Lowcountry Stranger

by Ashley Farley

  “Eli!” Jamie opened the door and hopped out of the Jeep.

  From the car window, Sam watched her son and her ex greet one another in a man hug. They talked for several minutes in what appeared to be a serious conversation. Jamie’s shoulders slumped and his expression grew stony, clearly disappointed in whatever news Eli was sharing. When Eli playfully cuffed him on the ear, Jamie responded with a resigned shrug before returning to the Jeep.

  “Eli wants to talk to you,” Jamie said, slamming the door.

  Sam checked the time on the clock on the dash. “I have a meeting in an hour. I need to shower first.”

  “Your meeting can wait. You need to hear what Eli has to say.”

  Sam got out of the car and approached Eli with caution. She hadn’t talked to him since the night they’d broken up. She decided it best to remain concerned but friendly. “You gave us all quite a scare the other day.”

  “Did I, Sam?” Eli’s soulful gray eyes met hers, daring her to look away. “Did I really scare you?”

  “Of course,” Sam said, raking her fingers through her hair. “You’ve become quite the celebrity. America’s hero of the week.”

  “It’s an off week for news,” he sighed. “So I scared you, just not enough to want me back?” When he smiled, his dimple appeared on his cheek to the right of his lips, making Sam’s knees go weak.

  That damn dimple.

  Willing herself to be strong, Sam held her back ramrod straight and her head high. “If you came here looking for a reconciliation, I’m sorry. I can’t offer you one.”

  “Can we at least talk about it? Maybe go somewhere for coffee.”

  She shook her head. “I have a meeting at seven with my new sponsor.”

  A surprised look crossed his face. “You have a new sponsor?”

  “Considering the circumstances, I don’t think it’s a good idea if you continue to be my sponsor. I’m moving on with my life, Eli. I suggest you do the same.”

  He swallowed, his Adam’s apple bulging in his throat. “Won’t you please give us a chance?”

  “I’m sorry, but I can’t.” She inhaled a deep breath, the salty air steadying her nerves. “If anything, this whole hostage crisis has made me realize how toxic our relationship is for me. The danger your job presents and the stress of worrying every day whether you’ll make it home safely from work at night is more than I can handle.”

  “Come on, Sam. We’re talking about Prospect here. The hostage situation is the biggest crisis we’re likely to see this century.”

  She cast a nervous glance at the Jeep. She needed to get to her meeting. “Look, I see no sense in rehashing everything we talked about the other night. It’s not going to change anything. We both need to move on. Find someone younger, Eli. Start a family. You’ll love being a parent.”

  “I don’t want anyone younger. I want you.” He took hold of her arm. “You and Jamie are my family.”

  She tugged her arm free. “Jamie said you had something to tell me.”

  Rubbing the back of his neck, Eli sighed. “I’m considering a job offer. In New York.”

  Sam’s jaw dropped. New York was so far away. “When do you have to let them know?”

  “They’ve given me the weekend to decide.”

  The sudden thirst for alcohol overcame her. Staying sober was proving to be a bigger challenge than she’d imagined without Eli’s support. When they were together during the evening cocktail hours, they did other things, like take long walks on the beach or go to one of the barrier islands in his boat. All she’d wanted to do in the five days since they’d broken up was lock herself in her bedroom with a bottle of booze.

  “That’s very considerate of them to give you three whole days.”

  Eli winced at the anger in her voice.

  “I assume they’ve offered you a promotion,” she said, more a question than a statement.

  “I’d call it a lateral move, but I will be assigned to a special unit that works with the homeless, many of them kids.”

  Sam smiled. Eli was getting his dream job.

  “Speaking of runaways, is Annie around?” Eli asked. “I was hoping to have a word with her.”

  “You just missed her. Do you really think she’s a runaway?”

  “She’s something. I haven’t figured out what yet, but I aim to find out.”

  Sixteen

  Faith

  “Faith, can you come help me for a minute,” Mike called from the front door Thursday night when he arrived home from work. “I brought some of my things over from the other house I need to bring them in.”

  She slid her casserole in the oven, removed her apron, and went outside to help her husband, stopping dead in her tracks when she saw the shiny Buick SUV in the driveway. “Whose car is that?”

  With a mischievous grin, he dangled the car keys in front of her face. “Yours.”

  She stared at the car, then back at him. “What do you mean, mine?”

  “I mean, I bought you a new car. Technically it’s used, but it has less than ten thousand miles on it.” He placed the key in the palm of her hand and wrapped her fingers around it. “Your bucket of rust is headed for the truck graveyard.”

  Faith chewed on her bottom lip. “I can’t believe you did this for me.”

  “I’ve been thinking about this for weeks. It’s a husband’s responsibility to make sure his wife drives a safe car, especially when his daughter is riding with her.”

  Not my last husband, Faith thought.

  Mike chucked her chin. “Red would not have been my first choice, but I got a good deal on it.”

  “I think the red is kinda sporty.” She ran her hand across the hood of the car. “You are too good to me.”

  “I like making you happy.” He handed her the key and opened the driver’s door. “I’ll get Bitsy, and we’ll go for a spin.”

  “No, please, don’t!” She stepped in front of him blocking his path. “I just got her to sleep.”

  He glanced at his watch. “But it’s only six thirty.”

  “She, we, had a difficult day.” Mike’s eyebrows shot up in question, and Faith added, “I’ll tell you about it later. I want to check out my new ride first.” She climbed onto the driver’s seat and sniffed. “It smells like leather.”

  He went around to the passenger side and slid in beside her. With country music playing from the Bose speakers, Faith and Mike spent the next thirty minutes exploring the car’s many features. They punched buttons and turned knobs, consulting the manual whenever they couldn’t figure out how to work something.

  “Thank you Dr. Neilson.” She leaned over the center console to kiss him. “You just made your bride a very happy woman.”

  He kissed her back with more passion. Pulling away from her, he eyed the backseat. “Shall we check it out?” he asked, his voice husky with desire.

  She traced his lips with her finger. “We’re married now, babe. We have a bed for this kind of thing.”

  He laughed. “Where’s the fun in that?”

  Starting at his collarbone, she nibbled a trail of kisses on his neck all the way up to his ear. “There’s lots of fun in that,” she whispered. “We just haven’t had much chance to explore it yet.” Faith turned off the ignition and opened her door. “As much as I hate to leave my new car, I need to check on the crab casserole in the oven. Are you hungry?”

  “Not right now. I ate a late lunch.” Off in the distance, a streak of lightning lit up the darkening sky. “Why don’t we have a glass of wine and watch the storm roll in from the porch?”

  Leaving the french doors ajar so they could hear Bitsy if she needed them, Faith and Mike settled in the rockers on the screened porch with a bottle of Pinot Noir and a plate of cheese on the table between them.

  “So tell me, what happened that made your day so difficult?” he asked.

  For the past three days, Mike’s twelve-hour shifts at the hospital hadn’t allowed time enough for her to tell him about the week’s even
ts. While they sipped wine and ate slices of cheese, she told him about Bitsy’s growing obsession with Annie Dawn. She also explained how Annie had disobeyed her, not once but twice, by going into Jackie’s house when she’d specifically asked her not to, and by entering their bedroom even though Faith had closed the door and declared the room off limits.

  “Are you sure you didn’t lose your necklace at work?”

  “I’m not a hundred percent sure. I’ve looked everywhere at the market, but it may have accidentally gotten thrown away in the trash.”

  Mike carved off a chunk of cheese and popped it into his mouth. “Have you told Jackie any of this?”

  Faith nodded. “She came by yesterday on her way home from Charleston. She didn’t say it outright, but I got the impression she thinks I’m overreacting—although she suggested I have Eli run a background check on Annie. I talked to him earlier today, but I haven’t heard back from him.”

  “I don’t like the sound of any of this. And you still haven’t told me what happened today.”

  “Bitsy whined and pouted and complained all day. She demanded, kicking and screaming, that I call Annie. When I tried to explain that we needed to respect Annie’s privacy on her day off, she had a full-on nuclear meltdown. She wouldn’t take a nap, or eat anything. I was lucky to get her in the bed when I did.”

  “That doesn’t sound like Bitsy at all.”

  “I know,” Faith said, shaking her head. “She hasn’t been herself since Annie showed up.”

  Mike sat back in the rocker, sipping his wine. “She’s made a new friend, and she wants to spend time with her. I get that.”

  As she stared out over the inlet at the approaching storm, Faith contemplated whether her daughter’s recent behavior changes could be so easily justified. Bitsy was only seven years old after all. “I’d like to think that’s all it is, but she said some things today that really worry me.”

  “Such as?”

  “She asked me if I thought she was a bad girl. When I questioned her about it, she clammed up. But later on, I heard her punishing Dolly for being a naughty girl, right before she stuffed her in a drawer and slammed the drawer shut.”

  Mike let out a soft whistle. “You don’t think that has anything to do with Annie, do you?”

  “I have my concerns about the girl, but she doesn’t seem the type who would abuse a child.” Faith took a sip of wine. “Until Saturday night, Bitsy hadn’t spoken to anyone about anything in nearly a year. She might simply be expressing some pent-up emotions over the way Curtis treated her.”

  Mike rubbed his chin. “Sounds like post-traumatic stress disorder to me. Did you tell Moses about any of this?”

  “I left a message for him today, but he hasn’t called me back yet.” Faith let her head fall back against the chair. “I don’t know how many more days like today I can take. I feel like a monster has suddenly possessed my daughter. She was never a bad little girl. What if she’s scarred for life from what Curtis did to her?”

  Mike reached for Faith’s hand and squeezed it. “Bitsy is going to be fine. I promise you that. She just needs more time. I’m sure Moses will tell you that when you speak to him. It’s a process. One step at a time.”

  “I hate to say it, but I almost wish the silent Bitsy would return.”

  “No you don’t.” Mike brought Faith’s hand to his lips. “The silent Bitsy might have been easier to control, but think of all the hurt and anger she was keeping inside, eating away at her soul. At least she’s expressing herself. Maybe not with the emotions you want to see, but it is a step in the direction toward healing.”

  Faith tilted her head to the side as she thought about it. “That actually makes a lot of sense.”

  Mike massaged her knee, his hand creeping up her thigh. “Someone needs to take care of Bitsy’s mama.” A naughty boy grin appeared on his lips. “And I think that someone should be me.”

  She walked her fingers up his arm. “What did you have in mind?”

  Mike poured them both a little more wine. “I say we take our wine to the bedroom. We have the whole night ahead of us. If what you say is true, our daughter is likely to sleep uninterrupted until morning.”

  Seventeen

  Jackie

  The threat of bad weather put a damper on Jackie’s plans for dinner. The twins wanted to grill steaks, despite the lightning crackling in the sky around them, but Jackie insisted it was too dangerous.

  “Come on, Mom. It’s fine,” Sean argued. “We can move the grill into the garage.”

  A bolt of lightning flashed, followed by a loud clap of thunder. “Nobody is cooking outside.” Jackie stepped back from the window in the dining room. “In the garage or otherwise. We can order a pizza.”

  “Or I can make shrimp salad,” Annie offered.

  They all groaned. “No more shrimp. Please!” Cooper said.

  Sean refused to give up. “When will Dad be home? He’ll let us cook on the grill.”

  “Not anytime soon. He was still in surgery when I called a few minutes ago.” Jackie’s phone vibrated on the kitchen counter and her mother’s face flashed on the screen. She snatched up the phone.

  “Do you know where Sam is?” Lovie asked, sounding short of breath. “I’ve been trying to call her. She’s not answering her phone.”

  Why does our mother always call Sam first?

  “I have no idea, Mom. Is something wrong?”

  “It’s Mack! He’s gasping for air and clawing at his chest.”

  The blood drained from Jackie’s face. “You need to call an ambulance, Mom.” She felt three pairs of teenage eyes staring at her. “I’ll meet you at the hospital. Bill is still there. I’ll let him know we’re coming.”

  “I don’t understand. Why is Bill at the hospital? What can he do to help us?”

  Jackie’s concern mounted at the panic and confusion in her mother’s voice. “He’s a cardiologist, a heart doctor, remember?”

  “Oh, yes, of course.”

  “Listen carefully, Mom,” Jackie said in a calm but firm voice. “I need for you to hang up the phone and dial 911. Tell them your friend is having a heart attack and you need an ambulance right away. I want you to ride with Mack to the hospital, and I’ll see you there. Do you understand?”

  Lovie muttered her understanding and hung up.

  “What’s wrong, Mom? Is it Mack?” Cooper asked.

  “Yes. Sounds like he might be having a heart attack. I need to get to the hospital.” Jackie retrieved her purse from the chair by the back stairs where she left it when she returned from the store earlier.

  “I’ll go with you, Miss Jackie,” Annie said.

  More often than not, Jackie was unable to interpret the looks her twins exchanged with one another. But this one she understood. They didn’t want to go unless she made them. They’d gotten their fill of hospitals last year when Cooper spent a week in ICU after fracturing his skull in a hiking accident.

  “You boys stay here. I’m putting you in charge of dinner.” Jackie removed two twenties from her wallet and placed them on the kitchen counter. “This should be enough for two large pizzas.” Starting down the stairs, she called over her shoulder, “But be sure to save some for the rest of us.”

  The first drops of rain fell as Jackie and Annie were climbing into the SUV. Jackie punched Bill’s number into her cell phone as she maneuvered the big vehicle down the narrow, curvy driveway. He answered on the third ring. “I’m so glad I caught you,” she said, and explained the situation to him. “Mom seemed confused when I spoke to her.”

  “A crisis like this can cause an older person to become discombobulated. Why don’t you call her back to make certain the ambulance is on the way?”

  Lovie answered on the first ring. “The rescue people are here. They’re putting him on a stretcher now. I’m scared, honey. What if something happens to Mack?”

  “He’s in good hands, Mom. I promise we’ll get him the best possible care.”

  Jackie ended
the call and focused her attention on the road. Torrents of rain decreased visibility, making it necessary for Jackie to drive the five miles to the hospital at a snail’s pace. Annie and Jackie settled into the only two available seats in the crowded ER waiting room. She called Sam first, and then Faith who sounded groggy as though Jackie woke her up.

  “Poor, Mack. I have to say I’m not surprised though. He hasn’t looked well lately.” Faith sighed. “I can send Mike if you need him, but I think it’s best if I stay here with Bitsy. She’s been going through a rough patch lately.”

  “I see no sense in either one of you coming out in this weather. I’ll keep you posted.”

  Jackie and Annie waited for what seemed like an eternity. As the storm grew worse, more people entered the emergency room. A woman with a bloody towel wrapped around her right hand. A man with a three-inch gash above his left eye. With no empty chairs, they stood against the wall or sat on the floor. Annie gave her seat to a little boy who was gripping his arm in pain, his right wrist bent at an unnatural angle.

  Sam and Jamie arrived just as Bill, dressed in scrubs with his stethoscope draped around his neck, emerged from the examining rooms with Lovie in tow. Her eyes were red-rimmed from crying and her hair stood on end as though she’d been raking her fingers through it.

  Bill left Lovie in Sam’s care and pulled his wife to a corner of the room.

  “How bad is it?” Jackie said, reading her husband’s grave expression.

  “Bad.” Bill massaged the back of his neck. “Preliminary tests show that Mack has suffered a major heart attack. To make matters worse, he has atrial fibrillation. God only knows how long he’s been living with that, the crusty old fart. Do you have any idea when he last had a checkup? I asked your mom, but she didn’t know.”

  Jackie shook her head. “I have no idea.”

  “He’s stable for the moment, but he’s going to need surgery. And soon.”

  “How soon?”

  “Tonight soon. Tomorrow morning at the latest.” He leaned in closer and lowered his voice. “Listen, Jack. I don’t feel comfortable performing this surgery. Mack is like an uncle to me. His A-fib makes a critical situation life threatening. I don’t trust anyone in my practice with his case. I’m sending him to MUSC. An air ambulance is already on the way and a colleague is standing by in Charleston.”