Who the hell did he think he was, starting an argument with me before I even had my first cup of coffee? I slipped on my silk robe and headed towards the kitchen and Connor followed behind.

“I’m coming with you; end of discussion. See, now that wasn’t so bad, was it?”

“Connor.”

He walked over to me, picked me up, and set me on the counter. “Listen to me. You’re my wife and this is something that’s very important to you, and it’s important to me too. “

“But—”

He cut me off and brought his finger to my lips. “No buts. I love Denny and we’ll be here for his surgery. But I’m getting on that plane with you and we’re going to that art gallery together. I would never miss your first showing, or any showing, and to think that you were going to go by yourself really hurt me, Ellery.”

As I stared into his eyes, I could see the hurt in them. What the hell did I do? My eyes started to swell with tears as I wrapped my arms around his neck.

“I’m so sorry. I just feel so guilty having to go to this showing while someone that I love very much will be having brain surgery. I feel so selfish, Connor, and I didn’t want you to have to make a decision.”

“There was never a decision to be made, honey. I was going with you all along.”

“I’m sorry.” I began to cry.

“Let’s go upstairs and finish getting dressed so we can get to the hospital,” he said as he kissed me on my head and picked me up off the counter.

***

Thanks to the morning New York City traffic, we arrived at the hospital just as the nurse was getting ready to wheel Denny out of the room and into the operating room.

“I didn’t think I’d see you two before I went under the big knife and got my brain cut open,” he said.

“Damn traffic,” Connor said. “We’ll be here waiting for you when you get out, so make it quick.” He smiled.

“Yeah, I’ll try.” Denny smiled back.

After I gave him a kiss on the cheek, I whispered, “You’re strong and you can do this. Remember, I’m out here waiting for you, so you better come back.”

“I will,” he said as they wheeled him down the hallway.

Connor put his arm around Dana and led her to the waiting room. Dana’s family arrived and tried to keep her as occupied as possible. Connor and I left the waiting room and went up to the cafeteria to grab some lunch.

“Are you nervous about tonight?” he asked.

“Yes!” I smiled.

“Don’t be. You’re a very talented artist, and everyone is going to love your paintings.”

“You’re just saying that because you’re my husband.” I smiled and stuck out my tongue at him.

Connor laughed and threw a straw wrapper at me and then he glanced at his watch. “It’s been six hours already since Denny went into surgery. We should get back to the waiting room.”

He grabbed our trays and then my hand as we walked back to the waiting room. We weren’t back very long when the doctor came to speak to us.

“We were able to remove the tumor, but it did cause some cerebral hemorrhaging and there was significant swelling in the brain. During the surgery, he slipped into a coma.”

Connor grabbed Dana as she almost fell to the ground. Instantly, a sick feeling washed over me, and I needed to sit down. This can’t be happening. Doctor Armstrong continued as Connor kept a tight grip on Dana.

“This isn’t uncommon, and we’re keeping an eye on him very carefully.”

“How long will he be in a coma?” Connor asked.

Dr. Armstrong sighed as he looked at us. “There’s no telling. It could be up to twelve hours or twelve days. I wish I had an exact answer for you, but I don’t. The good news is that the tumor is gone, and the cancer didn’t spread to any other organs. So now, we just have to wait. He’s back in his room and you may go see him.”

“Thank you, Dr. Armstrong,” Connor said as he walked away.

He looked over at me and shook his head as Dana sobbed in his arms. “Come on, Dana, let’s go see him,” he said, leading her to Denny’s room.

I got up from my chair and followed behind. When we reached the room and I saw Denny lying there, tears started to fill my eyes. The soft beeps of the machines to which he was hooked up, and the white bandage that was wrapped around his head were horrifying. Dana almost collapsed before Connor sat her down in the chair. He looked over at me as the tears streamed down my face. As Dana reached over and ran her hand across Denny’s cheek, Connor came over and pulled me into him.

“He’s going to be okay,” he said as he kissed my head.

I needed to be strong, and I couldn’t let Dana see me fall apart. I pulled back from Connor, kissed him, and told him I’d be right back. When I found the nearest bathroom, I stood and stared at my tear-soaked eyes. The thought of going to Chicago terrified me. I found myself no longer wanting to go for the fear that something bad would happen to Denny while we were gone. But, Denny had made me promise him that I would go; not just for myself, but for him. When I walked back to the room, Connor walked over to me.

“I think she’s settled down now. It’s time for us to leave.”

“Connor, I wouldn’t blame you if you wanted to stay with her,” I spoke softly.

“We’ve already settled this, and I’m going with you. Now I don’t want to hear another word about it. Do you understand me?” he said in a commanding tone.

I nodded my head and we said goodbye to Dana and her family. Connor told her to keep us posted and that we’d be back tomorrow. As we walked out of the hospital, hand in hand, I could tell Connor wasn’t doing well, but he refused to show it. I was worried that if he didn’t let his feelings out, he was going to have a break down.

Chapter 29

Connor

Ellery’s paintings looked stunning up on the brand new walls of the art gallery. Vinnie did a fine job displaying each piece of artwork. Ellery had never looked more beautiful than she did in her short, lace, cream-colored dress. I felt it was too short and too low cut. We had a slight discussion about it when she put it on, but like always, she shut me down and told me to deal with it. She was breathtaking, and I didn’t want other men looking at her. But, that’s the price you pay when you’re married to the most beautiful and sexy woman on Earth. As I carefully watched her mix and mingle with the other artists and guests, Vinnie walked up to me and handed me a glass of champagne.

“Thank you, Vinnie. You did a fine job with this opening. The gallery looks fantastic.”

“Thank you, Connor, but none of this would have been possible without your help.” He smiled. “Doesn’t Ellery’s artwork look fabulous up on the wall?”

“It does. Look at all the people over there, admiring them,” I said.

“If you’ll excuse me, I see my brother,” Vinnie said as he walked away.

The art gallery was filled with influential people. The Governor of Chicago and some outstanding photographers were only a few. As I walked around, admiring some of the other artwork, I came across a display of paintings of beautiful nak*d women. Ellery walked over to me as I was staring at them.

“I see you found something to admire,” she said as she looked at the paintings.

“They’re beautiful and so exquisite, aren’t they?” I asked.

Ellery looked at me and then looked back at the portraits. “If you’re in love with them so much, the model is right over there. Maybe you could ask her if she would like you to f**k her!” she snapped as she walked away.

What the hell just happened? I couldn’t believe Ellery had just said that. I turned around to look for her, but she was gone. I tried to search the gallery for her, but I kept getting stopped by people. When I finally was able to break free, I found her over by her paintings, talking to a group of people.

“Good evening. Please excuse us; I need to talk to my wife for a moment.” I smiled as I lightly touched Ellery’s arm and let her to a quiet corner.

“What the hell do you think you’re doing?” she snapped.

“Me? What the f**k was all that about back there?” I snapped back.

“People are staring, Connor.”

“Then I suggest you put on a fake smile, Ellery.”

She did just that and she proceeded to yell at me. “You were gushing all over those nak*d paintings. I simply pointed out that the model is here if you wanted to f**k her, since she was so beautiful and exquisite, and you couldn’t stop staring at her.”

“Are you serious? Are you f**king serious right now? I can’t believe you would be jealous over something like that. My God, Ellery, I was staring at it and saying those things about the artist’s skill, not the actual model. I was picturing you in that painting because I want one of you, nak*d.”

She looked away from me as she bit down on her bottom lip. I had to do everything in my power to keep from putting my hands all over her. “I’m sorry if I gave you the wrong impression. You know I would never want anyone else. I love you, Ellery. I don’t know how to make that any clearer to you than I already have since we’ve been together.”

“I know you do, and I’m sorry. It’s just my nerves with this opening, missing Julia, and the fact that Denny is lying in a hospital bed in a coma.”

“I know, baby,” I said as I wrapped my arms around her and hugged her tight. “It’s almost over and then we’ll be on our way home.”

All of a sudden, we heard a voice behind us. “Really? You can’t wait until after the showing?” Peyton said.

Ellery’s eyes lit up when she saw Peyton and Henry standing there and a huge smile graced her face as looked across the gallery and saw my family smiling at her. I hadn’t told her they were coming; I wanted it be a surprise. She took them over to her section and Henry stayed back with me.

“I heard about Denny. I’m sorry, man,” he said as he patted me on the back.

“Thanks, Henry, but I don’t really want to talk about it right now.”

“I understand. If you need anything let me know.”

Peyton stood in front of the portraits of the nak*d woman that Ellery and I had just fought about. Henry and I walked over and stood next to her. Not too long after, Ellery joined us.

“Will you paint me nak*d, Elle?” Peyton asked.

I looked over at Henry, and he smiled at me.

“Maybe,” Ellery answered.

“Can I watch?” I smiled.

The night went smoothly and Ellery sold all five of her paintings. She was very happy, but she just wanted to get back home. We both did. We missed our baby girl, and we wanted to get back to Denny.

It had been a long and exhausting day. Ellery and I were lying on the couch together on the plane. As I held her in my arms, she tilted her head back and looked at me.

“I gave some thought about what you said earlier.”

“About what, baby?” I asked.

“About you wanting a nude portrait of me.”

“Really? And what did you decide?” I smiled.