Perfect Fit - Brenda Jackson [120]
A knot formed in Sage’s throat. She hadn’t really thought about where she would be staying, although staying at her parents’ place was the logical choice. “Yes, if it’s all right with you.”
Charles Dunbar crossed the room and placed his hands on his daughter’s shoulders. “Of course it’s all right with me, Sage. It’s your home and will always be your home.”
Sage nodded and reached up and covered one of his hands with hers. “Then, let’s go home, Dad, and make plans to return early in the morning.”
Reluctantly, he agreed. She then leaned down and kissed her mother’s cheek and whispered, “Dad and I are going home, Mom, and we’ll be back in the morning.” Sage wasn’t sure if her mother heard her or not but wanted to let her know in case she woke up again and they were not there.
She saw her father hesitate, then quickly concluded that he wanted to spend some private moments with his wife. “I’ll be right outside the door, Dad.”
“Thanks, Sage.”
They were back at the hospital before the first sign of dawn broke in the morning sky. The nurse from the night before met them after they had gotten off the elevator. “Mrs. Dunbar had a very peaceful night,” she said, smiling. “If she continues doing well, the doctor may remove the feeding tube to see if she can take solid foods.”
Sage smiled widely at her father. That was good news to hear. Seeing one less IV line hooked to her mother would mean all the difference in the world to her, and she knew her father felt the same way.
As soon as they had arrived home last night, she had showered and changed clothes while he had answered the many phone messages that had been left on the answering machine. And then while he had showered, she had done likewise, making sure her family, both near and far, got an update on her mother’s condition. Then she and her father had gone to bed. Knowing her mother’s condition was good, sleep had come fairly easy for her, but she’d wakened a number of times upon hearing her father move about, restless and unable to sleep.
The devil had been busy, and evil thoughts had consumed her mind while she’d lain in bed listening to him. She’d almost been convinced that guilt and not love was eating away at him, but then after saying a prayer, asking God to rid her mind of such corrupt thoughts, she’d held on to the belief that it was love.
She stopped short when they entered her mother’s room. Delores Dunbar sat propped against the pillow, awake, and she was no longer using the respirator. Knowing she could not give her mother the hug that she wanted to give her, Sage quickly crossed the room, but her father had reached her mother before her.
“Baby, you scared twenty years off my life,” he said, leaning down and gently framing her face in his hands, before placing a kiss on her lips.
Sage stood back and watched them, suddenly feeling like an outsider in her parents’ world. Evidently, during the time she’d been in Anchorage, their relationship had grown closer. A part of her wondered if her father had told her mother about his affair yet, and she decided she didn’t want to think about it. Making sure her mother was happy while her condition improved was the most important thing.
“Sage?”
She got pulled out of her thoughts at the quiet whisper of her mother’s voice. She walked over to the bed. She met her mother’s gaze and smiled, fighting back the tears she felt behind her lids. “You gave me a scare, too, Delores Dunbar.”
Her mother slowly nodded while keeping her eyes on her daughter. “I didn’t mean to.”
Sage took her mother’s hand in hers. “How do you feel?”
Delores smiled. “Sore.”
Sage chuckled. “Yeah, I can believe that.”
Since her mother was still in ICU, the time to visit was limited. The only good thing they had to look forward to was the fact that if her condition continued to improve, she would be sent to a private room on another floor where visiting restrictions would be lifted.
Relief rushed through Sage, knowing that her mother was healing. On the plane flight from Anchorage, she had been