Through the Storm (Bellingwood Book 8)

by Diane Greenwood Muir

"Don't get me wrong. She's made some really stupid mistakes, but Mom had a sit-down with me. I'm supposed to be generous with my extra chances. I had to hear one more time that she and Dad lived through my entire freshman year at college and didn't slice and dice me. That woman is never going to let me forget that. It's her go-to whenever I get short-tempered with someone."

  "It's a pretty good story."

  "So have you considered just hiring a full-time nurse for all of the strays you keep rescuing?" he asked.

  "Now you're just being mean." She looked at him coyly. "I did tell you that Evelyn Morrow is going to be spending time here with Sarah, didn't I?"

  "You mentioned that she was going to go see Sarah at the hospital. I assumed they would work something out. I think it's a good idea. You and Rachel can't handle all of the work that she's going to require this next year."

  "Hopefully Sarah can gain control of the diabetes and return to some semblance of normal. I can't believe that this hit her on top of everything else."

  He reached out and took her hand. "You know I will always support you when you decide to help someone, but one of these days it's going to be too much for one person to handle."

  "That's why I talked to Evelyn Morrow. For the most part, Sarah's care is out of my hands now. You aren't going to try to stop me from doing things like this, are you?"

  "Well, that would be crazy, now, wouldn't it," he said, chuckling. "I figure that if your job is to take care of the world, someone has to take care of you and I'm more than glad to be that person. But first I need you to trust me and let me do my job."

  "Sometimes I feel like I sucked you into my vortex and it isn't fair for you. I can handle everything I take on. I promise. I just keep surrounding myself with more and more good people and as long as they do their jobs, I can do even more. But you didn't ask for this life when we met."

  "I asked for it when I asked you to marry me. Trust me, I knew what I was getting into. And I wouldn't have it any other way. But when your face is all bruised up and you can't laugh because your ribs hurt and you can't get up and down easily because you've been broken, it brings out all of my protective instincts."

  "Henry Sturtz, I love you."

  "It's a good thing, because I love you too."

  "Don't ever leave me. Especially when I get stupidly independent and try to pull away from you."

  He looked at her and shook his head. "I'm not touching that one. You and your independence aren't something I plan to mess with ... ever."

  "You're so smart." She pulled the goofy grin on him again. "And that's why I lub you."

  Henry got up and carried the dishes to the sink and put the food away. "Now, come on. Let's get you comfortable and see if we can get some more sleep. I'm taking the next couple of days off, so after I take Rebecca to school, I can help you."

  "That isn't necessary. It's not like I'm going to do much around here. I can manage."

  He snatched the roll up from the counter where it had landed. "I have a roll that says otherwise. Don't argue with me, you independent thing, you. I'm allowed to hover over the woman I love after she was nearly run off the road, been through surgery, and then listened to the father of the miscreant threaten her."

  "If you put it that way ..." Polly walked to the sofa and waited while Henry picked up the pillows and blankets. She sat down and he stuffed pillows behind her and shook out blankets to lay across her. Obiwan jumped up onto the other end of the sofa and looked at her forlornly. When she stretched her legs out, he tucked himself in behind her and settled down.

  "Miscreant?" she asked.

  "What?"

  "Miscreant?"

  "I'm not allowed to use big words? I'm a smart man." He sat down in the chair beside her and stroked the back of her head.

  "You are a smart man. I'm just not used to you showing off."

  "It was the first word that came to mind. I used it."

  "You should go back to bed," she said to Henry.

  "You relax and I'll sit here for a few minutes." He picked up one of the comic books and slid it out of the plastic sleeve.

  " I thought those were supposed to be at your dad's place?"

  "Who even knows that we have them? I thought maybe if you feel a little better tomorrow or the next day, we might run over to Ames. There's a guy in a shop there who will tell us what they're worth. I did some checking and I'd like to just get a good number on these things before we decide whether to sell them or put them in a safety deposit box."

  "Okay." Polly turned the television on and began flipping through channels. When nothing looked interesting, she turned it back off. "That's boring."

  "Are you really going to stay up for a while?" he asked.

  "I don't know. Maybe I should read something. That always puts me to sleep."

  Henry put the comic book he was reading on the table and walked over to the bookshelf. "Tell me what you want."

  She shut her eyes, imagining the bookshelves and their contents. Without opening them, she said, "Second shelf from the top. Right side. "Count of Monte Cristo."

  "That was kind of impressive," he said, pulling the book down. "This is heavy. Are you sure?"

  "Would you hand me a couple of those throw pillows? I'll just put them on my lap and make a table."

  ~~~

  The next thing she knew, Henry was saying her name quietly and stroking her hand. "Polly. Polly. Please wake up."

  "What? What time is it? Did I oversleep?" She looked around and the only light in the room came from the soft glow of a lamp beside the bookshelves. The book and throw pillows were on the table in front of the sofa and the blanket had been pulled up over her shoulders. Polly tried moving her neck and it hurt. "What's going on?"

  "Honey, you were moaning. Why don't you take a pain pill and try to come back to bed. You'll be much more comfortable there."

  "I wanted to be done with those. They make me thick-headed."

  "I know, but it's only three days after the accident. You can have one if it will help you sleep." He held a pill out and a glass of water. "Please? I hate knowing you hurt."

  Polly gave him a small smile. "Okay, if you insist. But I'm only doing this for you, you know."

  "I know that. And I love you for it." He waited while she took the pill and then a long drink from the glass. "Can I take you back to bed?"

  "That's probably a good idea. How long was I asleep?"

  "Only about an hour and a half. I wasn't going to let you stay here all night anyway. The couch is comfortable, but not all night, especially when you hurt."

  Polly let him help her and she stood still for a moment, trying to stand erect. "I feel really old right now," she said. "You can't let me fall down when I'm ninety years old. This stuff stinks."

  "Got it. Padded cell when you turn eighty-nine. It's on my to-do list."

  She held on to him as they slowly crossed through to their bedroom. "Have you been awake all this time?"

  "No, I drifted off for a while, but there was no way I could sleep through those sweet little moans of yours. The only time I want to hear those is when ..."

  Polly bumped her hip into his. "Stop it. I can't even think about that right now. And look at me, I'm a mess. I don't know how you can even think about that."

  He helped her sit down on the bed and pushed the cats out of the way so she could lean back. Once she was settled, he pulled the blankets up and went around to the other side and crawled in.

  "I don't care how many black eyes you have or what you look like. I don't care if you are bent over because of age or pain from a terrible accident. You will always be my Polly and I will always want you. And by the way, I will always think about that with you. No matter what and no matter when."

  She started humming, badly, as the pain pill began to do its work.

  "What are you singing there?" he asked.

  "Apparently I stink at melodies."

  "Well, not usually. Are you sure you know what you're doing?"

 
"Will you still need me, will you still feed me when I'm sixty-four." She mangled the melody and then said, "Will you still love me?"

  Henry stroked her cheek. "I will always need you and I'll even feed you. But more than anything I will always love you. Now let yourself go to sleep. Tomorrow's another day. I'll be here tomorrow and the next day and every day after that. I love you more than you will ever know."

  CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR

  "Hey there!" Polly yelled, "I'm bored! No one will play with me."

  Henry came into the living room from his office, chuckling. "Do I need to call your friends?"

  "I thought you were staying at home to help me. Isn't part of helping me keeping me entertained?" Polly knew she was whining and wasn't quite sure how to make it stop. She felt like whining.

  "Your book isn't doing it, eh?"

  "No. I've read it before. I know how it ends."

  "Maybe I should call Joss and have her bring you some books from the library."

  Polly got up from the couch. She felt a little better today than yesterday, but she still ached. "I'm used to having people around. And if I don't have people around, I go out and see the animals or bug Jeff or Sylvie."

  "So go bug Jeff and Sylvie," he said. "You aren't an invalid."

  "They're probably busy," she whined again.

  A knock at the front door made her light up and smile. "I've got it," she said.

  "Thank goodness. I hope it's for you and not for me."

  She opened the front door to Rachel and grabbed the girl's arm. "Come in. Are you here to tell me that you desperately need me downstairs for some big decision?"

  Rachel looked at her and then at Henry, creasing her brows in confusion. "Uh, no?'

  "Well come in anyway. I'm going stir crazy. Do you want some coffee or brownies or pie or ice cream?"

  "No, I'm fine. I just wanted to talk to you about tonight."

  "Tonight," Polly said. "I have no idea what is happening tonight. Henry?" She turned to look at him. "Do you know what's happening tonight?"

  "Yeah. It's Sylvie's graduation party."

  "That's tonight? I didn't get her a present. I haven't done anything. Henry we have to go get her a present!"

  "You ordered chef's knives for her three months ago. They're in the closet."

  "Oh. I was going to give them to her at the ceremony, but I guess tonight will be good enough. There's a party tonight?" Polly took Rachel's arm and led her into the dining room. "I've missed out on all the planning for this and now here it is. Tell me what's happening."

  "It's no big deal. Jeff, Hannah and I took care of it."

  "I remember you talking about it, but I don't think I knew the date."

  "We had to do it on a Thursday because we're busy on the weekends."

  "Okay, so what did you want to talk to me about?"

  "I was hoping you might say something tonight."

  Polly chuckled. "If you give me any of those fun pain pills before I go on, I'll say a lot of things, none of which might be appropriate, but I doubt that's what you're looking for."

  "It would be funny," Rachel said. "Here, let me do that." She jumped out of the chair at the table and rushed into the kitchen to fill Polly's coffee mug.

  "I'm not an invalid," Polly protested, "but thanks."

  "I know, but if you spilled, I would have to clean it up."

  "You all are one step ahead of me these days. Okay, so you want me to say something. What about?"

  "Oh, just about Sylvie working here and going back to school and that kind of stuff."

  "How long should I talk? Twenty minutes? Or longer."

  There was silence.

  "I'm kidding," Polly said. "Like three to five minutes?"

  "That would be perfect. Are you sure?"

  "Absolutely."

  "We were worried that you wouldn't be here for this and we couldn't have done it without you." Rachel stood up to leave.

  "I will always be around. You'll never get rid of me," Polly said. "Wait. You're leaving? You can't leave yet. You haven't had any pie or coffee."

  "I have to get back to work."

  "Noooo," Polly whined. "Then I'll have to go back to being bored."

  Henry came back into the dining room and stepped in between the two. "Let her go back to work, Polly. The poor girl doesn't know how to tell you to be quiet."

  Rachel gave him a grateful look and trotted to the front door. "I'll see you tonight, Polly. Thanks!"

  "Thanks for nothing, you treacherous traitor, you," Polly said to Henry. "You wouldn't let me keep my prey. She walked into my house and was fair game."

  "She didn't know you had lost your mind. It was an unfair advantage on your part," he said, bending over and kissing her forehead. "I'll get out the knives and you can tell me what wrapping paper you want to use. Then you can figure out what you're wearing tonight."

  Polly stuck her tongue out at him. "That will only take a few minutes. It's not a dressy affair, is it? And why don't I know more about this?"

  "Because most of the plans have been made this week and you've been kinda out of it. Give it a break. The girls wanted to do something special for Sylvie and it wasn't actually necessary for you to be involved. They've done a great job."

  "How do you know all of this?"

  "Because I've been running up and down stairs with the dog for the last few days. We talk downstairs sometimes."

  "My friends have forgotten all about me." Polly stuck her lower lip out. "I got home and they decided I was going to live and they all went back to their busy lives and don't have time for me. My life stinks."

  Henry opened the freezer door, took out an ice cream sandwich, unwrapped it and handed it to her. "Eat this. Drown your sorrows in ice cream and then call someone or something."

  "It hurts to hold the phone. I always transfer it back and forth between my arms and I can't do that right now."

  "Oh good heavenly days," he said. "You're going to be impossible, aren't you?"

  "Maybe. I hate this."

  "Fine. Let's get your butt downstairs. You can sit on a stool in the kitchen or spend time in your office. If you want to go down to the barn and torture Eliseo, I'll even take you to see him. I can't take this anymore."

  She grinned at him. "Now you're talking. If you park me somewhere for a while, you might be able to get some work done."

  "I think I'm going to sue that kid for wrecking your truck. He's endangered my life."

  Polly was already heading for the back door. "Come on, come on," she said. "I have people to see."

  "Slow down. Don't you go down those stairs without me. If you fall and hurt yourself, it only means that much more recuperation time and I can't live with that."

  She waited for him at the top of the steps and they slowly made their way down to the back hallway and into the kitchen where she walked in on Hannah, Sylvie and Rachel laughing at something. As soon as they saw her, they stopped talking.

  "Were you laughing at me?" Polly demanded.

  "What are you doing down here?" Sylvie asked.

  Polly walked over to the three of them and said, "You were laughing at me. Rachel told you I was insane and desperate, didn't she?"

  "Maybe a little." Sylvie looked away, but Polly caught a grin before she had fully turned her head.

  "I am desperate and bored out of my mind. Can I hang out here for a while?"

  Henry said, "I'm leaving her with you. In fact, if you think you can handle her, I'm going out to a couple of the job sites."

  "You go away," Polly said. "You can serve me later."

  He shook his head and left the room.

  "I've been torturing him, I think. I don't like being stuck in the apartment," she said. "Now all of you have to tell me what's going on in your lives and what's happening down here and anything else you think I should know. Because ... help me!"

  Sylvie took a stool out from under the front counter and pointed at it. "Sit. You can watch us work. If you need anything, just sa
y so and we'll take care of you, but no whining."

  Hannah went back to work, battering chicken, letting a small giggle escape every once in a while.

  "Y'all think this is funny," Polly said. "It's not."

  "But you are," Rachel muttered.

  "Well, there's our Polly," Jeff said as he came into the kitchen. "It's good to see your face. It's a little bit of a scary face, but it's good to see it, at least."

  "Oh, I forgot!" Polly said. "Rachel, what were you thinking? I'll scare everyone tonight."

  "Jessie said she'd help you with makeup," Rachel replied. "You don't look that bad."

  "I saw myself this morning. I look that bad. Between the black eyes and the bandage on my forehead, I look awful. Do I really have to do this?"

  "Yes you do," Jeff said. "You're one of her best friends, isn't that right, Sylvie?"

  Sylvie put a full mug of coffee on the counter beside Polly's good arm. "Yes you are, and everyone who is coming tonight already knows what you've been through. They'll just be glad that you're here at all. Now don't be a baby and drink your coffee."

  "Got it. So did you invite Anthony?" Polly said, laughing a little at her evil side.

  "Of course I did," Sylvie flung back. "I want him involved in everything I do now that he's back in the area."

  Polly peered at her friend's face, waiting for the woman to break. Nothing. She was never playing poker with Sylvie. "You're kidding, aren't you?" She turned to Jeff. "Tell me she's kidding."

  He shrugged. "I don't know. She can invite whoever she wants. I'm just setting up tables and decorating the hall."

  "Tell me you're joking," Polly said to Sylvie.

  "Of course I am. He's probably still mad at me for Sunday night."

  "She was ferocious," Polly said. "I was proud of her. Told him off and told him to go away. I think the whole restaurant wanted to applaud, but they were too polite."

  "Crap," Sylvie said. "Why does this keep happening?"

  Everyone stopped what they were doing, realized that she was looking into the main hallway and turned to follow her eyes. Of course it was Anthony Donovan.

  "Good morning, Sylvie," he said. "You really don't go anywhere without an entourage, do you?"