She nervously waited for word when the hospital would release him. She was told he was unlikely to spend more than a couple days recuperating from his surgery. She was certain one of his sons would escort him home and impatiently waited for the chance to see him herself. Not until she could hold his face and look into his eyes would she believe, once and for all, that he had truly survived.
Hillary had been good about keeping her updated; without knowing Heath’s condition, Julia would have been lost.
Her doorbell rang. Because she was waiting for Hillary’s call, she was irritated and in no mood for company. When she saw Heath standing on the other side of her threshold, she burst into tears.
Immediately she was in his arms. Heaving huge, gulping sobs, she clung to him, holding on as if she never intended to let him go.
“Sweetheart. Julia. I’m okay…only I should probably sit down.”
Julia instantly brought him into the condo.
Heath sat on her sofa while she searched for a tissue and blew her nose. She had never been one of those women who looked beautiful while crying.
“It looks like you missed me,” he teased. He patted the place at his side, and she sat next to him.
“I was so worried,” she whispered, still having trouble believing he was here with her.
“Me, too,” he said, and placed his arm around her shoulders, tucking her close against his warm body. He tilted his head so it rested on top of hers.
“I thought I’d lost you,” she said, struggling not to dissolve into tears a second time.
“It isn’t going to be that easy to be rid of me, my love. I have a lot of incentive to live. I only just found you, and I fully intend on sticking around for a good while longer.”
“Tell me what the doctor said.” She didn’t mention that no one would update her on his condition because she wasn’t family. What she had been able to learn came from Hillary and her contacts within the hospital. She’d never let anyone know, for fear of getting her daughter in trouble.
For the next ten minutes, Heath relayed what the heart specialist told him. He had a follow-up appointment scheduled for the next week. He listed the new medications he would need to take. Julia made a point of remembering each one, so she could research the drugs on the Internet. The more information she had about his heart and the problems associated with this attack, the better she would be able to watch for signs. She wanted to be sure there wouldn’t be a repeat of what had happened, at least not if she could help it.
“If you don’t object, I’d like to go to the doctor with you,” she said. She felt it was important that she know his limitations and was afraid Heath would either forget to tell her or purposely leave something out.
Surprise showed in his face at her request. “You’d do that?”
“Of course. I want to support you.”
He tightened his hold on her and kissed the top of her head. “I don’t know what I ever did to deserve you.”
“Oh, stop,” she said with a soft laugh.
“Do you think I’m joking? I thank God every day that we’re together.”
She could see how serious he was and wondered if he realized that she felt the same. “I thank Him for you! Oh Heath, you can’t imagine how frightened I was that you weren’t going to survive this.”
“Like I said, I’m still aboveground, and I intend to stay that way for a long time to come.”
“I’m holding you to that,” Julia told him.
His eyes grew dark and serious before he lowered his mouth to hers and kissed her. It’d been years since anyone had kissed her with the passion and intensity Heath did. By the time he lifted his head from hers, it felt as if her insides were melting.
He was home and recovering, and that was what mattered most.
* * *
—
That evening, Julia cooked dinner for Heath. Michael called to check on him, and after dinner Adam did, too. It did her heart good to know how close Heath was with his sons. She prayed that at some later date, his sons would accept that she loved Heath and wanted only the best for him.
Earlier, when Heath mentioned his conversation with Hillary, Julia knew she had to make an effort with Michael and Adam, the way Heath had with Hillary. Unsure how it would play out, she decided not to tell him in advance.
Julia felt it was her duty to give Heath the same peace of mind Hillary had given her after talking to him. If she could convince Heath’s sons that she had only their father’s best interests at heart, then perhaps there would be a way for them to forget the distance between the two families. The fact that she was willing to make the effort should tell Michael and Adam she was serious and sincerely cared for their father.