Toby gazed into her eyes from across the table, his blue eyes twinkling in the candlelight. “You seem so different, Lexie.”
She smiled at him and reached across the table to hold his hand. “I feel different, too. God really used that sermon to open my eyes last Sunday. I asked Jesus into my heart and finally found that peace I was looking for.”
Toby squeezed her hand and smiled, tears glistening in his eyes. “I’m so happy to hear that. I’ve been praying for you.”
She nodded, wiping a few tears of her own. “That’s why I wanted you to be the first to know. I came to Tipton to escape, but my battles with fear and anxiety followed me here. God showed me I don’t have to fight on my own. I wouldn’t have realized my need for Him if I hadn’t come here and met you and your family.”
“Well, I can’t take any of the credit for what God is doing in your life, Lexie, but I’m rejoicing with you. I’m not sure what you were escaping from in Ohio, but I’m glad He led you here to Tipton.”
“Me too.”
The waiter came with their steaks and baked potato, interrupting their conversation, but Lexie was grateful for the distraction. She wasn’t quite ready to tell him about Cole yet, or what happened the night she escaped from his clutches.
They ate quietly and Lexie savored every bite of the steak. It had been so long since she’d been out to eat at an actual restaurant, other than fast food.
Then when they were both finished, Toby stood and held out his arm. “Will you share a dance with me, Lexie Donohue?”
She nodded and allowed him to lead her onto the dancefloor. As they rotated in a slow circle to the popular song, Lexie rested her head against Toby’s chest, feeling happy and safe for the first time in a long time. She felt like she could tell him anything—even about her jealous, possessive ex fiancé—but not now. Not when the night had gone so perfectly. Maybe on the car ride home would be better.
When she looked up, Toby angled his face toward hers for a kiss and like she’d promised, she didn’t try to push him away. Lexie never planned on doing that again.
After a few songs, Toby paid their bill and they took their doggy bags back to his truck. She sat in the middle seat close to him, holding hands all the way back to her duplex. Toby parked and then wrapped his arm around her. “Did you enjoy our first date?”
She craned her neck to look up at him with a grin. “Was that our first date? I thought the tour of the farm was our first date…according to you at first.”
He chuckled. “No, that was our first non-date.” He made quotations with his fingers, sending them both into fits of giggles.
“Okay, whatever you say, Lexie.” He paused and stole a kiss before cupping her cheek in his palm. “So, what’s Lexie short for anyway.”
She shook her head. “Oh, you don’t want to know that. It’s a mouthful.”
“Hey I told you my full name. It’s only fair.”
She sighed, knowing she never would have answered a few weeks ago, but now she trusted Toby with her secrets. “Okay, if you really must know, it’s short for Alexandra. Alexandra Mae Donoghue.”
He lifted her chin with his index finger and kissed her again. “Now, that’s the most beautiful name I’ve ever heard. Why keep that a secret?”
Lexie sobered, but resisted the urge to hide her face from him. “My ex-fiancé used to call me Alexandra. That’s why I don’t go by it.”
Toby furrowed his brow. “I understand. Did you have a difficult break-up?”
Lexie bit her lip so hard she almost drew blood. “I guess you could say that.” She scooted back a few inches so she could look at him without craning her neck. “It’s complicated, but this is something I need to share with you before we take our relationship any further.”
He nodded—eyes full of understanding. “You can tell me anything, Lexie.”
She sighed, not knowing where to start and her apprehension raging. “Can we go inside? I feel like this could be a long conversation. I’ll brew us some green tea.”
“That sounds good.” He helped her out of the truck and they walked up the pathway toward her duplex. She took out her keys as his phone buzzed. He pulled it out of his pocket, looked at the screen and drew in a sharp breath.
She touched his arm, noting the distress in his eyes. “What is it?”
Toby raked his fingers through his hair, eyes filling with tears of shock. “It’s a text from my mom. Cami collapsed.”
Chapter Thirteen
Toby held his phone with a trembling hand, reading his mother’s text two more times to make sure he’d read it correctly. Cami had collapsed after dinner. An ambulance was taking her to the hospital in Cheyenne.
When the shock wore off, he locked eyes with Lexie. “I…I’m sorry. I have to go be with my sister.”
She nodded. “I know. I’m going with you.”
“Are you sure? It’s three hours away. We’ll be there overnight.”
She nodded without hesitation. “I’m not letting you go alone and Cami’s my friend. I’ll not abandon her when she needs support the most. Just give me ten minutes. I’ll pack some clothes and ask my neighbor to look in on Picasso.”
He agreed and followed her into her duplex. Part of him wanted to race off right away, but after thinking it through, Toby realized he needed the extra ten minutes to calm down and collect his thoughts. He’d be no help to his sister or family if he had an accident on the highway.
He waited in the living room, praying for Cami while Lexie changed her clothes and packed. Then after she made sure the neighbor could take care of Picasso, they jumped into his truck and traveled southeast toward Cheyenne. During the majority of the trip they were both quiet. Around the halfway point Lexie offered to drive, allowing Toby a chance to catch a short nap. Then she woke him when they neared the city limits, since he knew the way to the hospital.
It was almost midnight when he parked the car by the emergency room and they walked into the building together. After talking with the nurse, they found out Cami was in the ICU. They followed the nurse’s directions and met his father, brother and nephew in the correct waiting room. They shared a group hug before Toby turned to his dad. “How is she?”
He led him far enough away so Jonah was out of earshot. Then he placed a hand on his shoulder and managed a smile, although his eyes looked bloodshot with dark circles underneath. “The doctor says she’s stable now, but they had to drain fluid from around her heart.”
Toby furrowed his brow. “That doesn’t sound good.”
He shook his head. “No, it doesn’t, but she’s comfortable right now and awake. They’re limiting the visitors to two at a time. Your mom is in there right now, so you can be the second visitor.
After thanking his father, he checked in at the front desk and was allowed to go back. He journeyed down the long wing of the ICU partitioned off with curtains until reaching the last room on the right.
He hesitated before entering, the sound of the beeping heart monitor filling him with both anxiety and relief. His sister was in bad shape, but at least the steady beeping told him she was still alive.
After a few moments, he gathered enough courage to move the curtain aside and walk in. The sight of his sleeping sister hooked up to IVs and wires caused a lump to rise up in his throat.
His mother sat in a chair by Cami’s bed with her head resting on the mattress. At the sound of the curtain moving, she sat up and yawned, before looking at Toby with relief. “I’m so glad you’re here.” His mom stood up and enveloped him in a hug.
He sniffled against her shoulder and his body shook, unable to conceal his emotions anymore. “I’m sorry I wasn’t there. I should have been.”
She leaned back and held him at arm’s length. “Toby, this isn’t your fault. You’ve given up so much to help your sister and this family, but you have to have a life of your own, too. No one blames you for going on a date with Lexie. In fact, Cami was overjoyed before this whole mess happened. Do you hear me? Th
is is not your fault.”
He nodded, wiping tears and composing himself before speaking again. “So, what’s next? Does the doctor have a plan?”
His mother’s grim expression sent a shiver of fear through him. “He’s going to try a new medication. That should help for the time being.”
He sat in a chair next to his mother’s. “And for long term?”
“She needs a transplant. That’s the only solution.”
Toby nodded and rested his head in his hands for a while before looking over at his mother. “We’ll have to keep praying. We’re not giving up.”
“No, of course not. No one is thinking about giving up. Not ever.”
“I couldn’t have said it better myself,” a thin voice whispered.
Toby looked up in time to see Cami’s eyes flutter open. “I’m going to fight this, little brother.”
He reached for his sister’s hand and smiled. “Yeah, I know. And you’re gonna win.”
“So, tell me about this date,” Cami said with a smile. “I want to hear everything.”
“That’s what you wanted to talk with me about?” Lexie laughed out loud, all the tension releasing from her shoulders. Toby and Mrs. Campbell had come out to the waiting room saying Cami wanted to speak to her alone. She didn’t know what to expect, but now she knew Cami hadn’t changed. Even though she felt weak, she was still concerned about others more than herself.
Cami lifted an eyebrow. “Of course! Do you know how long it’s been since my brother has been on a date? He was so tight-lipped—I knew I’d have to ask you if I wanted to find out.”
Lexie tried to hide a goofy grin, but failed miserably. “It was nice.”
“Nice? That’s all you’re going to say? Come on girl. I need the details.”
She let out a light chuckle and gave in to Cami’s demands. “We went to the steakhouse and ate outside on the terrace. We talked about some personal things and then he asked me to dance.”
Cami’s smile grew even bigger. “You danced? Wow, Toby must really like you.”
Her cheeks blushed. “Really?”
“Yeah, I can count on one hand the times I’ve seen my brother dance. So, what happened after that? Did you kiss?”
“Cami!” Lexie looked around to see if anyone was listening in on their conversation.
“What? My life is so dull these days, I love hearing about this kind of thing.”
Lexie shook her head and grinned. “If you must know, yes, we did kiss. Several times.”
Cami squealed and then covered her mouth. “Sorry, I’ve just been praying so long for my brother to find someone special like you.” The monitor beeped funny and Cami struggled to catch her breath.
“Should I call a nurse?” Lexie started to get up, heart racing.
“No.” Cami whispered and reached for her hand. “No…please stay. It was just an arrythmia. They’ll come in…if it gets serious.” After a few more deep breaths, the monitor calmed down and Cami recovered.
“Do those happen a lot?”
She nodded. “It feels funny when they happen, but I’m all right. I try to look on the bright side. When I get my new heart, this won’t happen anymore.”
Lexie smiled and squeezed her hand. “Yeah, it’s good to think positive.”
Cami sobered. “Lexie I need to ask you a favor.”
“What?”
“I can’t say things like this to my family. It’s too hard for them, but I want to make sure they are taken care of if things don’t go the way we hope.”
Lexie stared at her with a bewildered frown. “You just said you’re getting a new heart.”
“It’s not guaranteed. I’m praying for that. I’m praying I get to watch my son grow up.”
“You will.”
Cami gave her a sad smile. “But if I don’t get better, I know my parents and Toby will take care of Jonah. But, will you promise to be there for Toby? He’s not one to admit when he’s hurting, but if anyone can get him to talk, I believe that person is you. He carries so much guilt inside him. He needs someone to comfort him.”
Lexie nodded, fighting back unwanted tears. “I will, Cami. I promise.”
Chapter Fourteen
Toby and Lexie returned to Tipton late afternoon on Sunday. Neither of them wanted to leave Cami in the Cheyenne hospital, but they both had to go to work in the morning and someone had to look after the farm.
His dad, Eli and Jonah would stay for one more day before returning home. However, his mom planned to sleep in an extended stay hotel while Cami was in the hospital.
Toby dropped Lexie off at her duplex and then drove around Tipton for a while, not ready to return to his parents’ empty farmhouse. After a while he ended up by Levi’s garage and saw his friend working. He almost passed by, feeling too weary to stop and talk, but something made him stop. In all the commotion, had they forgotten to call him?
Levi smiled and wiped the grease from his hands when he saw him. “How’s it going. Did you just get back?”
Toby studied him for a moment and then nodded. “So, you heard about Cami then?”
His friend sobered and avoided his eyes, concentrating on putting his tools away instead. “Yeah, your parents called me. I wanted to come, but I doubted they’d let me into the ICU. I’m not family.”
“Yes, you are.”
“Yeah, well, not by blood at least.”
He patted his friend’s shoulder. “Well, when Cami is moved out of the ICU, I’m sure she’d enjoy a visit from you.”
He shook his head. “I can’t, Toby. Not when I know I did this to her.”
Toby scoffed. “You, how could you be responsible for any of this?”
“Never mind.” Levi raked his fingers through his dark hair. “Forget I said anything.”
He remained quiet for a while, puzzled by his friend’s words. “Whatever guilt you’re holding inside about the past, you’ve gotta let it go. Cami may be the woman you once loved, but she’s also your friend and she needs you right now.”
Levi hung his head. “I’m sorry. I just can’t.” He grasped the wheels on his chair and turned away.
The next two weeks were a whirlwind for Toby. Cami was on his mind constantly and his mother who was determined to stay in Cheyenne with her. He also thought about Levi, who had made himself scarce and even stopped coming to church. Toby feared he had pushed his friend too hard.
Even though his heart felt heavy, Toby refused to give up. He helped on the farm after work in the evenings and on weekends. They had plenty of men to help outside, but missing both his mother and sister in the country store meant there were only two part-time bakers to make pies, cookies and fudge for customers. Unfortunately, they were college students they’d hired and couldn’t work extra hours.
Every day after work, Toby brought his nephew home. They worked outside for a few hours and then he helped Jonah with his homework and prepared dinner. Eli took over the hayrides and was doing a wonderful job at it. Meanwhile, his dad remained busy as always, supervising everything and helping out where he was needed. They managed, but it was difficult physically and emotionally on the whole family.
However, during the chaos, Lexie had been a ray of hope, coming after work to help out wherever she could. She didn’t have experience in baking, but helped out behind the cash register in the barn, taking care of pumpkin and apple purchases.
Even with her help, by Friday of the second week, Toby was exhausted. He showed up at the school late afternoon, truck filled with the pumpkins and gourds his family had donated. However, he found himself counting the hours until the Autumn Festival would be over.
Then he saw Lexie approaching with a rolling cart and the weight on his shoulders lifted. She looked beautiful, wearing a white and red lacy gown, paired with cowgirl boots and her auburn hair pulled halfway up with curls framing her face. He leaned against his truck with a grin. “Well, I do believe living in Wyoming has brought out the cowgirl in you, Miss Donoghue.”
&n
bsp; She chuckled and stopped in front of him. “Well, either that, or a certain cowboy I met has.”
He looked around to see if anyone was around before stealing a kiss.
She sighed and wrapped her arms around his waist. “It’s nice to have a quiet moment with you.”
He hugged her closer and tucked her head under his chin. “Me too. I’ve missed them.”
“How’s your sister?”
“My mom said she’s doing a little better. One of the new medications seems to be helping.”
She craned her neck to look at him. “That’s good news. Do they think she’ll be able to come home soon?”
“It’s hard to know at this point. They’ll want to observe her for a while to see if this new medication is going to keep improving her condition.”
“I’ll be praying it does.”
After loading all the pumpkins and gourds into the school gym, Lexie worked with Toby to arrange them by bales of straw and in a few wheel barrels. Then they hung all the strings of paper leaves and lights. When they were finished, the room was bathed in the vibrant colors of the autumn harvest.
As children and their families began to arrive, Lexie and Toby went to their first stations for the evening. There were carnival games, prizes, a cake walk and various other activities for the families to enjoy. There was even a dunk tank, the principal, vice principal and a few other teachers had volunteered to sit in.
After several rotations, Lexie and Toby ended up at the cake walk. Toby was the announcer, wearing his overalls and a goofy ten-gallon hat. When she came over to help hand out the prizes, he insisted she wear one, too. She couldn’t help smiling when hearing his enthusiastic announcer voice over the mic. He had just the right outgoing personality for the job.
Right before they were ready to switch stations, the yearbook photographer snapped a picture of them in the silly ten-gallon hats. She planned to ask him for a copy of it later.
Later, when all the students and their families had left, it was time for cleanup. They spent about an hour taking down the decorations and loading all the pumpkins and gourds back into the truck.
Lessons From the Heart Page 6