Deceive Her With Desire by Nina Pierce Page B

want them to speak. Deidre knew if they did, the ache in her chest would explode into a pain so intense it would melt her from the inside out.
    She hadn’t gotten there in time to say good-bye.
    “Daddy?” The name slipped from her lips in a voice she didn’t recognize.
    Her mother broke from the group, reaching out her hand to cradle Deirdre’s cheek.
    “Honey, he’s still alive…”
    Relief flooded through her and came out in a choked sob that weakened her knees. Deirdre would have fallen if Austin hadn’t caught her from behind and guided her to the chairs by the wall. Her mother settled next to her.
    Alice Tilling clasped her satin hands around Deirdre’s. “They’re not sure what happened, honey. He was having a bad night. He finally fell asleep around eleven. He woke up a couple hours later, clutching his chest. I thought it was another heart attack. The EMTs stabilized him on the way in. But they don’t think it’s his heart. There seems to be something wrong with his kidneys. They’re doing more tests. Doc McCarty’s still in there with him.”
    “Can I see him?”
    “Not until the doctor comes out.”
    * * * *
    Exhaustion weighed on the Tilling clan. The melancholy procession of six moved through the pre-dawn mist of the street like shadows, their emotional burden bowing their shoulders and pulling at their feet.
    Deirdre’s father clung to life by tenuous threads of plastic tubing and beeping machinery. With no change in the last three hours, Alice Tilling had somehow convinced them all to go home and sleep. Unwilling to leave the protective cocoon of their family, she and her sisters conceded only to a cup of coffee at the diner one block down from the hospital’s main entrance.
    These waters they were treading were becoming all too familiar to all of them. It had been only three months ago that John Tilling had had the first heart attack. A day in ICU and a couple days in the hospital and he’d come home. But things weren’t looking as hopefully this time around.
    She had no idea why Austin had bothered to stay through the tense hours of the early morning as Doc McCarty had continued to update them with only bad news. Austin had blended in seamlessly, bringing coffee and crackers from the vending machines. He’d spent time huddled with Peter and Damon, no doubt talking only the way guys can about dating the Tilling sisters.
    Deirdre was grateful to have him here now. His hand, strong and warm on the small of her back, guided her through the nearly empty restaurant to the black lacquer tables in the back. As much as she loved her sister’s fiancés, she would have felt like a fifth wheel as the men offered silent comfort to Meghan and Julie with gentle touches and proximity. She was happy to have someone here supporting her heavy heart.
    “What can I get you all on this dreary Tuesday morning?” Like the bright red and silver accents of the diner, the waitress was much too cheery for the solemn group.
    “Coffee all the way around,” Peter, Meghan’s fiancé said with a wink. “Give us a couple of minutes to look at the menu.”
    “Six coffees coming up.” The waitress tucked away her pad and left.
      “I don’t really want anything to eat,” Deirdre said, putting down the menu she’d opened. “I’m not even sure why we let Mum talk us into leaving her alone.”
    “Your mother’s a strong woman, Dee.” Peter reached across the table to squeeze her hand. “There’s nothing any of us can do sitting in the ICU for hours on end. We’ll all grab a quick bite and Meghan and I’ll head back to sit with Alice while you four go home and get some rest. It’ll be hard to support your mother if we’re all dead on your feet.”
    “I’ve already called in to the office,” said Julie. “I don’t need to go home. I’ll join you.”
    “Hon, Peter’s right.” Damon brushed a strand of hair from Julie’s face. “There’s no reason for all of us to be there. We have our cell