his voice still weak. “Me and Paisley will chat.”

Timothy and I walked out of the room. “How are you doing?” Timothy asked.

“Good. He did great all night. He looks a lot better this morning, right?”

“He does,” he agreed. “But now we need to take care of you. I brought you a change of clothes, toothpaste and what not. I can rent a hotel room if you want to shower. My apartment is a little far, but we can go up there as well.”

“Did you and Paisley stay at your apartment last night?”

“We did.” He nodded.

Twenty minutes later, I felt almost human as I ate a bowl of fresh fruit and downed some strong coffee. We went back upstairs to my dad’s room and stopped outside the door. Paisley was telling my dad all about the boarding school and how excited she was to be back in the States.

“Should we give them a minute?” Timothy whispered.