Second Chance Cafe

by Brandy Bruce

  “She and her husband, José, have sort of joined our family. Maggie’s family lives way out on the East Coast. She moved out here years ago to go to college and then met and fell in love with José. The Romanos have made her an honorary member,” Isabella told him, and then introduced him to her mother, who smiled with pleasure when she accepted the flowers.

  He was introduced to so many people that Ethan knew he’d never be able to remember them all. But one person in particular, Ethan knew he’d remember. Gabriel Romano sat in an easy chair placed in the kitchen just for him. Having met people with Parkinson’s before, Ethan wasn’t at all alarmed or uncomfortable with the way Gabriel shook almost constantly. Ethan took Gabriel’s hand gently in his own, noticing how attentive Isabella was to her father.

  “Isa! Isa!”

  The room went silent in one fell swoop at the sound of someone screaming Isa’s name. Ethan and Isabella turned in sync, both rushing out to the deck.

  A man Ethan assumed to be Isa’s brother—the family resemblance was obvious—and another he assumed to be Maggie’s husband were cradling Maggie on the floor of the deck.

  “Move!” Isa commanded to the others hovering around them. Ethan joined her as they knelt down on the deck. Cold fear filled Isa’s eyes at the sight of Maggie’s insipid face and the blood trickling down to her ankles.

  “Mags?”

  Maggie moaned, her eyes half-closed. “Some—something’s wrong,” she said, her hand reaching down to clutch her belly. “Isa, help….”

  Ethan immediately pressed his fingers to Maggie’s wrist. “Pulse is weak,” he said to Isa. “How far along is she?”

  “Twenty-eight or twenty-nine weeks—I’m not positive. She’s miscarried before, but this pregnancy has been normal so far.” Isa’s voice wavered.

  “We need to get her to the hospital,” Ethan said definitively.

  “I’ve got 911 on the phone!” someone yelled out.

  “Tell them we need an ambulance!” Isa said before taking Maggie’s face in her hands. Ethan could feel Isabella start to shake beside him.

  “The hospital is close. Let’s just drive her,” he said, knowing by the look of things that every minute was crucial. “We need towels,” he said to Leo, who jumped up and ran into the house. “Can you carry her?” he asked her husband.

  “Maggie, can you hear me?” Isa waved for everyone to move even farther back. “Clear the area, you guys.” Isa hiked up Maggie’s dress to examine her. Leo came rushing back with towels.

  Ethan hated feeling so trapped by his injury. Under normal circumstances, he could scoop Maggie up and carry her to the car. But her husband lifted her with the help of Leo.

  “Has she been having contractions?” Ethan asked as they all rushed out to the front yard. José shook his head, his face terrified.

  “Not that I know of. She was feeling a little discomfort in the car, but she didn’t say much about it. It’s too early.” He choked on the last words.

  “The baby,” Maggie cried suddenly. “Don’t let me lose her. Please.” It was a low, guttural plea, and Ethan watched as tears streamed down Isa’s face. Ethan had been through enough emergency situations to know to disregard his rising panic and concentrate on the moment at hand. He steadied himself, praying inwardly for strength.

  “It’s going to be okay, Maggie,” Isa said amid her tears. Ethan could sense her trying to hold herself together. They piled into Leo’s Suburban, with Leo at the wheel. In the back, Ethan and Isa used the towels to absorb the blood. Ethan kept checking Maggie’s pulse. He pulled out his cell phone and speed-dialed Caleb’s number, then told him in clipped sentences to let the hospital know they were coming.

  “Maggie,” he said calmly. He leaned over her, talking to her constantly, reassuring her. Every bump in the road felt magnified as Leo drove as fast as he could to the hospital. Ethan could see Maggie’s husband crying in the front seat. Maggie gripped Ethan’s hand.

  “Pray, Isa,” Leo said firmly from the driver’s seat.

  Isabella blinked, tears still falling. “God, please help us. Please help Maggie and this baby. Please help…. Please do something! Do something! Why are You letting this happen? Don’t You see us? Do something!” Her frantic voice rose to a yell.

  “Isa,” Ethan interjected, his steady voice covering hers. She gulped a breath and they just stared at each other. There in the car, both holding her bleeding friend, Ethan watched Isa fall apart. She took a ragged breath and shook her head as more tears streamed down her face.

  “Isa,” Ethan’s tone was measured on purpose. She latched on to his gaze and didn’t look away. “We can do this. We can get Maggie through this together. I’m here with you. Okay, Isa?”

  She just stared at him, absorbing his words.

  “Maggie, we’re almost there. It’s going to be all right,” Ethan encouraged. Maggie, wide-eyed with fear now, gripped Ethan’s hand. He squeezed back firmly. “I’m here. José’s here. Isa’s here. God is here. Maggie, we’ll be at the hospital soon and they’ll take care of you and your baby.”

  “God is here,” Maggie whispered. Ethan nodded with more assurance than he felt.

  “We’re here!” Leo swerved into the E.R. entrance. The passenger door was opened the moment the Suburban stopped, a team of people waiting with a stretcher.

  “Isa! Status!” one person demanded. Isa seemed to reclaim her control. She wiped her face as she hopped from the car. “Maggie Sanchez, thirty-two years old, seven months pregnant…”

  Ethan followed quickly with José as Isa updated the team. They rushed Maggie immediately to the maternity ward. Ethan was joined by Leo in the waiting room as José and Isa disappeared down the hallway.

  “Do you think she’ll be all right?” Leo asked.

  “Even if they have to deliver at seven months, the baby could make it. I don’t know. It depends on what’s wrong. I wish I knew her history.”

  Both were quiet for a moment. Ethan felt his heart pounding in his chest. He thought of Isabella crying, the desperate tone in her voice, the frantic look in her eyes.

  “In the car, I know Isa was…” Leo began to speak but his words trailed off.

  “I wish I knew her history, too.” Ethan said, his eyes glued to the closed doors in front of them.

  Leo nodded. “Sit down with me.”

  Chapter 7

  Ethan and Leo jumped from their seats as Isa pushed through the doors to the waiting room. An hour and a half had flown by since they’d rushed into the E.R. Deep in conversation with Leo, Ethan had hardly noticed the time. Darkness covered the windows in the waiting room.

  Isa’s clothes were still caked with Maggie’s blood. Ethan wasn’t sure whether to take her in his arms or give her space. He didn’t have to decide. Isa walked up to him and threw her arms around him. Leo unobtrusively stepped aside. Ethan rubbed her back, murmuring words of comfort. Isa buried her face into his chest and gripped the back of his shirt.

  She finally pulled away, wiping fresh tears from her eyes. Ethan wanted so badly to pull her back, to kiss the tears from her eyes. Her petite frame seemed frail and weary.

  “Maggie?” Ethan was afraid to ask, but Isa just inhaled and nodded.

  “The baby?” Leo asked.

  “Two pounds, three ounces. Emergency Cesarean section.”

  “She had the baby?” Leo said with shock.

  “There was no choice. The baby was in distress and Maggie was losing too much blood. The baby is small. Her lungs aren’t fully developed yet. But they think she’ll be all right. She won’t be able to leave the hospital for weeks. Maggie’s been through a lot tonight. She’s resting now.”

  Leo’s cell phone rang and he walked into the hallway to answer it. Ethan sat down and pulled Isa next to him.

  “What happened?” he asked.
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  “Cervical insufficiency. It’s pretty rare, but it usually results in late-term miscarriages or preterm births. I’m just so thankful that the baby’s going to be okay, that we made it here in time. Maggie would have been so devastated—” Isa’s voice broke. Ethan pulled her close to him.

  “Hey, everything’s going to be okay,” he told her softly.

  “I’m so glad you were there, Ethan. I was losing it and you were calm.”

  He kept his arm around her. “We were both worried. That’s okay. You know that comes with the job.” She looked up at him with tear-filled eyes and Ethan’s heart lurched. Without even thinking, he leaned forward and kissed her tenderly. It was a quick kiss, and Ethan hoped against hope that it hadn’t been a mistake. Isa just blinked in surprise. Then she framed his face with her hands and kissed him back.

  Ethan’s breath caught in his throat at the restrained kiss. It was a gentle kiss but so much smoldered beneath it. If he’d ever wondered whether Isa returned the attraction that he felt for her, he didn’t doubt it at that moment.

  “Isa.”

  She jumped at the sound of her brother’s voice.

  Not now, Leo, Ethan thought to himself with a silent growl. He looked over at Leo, who looked appropriately embarrassed and held out a phone.

  “José’s sister called. His family wants an update.”

  Isa took the phone. “Of course.”

  Ethan sat silently as Isa explained what had happened to Maggie and assured José’s family that both Maggie and the baby were stable and being monitored closely. With one hand she held the cell phone to her ear. Ethan reached over and took her other hand, lacing their fingers together.

  * * *

  Isabella dropped her purse and kicked off her shoes the minute she entered her apartment, utterly spent. She’d stayed at the hospital to be with Maggie until José’s family had been able to arrive from Pueblo, Colorado. Once Maggie and José had family there to support them, Isabella had allowed Leo to drive her home. She’d insisted Ethan go home earlier. Sitting in the waiting room, his back had grown taut and Isa could see he was in pain. She’d been adamant in her wish that he go home and take his pain medication.

  After a hot shower, she changed into sweatpants and a T-shirt, then made her way to the sofa and lay down, covering herself with a fleece blanket. As he’d dropped her off, Leo had ordered her to get some sleep. While at the hospital, Isa had texted friends until she’d found someone to take her shift for that night. Now lying on the sofa, she closed her heavy eyes, falling into a desperately needed deep slumber.

  When she woke hours later, Isa sat up stiffly, blinking to see the clock above her mantle.

  Four in the morning.

  She grumbled while wrapping her blanket around her and shuffling to her bedroom. But once settled in her soft bed, tucked under a down comforter, she couldn’t turn her mind off. Her eyes adjusted to the darkness and she stared up at the ceiling, reliving the previous day’s events. She could hear someone screaming her name, feel the sense of fright that ran through her at seeing Maggie collapsed on the ground; she remembered the helplessness she felt during the ride to the hospital.

  Isa’s throat went dry at the memory of her prayer, which probably came across as more of a tirade. She felt a twinge of embarrassment at how she’d lost control of her emotions. And she wondered what Ethan thought of the whole situation. Thoughts of Ethan were inevitably followed by thoughts of the kiss they’d shared in the waiting room.

  Isa touched her lips.

  She knew she’d been overwhelmed at that moment and that the kiss had been a result of all the intense emotion welling up within both of them. That hardly seemed to matter. Whether it was fueled by intense circumstances or not, Isabella knew one thing—the feelings that came with his kiss scared her. It was a kiss filled with desire, affection, possibly even love.

  The reality that she might be falling in love with Ethan hit her full force.

  Don’t do this to yourself again. She sighed in frustration at the warring emotions in her and proceeded to scold herself. Who knows if it’s real? Who knows if Ethan feels the same? Or if he will six months from now? You always do this. Don’t lose your head and your heart over one kiss.

  But it was one incredible kiss.

  Isa’s thoughts went back to her prayer-turned-rant during the car ride. She sat up, pushing her pillows behind her and drawing her knees to her chin. In the absolute stillness and silence of her apartment, with a slightly calmer spirit, she felt the need to continue the conversation, not with Ethan but the One she’d been so angry with.

  I was so afraid for Maggie, Father.

  A tug to tell the whole truth came from within her.

  I’m afraid for my dad. I’m afraid he won’t be here when I finally get married. I’m afraid he won’t be here when I finally have children. I’m afraid my family will change forever when we lose him and I’ll never be happy again. We’ve already lost the man he once was, but I can deal with that. He’s still my dad, and I’m still his little girl—that won’t change. But I’ve prayed a million prayers as his health has deteriorated, and they haven’t changed anything. I’ve prayed and I’ve asked and I’ve waited and I’ve hoped. Nothing happens. Today when I prayed for Maggie, I couldn’t bear the thought that again I would call out to You, and again nothing would happen.

  One more strong pull for more caused Isabella to close her eyes in confession.

  “I’m afraid I can’t trust You.” The words came out in a whisper.

  Isa’s chin quivered at that final, so very honest admission. She bowed her head until her forehead rested on her knees, and she wept. Deep tears that she’d pushed down now rose to the surface, unable to be ignored. She cried until there seemed to be no tears left. Then she lay curled on her side. She had strength left for one last prayer.

  Help me trust You when I don’t know how.

  * * *

  At 5:00 a.m. on Tuesday morning, Ethan walked through the kitchen of his newly purchased café. The keys felt heavy in his pocket as the weight of the purchase settled on his shoulders.

  God, please help me do this. Being here feels right, but I know I can’t do it without You.

  The smell of bread baking wafted through the kitchen. Ethan knew Mick would be arriving at seven. Ethan would shadow his every move for the next few days, hoping to get a handle on the ropes of the business. Starting the following week, Ethan would close shop for a few weeks to redecorate and start fresh, but Mick would continue training him on the management side of the business, even while the café dining room was updated and redesigned. The employees had been told of the change in ownership. Ethan had been blunt about what he expected from his new staff and had given them the choice to stay or go. Upon hearing his expectations and requirements, only one part-time assistant cook, Carson, and one waitress, Jenny, had decided to stay. Ethan would begin an immediate search for new waitstaff and another cook in the meantime. He planned to run his own kitchen as much as possible. The thought of cooking for customers both excited and terrified him.

  Alarm raced through him at the enormity of his new responsibilities. Ethan left the kitchen and walked through the dining room, studying the room and considering where he wanted to make changes. One of the firefighters was married to an interior designer. Ethan had asked her to meet with him and come up with a plan for redecorating the interior. He hoped Mick would have some ideas on marketing, although the café had been going downhill for some time. Maybe Mick wasn’t the best person to ask. But if she were willing, Ethan had no doubt that Isabella would have ideas for him.

  That is, if she wanted to continue dating him now that he was in the restaurant business.

  Ethan sat at the coffee bar, thinking over the ordeal that had happened at the Romanos’ family dinner. Despite the stress of the situation, he’d been glad
to be by Isa’s side through all of it.

  As they’d sat together at the hospital, Leo had shed some light on Isa’s tendency to put up defenses and hold back. Parts of their discussion had particularly stuck in Ethan’s mind. He kept replaying one specific exchange with Leo. When Ethan asked why Isa seemed so unwilling to give their relationship a chance, Leo had thought for several moments before finally answering.

  “Isa’s experience with love has been that it’s never real. Sparks fly and then fade. I don’t think she trusts herself to know lasting love from fleeting romance. And she’s just not interested in the latter anymore."

  Ethan had pressed for answers.

  “What about her faith in God?” he’d asked Leo.

  Leo had hesitated before finally answering.

  “Isabella is a visual, passionate, often impulsive woman. Understand me when I say that those are beautiful qualities that make my sister who she is—but for a visual, passionate woman, an invisible God who speaks in a still, small, mysterious way…well, it’s like any relationship, I suppose—she’s not sure she can trust Him when she doesn’t feel that He cares for her in tangible ways.”

  Ethan had pondered Leo’s answer well into the night. As someone who had come to faith later in life and could only wish he’d had Jesus to turn to from childhood, he struggled to understand Isa’s disillusionment. A knock at the glass door of the café made Ethan jolt. Caleb stood there waving at him. Ethan walked over and unlocked the door.

  “I was about to start my shift when I saw your truck out front. Still feeling anxious?” Caleb asked.

  Ethan motioned for him to take a seat at the coffee bar with him.

  “Yes. But I’m fairly confident this was the right decision. And now that I’ve made it, I’m ready to dive in headfirst. I want to make this work.”

  “Good.” Caleb nodded. “But don’t get too comfortable—we want you back at the station.”

  Ethan smiled. “Thanks. Don’t worry. I miss fighting fires too much to let it go.”

  “The doc cleared you for therapy, right?” Caleb asked, and Ethan brightened.