Through the Storm (Bellingwood Book 8)

by Diane Greenwood Muir

  "Could you help me?"

  He chuckled and shut the door. "Of course I can. I just didn't want you to think that I was coddling you. What do you need?"

  When he got close enough, she swatted him. "I need pillows and I think I need another pain pill. This one wore off and I hurt all over."

  They got her situated on the sofa and he put the remote control in her hand. "Don't move. I'll be right back."

  "I'm going nowhere and I feel better already. That was a lot of work this morning."

  "Every day will get easier."

  Both of them were startled by a knock on their front door. "Who's here?" she asked.

  He pursed his lips and said, "I'm supposed to know? Sit still. I'll find out."

  Polly leaned back and heard him say hello. Before she could identify the other voices, Sam and Jean Gardner had rushed past Henry into the dining room.

  "There you are," Jean said. "I've been so worried about you. I wanted to give you plenty of time to get back on your feet before we showed up, but I thought today would be a perfect day to bring lunch. You don't already have a meal prepared, do you? We would have been here earlier, but Sam was in Boone and just got back to town. I didn't want to come over without him, he would have been disappointed to not get a chance to see you two."

  "Come on in," Polly said. "I'm sorry I'm not going to jump up to say hello, but I just landed here and I hurt."

  "Oh, of course you do, honey. Of course you do. Can I make myself comfortable in your kitchen? I'll get this all set up for you and then Sam and I will get out of your way. We don't want to be a bother."

  Henry looked at Polly and she gave him a slight nod. "We'd love to have you two join us if you brought enough."

  "Oh, honey," Jean said. "There's more than enough. Who do you think you're talking to? It isn't a great meal if there aren't leftovers."

  Sam had taken a seat in the chair next to the sofa. "How are you doing, little girl? You had us worried sick. I was over talking to your man at the barn when he got the call."

  "You were? What about?"

  "We talked about gardens and he introduced me to your horses. Those are some beautiful animals you have down there."

  Polly smiled. "I'm so glad Eliseo is here to take care of them. They have thrived with him."

  "He's a good man and he knows his stuff with the garden out back. We talked a little about what is going on in your little park, but he said he doesn't do much with that."

  "No, there are several people who enjoy working out there. If they ever get tired of it, we'll have to make some other decisions, but for now, he has plenty to do with the animals and the rest of the grounds."

  "I miss having dirt under my fingers every day," he said. "But that season is over. It's a different life I lead now."

  Polly nearly opened her mouth to invite him to be part of the work at Sycamore House, but decided that if Eliseo wanted to make that happen, it was up to him. She might let him know that Sam was interested, but he could make the invitation. All she said was, "Life does change, doesn't it?"

  Henry excused himself into the office and came back with four TV trays. "I thought it might be easier for Polly if we eat out here, rather than make her sit at the dining room table. She's already had a busy morning."

  "Why that sounds perfect," Sam said and jumped to help Henry set them up.

  Henry made several trips back and forth from the kitchen with utensils and napkins, condiments and glasses of water.

  "Shall I just serve it up here and bring plates out?" Jean called across the room.

  Polly looked helplessly at Henry, who said. "That sounds great. We like everything you've brought."

  "What are we having?" Polly asked.

  "It smells like pulled pork."

  "And Jean's famous baked beans. You won't get anything like these between here and Kansas City. She made a big bowl of cole slaw and homemade buns for sandwiches. I made her bring a bag of potato chips. I like a little crunch in my meal."

  "Wow," Polly said. "It all sounds amazing. Thank you."

  Polly loved barbecue and Jean's tasted wonderful. What she really wanted to do was top the sandwich with a scoop of the coleslaw, but thought maybe this wasn't the right place or time. If there were leftovers, she'd do it on the next meal. She'd learned that trick from an old boyfriend and loved the way those flavors mixed. The baked beans were heavenly, lots of pork and bacon and just a hint of smoky flavor.

  "This really is terrific. Henry was going to have to serve me a cold meat sandwich," Polly said, chuckling. "Either that or leftovers."

  "You're going to have lots of people bringing food by," Jean said confidently.

  "I am?"

  "Lydia Merritt and her friend Andy are organizing the whole thing."

  "Oh, that's right. They talked about that when I was in the hospital."

  "I called her right up and told her I wanted to be on the list for today. We just had to come over and make sure you were doing okay. It looks like you got pretty beat up, though."

  Polly unconsciously touched her cheek. She avoided mirrors right now and consequently forgot how bad she must look to others.

  "Don't you be fretting about your bruises," Sam said. "Those are just a sign of strong character. You take a lickin' and keep on tickin.' It's good to know that even this isn't getting you down. You should wear them proudly."

  "I don't know about that. But it is what it is." Eating with her left hand was a bit of a challenge. Fortunately, Henry had brought her a spoon. It made it much easier to scoop food into her mouth. "I will be glad to have my right hand back. I feel like a fool trying to do things without it."

  "You were very lucky, Miss Polly," Jean said. "Very lucky. When we heard what happened, I nearly dropped right to my knees to pray for you, but I don't do that much anymore." She laughed out loud at her own joke. "You know. Old knees and all. If I got down, it would take God and all of his angels to bring me back up. I can't imagine what those boys were thinking, trying to run you off the road."

  "They weren't thinking," Sam said with disgust. "That's one thing I don't miss about being around kids these days. Too many of them don't think through things and mess the world up for those who are doing the right thing. It's just ridiculous." He slammed his fist on his thigh. "They could have killed you."

  Polly glanced at Henry. His face had gone white and he was clenching his teeth so tightly, she was afraid he might explode. "Fortunately, it's over and I'm fine. The boys have been caught and now it's up to their lawyers and the courts to decide what to do." She wanted to reach out to him, but he was too far away.

  "How's Sebastian doing?" Polly asked, changing the topic.

  "He's sleeping and barking. It's what old boys like him do," Jean said. "Can I get anyone another sandwich?" She stood up with her plate and stopped in front of her husband.

  "I'd like to say yes, but my stomach says I should quit," he said. "And besides, didn't you bring something sweet, too?"

  Jean smiled. "I made chocolate cupcakes. I thought those would be easy for Polly to eat." She took her husband's plate and smiled at Polly. "You can have as many as you like. No one is going to count today."

  Henry took up Polly's plate and carried things to the kitchen, following Jean. He came back with a tray of cupcakes while Jean opened cupboard doors. "I'm just looking for glasses," she said. "We like to have a little milk when there's that much chocolate. How about you?" She glanced back across the room and then said, "Oh, here they are. Polly? Henry?"

  "That sounds terrific," Polly said. "Thank you." She smiled. "I feel a little strange letting you all hover over me like this, but right now I'm not complaining. And Henry, would you mind getting my pill?"

  "Oh, I'm sorry! I forgot. You must be hurting."

  "I'm okay. Don't worry."

  He and Jean both returned from the kitchen and sat down again.

  "This has been so nice," Jean said. "You have a lovely home here. Did you do all the work, Henry?"

/>   He nodded and handed Polly the pain pill. She popped it in her mouth and swallowed it with the last of her glass of water. "I did. Polly had an idea of what she wanted, so that made it easy."

  "The bookshelves are lovely and the floors are beautiful. Is the wood from an old barn?"

  Polly nodded. "Down south of Boone."

  Sam ran his hand across the table beside him and then picked up one of the comics. "Do you like to read these?" he asked.

  Henry nodded. "I've read comic books ever since I was a kid. I just came across these, though. It's taking me back to my childhood."

  "That looks like it's from the set that was given away at that card night," Jean said. "I only remember that because I'd never seen the Silver Surfer and it was in a plastic bag like that. I suppose that means it's probably worth something."

  "Someone put these up as a door prize?" Henry asked.

  "Yes, there were two of them that night. I didn't see who the winner was, though. And Sam, do you remember who brought them?"

  "It was someone new. She'd never been there before. And honestly, I don't think she's ever come again. She was a guest of ... let me think." He scratched his head and then turned to look at the floor, his brows creased in thought. "That's been such a long time ago. She was an older woman. Hill or Dill. No, what was it, Jean?"

  "I don't remember her name. She ended up at your table for a while. Wasn't it Ruth Benscoter who brought her?"

  "Yes, that's it. But now what was her name. Edith, I think that was her first name. Edith Diller or Miller. No, it wasn't Miller."

  Polly sat back with a sigh. "Willard. Edith Willard."

  "That's it!" he exclaimed. "Edith Willard. I remember her saying that she'd gotten the invitation earlier that day and didn't know what to bring for a door prize, but found these in an old trunk. But she left before they were handed out. Remember, Jean? Ruth got sick and they had to leave early."

  Then it hit him. "How did you know it was her?"

  "Oh, just a hunch," Polly said. "Henry and another friend of ours just bought a couple of old Woodies from her. They're going to restore them."

  Sam grinned across at a very confused Henry. "You're a car guy too? I'd like to see these old heaps. How much work do you have to do on them?"

  Henry nodded. "They're just rusted out shells right now. But my buddy, Nate ... you know, the pharmacist? He assures me that we can bring those babies back to life. We have everything we need to get started."

  Polly felt the pain pill begin to take effect and she relaxed into the pillows, letting the sounds in the room float around her. What had Edith Willard done?

  CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX

  Rousing from sleep with Henry's hand on her leg, Polly jumped and said, "What?" She looked around the room and realized they were alone. "Oh no, I'm so embarrassed. Did I snore?"

  He grinned at her. "No. You were quite polite in your slumber. Sam and Jean watched you fall asleep and after she cleaned the kitchen and rearranged the refrigerator so there would be plenty of room for all of the meals that would be arriving, they went home. She wanted me to tell you that if you need anything when I go back to work, all you have to do is call and she'll come right over."

  "That's sweet. But I seem to remember something about a cupcake and I didn't get a chance to finish it."

  "It was really yummy."

  "You ate my cupcake?"

  "Well, you weren't going to. I didn't want it to get stale."

  She pushed her lower lip out at him. "Did she leave any?"

  "Of course. Do you want another glass of milk?"

  "That would be awesome. What time is it?"

  "It's four o'clock. I woke you up because I didn't know how long it would take you to get ready for tonight." He went to the kitchen and rummaged around in the refrigerator.

  "Where are the kids?"

  "Rebecca is downstairs with her mother and Sylvie picked Andrew up at school. Apparently, they're moving back into the apartment today. Jason's bus should be here soon and he already knows he's supposed to go over to the apartment rather than down to the barn. Jessie will be home in a little bit. Mom says that they had a good conversation with Doc Mason today."

  "Wow, with you in charge, who needs me? You're managing all of this quite well."

  He put a plate with an unwrapped cupcake on her lap and the glass of milk beside her. "Let's not get too carried away. I figure I can pull this off for a day or two and then I'm turning it back over to the master."

  Polly took a bite. "I knew this would be good. Are there more of these?"

  "Yes there are, you chocoholic. I have a feeling that before you are completely recovered from this experience, our refrigerator is going to be filled with treats."

  "I feel a little guilty about that. I can eat pizza. People don't have to do this."

  "For that matter," Henry said, "I can cook. It does feel a little odd."

  "But Lydia yelled at me, so I can't say anything." Polly's eye caught the comic book on the table. "So, what do you think about that?" she asked.

  "What?"

  "Do you think that Loren won those comics from Mrs. Willard?"

  "Maybe he did. It seems like a really expensive door prize, though."

  "Maybe she didn't know. I'll give her a call tomorrow and see what she says."

  "Polly, that's crazy. Uncle Loren could well have collected them over a lifetime. Who knows what he was into?"

  She shook her head. "You're right. I'm just making things up in my head." Polly took a last drink of her milk and set it back on the table. "I'm feeling better. That nap helped, though I should probably call Jean and apologize."

  "Don't worry about it. They understood." He smiled. "In fact, I think it made them feel really good that you were comfortable enough with them in your house to fall asleep."

  "I'm glad they felt that way, but honestly, I didn't have a choice. I just went out."

  Noise from the back steps announced Jessie's arrival. She came bouncing into the media room, full of smiles. "Hi there!" She dropped into the chair that Sam had vacated earlier. "How are you feeling today, Polly?"

  "Pretty good. Henry says you went to see Doc Mason."

  "I did." She turned to him. "Your Mom is wonderful. She didn't think I was a bad person or anything."

  "You're not," Polly said. "I'm glad she was there for you."

  "I'm going into a clinic next week for an ultrasound. That will be so cool. Then we'll know for sure how far along I am and when the baby is due."

  Polly smiled. She was so thankful Jessie was excited about this. "We're going to have to look for some maternity things for you one of these days. We'll take Sal. She loves to shop."

  "Can you believe I'm going to have a baby? This is crazy!" Jessie bounced in her chair a little, then sat back. "I still haven't called Mom and Dad. I don't know how to tell them."

  "You just have to say it."

  "Mom's going to think I did this on purpose."

  Polly didn't want to hear about that woman and her emotional abuse of Jessie. It made her insane that people were so intent on screwing up their kids' lives. "Well, your mom isn't out here to do anything about it. If she wants to get involved in your life and the life of your child, she can come out and spend time with you."

  "I know. You're right. Dad won't be mad, though, so I'll call him this weekend." Jessie sat forward in her chair and peered at Polly's face. "You're going to need some serious cover up tonight and maybe I can do something different with your part to make your hair cover that bandage. Fortunately, I have everything in my room. Do you know what you're wearing?"

  "Not yet," Polly sighed. "I probably need to figure that out. How long is this makeover going to take?"

  "I'm going to take a shower and get myself ready," Jessie said. "Then we can do your makeup and hair. I'll bet you can't even put mascara on."

  Polly let her left hand swing limply in the air. "Not with this awkward hand. I'm afraid I'd poke myself in the eye. It's going to be au nat
urel for a while unless you're here to help me."

  Jessie giggled and said to Henry, "You'd better make sure I'm aware of any big dates you two are planning to take, unless you want to put mascara on for her."

  "I'm going to leave you two alone." He picked up the plate and glass. "Jessie, if you want cupcakes, Jean Gardner left some in the kitchen."

  "I'm good. Your mom and I made muffins today, then we took them out to a couple of the job sites so I could meet people."

  He shook his head. "Muffins on a job site. Welcome to my world." Henry walked back through and said to Obiwan, "Come on, dog. We need to escape the estrogen zone, at least for a while."

  Obiwan jumped off the couch and looked back at Polly, then followed Henry to the back steps. Polly put her feet on the ground and tried to lift herself off the couch, but she'd been in one place for far too long and nothing worked. The first heave made her ribs hurt and she sat back down, panting heavily.

  "Can I help?" Jessie asked.

  "Put your arm out and let me hold it for balance," Polly said. "Just give me a little support, that's all." She put her left hand on Jessie's forearm and felt the girl stiffen up to hold it in place, then pulled herself into a standing position. "Thanks."

  "No problem. Do you need help changing clothes or anything?"

  Polly was still trying to shake off the drowsiness from the nap. She was a little afraid that if she got into her bedroom, she'd drop down onto her bed and fall asleep, but this evening was happening whether she was there or not and she really wanted to be there.

  "I'm sorry, what did you ask me?"

  "Do you need help ..."

  "Oh, with clothes. No, I'll manage and when Henry gets back, he can help. You get ready and then you can try to beautify me."

  The girl walked with Polly across to her bedroom and once Polly crossed the threshold, Jessie watched a moment longer before heading for her own room.

  Polly opened the closet doors and then sat on the bed, staring at the clothes. Since she wasn't going outside tonight, she could get away with flat sandals. No one would care. There, that was one part of her body dealt with. Black pants were always appropriate. Now she was halfway there. She was thinking way too hard about this. Sylvie was the important person tonight. Polly just needed to put something on that didn't draw attention. Surely that should be easy to find. She stood up and walked over to the closet, then reached her left arm up to push several hangers and flinched. It was one thing to have a broken clavicle, but these ribs were downright annoying. She thought back to last night and the father of that boy standing in front of her accusing her of doing something awful to his privileged son. That kid had driven away, no worse for wear. He had left her and his buddy on the road, not knowing or caring whether they were dead or alive. Neither of those boys had even bothered to call 9-1-1. Her fault, hah.