I Know Who Holds Tomorrow

by Francis Ray

  Greg Wood, the male RN assigned to Velma, smiled in practiced reassurance. “Her heart attack was a mild one, and there was no damage to any major vessels. She’ll be out of here by tomorrow and back in the nursing home. She’s on mild sedation so she can rest.” He leaned over and closed his hand over Velma’s. “Miss Taylor, you have visitors all the way from Dallas to see you. Miss Taylor?”

  Velma Taylor’s eyelashes fluttered, then lifted. Her eyes were slightly opaque. “What’d you saw?”

  “Visitors,” the nurse repeated, stepping back. “You can stay for a little while. The doctor doesn’t want her to overexert herself.”

  Madison stepped closer to the bed as the nurse moved aside. “Miss Taylor, it’s Madison Reed. I’ve bought Manda with me.”

  “Manda? Bridget’s baby?” she asked, trying to lift her head from the pillow.

  “Yes. That’s right.” Madison gently laid her hand on the woman’s frail shoulder. “Please, just rest. We’ll be back later when you’re more awake and we can visit and you can see Manda. She’s just fine.”

  Tears formed in the woman’s eyes. “Wish I could see Bridget, but she’s gone. She’s gone.”

  “But Manda is here.” Hoping, praying that Manda remembered her aunt, and that the machines didn’t frighten her, Madison lifted a silent Manda from Zachary and placed her small hand on the woman’s. “Manda’s here. That’s her hand you feel on yours.”

  “My baby’s baby is here. Lord, how I prayed she was safe. Thank you.” Her eyes drifted closed.

  For a long time, Madison stared down at the older woman, then pulled Manda to her.

  Driving away from the hospital, Zachary could no longer put off the inevitable. “Do you want to get a room where there’s a refrigerator and a stove for Manda’s food?”

  “Y-yes. I—I guess so.”

  Zachary heard the nervousness in Madison’s voice and wished he could reassure her that he wasn’t going to make a move on her. He couldn’t. He wanted her mouth on his, burning and frenzied, more than he wanted his next breath. But she was going through too much for him to add to her troubles. She might be worried about Velma Taylor now, but sooner or later her thoughts would turn to Manda’s mother and Wes. He wished he knew how she’d handle the situation.

  “I told the nurse I’d call and let him know where we’re staying. They’ll call us when Miss Taylor is awake and feeling like having visitors,” Zachary said. “We might as well stop at a store and get everything we need now.”

  “That sounds fine.”

  Zachary flexed his fingers on the steering wheel. If she were any more stiff or formal, she’d break. His fault. Spotting a Super K up ahead, he pulled into the parking lot of the store. It was going to be a long day.

  It took three tries to find a hotel suite with two bedrooms and the amenities they wanted. Madison didn’t say anything after the first time Zachary came back to the truck and told her why he hadn’t gotten them a room. Although she wasn’t particularly looking forward to being in such close proximity to Zachary, she wouldn’t be able to watch Manda every moment by herself.

  “This all right?”

  “It’s fine.” Madison walked farther into the two-bedroom suite. The sofa was covered in a soft floral print with matching draperies. Each bedroom had a double bed. She estimated there would be just enough room in the second bedroom to squeeze in the crib for Manda that housekeeping had promised to deliver later.

  He placed the Birkin on the bed. “I’ll bring everything in. You and Manda take a nap.”

  She wrinkled her nose. “I think I’m a little old for a nap. Besides, it’s just a little after one.”

  He stopped on going out the door. “You said you sometimes lay down when she did.”

  The man never forgot a thing. “That was before I started back to work.”

  “The way Manda’s rubbing her eyes, she’s about to go out. It wouldn’t hurt for you to stretch out beside her.”

  “What are you going to do?”

  He went to the bedroom door. “Don’t worry about me.”

  She did. “You didn’t buy anything for yourself at the store except a baseball cap.”

  “No need. I keep a change of clothes in the truck. It’s in the small duffel I brought in. I never know if I have to visit a client, so I stay prepared.”

  She remembered the bag. She just hoped a pair of pajamas were inside. “Thank you for coming. I don’t know how we would have gotten along without you.”

  “My pleasure.” Then he was gone.

  “My pleasure.” Madison pulled a diaper out of the bag to change Manda, but her thoughts were on Zachary.

  TWENTY-NINE

  THE CALL FROM THE hospital came a little after four that afternoon. They found Velma sitting up in bed in a pretty blue gown, her hair in a coronet on her head, but her eyes remained opaque. “Fighting glaucoma and cataract. Doctor can’t do anything with this high blood pressure. Now, after this, I guess I won’t never see any better.”

  Sitting by the bed with Manda in her lap, Madison placed her hand on Velma’s. “Would you like to see another specialist? Cost is no problem.”

  “Bless you, child. That’s awfully sweet and generous of you, but like I said, Bridget’s friend already sent me.” She shook her head. “No sense wastin’ good money.”

  Manda squealed.

  Velma turned toward the sound, her smile growing. “Does this old heart good to hear her so happy. Wish I could see her better.” Her face clouded. “That hateful man said she was ill.”

  “What man?” Zachary asked, nearing the bed. He’d hung back to let the women visit.

  “He came to my room last night. A noise woke me up and he was standing over my bed. Said he was a lawyer and that Miss Reed sent him. He said Manda was deathly ill,” she told them. “I believed him at first, until he started yelling and talking mean. That other lawyer you sent was soft-spoken and he kept asking me if I was all right. If I needed anything.”

  “Most likely he was a reporter or was paid by some tabloid. I’d hoped they wouldn’t bother you,” Madison said, regretting the incident.

  “Some people just don’t have any home training. After I guessed he was lying I reached for the call button.” Her hand rubbed her chest. The heart monitor spiked, then settled. “The pain hit and he left.”

  “He didn’t try to get you any help?” Madison asked, angrier than she had been in a long time. Zachary touched her rigid shoulder.

  “No. He just left. I managed to take one of my nitro tablets. The pain eased up and I felt better for a while, but I just couldn’t stop worryin’. Guess my heart couldn’t take it.” Her frail hand reached out to touch Manda’s curly head. “I know I should have called you, but part of me was afraid he was tellin’ the truth.”

  “That’s understandable,” Zachary said. “The reporter is at fault, not you. Was there anything you remember about him that might help identity him?”

  “No.” Miss Taylor sighed in regret. “I was just too upset.”

  “I’ll look into it anyway. Maybe someone saw something.”

  “Would you like us to have your room changed or do you want to go to another facility?” Madison asked.

  Velma’s small chin jutted. “Ain’t nobody running me from here. This is close to my church and my friends. I won’t be fooled next time. What he wanted to know, I couldn’t tell him anyhow.”

  “What was that?” Madison asked, keeping Manda entertained by patting her hands together.

  “Who Manda’s daddy was.”

  Madison stilled. Fear knotted her stomach. The reporter might just have been digging for information or he might suspect the connection between Wes and Manda.

  Velma’s quiet voice was filled with sadness when she continued. “Bridget never said much about him. I raised her to be a good girl. She went to college, got that teaching degree. Never had a moment’s trouble out of her. She was so happy when she found out about the baby. Thought he’d marry her. He never did.
”

  Madison didn’t want to hear about Wes and his mistress. Unconsciously she started to rise. Zachary’s hand on her shoulder calmed and steadied her. She eased back in her seat.

  “My baby loved that man,” Velma said softly. “I guess I should have known it wouldn’t work out like she wanted, but I kept hoping and praying. My baby was a good girl. She deserved to be happy. Now she won’t ever be.”

  Zachary watched Madison and could do nothing about the pain he saw etched in her face. His free hand clenched into a tight fist.

  Velma wiped her eyes with the tissue in her hand. “I hoped you’d come so I could tell you in person, make you understand so you’d tell Manda when she got older, help her understand that her mother wasn’t no fast woman. She went to church, sang in the choir, but just like her mother she fell in love with the wrong man. Like her mother, she left a child behind. You believe me, don’t you?”

  “I believe you,” Madison said, her eyes stinging with unshed tears.

  Velma nodded her gray head. “I thank God for you every night. Because of you I won’t have to worry about Manda. I can tell by your voice you love her. You’re gonna to be a good mother to her.”

  Madison swallowed before she spoke. “I’ll do my best.”

  Nodding again, Velma drew her hand back and placed it on top of the pristine white sheet. “I know you will, child. I know, but I gotta ask one more thing of you.”

  “Yes, ma’am.”

  “I want you to go by the house and get a few things that belonged to Bridget and me. I want Manda to have keepsakes. There’s a photo album, and baby things. Augusta Johnson, the neighbor on the right-hand side, will have the key. She takes care of things since I’m in here. I know it’s a lot to ask, but it would make me rest better knowin’ Manda had some of her mother’s things.”

  “Don’t worry,” Madison reassured the elderly woman. “We’ll go over there when we leave here.”

  Velma settled deeper into the bedding. “You take whatever you see. I ain’t goin’ back there no more. No sense waitin’ until I’m gone.”

  Madison wanted to deny the woman’s words, but seeing Velma’s frail body, Madison realized she had accepted her fate. She had to be as strong. “Yes, ma’am.”

  “You just go see Augusta. She’ll let you in.”

  The neat frame house had beds of begonias on either side of the walkway, and a large hanging fern basket on the wooden porch. Nothing about the house gave the appearance that no one lived there. By the time Zachary pulled up in front of the one-car carport, a light-skinned, full-figured woman with short blonde hair had come out of the brick house on the passenger’s side.

  “Can I help you?” she asked as soon as Madison stepped out of the truck onto the freshly cut grass.

  “I’m Madison Re—”

  “Reed,” the woman finished in an excited rush. Her eyes rounded and she came off the porch and crossed the cropped lawn. “I’ll be! I can’t believe I’m talking to Madison Reed.”

  “Are you Augusta Johnson?”

  “The one and only,” she said with a gap-toothed grin. “Velma must have sent you. How’s she doing? Me and some of the ladies of the church plan to go by there when they get off work. I retired last year. Taught Home Ec thirty years.”

  Madison wasn’t sure which question or statement to answer first. “She’s resting well. Miss Taylor said you’d have the key. She wanted us to get some of Manda’s belongings.”

  Her eyes zeroed in on Manda in Zachary’s arms. “My, she’s grown.” Grinning, she reached for the baby. It didn’t seem to bother her when Manda didn’t come. “You haven’t forgotten Augusta, have you?”

  The key ring finally came out of Manda’s mouth and she reached for the woman, who enveloped her into her arms, then gave her a loud smacking kiss on her cheek. Manda grinned.

  “Best sugar in the whole world.”

  Madison felt a jab of possession. “You must have spent a lot of time with her.”

  “Kept her while Bridget worked. My husband is retired too. He’s off fishing,” Augusta related. “She didn’t want Manda in a day-care center. I kept her on the days when Bridget had to work or wanted to spend the day sitting with Velma.” Her eyes saddened. “She was a good girl. The church was packed for her home-going. The Lord must have needed a special angel.”

  Madison thought, What kind of “good girl” sleeps with a married man? Then she looked at Zachary and thought of his mother. Men didn’t always tell the truth. Zachary’s father certainly hadn’t. Had Wes lied to Bridget?

  “Don’t I know you?” Augusta asked with a frown, staring at Zachary.

  “I would have remembered meeting you, I’m sure.” He held out his hand. “Zachary Holman.”

  Her hand was almost as wide as his. “Pleased to meet you,” she said, still studying him closely. “I’m usually pretty good with faces.”

  “Velma said you’d let us in,” Zachary said, pulling the bib of his cap down over his face. “I’d like to get started. We flew in so we’ll have to ship back whatever Madison decides to take.”

  Augusta handed Manda back to Zachary, then dug in the deep pocket of her flowered apron. “Got the key right here. I was just over here watering her flowers.”

  “The house and yard are so well kept,” Madison commented, walking up on the steps.

  “My nephew takes care of both our yards.” Augusta glanced at the freshly cut lawn, then followed Madison. “Hers is not that big. She used to love to just sit on the porch. Every time we visit she always asks about her flowers. She mentioned a couple of weeks ago that she wanted to send some things to Manda, but she wasn’t sure they’d be welcomed.”

  Augusta stuck the key into the lock, then glanced over her shoulder at Madison. “Guess seeing you changed her mind. The Lord will bless you for that. She loved Manda, but Bridget was her heart. Manda was Bridget’s. Wasn’t nothing she wouldn’t do for her. Too bad she let some no-account man get her into trouble. After Bridget was killed, Velma worried she’d let Bridget down by not caring for Manda. If she sent you over here, that means she’s not worried anymore.”

  Madison entered the house. The first thing she saw was a large color picture of Manda and her mother. Madison’s steps faltered. The sharp slap of betrayal hit her without warning. She couldn’t do this. “I—” Her eyes shut.

  “Take Manda and wait in the truck,” Zachary said, seeing the pain etched in Madison’s face.

  “Where’s my brain?” Full of regret and apology, Augusta slapped her palm against her forehead. “You’re still grieving, yourself. You just go on over to the house. I left the door open. Make yourself at home. I’ll help this young man pack.”

  Madison didn’t argue. “Thank you.” Taking Manda, she quickly left.

  Augusta turned to Zachary. “Let’s start with Bridget’s room first.”

  Without hesitation Zachary walked into the first bedroom to the left, then came to an abrupt stop. Too late, he realized his mistake. Augusta stood in the doorway, her eyes narrowed.

  “How did you know which room was Bridget’s?”

  “A lucky guess,” he said. “I stopped by the store and picked up a couple of shipping boxes. I’ll get them out of the truck.” Zachary strode from the room, feeling Augusta’s gaze on him, hoping she believed the lie he’d just told.

  Madison hadn’t said ten words since they’d left Velma Taylor’s house, not even during dinner later at the restaurant. He knew she liked Italian food and thought that might cheer her up. It hadn’t.

  At least they weren’t going to see Augusta again and he didn’t have to worry that she’d remember him. He’d taken a chance on returning to Amarillo, but he hadn’t had a choice. There was no way he would have let Madison come by herself. But he wasn’t able to tell if his presence made things worse or better for her.

  Sitting on the sofa, he stared at her closed bedroom door. It was only a little past eight, but she had said good night shortly after she had put Manda to bed th
irty minutes earlier. He was unsure if she was upset about all the talk about Bridget or if she was simply uncomfortable being around him.

  There was nothing he could do about either, unless she opened up to him. Reaching over, he cut off the light and sat in the dark.

  He wasn’t getting much sleep whether he was in the bed or on the sofa. Too many unsettling thoughts were running around in his head.

  He had to find a way to tell her the truth or at least the part he felt she could handle. He was almost out of the door now; if he confessed everything to her, he didn’t doubt for a second she’d kick him out of her life completely.

  Camille had a miserable day. Even when things went right, she had a difficult time finding enjoyment in them. The reason kept flashing through her mind: Gordon didn’t want to see her anymore.

  There’d been no more phone calls, he hadn’t beeped her, hadn’t tried to contact her in any way. She’d gotten what she wanted and she was miserable.

  The remote in hand, she channel-surfed, then clicked the television off. Uncurling from the sofa, she started for the bedroom just as the doorbell rang. A ripple of excitement rushed through her. It couldn’t be him.

  Even as she told herself it wasn’t Gordon, she rushed across the room, smoothing her hair back as she went. Her fingers fumbled as she slid the chain back, flicked the lock, then opened the door. “Gordon!” His name burst from her mouth in a breathless rush.

  “Hello, Camille,” Gordon greeted, his voice as cool as his gaze. “I hope you don’t mind my dropping by without calling, but I wanted to discuss an idea I had for your kids. Those in your caseload, rather.”

  As much as she cared about her children, she couldn’t quite stop the twinge of disappointment. “Of course, come on in.”

  Briefcase in hand, Gordon took a seat on the white sofa. “Mind if I move this flower arrangement?”