The Big 5-OH!

by Sandra D. Bricker

  “Then all you’ve wasted is a bit of wishing time,” Horatio offered. “But what about this? What if you hope and hope and hope, and you get what you’ve been hoping for? What then?”

  Jared couldn’t help but think about the last time he’d taken someone to the airport. The citrus scent of Liv's shampoo rose in his nose and tickled him with the memory of her. It had been so hard to let her go that day, so hard to be without her every day since.

  “They’re going to board us in a minute, Dad.”

  He pushed himself up and out of the uncomfortable terminal chair and walked toward Rand, pulling him into an embrace.

  “Call me when you get there.”

  “I’ll email, Dad. It will be the middle of the night your time.”

  “I don’t care what time it is.”

  “He says that now,” Rand joked to Shelby. “But when the phone rings at two a.m. he reverts into his father voice.”

  Shelby chuckled as she hugged Jared. “Thank you for every-thing,” she said with a whisper as he held her. “Especially for your son.”

  “He's all yours now,” Jared replied. “No refunds or exchanges.”

  “I don’t think we have to worry about that.”

  She tucked her hair behind her ear and smiled at him as she backed away—a sweet, angelic smile that made Jared's heart thump harder. If he’d spent years searching for the perfect wife for his son, the woman who would make Rand's heart skip a beat, the one who would jump enthusiastically into a life with him with both feet, Jared wasn’t sure he could have found her. Fortunately for Rand, he’d searched on his own and seemed to know just where to look to find Shelby.

  “Safe trip,” he called to them, and Rand gave one last wave before turning the corner, hand-in-hand with his bride.

  Instead of heading straight for the car, Jared sank into a nearby chair and crossed his ankle over the opposite knee.

  It seems I’m always saying good-bye to the people I love. There's something intrinsically wrong with that. Isn’t it time for me to start something, rather than seeing everything end?

  Liv opened the email message waiting in her inbox from Georgia@HuntFamilyMedical.com.

  Olivia, here is Marge's information. She's excited to hear from you, and I’m hopeful that you’ll give this opportunity a fair shake. Could be I’ll see you again soon? Hope so! Sweet Georgia Brown.

  She hit reply.

  Georgia, thank you so much for forwarding this to me, and for putting in a good word with your friend. How's it going with Preston? Are you two in love yet? Liv

  She’d never asked Jared for an email address, but she guessed from seeing Georgia's that his would be in the same format. So she opened a new message box and addressed it to Jared@HuntFamilyMedical.com.

  Hi, Jared. I hope this reaches you. I’ve been thinking about you so much, wondering if you’d seen Rand and Shelby off to England yet. I know it's going to be difficult for you to say good-bye, but what a different boy who will be getting on that plane from the one who arrived. You’ve raised such a kind-hearted and passionate young man.

  Well, I just wanted you to know that my thoughts are with you. I hope to hear from you soon.

  All my love,

  Liv

  Liv kissed the tip of her index finger and touched it to the screen before hitting the send button.

  Opening another new email screen, she pasted in the address Georgia had sent and composed another email.

  Dear Marge,

  Our mutual friend, Georgia Brown, sent me your email address and suggested that I contact you for more information about a position you are currently trying to fill for a pediatric nurse. I’m on the waiting list at Providence Hospital here in Cincinnati for just such a position after several years in the O.R., so I appreciate Georgia thinking of me when you mentioned your opening. I’m not entirely certain about a move to Florida at this time, but I’m interested enough to hope that you will send me some details on the job so that I can give it consideration. I’ve attached an updated resume, and I look forward to hearing back from you soon. Thank you so much for your interest and attention.

  Sincerely,

  Olivia Wallace

  It took a good deal more consideration before she clicked the send button again. But she did press it at last, and watched as the email flew away into cyberspace.

  Liv deleted two weeks of spam and answered a few more entries from the inbox before she realized that new mail had arrived from Jared. She was excited to open it, biting her lip as she waited.

  Liv, I’m so happy to hear from you. I don’t remember giving you this address, but I’m glad that you have it. How did you come by it anyway?

  Yes, I took Rand & Shelby to the airport just this afternoon, and it was a humbling experience to say good-bye yet again to someone who has brought meaning to my life. I’m feeling like the lonely old man left behind when everyone else has moved forward with their lives. I was thinking on the drive back a while ago that I’d sure love to hear from you about Hallie, about Josie, about anything. I miss your laugh and the way your hair smells. I miss everything about you.

  Clayton is doing well. In fact, I’ll bring him home from the hospital first thing tomorrow. Georgia is shopping for “healthy options” for stocking his refrigerator, and I can only imagine the reception that sort of thing will receive! Please send everyone my love and give me a call soon. Another thing I miss: your voice. Lonely old Jared Hunt, M.D.

  Liv couldn’t seem to wash the smile off of her face. The joyful impact of such a short little email from Jared bordered on the ridiculous, she knew, and yet she felt as if she could almost fly. Or sing. Or maybe even dance.

  She wanted so much to shoot off another email to him, telling him about the lead Georgia had sent her way, and she wondered if perhaps Georgia had told him already. Conflict raced through her, and she wasn’t sure whether she was more worried about building up his hopes before she had all the facts or if the greater concern was that she would crowd him by considering a move across the length of the country to be near him. He hadn’t come right out and asked her to—at least not since she’d left.

  Why was she so afraid of making a grab for the brass ring? She had not one single doubt that a life with Jared would fulfill her contentment quotient for the rest of her days. So why couldn’t she just let go and reach out to make it happen?

  Clayton refused the arm Jared offered. He seemed determined to make it up the front stairs without assistance. It took him several minutes to get through the door, but his face told Jared that he was relieved to be back home.

  “Why don’t you head into your room and climb into bed?” Jared suggested. “I’ll sort out your medications and bring them in.”

  “I’m not gonna go to bed,” Clayton retorted. “I’ll sit right here in my easy chair so I can watch television.”

  “I want you taking it easy for the next two or three days, Clayton. Then I’ll work with you on some stretches and merging some controlled exercise into your routine.”

  “Eh,” he grunted, waving Jared off like a buzzing mosquito. “Ya worry too much, Doc.”

  “And you don’t worry enough. Get comfortable, wherever you’re going to be.”

  Clayton plunked down into his favorite chair and then yanked on the lever to lift the footrest off the ground. Jared shook his head and moved into the kitchen.

  He produced a weekly pill dispenser with two rows, one for morning medications and another for the evening pills, and filled the container for the week. Just as he snapped the bottom row of lids into place, Georgia called out from the front door.

  “What in Sam Hill are you doing here?” Clayton complained.

  “I’ve come bearing nutrition,” she snapped back. “Mind your manners.”

  Georgia stepped into the kitchen and rolled her eyes at Jared.

  “He's a real charmer, isn’t he?” Jared teased.

  “I can hardly contain myself.”

  “Need some help putting that
away? What do you have here?”

  “I got him some fresh fruit and vegetables. I cleaned and sliced some strawberries, cantaloupe, and orange sections and put them in plastic bowls to make it easy for him to snack on. I have a bowl of tomato-cucumber salad, some asparagus, a little baked chicken with beans, and a nice gelatin salad. They’re all in plasticware, labeled and ready for him to whine about.”

  Jared chuckled. “And you know he will.”

  “Yes, I’m fully prepared for that.”

  “For what?” Clayton barked as he appeared in the doorway. “What’re you prepared for?”

  “For you, you old coot.”

  “What's that you’re loadin’ into my icebox? That's not the garbage can, you know. Trash goes out back.”

  “Georgia put a lot of effort into making sure you have three square meals for the next week, Clayton.”

  “All the fresh items are cleaned and sliced and ready to eat,” she told him as she stacked them inside the refrigerator. “And these up here on the top shelf are microwave ready. The heating instructions are written on the top. See here?”

  “Yeah, I see it. Any cake in there?”

  “No cake,” she replied. “But there are some low-fat muffins over there on the counter. I baked them myself.”

  “Muf-fins. What in Sam Hill am I gonna do with low-fat muf-fins? ’Livia made me cake. I like cake.”

  “You’re a piece of work, Clayton Clydesdale. I don’t know why I went to so much trouble for you. Muffins are just cupcakes without the frosting. That's cake.”

  “Yeah? Well, I’ll be the judge and let you know.”

  “You do that.”

  “Clayton,” Jared interjected, “I want to see you in that chair, or in your bed. I’ll bring you something to drink and go over your medications with you. Georgia will be stopping by once a day to help you get around, see if you need anything, and then I’m just a phone call away at any time.”

  “Eh, stop hoverin’,” he said. “Just go on and leave me alone. I don’t need any of ya.”

  He stomped out of the kitchen, and they heard the groan of the easy chair as he propelled himself into it and raised the footrest.

  “Thank you for all you’ve done, Georgia. It's much more than he deserves.”

  “Ha! That's the truth.”

  “I’ll be another ten minutes here,” he said. “Would you like to have dinner after? It's on me, by way of a thank-you for putting up with this old codger.”

  “Really?” she asked. “After the day I’ve had, I would love that, Jared. Thank you.”

  “And if you’re open to it, I’d like you to go somewhere with me afterward.”

  “Where?”

  “Let's just save that for after dinner.”

  Liv returned from the market with four bags of groceries. After they were put away, she unloaded the dryer for the fourth and final time that day. Her bag was unpacked, her laundry caught up, and her bed linens fresh and waiting to offer a good night's sleep.

  As she folded the batch of warm towels, she considered whether to take a walk next door and check in on Jim, Josie, and the kids. Instead, she picked up her cell phone and dialed Jared.

  “Liv, how are you?”

  “A little restless or something today,” she admitted. “I just wanted to hear your voice. Are you busy?”

  “Well, I am in the middle of something. Can I call you in an hour or so?”

  “Sure, I’ll talk to you later.”

  “What? Wait!” he said, and she could hear the hum of someone else talking in the background. “Liv, are you still there?”

  “Yes.”

  “Hold on a minute. Georgia wants to say hello.”

  Georgia. He's too busy with Georgia to have a five-minute conversation?

  “Liv? How are you, sugar?”

  “Hi, Georgia. I’m doing okay. How are you?”

  “Well, I’m a little out of sorts,” she replied. “Preston and I aren’t seeing each other anymore.”

  “Oh, I’m so sorry. What happened?”

  “I’ll tell you all about it another time. Jared took me out for a lovely dinner, and I’m feeling better already. But right now he's hurrying me along, so I’d better go. I’ll talk to you soon, all right?”

  “Umm, okay. Have a nice—”

  “Bye-bye, honey.”

  And the line closed immediately.

  “Bye,” she snapped, even though there was no one on the other end to hear it.

  Liv's stomach began to churn and so did her imagination with a connect-the-dots progression that set her heart to pounding.

  Georgia and Preston split … Georgia turns to Jared … Jared takes pity on her and takes her out for dinner … Now he doesn’t have time to talk to me because he and Georgia are on their way somewhere else.

  “What in the world?”

  She’d have wagered that Georgia was going to turn out to be a friend. But now that Jared was back in her line of sight, all bets were off.

  But what about Jared? Would he really strike up a relationship with Georgia? These were thoughts that just screamed out for ice cream to wash them down with.

  Liv grabbed the pint of coffee-flavored Häagen Dazs she’d just put into the freezer, plucked a spoon from the drawer, and set out to do just that. Half an hour later, most of the pint was gone, but her nagging doubts about her conversation with Georgia still lingered.

  23

  “It's the oddest thing,” Prudence confessed. “I seem to think I see the stallion a dozen times a day. Earlier, I could have sworn I spied him galloping down the hill into the meadow.”

  “But?” Horatio prodded.

  “But it was just the shadow of an eagle flying high.”

  “I suppose it will be a while for both of us before we stop missing the Enchanted Pond and the new friends we made there.”

  “I’m not sure I’ll ever stop missing them.”

  “I know it feels that way now,” Horatio said, “but life has a tendency to move on. We’ll make other friends, and so will they. Time tends to heal most wounds.”

  “You know what I wish? I wish we could push up the clock so our lonesome wounds would be all healed up.”

  Liv almost could have forgotten that she was in Ohio when her morning started out at 5:45 a.m., sounding very much like just about every morning on Sanibel Island.

  She didn’t have any idea how long Boofer had been barking, but by the time she limped sleepily into the kitchen, the dog was at her back door, scratching the grain right off the wood. When she opened the door, Boofer tore into the house and ran the entire length of it, from the kitchen through the dining room and down the hall into the bedroom.

  “Boofer!” Liv called, and when she reached her, Boofer stood at attention in the center of her bed, panting. “What in the world is wrong with you? What are you doing over here? You belong next door now.”

  Boofer snarled and growled, and then the tirade resumed.

  Liv approached the dog on tiptoe and then sat down on the bed beside her and stroked the top of her head and the back of her neck. In a very soft voice, she said, “Boofer, you’re fine. Nothing to worry about.”

  The dog seemed to believe her because she circled the pillow twice and then lay down against it.

  “Just like old times,” Liv whispered, and then she crawled under the blanket, fluffed the other pillow, curled up next to Boofer, and closed her eyes.

  Bang-bang-bang-bang-bang.

  Liv popped out of bed and Boofer barked all the way down the stairs. Someone was hammering out a warning on the kitchen door. She looked at the clock and discovered that it was seven-thirty. She had slept for nearly two more hours.

  “Scotty, what on earth are you doing?” she exclaimed as she opened the door to the ten-year-old.

  “Boofer's missing!” he shouted, and then he scratched his head and laughed as the dog stood before him, yowling. “Oh, I guess not.”

  “She scratched at my door before dawn. I let her in s
o I could get some sleep. Go ahead and take her home, and then you get to the bus stop, young man.”

  “Daddy said we could stay home from school today.”

  “He did not.”

  “He did! Mom's coming home from the hospital.”

  “She is? When did he find that out?”

  “Last night. We’re gonna have a party for her. Oh, yeah. I was supposed to invite you to the party. It's at about two o’clock, and Granny Josie says you don’t have to bring anything but your smile.”

  Liv chuckled. “Okay. Tell her I’ll be there early to help you guys decorate. I’ll come around noon, and we can put up signs and balloons.”

  “Coooo-ol,” he said, bobbing his head as he thought it over. “Come on, Boofer. Granny is sure gonna give you what for.”

  “Tell her to give her some for me too.”

  Scotty snickered as he pulled the dog into his arms and headed out the back door and across the lawn.

  The happy news that Hallie was being released sent a surge of excitement through Liv. She put the coffee on and made some toast with blackberry jelly. After she poured a cup, she took her breakfast with her to the desk in the corner of her bedroom.

  Remembering that she still had banner paper left over from a co-worker's retirement party, Liv pulled up the banner-making application, typed in the words welcome home mommy, added a couple of graphics, and then loaded the paper into the printer. It took about five minutes for the entire thing to print out and feed through, so she concentrated on her toast and coffee while it did.

  After she rolled the banner and fastened it with two paper clips, Liv went to her closet and stared at the contents. Even though the ground was no longer frozen over with snow and ice, she knew there would be no more sundresses, sandals, or shorts for a while. She pulled out a pair of faded black jeans that she hadn’t worn in forever, and the mint green sweater she’d bought on clearance last spring and never wore because, somewhere between then and now, she’d decided the cropped sweater that laced all the way up the front with a leather cord was too “young” for a tired cancer patient with a fiftieth birthday barreling toward her.