Mending Hearts

by Brenda Kennedy

  “I do, thank you.”

  Alec walks downstairs and looks around the room. “Hi, Molly.”

  “Thanks for letting me come over. I really appreciate it,” I say as I sit beside Raelynn. James is seated across from her, Emma sits beside James, and Alec sits on the other side of Raelynn.

  “It’s ok, Raelynn was really excited about having you over. We always have a snack with the kids before bed, then they brush their teeth and say their prayers before we tuck them in,” Alec says.

  “It’s nothing fancy, but it works for us,” Emma says as she dunks her graham crackers in her milk.

  After we eat, Raelynn and I use the kids’ bathroom for her to get ready for bed while Emma and James use the master bath. After Rae brushes her teeth and gets dressed in her pajamas, I brush her long brown hair and braid it for her. “What bedtime story do you want tonight?” I ask as we walk into the bedroom. Alec already has the lamp on and the bed covers are turned down.

  “I like Rapunzel.”

  “Good, I like Rapunzel, too,” I say, lifting the blankets up for her to climb under.

  Rae scoots under the covers and pulls them up to her chin. “The book is on the dresser.”

  “I don’t need the book; mommy remembers it by heart.”

  “You do?” she asks.

  “I do. Rapunzel was always your favorite story,” I say as I brush her bangs back away from her face.

  “I love her hair and I think she is so pretty,” Raelynn says.

  “You know, daddy always said Rapunzel looked like you.”

  “He did?”

  “He sure did. Ask him?”

  “Kiddo, are you all right?” Alec asks as he walks by the bedroom.

  “Yes, daddy. Do you think I look like Rapunzel?”

  Alec looks at me and I nod to the book on the dresser. I watch as he walks over and picks it up. “I do. Her long brown hair and her big eyes. I think you look just like her, Raelynn.”

  “Thank you, daddy.”

  “Good night, Rae. I love you.” He walks over and hugs her.

  “I love you, too, Daddy.”

  He places the book back on the dresser before leaving the room. I recite the story to her and she falls asleep in the middle of it. I kiss her goodnight and thank Emma and Alec for allowing me to come over to spend time with my daughter.

  On the way home, I call Adam to see if he wants to meet me for coffee and pancakes. When he agrees to meet me, I call mom and dad and ask them if they want to come. I don’t want them to wonder if I’ll be where I say I am. I have put them through enough as it is. They decline and tell me to have a good time. Dad also tells me he’ll be up waiting on me when I get there.

  I pull into the parking lot of the small diner and spot Adam right away. He is leaning against his F150 red pickup truck wearing a pair of holey jeans, work boots, and a red flannel shirt left open exposing his white tee-shirt. His blond hair is spikey and his face is scruffy. He sees me and a smile forms instantly on his lips. He walks over to me before I park the car. I haven’t seen him in over a month and he looks even better than I remember. Before I have time to remove the keys from the ignition and gather my purse, he is holding the car door open for me.

  “Look at you!” he says excitedly. “You look amazing.”

  I get out of the car and smile. “Thank you.”

  Before I even shut the car door, Adam leans in and hugs me. “Molly, you look incredible. How have you been?”

  “I’m good, thank you for meeting me,” I say as he closes the car door.

  “I’m glad you called. I wanted to see you, but at the same time I wanted to give you some time.”

  “I went to my daughter’s house and tucked her into bed, and I wasn’t quite ready to go home yet,” I say as he opens the diner’s door for me.

  “Hi, Adam, a table for two?”

  “Please, Jenni, thank you.”

  “Your table’s available, if you want it.”

  “Great.”

  We follow the waitress to the back of the diner on the opposite side of the restrooms. We also sit at the same table we sat at the last time. I wait as Adam pulls out my chair for me. “I can’t get over how great you look. I mean, I always thought you looked great, but now you have a sparkle in your eyes that wasn’t there before,” he says as he sits across from me at the table.

  “Thank you. I have to admit, it feels good. I feel good.”

  “Almost two months clean, now that’s something to be proud of.”

  “Thank you, Adam. I was kind of incarcerated for those 45 days, so I guess the real test starts now.”

  The waitress comes over with a Coke for Adam and sets it down in front of him. “Hi, I knew what Adam drank, but I’m not sure what you’ll have.”

  “I’ll have the same, please.” I watch as the waitress turns to leave. “I guess you do come here a lot.”

  Adam smiles and takes a large drink of his Coke. “I’m here about once a day, but this is my second time today.”

  “Oh, I didn’t realize. We could have gone somewhere else,” I say.

  “Nah, I like this place.”

  The waitress comes back and places my drink in front of me. “Have you decided?”

  Neither of us has looked at the menu, but I have a feeling that Adam already knows what he’s having. “I’ll have whatever you’re having.”

  Adam looks over at me and says, “Are you sure? I’m not ordering a salad.”

  I can see the smirk on his face and I have to smile. “Good, I don’t like salads. My idea of something green that’s good to eat is lime Jell-O.”

  “Mmm, that’s my kind of girl,” he winks. He looks away from me and looks up at Jenni. “We’ll have two of my regulars.”

  Jenni laughs and says, “Do you want to make one a smaller size?”

  I look from Jenni the waitress, to Adam with a raised brow. Adam shows lots of white teeth as he smiles before saying, “No, she said she’ll have what I’m having. We’ll see if she can hang with the big dogs.”

  “Two of the Adam McDaniels specials coming right up.” She smiles and me and walks away.

  “I’m going to regret this, aren’t I?” I ask, half-jokingly.

  Adam laughs and says, “Or you’ll thank me.”

  We sit and talk until our meal arrives. He tells me about working construction for his uncle and about being a deacon at his family’s church. I tell him about tucking Raelynn into bed for the first time in almost a year.

  The waitress arrives with our dinner and sets them down in front of us. My eyes grow big as I look at the large ¼ lb. cheeseburger with everything and a large order of seasoned fries on the side. I have no idea how I’ll eat everything, but I have to admit, this smells delicious.

  “Do you need anything else?” Jenni asks.

  “Another Coke for me. Do you need anything, Molly?” Adam asks.

  “No, I think I have everything I need, thank you.”

  I watch as the waitress leaves and Adam takes a large bite of his cheeseburger. I look at my plate of food to decide the main course of action. I decide to cut my sandwich in half before attempting to eat it. I take a bite and close my eyes. He laughs as he watches me. “It’s good, right?” he asks.

  I can only nod. After I swallow the food I say, “Do you have any idea how long it’s been since I had one of these?”

  “Two months?” he laughs.

  I laugh too. “Yes, almost two long months.”

  We eat our meal mostly in silence because I can’t talk with my mouth full. To my amazement, I eat almost all of my food. “Come on, Molly, you need to get home before your parents worry.” I didn’t tell him I was staying at my parents and I have to wonder how he knew that. Adam pays the bill although I offered. He walks me out to my car and holds the car door open for me. “I’d like to see you again,” he says.

  “You will, I’ll be at the meeting tomorrow night.” I fasten my seatbelt and put the key into the ignition.

  �
��I’d really like to see you away from the meetings.”

  “Oh,” is the only thing I can say. A date? Is he asking me out on a date?

  “Would you like to do something this weekend? I promise to have you home early.”

  “I can’t this weekend, I’m sorry. A friend and his wife asked me to go to his house for a cookout.”

  “That’s all right. Maybe some other time. The weather is supposed to be beautiful this weekend. It’ll be perfect for a cookout,” he says, smiling.

  “Would you like to come with me?”

  “When is it?”

  “I’m not sure; he’s going to get back with me.”

  “I’d love to, but I have church on Sunday morning and again Sunday night, but any other time, I’m free.”

  “Ok, I’ll let you know when after he calls.”

  We say our goodbyes and I drive home smiling. I saw my daughter, I had a delicious meal, and I have no drug cravings, but I do have a possible date. Life is beginning to look up.

  Emma

  Alec and I check on the kids, and I whisper, “I think Raelynn liked having her mom here to tuck her into bed.”

  “I’m sure she did. During happier times, it was one of her favorite times of the day.”

  “Really, how so?” I ask as I get into bed.

  “I think it was because it was stress free. Molly always read a bedtime story to Rae, and Rae would always fall asleep while being read to.”

  “Maybe we can have Molly over again. Raelynn liked having her here.”

  Alec gets into bed and I snuggle into him. “We’ll see,” he says.

  The next day Alec takes the kids to school on his way to work, and I stop by and get muffins for Sara, Brea, and me. I walk into the office and hear Sara and Brea talking about Sara’s wedding.

  “It sounds like you guys have picked a wedding date,” I say as I lay the muffins next to the coffee pot.

  “We did; we decided on Valentine’s Day,” Sara beams.

  “Valentine’s Day is a perfect day for a wedding,” I say as I get a cup of coffee.

  Sara walks over to me. Brea is right behind her.

  Sara says, “I wanted to ask you to be my bridesmaid. I mean, I would be honored if you would be my bridesmaid.”

  “Sara, thank you. I would be honored to be your bridesmaid.”

  Sara hugs me and says, “I was thinking of asking Raelynn to be the flower girl. Do you think that would be all right?”

  “I think that would be a great idea. I’m sure she would love that.”

  “Good, we’ll set up a dinner where I can personally ask her.”

  “Sounds good,” I say as I take a sip of my hot coffee.

  We talk about my wedding date, venues for the wedding, bands, flowers, and food. We also talk about Mason, Angel, and the twins. Although Angel is home, the twins still remain in the hospital. Sara, Brea, and I decide to go over this week separately with a pre-cooked dinner for Mason and Angel. With the three of us, it will give them three home-cooked meals. The phone starts ringing, reminding us that we are at work.

  “When duty calls,” Brea says, laughing, and then she answers the phone.

  Later in the day, right before lunch I get a call. “Hello, Thank you for calling R.K. Insurance, Emma speaking.”

  “Mrs. Greyson, this is the school calling.”

  “Is everything all right?”

  “James became ill during recess, and he needs to be picked up.”

  “Ok, I’m leaving now. Thank you.”

  “He’ll be in the nurse’s office. It’s down the hall from the cafeteria.”

  “All right, thank you.”

  I call Alec before I leave.

  “Hi, Emma.”

  “I know you’re busy, I just wanted to tell you that the school called, and James is sick. I’m leaving work to go and get him.”

  “I’m leaving for lunch as soon as I see my last patient; I can get him.”

  “Are you sure?”

  “I’m sure; we’re kind of slow today.”

  “This works out great for me because we are swamped here for some reason. I’ll call mom and let her know you’ll be dropping him off soon.”

  “Ok, Emma. I love you.”

  “I love you, too.”

  The bell over the front door alerts us that someone is entering the office. When I look up, I am shocked to see Angel walking through the door with food. I rush over to help her.

  “Are you supposed to be driving?” I ask, although I know the answer. Anyone who has had a C-section is not supposed to drive for several weeks after childbirth.

  “Mason’s at work, the twins are in the hospital, and I have to drive to see them. So yes, if I want to visit the babies, I am supposed to drive myself.” She walks towards the break room and says, “I have to eat, so I thought we can eat together before I go to the hospital.”

  “As much as we love seeing you and as much as we love when you bring our favorite deli sandwiches, we really do wish you would take your doctor’s advice and not drive,” Brea says on behalf of all of us in the office. “Sit down and we’ll get the drinks and food ready.”

  “Are you feeling all right? You look a little flushed,” Sara says.

  “I’m fine. I just want to get the twins home and start being a family. I hate leaving them at the hospital and they won’t let me stay there with them,” Angel says sadly.

  I say, “It’s because Momma needs her rest, too.”

  “I know, but it doesn’t make it any easier leaving them.”

  Brea answers her cell phone, and Sara and I sit down with Angel to eat. Angel tells us that her daughter’s name is Ana Maria. She explains she is named after her deceased mother, Ana, and after her Aunt Maria.

  “That is a beautiful name,” I say, honestly. “What did you name your son?”

  “After fighting with Mason, he finally caved in. We named him Alex Mason. What is it with guys thinking they don’t deserve to have their sons named after them?”

  “I don’t know. Max was like that, too.”

  “That drives me crazy. Mason is a great man, and he feels his son deserves…”

  “To be named after a hero?” I ask, before she can complete her sentence.

  “Yes, exactly.”

  Brea walks over to join us and asks, “Does Mason know you’re here, Angel?”

  “Yes, he told me to drive carefully,” she says as she takes a bite of her food, not looking at Brea.

  “Really? Guess who was on the phone?”

  “Vincent?” Angel asks, still not making eye contact with anyone.

  “Nope, good try. That was Mason and he’s furious that you left the house alone. He said he went to work early this morning because of a minor emergency and when you didn’t answer your phone he knew that you drove to the hospital, alone.”

  “He must have forgotten that I was going to the hospital today.”

  Brea sits down and as she reaches for her turkey sandwich on wheat bread and says, “If you’re not supposed to be driving, you shouldn’t be driving. I could have picked you up this morning before work.”

  “You’re busy; besides, I feel fine. Today is the first day I didn’t have a ride.”

  I remember the mixed emotions I had after childbirth. Although I can’t relate to being separated from James after birth, I do remember the overwhelming need I had to protect him.

  “Angel, I’m sorry, I didn’t think about you not being able to drive or that you would need help getting to and from the hospital. I haven’t been a very good friend to you,” I say.

  “We haven’t, either,” Brea and Sara say in unison.

  “I’ve been so wrapped up with my own life. I should have been there more for you,” Sara says. “With the wedding plans and work, I have just been so busy. I’m sorry, Angel.”

  Brea sets her sandwich down and says, “Me too. I should have been there for you. I’m sorry. I know how difficult it is after childbirth.”

  “You guys a
re great friends. It’s not like you can see the twins anyway.”

  Chapter Five: Life-Changing Event(s)

  Alec

  I drive to the school listening to a John Legend C.D. that Emma got me. She said his music reminds her of me. He has recently become my new favorite artist because of her comment.

  After I park the car, I check in at the front desk and the student aide tells me James is in the nurse’s station, down the hall past the cafeteria. While I’m here, I decide to get Raelynn, too. She tells me that Raelynn is having lunch in the cafeteria. I put the paper I.D. on; it sticks to my scrubs. It is now visible for the faculty to see who I am and that I have permission to be on campus. It’s an easy way to I.D. non-faculty members who are on school property. A peel-and-stick I.D. Badge is very efficient. The schools over the years have been making safety changes to make it easier to identify people who don’t belong on the school grounds.

  Raelynn

  James got sick at school today and he is in the nurse’s office waiting on Daddy to pick him up. I usually sit with him at the lunch table, but not today.

  “Tommy, do you want my applesauce?”

  “Yeah, thanks. I love applesauce.” We always trade part of our lunch, whatever we don’t like, with the other kids at the table.

  The lunchroom is noisy, it’s always noisy at lunch. Heather, Jenni, Nichole, Heaven, and Hunter join us at the table. We laugh and giggle through our meal. These are my friends and we always play together at recess.

  “Where’s James at?” Heaven asks.

  “He’s sick. He’s waiting on Daddy to pick him up. He’s in the nurse’s office.”

  “Did he throw up?” Hunter asks.

  “I don’t know. He has a tummy ache.”

  I look at Tommy; he is smiling at me. Tommy always pulls my hair at recess and Nichole says it’s because he likes me. I don’t like boys. They’re gross.

  I hear a loud noise and look up from the table. Mrs. Hernandez is crying. Some bad man hits her, and she falls to the ground. He has a gun and yells, “SOMEONE IS GOING TO DIE!” I watch as the kids start to hide under the tables. I quickly scoot under the table and pull on the pant legs of my friends to join me. Tommy is already under here. His dad is a cop, and I’m sure he told Tommy what to do if a bad man is near.