by Jamie Conner
"Gerard?" Brandi asked.
"Yes, he's a friend of hers. You know, the man who did the sketches at the wedding reception."
Brandi flinched at the memory of her last encounter with Megan, but kept her mind focused on the emergency at hand.
"Come on. Let's just get in the car. We can call Gerard on our way to the hospital."
Megan nodded and followed Brandi to the car in a zombie-like state.
Once they'd gotten into the car Brandi hit the speaker phone on her cell and asked for the number for La Maison d' Amelia.
"Hello, this is Ms. Turner in room 303."
"Good evening Mademoiselle. How may I help you?"
"I'm trying to find a phone number for Gerard…" Brandi looked over at Megan, but she just hunched her shoulders. "I'm afraid I don't have his last name, but he's a local artist who does pencil sketches for tourists."
"Ah, yes! Gerard Laurent. He does sketches for a lot of our guests. We have his phone number please hold on for just a moment while I get it."
Brandi opened a little notepad that was sitting in the cup holder between the seats and wrote the number down when the hotel clerk came back on the line. She hung up and then hit speaker on her phone again and repeated the number she was just given. A moment later a voicemail message blared through the speaker. When the beep sounded after the message Brandi handed the phone to Megan.
For a moment she looked at it as if she didn't know what to do then she snapped to her senses.
"Gerard. This is Megan. Please call me back at this number. It's very important."
Brandi hung up the phone and they drove in silence for the next few minutes.
"She been working too hard," Megan finally said so softly Brandi could hardly hear her. "Yesterday she cooked all this food for me and today she was up working in her garden. It was just too much."
Brandi could see that Megan was blaming herself for the woman's condition. Sure the woman was older but they had no idea what caused her to fall to the floor. Brandi didn't like it that Megan was blaming herself without knowing for sure what had happened.
Before Brandi could think of anything to say her cell phone rang.
"Bonjour. Oui, Gerard…" Brandi looked over at Megan who still looked like she was teetering on the edge of a breaking down. Brandi wasn't sure Megan could handle the conversation so she just started telling Gerard what was happening in French.
"Gerard is going to call Mrs. Leroux's son," Brandi said as she hung up the phone. "Then he's going to meet us at the hospital."
The only sound in the car for the rest of the 30-minute trip was the automated voice of the GPS navigation system.
Chapter 9
Megan sat in the hard plastic hospital waiting room chair holding her head in her hands and rocking slowly back and forth. She was hoping the rhythmic motion would make the feeling of dread in her stomach go away. Images of her elderly friend laying on her kitchen floor, being lifted onto a gurney, and finally cocooned in the back of an ambulance, flashed through Megan's mind. She fought back tears and guilt. Megan didn't know what she would do if Mrs. Leroux didn't recover.
By the time Megan and Brandi had arrived at the hospital the emergency team had already whisked Mrs. Leroux inside. Now, because neither Megan nor Brandi were relatives, all they could do was sit in the waiting room and hope to eventually hear good news.
Megan looked up at the clock on the wall. They'd been there almost two hours and Megan's nerves were fried. Brandi had gone in search of coffee and left Megan sitting there alone. She was tempted to call Angie — just to hear a friendly voice — but she knew the call would cost a fortune and given the circumstances, there was no way to keep the call brief.
Megan looked around the waiting room at some of the other equally anxious faces. There was a young man sitting in the corner trying to read a magazine. Whenever the double doors leading inside the emergency room opened he'd put the magazine down and stare at the doorway as if preparing for someone to approach him with bad news.
There was an older, somewhat disheveled man, nodding in the chair a few rows away from Megan. Every time his head dropped to his chest he'd jerk awake, rub his hands through his dirty hair and shortly thereafter fall back asleep again. Megan wasn't sure if he was suffering from sleep deprivation or if there was some more elicit cause to his drowsiness, but the brown paper bag peeking out of his dirty coat pocket made her think it was the latter.
Near the intake desk, there was a woman with a little boy in her lap. She held him gently as the child clutched his arm wrapped in a blood-stained towel. Whatever the little boy's injury was it must not have been too bad because it didn't keep him from tormenting the little girl —probably a sibling — sitting beside him. When the mother wasn't looking he'd kick his foot, brushing the dirty sole of his shoe against the little girl's dress. She'd then shout in protest which only caused the mother to scold her for bothering the little boy. He'd mask his crime with an innocent smile before starting his antics all over again. Watching this game took Megan's mind off her own troubles for a moment. "Here," Brandi said as she returned with two coffee cups. "It's not as good as the coffee at the hotel cafe, but at least it's hot."
As Megan reached for the cup her fingers brushed Brandi's for a moment. A feeling of warmth from something other than the coffee spread through Megan's body. Megan looked into Brandi's eyes and for a brief moment, the anxiety of the day disappeared.
"Thanks," Megan whispered, but she was referring to more than just the coffee in her hand. She was truly grateful for Brandi's presence throughout this whole ordeal. It was bad enough having to face Mrs. Leroux's accident, but if she'd had to face this alone it would have been more than she could bear. Brandi's kindness had been especially touching considering the last time Megan had seen her was at the wedding reception two days ago when Megan had run out of the winery without explanation.
Brandi sat down in the chair beside her and sipped her coffee. Megan watched her out of the corner of her eye trying to ignore the feeling of an electric current buzzing between them. She wondered if Brandi felt the same thing.
Of course not. That's silly, Megan thought to herself.
She did her best to push the thought out of her mind by focusing on the hot coffee. She brought the paper cup to her lips and took a sip. When she tasted the liquid she drew back in surprise.
Brandi noticed her movement. "You like milk in your coffee, right? I mean it's not steamed and there's no foam, but… I hope it tastes okay."
"Thanks," Megan stuttered. "It's — perfect."
She remembered that I like milk in my coffee.
Megan tried not to make too much of the gesture, but she was touched that Brandi had remembered after hearing her unappreciated request for a cappuccino that night at the rehearsal dinner. The image Megan had of Brandi being a selfish socialite was beginning to crack. She certainly hadn't been selfish over the past few hours. In fact, she'd been more giving and caring than Megan was accustomed to from anyone except maybe her mother and Angie.
Megan looked over at Brandi who was staring distractedly out into space.
She is really a beautiful woman, Megan thought. Not that Brandi's outward attractiveness had ever been in question. But now who she was inside seemed to match her exterior more than Megan thought possible.
Megan felt the wall she'd built between she and Brandi start to melt. Maybe Brandi could be trusted. She certainly didn't have to be spending her night sitting in an emergency room with Megan.
Megan was still trying to process what this all meant when the exterior doors to the emergency room slid open and Alfred and Gerard rushed into the waiting room.
Alfred headed straight for the intake desk.
"My name is Alfred Leroux," he said to the nurse behind the counter. "My mother was brought in from St. Amelia a few hours ago."
As Alfred and the nurse began to talk Gerard looked around, saw Megan and Brandi and hurried over to where they were sitting.
"We don't know what's going on Gerard. They wouldn't talk to us since we aren't relatives. We've just been sitting here waiting for you and Alfred to arrive so we can get some news."
"Well, what exactly happen back at the house?" Gerard asked as if he was trying to make sense of it all.
Megan didn't have much to add to what Brandi had told him on the phone, but she relayed the story again.
Gerard stepped toward Brandi and scooped her into a hug.
"I'm so glad you found her, Brandi. The thought of her laying there alone." He shook his head and pulled Brandi toward him again. "Thank you. Thank you, so much."
Brandi just smiled and gently patted Gerard on the shoulder.
"I'm just glad I was there to help."
Brandi's comment tickled something in Megan's memory. Brandi had never answered Megan's question about why she was at Mrs. Leroux's house in the first place. Megan was about to ask the question again, but she was distracted when a doctor emerged from the interior of the hospital and began quietly talking to Alfred.
Megan watched the conversation looking for non-verbal clues that good news was being shared. When she saw Alfred take a deep breath and then release it she crossed her fingers hoping that was the good sign she was waiting for.
A few minutes later Alfred stepped over to where she, Gerard and Brandi were standing.
"Thank you so much for helping my mother," Alfred said, addressing Megan and Brandi. "I don't know what would have happened if you hadn't found her."
Megan opened her mouth to correct him and let him know that it was Brandi who'd found his mother on the floor, but before she could speak Brandi reached out and touched her hand lightly. She mouthed the words "Not now."
Yet another unselfish move on her part.
Alfred continued telling them what the doctor said. "She has a mild concussion probably from hitting her head when she fell. They have her under observation because she's still drifting in and out of consciousness — but her vital signs are strong."
His voice sounded hopeful at that last bit of news.
"Gerard, they're going to take me in to see her now. I'm sorry, but they said relatives only until she's more stable."
"No need to apologize, Alfred," Gerard patted the younger man on his back. "I'll just wait right here. You go ahead and see about your mother."
Before Alfred turned to leave he looked at Megan again.
"Thank you…," was all he managed to say before the tears started welling up in his eyes. Then he hurried off before his emotions got the better of him.
"I don't think we're going to find out much else tonight," Gerard said as they watched Alfred leave. "Why don't the two of you go home and get some rest. I'll stay here with Alfred. I promise I'll call you as soon as there's news."
As much as Megan wanted to stay she knew it wasn't fair of her to ask Brandi to spend any more time waiting at the hospital. After all, she didn't even know Mrs. Leroux.
Megan gave Gerard another big hug and then she and Brandi headed to the car.
Chapter 10
Megan hardly said a word on the 30-minute drive back to St. Amelia. She just sat staring out the window and picking at her fingernails nervously.
Brandi could tell that she was still blaming herself for Mrs. Leroux's condition. It was kind of tender to see how much Megan cared about the old woman.
I wonder if she's like that with all the people in her life.
It was probably normal for her to go above and beyond taking care of people. That thought made Brandi wonder if there was anyone in Megan's life who took care of her.
"Hey, how about we stop at the hotel restaurant and get something to eat?" Brandi suggested.
Megan shifted her attention in Brandi's direction.
"I am kind of hungry," she said. "But I don't really feel like being out in public right now. Does that make sense?"
"Of course it does, Megan. I totally get it." Brandi paused and thought for a moment. "We could always order room service. The suite I moved into has a little dining area where we could eat, or we could eat in your room if that would make you more comfortable."
Megan looked over at Brandi. She had a puzzled expression on her face, but Brandi didn't know what she'd said that was causing confusion.
"I'm not staying at the hotel anymore," Megan explained. "Mrs. Leroux invited me to stay in the cottage on her property just down the path from her house."
Brandi was stunned. She'd been so busy trying to avoid Megan's question about why she was at Mrs. Leroux's house that she hadn't given any thought to why Megan was there. In the back of her mind, she'd figured Megan had just been out for a walk or something and heard the sirens.
"I didn't realize you'd moved out of the hotel. I was wondering why we hadn't bumped into each other since the wedding," Brandi said.
"Mrs. Leroux really liked my poem and when Gerard told her that I was in St. Amelia working on a novel she got really excited. It turns out my favorite author was a friend of hers and had rented the cottage for years. It's the place where she wrote her last two novels."
"Wow," Brandi said. "That's incredible." She paused. "Your favorite author is Rachel Durand, right?"
Megan looked over at her with a surprised look on her face.
"I remembered from high school," Brandi said hesitantly. She hoped she wasn't going to spoil the mood by bringing up their past.
"You remembered that?" Megan asked in a soft voice.
"Yeah. As a matter of fact, I really got into Rachel Durand's work after…" She glanced over at Megan trying to gauge her mood. "After you told me about her."
"Well, I'm glad to hear that something good came out of the time we spent together," Megan said with a smile.
Brandi exhaled a breath she hadn't realized she was holding.
"So, since you're not staying at the hotel I can drop you back off at Mrs. Leroux's, but what are you going to do about food?"
"Oh, food is the least of my worries. Mrs. Leroux stuffed the freezer at the cottage with so much food I might not have to think about cooking all summer." A look of sadness washed over Megan's face.
"Hey," Brandi said softly. She started to reach for Megan's hand, but froze unsure of how Megan would react to being touched. "Don't blame yourself," Brandi said making her voice sound as comforting as she could. "You don't know what caused Mrs. Leroux to become ill and I'm sure she wouldn't have cooked all that food for you if she didn't want to."
Megan just nodded and turned her gaze back out the window again.
When they pulled up in front of Mrs. Leroux's house Brandi cut off the car engine and turned to Megan.
"I can stick around for a while if you want some company."
"Oh, I can't ask you to spend the rest of your evening babysitting me. You're on vacation. I've already messed up enough of your evening plans by dragging you to the hospital."
This time Brandi reached over confidently and took Megan by the hand.
"Look, Megan, I wouldn't have offered if I didn't want to stay with you." She held Megan's hand and her gaze until she was sure Megan understood. "Besides, I'm hungry and I think the least you can do if feed me after keeping me out all night."
Megan finally cracked a smile.
When they got out of the car Brandi looked over at the house she'd just stepped into a few hours ago. A flash of the jam covered floor shot through her mind. Megan must have been thinking the same thing.
"Hey, let's eat first and then I'll come back up here with you and we can clean up the kitchen."
This time Megan didn't argue about being offered help.
As they walked down the path toward the cottage Brandi couldn't help but think how romantic the stroll would have been under different circumstances. She watched Megan walking ahead of her and wondered if there would ever be a time when things were totally o
kay between the two of them. She was so focused on Megan that she didn't notice the view of the ocean.
"Oh my goodness!" she exclaimed when they reached the front of the cottage. "The view down here is even better than the one up at Mrs. Leroux's house."
"Yeah, I know. It's pretty awesome isn't it."
The full moon was lighting up the sky making the view of the ocean almost as clear as it must have been during the day. Suddenly Brandi realized Rousseau Development would consider this the absolute perfect location for the luxury homes they wanted to build. Her heart sank into her stomach. She glanced over at Megan. Her eyes were almost dancing in the moonlight as she looked out at the scenic view.
Brandi had never had this kind of conflict when she'd looked for property in the past. She just viewed the property owners as people to be negotiated with, she didn't have any personal connection to them.
"I've gotten a lot of writing done in the past day and a half just being inspired by this view," Megan said wistfully.
At that moment, Brandi knew what she had to do. Her computer was in her car, but she didn't want to ruin the moment and go get it now. As soon as she got back to her hotel room she'd delete the pictures of Mrs. Leroux's property from the research file she was compiling. After all, Quentin wouldn't be back in his office until tomorrow morning and Brandi was sure his wife wasn't letting him log into the company site while they were on vacation.
Suddenly a chirping sound erupted in the darkness. Brandi pulled her cell phone out of her jacket pocket and looked at the screen. She didn't recognize the number until she looked down at the call history and saw that she'd made an outgoing call to the number just a few hours ago.
"I think it's Gerard," she said as she quickly swiped the screen to answer. "Hello? Yes, this is Brandi. Hello, Gerard. Yes, Megan is right here."
Brandi handed the phone to Megan and watched her as she listened intently.
"Hi Gerard," she said nervously. "Is there any news?"
Brandi's stomach was in knots as she waited for some sign regarding the answer to Megan's question.
