Death Changes Everything

by Linda Crowder

  “He’s awake!” Kristy announced, her face radiant. “The doctor says there doesn’t appear to be any brain damage.”

  Emma threw her arms around her friend and they laughed and cried together. “They’re going to watch him overnight,” explained Kristy, “but if he’s still doing well in the morning, they’ll move him into a regular room. He might even be able to go home by Wednesday or Thursday.”

  “Oh, Kristy, that’s amazing. It’s the best news I’ve ever heard.”

  “Can we see him?” asked Jake, standing a foot or so behind Emma, not wanting to intrude.

  “He’s asking for you, Jake. Soon as I told him you two were out here, he wanted to see you. You go on in. I want to talk to Emma.”

  Emma pulled Kristy onto the waiting room’s vinyl-covered sofa. “Is he all right, really?”

  “He will be. The plastic surgeon says Matt will have some scars but they’ll just give his face character.”

  “Thank God. When Jake got the call, I thought he was going to pass out.”

  “Seriously? Jake always seems so calm.”

  “He was scared to death, let me tell you. Me, too.”

  “Me three.” Kristy leaned back and closed her eyes. “Oh Emma. I’ve never been so scared in my life. Even when my ex-husband beat me so bad I thought I’d die, all I felt was numb.”

  “The mind uses that for self-defense. You shut down when the situation is out of control. It’s what causes PTSD.”

  “Today I found out what fear is all about.” She sat up and looked at Emma, eyes shining with tears. “Nothing, but nothing, ever hit me like when you opened that curtain and I saw him lying there.”

  Emma took her hand. “He’s going to be okay. We have to hold onto that.”

  “I was gonna tell him,” said Kristy, her voice soft and distant.

  “Tell him what?”

  “Then he got the call about Steven Hill’s murder and he had to leave. Emma, if I tell him now, he’ll think I’m only saying it because I thought I was gonna lose him.”

  “Saying what?”

  “That I’m falling in love with him.”

  “There’s never a bad time to tell a man you love him.”

  “You don’t think it’s too soon? We’ve only been together for a few months.”

  “You’re the only one who knows that. I knew my ex-husband for five years before I married him and look how that worked out. What matters is how you feel about Matt and how he feels about you.”

  “I don’t know how he feels. That’s what’s been keeping me up at night.”

  “Surely you can see how he feels about you.”

  “Sometimes. Maybe? Oh, Emma, I don’t know. All I know is when you told me he was hurt, my heart stopped.”

  She started shaking and Emma put her arm around Kristy’s shoulders and held her while she cried. Emma saw Jake in the doorway. She shook her head. “You have to tell him how you feel, Kristy. He’ll know it’s not because of the accident.”

  “No. I’m going to wait and let him say it first. That way, I’ll know it’s real.”

  “Men are shy about being the first one to say I love you. Jake could tell you that.”

  “Don’t tell Jake! He might say something to Matt.”

  “Not if you asked him not to.”

  “Just leave it alone. It’ll work out.”

  ***

  “Back so soon?” asked Matt when Jake walked back into his room in the ICU.

  “Lotta girl talk going on out there.” He sat down in the chair by the bed. “So, picked out a ring yet?”

  “What? Have I…? You’re so full of it.”

  “I’m not the one whose girl is crying her eyes out in the waiting room.”

  Matt may have frowned, but Jake couldn’t be sure through all the bandages. “Kristy’s crying?”

  “Yep. Have you popped the question yet?”

  “Knock it off.” An alarm pinged and the nurse came into the room. She checked Matt’s IV and reset the alarm, raising an eyebrow at Jake before departing.

  “Guess I’d better change the subject,” said Jake, taking the clue.

  “Do you think she loves me?”

  “Emma? She thinks you’re a peach.”

  Matt laughed, then coughed, setting off another alarm, followed by another visit from the nurse. “You’re an idiot,” he said when the nurse left.

  “I don’t know Kristy as well as you do, but yes, I’d say she thinks you’re a peach, too.”

  “Crap.”

  “I thought you’d be happy about it.”

  “I’m happy she cares. I’m not happy I made her cry. Crap.”

  “Back up a minute. The woman you love, loves you. What’s bad about that? Unless you don’t love her.”

  “Oh, I love her. I just haven’t told her yet.”

  “No time like the present.”

  “Now’s the worst possible time.”

  “Why?”

  “Because I’m in a frickin’ hospital bed trussed up like a turkey.” Two alarms sounded and the nurse returned.

  “Whatever you’re talking about, guys, save it for later,” she told them, glaring first at Jake, then at Matt.

  “There’s never a bad time to tell a woman you love her,” said Jake once the nurse had returned to her perch at the desk.

  “I don’t want to rush her.”

  “Matt…”

  “Let it go, man. I know what I’m doing. I’ll let her say it first. Then I’ll know she’s ready.”

  “I think you’re nuts, but since you look like death warmed over right now, I’m gonna let you win this one. I bet Emma will agree with me, though.”

  “Don’t you tell Emma.” Matt struggled to sit up, setting off an array of alarms and bringing the nurse back into the room.

  “You need to leave,” she told Jake with a look that brooked no resistance.

  “I won’t tell her. But I still think you’re nuts.” He left the ICU and went back to the waiting room. Both women jumped when he walked in.

  “How long have you been there?” asked Emma.

  “Not long enough, apparently.” He put an arm around his wife. “Nurse kicked me out.”

  “I’d better get back to him.”

  “Do you want us to drive you home?” asked Emma, as Kristy started for the door.

  “I’ll stay here tonight. I couldn’t sleep if I went home.”

  “I could bring you breakfast tomorrow.”

  “That’d be nice. I’ll call you in the morning,” Kristy said and was gone.

  Emma turned to Jake. “Why did the nurse kick you out?”

  “Just guy stuff. What was Kristy all upset about? Matt’s gonna be fine.”

  “Just girl stuff.” Emma picked up her purse from where she’d dropped it on the table and walked out with him.

  8

  When Emma and Grace showed up at the hospital the next morning, they found Matt had been moved out of the ICU and into a bed on a medical floor. After a short visit, while Kristy ate the breakfast Emma had packed for her, they gave her a ride home so she could shower and change clothes.

  “Do you think you could kill an hour or two downtown, Grace? I don’t have clients on Mondays but since Kristy’s going to be out, I feel like I should take some of the paperwork off her plate.”

  “I could easily spend that long and more at that bookstore. Why don’t you drop me off and come over when you’re finished?”

  Emma switched on the lamp on her desk. While she waited for the computer to boot up, she picked up the phone. The rapid beeping indicated several messages and Emma worked her way through them. She jotted down the names of people whose calls she needed to return. One message made her heart beat a little faster.

  Emma recognized one of the physicians who referred clients to her. “I have a patient for you. Did you hear about Steven Hill’s murder? His wife found his body, and she’s taking it all very hard. I’ve had to sedate her but you know how I hate to do that for long.
She’s agreed to see you. Give me a call if you don’t hear from her and I’ll speak to her again. Thanks.”

  Emma sat back in her chair. With Matt in the hospital, she’d forgotten all about the murder. As a therapist, she should wait for Maddie to call her, but she knew Maddie. In a small town, it was hard to maintain the same distance as she’d had with her clients in California. She hadn’t liked Steven. He’d been self-important and condescending, but she did like Maddie and she wanted to help if she could.

  Billing forgotten, Emma shut down her computer, switched off the lights, and headed for the parking lot. She called Grace to let her know where she was going and flipped through her GPS until she found Steven and Maddie’s address. She and Jake had attended a dinner the couple had hosted in support of a Rotary charity.

  Pulling up in front of the house, she wondered if she was doing the right thing. Her mother had drilled into her that she should never pay a visit without calling first but nobody in Casper would think to call a widow at a time like this. They’d simply go to her, casserole in hand, offering whatever support they could.

  Emma didn’t have a casserole, but someone had been standing at the window and had already seen her pull up so it was too late to turn back. She took a deep breath and plunged ahead. She crossed the porch and rang the bell.

  The woman who’d been at the window answered the door almost before the chime sounded. She bore a strong resemblance to Maddie Hill. If Maddie had not had the benefit of a personal trainer and expert stylist, she would have looked exactly like the woman at the door. She was looking at Emma as though her visit was an imposition. “You’re here to see Madeline.”

  Speechless, Emma nodded and the woman opened stood back for her to enter. “Have a seat. I’ll tell her you’re here. What’s your name?”

  “Emma Rand. I was in Rotary with Steven.”

  The woman shuffled off toward the back of the house. Left standing in the entry, Emma wandered into the sitting room. It was tastefully decorated to showcase Maddie’s collection of antiques. Over the fireplace, family pictures were arranged on the mantle. Steven and Maddie during a vacation on the beach, their son Guy’s college graduation, and their daughter Melody’s wedding. They looked like a happy family.

  “She’s in here.”

  Emma turned as Maddie came into the room, her sister trailing behind her. Emma took Maddie’s hands in hers. “Maddie, I’m so sorry for your loss.”

  “Thank you.” Maddie barely resembled the glittering socialite she was the last time Emma had seen her. There were dark rings under red-rimmed eyes with no attempt to hide it with makeup. Her hair was pulled back in a loose ponytail and her clothes looked as though they’d been slept in.

  Emma gently steered her to the sofa. “Come sit with me, Maddie.”

  “I’ll get coffee.” Maddie’s sister left the room without bothering to ask whether they wanted coffee.

  “My sister, Terrilyn,” offered Maddie as belated introduction. “She’s staying with me until the kids get home.”

  “Does she live nearby?”

  “Sheridan.”

  “Your children are both out of state, aren’t they?”

  “Guy is taking pre-med in Cincinnati. I wanted him to go to UW, but you know how kids are. Home is never exciting enough for them. Melody lives in Denver now.” She looked up at the pictures on the mantle and drew a long breath. “She has to wait for Dick to get home.”

  “Where is he?” Emma vaguely remembered that Dick was Melody’s husband. She’d met him briefly at the Hill’s twenty-fifth anniversary party three years ago.

  “He’s a firefighter. Ten days on, ten days off. Nobody is around to take over for him until tomorrow. Mel was going to come anyway, but I told her there wasn’t anything she could do here. They haven’t released the…the body yet.”

  Tears welled up in her eyes and Emma put a hand on Maddie’s arm. “It’s okay. You cry if you need to.”

  She looked at Emma as though seeing her for the first time. She blinked, dislodging a tear, which slowly made its way down her cheek. “I…I meant to call you.”

  “Don’t worry about that. You don’t need to do anything except let yourself feel what you need to feel.”

  Maddie’s eyes teared again but before she could answer, Terrilyn bustled back into the room. She was balancing an insulated coffee server, three cups with saucers, spoons, a sugar dish and a tiny pitcher of cream on a silver tray. “Now, now,” she said, her voice curiously brisk. “No more tears, Madeline. Let’s enjoy a nice cup of coffee with your friend here. Wasn’t it kind of her to come and visit you?”

  Maddie withdrew her arm and the muscles in her jaw tightened. She took the cup Terrilyn offered and sat rigidly erect. Emma accepted her coffee, watching with interest the dynamic between the two sisters.

  “Maddie tells me you live in Sheridan,” she said when neither sister spoke.

  “We have a hardware store. When the police called us, my husband told me to get going right away and be with Maddie.”

  I bet he did, thought Emma, wondering if her husband might have jumped at the chance for a little peace and quiet at home.

  “How did you say you knew him again?”

  “Rotary Club.”

  “I don’t have time to waste on clubs myself.”

  “Lynn…” warned Maddie. Her tone implied she was accustomed to countering her sister’s sharp tongue.

  “What? I was just saying those fancy clubs are fine for some people, but I can’t leave the store to go flitting off to some club meeting whenever I feel like it.”

  “Lynn, please. Emma, I’m so sorry.”

  “What did I say?” demanded Terrilyn. She turned to Emma, “She’s always shushing me.”

  “You’re fine.”

  Terrilyn smiled triumphantly at her sister. Emma searched for something to say. “I’m sure we’ll all miss Steven.”

  Terrilyn’s answer caught Emma by surprise. “Steven was a no good, arrogant, pompous…well, I’m too much of a lady to say more than that.”

  “Emma, would you like cookies? Lynn, could you bring us a plateful? I think you’ll find some in the pantry.” Maddie’s voice had a steel edge to it. Without another word, her sister left the room.

  “You must forgive my sister. She means well, but she never liked Steven. Of course, he didn’t like her any more than she liked him.”

  “That must have been hard on you, being caught in the middle.”

  “You have no idea. You wouldn’t have wanted to be here for holidays.”

  “Fireworks?”

  “Guy used to enjoy watching them squabble. Sometimes he’d say something just to set them off, then sit back and watch the show.”

  “And Melody?”

  “Played peacemaker for a while, but when the two of them got going, it wasn’t any use.” She sighed. “Truth is, they’re too much alike. Both of them, so hardheaded. So sure they’re right and everyone else is always wrong.”

  “I should be going, Maddie. I didn’t want to intrude. I just wanted to let you know I was thinking about you.”

  “Thank you, Emma. I know my doctor wants me to talk to you…professionally. I just don’t know if I’m ready for that.”

  “Of course not. Let yourself get through the next few weeks, maybe even the next few months. Lean on your family. Go visit Melody, maybe. It might be good for you to be with her for the holidays.”

  “That would be nice.”

  “I’m here for you, Maddie. If you want to come see me, that’s fine. If you’d feel more comfortable talking to someone else, don’t wait because you think you’ll hurt my feelings. I just want you to get the help you need when you need it.”

  ***

  Jake stood beside his client as the judge admonished him for refusing to follow his mother’s rules. “If she wants you home at six thirty, you’ll be home at six thirty. Not six forty-five, not seven fifteen. Six thirty.” His client slouched beside him, a sullen expression on his face.
“Don’t roll your eyes at me, young man. That’s a good way to buy yourself a ticket to the group home.”

  Jake nudged his client, who glared at him but stood a little straighter. Clint Taylor spoke up from behind the prosecutor’s table. “Your Honor, the defendant is not welcome at the group home. Since his mother is unable to manage his behavior, my recommendation is placement at the Boy’s School.”

  The judge turned to Jake. “Mr. Rand?”

  “Your Honor, we have no objection to out-of-home placement but the Kinney Center would be more appropriate.”

  “I ain’t goin’ to no loony bin. Those people are freakin’ crazy.”

  The judge took his glasses off and stared down at the young man who radiated defiance. He addressed Jake. “Is there a diagnosis that would warrant such a placement?”

  “Oppositional Defiance Disorder, Your Honor.”

  “Which is best treated at the Boy’s School,” injected Taylor.

  “Your Honor, my client came into the system because of a minor incident. Yes, he doesn’t get along with his mother and he has trouble with authority, but the Boy’s School would be punishment more severe than his crime warrants.”

  “Your Honor, his probation has been extended three times because of these behaviors that Mr. Rand so lightly dismissed. Placement at the Boy’s School would give him an opportunity to turn his life around before it’s too late.”

  The judge held up his hand. “I’ve heard enough, gentlemen. The Boy’s School should always be a last resort. I will give you one more opportunity, young man, to prove yourself. The Kinney Center program is ninety days. Complete the program and I will dismiss your probation. Blow out of it and next time I see you, you’ll be on your way to the Boy’s School. Understood?” The judge banged his gavel in dismissal and a uniformed officer escorted the youth out. His mother had already left the courtroom.

  “Well argued, Jake. Hope he recognizes the gift the judge just handed him and completes that program.”

  Jake leaned on the railing between the defense table and the gallery. The courtroom was empty except for the two attorneys. “Time will tell.”