A hint of irritation had crept into Maggie’s voice, and she looked as though she might burst into tears.
“I hate you! I want Ben! I want Ben! He’s much nicer than you! I want him! Get him!”
Ned stepped further into the room. “Hey, there, Peanut. What’s all the commotion?”
“Grandpa. Hi, Grandpa! You’re here. Take me home, please.”
Ned glanced at his daughter, who had turned away so Emma could not see her tears. Then he turned back to his granddaughter. “Let’s give Mom a break. Jane and I can handle this, Mags. Why don’t you head back to the room for a nap?”
She nodded and grabbed her sweater. “Thanks, Dad. Em, I’ll see you in a bit.” Without looking back, Maggie left the room.
Ned looked at Jane, and by tacit agreement they wheeled Emma to the parallel bars and started in. Battle with her mom forgotten, Emma tried her hardest. Ned watched sadly, noting how little progress she had made since his last visit.
Later, Ned pushed her wheelchair as they headed back to Emma’s room. When they reached the elevator, he paused. “So, you were giving your mommy a pretty hard time back there.”
She shrugged, suddenly interested in all the activity swirling around them in the hallway.
“Are you okay, Peanut?”
Another shrug.
“Let’s go get ice cream and let Mommy have a little snooze, okay?”
Immediately, Emma’s face lit up.
* * *
Chapter 54
Early Saturday morning, five weeks after Emma’s surgery, Ned Williams drove his truck up to the big house and parked. He had called ahead and asked to stop by, so Ben and Leonora were waiting for him on the porch.
“Hi, Ned. Good to see you,” Leonora called as he headed up the walk. “Let’s go out to the back terrace. Much cooler, and Carmela has set out some coffee and scones.”
Ned tipped his hat, then removed it. “Good to see you, too, Nora, Ben. Had a big breakfast, but wouldn’t say no to a cup of coffee.”
Ben patted him on the shoulder. “Come on back, then.”
Once they were settled, mugs of coffee in hand, Ned sat up straight. “Thanks for seeing me.”
“Anytime, Ned. Should’ve been sooner.”
“I wanted to talk to you about Emma, and the kids.”
“We’ve been so worried,” Leonora said. “With Ben, it’s best if we don’t ask until he’s ready to say something. We visited when she was at the clinic, but we didn’t know the rules at rehab, and our son is not always the most forthcoming, especially with me. I keep checking, and all he tells us is that they’ve got things covered.”
“Well, they clearly don’t have things covered,” Ned said. “I don’t know the rules, either, but I know my daughter, and she’s at the breaking point. Your son, too, I expect. Maggie’s skeletal thin and so weak and exhausted, I’m ’fraid she’s gonna have to be hospitalized herself if we don’t do something. My granddaughter—our granddaughter—is giving her a very hard time, too. Em wants to come home.”
“Can she?” Ben Senior asked.
“I don’t know, but I do know that our kids cannot keep up this pace anymore. Whether they want it or not, they need help. I was at rehab yesterday, and I can tell you, things are definitely not covered. Emma’s acting like a caged animal, and the active, defiant four-year-old she is. At the moment, her mama’s bearing the brunt of her fury.”
“Poor Maggie,” the other man said.
“What can we do?” Leonora asked, standing to refill their mugs.
Ned set down his coffee and looked from one to the other of them. “I think it’s time for an intervention. It’s been five weeks since Emma’s surgery, and there’s been little progress. The doctors say the PT takes time, but I think we can guess the outcome here. She has some feeling in her legs, but they’re limp as wet noodles, and she hasn’t regained any more feeling since the day she woke up.”
“Are you telling us you don’t think there’s a chance for Emmie?” Ben said.
Ned shrugged. “If I had to wager, I’d guess they’re planning to release Emma in a month, maybe sooner, and order outpatient rehab for her. Won’t be much easier on the parents time-wise, but it should improve Em’s mood once she’s home.”
“But, there’s hope, isn’t there?” Leonora said.
Ned gazed from one to the other before speaking. “I think we have to prepare ourselves for the possibility that our granddaughter will never walk. I suspect her parents already know this but refuse to believe it, and they’re getting more frayed around the edges every day.”
Leonora stared at Ned, green eyes wide. “So, what do you propose?”
“My daughter, and your son, too, need to get back to some of their normal routines. Rest, yes, but Maggie, at least, needs the familiarity of routine and work. I was thinking that the rest of the family could get together and create a schedule so we can relieve Mom and Dad on alternate days. I’m retired, so I have lots of time. If we all pitched in a little, I could make my daughter rest, and maybe she could get back to work part-time. I heard from Ben that the pack trip next week is really shorthanded. If everyone pitches in, he can go with Harley. It’s only five days.”
Hands on hips, Leonora gazed towards the mountains. “Have you forgotten that both your daughter and our son are stubborn as mules and will never agree to this?”
“Yep, but that’s why we need a united front. A real intervention, where we sit them down and lay down the rules.”
Ben slapped his knee. “Count me in!”
Leonora sat down beside her husband. “Aren’t you forgetting that they never leave Emma alone?”
“I thought of that, but I have an idea. Dara Littlefield, Maggie’s high school friend, has been coming pretty regularly to visit Emma. If we asked her to come to the center and we got everyone together in the lobby, we could sit them down and present them with the schedule. Whether at the rehab center or home, they’re going to have to accept help.”
“Just tell us when and we’ll be there,” Ben said.
Leonora nodded her head in agreement. “I’ll cancel everything and make myself available whenever I’m needed.”
Ned laughed. “Whoa, now, we don’t want the grandparents collapsing along with the parents. I know my limits, and we all should keep our own in mind. Any ideas how we can organize this?”
“Are you online?” Leonora asked.
“Not happily, but yes, I can find my way around.”
“Perfect. I’ll have Ruthie make up a table with times and dates for the next month or two, and then we’ll circulate it among us, all of us. Ben’s brothers and sisters will be happy to help.”
“Think next Friday around five would be too soon to get that together? I saw Dara yesterday, and that’s one of the days she gave me when she’s free. I don’t think it’s necessary for all the players to be there, but as many as can make it. I’ll make certain that Maggie is there, and maybe we can find a way to get Ben Junior there, too?”
“I’ll handle that,” Ben said. “I’ll ask him to drive me down to see her.”
Leonora clapped her hands. “I’ll get right on the email this morning and ask everyone to get back to me by Wednesday. Ned, thank you so much for including us in this. It means so much to Ben and me.”
Tears rimmed her husband’s eyes, and he nodded. “Emma’s already precious to us, Ned.”
“She’s is pretty amazing kid, isn’t she?”
* * *
Chapter 55
From the sidelines, Maggie and Ben watched their daughter and Jane. Emma lay on a mat, holding bright green stretchy bands that wound around the soles of her feet. The idea was to straighten her legs and swing them from side to side, a task that seemed elusive, at best, but at least they were talking and laughing.
“Do you know what tomorrow is about?” Maggie asked him.
“Not a clue.” Ben cringed at the sight of his beloved, so pale, thin, and haunted. “Come here.”
&nb
sp; He attempted to draw her into an embrace, but she pulled away.
“No, I can’t. Not here.”
“I’ve missed you.”
She shook her head. “Please, Ben, I can’t talk about this right now.”
He reached for her hand, but she placed it out of reach.
“What do you know about tomorrow?” she asked, deciding a change of subject was in order.
“Nothing.”
“Well, I really don’t want to leave Emma with Dara.”
“We’ll be right down the hall.”
She shrugged.
“Maggie, she’s gonna be fine.”
“No, she’s not,” she said quietly, tears springing to her eyes. “We put her through that nightmare for nothing. She’s never going to walk. ”
“Hey, hey, sweetheart.”
Ben could see that a meltdown was imminent, so he waved to Jane. “We’re going to grab a coffee. Be back in five.”
Jane nodded and waved. Emma was so engrossed in their game, she didn’t notice.
Ben half lifted Maggie from her chair and led her out of the room. Once in the hallway, she collapsed against his chest.
“Okay, darling, okay. Let it out. It’s okay.”
He took her up in his arms and carried her down the hall and into the lobby, which was mercifully empty. He took her to a small room behind the vending machines and sat on one of the four couches, holding her in his lap. It was alarming to feel her spine and ribs, which stood out in sharp relief. Her soft curves had all but disappeared. Clearly this could not go on.
After a while, the trembling stopped and she wiped her eyes, resting her head in the crook of his neck. “What are we going to do?”
“Love her and love each other, sweetie. It’s gonna be okay.”
“I want to bring her home.”
“Then let’s do it.”
“But what about the therapy?”
“We’ll figure it out.”
He cupped her chin and brought his lips to hers for a soft kiss.
“No! Please, Ben, I can’t.”
“Maggie, I’m sorry. I’m just trying to comfort you.”
She jumped off his lap. “I just can’t do this right now. Please, I’ve asked you to let me be and give me time.”
“And I have given you time. Emma’s my daughter, too. I need you, and I think you need me.”
“Your daughter? Where were you when she was cutting teeth? Where were you when she had colic and cried all night? Where were you after the accident when we didn’t know if she’d live or die?” She was screaming now, her voice shrill and almost unrecognizable.
“I’m here now.” And, I would have been there then, if I’d known.
“Good. Fine. Look, I need to get back.”
All the fight gone, Maggie turned with haunted eyes and left Ben sitting and wondering if their love had all been a dream.
* * *
Chapter 56
Friday afternoon, all the Morgan siblings as well as Ben Senior, Leonora, and Ned were assembled in the small room off the rehab center’s lobby. Dara sat among them, catching up with Kyle as the others chatted and waited.
Leonora, Ben Senior, and Ned stood together. Finally Leonora clapped her hands. “Okay, everybody, we’re all here. Thank you for coming. Ruthie has copies of the time schedule we created for the next six weeks. Once they agree, we’ll churn one out for the next six weeks or longer. I imagine like your dad, Ned, and me, you’re thrilled to be doing this for our family and our beloved granddaughter. Now I’m going to turn things over to Ned, as it was his inspired idea to do this. Ned?”
Ned smiled shyly and gazed out at the Morgans all staring expectantly in his direction. “Thanks, Nora. I guess we know who my daughter’ll blame if they’re not happy with this, too. Not to worry. I’m happy to take one for the team. In truth, folks, I don’t think their sayin’ no is an option. I refuse to watch my baby girl worry herself to death, and it sure isn’t doin’ Emmie any good, either.
“So I’ll take Dara up and bring the parents back with me. Dara, you all set for the pushback?”
Dara laughed, holding up a canvas bag. “I’ve got toys, games, coloring books, you name it. Em and I’ll be fine, and if past visits are any indication, she’ll shoo her mom out so she’ll have me all to herself.”
Kyle watched his classmate and marveled at the transformation of Dara Littlefield from a slightly plain high-schooler to strawberry-blonde beauty. Her straight hair was tied back in a ponytail, and she wore little or no makeup, but her skin was flawless, lips a sweet cherry red. The light blue of her thin cotton sundress picked up the blue in her wide, smiling eyes. He made a mental note to ask for her number after the intervention.
Ned touched Dara’s shoulder. “Okay, my girl, into the fire we go.”
As they neared the room, they heard crying. Poking their heads in, they spied Maggie trying to coax Emma to eat some of her spaghetti and meatballs. It appeared that Ben had been reading a picture book to Emma, which lay open and forgotten in the commotion.
“I don’t want it! I hate it! I want to go home! I want Grandpa’s spaghetti.”
“Hey, Peanut, what’s all the fussin’?”
“Grandpa!” she cried, holding out her arms.
Ned did not disappoint. He crossed the room in three long strides and scooped her out of the wheelchair to twirl her in circles. “Givin’ your mama a hard time again, are you?”
“I want to go home with you.”
“I know, sweetie.” He smoothed back chestnut curls from moist cheeks and brow. “Pretty soon, baby girl.”
Emma rested her head against his chest and heaved a sigh as her mother stood and set the plate of pasta aside. The friends hugged, and Dara said hello to Ben, who came to give her a hug as well.
“So, what have they roped you into now?” Maggie asked her friend.
“That’s for your dad to explain. I’m here to play with my princess.”
Emma’s face brightened. “What’s in the bag?”
“Let’s let Mom, Ben, and Grandpa leave. Then I’ll show you, okay?”
Everyone else forgotten, Emma allowed her grandfather to return her to the wheelchair. With hasty good-byes and a wave from Dara, the three departed and closed the door. As they headed for the lobby, Maggie turned to her father. “Are you going to tell us what this is about?”
“Just a chat baby girl, just a chat.”
* * *
Chapter 57
When they spied the group assembled, Ben and Maggie’s jaws dropped, and for a minute, both were speechless. He found his tongue first.
“What the hell are you all doing here? The only one missing is Harley.”
“Not, quite, buddy. Just late.” Harley stepped into the room and moved to sit beside Ruthie on one of the couches.
Ben turned to his mother, eyes blazing. “This is your doing, isn’t it? Can’t let us live our lives. You always have to—”
“Hey, son, hold on now!” His father wrapped a protective arm around his wife.
“Whoa, Nellybelle,” Ned said. “This was my idea, so if you want to fly off the handle and start yelling at someone, you can do it to me, later, after we’re through. Now, sit. Both of you. This is not a suggestion.”
Maggie and Ben walked to the two empty chairs, which he noticed were at the center of their cozy little circle, and Ned began laying out the idea of how the group planned to provide relief for them. He paused at one point and nodded at Ruthie, who handed out copies of the schedule. A man of few words, his speech lasted less than five minutes, at the end of which he said, “We are dead serious about this, you two. We want our kids back, and Emma needs her mom and dad to be healthy and rested. You both need to get back into life and work.”
“With all due respect, Ned,” Ben said, “this is what Maggie and I want. This is where we choose to be.”
“Sorry, brother,” Robbie said. “We’re all agreed. You’re gonna accept our help, and that’s final. I want
a spend time with my niece. So do Beth, Ruthie, Sam, Kyle, and Harley. And you know how Mom and Dad feel. This is gonna happen. You guys have lost your perspective, and you’re both driving Emma crazy.”
“And, you’re at each other’s throats,” Ruthie said quietly. “Sorry, guys, but I heard you from the hallway last time I came in.”
Ben shook his head. “This is craziness. Sam is so busy he can’t see straight, Kyle’s studies don’t leave him a spare minute, and we can’t ask Beth or Ruthie to come off the farm at our busiest season. And what the hell do you think you’re going to do?” he asked, turning to Harley. “Let the next group of tourists run their own pack trip?”
Beth put up her hand. “That’s is why we have this.” She waved a copy of the schedule in front of her. “We will share this responsibility, brother dear, so that everyone, including you, can continue to work, study, and do whatever they do.”
Ben stared at his sister, amazed at her tone. “Listen, all of you, this is an amazing offer, but Maggie and I cannot possibly—”
Maggie placed a trembling hand on his arm. “They’re right, Ben. I think we should try it.”
Incredulous, he turned to her. “You can’t be serious?”
“She is, bro,” Kyle said, gesturing toward Maggie. “Look at her. Look at yourself. You’re both exhausted. You cannot keep this up and we, your family, are not gonna let you.”
“Besides,” Robbie said, “Emma’s probably so sick of you two right now. She needs some fun and a change of pace.”
“Thank you all,” Maggie said quietly.
Ben looked from his brother to Maggie and saw the tears had started. He put his arm around her thin, trembling shoulders. “Okay, okay, I give in. When do we start?”
Leonora rushed to embrace her son, and Ben Senior, tears in his eyes, hugged Maggie. “We won’t let you down, darlin.’ We’ll all take good care of her, and her grandmother will be supervising me, so you don’t have to worry about this ole man messing up.”
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