Sweet Tea & Honey Bees

by Rachel Hanna

  Kate had driven all over town looking for her ex-husband. He was nowhere to be found. When she got back to the B&B, she waved at Cooper and Evie, who were now sitting on the tree platform. Mia was welcoming a new family that had come to stay at the B&B, and Travis was apparently taking pictures to use for the new book.

  Still, she didn’t see Brandon. He wasn’t by the lake, in the gazebo or on the deck. Had he left town without saying goodbye?

  “Mia, have you seen Brandon?” she asked when she walked in the door. Mia shook her head.

  “Not at all today.”

  “I don’t know where he is. It’s strange. Did he come down this morning?”

  At that moment, Mia and Kate stared at each other. Was Brandon still in his room after lunchtime? Kate ran up the stairs as fast as she could, worried about what she’d find. She opened the door to Brandon’s room and he was laying in the bed, the cover pulled around his neck, his complexion pale.

  “Brandon? Are you okay?” She immediately ran over to his bedside and felt his forehead. He was burning up.

  “I’m cold,” he said, his voice shaking.

  “What happened?” Mia asked from the doorway.

  “I need you to call the paramedics. And call Cooper to bring Evie home. Quick!”

  The next twenty minutes were a blur. Evie running in and seeing her dad, tears starting to stream down her face. Cooper holding Kate in his arms while she watched the paramedics load Brandon onto a stretcher. Everything seemed to be going in slow motion.

  Cooper agreed to watch the B&B while Mia, Kate and Evie followed the ambulance to the hospital. Evie cried the whole way, worried that it was too late to save her dad.

  As they sat in the waiting room, Kate realized all of her anger at Brandon was gone. He was so sick. She wasn’t sure he’d make it out of this alive, and she almost felt guilty for the way she was thinking about him hours earlier. Of course, he shouldn’t have asked Evie without her knowledge, but now she realized how desperate he must’ve been. He probably thought Kate would have said no, and he couldn’t take the risk.

  “Do you think he’s going to die?” Evie asked softly.

  “I don’t know, honey. I wish I knew what was going on back there.”

  “Did anybody call Kara?” Mia asked.

  “I don’t even have her number. Maybe you can look her up on social media? See if you can reach her?” Kate said.

  “Good idea. I’ll go outside and see if I can get better cell service.”

  Mia walked out of the emergency room and left Kate alone with her daughter. She didn’t really know what to say to make it better. Brandon had appeared to be in bad shape when he was loaded into the ambulance. Kate couldn’t help but think back to the time when they were actually in love with each other, when he was her world. She didn’t understand what had happened to him over the years to make him leave his daughter behind like that, but she still had enough love tucked away in the deep recesses of her heart to want him to survive this.

  “Are you Brandon’s wife?” a nurse came out and asked. For a moment, she almost said “ex”, but then she realized they wouldn’t let her back there if she did. Certainly, a little white lie wouldn’t hurt. He needed someone to advocate for him right now.

  “Yes. And this is his daughter, Evie.”

  “Follow me.”

  They went through some automated glass doors and through a bunch of triage rooms before the nurse led them into a small office. This wasn’t good. The small rooms were usually where bad news was presented, giving the people receiving that news somewhere to grieve and cry in private.

  “The doctor will be in shortly,” the nurse said, before shutting the door.

  “Do you think he died?” Evie asked, suddenly panic-stricken.

  “We don’t know anything yet, Ev. Don’t assume the worst, okay?” She rubbed her arm and prayed that Brandon was still alive. Losing him now would crush her daughter and always make her wonder if she could’ve saved him somehow.

  “Sorry to keep you folks waiting,” the doctor said. He was an extremely tall man with brown hair and glasses, and he towered above them until he sat down on a rolling chair in front of them.

  “How’s my dad?”

  He looked at her with a compassionate expression, and Kate braced herself for the worst. “He’s stable right now.”

  “Is that good?” Evie asked, hopeful.

  “Your father has a blood disease.”

  “Like a cancer?”

  “Yes, like that. It’s quite advanced. Had he explained this to you?”

  “He only told us yesterday. We’ve been… apart… for years. He came to visit Evie and told her.”

  He looked at them like he was confused at their family dynamic, but thankfully kept talking. “Without a bone marrow transplant, he doesn’t have long to live.”

  “His doctors back home said one or two years,” Evie said.

  “I’m afraid this latest setback doesn’t point in that direction. I would say a few weeks if something isn’t done.”

  “Weeks? Oh my gosh!” Evie said, tears pouring down her cheeks.

  “I understand he’s on the bone marrow registry, but they haven’t found a match yet…”

  “I want to be tested.”

  “You would need parental permission…”

  “She has my permission,” Kate said, quickly. “And I’d like to be tested as well. And I’m sure my sister would too.”

  The doctor smiled. “This man must be well loved by your family.”

  Kate cleared her throat. “So, how do we get tested?”

  “This wait is unbearable,” Kate said, sitting at the breakfast bar. She, Mia and Evie had all been tested earlier in the week, and the results were supposed to be ready by now. Every moment of the day, she and Evie stared at their phones. That had resulted in Evie failing a test because she was so distracted at school.

  Brandon was still in the hospital, although he was doing better and remaining stable. Evie visited him everyday after school and a couple of times on the weekends. They would play card games, watch silly videos and talk about old times. Kate had gone once or twice, and they’d been able to talk through some things too.

  While she would never understand why Brandon left their daughter the way he did, she couldn’t let that fester in her heart any longer. She had to let it go because Evie seemed to have let it go.

  “You know, Momma always said a watched pot never boils,” Mia said as she wiped down the counter after cooking breakfast.

  “You realize that doesn’t make sense, right? If you put water on a hot stove, it will boil no matter how long you watch it,” Kate said, monotone.

  “You ruin everything,” Mia said, laughing. “Either way, watching your phone isn’t going to make it ring any faster.”

  As if on cue, Kate’s phone vibrated across the countertop. “I guess you’re wrong,” she said, smiling. “Hello? Yes, this is she. Really? Okay. We will head that way.”

  “Was that the hospital?”

  “Yes. They have the results and want us to come as soon as we can.”

  “Should we check Evie out of school?”

  “Absolutely. Let’s go!”

  Thirty minutes later, they had picked up Evie and were pulling into the hospital parking lot. Kate’s stomach was so nervous that it felt like drunk pigeons were fighting over a piece of bread in there.

  The nurse took them back to Brandon’s room. He was watching some court show on TV. The case seemed to be about two friends who’d rented an apartment together, but one of them bailed on rent. It seemed like the most boring show she’d ever watched, yet Kate kept listening to it in the background while they waited for the doctor.

  “How’re you feeling today, Dad?” Evie asked, as she walked over and hugged him.

  Today, Brandon was sitting up eating pudding and his color looked better. But the doctor had warned them privately that his condition had not improved, only the medications were masking it enough to
give him a little more time.

  “Good. How was school?”

  “Same old, same old.”

  “And how are you, Kate?” he asked, a genuine smile on his face.

  “I’m good. I hear Kara is coming tomorrow?”

  “Yes. She’s bringing the kids too. I can’t wait for Evie to meet them.”

  “I’m so excited to be a big sister!”

  “Hey, folks. I’m glad you could get here so quickly,” Dr. Ames said. As tall as Kate was, he seemed ten feet taller.

  “We’re anxious to get these results,” Kate said.

  “Well, then, let’s not delay.” He had three envelopes in his hands, and they appeared to be unopened. “I figured it was best to just do this here together. First up, we have Mia.” He ripped open the envelope and read the paper inside. “Mia, you are not a match.”

  “No big surprise there,” she said, shrugging her shoulders. “I mean, we’re not related.”

  “Actually, you don’t have to be related to be a match. Often, family members aren’t a match, believe it or not.”

  That made Kate squirm. Surely, Evie would be a match and this nightmare would be over.

  “Okay, now we have Evie.” He ripped open that envelope and his face fell a bit. “I’m sorry.”

  “Wait, what? I’m not a match? That can’t be possible! I’m his daughter!” Evie said, her eyes welling up.

  “It happens. I’m really sorry.”

  “Honey, it’s okay,” Brandon said, reaching for her hand.

  “No, it’s not. You came here because you thought I could save you, and I can’t.”

  “I didn’t come here just because of that, Evie. I love you, and this time together has been the best medicine for me.”

  Kate’s heart warmed a bit. Maybe he’d come there under some false pretenses, but it had all worked out in the end. At least somewhat.

  “Last one I have here is for Kate…”

  “I’m not a match,” she said, under her breath.

  “Congratulations, Brandon! You have a match!”

  Kate and Brandon locked eyes. “What?” she said.

  “You are a great match for Brandon.”

  “I am?”

  “Oh my gosh, Mom! You can save Dad!”

  Kate felt her heart beating in her head. That wasn’t a good sign, right? How was this possible? She was his match?

  “I’m going to give you folks some time together. The nurse will come in later to talk about the transplant procedures.”

  As the doctor left, all eyes turned to Kate.

  “What a blessing!” Mia said, smiling. Evie was drowning in happy tears as she hugged Brandon. But he was looking at Kate.

  “Kate? You okay?” he finally said.

  “I’m just in shock…”

  “Evie and Mia, can I talk to Kate alone for a minute?”

  They nodded and left the room, pulling the sliding glass door closed. Kate stood across the room feeling frozen to the floor for some reason.

  “Sit,” he said, pointing to the chair next to him.

  She walked over and sat down, her face still stuck in some kind of surprised expression.

  “Kate, I know that we have some history, so if you don’t want to do this…”

  She turned her head quickly and looked at him. “You’re kidding me, right? First of all, my daughter would never forgive me if I didn’t do this. Second of all, I would never let another human being die if there was something I could do to save them.”

  “Still, this is a surgical procedure, and there might be some risk involved…”

  “Brandon, I appreciate what you’re saying but I’m going to do this. The best gift that I can give my daughter is to finally have her father in her life again. But you have to promise me something.”

  “Okay. What’s that?”

  “You know, before I found you sick in your bed, I was trying to find you so that I could yell at you for asking Evie to donate bone marrow. I was so fuming mad at you.”

  “Understandable. I realize it was the wrong thing to do, but I guess I was just feeling really desperate.”

  “I need you to promise me that you won’t abandon her again. Her little heart can’t take it. She’s your daughter, and she really had a lot of problems these last few years because you weren’t around. She needs her father, and I’m begging you not to disappear on her again.”

  “I promise. You know, I thought I was coming here because I wanted to get a bone marrow match, but as soon as I saw her I realized that if I died, I wanted to be at peace with the relationship I had with her. I felt a lot of regret. We’ve had a hard road, and that has been my fault. But I promise that I will never leave her again. It was the worst mistake of my life.”

  She nodded. “You missed out on a lot of great things, Brandon. But there are a lot of wonderful memories to be made in the future, and if I can do my part to give the both of you that opportunity, then I consider it an honor.”

  He reached over and squeezed her hand. “You don’t know how much this means to me, and I certainly don’t deserve it. But, thank you anyway.”

  Kate never imagined that she would be sitting in this situation, holding Brandon’s hand beside his hospital bed and planning on how to save his life.

  Epilogue

  Six Months Later

  Kate and Mia stood behind the table, waiting for their first customer to show up. The Carter’s Hollow Summer Festival was the biggest event of the year, and Sweet Charlene’s Honey had its very own table at the event. They couldn’t wait to get their first sale.

  “Any takers yet?” Darrell asked. He’d insisted on being a part of the big day after getting the first jar of honey from Kate’s hives. He told her it was the best honey he’d ever had, although Kate thought he might be partial. “You know, some say beekeeping is the second oldest profession.”

  “Oh really?” Mia said, trying to feign interest. Darrell was full of useless information.

  “Hey, Darrell, do you mind getting me and Mia some lemonade? They have the best stand down there at the end of the road.”

  Darrell nodded his head. “Sure! I might even get me one of those corndogs I saw earlier…” he said as he continued walking. Darrell didn’t seem to care if anyone was actually listening to him. He just liked to talk.

  “Thank you. I love him to death, but it’s like sitting next to an encyclopedia that’s just blurting out random information,” Mia said, laughing.

  “Am I your first customer?” They looked up to see their father, Jack, standing there with Sylvia.

  “Oh my goodness! I didn’t know you guys were coming to the festival. I’m so happy to see you! It’s been months.” Kate walked around the table and hugged them both.

  “I know, I know. Between having my procedure and trying to do my cardiac rehab, my calendar has been full. But they released me last week, and I’m good as new!” Jack rubbed his chest.

  “Well, I wouldn’t say good as new. You’re still an old geezer in my eyes,” Sylvia said, smiling up at him.

  “Seriously, what did the doctor say about your progress so far?”

  “He’s really happy. My arrhythmia is gone, and my heart function improved ten percent during rehab. They are switching me to a plant based diet, which is not something I ever thought I’d do. You know how I love hamburgers.”

  “But he’s doing it because he wants to live a long life with his daughters and beautiful wife,” Sylvia said, poking him in the side.

  Kate was very happy to see them getting along so well. They had really had a rough patch when her dad first got diagnosed, but when he finally gave in and opted for the ablation, everything turned around. They seemed closer than ever.

  “So, how much is this Sweet Charlene’s Honey?” Jack asked.

  “For you, it’s free,” Mia said, handing him a jar.

  “I guess it pays to know people in high places,” he joked.

  “Well, I guess we’re going to do a little walking around
. Jack promised that I could buy some wonderful candles I smelled on the way over to your table.”

  “I don’t remember promising anything…”

  “We’ll see you girls later,” Sylvia said, smiling as she pushed Jack out into the pathway.

  “I can’t believe he’s here. I’m so glad he’s doing so well,” Mia said.

  “How is business?” Cooper asked as he walked up behind Kate and slid his arms around her waist. She looked up at him.

  “Well, we haven’t sold a thing so far, so business is actually pretty slow.”

  “The way I see it, you have to get people interested in your product. Why don’t we put out some samples?”

  “That’s a good idea. Mia, do you still have those little plastic cups. Maybe we could use those?”

  “I’d be glad to walk around and stir up some business,” Cooper said.

  “My hero,” Kate said, smiling. Mia handed him a jar of the honey and a few of the cups.

  “Anything for my honey,” Cooper said, laughing. “Get it? Honey?”

  Kate and Mia both rolled their eyes. “Get to work, funny guy.”

  As they continued standing behind the table, Kate wondered if her honey business had been a good idea or not. Everyone just kept walking past the table, and she was starting to second-guess things when an older woman walked up, a big smile on her face.

  “Hi. Welcome to Sweet Charlene’s Honey. Would you like a jar?”

  “Oh, yes, please. Charlene was one of my dearest friends back in school.”

  “Really?”

  “Yes. We served on student council together back in high school. I’d like to buy three jars, please. There’s nothing better than honey on a nice warm buttermilk biscuit with a little bit of extra butter added.”

  Kate smiled. She would never totally understand southern cooking, but it was definitely the epitome of comfort food.

  She bagged up the three jars of honey and took the woman’s debit card, swiping it across the little device that she had on her cell phone. She asked the woman if she could take her picture since she was her first customer, and she happily obliged.