The Rhythm of My Heart (22 page)

As he’s finishing his speech, he tells us that before John comes up to accept his award, some patients past and present have a special surprise and would like to express their appreciation for all that John has done for them. Glancing at John and Olivia across the table, I can see they are both a little stunned at this announcement; Cole too as he grabs my hand and gently squeezes it.

The lights in the ballroom are turned off leaving only the twinkling fairy lights of the centerpieces lighting the now silent room. Four people carrying colored lanterns climb the stairs and stand center stage. Some mumbling starts around the room before the first strains of music begin to play and the four begin to sing. I recognize the song immediately as “Lanterns” by Birds of Tokyo; I’m a huge fan of the band.

This song is beautiful. It’s about moving forward, coming out of the darkness and using the light to guide them into the unknown, into the future, without fear. To me these patients are sending the message to John that he is helping them from the darkness and the light is guiding them through.

When the second chorus starts and more voices join in, gasps can be heard throughout the room as more people carrying lanterns of all different colors walk between the tables to the front of the room. When there’s no more room at the front, they simply stop and stand where they are. The room is illuminated with a rainbow of light held by patients, young, old, and every age in between, singing to one man.

I’ve never seen a more moving and beautiful sight in my life, and I’m so overcome with emotion that tears run unchecked down my face. As John stands and gazes around the room, I see that he too has tears trickling down his face. He reaches his hand out to Olivia and she stands beside him, dabbing at her eyes with a handkerchief. Cole stands and takes April’s hand as they too join their father. A tribute like this has more meaning and emotion behind it than any other I have ever heard of. It won’t be soon forgotten.

As the last line is sung a heavy silence fills the room before a young woman, one of the four people on the stage, steps forward. “Doctor John Tierney, your work, your dedication, your compassion, and your guidance always go beyond the call of duty. All of us, your patients, past, present, and no longer with us, can never fully express our gratitude for all that you do, all you have done, and all you will continue to do in the future. You help us fight; you help us hope; you help us believe, and when there is no hope left, you help us move on with as little discomfort as possible. You are a gift, Doctor Tierney; you are our light. Thank you, from twenty-five years of patients and their families.”

As she steps away from the microphone, there isn’t a dry eye in the ballroom. Starting at the stage, John goes around the room, hugging every single one of his patients as we all sit here watching him. “I never would have imagined anything like this could happen,” Olivia says, her lips still trembling.

“John deserves all of this and more, Olivia, and so does his family,” Dad tells her.

Cole turns to me and cups my face. His eyes are so full of emotion; it’s impossible to define any single one as he leans in and kisses my lips. When he pulls back, I’m not completely sure what to think; so I say nothing as he takes my hand, entwining our fingers together and starts talking to Sam while we wait for John to return to the stage.

John’s speech is just as moving as the performance by his patients. He starts out by thanking Olivia for everything she does and has always done and for keeping him in line at home, which gets quite a good laugh from the audience. Then he expresses his undying love for her, which has Olivia in tears again.

He speaks about Cole and April, and his love and pride in them, and when he mentions Sam, how even though he is not his biologically, he is tremendously proud to call him son and expresses his love for him, too. Sam is completely choked up.

Of course, he thanks all the staff and the hospital board for believing in him; when he speaks of his patients, he becomes teary again. When John starts telling the story about how he was planning to leave oncology to pursue another specialty but a special patient inspired him to continue on his current course, Dad, Charlie, and I are awestruck. It front of everyone, he speaks about my mom, her battle, and her loss; how special she was and he even has the three of us stand up to be acknowledged by the crowd. It’s incredible.

Now all the formalities are over and John has received a standing ovation, the band begins playing again. The mood has become light and happy. I promised Dad a dance, so when “Unchained Melody” by The Righteous Brothers begins to play, I pull him to the dance floor knowing it was his and Mom’s song. We’re a little teary as we sway to the music and reminisce about her, but it feels right.

Cole has been coming and going conversing with hospital people and the businessmen attending who are donating to John’s department. We’ve had one dance together to “Someone Like You” by Van Morrison, and he held me close, kissing my ear and whispering about all the things he wants to do to me when we get home. Let me just say that I had to compose myself and freshen up in the ladies room after our dance.

I haven’t seen him for a while now but that’s fine because April is keeping me company at our table.

“I must have built in radar for when the bitch is around Cole. Actually, it’s probably just the twin thing,” she says.

“Who?” I ask and try to look for Cole to see who’s near him.

“Miranda, that’s who,” April retorts. “God, I can’t believe he’s dancing with her.”

I follow the direction of her stare and my heart jumps in my chest when I see them. Cole’s holding her in a waltz pose, left arm around her waist and right hand in hers. Their bodies are touching and they’re both smiling as they talk to each other. They’re dancing to “Only You” by The Platters.
Why the hell do they look so intimate?

They certainly look good together, Cole in all his male perfection and Miranda, the tall, thin, beautiful blonde. Her hair lays straight down her bare back, and her white floor length, long sleeved gown is no doubt a designer label. Actually, they look perfect together.

“I’ll never know what he saw in her,” April says, shaking her head.

Slightly confused and taken aback by what she just said; I look at them again, and then back at April. “What do you mean?” I ask, needing some sort of clarification.

“When they were together. Surely, Cole has told you that they were together. I never did understand it though,” she says.

Obviously, the look on my face as I internally discombobulate at April’s revelation, shows her that I had no idea about their history. She reaches for my hand and grimaces. “Sorry, Gracie, I thought you knew. It’s been two years now though, so there’s no need to worry. Cole definitely won’t take her back.”

I hope she doesn’t think those words are smoothing or encouraging because from where I’m sitting my boyfriend has kept this piece of information from me for months. And while he’s right in front of me dancing slowly to an intimate song with his ex, the same ex who delights in putting me down and trying to make me feel like I’m beneath her every chance she gets, a very grim picture is being painted for me. Cole has always described Miranda as a family friend, the daughter of his mother’s best friend. Not once has he ever given the slightest inkling that they were more.

I look around for Charlie or my dad, suddenly wanting to be anywhere but here. Maybe they can take me home without Cole noticing. Before I can search further, the guy I met at our Fourth of July party, Hamish is beside me.

“Gracie, would you care to dance?” he asks.

I’m slightly unnerved that he calls me Gracie when I’ve only met him once. People usually call me Grace. “Umm, sure,” I reply. If Cole can dance with another woman, then I can dance with another man. At least Hamish isn’t an ex who I’ve had sex with.

I’m not paying much attention to Hamish, just mindlessly swaying along as he chats away until he says, “You look exceptionally beautiful tonight, Gracie. If you were my date, I wouldn’t leave your side.”

What the hell?
Who says something like that to someone they’ve only met once before. Now feeling completely uncomfortable, I look up at Hamish as he smiles down at me. “Hamish, that’s not, at all, an appropriate thing to say to someone you hardly know; especially, when you know she has a boyfriend.”

I go to move away from him, but he moves his hand to my butt and pulls me closer.

Chapter 26

Cole….

I’m so proud to be John Tierney’s son tonight. I can only hope that I become half the man he is and achieve what he has. He has excelled in his career while still keeping his family his first priority. It makes me so happy that he’s been recognized for all he’s done.

I’ve had to work the room as not only John Tierney’s son but as a doctor; it’s meant that I’ve had to leave Gracie several times, but only because I don’t want to bore her with rambling medical staff and wealthy business men. I’m so glad April is here and Bryan and Charlie too.

I glance at Gracie laughing with April as I stand at the bar getting them more champagne before I head back over to them. She’s mesmerizing. Grace has a natural beauty but wow! When she’s dressed up, as she is tonight, it’s impossible not to be completely enraptured by her beauty. I’ve stifled the urge to beat the crap out of several men here tonight. Their blatantly obvious ogling of my woman, even as she stood beside me, had my blood boiling. I just try to take some comfort in the fact that my body will be the one she’s lying beneath at the end of the night.

A tap on my shoulder has me turning around to see who requires my attention now. I just want to get back to Gracie.

I can’t deny she’s a beautiful woman, but her beauty is hard, unlike Grace. “Miranda,” I acknowledge her.

“You’re looking devastatingly handsome as usual, Cole,” she coos.

“Thanks… I guess. You look lovely as well.”

“Lovely? Is that the best you can do, Cole? I’m sure something along the lines of radiant or stunning would be far more appropriate, don’t you think?”

Damn, this woman certainly is stuck on herself. I must have been having a mental breakdown when we were together.

“Well, if that’s what you think is appropriate then I guess you’re right,” I reply snidely as the bartender places the flutes of champagne on the bar in front of me. “If you’ll excuse me, Miranda, I have to get back,” I supply, reaching for the glasses.

“Wait!” she says, laying a hand on my forearm to delay my action. “Can we dance?” she asks.

I’m struck dumb by her request. “That’s not really a good idea. But thank you for asking.”

Miranda rolls her eyes and glances away. “For old times’ sake, Cole. It’s one dance. I’m not asking you to marry me, for goodness sake.”

I ponder it for a moment; after taking into consideration the fact that we’re old friends and our mothers are best friends, I give in. “One dance, Miranda,” I firmly state.

Miranda places her hand in the crook of my arm, and I lead us to the dance floor. As we move into position, a new song begins. “Only You.”
You have to be fucking kidding me.

“Oh, what are the chances of that?” Miranda giggles, and I know that she somehow managed to set this up. I just shake my head in annoyance and don’t respond.

“Oh, come on, Cole, lighten up. It was our song. We had so many good times together. Remember the seaweed wigs at the beach senior year?”

We both start laughing because that day was hilarious; it really was a great memory. Too bad Miranda completely changed in the years following, and turned into the opportunistic bitch she is today. The old Miranda was fun and carefree.

We continue dancing and Miranda recalls a few more memories, but everything around me fades into the background as a red haze of fury descends over me when the sight of Grace dancing with Hamish enters my vision. Jealously, unlike any I’ve ever experienced before, grabs hold of me like a tight fist and squeezes my chest painfully.

I let go of Miranda and start making my way toward them; when I see Hamish’s hand latch on to Gracie’s ass, I lose it. With quick strides, I meet them and rip Hamish’s hand away. “What the hell do you think you’re doing?” I growl at him through clenched teeth.

“I was just telling Hamish how inappropriate his behavior was and that I no longer wanted to dance with him,” Grace says, moving away from both of us.

The small crowd of couples in the surrounding area has turned their heads to watch the altercation as they continue to sway to the music.

“I was just enjoying a dance with a beautiful woman,” Hamish replies, without any remorse.

“Well, I suggest you keep your goddamn hands to yourself and stay away from Grace,” I spit at him, ready to rip his head off.

“It’s fine, Cole. I was handling it. You’re making a scene,” Grace says, disgust and annoyance coloring her tone.
What the hell?

“It didn’t look like you were handling it, Gracie. He knows full well that we’re together and he has no right putting his hands on you or even dancing with you for that matter.”

Gracie’s eyes widen and the look of shock on her face at my words, quickly transforms. Her cheeks become tinged with a red hue from obvious embarrassment and the scorching fire in her eyes tells me she’s majorly pissed off with the way I just behaved.