by Lynne Gentry
Ruthie met him at the door. “Been prayin’ since I got the call.” She was still wearing a pencil behind her ear and carrying a big bag of burgers. “Any update?” she huffed for breath, dragging a greasy hand down the front of her apron.
The lump in his throat made it impossible to do more than just shake his head.
“God’s got this.” She took his elbow and led him through the automated doors.
The emergency room was buzzing with people who’d heard about the wreck via the Storys’ phone tree. Nola Gay and Etta May were busy handing out hugs as Nola pushed her sister’s wheelchair around the waiting room. Howard had his arm draped over Maxine, who was sobbing like a baby about possibly losing her best friend. Betty Bob had been so distraught she hadn’t bothered to whip up a batch of fudge. Roxie, still wearing her auto parts store polo shirt, was giving the receptionist what-for because she didn’t have an update. Ivan had his reporter’s notepad but it was still in his shirt pocket. From the tears streaming down his face, it would be a while before he could write a word. Saul sat alone, stoned face and rubbing his fist.
In the far corner, Maddie was talking with David and Amy. Parker ran to join their huddle. The second he was within reach of Maddie, it was as if Isabella’s sense of Maddie’s anguish kicked in because she would not be restrained. “Momma!”
Maddie opened her arms. “Come here, Sugar Bean.” She patted Isabella’s back. Hard to tell who was comforting who. “Go on, David.”
David glanced from Maddie to Parker to his wife. The surprise on his face was evident, but he wisely kept his disbelief at the sight of a child clinging to Maddie to himself. “According to Saul,” David continued. “Momma was bringing Romeo to visit the Storys.” His explanation came in short, terse bites. “The dog was riding in the front seat. Momma’s pot pie was on the floorboard. Near as we can tell, Romeo must have gone for the pot pie. When she tried to stop him, she swerved off the road.” He swallowed hard. “But we may never know exactly what happened.”
“Dr. Harper.” Dr. Boyer burst through their little circle. “We’ve got your mother stabilized. She’s asking for you.”
“She’s awake?” Maddie’s face was a mixture of relief and surprise.
“With all her injuries, all I can say is that it’s a miracle I can’t explain.”
“I can.” She turned to Parker and passed off Isabella. “Thank you.” She looked at Dr. Boyer. “Can her husband come back?”
He shook his head. “Let’s get her a little bit more stable first.”
Before Parker could say a word of encouragement, Isabella burst into tears and the woman he loved disappeared behind a swinging door.
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
Maddie drilled Dr. Boyer for facts as they strode toward the curtained bay and the sober-faced nurses hurrying in and out.
“The airbag’s deployment saved your mother’s life, but it also did some damage.” Robin took her elbow, and drew her aside. “The good news is that Leona doesn’t seem to have any spinal or brain injuries, but...” he paused, giving Maddie a moment to brace for the worst.
During her residency she’d seen countless examples of what an exploding airbag could do. None of those images were comforting. “The bad news?”
“Leona has abrasions to her upper body, face, and hands. A broken wrist. Chemical irritation to her throat...and...a lacerated liver.”
Why were they standing here chatting? “When does her life flight get here?”
He gave a little shake of his head. “According to the CT, it’s a low-grade liver tear.”
“But life flight’s still coming, right?”
“No.” He stopped her from bursting through the door. “It’s nothing we can’t handle here, okay?”
“If you think I’m letting a maternal-fetal specialist touch my mother’s liver you’ve got another thing coming.” The list of possible complications swirled in her head. “Screw this up and she could bleed out.”
“Hence, the reason I’m going to do everything I can to avoid subjecting your mother to further trauma. For now, I’m ordering a non-operative approach.”
“I’m not going to stand here and let you tell me that it’s best to do nothing for my mother.”
“We’ve done a CT. All we can do is wait, give the leak a chance to plug on its own.”
“Wait? That’s your medical advice? Do you understand that every second counts?”
“She’s hemodynamically stable. The latest research strongly supports giving anything below a grade three 24 hours to repair itself. This course of action actually has a lower mortality rate than—”
“Maddie?” Her mother’s voice sounded as if someone had taken sand paper to her vocal cords.
“Get out of my way.” Maddie pushed past him. She ripped the curtain aside and stopped dead in her tracks. “Momma?”
Swollen streaks of purple and dark blue had distorted Momma’s face almost beyond recognition. Her left arm was tethered to an IV. Her right was stabilized with an inflatable brace from elbow to wrist. Momma managed to summon Maddie with the slight wiggle of the exposed fingers of her right hand.
Blinking back tears, Maddie squeezed past the nurse hanging a bag of fluid. “I’m here, Momma.” Maddie wanted to crawl into her mother’s bed and hold her. To say she was sorry. Sorry for not being a better pastor’s daughter. Sorry she hadn’t appreciated all the sacrifices her mother had made for her. Sorry for failing to find the happiness her mother had wanted for her. Sorry she’d pushed her mother away. Sorry she’d given up on God.
Afraid her touch would cause her mother more pain, Maddie stood there, not knowing what to say or do. Her mother needed the prayers of this entire town. She needed another miracle.
“Is Romeo okay?” her mother whispered.
The woman had nearly died and she was worried about her dog. It was her typical-selfless-Momma. Why couldn’t she be more like her mother?
Momma’s predictability was an unexpected comfort.
Maddie leaned in close. “Romeo’s a little scratched up, but nowhere near as smashed up as you or your car. Charlie put that hairy beast in the front seat of the ambulance so he could keep an eye out for possible internal injuries. You’ll be proud to know that Romeo whined outside the hospital door until Charlie convinced the staff he was a therapy dog. The nurses have allowed him to sit in the waiting room. He’s been a perfect gentleman.”
“He’s a good boy.” Her mother’s breaths were labored.
“He’s had a good trainer.”
Momma’s lip twitched at Maddie’s rare compliment. “Did I ruin my pot pie?”
A broken laugh escaped Maddie’s clenched smile. “Peas and carrots are all over the highway.”
Her mother scowled. “And it was one of my better crusts.”
“Try to rest, Momma.” Maddie stroked her mother’s swollen fingers. “It’ll help you.”
“It’s not true, you know.”
“Dr. Boyer swears rest will heal the liver tear. But if you want to go to Dallas just say the word and I’ll—”
“Not the liver.” Momma’s head shook slightly then her face grimaced as if the tiny movement had sent a new wave of pain racing through her banged-up body. “It’s not true what they say about your life flashing before your eyes as you die.”
Tears stung Maddie’s eyes. “Thank God you didn’t die, Momma.”
“Yes...God,” Momma whispered. “It’s all the things you didn’t say that you think about. I begged Him to let me have one more chance to tell you...” Her eyelids fell shut.
Maddie drew in a sharp breath, waiting for what her mother to rouse. “Tell me what, Momma?”
The inhale and exhale of her mother’s labored breaths roared in Maddie’s ears, as if her mother struggled to breathe for both of them. The sounds of beeping monitors and murmuring hospital staff disappeared.
Not knowing what else to say, Maddie leaned in close and whispered in her mother’s ear, “Don’t you dare die, Momma.”<
br />
But her mother’s eyes stayed closed.
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
“Parker!” Nellie tackled Parker from behind, wrapping her arms around his middle and snagging Isabella’s legs in the process. “I came as soon as I heard.” Her seductive coo warmed his ear.
“Whoa, Nellie.” He managed to wiggle free and stumble out of her reach. Every head in the waiting room was turned their direction. They all knew she’d moved heaven and earth to help him. From their expressions, it was obvious they thought it was only natural for his appreciation to grow into a more serious attachment. Heat flushed his cheeks. Whether he’d kissed Maddie and she’d kissed him back didn’t matter. He was vulnerable when Nellie dropped by the other night. If he’d encouraged her advances, then he was the one who needed to stop them, before she got hurt.
When he turned around, to his surprise, genuine crocodile tears slid from Nellie’s green eyes. “Nellie? What’s wrong?”
“Tell me what else I can do for you...and the Harpers.” Sniffling, she held out a big bag filled with diapers, snacks, and everything he’d forgotten to grab for Isabella. “Mom called. When she told me you had the baby with you and not even an extra diaper, I ran to the store and picked up a few things, including some bland snacks for you.”
Parker cast an appreciative nod toward Maxine. Her good intentions had put him between a rock and a hard spot...no, he couldn’t blame Maxine. He’d put himself in this uncomfortable position by allowing Nellie to hope she could have his heart. His heart had been taken for years.
“That’s real thoughtful of you, Nellie.” He lifted the bag from her outstretched hand. “Maddie and I were so worried about Leona, I just threw her and Isabella in the truck without a thought to how long we could be waiting here.”
Nellie shut the waterworks off immediately. “Maddie was at your house?”
Letting Nellie down easy wasn’t going to be easy. “She’d dropped by to deliver some pickles...” he nodded toward the Storys.
“Isn’t Maddie the one who put you on that strict diet? I read the entire diet plan over carefully and it’s going to be a while before you can eat something so acidic.” Nellie eyes raked him from head to toe. She wasn’t buying the doctor’s innocent house call. “You have pink paint on your jeans.”
“Yeah, I got the nursery painted. The color looks great. Thanks for your help.”
“Like you, I never waste a minute when it comes to helping another.” Nellie threaded her arm through his. “This little cherub deserves—” She gave Isabella’s cheek a gentle tweak.
Isabella let out a pained cry then scrambled up his chest to higher ground.
Nellie’s eyes widened in horror. “Oh, sweetie, I’m so sorry. Ranch work has taken a toll on my nails. Not that I mind.” She kept cooing at Isabella, but she’d turned her apologetic eyes back on him. “I love helping your daddy.” She let her gaze slide toward the door behind which Maddie had disappeared. “You two deserve someone who’ll think about what’s best for both of you.”
“I appreciate everything you’ve done for my family, Nellie. Really, I do. But if I’ve misled you—”
“I’m just getting started.” In a flash, her arms were around his neck, squeezing Isabella between them.
His daughter was squirming and fussing. “Nellie, Isabella can’t breathe.”
“You have no idea what all I intend to do to you...for you,” she whispered. She rose on her tiptoes and planted her lips firmly upon his.
Isabella was crying and Nellie was kissing him hard when Parker’s frantic eye movements caught a glimpse of Maddie coming through the swinging doors.
Her eyes met his. Her bottom lip dropped in shock. Her face paled then flushed red. Something had lit her fuse. If he were a betting man, he’d put his money on the red-headed spider spinning a web around him and his daughter.
****
The swinging ER door hit Maddie in the back as she watched Parker and Nellie kiss. She’d waited until Saul and David were finally allowed to see Momma before she’d rushed out to fall into the arms of her best friend. Deer-in-the-headlights terror widened his eyes when he spotted her.
In what appeared to be an attempt to preempt Maddie’s misinterpretation, Parker clamped a hand on Nellie’s shoulder and popped her loose.
He strode toward her, a whimpering Isabella holding tight to his neck. “Maddie.”
Maddie held up her palm. “I don’t know if Momma’s going to live.”
Parker refused to allow the distance she’d tried to create. He hooked her tight and pulled her close. It was like popping a cork on a bottle. Tears sprang forth and she buried her face into the warmth of him and Isabella.
“Hell’s bells, darlin’, Leona’s not going to give up that easily.” Aunt Roxie patted Maddie’s back. “She’s got more fight than a junk yard dog.”
Maddie lifted her wet face. “Her liver’s lacerated, Aunt Roxie.”
David burst through the doors. “Maddie!”
She wheeled free of Parker’s embrace. “What’s happened?”
“They’ve rushed Momma to surgery.”
David snagged her arm. “You can’t go back there.”
“Try and stop me.”
He shook his head, his eyes huge. “They kicked us out when Momma’s blood pressure dropped and her heart monitor went crazy. No family allowed.” David’s respirations were rapid. “You’re family, Maddie. Not her doctor.”
Unspoken understanding passed between them. If they lost their mother, they would both be lost.
Her big brother needed her moral support. And she needed his.
Etta May cleared her throat and drew Maddie’s attention to the group that gathered around them like a chain-link fence of protection. What Momma meant to each person in this room was written on their heartbroken faces.
Maddie offered David her hand. “We’re all family.”
He pulled her into a big hug. They held each other and cried while everyone in the circle held their breath.
Maxine pressed a tissue into Maddie’s palm. Aunt Roxie gently laid a hand on each of their shoulders and led David and Maddie to two empty seats. Everyone shifted to make room for Amy to slip in on David’s side and for someone to join Maddie. Her teary eyes found Parker and he instantly moved in beside her. Isabella, sensing Maddie’s distress, cried to go to Maddie. When Parker tried to hold her back, her cries grew louder and more insistent.
Maddie held out her arms. Isabella shimmied free of Parker and lunged into her grasp. Maddie clutched her tight. Isabella’s scent was a pungent mix of paint, horses, and sloppy joes, but it was a sweetness Maddie had never experienced. She rubbed Isabella’s back, surprised at how quickly the action soothed them both.
She loved this child. A lot. How could she? She’d only known her a few weeks, but she couldn’t have loved her more if she’d carried her for nine months and given birth to her.
Then it hit her. If this incredible tugging at the heart for Isabella’s welfare was even a fraction of what Momma felt for her, no wonder her mother had refused to die.
CHAPTER NINETEEN
Maddie hung up the waiting area phone and turned to relay the update from the OR. “Momma’s bleeding internally. They’re searching for the source. It could be the tear. It could be a rupture they’ve yet to find.”
“What does that mean?” Saul’s voice cracked.
Maddie couldn’t bear the lost look in her stepfather’s eyes. He’d risked love...twice. He deserved many good years with a good woman. “Momma’s in big trouble,” she whispered. “And it’s my fault.”
“How is it your fault?” David demanded. “You weren’t driving the car.”
“She was coming to the hospital.”
“We were the ones who requested a pot pie,” Nola Gay argued.
“I knew we should have just eaten the okra and let it run its course,” Etta May added.
“Momma was coming to talk to me.” Maddie’s tears were building. “I was awful to he
r the last time we spoke. I think she was coming to—”
“Listen here, young lady.” Saul strode across the room and set his hands firmly on Maddie by the shoulders. His usually charitable eyes blazed with a fire that dared her to argue. “Your mother believes you and David are the best thing since sliced bread. There’s not a single thing either of you could ever do to change her mind.” The flame flickered out and he relaxed his grip. “Now, I need you to tell me anything you can about this surgery and what it means for your mother. Please.”
No wonder Momma loved this man.
Maddie swallowed and took Saul’s hand. “I’m not a surgeon, but I’ll do my best.”
Everyone crowded in.
Maddie wished they weren’t hanging on her every word and waiting for her to tell them everything would be all right. She couldn’t make that kind of promise. The body was so intricate. She couldn’t guarantee that once the surgeon got inside that Momma’s injuries wouldn’t be too extensive to repair. In the end, she opted to give the simplest version of her best guess. She kept the list of fatal possibilities to herself.
Saul listened intently, taking in every detail. By the time she finished, his grip on her hand had tightened so much she couldn’t feel her fingers.
For a few moments no one said a word.
Romeo padded across the waiting room, his tail limp, and laid his head in Saul’s lap. Saul absent-mindedly patted the dog’s head. “Romeo thinks we should pray.”
Maddie stoked Romeo’s soft ear. “Momma said he was a smart dog.”
“Not here.” Saul gathered Romeo’s leash. “In your father’s chapel.”
Maddie flinched at the thought of darkening the doors that resembled the church that had killed her father. But if she was to ever have the opportunity to set things right with her mother, she first needed to have a conversation with God. “I—”
Saul stood. “You don’t have to come, Maddie.”
She rose to her feet. “I do.”
