Second Chance Romance (Southern Nights) Completed

Chapter 17

They were all just going to have to take this one step at a time. The doctor had said that Jade should regain her memory, they just didn’t know when or how long it would take. It was best to let her work it by herself in her own due time. In the mean time, he had to be patient, patient with both Jade and patient with Libby. He could do that; he would do that because his future depended on it.

“Hey,” he said gruffly when he approached Austin. He glanced pointed down at Libby and held out his hands expectantly. “I can take her now.”

Austin straightened in his seat and turned to unfocused stare up at Oliver. He tucked Libby’s head up under his chin and breathed in her sweet little girl smell. “How’s Jade doing?” he asked him, purposefully ignoring Oliver’s previous statement.

“The doctor gave her something to make her sleep. She’ll be out for several hours. Taylor called and I need to get back to town so if you’ll just give me Libby, then we can go.”

Austin rubbed his hand up and down Libby’s back. He instinctively felt a fierce need to protect this little girl that he had in his arms and didn’t want to let her go. “No.” he said quietly with a lace of steel outlining his voice.

Oliver jerked. “Excuse me?”

“I said no,” Austin repeated.

“I hope you don’t think that I’m going to leave her here with you?”

“That’s exactly what you are going to do. You saw the destruction back home. That’s no place for a little girl right now. You do what you need to do but I’m going next door and I’m going to get a room for both of us so that Libby can be near her mother when she finally gets her memory back. It’s that simple.”

“Give me Libby,” Oliver hissed. His whole body felt tense. He didn’t like the idea of Austin being with Libby when he couldn’t be here too.

Austin’s eyes glinted with a steely determination. “I said no. Hillsborough is no place for a five year old girl right now and you know it Oliver. Don’t fight me on this because this is one fight you aren’t going to win.”

Oliver pointed his finger at Austin. “Who the hell do you think you-“ and was interrupted by the shrill sound of his cell phone ringing. “Damn it!” he cursed and stared hard at Austin while yanking his phone out of his pocket.

“Yeah,” he barked into the mouth piece.

“What?... Did you call the council?.. Yeah, yeah. I’m on my way.”

Irritated, angry and feeling all kinds of helpless, Oliver shoved his phone back in his pocket.

“What is it?” Austin asked him.

“The power is out all over the county. Evidently the backup system for the well isn’t working either and now the filtration system is down. All of the water in the town is contaminated.”

“Damn.” Austin shook his head, trying to process the ramifications of it all. No water, no power-

Oliver let out a tired sigh glanced down at Libby. Austin was right. Hillsborough was no place for Libby to be right now. As much as he hated to leave her, he didn’t have much of a choice. “You’re going to be next door at the Ramada?”

“Yeah.”

Oliver nodded, took a deep breath and conceded. “Alright, I’ll be back around noon tomorrow.” He pointed back towards the elevators. “If there is any change with Jade, you’ll call me?”

Austin nodded again. It was the least he could do.

Oliver looked at the sleeping little girl again and had to close his eyes to the image before turning around and heading for the door. If he didn’t leave now, he would never leave and he had a town that needed him.