“We’ve been spotted,” Cody said. “Run!” At that, the three boys took off back to the woods. Dawn was surprised when Jeremiah took off after them. She heard them yell when they realized that they were being followed. Jeremiah caught up with the boys and passed them, jumping over roots and ducking branches. Jeremiah, out of breath, was the first one back to the house, followed closely by Cody. Hayden and Kaleb weren’t far behind.
“How did you know how to run through the woods like that?” Cody asked. “Our cousin Bethany brought a boy home last month, and he got so mad when we followed them.”
“I grew up running through fields and woods, too,” he told the boys. “I know how to sneak through the woods so that what I’m hunting can’t hear me.”
The wonder on the boys’ faces told Jeremiah that he had just made three new friends. “What are you boys up to?” came Tracy’s voice from the back door of the house. “Are they bothering you, Jeremiah?”
“No, we’re just playing hide-and-seek. It’s been a long time since I’ve got to run through the woods like that.”
“Where’s Dawn?” Tracy asked.
Jeremiah realized that he had left Dawn standing in the road. He looked that direction to see her walking back. “Uh-oh,” he said as he ran toward her.
“Somebody’s in trouble,” he heard Hayden say behind him.
“Are you mad?” Jeremiah asked when he got back to Dawn.
“No, it was fun to watch.”
“Really? You mean that?”
“You were bonding with some more of my family. Why would I mind?”
“You’re the best,” he told her as he leaned in for the kiss that had been interrupted earlier.
The next morning was Easter Sunday. The little church that Dawn grew up in was filled to capacity for the morning service. Dawn and her family were barely able to find seats together. Jeremiah squeezed into the pew beside Dawn just as the service began. They stood together for the opening prayer. Dawn held the hymnal between them during worship. As always, Jeremiah was very popular during the part of the service where visitors were welcomed. Jeremiah stretched his arm out along the back of the pew behind Dawn as they were seated again. The youth did an Easter skit depicting the crucifixion of Jesus that lead into Brother Walker’s sermon on the resurrection. Using Mark 16:9-20 as his text, the pastor reminded the congregation that Jesus’s last words before being taken up into heaven were to tell us to “go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature.” This didn’t just apply to the disciples of Jesus’s day but to us as well. He closed by urging those gathered to do whatever they could to spread the gospel to those who needed to hear it.
After church, Jeremiah joined Dawn and her family for a huge meal of fried chicken, mashed potatoes and gravy, fried okra, and biscuits. Jeremiah ate until he was stuffed, but then Donna brought out a homemade peach cobbler and ice cream. He’d have to find room for some of that.
“Mom, if I keep eating like this, I’ll gain all my weight back,” Dawn said as she got herself a hearty serving and passed the pan to Jeremiah.
“You don’t have to eat it,” her mom replied.
“Yes, I do. I’ll just do an extra twenty minutes on the treadmill every day for a month.”
“Man, this is good,” Jeremiah told Donna as he finished his first bite. “I won’t fit into the car when I get back to Charlotte.” That comment brought the happy atmosphere of the room down because it made everyone remember that Dawn and Jeremiah would be leaving in a few hours.
“C’mon. Everybody cheer up,” Patrick said. “Did you hear the one about how to catch a polar bear? You cut a big hole in the ice and put green peas all around it. Then when the polar bear comes up to take a pea, you kick him in the icehole.”
Later, Dawn and Jeremiah sat with her parents enjoying the last few moments before Dawn and Jeremiah had to go. Finally, it couldn’t be avoided anymore. “We really need to get a move on,” Dawn said, rising from the couch. “We better leave now if we’re going to make it back to Charlotte at a decent hour.”
“Yeah,” Jeremiah agreed, also rising. “I told the pilot to be back at the airport in Harrison at three.”
Donna rose too. Freddy tried, but Dawn told him to stay seated. Dawn walked down the hall to Shane’s room where her brothers were playing video games. They came out to tell Dawn good-bye. They each shook Jeremiah’s hand and told him to keep watching out for their older sister. There were tears in Dawn’s eyes as she bent to hug her dad. “Keep doing what the doctors tell you, and get better soon. I love you.”
“I love you, too,” Freddy said. “You take care of yourself, and come home again as soon as you can.”
“I will.”
Jeremiah took the older man’s hand when Dawn stepped aside. “It was a pleasure to meet you, sir. Thanks for all your hospitality.”
“Anytime. It’s easier to see my little girl leave knowing that she is in good hands.”
“I’ll take good care of her.” He reached to pick up Dawn’s suitcases and followed the two women outside. He put the bags down to hug Donna. “It was great to meet you, too. Thanks for all the delicious food you cooked for me while I was here. Now I know where Dawn learned to cook.”
“Come back soon, and I’ll cook for you again.”
“I’m going to hold you to that,” he told her as he picked up the luggage again and went to put it in the car. This gave Dawn and Donna an opportunity to say good-bye in private.
“He’s a great guy,” Donna said as she embraced her daughter.
“Thanks. I’m glad you like him.”
“Call me when you get home so that I won’t worry.”
“You’ll still worry.”
“You’re right. But call me anyway so that I won’t worry as much.”
“Okay.” The two women hugged for another moment and then let each other go.
“I wish you could stay,” her mom said as a tear ran down her cheek.
“I wish I could too.”
“I’ll be praying for you.”
“I know. I count on it.” They hugged again briefly. “I’ve really got to go. I’ll call you, Mom. I promise.”
“I’ll wait up.”
Dawn walked over to the car and got in. She took one more look at the little house and waved to her mom. “Bye. I love you.”
“I love you, too.”
Dawn was so tired when she got home later that night. She made a quick call to her mom and then fell into bed without changing into her pajamas. She was sound asleep as soon as her head hit the pillow. Things were hopping at the shop when she arrived at 8:30 the next morning. The good news was that the race this weekend was in Charlotte, so Dawn and the crew wouldn’t have to travel this week. The bad news was that the new pictures of Bryan that she needed for a sponsor appearance this Friday hadn’t arrived yet. The photographer assured Dawn that they would be there by Wednesday afternoon at the very latest.
Dawn spent most of the rest of the day catching up on e-mail and answering the phones for the receptionist who was out sick. That evening, Dawn went to dinner with Bryan and the crew for Travis’s birthday. Jeremiah sent her a text while she was at the restaurant. He wanted to rent a movie and veg out on the couch with a big tub of popcorn. She sent him a message back that she couldn’t tonight but she was thinking about him. She told him they would spend tomorrow night together.
Jeremiah and Dawn went to Bryan’s on Tuesday night for Bible study, but the evening was cut short when the baby started running a fever. Valerie thought the baby was teething. Jeremiah took Dawn home and stayed to watch a movie. He kissed her good-night around midnight and went home. That was the last time Dawn saw Jeremiah that week. The pictures from the photographer arrived on Wednesday afternoon as promised, but they had the name Brian Richardson printed on them instead
of Bryan Richardson. Dawn was very upset when she called the photographer. He was a professional in Charlotte, the NASCAR capitol. He had a contract with one of the top teams to photograph their star driver. Couldn’t he even spell the man’s name right? The photographer promised to have corrected photos delivered directly to the appearance, but Dawn didn’t trust him at this point. Bryan wasn’t too happy either. These were color pictures, but they would have to take black and white ones as backup in case the photographer didn’t pull through. Maybe Dawn could convince Bryan to let her take his pictures after all. As it turned out, Dawn was glad they had been prepared with a plan B because the color pictures didn’t arrive until about halfway through the appearance on Friday. Bryan was gracious enough to sign color photos for those who had gotten black and white ones. So some lucky fans got two autographed photos.
Other than that, the appearance went very smoothly. It was a charity fundraiser for Victory Junction Gang Camp, a summer camp for chronically or terminally ill kids. The camp was started by Kyle and Patty Petty in honor of their son Adam. Adam was a fourth-generation race car driver who was killed while practicing for a race. Other drivers were at the appearance too. All of them, plus other drivers who couldn’t be there, had donated items for an auction. Bryan donated a race-used helmet that he had autographed. Jeremiah had sent a pair of gloves and a diecast car, both signed. Dawn almost won a ride along with Sean Vaughn but was outbid at the last minute. After all the money had been counted, almost $300,000 had been raised for the camp.
Dawn learned even though the race was in Charlotte and the crews didn’t have to fly anywhere, most of them still brought their motor coaches to the track and stayed there to avoid the heavy traffic of a race weekend. So Dawn once again found herself checking into a hotel. Bryan had given her the choice of staying home and driving every day, but she wasn’t that familiar with Charlotte yet. She would hate to get stuck in traffic and be late when Bryan was expecting her. Maybe next year after she had learned the shortcuts for getting around town.
After checking in, Dawn went to the track to help the guys get all the gear unloaded and ready to go. “Be careful around that toolbox,” Ted told her as they were working. “We broke the wheel getting it off the truck.” He pointed to the wheel in question.
“Okay,” Dawn answered as she carried a computer monitor over to the table. Dawn realized exactly what Ted meant the next time she was at the toolbox. It wobbled really bad when she pulled a metal shelf out that would hold a laptop during the race.
“Be careful,” Travis reminded her.
“Thanks,” she said as she turned to go inside the garage stall. About that time, Ted was trying to open another drawer at the end of the toolbox. It was stuck, so he gave it another hard tug. The drawer opened, but the force of the tug caused the toolbox to move just enough for the broken wheel to completely break off. The whole toolbox started to fall over.
“Look out!” Travis yelled as Ted jumped out of the way. Dawn had just enough time to put up her hands before the huge toolbox fell on top of her.
The next thing Dawn remembered was waking up in a room she didn’t recognize. After looking around, she figured out that she was in a hospital room. There was an IV in her arm, and the monitor beside her was keeping track of her vital signs. The more she moved her head, the more she realized that she had a whale of a headache. She reached up to touch the bandage on the side of her head. She looked around again and saw Jeremiah sleeping in a chair beside the bed. He had pulled the chair up close enough that he could rest his head on the bed beside her. She reached down to put her hand on his head, running her fingers through his hair.
His head was turned so that he was facing away from her. After a moment he turned so that she could see his face, but his eyes were still closed. Slowly, he opened those gorgeous green eyes. He looked at her, still trying to focus his sleepy eyes. “Hello, beautiful,” he said, rubbing his eyes and sitting up. “It’s good to see you.”
“How long have I been out?”
He glanced at his watch. “About five hours. The accident happened just after six, and it’s almost eleven now. You kinda woke up a couple of times, but they had given you something for pain so you went right back to sleep.”
“I don’t remember what happened.”
“The toolbox fell on you. The good news is that it was almost completely empty so it was lighter than it could have been. The bad news is that one of the drawers opened as it fell. It hit you in the head first, and the rest of the toolbox followed. You got a double whammy that left you with a nasty concussion.”
“Nothing else is broken?”
“No.”
“Why are you here? You hate hospitals. This must be horrible for you.”
“It’s horrible because I thought I was losing the woman that I love. I heard the sirens at the track and someone said there had been an accident. I didn’t think too much of it because I was busy. But then I heard that a woman had been hurt at Bryan Richardson’s stall. I felt my heart jump into my throat. I ran over and saw Travis and the guys standing around and praying. Bryan was kneeling beside you, holding your hand while the paramedics checked you out. Ted was leaning against a wall saying ‘I’m sorry. I’m sorry.’ That guy is so torn up about what happened. Anyway, I haven’t left your side.”
“You didn’t freak out when you came into the hospital?”
He thought about that one for a moment. “Now that you mention it, I never even thought about it. I was only thinking about you.” While he had been speaking, he had moved to sit on the bed and lean closer to her. “Are you okay?”
“Other than a major headache, I’m fine.”
“I’ll call the nurse to have her bring you something for pain.” He hit the call button that was attached to the bed rail. He spoke to the nurse and then turned back to Dawn. “They’ll be here in a minute.”
“Can I have something to drink?”
“The nurse will bring you something to take your pill with.” He pushed a stray piece of hair out of her face and tucked it behind her ear, leaned in until his forehead was resting against hers. “I love you. You scared me out of ten years of my life, and I can’t afford to lose them.” He laughed. “But I love you anyway.”
“I love you too.” He leaned in to kiss her, but the nurse walked in just as his lips touched hers. She gave Dawn a pill and checked her vital signs. Dawn was still thirsty, but the nurse said she only needed ice chips for now because of the medicine she was taking. Too much water might make Dawn sick.
“Do you want your mom to come out? I’ll fly her here if you need her.”
Dawn hadn’t thought about her family yet. Tears came to her eyes as she thought about the phone call they got a few hours ago. “No. She needs to stay with Dad. Who called her? How is she?”
Just like Dawn to think of someone else, Jeremiah thought. “Bryan talked to her. She was upset. She wants to come here to see you, but she wants to stay with your dad, too.”
“I’ll call her first thing in the morning,” Dawn said as she yawned.
“It didn’t take that little pill very long to work, did it?”
“Nope,” she said around another yawn.
“Do you need anything else?” She shook her head. He leaned in to fluff her pillow and to give her the kiss that had been interrupted earlier. “Good night, sleepyhead.”
The last thing she saw before going back to sleep was the gorgeous smile that she loved so much.
Dawn awoke the next morning, and Jeremiah was gone. The phone was on the nightstand, just out of reach. She called the nurse to help her get it. She called home and tried to assure her mom that she was okay, but Dawn knew her mom wouldn’t be assured that easily. She talked to her dad. He repeated her earlier advice to him about doing what the doctors told her. Both of her brothers were at work, but her dad promised to let them know that
she was okay.
She was talking to her mom again when Jeremiah came in. He smiled when he saw that she was awake. He sat on the side of the bed and waited while she talked. Dawn handed the phone to him so that he could promise that all really was okay. He also swore that they were not keeping anything from her. He handed the phone back to Dawn. She said her good-byes and hung up.
“I hoped you wouldn’t wake up before I got back. I went downstairs to grab a bite of breakfast,” he told her.
Dawn’s stomach rumbled at the mention of food. She tried to remember the last time she had eaten. Lunch yesterday, she remembered. “What time is it?”
“Quarter after seven. The nurse was in earlier to check on you. I ordered you some biscuits and gravy. Is that okay?”
“Yes,” she told him as her stomach rumbled again. They both laughed.
The doctor came in then with the nurse behind him. They ushered Jeremiah out while they examined Dawn. He was standing in the hall waiting when Bryan and Valerie stepped off the elevator. “What’s up?” Valerie asked when they got to Jeremiah.
“The doctor is checking her.”
“What time did she wake up?”
“Around 7:15 a.m. I guess. She was asleep when I went to breakfast at 6:30 a.m., and she was awake when I got back at 7:15 a.m.”
Valerie shot him a dirty look. “You were supposed to stay with her.”
“I know, but I was starving. I didn’t think she would wake up this early.”
“Dawn is a tough cookie. I’m sure she was okay by herself for a few minutes,” Bryan spoke up.
“Thanks,” Jeremiah said.
The door opened and the doctor came out. “She looks good. Her pupils are back to normal, and she is very alert. If she keeps her breakfast down, she can go home later this morning.” They all breathed a sigh of relief at the good news. “She’ll have to take it easy for a few days and come see me in my office next week. No driving or heavy lifting. I’ll leave detailed instructions at the nurses’ desk. Give them a call if you need anything else. He shook hands with everyone and then left to see his next patient.
Revved Up Hearts Page 21
