A Second Chance Read Online Free PDF

that.”
    Madeline nodded and her eyes drifted
closed.
    He’d gone down to the cafeteria to get
some real food when they’d moved her to an actual room. A smile
crossed her lips when he entered and he knew she appreciated his
being there.
    “ The doctor says the surgery
went well.” Her words were now fluid and he could tell she was
feeling better. Her eyes were glassy from the pain medication, but
her smile was genuine.
    “ Good.”
    “ Thank you for being here. I
didn’t think it would matter to have someone there when I woke up,
but it did.”
    “ You should have asked me to
be here.” He pulled a chair close to her bedside and leaned into
her. Careful not to disturb the wires and tubes attached to her, he
eased his hand into hers. “Do you want to tell me why I think
you’re on a vacation?” He raised his eyebrows.
    She diverted her gaze out the window.
“I was scared. I didn’t want anyone to know what was going on until
it was over. You’re kind of a worrywart,” she said, turning her
misty eyes back to his.
    “ You’re kind of important to
me.” And that was an understatement.
    “ That means a lot to
me.”
    “ Now”—he set his jaw and
leaned in closer—”when did Matt leave?”
    She took a deep breath and shook her
head. “He’s been gone for a month. We’re just waiting for the
finalization of the divorce papers. We split amicably, so it
shouldn’t take too long.”
    Carlos shook his head. He’d thought he
was angry when they got married, but it wasn’t even comparable to
how he felt now, knowing that Matt had let her down. “Maddie, I’m
so sorry.”
    She shook her head again. “Don’t be.
I’m okay with it.” Her brow furrowed and she turned her head
directly toward him. “You shouldn’t be here. You should be home
with Kathy.”
    “ Kathy knows where I am.
She’s worried about you.” He reached his free hand to her face and
brushed a strand of hair away from her eyes. “I’m going to be here
until they kick me out and then I’ll be back in the
morning.”
    “ Don’t be ridiculous. You
need to be home with the kids and Kathy.”
    “ You don’t get it, do you?”
Carlos stood and walked toward the window. He looked out over the
other buildings on the campus and thought of all the people who lay
in the beds with someone who loved them by their sides. “You’re
very important to me. Jesus, Maddie, we have a life together,
still. What would have happened if this didn’t go well? I’d get
some mysterious call that…” He couldn’t say it. “Damnit, does Matt
even know?”
    Madeline shook her head. Tears were
falling from her eyes.
    Carlos pulled a tissue from the box on
the table next to her and wiped away the tears. “Don’t you think
he’d want to know? You’re selling yourself short, thinking that
none of us matter.”
    “ I just didn’t want anyone
to worry.”
    “ Well, it didn’t work.
Getting a call from my brother telling me he just passed you being
wheeled into surgery was a bit of a shock this morning.”
    “ I’m sorry,” she said again.
Her eyes then flew open wide. “The kids?”
    “ They don’t know a thing
yet. But they sure as hell will when I get home. You can’t keep
this from them. They have a right to know.”
    She nodded. “I’m so sorry.”
    “ Will you stop it?” He sat
back down and took her hand. “You’re not alone and you’re not going
to be. I’m here for you. I’ll always be here for you.”
    “ But Kathy…”
    “ Knows how I feel about
you.” Of course he’d downplayed that quite a bit. He still felt
very deeply for Madeline, and it ripped at his heart when he
thought about having told Kathy he loved her. “She’ll be here for
you too.”
     
    He’d left her side around dinnertime.
The drive home gave him plenty of time to think about what he was
going to tell them. He wished he didn’t have to. God, how he wished
she were on a three-week vacation with her husband.
    Dinner had been cleared by the time