Two Weeks: A Novel (The Baxter Family)

by Karen Kingsbury

  Elise seemed to know what song it was. She stayed close to the woman’s bed, slightly bent over, all her attention on the woman’s face. “Jesus loves me, this I know . . . for the Bible tells me so.”

  The ground beneath Cole’s feet turned to Jell-O. Elise was the most beautiful girl in the world. Not only did she look like a princess, but her heart was pure gold. What other high school senior was singing “Jesus Loves Me” to a dying woman this afternoon?

  After a minute, the patient seemed to nod off. Elise waited awhile, and then gently released the woman’s hand. As Elise turned toward the door she gasped and covered her mouth. “Cole!” The word was half whisper, half cry. A smile came over her and she hurried to him.

  When they were out in the hall she led him to a quieter spot near one of the medicine carts. Cole couldn’t wait to talk to her. “Elise. That was beautiful. Like beyond beautiful.”

  She looked nervous, like she wasn’t sure he could be here. “That song . . . it was her favorite.” Sadness filled her blue eyes. “Her name is Evelyn. She only has a few hours.” The situation really tore at her, that much was obvious. “Her family isn’t going to make it in time. Unless she gets a miracle.”

  “Then let’s pray for that.” Cole took her hands and as he did he felt her stiffen just a little. Felt her pull back. He searched her eyes. “It’s okay. If we pray here.”

  “Right.” She nodded, but she looked uneasy. Totally different than just a few minutes ago. “You pray.”

  Cole couldn’t figure out her reaction. He hesitated for a second or two and then began. “Lord, we don’t know Evelyn. But You do. Could You please let her live until her family gets here? Whoever is coming to see her? So she doesn’t make the trip from here to heaven by herself?” Cole thought about that. “Of course, we know she isn’t alone, Jesus. She has You and . . . for a while, anyway, she had Elise. Thank You, God, for Elise’s heart for Evelyn and for all people. And thank You that she’s in my life.” He smiled, even with his eyes closed. “In Jesus’ name, amen.”

  “Amen.” Elise released his hands immediately. “Cole.”

  Something in her tone told him there was a problem. “Are you worried about me being here?” He looked back at the nurses’ station. “They know me. It’s fine.”

  “No . . . it’s not that.” She pressed her hand to her stomach. “I don’t feel good.”

  What? Cole blinked a few times. She wasn’t making sense. Just a few minutes ago she was standing over Evelyn’s bed singing to her. And now she didn’t feel good? “You mean . . . you came here sick?”

  She shook her head. “Not really. I mean, I’m not sure. I thought maybe it was the school salad dressing, but—”

  Without saying another word she darted down the hall and ran into a bathroom. Cole wasn’t sure what to do. What could’ve made her get sick with no warning? He looked toward the bathroom door as he leaned against the hospital wall. Salad dressing at school? Wouldn’t she have felt bad before this?

  Finally she came out, her face red, eyes watery. She caught his gaze and held it as she approached him. “Cole. I need to leave. I’m not okay.”

  “Of course. I’ll tell the nurse.”

  She nodded and waited while he did that. Cole’s mind raced. It still didn’t make sense. How could she go from seeming so well to being so sick? In such a short time? He waited while she gathered her things from the bathroom locker and then he walked with her in silence down to the main lobby and out into the parking lot.

  He led her to his Explorer and when they were both inside, the doors shut, he turned to her. “Elise. What’s going on?”

  “I threw up.” She hung her head. “Something’s wrong.”

  He leaned over and felt her cheek, the way his mother had done for him and his siblings over the years. It was cool. “I don’t think you have a fever.”

  “No.” She sniffed and leaned against the back of the seat. “We need to talk, Cole. Can we do that?”

  “Okay.” His mother was making chicken, looking forward to meeting her. But if they didn’t eat until after six, there was still time. “Let’s go to my house. My mom wants you to stay for dinner.” He paused. “We can take a walk. There’s a stream out back with this big rock. We can talk there.”

  She nodded, but on the drive to his house she didn’t say a word. As if the girl he’d seen singing over the dying woman had disappeared in a matter of minutes. And in her place was this sick, sad person who looked like all the world was crashing in around her.

  Cole didn’t want Elise to have to meet his mom like this. The rain had stopped and it was just warm enough to sit outside. So he parked in the driveway and walked with her to the rock near the stream. All without going near the house. When they were seated next to each other, she lowered her head again.

  Whatever this was, she clearly felt troubled by it. He put his hand on her shoulder. “Elise. I’m here.” He kept his voice soft. “Talk to me.”

  For a while she said nothing, just sat there, looking down. Then she drew a slow breath and lifted her face, turned her eyes to him. “I haven’t told you everything, Cole.”

  The world around him began to spin. He blinked a few times so he wouldn’t get dizzy, wouldn’t fall off the rock. What was she talking about? She hadn’t told him everything? “Okay.” He exhaled. “I’m listening.”

  She shook her head and closed her eyes. As if the last thing she wanted was to tell him. After another long minute she opened her eyes. “I don’t live with my parents.”

  Cole steadied himself. “You . . . said your family was here.”

  “I know.” She exhaled. “That’s what I mean. You don’t know everything about me.” She looked at the stream. “When I said family, I meant my aunt and uncle. That’s who I live with.”

  “But . . . your mom? You’ve talked about her, about how she goes to church and how you—”

  “I never said I went to church.” Her words were sharp this time. “I used to.” The fight left her again. “A year ago.” She pulled her knees to her chest and stared at the water again. “I’ve never met my dad. He left when my mom told him she was pregnant with me. We’ve lived alone, just the two of us, all my life. Until last month . . . when my mom sent me here.”

  The pieces were coming together. Cole’s heart pounded, but he wasn’t leaving her. She was still talking to him. Whatever this was they could get through it. Cole took a slow breath. “My mom had me before she met my dad, the one who raised me. So it was just the two of us for a long time.”

  Elise looked at him, like that surprised her. “When you talk about them . . . I thought you had the perfect family.”

  “Every family has broken parts. Sad chapters.” He smiled at her, even as his heart kept racing. Something told him there was more to her story than a single mom who moved her to Bloomington to live with her aunt and uncle. “Did you think that would make me run away?”

  “No.” She turned to him, her eyes filled with hurt. “But you might when you hear the next part.”

  He reached for her hand. At first she pulled back, the way she’d done at the hospital. But then he felt her relax. Like a lost little girl who desperately needed someone to care. Just like the dying lady at the hospital. “I’m listening, Elise.”

  She nodded this time and lifted her eyes to the barren trees overhead. Elise started to shiver. “A year ago I started dating this guy, Randy. He was . . . nothing like you, Cole.” She gave him a brief look and then turned her attention back to the sky. “He was bad. A trouble maker. I was with him until Thanksgiving and all that time I was . . . I was terrible.”

  Cole’s heart was pounding again. “You’re not terrible. You couldn’t be terrible.”

  “I was. I stayed out super late and drank with him. I smoked pot and lied to my mama.” She was still shivering, and she looked sicker, like just talking about her past might make her throw up again. “I slept with him, Cole. More times than I can count. And he never even loved me.”

>   Cole’s mind raced. She’d slept with some guy? And done drugs?

  Before he could begin to process any of this, Elise shook her head. “No. That’s not the truth. I didn’t sleep with him.” Tears filled her eyes. “Not willingly.”

  “Not willingly?” Cole’s heart pounded hard in his chest.

  “He . . .” Her voice cracked. “He forced me, Cole. All the time.”

  Anger became rage inside Cole, and then a desperation for revenge. All in a few seconds. The winter trees, the stream and the rock, all of it was spinning around him. “Is he . . . He’s in jail, right?”

  Elise shook her head. “I didn’t press charges.” She sniffed and closed her eyes. “I didn’t really understand what he was doing. That I had a choice. I figured since I knew him, since we were dating, I couldn’t go to the police. I wasn’t sure they’d even believe me.” She blinked and looked at him. “I couldn’t tell my mom.”

  Cole’s mouth was dry. “But . . . she must’ve known something.”

  “Enough to send me here.” Elise folded her arms and pressed them against her stomach. “I don’t feel good.”

  Two tears made their way down her face.

  With everything in him, Cole felt for her, ached for her. His heart settled into a regular rhythm. He couldn’t do anything about the guy or what had happened. All he had was the here and now. “Elise.” He reached out and used his fingertips to wipe away her tears. “You thought telling me that would make me run?”

  “Did you hear what I said, Cole?” She was crying harder now. Her eyes locked with his. “The last time I was with him was just before Thanksgiving.” She stared at the rock beneath them, as if the burden of the situation was more than she could carry. “That’s ten weeks ago.”

  Ten weeks? Cole felt like he’d known Elise all his life. Yet they’d only been friends since the semester started. He tried to imagine how she must feel. A little more than two months ago she was dating some creep? It was the most horrible story Cole had ever heard. “I’m sorry.”

  “Cole.” Her frustration was back. “I’m not telling you so you’ll feel sorry for me.” She dried her cheeks with the palms of her hands. “I’m telling you because I feel sick. Every day. So nauseous I’ve been throwing up.”

  Cole wasn’t sure what she was saying. Or he didn’t want to know. “You . . . said it was the salad dressing.”

  “What if it’s not?” She searched his eyes. “Cole . . . what if I’m pregnant?”

  His world began to spin again, and for a few seconds he wished for one thing. That he could wake up and everything about this conversation with Elise would be nothing more than a bad dream. She was good and golden and she sang to dying people. Her smile could light a room.

  How could she be telling him she might be pregnant?

  God, what am ILove one another. As supposed to say to her? How can I help? The prayer breezed through his soul before he could respond. And at the same time came a verse from his devotion earlier today. Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. Yes, love. That was the answer.

  He was still holding her hand, but now he released it and put his arm around her. He pulled her close and just held her while she cried. “It’s okay, Elise. God’s here. Whatever’s going on, He knows.”

  “I’ve made such a mess of my life.” She turned and hugged him, held on to him. “You’re the best thing that ever happened to me, Cole. Your friendship.”

  His friendship. Cole took a breath and steadied himself. In the time it had taken her to tell him about her past, she had also made something very clear. She wasn’t looking for a relationship. Of course not.

  She wanted to be his friend. Nothing more. And given the circumstances, Cole completely understood. He would care for her, be the friend she needed. He would love as Jesus loved—whatever it took to help her.

  “My mom’s been through pregnancy alone.” Cole whispered the words of comfort near her face. After another minute, she let go of him and pulled her knees up to her chest again. Her eyes on his.

  “My mama, too.” She closed her eyes for a second. “I wonder if they felt as scared as I do.”

  Cole let that sit for a moment. He couldn’t speak for Elise’s mother. But he knew some of his mom’s struggle. “There’s a crisis pregnancy center in town. My aunt Brooke and my mom volunteer there. Maybe they can get you a test.” He still couldn’t believe they were talking about this. An hour ago he was ready to admit his love to this girl. Now he was trying to help her find a pregnancy test. His heart broke for her. “I’ll stay by you, Elise. Whatever happens.”

  “I . . . I can’t ask that of you.” She shook her head and covered her face. “It’s your senior year. Oh, Cole . . . I don’t know what to do.”

  “I told you.” He felt his resolve grow. “There’s nothing more important than being your friend. Helping you through this. Whatever’s going on.”

  Suddenly Cole imagined a scenario he had never dreamed possible. He took her hand again. What if she was pregnant and what if she had nowhere to turn? Maybe God was calling him to step in the way his dad had stepped in all those years ago. His mother had been a broken, lonely single mother when Landon Blake came back into her life.

  He rescued her and he rescued Cole, and in the process he became Cole’s father. The only one he’d ever known.

  Now here was this beautiful, wounded girl, possibly facing the same thing. An artist, no less. And in that moment—before praying about it or talking to his parents or even giving it a second thought, Cole knew this. If God was calling him to take responsibility for Elise and her child, he didn’t need to think about it. He would do it. He would step up like his dad had stepped up. If she would let him, he would love her with all his heart, the rest of his days.

  Even if the whole world thought he was crazy.

  7

  Ashley stood at the back patio window, her face pressed against the glass. If Cole thought she couldn’t see him, he was wrong. She had watched him pull into the driveway and then lead Elise to the creek that ran behind their house.

  So why hadn’t he brought her inside?

  The feelings rushing through Ashley’s heart were all new. She sighed and returned to the stove. She was making an Alfredo sauce for the chicken. That and broccoli along with cauliflower rice. Already she’d called Landon and asked him to get off work early if possible. Cole had dozens of friends, people who came over in groups all the time.

  But this was the first time he’d brought home a girl.

  Even Carolyn, his school friend for years, had never come to the house by herself. Not unless it was a big dance or if other kids were here, too.

  Ashley stirred the melted butter and added the cream. Why would Cole take the girl out back first? Were they having some serious conversation? Was he about to ask her to be his girlfriend? The thought was ridiculous. Surely not. The two just met.

  Cole talked to her and Landon about everything. He wouldn’t ask Elise out unless he’d discussed it with them, right? Fear took the spot beside her and breathed against her neck. Studied her. “No.” She squeezed her eyes shut. “Stop, Ashley. You’re losing it.”

  What was there to fear? Cole had only just met this girl. But what kind of girl wouldn’t want to come inside and meet a boy’s mother? Before taking a walk to the stream. The order of events gave Ashley a nervous stomach.

  An hour later her phone buzzed. She grabbed it and immediately saw the text from Cole.

  Mom, so sorry. Elise isn’t feeling well. I’m taking her home, okay? I’ll be right back.

  Ashley stared at his words. What was she supposed to say to that? If the girl was sick why had she come here in the first place? And what was the long conversation? She had to respond. She began moving her fingers across the phone.

  Okay. I wish you would’ve come in first. I saw you pull up. Anyway, sorry we missed her. Tell her we hope she feels better.

  She read it over and shook her head. This wasn’t how she
wanted to sound. Cole hadn’t done anything wrong. Not that she knew about. Besides, he would tell them the whole story when he got back from dropping Elise off. She erased a few lines and read the text again.

  Okay. Tell her we hope she feels better. She can come for dinner anytime.

  Yes, that was better. She had made the mistake before with her kids, saying things she couldn’t take back, sending text messages she should’ve thought about first. This was even more important because it involved a girl. One Cole clearly liked a lot. Ashley wouldn’t say anything to hurt him in the midst of whatever was happening.

  By the time Cole returned, the rest of the family was home and around the table, and Landon was helping her serve dinner. She felt her frustration with Cole creep back in. What had taken so long at Elise’s house? What had they been doing?

  Her thoughts created a slippery slope, one she didn’t want to slide down. Help me be kind here, God. He’s my son and I trust him. We’ll talk later. She could feel Landon staring at her, casting her nervous glances. As if he knew what she was thinking and he didn’t want her to say anything she’d regret.

  She didn’t. They had a wonderful dinner, and the whole time Amy talked about her eighth-grade culture fair. How she was going to make copies of favorite family photos and write a poem about each of them and let all the school see that her family actually did exist. They just lived in heaven and Amy lived with her aunt and uncle.

  Ashley patted her niece’s head. “Your project will be perfect.” Right now she couldn’t get past the situation with Cole. He hadn’t said more than a few words all dinner.

  Devin and Janessa joined in, talking about school and Bloomington Little League and how this year the team was going to win State.

  Most of the meal was little more than a blur. When the dishes and homework were done, and when the younger kids were in bed, Cole came back downstairs. By then, Ashley and Landon were side by side on the sofa. She’d been catching Landon up on how Cole hadn’t brought Elise inside. And how it had taken so long for him to drive her home. She got about that far into the story when Cole finally joined them.