Felix whined miserably the whole way to the hospital, and the five-minute drive seemed to last two hours. Audrey drove to the emergency entrance and ignored the No Parking signs. She carried Felix inside and demanded to see nurse Marielle Demers. Fortunately, the woman sitting at the reception desk didn’t argue and paged Marielle immediately before asking Audrey to take a seat in the waiting area. Marielle arrived less than a minute later and saw Felix in Audrey’s arms, still wearing his pajamas, and the panic-stricken look on Audrey’s face. The tone of her voice was worried but still calm, which Audrey couldn’t understand, when she asked, “What happened?”
“I don’t know. He threw up. Twice. And he’s burning up. I’m so sorry, Marielle. I didn’t know what to do.”
With one hand on her son’s forehead and the other on Audrey’s back, Marielle tried to comfort both of them, “Shh, it’s okay. You did the right thing. Felix, I’m going to take you to see the doctor, okay?” Felix nodded weakly.
Marielle took him out of Audrey’s arms and walked away, quickly but without any sign of panic.
“I’ll wait here,” Audrey said, her voice breaking midsentence.
Without turning around, Marielle answered, “Okay, I’ll be back as soon as I know anything.”
Left alone in the waiting area, Audrey found some relief in knowing Felix was with his mother. She took a deep breath and walked outside so she could use her cell phone to call Dale and Michel and explained to both of them that she wouldn’t be in today because of a family emergency. She didn’t even hesitate to use those words. This was a family emergency. She thought about calling Sam but decided it was Marielle’s place to do so if she felt it was necessary. She went back inside and sat, waiting for Marielle to return.
Twenty minutes later, Marielle took the seat next to hers, grabbed her hand, and rubbed it in a soothing motion. “We gave him something for his fever, and we’re giving him fluids now. He’ll be okay, Audrey. It looks like the flu. It’s been going around every school for a while now.”
Marielle’s words and voice were so soft and reassuring Audrey finally relaxed. “Oh thank God. I really freaked out, Marielle.”
“I saw that,” Marielle said with a grin as she playfully bumped Audrey’s shoulder with her own. She took a strand of Audrey’s hair between her fingers and smoothed it back into place before putting her hand on the base of Audrey’s neck and gently massaging it. The remainder of Audrey’s anxiety disappeared at the sight of the tender smile. “You did well, Audrey. Thanks for bringing him here. He’ll be fine now.”
Audrey smiled for the first time that morning and asked, “So now what?”
“So now I’ll keep him here with me for the day, just to keep an eye on him. You can go, though. I’ll call you if anything changes, but it won’t.”
“If you don’t mind, I’d rather stay here. I already called in.”
Marielle’s eyes sparkled. “Of course I don’t mind.” She stood up and held out her hand. “You can come and sit with him. I’ll check on both of you often.”
Audrey took her hand and got up to follow her. “Promise?”
“Promise.” Marielle dropped her hand and added, almost to herself, “I have to call Sam.”
* * *
Marielle kept her promise and checked on Felix and Audrey all through the morning. When she’d first seen Audrey holding Felix in her arms in the waiting area of the emergency room, she’d been engulfed by an overwhelming sense of panic, but she’d been able to cover it up well, considering the circumstances. Now that she knew Felix was going to be just fine, she looked back on that moment and wondered how she’d been able to remain so calm. Of course she’d been trained as a nurse, and that training had prepared her for such situations. She was glad that mindset hadn’t disappeared the minute her own son was the patient as she’d always thought it would. But there was also Audrey. She’d been in such a state of distress, Marielle had felt compelled to comfort her. Audrey loved Felix, and Marielle didn’t need this morning’s anguish to know it, but that love had taken on a new dimension. She knew now without a shadow of a doubt that Felix was one of Audrey’s top priorities. She hadn’t hesitated to put her own life on hold to not only bring him to the hospital but to stay by his side while he was sick. It was just one more reason Marielle loved her.
Since their trip to Montreal, Marielle had come to terms with the fact she loved Audrey. She was intelligent, caring, witty, beautiful, loyal and the best friend anyone could have. No, more than a friend, she was family. Marielle wanted to be around her all the time and take care of her in any way she could. For as long as she could. She couldn’t express that love, obviously, because she didn’t know how Audrey would interpret the declaration. She would have questions Marielle couldn’t answer yet. No, she had to do a lot more thinking before she could say anything to Audrey, because the last thing she wanted to do was to hurt her. She shivered at the thought. She felt so protective of Audrey. Anyone who hurt the beautiful blonde would automatically climb to the top of her shit list, including herself.
At eleven thirty, Marielle entered the tiny space where Felix’s bed was and closed the pale green curtain behind her for the third time that morning. He was sleeping, so Marielle simply caressed his forehead gently. “How are you holding up?” she whispered to Audrey, who was uncomfortably sitting on a small metal stool.
“Me? I’m fine. I’m so sorry this happened, Marielle,” she said as she stood up.
As Audrey’s blue eyes filled with tears, Marielle walked around the bed to caress her upper arms in an attempt to comfort her. “Shh. Stop apologizing, Audrey. He would have been sick no matter where he was. I keep telling you, it’s not your fault.”
“You’re sure?”
Marielle let out a small laugh as she pulled Audrey into her arms and rubbed her back. Audrey burrowed her face into Marielle’s neck and squeezed her so tightly she almost lifted her off the floor. “Yes, I’m sure, silly. You have to stop that. Felix is fine. You should go home and get some rest.”
They kept hugging quietly until Sam opened the curtain and entered the already crowded space. Audrey immediately let go of Marielle and greeted him with a smile.
Sam nodded and turned to Marielle. “Hey, how is he doing?”
“He’s doing well. That’s what I was just telling Audrey for the hundredth time.”
Audrey smiled timidly. “Okay, I think I’m going to go now. Call me if anything changes. I’ll be home.”
“I will. Bye.”
As Audrey left, Marielle was stunned by the sudden change in her attitude. She doubted she’d just convinced Audrey to go home after several unsuccessful attempts and figured her abrupt departure was most likely because of Sam’s arrival. She probably felt as though it wasn’t her place to stay by Felix’s side now that he was here. Poor Audrey. She would call her as soon as she had a quiet moment, she thought, missing her already.
“You didn’t have to leave work, Sam. Like I said on the phone, it’s the flu. He’ll be fine.”
“Good. But we still should make arrangements for the week. He can’t go back to school.”
“No, you’re right about that.”
“If it’s okay with you, I can take him to my parents’ when you guys are ready to send him home. I’ll spend my evenings and nights with him, and Mom and Dad will be happy to take care of him while we work. I already checked with them. Mom also said you should come to dinner so you can visit with him and she can catch up with you.” He paused and sighed. “She misses you.”
Marielle missed Anne and Robert too. It would be good to see them. “Okay. That sounds like a plan, then. You want to sit with him a little while? I can get him discharged pretty quickly. I was just keeping him here so I could keep an eye on him, but he’d be much more comfortable at your parents’.”
“Sure.”
Marielle nodded and started to walk away to go find the doctor, but Sam grabbed her elbow to stop her. “Wait, Marielle. There was something else I
wanted to talk to you about.”
She turned to him. “Okay, what is it?”
He hesitated, and she shifted her weight on her feet, impatient. His hazel eyes finally focused on hers, and he kept his voice low so Felix couldn’t hear. “I got an apartment. I’m moving in this weekend.”
“Oh,” she said quietly. She sighed before continuing, “I guess it’s for the best, Sam. We really can’t go back, can we?”
“No, we can’t. I want a divorce, Marielle.”
The lump in her throat startled her. She knew this was coming, after all, but she’d thought she would be the first to say the word. “Okay. That makes sense. I’d like to keep the house, if that’s all right with you.”
“Yes, of course, that’s fine. I want you and Felix to have it. I thought Felix could stay with me three nights a week instead of at Audrey’s when you have to go in so early. I could pick him up after dinner, just before bedtime. And then one weekend out of two.”
Marielle felt dizzy. Were they really discussing the terms of their impending divorce in the middle of the hospital floor a few feet away from their sick son’s bed? “That sounds reasonable, Sam.”
“Good, and I also—”
“Wait, Sam, this isn’t the time. I have work to do, and we can’t have this conversation right here, right now. I’ll get Felix discharged so you can take him to your parents’, and we’ll continue this discussion another time, okay?”
As if he’d just realized where he was standing, Sam looked around at the nurses bustling past and smiled at her. “Sure. I’m sorry. We can talk another time.”
“Okay. I’ll be back soon.” She looked at Sam again before leaving and couldn’t help but return his warm smile.
“I’m glad we can talk so calmly about everything, Marielle.”
“Me too.”
* * *
By five p.m., Audrey hadn’t heard from Marielle. She reminded herself that if Felix’s state had worsened, Marielle would have called, but she was still worried. After cleaning Felix’s vomit off her floor, she’d worked all afternoon without much focus. Her thoughts kept going back to the sick boy. She also wondered if Sam had told Marielle about Marjorie and how Marielle had reacted. Ralph was the first to hear a car pull into the driveway and ran downstairs, barking as loud as his little body would allow. Audrey followed, and by the time she got to the front door, Marielle was knocking. Her heart jumped with a mix of joy and relief as she opened the door.
“I’m so sorry I didn’t call you,” Marielle started as she entered the house and bent down to pet the dog demanding her attention. “Things got crazy, and I didn’t get a break.”
“It’s okay, I understand. How’s the little man?”
“He’s good, much better. Sam took him to his parents’. He’ll stay there for the rest of the week since he can’t go to school.”
“Oh, that’s good.” Audrey knew her tone wasn’t convincing, because all she could think of was how much she would miss the boy.
“Yeah, it is,” Marielle said with a sigh as she stood up. “What a day, huh?”
“That’s for sure. Are you all right?” Audrey beat herself up internally as she realized that if the day had been difficult for her, it must have been a thousand times worse for Marielle. She opened her arms, and Marielle let herself fall into the embrace, setting her head on Audrey’s shoulder.
“I’m okay. Sam wants a divorce. He got an apartment.”
Audrey tightened her hold. “Oh my God. He said that in the hospital?”
Marielle laughed against Audrey’s shoulder before stepping back. “Yeah, I know. Weird timing, huh? But I guess it was as good a time as any.”
“And are you okay with that?” Audrey’s question was tentative, and she hoped Marielle didn’t notice how much she feared the answer. She didn’t think Marielle was still in love with Sam, but she could be wrong.
“Yes, I’m okay with that. It was a matter of time, really. I’m just surprised it came from him. He also wants to keep Felix at his place on the nights when I have to work early, so you’ll be free of your babysitting duties.”
Marielle winked at Audrey with a grin, but Audrey was unable to take the news with the same nonchalance. Her eyes welled up with tears again, and she cursed herself for being so emotional. “Oh, I guess that makes sense. I’m going to miss our mornings together, though.”
A tear escaped and ran down her cheek. Marielle caught it with her thumb and squeezed Audrey’s arm lightly with her other hand. “I know. It’ll be different, but we’ll still have dinner together every night. You and Ralph will still spend lots of time with us. Right?”
“Right.” She forced a smile. “Did Sam say anything else?”
“No. I think he has more to say, but I had to get back to work. We’ll talk sometime this week.”
“I see. Well, do you want to stay for dinner? I’ll see what I have, and I’ll cook for a change.”
Marielle smiled tenderly and let go of her arm. “Thank you, I would love that, but I can’t stay. I just came to let you know Felix is okay and to change out of my work clothes, but I’m having dinner at Sam’s parents’. His mom invited me so we can catch up and I can visit with Felix.”
“Oh, okay.”
“I’ll talk to you tomorrow?”
“Sure.”
Marielle brought her soft lips to Audrey’s cheek for a warm kiss and quickly rubbed the top of Ralph’s head before leaving. When the door closed, Audrey turned to Ralph. “I guess it’s just you and me tonight, my man. Just like the good old days.” Judging by the devastating sense of loneliness and emptiness that inhabited her at that moment, the good old days were decidedly overrated. As if agreeing with her, Ralph settled by the front door and whined. She walked to the kitchen, opened the freezer door and considered the boxed frozen dinners that had been sitting there for way too long. Uninspired, she closed the freezer and went for a cereal bowl instead. Lucky Charms seemed like the perfect companion for her pity party.
* * *
On Saturday morning, Marielle swept her porch, constantly looking up toward Audrey’s house. She expected her to come out for her hike with Ralph at any moment, and she planned on joining them. She hadn’t seen Audrey since she’d stopped at her house before going to Sam’s parents’ for dinner on Tuesday. They’d talked on the phone a few times, but their conversations had been brief and impersonal. Audrey appeared reserved, almost distant. Marielle hated it. It had to stop. Today.
The past three days had been a blur. She’d spent every evening at Sam’s parents’ with Felix. Spending time with Anne and Robert had been nice, and she’d vowed she would visit more often. Felix’s health was back to normal, and he was spending the weekend with his dad, choosing furniture for his new bedroom and decorating it. Felix was officially one of those kids who had two bedrooms. Son of divorced parents. She was glad he seemed more excited at the thought of having another bedroom than saddened by the divorce, but she knew the novelty would wear off and he would eventually have more questions and concerns. All she could do was keep making his life as easy as she could. That seemed to be Sam’s main focus as well. Followed closely by Marjorie. Marielle repeated the name in her mind a few times, looking for a hint of jealousy. Nothing.
Sam had asked her to sit with him on his parents’ deck one night after dinner and had announced he’d met someone. He talked about Marjorie with a twinkle in his eyes that she barely recognized from the early years of their relationship. A twinkle she’d missed. Even when she first heard the news, Marielle hadn’t been jealous. All she felt was relief. She was relieved from the pressure of making Sam happy, of being and giving him what he needed. She was relieved to see she hadn’t ruined him forever, that he was still able to give and receive love from a woman who deserved him. All she asked was to meet the woman who would inevitably spend a lot of time with their son.
Sam had mentioned that Marc-André and Suzanne were hosting a barbecue the following weekend and they would be happy
to have her there. Marjorie would be Sam’s date, so they could meet and get to know each other. Sam had assured Marielle that she would love Marjorie, and Marielle didn’t doubt it. She already liked the woman from hearing Audrey talk about her intelligence and her personality. Audrey was a good judge of character. And so was Sam.
Marielle leaned the broom against the wall next to the front door and looked up toward Audrey’s house again. It was long past time for her usual hike. This was ridiculous. They’d grown way too close for Marielle to stand here in her sneakers waiting for Audrey to come out of hiding. She had every right to go and knock on her door. God, she missed her so much. She needed to see her smiling face, her blue eyes and her sweet dimples. She needed to hug her, to hold her close and know everything was going to be all right. She needed Audrey. Plain and simple. If she’d done something to upset her, they would deal with it. So Marielle took a deep breath and walked to Audrey’s door with a decided stride. She knocked and smiled when she heard Ralph bark. She waited for a few seconds that seemed to last for days and knocked again. When Audrey finally opened the door, Marielle’s heart sank, and her stomach tightened into knots.
“Oh my God, Audrey, what the hell happened to you?”
“I’m dying, that’s what happened,” Audrey answered in a humorless tone before turning around and walking away, leaving the door open. Marielle followed her without invitation and saw her slump onto the sofa. Audrey was wearing baggy sweatpants and a gray, hooded sweatshirt. Her face was colorless and her eyes were puffy.
Marielle cautiously approached the sofa and sat by Audrey. She brushed damp strands of blond hair away from her forehead. “You caught Felix’s bug, didn’t you? When did it start?”
“Last night.”
“Did you puke?”
“Twice, but not since early this morning.”
“Did you take your temperature?”
“I tried. Can’t read the damn thing.”
Marielle had never seen Audrey so grouchy, and she had to stop herself from laughing. “Okay, where’s the thermometer?”
First Fall Page 13
