Anne squeezed his arm, those warm chocolate eyes staring up at him, pleading to not say anything. He fumed for another second, refusing to back down. He wanted to lay into Mary, to point out every tiny thing that was wrong with her. But Anne was right. Any angry outburst from him would simply downgrade him to Mary's childish tactics.
"Yes, it's fine." He forced between clenched teeth.
"Is everyone okay with that?" Anne asked, apparently taking charge of the situation. No one objected so Anne gave out instructions as to how to proceed: Harv would drive his van while Star would come in the truck with them, drop them off to their own cars, and then drive the truck to her home.
Mary voiced an objection but Rick was impressed with how well Anne smoothed over the situation. For years, he had assumed Anne was a pushover, easily bossed around, but she certainly could handle a leadership position, expertly handling a cranky, childish sister. Maybe she was more of a peacemaker than a pushover?
The group headed out, Harv for his van, the rest for the truck. He expected Star to claim the driver's seat, but she waved for him to take it. As he climbed in, he wasn't surprised to find Anne in the cramped back seat, sacrificing her comfort for others. He expected Star to follow after her but to his surprise, Charles did the honors, letting his wife and Star sit in the semi-roomier front seat.
The drive to the restaurant was done in silence, either because of the sobering reality of Louisa's condition or perhaps no one wanted to inspire another tantrum from Mary.
Once parked, everyone filed out, but Rick paused as Star called his name.
"You going to be okay?" she asked.
He rubbed his face. "I don't know. Depends on how Louisa fares, I guess."
"I know we're not super close to Hartford, but you're welcome to stay with us if you need it. We have counselors--"
"I don't need a counselor--"
"It was a traumatic event, Rick. You'll be surprised what those can do to you."
Anne's chocolate eyes haunted his vision. She'd been so calm and collected, but what if she was more affected than he thought?
"What would you advise, if say, I was trying to help Charles deal with this?"
"Get him to talk. You can process a lot if you can talk about it."
He nodded. "Thanks. Drive safe."
"You, too."
"I will." He let Star pull out, then turned toward his own car. Charles and Mary had already taken off so now it was just him and Anne, alone on a drive that will last an hour.
Chapter 15
Opening the door, he found Anne staring out the window, lost in her own thoughts. As he climbed in, he wondered what to say. He hadn't had a conversation with Anne for over eight years and he suddenly had no idea how to start. Long ago, the two of them couldn't stop talking, but now, the silence stretched on forever.
He decided to start with the obvious. "You ready?"
A nod was the only response he got. Apparently, she wasn't in the mood to talk. Feeling completely out of his element, he focused on driving out of town and toward Rhode Island. But as the minutes ticked on, he racked his brain for another conversation starter. Asking something causal, like what she was up to these days, seemed so out of place with Louisa's unknown fate hanging over them. He could get ask about her feelings of the accident, but he wasn't sure even HE wanted to discuss that topic. The memory of Louisa hitting that ground, the way her crumpled body fell around her, the knowledge that it had been his fault, his stupidity in encouraging her stubborn ways, wasn't something he wanted to re-live.
But, she may need someone to talk with in order to get over the horror. He'd hate for Anne to be traumatized by this.
Then again, she may not want to talk to him about it. It wasn't like she liked him a whole lot. Maybe he should focus on re-igniting the interest she once had in him? Assuming she could think about love at a traumatic time as this.
He sunk lower in his seat. He was getting nowhere. Anne was once his inspiration; now she was his fear. Where was the confident Rick who could breeze into a place unknown, woo its owners, and present it with pride to his bosses? Apparently gone, replaced with the nervous, pathetic teenage version of himself.
He tightened his hold on the wheel. He had to say something. Anything. The drive was already half over.
"You doing okay?"
She jerked as if being pulled from far away, her thoughts probably on Louisa in Hartford.
"I'm doing okay," was her unenlightening response. Eight years ago, she would have told him exactly what was on her mind. Now, he only could get bare minimum answers. And it was his fault. He had a week with her. A whole week! He should have made casual conversation then instead of avoiding her. Then there wouldn't have been this giant impassive between them and she'd be comforting him, holding his hand, like she'd done for her sister and brother-in-law. Why hadn't he seized the chance when he had it?
"Anne, I..." It was out before he knew it and she leveled those chocolate eyes on him. He cleared his throat. "I shouldn't have--" What was he saying? He had no idea what he was saying. All he knew was that she was looking at him and he didn't want that to stop. "I mean, if only I--"
"It's not your fault," Anne's calm words washed over him. "Louisa, she can be pretty headstrong at times."
"I know," he muttered, "It's why I liked her so much." He froze as the phrase tumbled out of his mouth. Why did he say that? It wasn't a lie, but talk about the worst timing! One didn't sing praises of another girl while trying to attract the attention of the girl of his dreams.
He rubbed a hand over his face, hoping that would somehow gather his scattered thoughts and make a better statement. "I just...I wish I hadn't--"
"Don't do that. Don't beat yourself up over the past. Louisa will pull through. She's a tough girl. And then we'll look back on this day and laugh at how worried we were."
Rick sighed. Anne was being perfect again, seeking to comfort him when she was probably still lost in the horror herself. "You were always the optimistic one." Even when they were teenagers, when he was spouting wild dreams, she never doubted him, but optimistically supported anything he wanted, even pointing out ways to achieve the dreams. She was the only girl he knew that could be both sensible and optimistic. And calm. Always so impossibly calm. Even now, as he struggled to form a coherent sentence, she stared at him as if an hour alone with him was as boring as the scenery they passed by.
He had no chance. Whatever flame Anne once had for him was stone-cold.
"I'm being sensible."
A bitter laugh escaped him. She had used that exact phrase when she dumped him. "And it was sensible to quit law school, I suppose?" The angry retort was out before he could stop it.
She focused on the passing scenery. "My father had cancer. He needed help."
Of course, she would. She'd sacrifice everything to help others--except when it came to him.
"He's better, though, right?" He asked just to keep the conversation going. "Your sister mentioned you'd be going back now?"
"The Musgroves need my help right now so it will depend on how quickly Louisa recovers."
"Ah, yes." He sunk over the wheel, wishing he'd been the one hurt so she'd sacrifice everything to be by his side. Actually, she'd probably be by Louisa's side, comforting her. So, he wouldn't win either way.
Unhappy, he drove in silence, watching the sunlight fade into darkness and noting how it seemed to mirror his hope. However, as they reached the Musgroves' house, his thoughts turned to how to break the news to them. It needed to be done gently and with great care, traits he wasn't particularly good at. Anne, though, excelled at those. Then again, it might be too much for her and he'd hate to foist on her a task she didn't want. He didn't want to be like her family, constantly overriding her wishes. Yet, at the same time, what if she did want to do it, but was unwilling to make her wishes known?
He fumed within himself, wishing he could read Anne like he'd been able to do eight years ago. As he parked the car, he berated hims
elf for being such a coward and turned toward her.
"I've been thinking," What a terrible way to start this conversation. "I think you should break the news." She stared at him as if surprised. "You've always been good at calming people," he added in a rush so she wouldn't think he was trying to shirk the responsibility. "So I think you'll do this better than me. Are you okay with that or do you want me to do it?"
She smiled as if touched he'd asked. He fought not to break into a giant grin himself.
"I'll do it," she said. "Thanks." Without any hesitation, she stepped out of the car and confronted the Musgroves. They had gathered around the car in confusion, obviously expecting their son's car instead of Rick's. He joined Anne as she finished relaying the news in a direct, yet calm manner, but the Musgroves' reaction was anything but calm. Mr. Musgrove refused to believe what had been said while Mrs. Musgrove clawed her husband as if that would somehow fix everything. Their younger daughter, Rietta, began to cry, and the two boys of Mary clung to each other, confusion and fear on their faces.
"Is it true?" Mr. Musgrove directed at Rick.
"I'm afraid so. I can take any of you to the hospital in Hartford--"
"No, no, we'll take our own car."
"You should pack some things," Anne said. "She may be in the hospital for quite some time."
"Yes, that's a good idea." The group hurried into the main house, leaving Anne and Rick alone. No, not alone since the two little boys stayed rooted to their spot, looking lost and confused. He knew that feeling. He'd felt that way when the family friend, the one who had always taken care of him and his sister during his dad's manic episodes, had refused to take in Rick after his father's death, leaving him alone and abandoned to strangers.
However, like a soothing angel, Anne swept them into her arms and Rick couldn't help wishing she had done the same to him.
At least there was still another long drive to Hartford. He would make a better attempt at conversation. Keep it on her and not dwell on his inadequacy of wooing her. If he could get her to open up to him, that would at least be a step forward.
Energized, he added his agreement to her soothing statements. Anne jerked as if stunned to find him still there. Apparently, she had assumed he'd be gone by now. Rick's determination began to sink. Maybe a reconciliation wasn't going to happen.
As if confirming his fears, she asked, "Will you be heading back?"
Apparently, she wasn't expecting to ride in his car. The drive over must have been too boring. "Yes," he said, but added in a hopeful tone. "I'll see you there."
"Oh, I won't be going." She said it so evenly as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.
"What? Why not?"
"The boys should stay here. They'll have more fun here, right?" She snuggled the youngest, producing a giggle out of him.
"You'll be fine here all by yourself? With no cell service?" She couldn't be serious.
She leveled those chocolate eyes on them, a spark of determination in them. "We'll be fine. Won't we?" She directed the question to the boys who stared at her, just as lost as Rick.
He wanted to argue, to point out that she shouldn't sacrifice being all by herself. And that she was ruining his chance to talk to her. But logic settled on him. The boys would be a nuisance in an emergency room and would probably set the spoiled Mary into another tantrum, something the family did not need during this time.
No, Anne was right. The boys should stay. And she was the best one to take care of them.
With a defeated sigh, he turned to his car. It was going to be long, lonely drive to Hartford.
Chapter 16
If Rick thought the drive was long and boring, the wait at the hospital was even worse. Worse, he had nothing to do. He wasn't family, as the nurses constantly reminded him whenever he tried to enter the emergency area without one of her family members, nor was he doing anything of use. None of them could do anything, really, but sit and wait while the doctors frowned over the monitors and gave them wary updates on Louisa's status.
For the hundredth time, he wished Anne was here instead of him. She would know how to soothe each person, to lift the heavy mantle of sorrow for a brief moment, and remind them of the hope they needed to believe in.
Rick paced the long hallways, ashamed his thoughts were more on Anne than on the young woman lying on a hospital bed. He knew Charles sent nearly hourly text updates to Anne and Rick had nearly asked for Anne's number as well, but he feared Charles' inevitable questions. He had no business reason for Anne's number and he knew Charles and his family were under the belief that Rick had an interest in Louisa, not Anne. To try to correct them while Louisa lay suspended between life and death seemed not only awkward but cruel. It was also the reason that kept him at the hospital despite wishing to be miles away.
So, he paced; a way to expend the nervous, frustrated energy frothing inside.
Fate--or luck--happily intervened and his phone rang, Bingley's smiling face popping up on the screen.
"Rick! How goes the vacation?"
Not really wanting to spill the saga of the last couple of days to his boss, he forced a happy tone. "It goes all right."
"Good! A disaster or two during always plague my vacations so I'm glad to hear you've been spared my luck."
"Uh, yeah, thank you, sir."
"Rick, I know you have another day or so, but an emergency has come up. Could you possibly postpone the rest of your vacation for another time?"
"Yes," Rick said without hesitation. Anything to get him out of this hospital. "I'd be happy to be of service. Where do you want me to go?"
"This is a difficult case. Where are you? Can you come into my office tomorrow or did you go abroad for your vacation?"
"I'm actually in Connecticut and can fly into Virginia tonight."
"Then let's plan for tomorrow morning. My sister will email you a time for the meeting. Thanks again for being so willing. I promise you'll be glad you took this."
Rick raised an eyebrow. Bingley was usually nice, but this seemed nicer than normal. "Um, thank you, sir. Until tomorrow, then."
"See you then."
Once the call ended, Rick checked his emails, wondering if his boss had sent something that would enlighten him to his new task, but found nothing new. Well, except from Bingley's sister, or rather, his secretary, telling him where he was slotted into the man's busy schedule.
Checking flight options, Rick snagged the one that would best fit, then he headed down the hallway to inform Charles, hoping he'd be understanding.
The Musgroves were gathered on the chairs in the waiting room save for the parents. Since there wasn't a lot of room around Louisa's bed, the family had assigned turns to who would sit with her and, currently, it was the elderly Musgroves' turn.
Rietta and Mary sat with their eyes closed and slumped against each other, trying to use each other as a makeshift standing pillow. Rick had offered getting them a room in a nearby hotel, but none of the family wanted to be away, just in case the worst happened.
Rick strode over to where Charles leaned against the wall, a magazine in his lap. Rick doubted he read it; they had consumed all the magazines within the first few hours.
"Hey, Charles, any update?"
His attention rose slowly, then he rubbed his face as if trying to rouse his brain. "A little. My mom said your friend, Star, got in contact with her cousin in Boston. She's supposed to be an expert on these types of accidents. I think we're going to try to move her to Boston and resume care there."
"To Boston?" That was where Anne was going to be. He suddenly regretted taking on the job, but it was too late now.
"Yeah," Charles said, "Is that going to be okay with you? I know you've got work and all--"
"Actually, my boss just called. He wants me to attend a meeting tomorrow which means I need to be on a plane in a few hours. I'm really sorry--"
"Hey, no, Rick, it's okay. You've done more than enough already. We can't ask you to give up more of your
time. Besides, I'm pretty sure you're wearing a hole in their carpet with all your pacing."
Rick chuckled. "I was never good at sitting still."
"Yeah, me neither, but," he sighed, "I can't leave my sister." His voice broke and he covered his face for a moment. Rick clapped a hand on the man's shoulder, hoping it would give some comfort.
Charles dropped his hand. "You know, you think life is going great. That you're the luckiest guy on the planet. And then BAM! Life reminds you how fragile it is."
Rick squeezed his shoulder. "She's going to make it. I mean, she made it past the first twenty-four hours. Isn't that the worst segment?"
"Yeah, but..." he sighed, "The doctors, they're not hopeful."
"They're being pragmatic."
"I know. I just want solid proof that she's going to be okay. That she's not going to be a vegetable when she wakes up."
"I doubt it. Remember what Anne said? She's too stubborn to let an accident slow her down."
A laugh dribbled out of Charles. "Louisa is very stubborn."
"See? She'll make it." Rick paused for a moment. "You sure your family won't mind--"
"Yeah, I'm sure. There's nothing you can do remaining here. Go on ahead."
"Thanks." Rick started to head out, but Charles called him back.
"Do you think you'll be able to swing by Boston if, you know, she wakes up? I'm pretty sure my sister will want to see you."
"Honestly, I can be sent anywhere in the world on these tasks. But if I'm anywhere on the east coast, I'll make my way over." He raised his phone. "Keep me posted?"
Charles grinned. "Sure will!"
Chapter 17
Miss Bingley sat behind her tidy desk, nearly hidden by the three monitors surrounding her, her short, brunette hair halfway pulled up, exposing high cheekbones and a rigid nose. Rick had once made the mistake of calling her by her first name, Caroline, but her chilly stare had quickly assured him he wasn't high enough on the corporate ladder to be friendly with her. Her fingers clattered over the keyboard, the only sound in the overly decorated reception area, and her eyes never once flicked to Rick as he stepped into the area.
Persuading Her: A Modern Persuasion Retelling (Pemberley Estates Book 2) Page 12
