Frigate Cove Ch. 09-10

Chapter 9 A Heartfelt Admission

Frigate Cove 2013

"The procedure went just as we expected, Mister Stuart. The valve is in place and is working properly. We'll want Ms. Urquhart to come in for a final evaluation in three weeks, but I'm confident she's going to be in good health," Dr. Rippon assured him.

"That's great news," Cam smiled. "Thank you, and I'm sure Jamie is equally grateful, right Jamie?"

"Yeah. Mom's going to be all better now, right?"

"As good as new," cardiac surgeon Amos Rippon assured the youngster.

"You'll be able to see her later this afternoon. It takes a while for the anaesthetic to wear off. She may be a little groggy, but she'll be fine by tomorrow. She should be able to go home in two or three days. However, she'll need to rest and not indulge in any strenuous activity for a couple of weeks. Walking once or twice a day will be good exercise for her. Just don't be too aggressive with it at first," the doctor cautioned.

"We'll take very good care of her, won't we Jamie?" Cam smiled.

"Yeah, we will," Jamie nodded enthusiastically.

It was nearing four that afternoon when Cam and Jamie walked cautiously and quietly into the single-bed room. Glynnis appeared to be sleeping, her eyes closed, lying on her back, her hands folded on her abdomen. For a moment, Cam wondered if they should leave her until she woke, but then saw her head turn toward them and her eyes opened. It was the smile of recognition that filled him with relief and encouraged them to approach her.

"Hi," she said weakly.

"Hi, yourself," Cam smiled, holding Jamie's hand and bringing him closer to her bed.

"Are you all better now, Mom?" the boy asked in a near whisper.

"Yes, Dear, I will be all better. Just a few days to get my strength back and I'll be good."

Cam stood, gazing down at the woman he had fallen in love with. How to tell her? When to tell her? Those persistent questions drifted through his consciousness regularly. Without Jamie there, he might have blurted it out then and there. But ... it wasn't the time or the place ... was it?

Glynnis reached for Cam's hand, looking up at him, smiling. "Thank you," she said in a muted, raspy voice.

"For?" Cam wondered.

"Everything," she replied, her smile never wavering.

Cam and Jamie didn't stay long as it was evident Glynnis tired easily. "We'll see you again tomorrow," Cam promised as Glynnis kissed Jamie on the cheek. The urge was irresistible and Cam bent down and kissed her forehead, gently squeezing her hand. Her eyes were closed, but the smile remained. "I love you," he whispered. He gazed at her sleeping form for a few moments before leading Jamie out of the room.

~*~

Glynnis was more alert and was sitting upright in her bed the next day. A number of tubes and wires had been removed and only a monitor remained at her bedside.

"You look much better today," Cam smiled. "How are you feeling?"

"Better ... yes ... I'll be glad to go home though. That's where I want to be."

"We got everything ready for you, Mom," Jamie announced. "Cam and me ... we'll look after you."

"Thank you, Jamie. You're such a good son. I'm very lucky to have you ... both of you ... taking care of me."

Jamie was beaming with pride while Cam stood back and allowed the boy his moment in the sun. They chatted about everyday things. Howard had called to find out how Glynnis was, and hoped he would see her back in the store soon. He claimed it wasn't the same without her around to keep things in order.

"I got an email from my editor in New York," Cam told her. "She likes my revisions to the second Gascoigne novel and within a month it should be ready to send to the printers. They are already asking me about number three."

"If number three is half as good as the others, you'll have three more best-sellers," Glynnis boasted.

"Well, we can hope, can't we," he nodded.

"Yes, we can, can't we," she said, gazing at him intently, her eyes fixed on his.

They stayed a few more minutes until the duty nurse came to prepare her for a sponge bath and a trip to the washroom. Jamie kissed his mother's cheek while Cam leaned forward and once again kissed her forehead.

Glynnis looked up at him with a smug smile. "I heard what you said," she whispered, then softly touched his cheek with her fingertips.

Initially it took Cam by surprise, but then he realized exactly what she was referring to.

"I meant it," he smiled, this time placing a soft kiss on her lips. "We'll talk about this when you're back home ... our home."

He caught the hint of tears in her eyes, but smiled and turned away, hiding his own emotion. He missed the smile on her face and her sigh of contentment.

~*~

Glynnis was released in Cam's care on Friday morning, saving her from another hospital meal. Not that they were that bad, but she longed for something that had texture and flavour, not soft and bland. There was no reason she couldn't return to a normal diet and she was looking forward to that.

"We have lunch all ready for you, Mom," Jamie exclaimed. "Cam and me, we made it this morning. He said you'd be glad to have what we made instead of that yucky hospital food."

"Cam and I, Jamie," his mother corrected with a smile. "Thank you ... I'm sure I'll like it."

"Yeah ... we made Minestrone soup and Cam got some of that stinky cheese you like. And some crackers, too."

"Oh, that sounds wonderful. Thank you Cam and Jamie," she beamed as the orderly wheeled her out of the hospital lobby into the entrance foyer.

Cam retrieved the Jeep and helped Glynnis into the front passenger seat, getting a smile and another fingertip touch on his cheek as a thank you. Twenty minutes later, having dropped Jamie off at his school, they were moving up the driveway to the house that had become their home. She hadn't missed the implication of Cam's comments about it being "home."

She was still a bit unsteady on her feet, so Cam guided her up the short steps to the porch and into the house. He took her coat and put on the coat tree before leading her to her favourite wing chair. It was tall enough and firm enough that she would be comfortable sitting there. When she tired, he would lead her to the bed so that she could rest.

"I'm not an invalid, Cam," she protested as he insisted on helping her every movement.

"I know, but you're not back to full strength either, and I won't allow you to overdo it this soon."

"You won't allow it?" she said with an arched eyebrow.

Cam caught the meaning of her comment immediately and back-pedalled. "I mean, I'm responsible for making sure your recovery goes according to plan."

She laughed, almost instantly regretting it as it was more painful than she expected.

"Are you okay?" Cam quickly asked, moving to her.

She nodded. "I guess I shouldn't get too enthusiastic yet," she said, pointing to her chest.

"Just what I was trying to tell you, Ms. Urquhart," Cam said with a scowl.

"Okay ... I get the message. Now ... what about that lunch you promised?"

Cam put the soup in the microwave and pulled the cheese platter from the fridge. Within five minutes, the lunch was ready and on the dining room table. The smile on Glynnis's face was reward enough as she steadily attacked the soup while nibbling on the cheese and crackers.

When she had had enough, she returned to her chair and turned on the television to a news channel, catching up on world and local events. A few minutes later, Cam had cleaned up the dishes and returned to the great room to find Glynnis asleep in the chair. He smiled at the peaceful look on her as she dozed.

Cam sequestered himself in his office, trying unsuccessfully to do some work on the third novel. He couldn't resist checking on Glynnis to make sure she was alright. He could feel the tension all afternoon as he tiptoed around the house, trying not to disturb her. He couldn't concentrate on work and was sure he couldn't keep this up for long. It was too tiring ... and probably unnecessary, but he couldn't help himself. Until ...

"Cam, will you cut it out, please," a wide awake Glynnis insisted. "You're acting like I'm on my deathbed for Pete's sake. You don't have to be quiet and you don't have to avoid me. Besides, you and I need to talk. Jamie is back in school, so there's no better time than now. Come and sit down ... please," she urged.

He sighed almost in relief. "Okay. What do you want to talk about?" he asked.

"You know perfectly well what," she said, looking him right in the eyes with a stern expression.

"Yes ... I guess I do," he admitted. "Well, what I said ... I meant. I love you, Glynnis. I have for some time if I'm honest with myself. I'm worried that I'm too old for you, but I can't help myself. I love you."

She smiled and he saw immediately that it was her loving smile that he had become so familiar with over the months she had been here.

"I know," she nodded. "I could tell ... not just your actions or words, but the way you were around me ... us ... Jamie too. You were protective and supportive. Almost like a husband would be. What woman wouldn't fall in love with a man like you? I couldn't help myself either. I've never once thought about your age ... or the difference between us. But we don't know very much about each other, do we? Maybe it's time we did. Perhaps I should go first ... I'm the stranger here."

Cam was about to protest her use of the word "stranger" when he thought better of it. He didn't want to interrupt her. She claimed she was in love with him and that was enough. He really didn't need to know any more than that. It was all he ever wanted to hear from her. He exhaled in relief and sat back in his chair.

There was nothing terribly remarkable about Glynnis's history. At least, until she hooked up with Brad. Her parents brought her up in a comfortable middle-class home in Calgary, watching her blossom into an attractive young woman with no discernible direction after she finished high school.

"I lost my virginity on my sixteenth birthday to a boy who barely knew what to do. It was not a shining moment in my life, and one I would just as soon forget. I don't think my parents knew when it happened, but I'm pretty sure my mother knew I was no longer the pure and innocent daughter. After all, she had authorized me going on the pill, so she must have realized the kind of pressure that I would be under in those teenage years. I'm pretty sure my father had no clue," she chuckled.

"When I finished high school, I got a job in a lumber yard in Bowness. I was part receptionist, part inventory clerk, part secretary. I knew how to type, so that got me all the letter writing ... usually to some overdue contractor stretching his invoices out over ninety days. Anyway, I went to night school to learn something about computers and how to use them. The lumber yard had a primitive system and the owner was too cheap to update it. There was no one there to tell him what to do.

"Anyway, night school was where I met Jamie's father. He was older ... maybe late thirties," she said, blushing as she looked at Cam. "I mean, I was barely twenty, so he was old to me."

Cam laughed. "No offense, Glynn."

"Good. Anyway, Terry Monshein was a really nice guy and was really helpful as we went through the course work. He understood what worked in business and I knew what we needed at the yard, so he had some suggestions for programs that he thought would help us. So, over time, we kind of ... you know ... got friendly.

"Anyway, I kind of fell into bed with him one night and that was the start of it. I had no idea if he was married and I didn't think much about it. It was good sex and he was a nice guy. He didn't wear a ring, so I didn't worry about it too much. Then ... well ... I got pregnant. That's when he told me he would pay for an abortion, but he was married and wasn't about to leave his wife for me. Boy, was that a let-down.

"After I thought about it, I decided to keep the baby. I just couldn't see myself ending a life like that. I hadn't really thought it through very well. I hadn't figured out how I was going to care for the child and still have a job and where I was going to live. So ... in the end, I went back home to my parents and confessed what had happened. They were pretty good about it, all things considered.

"Terry disappeared, of course. He didn't have any intention of sticking around and getting caught with another woman's child. Life lesson number one for innocent little Glynnis Urquhart. I kept my job, even after taking maternity leave. They needed someone who knew how to turn on the computer system and get something out of it. My mom was my babysitter and that was a big relief. Jamie was a wonderful baby, very easy and good natured. That made life easier for my mom. But it wasn't a fun time for either of us. Mom was tied down to caring for a child all over again, and I was pretty much doing nothing but work or look after Jamie. Neither of us had much time for ourselves.

"Dad gave me a laptop computer that he had replaced, and I took it to work when I went back. It had a bunch of programs on it and some of them were really useful at the lumber yard. Pretty soon I was loading inventory, sales, and supplier orders on it. I wasn't able to connect to the accounting department, but soon enough the controller finally convinced the owner to invest in a new system and some new equipment. The next thing you knew, they didn't need my little system any more. But I had proven my worth, and I got a better job and a raise.

"So ... that's where I was until that fateful day when big Brad Lester came into my life. He was working for a contractor on a resort project in Canmore, near Banff. He was a big guy, handsome and full of himself. At first I resisted his advances, but after a while he kind of wore me down. The next thing I knew, we were having sex in his trailer and he was telling me we were a couple now.

"I told him I had a son and I wasn't able to just pack up and be with him. Besides, did he want to be involved with a woman with a kid? He said all the right things, so over time, we had a kind of long-distance romance. He wasn't exactly my dream man, but he was good to me and he seemed to like Jamie. He even talked about us getting married and him adopting Jamie, becoming his real father.

"Then, he got transferred to Kamloops on another project. I had a decision to make, and I made the wrong one. Against the wishes and advice of my parents I went with him, thinking I would have a husband and Jamie would have a father. For a few months, it seemed like it might work. Then, he got laid off. That was the beginning of my nightmare."

Glynnis paused, wiped her eyes with a tissue, and sighed deeply.

"I was so naïve, Cam. I had a job at another lumber yard based on my experience in Bowness. It was one of the chain yards and had all the latest in computer systems for everything. It was easy for me to learn the systems, so they were happy with me. But Brad wasn't. I was the only breadwinner and he didn't seem to be looking very hard for another job. They were all beneath his exalted status ... in his mind. Then ... to make matters worse, he started drinking.

"Not that he never drank before, but never too much or too often. Now, he was on the bottle pretty much every day. So ... you know how it deteriorated from that."

Glynnis paused at that point. "I just realized I've never officially resigned from Thompson River Suppliers. I guess I should phone them and apologize to my boss. He's a good guy and while he knew some of the problems Brad and I were having, I was pretty reliable ... then one day ... I was gone."

"I think that's a good idea, Glynnis," Cam smiled. "Very considerate of you."

"I'll call him this afternoon. I owe him that much," she paused. "So ... that's how I got from there to here."

"What about your parents? Do they know where you are and that you're okay?"

"Yes. I used Skype a few days after I got here and told them why I left Brad and approximately where I was. Apparently Brad called them looking for me, but they didn't want to talk to him and wouldn't tell him even if they did know."

"Why don't you phone them today too," Cam suggested softly. "I'm sure they'd like to know you are well and safe and living with a harmless old fogey," he grinned.

"Harmless? I hope not," she said with a look of chagrin. "I'm almost afraid to tell them about my health problems."

"Well ... I have a suggestion. Call them on Skype. They'll see where you and Jamie live, and that you are alive and well and in good care. I'll be right there with you."

She smiled and held her hand out to him. "Come here. I want to kiss you ... properly."

Cam felt himself completely relax in her arms. The kiss was gentle but telling. There was more behind it than gratitude.

"That was wonderful," she smiled. "Let's do more of that ... soon."

"I agree. I was very nice. Now, why don't you make those calls? Jamie will be home in a few minutes. I'm sure your parents will want to speak to him too."

Cam overheard some of the conversation Glynnis had with the Thompson River Suppliers manager in Kamloops. She was very apologetic, but said it was necessary to avoid having any more contact with Brad. It sounded like her boss understood. When the call ended she returned to the living room.

"Rick was very understanding, Cam. He said Brad had been around looking for me and tried to bully the girls into giving him my phone number. They knew I didn't have a cell phone, so they weren't able to give him the information. Apparently he lost his cool and Rick and a couple of the guys from the back had to escort him out of the building."

"You're well rid of him, Glynnis. I think you can forget about him. He's a part of your past and this is where your future lies," Cam assured her.

"Does it? Does it really, Cam? I want that ... I truly do."

"Then this is where it will be ... with me," he said softly, wrapping his arms around her.

The Skype call to Glynn's parents was a happy surprise for them. They were pleased that her operation went well and that she was back in Cam's home recuperating. They were even more delighted to see and talk to Jamie. But the introduction of Cam was yet to come.

"Mom, Dad, I'd like you to meet Cameron Stuart, my landlord ... and with any luck, my husband."

That not only caught her parents totally by surprise, it caught Cam as well. It took a few seconds before anyone was able to say anything in response.

"Nice to meet you, Cameron," her father said, finally regaining his speech. "Please call me Donald ... and this is my wife and Glynnis's mother, Margaret."

"I'm delighted to meet you both," Cam said, smiling at what appeared to be a genuine welcome. "And I'm Cam to my friends. I've fallen in love with your daughter and grandson and, for the first time in many months, I feel very young again."

"Glynnis has told us a great deal about you, Cam," Margaret said. "I understand you are a successful author. It must be very exciting to see something you created on a bookstore shelf."

"Yes ... it is. I don't think I ever imagined that it might turn out so well, but for now, I'm doing very well and working toward keeping it that way."

"I've been reading one of your first novels, and I'm impressed," Donald said. "I'm really enjoying it, and learning a lot as well."

"I'm pleased to hear that," Cam replied. "I'm really pleased to have this opportunity to meet you and talk to you. If you can, please come and visit us here in Frigate Cove. I'm sure Glynn has told you how beautiful it is."

"Yes ... over and over again," Margaret chuckled. "I think we might come out next summer for our vacation. We've never been on Vancouver Island."

"Well, you'll always be welcome here," Cam smiled.