Return to Silver Bay

by Lara Van Hulzen

  “So that’s it. That’s the big news,” Maggie said when she finished.

  “Come on! That’s not just big, it’s life changing and mountainous. I’m having trouble wrapping my brain around this one.”

  “I know. I did too. I still am. I was beginning to accept that I’d never find my birth family. The fact that they live next door is unreal.”

  Hannah looked at her with enormous eyes. “I didn’t even think of that! Kate is your sister! Oh, my gosh! Does she know?”

  “Yes. We talked this morning.”

  “And?”

  “And she feels the same way I do. We are both in shock, but happy.”

  Maggie looked down at her hands for a moment. “I was a little afraid to tell you all of this, honestly.”

  Hannah looked horrified. “What? Why? That is ridiculous.”

  “It’s just that I’ve always thought of you as my sister. I don’t want you to think that changes who you are in my life and what you mean to me.”

  “Oh, Maggie.” Hannah reached across the table and took her hand. “I think this is wonderful news. I have always thought of you as a sister as well. Kate being your sister by blood doesn’t change any of that. It only enhances what we share. You’ve suffered so much loneliness and heartache in your life. This joy is for you, straight from God. I truly believe that. And you know as well as I do that blood doesn’t make us related.”

  Hannah paused and sat back a bit. The look on her face lit up the room.

  “What?”

  She started to giggle. “I have something else to tell you.”

  “What?”

  “When I shopped today, I got to buy all pink.” She clapped her hands together like an excited child.

  Maggie sat up straighter. “It’s a girl?”

  Hannah nodded. “We found out just yesterday. But we haven’t told everyone yet. It’s so fun to say ‘she’ and ‘her.’”

  Maggie hugged her friend. “I am so happy for you. This is so exciting and I am honored to be your friend and be a part of it all.”

  “And I’m so happy for you,” Hannah said as Maggie pulled back and smiled at her. “This is great news, Mags. You’ve found your family.”

  “Yeah, I guess I have.”

  “Does this family include Josh as well?” Hannah lifted her eyebrows.

  “I think it just might.” Her heart felt as big as her smile.

  Maggie’s cell phone rang. She grabbed it from her purse and answered.

  “Hello, Maggie? This is Talia. Talia Harden.”

  “Oh hi, Talia.” Maggie looked at Hannah’s expression and shrugged her shoulders. She had no idea why Josh’s mom would be calling her.

  “Honey, I’m afraid there’s been an accident.”

  Chapter Twenty-Seven

  ‡

  Maggie raced through the doors of the hospital, Hannah hot on her heels.

  “Josh Harden’s room, please,” she asked the nurse at the front desk. Her hands were shaking and for a moment she thought she might faint. Hannah stood beside her, gripping her hand.

  “Room 204,” the nurse answered. “Just down the hall and to the right.”

  “Thank you.”

  Both of them scurried down the hall, but Maggie stopped dead in her tracks at the door. Pictures of Josh flashed before her. The night of their prom, in the doorway at her dad’s funeral, the dance at the football game, his huge grin at Christmas in a Santa hat, him telling her to come home to him, their kiss on the front porch.

  “What? What is it?” Hannah asked her.

  Maggie’s eyes grew wide as she looked at her friend.

  “I can’t do it.”

  “Can’t do what? You can’t go into the room?”

  “I can’t live without him, Hannah. I just can’t.” A sob escaped from deep in her gut. “I was going to tell him I love him. I need him. But I just didn’t get the right moment. And now…” She placed a hand over her mouth and wrapped her other arm around her middle, if only to hold herself together. If not, she might break into a thousand tiny little pieces. Why hadn’t she just told Josh flat out how she felt? Now she might not ever get the chance.

  Hannah moved toward her and held her tight. “No one says you have to live without him. Let’s get in there and find out more details. I’m sure it’s all going to be fine.”

  Maggie nodded and Hannah pushed open the door.

  Talia and Roy were sitting beside the bed. Talia’s eyes were red and puffy. Roy’s hair was mussed and his face had a five o’clock shadow.

  Tubes led from Josh’s body to big machines nearby. He looked pale and lifeless, so unlike the man who held her and kissed her the night before.

  A lump formed in Maggie’s throat and she couldn’t speak. Tears streamed down her cheeks.

  “Come here,” Roy said as he stood and pulled her into a fatherly hug. “Don’t you worry. He’s going to be just fine.”

  The look on Talia’s face made Maggie believe otherwise.

  “What happened?” Hannah asked, taking the chair next to Talia.

  “He got a call last night from Jack. They’ve been having some trouble with a client in San Francisco and he needed Josh to go there right away.”

  Maggie’s thoughts drifted to the previous night. That must have been why he had to leave her house.

  “He was headed to the airport when he rolled his Jeep. The police believe he swerved to miss something in the road.” Sobs shook her body and she was unable to finish.

  Roy continued for his wife. “He has a broken arm and scratches and bruises. He took a good blow to the head and there’s some swelling on the brain.”

  Talia spoke again. “They were able to relieve some of the pressure, but the next forty-eight hours are crucial. If the swelling doesn’t go down…” She tried to finish, but couldn’t. Hannah put an arm around her while she cried.

  “The bottom line is, the sooner he wakes up, the better,” Roy said. He stood with Maggie next to the bed, one arm still around her. She was grateful, not knowing if her legs would hold her otherwise.

  They all looked down at Josh. Maggie didn’t know what to say and wasn’t sure her voice would work even if she did.

  Hannah looked at Roy and Talia. “Why don’t you two come with me and we’ll go find some coffee?”

  “That’s a fine idea,” Roy said, and Talia nodded. He helped his wife up from her chair.

  “Maggie, you sit here, dear,” she said. “Maybe it would do some good to have him hear you and know you’re here.”

  Maggie stared at her blankly but nodded in agreement.

  The couple left the room with Hannah in tow.

  “Are you gonna be okay?” she asked from the doorway.

  Again, Maggie nodded.

  Hannah gently closed the door, leaving the two of them alone.

  Maggie could hear her breathing mixed in with the steady beeps from the equipment by the bed. Josh’s chest moved up and down, the same chest she’d fallen asleep on last night. A lock of his hair fell on his forehead, no product in it to stand it up like he preferred. His hands lay lifeless by his sides. She had always loved his hands, big enough to palm a football. Strong and capable. Her hand would get lost in his gentle grip, making her feel safe, protected. She rubbed the back of his hand with her fingers. Leaning forward, she pushed the lock of hair out of his eyes, tears staining the sheets on his bed.

  “Please don’t leave me,” she whispered.

  Laying her head on his arm, she sobbed.

  *

  A soft hand rested on her shoulder. Opening her eyes, she saw Roy and Talia had returned.

  “You drifted off to sleep, dear,” Talia said.

  Maggie lifted her head from Josh’s arm, her hands still wrapped around his.

  “I’m sorry.”

  “Don’t be sorry,” Roy said. “Hannah convinced us to get something to eat so we took longer than originally intended. I can see we left Josh in good hands though.” He winked at her.

&nbs
p; She smiled. Her head was fuzzy and her eyes were swollen from crying. She could only imagine what her hair looked like, but she didn’t care. All that mattered now was Josh. As she looked at him, her heart willed him to wake up. He hadn’t moved since she got there, no signs of any change.

  “Why don’t you go home and get some rest?” Talia asked her.

  “No, thank you. I want to stay here with him if that’s okay with you.”

  “Of course it is.”

  “In fact, why don’t you two go home and get some rest? You’ve been here much longer than I have. I can call you if there’s…any change.”

  The couple looked at one another.

  “I don’t know, Roy. What do you think?”

  “I don’t feel good being away from him any more than you do, Talia, but Maggie’s right. It would do us both some good to get some rest.” He took his wife’s hand. “And Maggie here will look out for him.”

  “I promise I’ll call you if anything happens. Anything at all,” Maggie assured them.

  “Thank you, Maggie.” Talia came around the bed and hugged her. “I’m so glad he has you. He loves you so much.”

  Tears formed again in Maggie’s eyes.

  “No more tears, honey. We’ll talk soon.”

  They left her again in the quiet of the room.

  Chapter Twenty-Eight

  ‡

  After rinsing her face and pulling her hair back in a ponytail, Maggie felt a little better. She took her place beside the bed again and dialed Hannah.

  “Hey, how is he?” Hannah said, when she answered.

  “No change. Where are you?”

  “I had to get home. Paul called and was worried about me. We’re going to grab some dinner in a bit and then we’ll come back by the hospital. Do you want to join us?”

  “No, I don’t want to leave him.” Her voice cracked as she cried.

  “Can we bring you something?”

  “No thanks. I’m not hungry. And don’t worry about coming by. I’m gonna stay here with him through the night. I sent his parents home to sleep.”

  “Are you sure?”

  “I’m positive.” Maggie curled her foot up under her and ran her hand over her hair. “I’ll call you if there’s any change.”

  “Do you want me to bring you a book or anything? Something to help pass the time?”

  “No thanks. I wouldn’t be able to focus enough to read it. Would you mind checking in on Dantes for me though?”

  “Sure. I’ll just bring him to our house for the night. And I know you won’t do this, but try and get some sleep yourself. We’ll come by in the morning.”

  “I’ll see you then.”

  “And Maggie, we’ll be praying. It will all be fine.”

  “Thanks, friend. Goodnight.”

  “Goodnight.”

  She put her phone back in her purse and took a deep breath. Everyone kept saying it was going to be fine, but how? Did they know something she didn’t? Looking at Josh so frail and vulnerable didn’t give her any confidence that everything would be fine.

  Please don’t leave me. I just found you again.

  Josh breathed in and out as the machines beeped. Voices murmured in the hallway as people passed by. Then it was quiet again.

  A nurse came in to check his vitals.

  “We have a pretty decent cafeteria if you need some dinner,” she offered.

  “Thank you. I’m not sure I could eat anything right now.”

  The nurse smiled. “I understand. Just push the nurses’ call button if you need anything. We at least have some decent coffee down by the nurses’ station. You’re welcome to it. I know the night shift can be tough.”

  “Do you want the TV on? Watching the ball drop at midnight might be a nice distraction.”

  “What?”

  “It’s New Year’s Eve,” the nurse reminded her.

  “That’s right. I forgot. Um, no thank you. I might turn it on later.”

  The nurse nodded and left the room.

  Maggie glanced at the window seat designed to be a cot for overnight guests and thought for a moment of trying to sleep, but what was the point? She wouldn’t. Besides, the window was too far away. She couldn’t stand the idea of not being right beside Josh.

  Picking up his hand, she intertwined her fingers with his. He had a callous on his right ring finger from the way he held his pen while drawing architectural plans. His pinky finger turned in slightly from when he broke his finger in football their senior year. Maggie’s memory drifted to that game.

  It was homecoming. He was crowned homecoming king. One of the cheerleaders was crowned queen and clung to his arm possessively. Everyone loved him, even then. The Van Halen song “Dreams” played as each couple paraded around the field, the girls waving like princesses, their long, teased hair waving behind them.

  Maggie watched from the stands as Josh walked by with a goofy gold crown on his head. He swaggered and waved, king of the school. He’d winked at Maggie when he passed by, paying little to no attention to the girl on his arm, making the cheesy smile and bounce in the girl’s step fade.

  After halftime, the team ran out to the marching band playing the school fight song. Josh was back at quarterback and all business again. The Cougars were playing their biggest rival and were down by two touchdowns in the middle of the third quarter. Josh took a snap and threw a forty-yard pass for a touchdown. He also took a late hit from an enormous lineman, breaking his finger when he landed.

  The stands buzzed with worry as everyone wondered if their star quarterback would be able to go back in the game. Josh stood calm and cool on the sidelines while the team trainer looked at his hand.

  The clock ticked away, time slipping through their grasp. The defense held, but the backup quarterback struggled to gain yardage. Tension mounted as the game neared its end and Josh still stood sidelined with a taped-up finger.

  It was third and goal on the five-yard line with only twenty seconds showing on the clock. The Cougars handed the ball off to their running back. He fought through, breaking tackles and lunged into the end zone. The team needed a two-point conversion to win.

  Maggie watched as Josh said something to his coach, who quickly called a time out. The whistle blew and each team huddled up. The crowd cheered like crazy as Josh ran back onto the field and stuck his head in the mass of players that were his team and shouted the plan for the last play. Maggie’s heart raced, the noise of the crowd around her almost deafening.

  Josh yelled, “Break!” and the team lined up in formation while the defense set up. Maggie thought she might get sick. As Josh took the snap, everyone in the stands went quiet, holding their breath. Josh spun around and faked handing off the ball to the running back who tucked in tight and ran to the right. The defense followed the running back. Josh ran to his left, the ball tucked in his left arm. Sprinting for the pylon, Josh looked right. The defense recognized the fake and recovered. It was a race to the corner. Josh crossed the goal line, the hands of two defenders at his feet as they dove for him.

  A roar erupted from the stands and everyone went wild. Josh stood in the end zone with his hands in the air, the football tight in the grasp of his left hand. He held his head to the sky and hollered, his face glowing through his facemask.

  Maggie jumped up and down, cheering and crying like the rest of the crowd. Her heart almost leaped out of her chest when Josh ran straight toward her, jumped up over the front of the bleachers and handed her the game ball. She was the envy of every girl in that stadium. But that wasn’t what made her happy. She was happy because he only had eyes for her. To him, she was special. No man had ever loved her that way.

  Later that night, Maggie and Josh sat in the empty stands, her head resting on his shoulder and the game ball cradled in her arms. He smelled of soap from his after-game shower and his clean practice jersey felt scratchy beneath her cheek.

  “What are you thinking about?” he asked her.

  “I just keep seeing
that play over and over again in my mind.”

  He smiled. “Yeah, me too.”

  Her laugh shook his shoulder. “I bet you do.” His right hand sat on her knee, his pinky finger wrapped heavily. She ran her fingers over it, her touch light.

  “What about your finger?”

  “It’s no big deal. Just broken.”

  She rolled her eyes. “Spoken like a true boy.”

  It was his turn to laugh. “The way you’re clutching that game ball, I don’t think I’m ever going to get it back.”

  She looked up at him in mock horror. “You want it back? No way. You’ll have to fight me for it.”

  “Is that a challenge?” he teased as he wrapped his arms around her, trying to sneak the ball from her grasp.

  “Don’t you even think about it!” she screamed amidst giggles.

  He tickled her a moment more and then wrapped his arms around her waist.

  “Forget it. You can have it. Everything else of mine is already yours.”

  She pushed back a lock of hair from his forehead.

  “I love you, Maggie Mitchell.”

  “I love you too,” she whispered.

  He kissed her, soft and sweet, then buried his face in her neck.

  “Hey! Come on you two!” Hannah shouted from the bottom of the bleachers. She and Paul stood together, she in her cheerleading uniform and he dressed just like Josh. Jeans and a clean jersey.

  “The bonfire’s already started,” Paul yelled. “Let’s go.”

  Maggie stood and reached out her hand to Josh. “You heard them. Come on. Your fans await.”

  As they walked down the bleachers, his arm around her shoulders, he said, “You know, some of my fans may want to steal that game ball from you.”

  “Then they’re gonna have one heck of a fight on their hands.”

  His laugh echoed down the metal bleachers and across the field. “I have no doubt.”

  Shouts of “Happy New Year” from the nurses’ station down the hall resonated off the walls and shook Maggie back to the present.

  The clock on the wall read 12:01 a.m.

  “Happy New Year, Josh,” she said, kissing his hand.