From The Dead (34 page)

Caitlyn laid her hand on his. “You did fine. His life
just got turned upside down. He needs a little time,” she said.
“He’s waited for you for years, Jesse—he needs his dad. Don’t give
up.”

His elbows at rest on his knees, Jesse drew his
steepled hands to his chin. He bounced his chin on his fingertips
in nervous response.

“Yeah …”

CHAPTER 54

In concurrence with Caitlyn’s suggestion, Jesse kept
his distance, which gave Drew time to sort through the revelation
of his father’s identity. Jesse, though he kept in touch with
Caitlyn each day, craved to communicate with his son and comfort
him. But he realized the kid needed time to process his emotions
and talk them over with his mom, the parent with whom he was more
comfortable and who, at this point, seemed to remain the one aspect
of the boy’s life that had
not
shifted beneath his feet.

Several days later, with permission from Caitlyn to
revisit anytime, Jesse stopped by their house after dinner. Caitlyn
answered the door and let him in.

“Is he here?” asked Jesse.

A tranquil blink of her eyes, then Caitlyn gestured
with her head toward the back of the house. “He’s on the
patio.”

“How’s he coping?”

“It’s sinking in gradually. He started to ask
questions.” Her eyes communicated a soft, welcome glint that
assured Jesse all would work out fine in time. “He’s shaken, but
he’s open. Go talk to him.”

Jesse stepped outside on that dark October evening.
Beneath the porch light, he found Drew, collected, seated on a
chair as he gazed at the stars. Although Drew didn’t acknowledge
Jesse’s presence, he kept careful watch from the corner of his eye.
Jesse noticed the kid wore a long-sleeved, hooded Ohio State
T-shirt with its hood pulled over his head, but not a coat. Maybe
his observation meant his parental instinct had kicked in. But in
reality, Jesse knew he noticed only because he himself felt like
cold aluminum in the chilly air.

“Your mom said I’d find you out here,” Jesse said,
careful to exude comfort through his tone. To help break the ice,
he added a hint of humor: “Aren’t you freezing?”

Drew shrugged. “It’s not too bad out.” He was right;
it couldn’t have been less than forty degrees. Jesse pulled a chair
alongside Drew’s and shared the backyard view. And Drew continued
to watch. Jesse wondered if the boy felt more secure with his
father’s soothing presence a heartbeat away.

“How’ve you been?” Jesse pretended to be captivated
by the horizon.

“Fine.”

Jesse nodded but kept his eyes on the stretch before
him. He folded his hands in his lap and let a quiet minute pass
before he spoke again. “When I was a kid—much younger than you—I
lost my mom. She didn’t leave town, and it wasn’t her fault she was
gone; she died unexpectedly. I spent almost my whole childhood
without her, wishing she could come back to me—oh, what I would’ve
given to have her back. I never got the chance, though.” Jesse
looked down at his son. “I wasn’t here for you, Drew. I can never
make that up to you. But if you’re willing to give your dad a
chance, you
can
have him back. And he loves you so
much.”

Drew wiggled.

Jesse continued, “I’m sorry; I never wanted to lie to
you. Your mom and I just wanted to protect you. You know how much I
care about you and respect you.”

Amid a gust of cold breeze, a vulnerable Drew wrapped
himself in his own arms. “Why did you go away before I was
born?”

Jesse pursed his lips. “I was selfish … I regret a
lot of my choices in life.”

Drew bit the inside of his cheek as if he tried to
process what his father said. “What kind of choices?”

“Choices that hurt a lot of people. Decisions that
wouldn’t make you proud of me. Things I wish I could take back.”
Jesse turned toward Drew and, even though his son wouldn’t look at
him, bent down to his eye level anyway. The little boy trembled as
a tear ran down. Jesse reached over to wipe the tear from his son’s
cheek—and Drew let him. When, at last, Drew met his father’s eyes,
Jesse added, “You are so important to me, and there’s
nothing—
nothing
—I wouldn’t do for you.”

His son quivered. Jesse’s heart tore until he
couldn’t stand it any longer. When Jesse leaned over to pat Drew on
the shoulder, Drew—to Jesse’s surprise—pivoted around and hugged
Jesse, his thin arms wrapped tight around his father. Drew clutched
Jesse’s coat with his small hands.

Drew needed his dad.

As Jesse embraced his son, he felt the boy’s tremors
against him between sobs. Both men cried. And for the first time,
Jesse discovered what it was like to hold his son. Overwhelmed,
Jesse buried his head in Drew’s hair as Drew buried his face in
Jesse’s chest.

Drew refused to let go: He had waited a long time for
this.

So Jesse continued to hold him, rock him gently. Soon
he rested his cheek on top of his son’s head.

“It’ll all be different now,” Jesse whispered. “I
promise.”

CHAPTER 55

Jesse surfed the Internet through a wireless
connection on a laptop he’d owned since L.A. On this Tuesday lunch
hour, perched on a high stool in a local café, Jesse sniffed his
coat. Sure enough, the aroma of bagels and espresso beans had
permeated the fabric.

Blake walked in to grab a sandwich to go. On his way
out the door, he noticed Jesse and wandered over to him.

“Any juicy celebrity rumors?” Blake tapped the
laptop.

Jesse peered up, then returned to his screen. “I’m on
a job hunt.”

“But you and your dad are still on good terms
nowadays, right?”

“Of course. But it’s time for me to locate something
long term and stable so I can get out of Eden’s way—she’s overdue
for that.”

“Got any ideas?”

“I learned a lot about composition concepts through
photography, so maybe I can find a job in a company’s PR or
marketing department. Even if it’s entry level, it’s a step
forward.” As Blake sipped coffee from his to-go cup, Jesse glanced
up again. “Actually, there’s another reason: Cait and I told
Drew.”

Blake’s eyebrows shot upward. “That you’re his
dad?”

“Yeah, so I want to provide better support for
him.”

“That’s terrific! How long have you been on the
lookout for a new job?”

“Couple of weeks. Next week, I have an interview with
a snack-food manufacturer in Cleveland. They plan to expand their
media ads, and they consider all my years on film sets a big
plus.”

Blake doubled the crease at the top his takeout bag,
which crunched in his grip. “Have you told your dad about
Drew?”

“Not yet. It’s still only you and Eden who know.”

“It might be worth reconsideration. I think Chuck
would understand.”

“Maybe you’re right. Drew should have a grandfather
in his life.”

Blake checked his watch. “Listen, I’ve gotta get back
to the shop so my staffer can take his lunch break. We’ll catch up
later, okay?”

Blake left Jesse to his want ads. Before Jesse
powered down the laptop and left the café, he located two more
prospects.

* * *

On the way home from work that evening, Jesse relaxed
in the driver’s seat. For the first time in years, his life seemed
to come together, its fractures filled in and smoothed out like wet
patches on a potter’s vase. Jesse felt content; his confidence
mounted by the day.

When his cell phone rang, he didn’t notice it at
first, transfixed instead on a setting sun that glowed an electric
burnt orange. But he caught the call on the final ring.

“Jesse!”

She sounded distraught.

“Cait?”

“Jesse, I—“

Frantic. Scared.

Jesse heard a faint siren and the dense rumble of
tires in the call’s background. Wherever she was, Caitlyn was in
motion. And her voice carried a slight echo. Had she called from a
large vehicle?

“What’s the matter?” Jesse asked.

“It’s Drew …”

Jesse tapped his finger on the steering wheel. More
anxious by the split second, he waited. No further response from
Caitlyn. Just sirens and tires in motion.

“What’s going on? What happened to Drew? Why do I
hear a siren in the background?” He waved his hand in circles,
willed her to respond faster.

“We’re in an ambulance,” she said. “Drew’s in
trouble. I don’t know what’s wrong with him. He won’t wake up!”

“Which hospital? I’ll meet you there.”

“St. Mark’s, near Interstate 77. Do you know where it
is?”

“I’m on my way.”

Jesse slapped the phone shut and hung a sharp
right.

PART THREE

SAVING DREW

CHAPTER 56

Jesse rushed through the automatic sliding doors of
the ER and scanned the congested waiting area. He found her seated
alone yet surrounded by a mass of other people who waited. Some
shouted, others dozed; a couple of them held cloths against gashes
on an arm or leg.

When he made his way to Caitlyn, immediately Jesse
noticed her cheeks, chapped from sustained weeping. Her eyes red,
arms crossed over her chest as though to secure herself, she seemed
calm now. With all the chairs around her occupied, Jesse knelt down
and grasped her hands. They were cool to the touch. He embraced her
for a beat, and then they parted.

“How is he?”

She sniffled, ran a finger beneath her moist eye.
“Much better. He regained consciousness and they stabilized him.
They’re getting ready to move him upstairs.”

Still worried, Jesse nodded. His own symptoms started
to flash through his mind, which added to his fear that Drew might
face serious trouble. “What happened to him?”

“I got home from work early and started to cook
dinner. Drew shot hoops outside by himself. He pushed himself hard
at it, determined to perfect some sort of running shot.”

“He told me it wears him out when he runs like
that.”

“It does—I knew I should have stopped him at first
sight, but I didn’t. I kept making dinner. After a while, I didn’t
hear the basketball bouncing but figured he’d gotten bored with
it.” Caitlyn pressed her fingers against her eyes. “Five minutes
later, I heard frantic beating on my front door. It was Ryan’s dad,
from across the street—Drew was lying on the driveway. He wouldn’t
move or respond. I ran outside, and sure enough, he’d collapsed on
the pavement. I couldn’t wake him up.”

Jesse drew her hands into his, pressed them to his
mouth as he listened.

“I was so scared—I thought he was dead.” She opened
her eyes. “I checked his wrist and found he still had a pulse.
Ryan’s dad had already called 911, so the paramedics were on their
way.”

Though relieved to hear Drew’s symptoms were
different from his own, Jesse remained concerned about his son.

“I knew I should have had his exhaustion checked out.
I didn’t trust it from the beginning, but I couldn’t find any other
symptoms.”

Jesse kissed her hand. “He’s fine now. We’ll talk to
the doctor and find out what’s wrong.”

* * *

Four hours later, Jesse and Caitlyn watched as Drew,
now in stable condition, slept in a hospital room. Aware that Drew
loved bright surroundings, Caitlyn turned on every possible light
in case he awoke. The room was semi-private, but the other bed was
unoccupied. Jesse could hear the faint ticks of his own
wristwatch.

Much calmer now, Caitlyn stroked Drew’s hair and felt
his forehead on occasion to catch any preliminary signs of a fever.
A heart monitor beeped in steady rhythm as Drew slept.

A white-lab-coated Dr. Higgins tiptoed through the
door and flipped through sheets in a manila folder. Though he
appeared in his early fifties, the man possessed the composed
bedside manner of a grandfather. “How’s our guy?” he asked.

“Still sleeping,” Caitlyn replied.

After a quick perusal of the heart monitor’s numbers
and the other equipment, the doctor glanced over Drew to confirm
changes hadn’t occurred in the last hour. After this, he sat down
with Jesse and Caitlyn at a small table in the corner of the
room.

“Drew appears stable at this point. He’s fortunate
his head hit his arm rather than the ground when he fell,” Dr.
Higgins said. “I’ll order additional tests for tomorrow so we can
get a more conclusive picture. That will help us determine if there
are other factors at play beyond exhaustion. Has Drew been
hospitalized in the past?”

“No,” Caitlyn said.

“And you said he’s shown signs of fatigue more than
once—beyond the normal rate of growing tired?”

“Yes.”

“Any other symptoms you can recall?”

“No,” Caitlyn said. “That’s why I hesitated to look
into it.”

The doctor offered a compassionate smile. “That’s
understandable. But after today, we’ll want to have anything
unusual checked out, even if it’s minor.” One last look over Drew’s
record before the doctor flipped it shut. “Assuming Drew remains
stable, he should be able to go home tomorrow afternoon.” With a
pat to Jesse’s back, one dad to another, Dr. Higgins rose from the
table and made his way to the door. There he glanced at the young
couple again. “You can stay with him here tonight if you’d like,”
he said, then left the room.

Jesse and Caitlyn watched Drew sleep a while longer
before Caitlyn curled up on the unoccupied bed. Jesse drifted to
sleep on the sage vinyl loveseat beside Drew’s bed.

* * *

The next afternoon, prior to Drew’s discharge, Dr.
Higgins instructed them to keep Drew in bed rest for twenty-four
hours, with no heavy activity for a week. Staff would examine
Drew’s test results in greater detail and schedule follow-up
appointments if necessary. Should further symptoms or
out-of-the-ordinary events occur, Jesse and Caitlyn promised to
bring Drew straight to the hospital.