He gave her a kiss on the forehead then released her and pointed towards the bathroom door. The master bath was as beautiful as the rest of the house. A huge marble whirlpool tub dominated one corner of the room, with a separate shower stall and a double sink with a granite top vanity. Claire wrinkled her nose as she inspected her appearance. She looked pale, tired and rumpled. A hot shower was just what she needed to feel human again.

Claire stripped off and slid into the shower. She sighed in pleasure as the spray of the water eased some of the tension in her shoulder. She reached for Jason’s shampoo and lathered her hair and rinsed. Twenty minutes later, she felt like a different person. She located a hair dryer under the vanity and was soon looking for her suitcase. Claire found that Jason had left it right outside for her. The only nightgown she’d packed was a bit dressy, but she didn’t feel like changing back into clothes.

She pulled the long Lilac silk gown over her head, grateful she’d thought to pack the matching robe as well. She belted it tightly around her waist and then pulled a hair clip from her bag and secured her hair in a loose knot at the nape of her neck.

Claire opened the bedroom door and was met with the smell of something delicious. She followed her nose to the kitchen and found Jason at the stove with a kitchen towel thrown over his shoulder and a frying pan in his hand. He had also opted for something casual and wore a pair of low riding blue lounge pants and a South Carolina Gamecocks t-shirt.

She’d seen Jason in expensive suits and in jeans but this was the look that seemed to suit him best. He didn’t look like a rich business owner even with the opulent surroundings; he simply looked like someone you could depend on, someone you could love. Whoaaaa girl, where did that come from? You sleep with a guy a couple of times, and suddenly you’re picking out china and writing his name on your notebook?

Fatigue had apparently affected her more than she realized. She was feeling fragile and entirely too needy where Jason was concerned. It was hard to remember twenty-four hours ago; she was livid at him, ready to pack her bags and never look back. As if in mutual agreement, that subject hadn’t been brought up even though Claire knew it was just on hold and not forgotten.

Jason had been wonderful today, and his support had felt so good. She rarely had anyone to lean on anymore. She did have Suzy, who would do anything for her, but somehow it wasn’t the same. The issues with Jason were far from over and had to be addressed as soon as she had the strength to do it. For now, there was comfort in this moment, pretending that someone loved her.

“I hope you like omelets; it’s the specialty of the house.”

“I love them. It sounds wonderful. I’m impressed at how at home you seem in the kitchen. I figured you for a takeout kind of guy,” laughed Claire.

“Don’t be too impressed, I’ve limited abilities. After awhile, it gets very old to eat out every night. I’m not going to lie; I do have a housekeeper who comes in a couple of times a week and takes care of the grocery shopping and cleaning. If left to my own devices, there would probably be nothing but chips and beer in the kitchen and dirty clothes trickling through the doorways.”

Jason set two plates and glasses in front of the bar stools at the island along with orange juice. Claire poured them both a glass of juice and walked over to the window to look out at the dark ocean. “You must love being able to see this view from almost every room in the house; it’s so relaxing.”

With a smile, Jason said, “I’ve always loved the ocean. It’s one of the reasons I’ve never moved Danvers even though there have been many offers and opportunities. We’d probably grow at a faster pace located elsewhere, but I couldn’t bring myself to leave this area; it's home. I think Charleston is a great place, and I enjoyed growing up there, but Myrtle Beach is where my heart is.”

Jason slid a delicious looking omelet onto her plate. Drinking her juice, Claire waited for him to finish his omelet so that they could eat together. A few moments later, he was settled in next to her, and she dug in as if she were starving. Claire was embarrassed to find that she’d completely cleaned her plate, and Jason was watching her with an amused expression in those beautiful blue eyes. “Guess I was hungrier than I realized.”

“You have barely had anything to eat today. Would you like me to make you another one?”

“Oh no, I’m full now; you’re a great cook.” Jason finished his own and took their plates to the dishwasher. Looking at the wall clock, Claire was surprised to see that it was almost midnight. As if on cue, a big yawn escaped her mouth as fatigue firmly settled in. Jason took her hand and used his other to switch off the lights as they walked back to the bedroom.

Jason stripped off his shirt and left his lounge pants on. Claire went into the bathroom to brush her teeth and left her robe on the hook next to his. Jason took his turn in the bathroom, and she climbed into the bed on the side he indicated. With another yawn, she closed her eyes to rest for a few minutes until he returned.

Suddenly, she felt an arm going around her, and she was being pulled against a hard chest, her head resting in the crook of Jason’s shoulder. She allowed herself to melt against him, and soon settled into a dreamless sleep, secure in the strong arms that held her through the night.

~~~

Sometime later, as the sun was just starting to rise over the ocean, Jason turned her in his arms and made slow, mind-blowing love to her. Every time they were together seemed to burn hotter than the last. Jason brought her to heights that she’d never dreamed existed. After collapsing against him in complete satisfaction, she felt Jason’s warm mouth against her forehead. His hands stroking her back and hair with such tenderness it brought tears to her eyes.

“Honey I hate to but I have to go into the office for awhile this morning. I’m going to call a car to pick me up so that you may use mine today. Do you think you know the way to the hospital from here?”

“I… I’m not sure; can you leave me some directions?”

“Of course, I’ll write them down and leave them in the kitchen. Make yourself at home; anything I have is yours as well. I’ll come to the hospital when I can get free, but if you need me at all just call, okay?”

After another kiss, he quickly showered and dressed. As soon as he was gone, Claire called the hospital and was told that her mother’s doctor would be making his rounds at nine. She quickly dressed and found the directions in the kitchen along with a beautiful flower that Claire suspected Jason had pulled from the front flowerbed. Claire put it to her nose to inhale the sweet fragrance and then grabbed her purse along with the directions that Jason had left. She locked the door behind her and settled into Jason’s Mercedes.

The difference between his car and her poor Toyota was like night and day. Even though Daisy was dependable, she’d lost her beauty long ago and luxury was never part of the package. The seats in Jason’s car were buttery soft, and all the gadgets made her wish she had time to explore each of them. She easily followed his directions, and the hospital was indeed not far from his home at all. Claire hoped and prayed that the doctor would have encouraging news for her today.

Chapter Twenty Three

When Claire entered the ICU wing of the hospital, she spotted her mother’s nurse Glenda at the nurse’s station. Glenda looked up as she approached and gave her a warm smile. “Good morning Ms. Walters, how are you today?”

“Good morning Glenda, I’m good. How are you?”

“I’m busy, busy as usual, but I wouldn’t have it any other way. Your mother had a good, restful night last night and is awake this morning. She’s confused as to what’s happened to her and where she is, which is normal. I think she’ll be relieved to see a familiar face.” Glenda came around the corner of the nurse’s station and pulled her to the side. “Dr. Mauldin will be around soon and will discuss the specifics of your mother’s case with you. I want to prepare you for what I’ve noticed this morning when checking on her. Your mother has obvious speech difficulty; there’s some drooping evident on her face and also some problems gripping with her left hand. Now this isn’t unusual with a stroke, and I’m not trying to scare you, I just wanted you to be prepared so that you don’t panic in front of your mother."

Claire swallowed hard and drew a deep breath. “Thank you Glenda, I really appreciate you letting me know.” With a motherly pat on the shoulder, Glenda went back to the nurse’s station, and Claire put on a brave face and entered her mother’s room.

Her eyes were closed, and she appeared to be resting. Claire studied her intently, looking for signs of what Glenda had indicated. Her mother appeared perfectly normal in sleep, so peaceful that it was hard to believe she’d had a recent stroke. Claire pulled a chair up to the side of the bed and gently reached over to take her hand. Had she ever really noticed how beautiful her mother was?

With so many years spent with an overbearing husband who literally dominated a room, her mother had seemed to fade into the background. Claire now realized that this was her way of coping and also of protecting herself from his wrath. When she thought back through the years, Claire found it hard to remember one instance where she knew what her mother was wearing or how she looked.

All those years living with him had literally made her into a ghost who barely existed against the backdrop of his constant anger and ridicule. She had so little time to recover after he had died before she was stricken with Alzheimer’s. In the end, Claire felt that not only had he broken her spirit long ago; he had also broken her mind. Really seeing her today for the first time, Claire wept inside for the beautiful person both inside and out who had never been strong enough to make the break that she needed to survive.

Maybe part of her should feel anger towards her mother for not leaving her father and taking her and Chrissie away from the abuse they’d all endured for so long. She simply was not strong enough to survive the fallout this would have caused. Thoughts of Jason surfaced as she thought of the liberties he had taken in her life without consulting her. Did her father start out that way, taking over areas of her mother’s life until he controlled every aspect of it? A sick feeling settled in the pit of her stomach. Would looking at her mother soon be like looking in a mirror?

A knock sounded at the door and a handsome older man in blue scrubs and a white lab coat walked into the room. With a hand extended towards her he said, “I’m Dr. Mauldin, and I’ll be handling your mother’s care while she’s here.” Claire shook his hand and introduced herself. He walked to the bedside and studied the chart he had brought in with him.

“I understand your mother rested well last night but appears to be showing some stroke-related symptoms. There are times when the stroke is mild and very minor, temporary symptoms are detected. Other times when the stroke is more severe, symptoms are greater and long-term or permanent. Where your mother will end up in this scenario only time will tell. Even though it’s still early in this process, I would put your mother closer to the moderate to severe category."

"Does that mean she won’t improve? Of course not, what it does mean is that the road will be longer and the need for rehabilitation much greater. It’s possible the damage could be less severe than I predict but based on her symptoms thus far, you need to be prepared for what lies ahead.”

Claire felt what hope she had slowly begin to die. The look on Dr. Mauldin’s face clearly showed the gravity of the situation. At that moment, Claire felt her mother’s hand move in her own as her eyes opened, and she slowly looked around the room. Claire forced a smile on her face as her mother focused on her. “Ch…Ch…Ris…” Claire’s heart fell. It wasn’t unusual for her mother to mistake her for her dead sister; it was the apparent struggle of her trying to form the word that was the most heart breaking. The terror and frustration were evident in her eyes as she looked at Claire.

Dr. Mauldin stepped forward and took her mother’s arm. “Mrs. Walters, I’m Dr. Mauldin, and you’re in the hospital. You had a stroke yesterday and were brought here. I know you’re confused right now and probably a little scared. We’re going to take care of you. Just take your time when trying to speak or move for a bit. A stroke can make things more difficult for awhile and what’s normally so easy may be harder." He continued on in a patient, soothing voice, “we’re going to run some tests on you in the next few days. You will get so sick of seeing me that you will be trying to lock me out, but we’re going to be a great team, you and I. I’m stopping all previous medications except for the insulin, and we will slowly see what needs to be added back or changed. You will tell me what you’re feeling and what you need, and I’ll do my best to make it happen. I work right here in this hospital so if you need me anytime you have one of the nurses give me a call. I take care of my own, and you’re one of them now, okay?”