“Ok, daddy. I’m gonna just put her card next to her in the bed, so when she wakes up, she’ll see it. I‘ll be very quiet so I don’t wake her.”
My nose tingles and I look away. I blink the tears away and say a silent prayer. “Come on, Rae, let’s clean up our art supplies.” While we put everything in the bag, I make sure Rae is positioned so her back is to Sam and Bridget. I tell Rae to blow on the card to make sure the glue is dried. I don’t want her to see how sad her grandparents are.
Mason walks in and says, “They are taking her up to I.C.U. now.”
Alec nods and we all stand.
We go up to the third floor — the walls are cold and sterile. A coffee maker, a water dispenser, and some vending machines are in the small waiting room. The wood and green vinyl chairs and bench seats line the walls.
Mason and Alec stand, and Sam and Bridget get a cup of coffee. Raelynn and I sit down, and I reach into the bag and hand her an apple juice and a bag of animal crackers. I look at the clock; it is 10:37 p.m. The tick tock of the clock is the only sound in the otherwise quiet room.
“I’ll be right back.” I look at Raelynn as she is eating her crackers.
“Ok, Emma.”
I walk over to the T.V. and change the channel until I find a cartoon; Doc McStuffins is the only cartoon on. I look up at Mason and Alec — they both have stress lines on their faces. A doctor walks through the doors and talks quietly to Mason, Alec, Sam, and Bridget. I sit with Rae, and I am grateful the television is distracting her.
Alec walks over and sits with us. He says to Rae, “Grandma and Grandpa are going back to be with your mommy first, then we will go back.”
“Is Mason staying?”
“No, he’s going home.
“He’s a good man.”
“I think so, too,” Alec agrees.
Raelynn sits there, holding her glittery card and I want to cry for her. I sit there and remember when I lost Max. Losing someone is never easy. A child losing a parent would have to be the hardest loss of all. I think of James losing Max and the tears cascade down my cheeks. I think back to Max visiting me in my dreams and how happy I felt when James said Max visits him, too. My mind drifts back to the last dream and what Max said.
“Em, there is going to be a time when someone you meet will need your help.”
“Who? I don’t understand?”
“When the time comes, you will understand. Em, I love you, always and forever?”
Max must want me to be there for Raelynn. He knew this was going to happen. He wants me to help Raelynn to get over her mother’s death. I can’t help Raelynn. My dreams have been shattered and my life was broken. How am I supposed to help Raelynn? I’m not strong enough to do this.
“Emma?”
“I’m sorry. What?”
“We can go back now. Are you all right?”
Everyone is standing looking at me. “I’m fine.”
Alec carries Raelynn down the bright sterile hall. I follow behind them and focus on the glitter that is falling from the card Raelynn made. I watch the glitter fall from the card and sparkle until it hits the floor. Is that what heaven looks like? All glitter and sparkle? I sure hope so.
I am startled from my thoughts with the sound of beeping. We turn into a small private room with a single bed. The beeping sound continues, and I can’t be certain which machine it is coming from. I stand by the door and watch as Alec and Rae walk slowly to the bed. Sam and Bridget are sitting on the opposite side of the bed. They both are crying. I stare at the floor.
I look up and Alec leans over the bed and uses his hands to brush Molly’s hair away from her face. Raelynn also kisses her before she lays her glittery card on the bed near the pillow.
The nurse brings in a few extra chairs, and Raelynn and Alec sit nearest to the bed. I sit back and think about what Max said.
“Em, there is going to be a time when someone you meet will need your help.”
“Who? I don’t understand?”
“When the time comes, you will understand.”
How can I help Raelynn heal if her mother dies? I don’t know how to do that! I barely held myself together after Max’s death.
The doctor comes in and asks to speak to the adults in private.
“I’ll sit here with Raelynn,” I whisper.
“Are you sure?” Alec asks.
“Yes, she’s already asleep. We’ll stay here; you go and talk to the doctor.”
“Thank you. I’ll be back as soon as I can.”
Alec gently places Raelynn on my lap. She snuggles close to me and I hold my breath. I don’t want to wake her.
“I’ll be just a few minutes,” he says, as he strokes Raelynn’s long brown hair.
I nod and give him a slight smile.
While they are gone, I scoot closer to Molly’s bed. I feel someone should be near her.
I rock a sleeping Rae side to side. Molly’s index finger moves and I stop rocking Rae and stare at her hand. She slightly wiggles four fingers and then her thumb. I lean closer and look at her face. Is she waking up? Molly blinks a few times and whispers, “Please, help me.”
“Em, there is going to be a time when someone you meet will need your help.”
“Who? I don’t understand?”
“When the time comes, you will understand.”
Oh, my God, he was not talking about Raelynn! He was talking about Molly!
Books by Brenda Kennedy
Broken Lives is Book Two of the Freedom Trilogy.
Book One: Shattered Dreams
Book Two: Broken Lives
Book Three: Mending Hearts
Other books written by this author include:
The Starting Over Trilogy
Book One: A New Beginning
Book Two: Saving Angel
Book Three: Destined to Love
Acknowledgments
My husband, Rex: Thank you for supporting me and for coming with me on this ride. What a year it has been! I will always love you.
Carey, John, Derek, Nikki, Chastidy, Rex, Brittany, Amanda, and Katie: Thank you for reminding me what is important every single day. I love you.
Desmond, Samantha, Autumn, Evan, Derek, Dayquan, Darius, Draden, Alyssa, Hailey, Lucca, Tanner, Giovanni, Cain, Lelila, Kylie, DeVonte’, Adrienne, Amaya, Dominic, Damien, Caden, and Gemma: Thank you for reminding me that I am somebody; I am your grandma and nothing else matters. I love you all.
My sisters and brothers: George, Martha, Rosa, Carla, and Frank: Thank you for your support. I love you.
My other brother, David: Without you, I wouldn’t have been able to publish the first book. Thank you for making my ideas better and for all you do. Editing, proofreading, polishing, formatting, ideas, articles and research websites. See, I do pay attention. Thank you. Thank you for pushing me until I get it right. Maybe someday, I’ll learn the right place to put the commas. I love you and truly appreciate you.
Thank you to my P.A.s: Brittany Kennedy and Amanda Kennedy: Thank you for all your help at book signings, and with the book swag. I couldn’t have done them without you.
Christina Badder: My P.A., my friend, my…, I guess I don’t have the perfect title for you yet. I promise, by the next book, I’ll have something fabulous to call you. Thank you for taking care of all of my promotional needs. The blog tours, author spotlights, book cover reveals, give-a-ways, Rafflecopters, Thunderclap campaigns, ARC’s, and everything that I don’t know that you do or things I forgot to mention. I hope you know how much I appreciate your hard work and dedication.
Thank you to my Beta readers: Cathy Stotts, Lorraine McDonald, Natalie Neck, Nichole Taggart, Kayleigh Deal, Raelynn Chambers, Dee Knope, Heather Ross-Cicio, Dove King Bailey, Heather Osborne, Heather Leach Schrader, Heaven Potter, Sherry Darr, Lou Ann Mohler, Amy Sperry, and Jenni Crawford, Jessica King, Rhiannon Matthias, and Sherry Gainy. I appreciate you all, more than you know. I appreciate your honest opinions and reviews. I love the bond that we have devel
oped and I appreciate that I can trust you.
Thank you to ‘Brenda’s Street Talkers,’ for pimping my books, making teasers and banners, and just for the support I receive from you every day.
Thank you to Beth Maddox at Cover It Up Designs for the book cover. I am excited for this cover and for the last book cover of the trilogy. I love your work and your vision.
Missy MacKenzie Swain, owner of Noodle Noo Jewelry/Watches. Thank you for making and crafting my professional book swag. I love your framed charms, bookmarks, and key chains. To see Missy’s designs, go to Noodle Noo via Facebook. Thank you, and I look forward to seeing what else you come up with.
Thank you to all the bloggers who shared in the author’s spotlight, the blog tour, and/or cover reveal for Broken Lives. I appreciate you more than you know.
A very special thank you to my fellow author friends who help me every day: Diane B. Jones, for your daily chats; C.M. Hutton, for inspiring me to write; and Arden Aoide, for teaching me things that I am clueless about. I love each of you.
All my family, friends, internet friends, and the Manatee County Jail nursing and corrections staff: Thank you all for your support and ideas. I have used many of your names in Broken Lives.
My close family and very close friends: You may recognize many names and places in Broken Lives. I had so much fun incorporating family names and some of my favorite places into this book. You all have definitely helped inspire many of the characters in this book.
To my readers, and fans. Thank you a million times over for reading and reviewing my books.
I support Indie Authors. If you read this book, please take the time to go on the purchasing site and give it a review. Independent authors count on your reviews to get the word out about our books. Thank you for taking the time to read our books and taking the extra time to review them. We all appreciate it very much.
Disclaimer: People and places in this book have been used fictitiously and without malice.
About the Author: First and foremost I am a wife, mother and grandmother.
I am also a nurse and a new author.
I moved to sunny Florida in 2006 and never looked back. I love fresh squeezed lemonade, crushed ice, teacups, wineglasses, non-franchise restaurants, ice cream cones, boating, picnics, cookouts, throwing parties, lace, white wine, mojitos, strawberry margaritas, white linen tablecloths, fresh flowers, and Pinterest. I also love to read and write and to spend time with my family.
My books, thus far, have been inspired by the things I love and the people who influence me, every single day, to be a better person.
You may follow me on:
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Brenda-Kennedy-Author
https://twitter.com/BrendaKennedy_
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https://www.goodreads.com/author/dashboard
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