Now and Forever 4, The Renovated Heart (24 page)

“Do I have to go with that…that…Marla
person?”

“You do. She’s Daddy’s choice. You can still
have fun with Daddy. He’s so happy to see you. He loves you,
Zoe.”

“Are you going to accept the job, Mom? Then
at least you’ll still be with us.”

“I belong in Willow Falls now.”

She hugged her mother. Kit ran her fingers
through the girl’s golden locks.

“We’ll make up lost time when you come
back,” She stroked Zoe’s back. “Let’s go. Your dad has traveled a
long way to get you. This will be a real adventure. You can tell me
all about it when you get back.”

“I wish you were coming, Mom.”

“I love you, too, honey,” Kit said, kissing
her daughter’s forehead.

Mother and daughter came down the stairs
slowly, with their arms around each other. Zoe sniffled softly.
When they got to the bottom, Johnny tossed an envelope on the
coffee table.

“Here’s a ticket to join us if you decide to
take the job. I hope you do.”

“Thanks, Johnny. Don’t count on it.”

“A great opportunity, babe. The guys are
great.”

“We loaded Zoe’s stuff in the limo while you
were upstairs,” Tunney said.

Kit gave him a nod.

Zoe bid her mother a tearful goodbye. She
gave Tunney a hug. Johnny hugged Kit too tightly. The three piled
into the limo and drove off. Kit couldn’t control her tears as she
watched her daughter drive away, waving long after they were out of
sight.

When she went inside, Tunney had a cocktail
waiting for her. Christmas music played on the radio.

“Are you going to take that job?” he asked
her.

“Doubt it.” She took one sip of the Cosmo,
then another.

“That’s not a direct no.”

“Can’t I think about it for a day or two?”
She sank down into the sofa.

“You can think about it for a lifetime.”

“No reason to get huffy.”

“Who’s huffy?” He cocked an eyebrow at
her.

“And sarcastic. You are.”

She took out leftovers to reheat.

“Don’t you think this affects me a
little?”

He pulled out lettuce, cucumbers and tomato
for a salad.

“I’m probably not going to take the job, but
I want a chance to think about it for a minute or two.”

She put her hand on her hip, moved her lips
silently then picked up her drink.

“Should I time you? Better yet, maybe I
should go, so you can think…”

He put down the knife then wiped his hands
on a dish towel.

“Come on, Tunney. Back off a little. Let’s
just be together. Only five days until Christmas. I don’t want to
fight with you.”

She tugged on his sleeve, then snaked her
arms around his waist when he wouldn’t move.

He took hold of her hands in his and leaned
back against her.

“Then tell me you’re not going to take the
job. Tell me to sell my share of the business in Seattle. Tell me
you want to live with me here in Willow Falls forever. Tell
me…”

She put her hand over his mouth. He turned
and she got on tiptoe to kiss him. He pulled her closer as he
deepened the kiss.

“Let me tell you…dinnertime,” she said
immediately after the timer sounded on the stove.

“As long as you’re for dessert.”

* * * *

Sarah mastered the art of driving in the
rain in Seattle. But she was a novice with ice and snow, plus being
a bit scared of slick roads. When Mike called about the job, Sarah
ventured out in the lightly falling snow not worried about the
driving. They met for lunch at Bon Appetit. Don frowned at Sarah
when Mike greeted her with a kiss.

They ended up at the same corner table. Mike
looked great, wearing a sweater the same color as his eyes
emphasizing the contours of his chest, tight jeans topped off with
a sexy grin. Sarah had on a purple sweater and jeans. Her hair hung
loose, hugging her shoulders. Mike’ gaze swept over her.

“You’d still be the prettiest girl on
campus.” He pulled out a chair for her.

She blushed, pleased at the compliment. They
spent the next half hour talking about aspirations, then their food
arrived.

“Do you want to be president?”

“I doubt I could…too many skeletons. We both
have pasts. Governor is as high as I can go.”

“Too bad…was it worth it?”

“You mean screwing around?” He raised an
eyebrow.

She nodded, taking a forkful of her
pasta.

“Probably not. But at the time, I
thought…guess I didn’t think. Too bad public figures have to be
better than the rest all the time to get elected and stay
elected.”

“True. If you didn’t have history…would you
go for president?”

“Sure. Why not? But I do. Carly doesn’t have
a clean past either, although I’m not sure to what extent.”

“Let me take the proposal home, so I can
read all the fine print.”

“You mean the part where it says you are
required to make love with me at least once a day, every day?” he
joked, his eyes boring into hers, his desire evident.

“Mike!” she said, blushing.

“Under my desk…” he put in, raising his fork
to his mouth.

She laughed. They had a pleasant lunch.
Afterward, Mike walked her to her car.

“Won’t you come up to my room? Just once.
For old times’ sake?” Mike took her hand.

“I don’t think so,” she said.

“A little afternoon delight? If I could
touch you again…who knows…? Just once?” His eyes pleaded with
her.

“Mike…”

“Sarah…you don’t know…”

“But I do know, Mike. I remember nights when
I cried myself to sleep because I wanted to make love with you more
than anything in the world but you weren’t there. I know very
well.”

“So this is revenge for my stupidity in
college?” He cocked an eyebrow at her.

“This is being faithful to someone I love.
Had you met me six months earlier, my choice might have been
different. Believe me, Mike, it isn’t easy for me to say “no” to
you. Part of me is just as curious as you are.”

He opened the car door for her, took her in
his arms and kissed her. She relaxed a little in his embrace, still
aware she could not lose control.

“I wrote out the proposal…for the job…last
night. Here. I’ll be back in two weeks for your answer. I want you
on my team. I’m hoping for a different answer on us, too, when I
return.”

“I’ll think about it. Thanks for the
offer…and the proposition. Glad to know I haven’t lost it yet,” she
said.

“You’ll never lose it for me. Your guy’s
lucky. Hope he’s grateful.”

“I think he is.” She closed the car door,
put it in gear, then pulled away from the curb.

Passing Wal-Mart, she pulled into the
parking lot.
Perfect opportunity for last minute shopping!
The snow fall had increased since she left the house. A steady snow
coupled with a strong wind created accumulation on the local roads.
I’ll only be a minute.
A few minutes morphed into more than
an hour. When she pushed through the doors with a full cart, over
an inch of snow covered the street. Plows had not been through yet,
the roads were slippery. Sarah loaded everything in the trunk
except the large ceramic cookie jar, which got propped up in the
front seat.

Even driving slowly, she got more and more
nervous with each block. Her little car slid occasionally causing
her to stiffen at the wheel. Not far from home, she saw the light
turn orange, hit the brake but her brakes locked. She skidded
instead of stopping. An SUV going the opposite way racing to beat
the light skidded into Sarah’s car, sending it sliding across the
road, slamming into another car, bouncing off one tree then being
stopped by another. Sarah felt the airbag deploy right before she
lost consciousness.

* * * *

Laura and Scottie sat impatiently on the
stopped school bus. Traffic ground to a halt.

“All those sirens. Must mean an accident.”
Laura said, craning her neck for a peek.

“Fire truck, ambulance, police car. Yep.
Accident all right.” Scottie replied.

“Hope no one is badly hurt.” Laura sat back
in her seat. “Mom’ll be worried ‘cause it looks like we’re gonna be
real late getting home.”

“I’m hungry.”

“You’re always hungry. Mom’ll have something
for us when we get home.”

“Wish I could see the rescue.” Scottie
turned his attention out the window again.

“You’ll see it on the TV tonight.” Laura sat
back and opened her backpack. She took out a book and began to
read.

“I’m still hungry.” Scottie slumped down in
his seat, crossing his arms over his chest.

Laura and Scottie weren’t alarmed their
mother wasn’t home when they arrived. They assumed she had an
errand to run. But after an hour, the young girl began to get
nervous.
That accident we passed on the way home. Couldn’t have
been Mom.
She called her mother’s cell phone but got no answer.
Laura didn’t say anything to Scottie because she didn’t want to
scare him but fear crept up her spine.
What happens to us if Mom
dies?

She took her homework to the coffee table in
the living room where she kept an eye on the front door and sat
close to their land line. When the phone rang. Laura picked up the
receiver almost immediately.

The young girl paled, then silently hung up
the phone.

“Was that Mom? Where is she?” Scottie asked
from the doorway.

Before she could answer, Jim came in with
groceries to start dinner.

“Where’s Sarah? Why aren’t you two getting
ready for swimming and ballet?”

Laura stared at him right before tears
flooded her eyes, spilling down across her face faster than she
could wipe them away.

“There’s been an accident…” she
stammered.

* * * *

Jim called the emergency room then Callie.
Scottie got completely hysterical, certain his mother was dead. Jim
could hardly calm him down for the ride to the hospital. Then he
had to quiet his own nerves to drive slowly through the snow storm.
He had an SUV because he was used to storms like this one. When
they arrived, Scottie raced into the lobby looking for his mother.
Jim placed a firm hand on the boy’s shoulder.

“Come with me, we’re meeting Callie. Let’s
look for Dr. Cho.”

The receptionist paged Dr. Cho. Callie
arrived along with the doctor, who shook Jim’s hand.

“Mrs. Morgan has a concussion. She fractured
her wrist and her kneecap. We want to observe her for a day or two
because of the concussion. I won’t know if we can isolate the knee
with a cast, until after I see an x-ray. The wrist will require
surgery.”

“How long do you think Sarah will need to be
here, Dr. Cho?” Jim asked.

“I can’t tell yet. Perhaps tomorrow.”

“I want to see my mother!” Scottie demanded
with a stomp of his foot.

“You can go in, but only for a few minutes.
She needs to rest,” the doctor said.

“Where is she?” Jim asked.

“Room one-oh-five, down the hall, the first
room on the right. Remember, only five minutes.”

Dr. Cho shook hands with everyone. Scottie
raced down the hall. The boy had tears on his face when he got to
his mother’s room.

“Let’s go in quietly,” Jim said, taking
Scottie’s hand with his right and Laura’s with his left. Callie
followed.

They walked in as silently as is possible
with a seven-year-old boy.

“She’s dead! She’s dead!” Scottie cried.

“Scottie…no, no. She’s sleeping,” Callie
said, taking the boy in her arms.

“Look you can see her breathing,” Jim said,
pointing.

Laura stood silently, her face ashen. Callie
drew the stunned girl close to her. Sarah opened her eyes. She had
a big bruise on her left cheekbone along with a black eye. Her
bottom lip was split. Some blood discolored the white of her left
eye. Swelling as well as black-and-blue marks on both sides of her
jaw made her look like she had the mumps. Blood lay matted in her
hair. The cookie jar had become a missile in the skidding car
inflicting wounds on her. She managed a small lopsided smile at
Laura.

“Mom!” Scottie cried.

She reached over with her good hand to touch
Scottie’s face.

Jim leaned down and kissed her lightly on
the lips. Callie brushed her sister’s hair back from her face.

“Don’t worry about the kids. Callie and I
have things under control. Just get better.”

“Okay, everyone. We need to let Mrs. Morgan
rest now,” said Dr. Cho, “tomorrow…around one o’clock?”

Late the next morning Dr. Cho visited Sarah
to tell her, her knee injury was only a hairline fracture and that
he had scheduled her wrist surgery for three o’clock. Her brain
scan came back clean. Fear tightened in her chest and combined with
the pain. How would she to take care of the children? No driving,
couldn’t do much, not even take care of herself. After Dr. Cho
left, she buried her face in the pillow, letting the tears come
until there was a tug on her shoulder.

When she turned around, Jim was there.

“What’s wrong?”

“Everything. I’m having surgery today. How
can I take care of Scottie and Laura? I won’t be able to drive for
weeks, not days, weeks! My knee hurts, I’m scared…” Her voice shook
and fresh tears made little rivulets down her cheeks. He dabbed at
her face with his handkerchief. He sat on the bed then took her in
his arms, stroking her head.

“Everything is going to be all right. I’m
moving in.”

“I can’t ask you to…”

“You didn’t. The kids want me there. Do
you?”

“You know I do.”

She clung to him. He set her back on the
pillows, and moved to the armchair pulling out papers to grade from
his valise while she fell back to sleep. At one o’clock Callie came
with the children. After being satisfied their mother was going to
live, they left with their aunt. Jim stayed until two, when the
nurses came to prep Sarah for surgery.