Mending Hearts

by Brenda Kennedy

  The nurse comes in and tells Molly they are going to move her to a regular room now. I walk towards the door and I turn around when I hear my name. The nurse leaves and I walk over to Molly’s bed. “Will you help me?”

  I lean closer to her bed. “I will, but Molly, if you mess this up, I’m done. Raelynn deserves a mother who can be there for her.”

  “I understand,” Molly says, as she wipes away the tears.

  “I mean it, Molly. If you don’t do it for you, you do it for her.”

  “Thank you, I will.”

  I walk out of the room and take a few deep breaths. How am I supposed to help her? I stop outside of the unknown man’s room. The doctor, a nurse, and that dark-haired woman are standing near the bed of the unconscious man. I watch as the medical staff assesses him and the woman watches. She looks up at me briefly before looking back at the man in the bed. She wipes away the tears dripping down her cheeks. I walk away from his room to join Alec and the kids.

  Chapter Two: Miracles

  Alec

  Mom and dad leave to go home and I wait for Emma in the waiting room with the kids, Sam, and Bridget. The kids are sitting on the cloth chairs eating their snacks and watching cartoons. Emma walks through the double doors — she looks like she has been crying. I rush over to her and ask, “Did she say something to you?”

  “No, Alec, she didn’t.” She rubs her hand up and down my arm.

  “Why the tears?” I ask as I wipe away the tears from her cheeks with my thumb.

  “It’s just been an emotional couple of days.”

  “What did she want to see you about?”

  “She just wanted to thank me for taking care of Raelynn. She said Raelynn talked about me and her Bubby,” she says, smiling.

  “I forgot to tell you that part. Molly laughed at Raelynn calling James Bubby and it didn’t become a problem. James did make her a get-well card,” I say as I search her eyes for more of the truth.

  “That’s right — he did. They are moving her to a regular room now.”

  “Are you sure that’s all she wanted?” I ask again.

  “I’m sure. Oh, do you remember Molly’s friend, the guy she came in with?”

  “Yes, the one they didn’t know who he was.” I watch Emma and I can see some excitement in her eyes.

  “A woman is in his room. He is still unconscious and she is crying by his bed. But at least he isn’t alone.”

  “That’s good. Are you ready to go home?”

  “I am.” We say our goodbyes and drive home. Once we are home I tell Emma that I need to call Mason and Madison. The kids run down the hallway screaming and laughing as James chases Raelynn. We are in a small house with two children, so good luck finding someplace quiet.

  “If you want quiet, the only quiet place you’ll find here is in the spare bedroom,” Emma says.

  “I’ll be just a few minutes.” I kiss her before walking in the direction of the spare room.

  “Take your time; I have some things I need to do as well,” she says.

  I call Madison, who wants to know when a good time will be to close on the house. She said the inspectors will be there tomorrow to check for termites, inspect the wiring, and do whatever else they do when they inspect a house. I tell her the sooner we can close the better. The house is already vacant so we won’t have to wait for the previous owners to move out. Molly will also recover, so I don’t see anything holding us back from closing and/or moving in quickly.

  I call Mason and his phone goes to voicemail, so I leave a message saying I’m home and to call anytime. The house seems quiet, so I call Adam McDaniel and tell him Molly will be fine and they are moving her out of I.C.U. and into a regular room. I’m not certain of the relationship Molly and Adam have, but I know she needs all the support she can get. As I walk out into the living room, Emma is on the front porch on her cell phone and the kids are playing in their bedroom. Deciding now would be a good time to have a beer, I do just that.

  I sit at the dining room table with my beer in hand. Emma walks in after only a few minutes, smiling.

  “You seem to be in a good mood.”

  “I am,” she says, as she walks into the kitchen. I hear the door to the refrigerator open and close. She walks back into the room with a beer bottle in her hand.

  “It’s a little early for you to be drinking, isn’t it?” I say jokingly.

  “I could say the same thing to you,” she says as she takes a drink.

  I look at my beer bottle and tip it to her. “It has been a rough couple days.”

  “Yes, it has. Did you finish making your phone calls?”

  “I did. I’m just waiting on Mason to call me back. I also called Madison and told her we want to close on the house as soon as we can.”

  “Oh, Alec. I totally forgot about the house.”

  I watch her as she smiles and takes another drink.

  “They really accepted your offer?”

  “We’ll be in it right before the kids start school,” she says, caressing my knuckles with her fingers.

  “It’ll be perfect timing.”

  “Alec, I have never lived in a house that size. I won’t know what to do with all the space we’ll have.”

  “I have a feeling it’ll fill up quicker than we anticipate.” I get a text and Emma waits patiently for me to reply. I look up from my phone and she is looking at me. “It was Mason; he told me that Molly’s friend is waking up.”

  “Is Mason at the hospital? He said earlier that Angel had a doctor’s appointment today.”

  “I don’t know, and I didn’t ask how he knew that Molly’s friend was waking up.”

  She smiles and says, “Molly’s friend waking up is great news.”

  “Yes, it sure is.” We sit at the table and we both finish our beers. I tell Emma about the male clothes I packed up from the hotel room and about the stuffed animal that was in one of the drawers. She tells me that if they belong to the guy at the hospital, he probably would like to have them back.

  After dinner, I call the hospital to make sure Molly is still there before I go up to see her. Emma tells me she thinks I should leave Raelynn home. She says she thinks Raelynn has had enough for one day. Emma, Raelynn, and James stay home so she can get things ready for the work week, and I go to the hospital.

  I walk into Molly’s hospital room and see Molly lying on the bed talking with Mason. “You’re looking better,” I say, looking at Molly.

  “Thank you.”

  “How is everything?” I ask.

  Molly replies, “Mason just came in to tell me he found an opening in a drug rehab center in South Florida that is willing to take me.”

  I look from Molly to Mason, “Are you talking about the intensive drug rehab facility?”

  “That’s the one. They have two openings, so if Molly’s friend wants to go, they will also accept him once he is released from here.”

  “Molly, you’re serious about this?” I ask seriously.

  “I am. I want to get better for Rae. I have missed her terribly.”

  “Mason, is that a 30-day, 12-step facility?” I ask.

  “We were just talking about that. It’s a 45-day, 12-step program. No phone calls the first seven days, then they gradually add phone calls, emails, visitation, and even Skype.” Mason looks at me and then at Molly.

  “This is what you want, Molly? It sounds like Mason has put in a lot of time finding this place for you. It’s a very intense program.”

  “With a very high success rate. I do want this and Bobby will want it, too.”

  “Bobby? Is that your friend?” I ask.

  “It is. I need to see him and make sure he is all right. I also want him to come with me. I can’t thank Mason or Emma enough for helping me.”

  “What did Emma have to do with this?” I ask, looking from Molly to Mason.

  “I asked Emma to help me and she called Mason,” Molly says.

  “I made a few phone calls to some old colleagues and
everything just fell into place,” Mason says, “It took very little effort on my part.”

  “I see. Molly, how will you get there, assuming the hospital releases you tomorrow?”

  “Mom and dad will take me and Bobby. The doctor said there isn’t anything he can do about the cracked ribs; they have to heal on their own.”

  “Have you talked to her friend Bobby yet, Mason?”

  “No, not yet. I was going to head down there now. They moved him out of I.C.U. earlier today.”

  “Molly, was he staying with you at the hotel?”

  “Yes, Bobby is my only friend,” she says sadly.

  “Sam asked me to clear out your room after the hotel called him. I put everything in your car and had my dad take your car to your parents’ house. Bobby has some personal items I think he may want in the car.” I look from Molly to Mason. “Mason, would you tell him we can get those items to him whenever he wants them?”

  “Sure, no problem.”

  “There was also a stuffed animal in one of the drawers. Did that belong to you or him?”

  Molly asks, “Stuffed animal? It must be his. It doesn’t belong to me.”

  “The hotel also refunded you some money for the unused nights. I put the check in your glove compartment in the car.”

  “Thank you.”

  A knock sounds at the door before it slowly opens. We all turn to look and in the doorway stands a petite dark-haired woman; with her is a man in a wheelchair. He smiles at Molly and the woman pushes him further into the room.

  “Bobby,” Molly says, crying. “I was so worried about you.”

  I watch as the man stands up from the wheelchair. “Doll, I was afraid I would never see you again,” he says, as he walks over to hug her. He is a tall but thin man.

  “You can’t get rid of me that easily.” Molly hugs him back and he sits back down in the wheelchair.

  He looks around the room and says, “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to interrupt. I just had to see for myself that Molly was all right. Hi, I’m Bobby Grether and this is my wife, Leah.”

  Molly introduces everyone and Mason asks, “Bobby Grether? You’re the legendary pro boxer Bobby Grether?”

  “Not anymore, I’m not. But, yes, that was me.”

  I watch as his wife pats him on his shoulder.

  “Bobby, I didn’t know you were married,” Molly says.

  Bobby sadly explains about the car accident that killed his only daughter and about his leaving his wife out of shame and turning to drugs. He and his wife both cry, and the rest of us are in shock. “My daughter is who I visited at the cemetery that day,” he says as he looks at Molly. She only nods.

  Mason explains to Bobby and his wife about the treatment center he found and about the open beds they have available. He tells them when Bobby is discharged from the hospital, he can go there for his treatment, if he wants to.

  “That’s very nice of you, but I would like to stay close to home. I don’t want to leave Leah, since I just got her back.” Bobby looks back at Leah and she smiles as a tear falls from her cheek. “I left my wife because I believed she was in an irreversible coma, and I was also afraid if she woke up, she would blame me for Jamie’s death. I was sadly mistaken on both parts. But, Molly, I would go with you to the rehab center if I didn’t have Leah.”

  “If you need help getting into a program here, please let us know,” Mason says.

  “I will and thank you.” He looks over at Molly and smiles.

  “Take some Motrin to help with your symptoms,” I say.

  “Thank you, I will.” He looks away from me and looks at Molly. “I’m going to miss you, Doll.”

  “Bobby, this isn’t the end; this is only the beginning of the next part of our lives.”

  I look over at Bobby and Leah and say, “I cleared the things out of the hotel. I have some things that belong to you that I am sure you want.”

  “What kind of things?” Leah asks.

  “Clothes mostly, and a stuffed animal,” I say.

  “I still have Jack,” Bobby says, looking back at Leah, who instantly cries.

  “You have Jack? I thought he was gone — I thought he was gone forever,” Leah says, crying.

  “No, Leah, I took him when I left.” I watch as Bobby leads Leah around the wheelchair and she sits on his lap. Bobby explains, “Our daughter, Jamie, had a stuffed rabbit she called Jack. When I shamelessly left my wife, I took one thing with me: Jack.”

  I watch as Bobby tries to console Leah, then I look away and watch as Molly wipes away her tears. I walk over to Mason and he whispers, “I hope he gets the help he deserves.”

  “Bobby, what are your plans?” I finally ask.

  Bobby holds his wife’s hand and she tries to smile at him. “When I am discharged from here, Leah and I are going home.”

  “Here is my card,” I say, handing him my business card. “It has my cell and work number on it. “Please, I want you to call me if you need any help, any help at all.”

  Mason also hands him his business card. “Take my card, too. Alec’s work number will soon be changing to this number. But seriously, call if you need anything at all; we want to help.”

  “Thank you, I will. I have been on drugs since I found out my daughter died. I survived that, I think I can survive the detox.” He looks up at Molly and smiles. “If it gets too bad, I’ll take some Motrin to help me through it. Then once everything is out of my system, I’ll probably never take aspirin, Tylenol, or Motrin again.” Bobby laughs and says, “Well, Doll, it looks like the end of this road for us.”

  “Yes, Bobby, it does. Promise me I’ll see you again.” I can see the tears in Molly’s eyes.

  Leah stands up and Bobby walks over to stand near Molly. “Doll, I swear to you, when we both beat this, we’ll have a cookout to celebrate.” He bends down to hug her.

  “I’m going to hold you to it,” Molly cries.

  “I’m going to miss you, Doll. You stay and fight for your sobriety, like you have never fought for anything before.”

  I watch as Bobby looks at her. She nods and a tear slides down her cheek. “I will and you, too.”

  “Leah, your husband saved me one night in a dark alley from some thugs. I am so thankful he was there that night,” Molly says.

  “It wasn’t a big deal.” Bobby dismisses it as nothing.

  “Yes, it was; they were going to rape me, but you stopped them. Then you took me to that diner and bought me dinner. We have been hanging out ever since.” Molly is trying to explain their relationship to Leah.

  “I’m glad my husband was able to help you. He always did hate bullies — and rapists.”

  “Bobby, please call us if we can help you, or if you need any help,” Mason says.

  “Don’t worry about me, I have a wife who has been waiting for me.” Bobby looks over at Leah.

  Bobby

  I wipe the stray tear from Molly’s cheek. “I’m leaving, but I’ll see you in 45 days, Doll. I’ll leave my contact info for you. When you get home after 45 days and not a day sooner, we’ll get together.”

  “All right, I’m going to hold you to it. Thank you for saving me that night in the alley.”

  “No thanks needed.” I kiss her on her cheek and sit back down in the wheelchair. Leah hands me a pen and paper from her purse. I write my address and Leah’s cell phone number down and Leah lays it on the bedside table. “I’ll talk to you in 45 days — or earlier if you call me.”

  I look over at Mason and Alec and say, “Thank you both and maybe I’ll see you again sometime. Take care of Molly; she isn’t like all the others.”

  “Will do,” Mason says.

  “Come on, Sweets. We have a life we need to get back on track.” I look up at Leah and wonder what I did to deserve her.

  “Come on, Robert, we have to get you better first.” Leah slowly backs me up in the wheelchair. “Thank you all for bringing my Robert back to me.”

  Alec says, “I’ll bring your things to you i
n the morning.”

  “Thank you, I would appreciate that. I’m in room 707.”

  When Leah and I return to my hospital room and I get situated in bed, Leah lies down beside me. I hold her close and wonder why I left her in the first place. Did I really think she would blame me for Jamie’s death? How could I have had such little faith in her? How could I have left her to grieve our daughter alone? True, I thought she was in an irreversible coma, but because I left her she had to deal with the grief of losing Jamie, and my absence, all while she was recovering.

  “Robert, stop thinking about it. It’s in the past and you can’t change it,” Leah says without even looking at me.

  I kiss her soft black hair. Leah, my parents and her parents are the only people who call me Robert. “I’m not thinking about anything.”

  “Don’t lie to me.” She tilts her head back and smiles.

  “How did you know?” I ask.

  “I always know when you lie to me, but your fast heartbeat is a sure sign.”

  “I’m sorry, Sweets. I never should have left you after Jamie’s death. I just thought…”

  “Robert, let’s not think about the past. Let’s just get you better so we can begin to heal and work on us.”

  “Us. I like the way that sounds,” I say honestly.

  “Me, too. Robert, I was wondering how you plan to detox. Do you need to speak to those doctors for help?”

  “No, Leah, I don’t. I survived the loss of our daughter. If I can survive that, I can suffer through detox.”

  “What if it proves to be too much for you?”

  “Then I plan to use my boxing training to help get through it. If I can last 12 rounds in a boxing match, I think I can detox. Some of the boxing training was strength training, but it was also mind training. It’ll be mind over matter. I don’t want you to worry. If it is too much, I’ll call the doctors for help.”