Love on the Horizon (A Northern Woods Novel)

by Roberts, Charliann

  “There was a police officer here looking for you. He wanted to make sure you made it home. Why did you lie to me, Anya? Why didn’t you tell me the truth about the accident?”

  “I’m sorry. I did not know. I thought Mariah would be fine when the people took her away. She will be okay?”

  “I don’t know. The officer heard only that she was not yet awake. Go to sleep now. I’ll call the hospital and try to find out.”

  Anya wept aloud and he sat down on the bed next to her.

  “Jake, it wasn’t my fault. I pulled out of parking lot. Mariah grabbed steering wheel. She cause accident. I don’t want her to hate me, so I didn’t tell policeman what she did.”

  He held her in his arms while heavy sobs wracked her insides, and he gently rocked her. She took deep breaths until she was able to raise her head. He pulled away and told her he’d return to bed shortly. He watched as her body slumped in despair and she curled into a fetal position and cried herself to sleep. He decided he needed a good strong shot of whiskey.

  * * *

  Burt pulled the police car up to the emergency entrance, and Nick quickly climbed out. He entered through the automatic doorway and felt nauseated from the heavy reek of antiseptic. He dodged a gurney heading down the hallway. When he reached the nurses’ station, the loud click-clack, click-clack of the wheels kept him from hearing what the nurse at the desk was saying over the intercom.

  She looked up, as though she’d been expecting him. When he stepped up to the desk, he heard over the loud speaker, “Paging Dr. Wisenberg, paging Dr. Wisenberg, stat.”

  “I’m Nick Colburn. My wife, Mariah Colburn, was admitted about an hour ago.”

  “Yes sir, the doctor will be out to speak with you in a moment. I had him paged. Please fill out these forms while you’re waiting.” She slid three pages across the desk.

  “Is this necessary at the moment, Ma’am? I really do need to speak with the doctor.”

  She spoke calmly, with a warm smile, her heart going out to him. “I’m sorry sir, but yes, they are necessary. The doctor will need your signature to perform the surgery.”

  “Surgery?”

  “Here comes Dr. Wisenberg now, Mr. Colburn.” She nodded her head toward the doors that read, DO NOT ENTER, and they opened with a loud swoosh. Nick turned and saw Dr. Wisenberg quickly approach him. He led Nick over to the far corner and indicated a chair for him.

  “Hello, Nick.” The doctor pulled his chair around to face him and sat down.

  “What happened to her, Doctor? Is she going to be okay?”

  “She’s in a coma. We have to do a C-section. The babies are determined to come into the world, even though Mariah isn’t quite ready. I need you to sign the papers, so we’re able to proceed with the surgery immediately. The twins aren’t going to wait.”

  “You haven’t answered my question, Doctor,” Nick said, while he quickly signed the consent forms. “Will my wife be okay?”

  “I’m sorry, Nick. We won’t know anything until she comes out of the coma. I hope it will be soon. I wish I could tell you more. Now I’m going to go in and save those little girls of yours and do everything I can to keep Mariah comfortable and pray that all goes well. Wait here in the waiting room; call your family and friends to come here to be with you. I’ll return to talk immediately after the surgery.”

  Dr. Wisenberg stood, and laid his hand on Nick’s shoulder. “We’ll do our best, Nick.” He then turned quickly and walked back through the swinging doors.

  Chapter Sixteen

  Nick was in the waiting room with Mariah’s parents and all of her siblings. Art and Lillie arrived, along with Garrett and his wife Kim, who entered directly behind them.

  “How you holding out Nick, any word yet?” Art asked, and placed his hand on his shoulder.

  “No. Not a thing.”

  Nick sat with his elbows resting on his knees, looking down at the floor. “I can’t believe this is happening. I haven’t spoken to the police. They seem to be holding back the details. I knew Anya was not one to be trusted. I want to know exactly what happened.”

  “Don’t worry about that right now. Let’s just get through this first.” Art didn’t want Nick to lose control of his anger right now, and he knew he would, once he saw the police report.

  Dr. Wisenberg suddenly appeared in the doorway of the waiting room. He walked over and placed his hand on Nick’s shoulder with a smile.

  “Congratulations. You have two beautiful daughters, spunky as can be. They’re only seven weeks premature and appear to be very healthy. The first to enter the world weighed in at four pounds nine ounces and the second at four pounds seven ounces. Identical twins, Nick,” he added with a grin and patted him on the back. “The nurses are cleaning them up right now, and you’ll be able to see them in a moment.”

  “Really?” He chuckled softly then laughed aloud. “Identical twins?”

  “Sure looks that way,” the doctor answered and smiled at Nick’s reaction.

  “How is Mariah, Doc? Is she awake?”

  “She’s still in a coma, but showing signs of improvement. The nurses are moving her into ICU right now. You’ll be able to visit her shortly. We’ll have the twins in the nursery, for the time being. They’re doing just fine and seem to be very healthy. When your wife awakens and can be moved into a private room, the twins will be transferred to the room with her.”

  “The babies don’t need to be placed in incubators?”

  “So far, no. They seem to be just fine, but they’ll be staying here with your wife for a couple days. That’ll give us time to keep a close watch on the three of them.”

  A nurse entered the waiting room to let Nick know that he could see his daughters. They all stood up quickly and followed the nurse down the hallway leading to the nursery.

  “Only the father may enter the nursery,” she told the others. If you’d like to wait here, I’m sure he’ll bring them over to the window where you’ll be able to see them. They’re still very small and need to stay in the nursery for the time being.”

  Nick washed up and put on the facemask and hospital gown given to him. When he was ready, the nurse placed a tiny bundle in his arms. He gazed down at her with a look of joy and contentment. As he moved over to the window to show everyone, the nurse followed with the other. Two angelic little girls appeared before them, each with a head full of beautiful jet-black hair. They looked exactly like their mother. He was so proud, and he raised his head with a smile while his family gathered closely, to see the two new family members.

  When he returned from the nursery, Art shook his hand while John and Elena each gave him a hearty hug.

  “Those are the most beautiful little girls I ever did see, but how you gonna know which one’s which if they’re identical?” Art asked, and shook his head with a grin. “Boy, you’re going to have your hands full with this pair of cutie pies. Have you chosen names for the little angels yet?”

  “No, we haven’t even had time to decide. Listen, Art, will you call Bess for me? I’d like to hurry into ICU to see Mariah.”

  “Sure, Son. You give her my love. I’ll visit as soon as they allow me to.”

  Nick hurried down to ICU, while the others waited in the lobby.

  Mariah was still sleeping when he pulled a chair alongside her bed.

  “Oh sweetheart,” he said, then took her hand in his and kissed her palm. He gently pushed a few loose strands of hair away from her face. “Our little girls are so, so beautiful. They look just like you, honey. I don’t know whether you can hear me or not, but I hope with all my heart you can. We have the most precious babies I’ve ever seen. I’m so proud.”

  Suddenly Mariah’s eyes opened slowly, and a gentle smile appeared on her beautiful face. Nick quickly pushed the button to notify the nurse outside the door.

  “Oh sweetheart, it’s so wonderful to see those lovely eyes.” They seemed to be clear and observant.

  The doctor rushed in and two nurses followed clos
e behind. “Please step back, sir. We need to examine her.”

  Nick moved into the corner of the room, where he was able to look on. He watched as they carefully checked her heart monitor, her vision and blood pressure.

  “You’re looking great, young lady,” Dr. Wisenberg said with a smile. “Are you in any pain?”

  “Only a splitting headache,” she replied and softly touched her left temple. “Are my babies okay?”

  The doctor motioned for Nick to return to her bedside. “Here, I’ll let your husband tell you all about those little ones. While he’s doing that, I’ll arrange for a private room. As soon as we get you settled, the twins will be able to join you for a short time.”

  “Thank you so much, Doctor,” Nick said with a smile and shook his hand.

  He turned back to Mariah and gently kissed the bruise on her swollen forehead. He took her hand and interlaced their fingers.

  “Honey, those babies are so beautiful, and they’re identical twins,” he told her with a grin. “They’re almost as lovely as you.” Nick watched as she tried to control her emotion, and he could tell that this time they were happy tears that fell from her eyes. He reached over to the nightstand and grabbed a tissue to blot her wet cheeks.

  “They’re identical? Oh Nick, I’m so excited to see them. What are we going to name them? We haven’t even chosen their names yet.”

  “Let’s wait until you see them, sweetheart. A couple of names came to mind as soon as I set eyes on them, but I’ll let you decide when they bring them into your room.”

  They both heard the sound of wheels rolling down the hallway and in through the doorway.

  “Which will be very soon,” a nurse replied, as she entered and a doctor followed with a gurney. You’ll be on your way, in the minute it takes to transfer you onto this bed on wheels,” she said, and winked at Mariah.

  Once settled in her private room, the nurses left them alone, telling them the babies would be in to see them shortly.

  “How are you feeling, sweetheart?” Nick asked, while they waited for the nurse to appear with their daughters.

  “Tired, but very happy,” she whispered softly.

  At that moment, a nurse entered the room, with a bassinet before her. She moved it next to the bed, locked the wheels, then lifted two little bundles and placed one at a time into each of Mariah’s arms.

  “Oh my,” she said softly. She gazed at Nick, who’d been watching as she bubbled with joy and love in her eyes. “Angels, they’re beautiful little angels; how do the names Angela and Allison sound?” She looked up at Nick, and he nodded in agreement.

  “We’ll call them Angie and Allie for short,” he said with a smile, then bent down and placed a loving kiss on top of each tiny head. “These are the three most beautiful women in the world.” He thanked the Lord that all of them were safe and healthy.

  Nick looked up when a nurse tapped lightly on the door and entered.

  “I think this would be a good time for the babies’ first feeding and time to bond, Mariah. I can help if you’d like.”

  Nick ran the back of his finger along a cheek of each of his women, and said, “You go ahead, honey. I’ll tell your family you’ll be ready for them to visit after you’ve taken care of the girls. In fact, I’ll walk down to the cafeteria with them while we wait.”

  “She’s becoming quite tired, so I recommend that your family members visit for only a short time,” the nurse told him. “They’ll be able to return during visiting hours tomorrow, when she’s had some rest.”

  “I agree,” Nick said. “I’ll buy them lunch and we’ll be back in a few, sweetheart.”

  Mariah nodded as she looked down and admired her sweet little angels.

  * * *

  Nick sat next to Mariah while the babies slept soundly in their bassinet. Friends and family noticed how tired Mariah was, and they didn’t stay long.

  “I’ll head home soon myself, Mariah. Nicky will want to see the pictures of his little sisters, and I do have to check on the ranch. Art said everything was under control, but I hate to leave it all on his shoulders.”

  A nurse entered the room to take the twins back to the nursery.

  “The doctor wanted them to remain there for the night, so we’ll be able to keep a close watch on them,” she whispered, careful not to wake them.

  When the nurse left with the girls, Nick looked down at Mariah and noticed a disturbed look on her face.

  “What’s wrong, honey?”

  “Nothing.”

  “Do you remember anything at all about the accident?”

  “Only the discussion with Anya in the café. Once we got in her car, I don’t remember a thing.”

  “What did you talk about in the café?”

  Mariah looked down at her lap and pulled on a thread in the hospital blanket.

  “Mariah? What’s wrong?”

  “Anya told me you were very flirtatious with her when she came into your office. She said you couldn’t take your eyes off her. She also said she was with you when you had that flat tire and that was why you were so late.” Mariah kept her head down until Nick noticed tears run down her cheek.

  He placed his forefinger under her chin and lifted her face, so he could look into her eyes. With his other hand, he pulled a tissue from the box on the table and gently blotted her tears.

  “Oh honey, she wasn’t telling you the truth. You know that don’t you?”

  When he saw that she refused to look him in the eye, he continued.

  “Mariah, there’s no way on earth I’d make a pass at her or anyone else, for that matter. She was lying to you. I told her to leave my office and practically threw her out the door. Art had been about to walk in and she almost knocked him over. As for the tire, Anya had approached my truck and when she discovered who it was, she stopped to ask if I needed a lift. I told her no thanks; I already changed it and was about to throw the flat into the back of the truck. I’m sure she saw that, because she’d pulled up right behind me.

  “Sweetheart, I’d never flirt with anyone else. You mean the world to me. You, Nicky and now Angie and Allie are the most important people in my life. I’d be insane to even look at another woman.”

  Mariah finally looked up and a cry of relief broke from her lips.

  He leaned down to wrap his arms around her. “I love you Mariah,” he whispered into her hair.

  “I love you too. I shouldn’t have listened to her. You were right when you told me she’s an evil person. Another thing, I’m not sure if she actually said this, or if I dreamt it, but I thought I heard her say, ‘Don’t worry Mariah, I’ll take extra good care of Nick for you.’ I really don’t know if she’d have the nerve to say something like that, Nick.”

  “You lay back and get some sleep while you still can, honey. The girls will be awake and calling for you again soon. I’ll return in a few hours.”

  He placed a kiss on her cheek, and she immediately drifted off to sleep. He pulled her blanket up to her neck, admired her for a moment then grabbed his jacket from the chair. He quietly opened the door, stepped into the hallway and headed for the elevator. His eyes darkened like angry thunderclouds, and the nurse looked up in concern when he passed her desk. He approached the elevator and grabbed the door as it was about to close; he stepped inside, his face a glowering mask of rage.

  Chapter Seventeen

  Early Monday morning Nick and Art were sitting in the office, finishing their pot of coffee.

  “I’ve been talking with Billy. I’m sure you know that he has over an hour's drive, to and from his residence.” Art nodded. “Well, Mariah and I have decided to go through with the plans on that new house we’ve longed for. The business has been building up nicely and now with the twins, we’re more than ready for a larger home. We’re going to put Bess in the west wing.”

  “That sounds great, but what’s that got to do with me? I hope you’re not asking me to help build that mansion you’ve been dreaming of.”

  He
looked up at Art then burst out laughing. “No, Art. We want to offer you the house we’re in now. When the new one is completed, we thought you and Lillie might like to move in. If so, I’ll approach Billy. He may want to settle in the cottage. That way, we’d have our veterinarian here at all times, if he’s willing, that is.”

  Art pantomimed wiping sweat from his forehead. “You had me worried there, Son. I’m not gettin’ any younger. I don’t think I’d do very well as a construction worker at my age. It does sound like a plan. Maybe I’ll even be able to talk Lillie into selling her house in Huntington and moving in with me permanently.”

  Nick raised his eyebrows. “Think there might be a wedding in there somewhere?”

  Art’s mouth twisted wryly. “Oh no, you don’t. You know me better than that – both of us for that matter. We don’t want to ruin a good thing.”

  “Yeah, I’ve heard that line before.” Nick shrugged his shoulders in mock resignation. “Just thought I’d ask.”

  Art leaned forward in his chair and looked him in the eye. “You ought to know you’re not going to get anywhere in that department. Now I’m outta here. I’ll have Lillie clean the cottage up so it looks like new for Billy,” he added when he stood to leave.

  “Uh huh… you’ve kept that place spotless since the day you moved in ten years ago. You’ve never made Lillie do a thing, except cook your meals, unless you wanted it cooked on the barbeque. With that, you’ve always insisted no one touches the grill but you.”

  Nick threw back his head and laughed loudly while he watched Art grit his teeth, trying not to snort.

  “Well, I’d better head out to the barn. The men should be here soon,” Art said.

  His broken kneecap had completely healed, and he was back to work. Nothing can keep that man down for long, Nick thought when he watched him walk to the door.

  “Soon as Jake arrives, send him in here, will you?”

  “Sure thing… but Nick?”

  “Yeah?” He looked up from his desk.

  “Go easy on him. You can bet that she hasn’t told him the truth, and even if she has, it wasn’t his fault, it was hers. Doggone it. He thought he landed himself a real princess. He wouldn’t listen to a word we said.”