Turbulence

I looked up from my phone as someone’s hands hit the bar in front of me. “What can I get for you? Another beer?”

“How did you remember I was drinking beer? You’ve served everyone in here.” The man inspected me, curiously.

“Most people get beer, it’s a sports bar. If they don’t, they are usually drinking something like whiskey or scotch.”

“You worked here long?”

“Since the beginning,” I told him, popping the cap off a new bottle of beer. “I own the place.”

“No way,” he said, awestruck. “This is your bar?”

“It is,” I nodded, handing over the beer. “This is a new one we’ve brought in. Hope you like it.”

“Thanks,” he smiled before walking off to his table.

“Been a busy night?”

I turned to the voice that appeared next to me and grinned. “I’m glad you’re here. It hasn’t been too busy, just constant. I had a few minutes before the last customer, but other than that it’s been customers at the bar all night.”

“You should have called me, I would have come in early.”

“I know, Kel, but I managed. It’s nice when I can get to know the customers. You never know when they’ll be back.”

“That is so true,” he nodded, grabbing a glass and filling it with ice and water. “Speaking of regulars, look who just walked in.”

I followed his line of sight to the doorway and groaned inwardly as I threw on a smile. “I was wondering when they would be in again.”

“Ceb!”

I waved at the loud man who was waving erratically in my direction. “Those boys are going to cause some kind of trouble tonight.”

“How do you know?” Kel asked, pouring a drink for the order one of the waitresses placed.

“Look at them, they’ve already been out somewhere else, which is kind of insulting.” The last bit was a joke, but I wasn’t going to play it like that. “Plus, some of those guys haven’t seen me in ages, so I can only imagine what kind of uproar they are going to cause.”

Kel laughed as the team made it to the bar.

“Ceb! You are here!”

“I am,” I chuckled, shaking my head at the man. “Where else would I be?”

He shrugged and peered at the bottles behind me.

“What are you lot drinking tonight?” I asked, glancing around to see who had all shown up.

“Bottles.”

“I hope that’s bottles of champagne,” Kel muttered next to me.

Chuckling, I shook my head again and started popping caps off of the team’s usual choice of beer. “I could only dream of the boys spending that much money in my bar.”

“They are you’re friends, aren’t they?”

“They are, but I can’t force them to purchase the expensive stuff.”

“Hey, Carey, it’s been awhile.”

I handed the new man a beer and smiled. “How’s it been?”

“You know, winning games and spending time with the family.”

“The wife let you out for the night?”

“Just for the night. For some reason, she really didn’t have a problem with me being here.”

“Is that why you were never out with the boys? The wifey wouldn’t let you?”

“Ha, no way. I usually chose not to, but she’s happier when I stay home anyway. Someone else around to help her with the kids, you know?”

You have no idea. “You guys having a good night?”

“So far, yes. The guys are getting kind of rowdy though.”

“I could tell. The way David yelled at me from the door kind of gave it away.”

The man chuckled. “I guess you’re right. He was pretty adamant that we show up tonight. I couldn’t figure out why until we got here.”

“He’s really missed me, hasn’t he?”

“He’s not the only one. Some of the guys have been asking Tazer where you are and what you’ve been up to. He always tells us that you are busy with work. We all assume there is something else, but don’t know what it is. You two aren’t sleeping together, are you?”

I groaned and shook my head. “No, we are definitely not. People have got to stop asking me that.”

“Sorry, it’s just that he’s been the only one to see you regularly.”

“Don’t worry. I see where you’re coming from. It just gets annoying.”

“What’s been keeping you away from us then?”

“Just some personal stuff, plus it’s not super fun to be around my ex-boyfriend a whole lot.”

“It’s true then?”

“What’s that?”

“You and Kaner broke up.”

“That was awhile back, Seabs.”

He nodded, knowingly. “He didn’t really tell us. You just stopped showing up to games and events and things, so we figured you were on vacation or something. Then time went on and still you weren’t around.”

“That man, he’s going to be the death of me,” I grumbled, pouring myself a glass of Ginger Ale. “I’ll come back to visit soon enough, I’m sure, it’s just one of those things that needs to be timed well. Patrick and I have been working on getting back to, I guess, friendship, so I don’t want to do something that might affect that.”

“You guys are going to be just friends?”

“I don’t really know. I keep telling people that we are working things out, but I don’t want them to get the idea that we are getting back together, ‘cause we are not.”

“We are not what?”

I glanced at the new voice to enter our conversation and rolled my eyes.

“Apparently, you two aren’t getting back together.”

“I didn’t realise there was an option.”

“That’s because there isn’t Patrick. I told you that already.”

Patrick shrugged. “You never know. Can I grab a beer?”

“I do know, Pat. There’s no way you can convince me to get back together with you. And, I am not having this discussion here.” I opened a bottle for the blond. “Let’s just act civil towards each other tonight.”

“I won’t have a problem with that,” he smirked, taking the bottle from my hand. He let his hand graze my fingers before pulling the beer from me. “How’s your night?”

“Busy, but that’s the way I like it.” I exchanged a look with Brent Seabrook, who rolled his eyes and turned away to find someone new to talk to.

“Are you here all night?”

“Chances are good.”

“Too bad. We are heading over to Versteeg’s tonight, thought you might want to join.”

“What made you think that?”

“Maybe seeing the guys would have brought about some need to hang out with us.”

“I didn’t make the choice not to hang out with them, at least not on my own.”

“So, come over and hang. I know they all want to see you again.”

“They can come up to the bar if that’s the case. Patrick, I’m not going to Steeger’s with you guys. I have to go pick up Cameron after work and then I need to get some rest.”

“Has your insomnia still been bad?”

“Lately, not as much, so I’m taking all the chances I can get to sleep.”

“You never had much problem when we were together.”

“Patrick,” I warned, glancing around. “You really have to stop dropping hints. I know you think they come off as innocent little phrases, but they don’t. I know what you are after and I can’t give it to you, so please, just stop.”

“Come on, Cee, you know I don’t mean any harm. It’s fun to rile you up, though.”

I opened my mouth to reply as my phone started ringing. “This conversation is over,” I told Patrick as I hit the answer button. “Hello?”

“Hey, Carey, I don’t mean to worry you or anything, but I haven’t been able to get Cam to go to sleep. He’s been coughing and wheezing all afternoon and he starts crying every time I try to put him to bed. He has a fever, too.”

“Shit,” I muttered, glancing back at the bar. My concerned eyes connected with Patrick’s. “I’m just going to let my bartender know and then I’ll head over. I’ll probably have to take him to the hospital. Has he eaten anything at all today?”

“I tried, Carey, but it was hard. He drank some juice, but spit that up. I figured he was just having a bit of a fit or something. Things just don’t seem to be getting better.”

“Okay, thanks, Trina. I’ll be there as soon as I can.”

“Everything okay?” Patrick asked, noticing my worried expression.

“It’s Cameron,” I replied. “I have to go.”

“I’ll come with you,” he said, getting up from his bar stool.

“That’s not necessary,” I told him, turning to look for Kel. When I spotted him, I made my way over quickly. “I’m really sorry to do this, Kel, but I have to go. A personal emergency came up.”

“That’s fine, Carey, I’ll manage.”

I nodded and headed to my office to grab my jacket.

“Cee, he’s my kid too.”

“I know, Patrick, but you don’t have to come with me. I don’t want to ruin your night, especially if it turns out to be nothing.”

“I’m not giving you a choice in this, Cee. I am coming with you.”

“Fine, whatever,” I muttered, grabbing my purse, keys and jacket. “Let’s go.”

I tried my best not to break any speed limits as I drove toward Jonathan’s brother’s house.

“So, what’s going on?”

“He had a bit of a cough and runny nose the other day, but yesterday both cleared up, so I didn’t think anything of it. Trina just called though. She said that he’s been coughing for awhile and won’t sleep. He’s got a fever now.”

“You know it’s probably just a cold, right?”

“I know, Patrick,” I snapped. “But he’s my boy. I don’t want to chance it.”

“I didn’t want you to,” he mumbled.

Shooting him a dark look, I pulled my Focus in front of the house. “Wait here.” I ran to the door and knocked.

“Carey, I’m really sorry I pulled you away from work, but I didn’t know what to do.”

“Trina, you know that you can call me anytime when it has to do with Cameron. You’ve been such a big help to me throughout the past year.”

“Thanks, he’s all ready to go. I put him in the high chair and that seemed to help, but he’s clearly not a happy boy.”

As I picked the toddler up out of the chair, he started coughing again. “That can’t be good.”

“It doesn’t sound it.”

Thanking Trina again, I made my way to the car and fastened my son into his car seat. “Pat, can you sit in the back with him? Maybe rub his chest when he starts coughing.”

Without an argument, the man switched seats and started cooing over his son.

It wasn’t news to me that he had quickly become attached to the little boy, but to see him taking care of Cameron was something that I never expected to witness. I wasn’t about to deny how nice it was to see either.

Pulling into a parking spot at the hospital, I turned to look over my shoulder. “You carry him and I’ll fill out the paper work?”

“Sounds good to me,” Patrick agreed, unbuckling Cameron.

We made our way into the hospital and toward the information desk.

“Can I help you?” The lady at the registration desk smiled up at me from her seat.

“My son seems to have a horrible cough. He has a bit of a fever and hasn’t eaten anything since breakfast. He wasn’t feeling well a couple days ago, but his symptoms went away yesterday.”

The lady nodded and started typing. “Have you been here before?”

“Yes, about fourteen months ago.”

“And your son?”

“That’s when he was born.”

“Your name?”

“Carey Brandt.”

“His name?”

“Cameron Brandt-Kane.”

“Excellent, both of your charts are here. I’ll get them ready and a nurse will be out when we have a room ready.”

“Thank you,” I smiled before walking over to where Patrick was standing. “How is he?”

“His fever’s not going down and his cough isn’t really getting better. In fact, I think it’s been getting worst since the car ride.”

“It might be a bit before the doctor can see him,” I muttered, fiddling with the hem of my jacket. “I hate hospitals.”

“This is a good hospital, Cee.”

“I know. This is where I gave birth.”

Patrick just nodded and continued trying to calm Cameron down. Silence enveloped us as we sat patiently waiting for a nurse to appear.

Minutes later, a woman in scrubs approached us. “Carey Brandt?”

Patrick and I stood almost immediately and followed the lady into an examination room.

“What seems to be the problem?”

“Cameron, my son, he’s had this nasty cough for most of the day. My babysitter said she couldn’t get him down for bed without him starting to cry. He had a cough and runny nose the day before last, but it was gone yesterday.”

The nurse nodded and took down notes to share with the doctor. “That cough really doesn’t sound good. I’ll grab the doctor.”

Sighing, I sunk into a chair and buried my face in my hands. I felt Patrick’s hand rub up and down in an attempt to relax me. “He’s never been sick before,” I whispered. “He’s had the sniffles and stuff, but nothing like this.”

“He’s going to be alright, Cee.”

I raised my head as I heard the door open.

“Hello, I’m Doctor Whelm. The nurse said that your…” His voice trailed off as he looked around the room and noticed Patrick. “Sorry, the nurse said that your son had a bad cough.”

“That’s right,” Patrick replied, stepping closer to the man as Cameron’s coughing started up once more.

“You can put him on the bed and then I can take a closer listen.”

Patrick obeyed, holding onto Cameron to make sure he didn’t roll off. “It’s nothing too serious, is it Doc?”

Doctor Whelm placed his stethoscope to Cameron’s chest and listened as the boy coughed. He checked the boys throat and temperature before turning to Patrick and me. “You’re boy will be fine. He has something called croup. It’s an infection that causes the throat and larynx to swell. Did he have the flu recently?”

“He had a bit of a cold last week, I guess, but it wasn’t anything serious,” I told him.

The man nodded and put the information into Cameron’s chart. “That may be the cause of his croup.”

“So, what do I do?”

“Keep him calm. It’s never fun to have trouble breathing, so try to soothe him. He will find it easier to breathe if he is sitting, so you might have trouble getting him to sleep. The best thing you can do is give him moist air to breathe. I recommend sitting in a steamy bathroom for ten to fifteen minutes. Make sure he’s getting many fluids, popsicles are good, too. It’s best if you sleep in the same room as him too, then you can monitor his breathing. If he gets worse in the next few days, bring him back and we will get him on some medication.”

“Hopefully it doesn’t come to that,” I said, shaking the doctor’s hand. “Thank you.”

Once the doctor left, Patrick picked up Cameron and sat down in the chair next to me. “You okay to drive?”

I nodded and peered into his eyes. “I’m ready to go home.”

The ride to my house was quiet as Patrick soothed our son again. I was relieved that Cameron didn’t have anything too serious and that he should be better within a few days. I knew I would have to take the rest of the week off of work, which I knew would be fine with my employees.

“This is it,” I said, pulling in front of my house.

“I’ll bring him in,” Patrick offered.

I agreed, not wanting an argument at this time of night. “I’ll go run the water in the bathroom,” I mumbled, leaving Patrick to fend for himself. I sat on the toilet as the bathroom filled with steam. The moist air was helping me relax and my worry was drifting away.

“Is it safe to come in?” Patrick’s head peeked through the door.

“It is,” I told him, standing from the toilet. I reached out and took Cameron from the blond before sitting on the floor. “Do you want to sit with us?”

Without a word, Patrick dropped beside me. He watched as Cameron seemed to breathe easier in the hot room. “I told you he’d be okay.”

I gave Patrick an unimpressed look. “I’ve never been so worried in my life.”

“I know, Cee, I know.” He wrapped an arm around my shoulders.

Leaning my head against his shoulder, I closed my eyes and took some more deep breathes. “Thank you, Patrick.”

“For what?”

“Being there for us tonight. If you hadn’t come with me, I don’t know how I would have kept Cameron calm enough for the ride to and from the hospital.”

“I’ve told you before, Cee, I’m here for you both. No matter what time it is.”

Opening my eyes, I turned my head to look at the man. “Well, thank you. It means a lot.”

Patrick kissed the top of my head and got up. “Do you want some tea?”

Taken aback, I nodded. “That would be great, Pat. Can you bring it to Cameron’s room when it’s ready?”

After agreeing, he disappeared to the kitchen, leaving me to sit with Cameron. The room was starting to clear up and Cameron’s coughing had seemed to subside for the time being. Picking my son up, I brought him into his room. Placing him in his crib, I rubbed his back hoping to help him fall asleep.

“You still take it with sugar and milk, right?”

I turned to the door. “I do.”

“Good,” Patrick smiled, carrying two mugs into the room. “How’s he doing?”

“He just fell asleep,” I replied, taking a mug from him. I moved across the room and slid down the wall to the floor.

Patrick followed suit and sipped his tea. “Do you want me to stick around tonight?”

“Like all night?”

“Yeah.”

“I guess so. If you don’t want to cab home tonight, you can stay here. I’ll drive you home tomorrow.”

“Thanks, Cee.” Again, he placed an arm around my shoulders, pulling me closer to him. “I’m glad I was at the bar tonight.”

“Me, too,” I admitted, looking up into his eyes. I could see the gears turning in his head as we sat silently, staring. I didn’t even get a chance to register what was happening as his face got closer and our lips connected. I turned my body to get a better angle as we kissed, passionately. Something in the back of my mind told me to stop, but something in my heart wouldn’t let me.