The Contingency Plan (The Lonely Heart Series) by Latrivia Nelson Page A

allowed at a time. I’ll be here all night, so I’ll give everyone else a chance to get in and see him,” Charlie said softly.  She looked over at Alex and smiled again. 
    “Isn’t she a sweetheart?” Maria said proudly.  “My soon-to-be daughter.” Turning back to her son, she reached in her purse and pulled out a Tupperware container. “I snuck in a bowl of black beans and rice for you.”
    “Ma, I can’t eat,” Alex said, smelling the delicious aroma as she opened up the lid.  He quickly changed his mind. “Well, maybe just a little bit.”
    His brother, Jesus, chimed in quickly as he walked in and took off his cap.  “Ma, I don’t think he’s su p posed to be eating.”
    “Why not?  He’s not having any more surgeries, and he has to be starving,” she said in a high pitched voice.  “He’s going to get skinny if he doesn’t eat.”
    “He won’t die if he misses a meal,” Jesus said, rol l ing his eyes.  “I should eat it for him.”
    “Boy, all you do is eat,” Alex’s father, Pedro said, moving closer to his son.  He bent to kiss his head.  “Good to have you back.”  His father gazed into his son’s eyes with bright hope. 
    “Good to be back, pa,” Alex said with a nod. 
    Charlie slipped out of the ruckus and slowly made her way down the hallway to grab some coffee and try to wake up.  Still in the same clothes and using the hospital bathroom to take quick bird baths, she made the situation work. 
    Since Alex had been admitted, she had not gone home once, hadn’t gone to the office, hadn’t left his side.  The team at Sophie’s Choice had already visited and sent their love and was totally understanding of her absence.  And the deal with Dane Withersby was smoothly underway thanks to Frank.  However, her life was in complete disarray because even though Alex was finally conscious, she worried for his mental state during his upcoming, uphill recovery. 
    Aimlessly, she walked in a daze through the win d ing, sterile halls lined with halogen lights and linol e um floors until she reached the airy cafeteria, where a rush of breakfast goers were moving about the busy place grabbing a bite to eat before they reported to work or after they got off. 
    Huddles of visitors were gathered a various tables wearing the same tired face that she was wearing.  She made eye contact with some of them, speaking through unspoken, paused blinks that verged on mini-naps.  The consensus of the room was that someone well-loved was in trouble, and they weren’t leaving until their loved ones got much better.  Like Charlie, these people were here for the long haul, doing shifts to fluff pillows, lift heads, wipe mouths, pray and stay. 
    After grabbing a bagel, some strong Columbian coffee and little cream cheese, she sat down alone in a corner booth and slumped down in the chair.  Being off of her feet for a moment felt nice, especially in heels, so she took the opportunity to push her feet out of them and wiggle her defenseless toes.
    With her elbow hitched up on the table holding up her chin in her cupped hand, she played with her food and began to nod.
    “Didn’t anyone every tell you not to play with your food,” a voice said from above her.
    Charlie looked up startled.  She knew that voice.  Instant adrenaline ran through her body.  “What are you doing here?” she asked, hating herself for looking so treacherous.
    Sully took a seat across from her, looking like he had just walked off the front cover of a magazine.  They were polar opposites at the moment, because she looked like she had just walked off the front of a wanted poster.
    “I came to see how you were doing, how Alex was doing and if you all needed anything,” Sully said, wiping the table off with his hand. 
    It was a habit of his to clean everything.  She was certain that he didn’t even realize that he was doing it.
    “Are you sure you didn’t come to see if I had changed my mind?” she asked,