The DeWitt-Bukaters arrived at the hospital about twenty minutes later, Cal following. He had offered Rose a ride, insisting that he could get her there sooner, but she had only stared at him stonily, refusing to even speak to him.
Rose had stopped crying by the time they reached the waiting room, but she was restless, pacing incessantly, her high heels clicking on the floor as she moved from the nurses’ station to the entrance to the emergency room and back again. Her hands clutched the fabric of her pink gown, wrinkling it and adding to the mess left by the grass stains.
“Sit down, Rose!” Ruth snapped after watching her daughter pace back and forth for ten minutes. “You’re not helping matters any!”
Rose stared at her mother for a moment, tears threatening again, then sat down next to the twins, who were casting anxious glances at the emergency room entrance and trying to comfort each other, Julie in tears.
Rose’s fingers grasped the arms of the chair as she followed their anxious gazes to the doors separating the waiting room from the treatment area. Looking away, she tried to find something—anything—that would take her mind off her father. What was taking so long? Was it a good sign or a bad sign that they hadn’t heard anything yet? Nervously, she began drumming her fingernails on the arms of the chair, her feet tapping on the floor.
“Stop it, Rose.” Ruth glared at her.
Rose stopped for a moment, but soon began tapping again. With an irritated look, Ruth got up and sat next to her, grabbing her hands.
“Rose, I know you’re upset. We’re all upset. But annoying everyone by making noise isn’t going to help.”
“I can’t help it.” Rose pulled her hands away.
“Yes, you can.” Ruth looked up as a nurse came out of the emergency room and hurried over to her. “Cal, can you please get her a cup of coffee? There’s a machine over that way.”
“Sure.” He headed in the direction Ruth had indicated, looking up in surprise when Jack followed him. Since they had been glaring at each other since they’d arrived at the hospital, he saw no reason why Rose’s foster brother would want to be around him now.
Jack cornered him as soon as they left the room. “Keep your hands off her.”
“What?” Cal looked at him in astonishment.
“Don’t you ever hit Rose again!” Jack demanded, staring at Cal furiously.
“In case you hadn’t noticed, she was hysterical. I only slapped her to calm her down.”
“Yeah, that worked real well, didn’t it? In case you hadn’t noticed, she tried to chase down the ambulance after you slapped her.”
“She’s calm now.”
“Not through any help of yours!” Jack lowered his voice. “If you ever touch her again, I’ll teach you what it feels like to be hit.”
“What goes on between Rose and me is our business, not yours. Now, butt out!”
“I’m Rose’s foster brother. I have every right to defend her.”
Cal gave him a contemptuous look. “You aren’t really her brother. In fact, you’re only here because her father felt sorry for you. You’d better hope he lives, because you won’t last long with the Bukaters if he dies.”
Jack feared that he was right, but wasn’t about to let him know that. “Why don’t you mind your own business?”
“What happens to Rose is my business. Stay away from her. I’ve seen how you look at her—and it’s not like she’s your sister!”
“I don’t know what the fuck you’re talking about!” Jack’s temper was nearing the breaking point. Abruptly, he turned away and headed for the door. “You’d better get her that coffee.”
Just as Jack returned to the waiting room, Cal close behind him, Ruth came out of the emergency room, her eyes red and her usually composed face a mask of shock and devastation. Barely sparing the two boys a glance, she went over to her three daughters, who were looking up at her in misery, knowing what she was going to say but still hoping that somehow it wasn’t true.
Julie spoke first, her voice choked. “Mom…?”
Ruth bent down to the level of her daughters. “Girls…” Her voice broke. Taking a deep breath, she tried again. “Girls…your father…the—the doctor did everything he could, but…your father had a heart attack, and…and I’m afraid he passed away about ten minutes ago.”
Both twins were crying by then. With a sob, Lucy launched herself at her mother, followed by Julie. Rose sat there in silence, trying to take her mother’s words in.
Dad…Dad’s gone…he’s dead…
It didn’t seem possible. Now that what she had feared had become reality, she felt strangely calm. It wasn’t really true, was it? Men like her father didn’t die…and certainly not at such a young age.
Reality finally sank in as she looked at her weeping mother and sisters. Tom Bukater was indeed gone…and nothing could bring him back.
Tears filled Rose’s eyes. Slowly, she got to her feet, stumbling slightly as one of her heels caught in the hem of her dress.
Cal saw her and set the cup of coffee down. “Sweetpea…” He held his arms out to her.
Rose looked at him, reaching to wipe her eyes. Then she walked straight past him and threw her arms around Jack.