Emily's Choice

by Heather McCoubrey

  “Pee bed, Mama. Sadie sorry,” she said, lip quivering and tears ready to spill.

  “Oh, it’s okay baby,” she soothed, drawing her in for a hug. “Let’s get you cleaned up.”

  Sadie was basically potty-trained during the day; she did great and barely had any accidents. It was a feat Emily knew was unusual for a child Sadie’s age. Not unheard of, just unusual. But they struggled at night. Sadie refused to wear a diaper or Pull-Up because she was NOT a baby, but she was a deep-sleeper and couldn’t wake herself up until it was too late. Emily was grateful for the plastic mattress covers they had now. They made the middle of the night cleanups much easier.

  She got Sadie cleaned up and into dry pajamas. She stripped Sadie’s bed, cleaned the plastic cover, and remade the bed. Sadie went right back to sleep, thankfully, and Emily took the soiled sheets and threw them in the washer. She made a mental note to remember to throw them in the dryer before they left.

  Heading back to her room, she picked up her phone and texted Phoebe and Gina with the news and her flight and hotel information. She was sure she’d hear from them as soon as they saw her messages in the morning.

  She picked up her Kindle and tried to focus on her book, giving up after reading the same paragraph five times.

  While she waited for the TV to turn on, she quickly ran out to the kitchen with her cold tea and reheated it. Then she laid back down in bed, flipping through the channels and waiting for the morning to arrive so she could get home to her family and Mama G.

  Chapter Fifteen

  Jason glanced at his phone. Eight o’clock and he was just now sitting down to dinner. The repairs on the fencing ate up his day, and by the time he was chased home by the descending darkness, he’d been too tired and too lazy to make dinner. So, he’d taken himself to The Dustbowl, his favorite haunt (and really the only option that wasn’t at least an hour away), for dinner. They served typical bar food and Jason opted for a burger and fries. He ordered a beer to go with it but wished it was something stronger. He had more fencing to repair before winter set in and knew if he started on the hard stuff, he’d never be able to pull himself out of bed in the morning.

  When Ben, the owner of The Dustbowl, set his beer down in front of him, Jason took a long drink and let his thoughts have free rein . . . not that he was in charge of them anyway. He freely admitted he spent way too much time coming up with plans to get Emily back, but lately, he’d run out of ideas. After his initial visit a few months after she fled Mosquero, he’d returned to Boston four times but hadn’t taken the chance to interact with Emily. Instead, he let the calls, gifts, and actions make his point. He was religious about sending cards, flowers, and gifts for both Emily and Sadie. He made sure to send Emily a check every month even though she never asked for help.

  Every Tuesday, he stopped in at the Camancho ranch and had breakfast with Grace. She updated him on Emily and Sadie, shared pictures and anecdotes. It had taken Grace a while to warm up to him after Emily left, but daily visits back then had finally worn her down. He remembered the morning she’d relented. About a month after Emily left, the morning started out rough. He’d tried for the zillionth time to call Emily. Straight to voicemail, so he’d thrown his phone against a wall. It shattered and he cursed a blue streak. He tried to brew some coffee but the damn thing shorted out and a small fire broke out. Giving up, he went outside only to see it raining sheets. There went his plans to get any major work done that day. He turned to go back inside the kitchen when his eyes had fallen on Emily’s house on the other side of the line of trees.

  Stiffening his spine, he stormed off his porch and stomped his way to the Camancho home. He pounded on the kitchen screen door and waited for someone to answer.

  Grace came to the door and all of Jason’s pent up worry, rage, and confusion came pouring out. “I still love her. You’re supposed to be a mother—how can you ignore me like you’ve never met me before? Has our relationship meant nothing to you over the years? Where is she? I still love her!”

  Grace had kindly shown him in and sat him down at the table with a towel and a hot cup of coffee. She had sat at the table with him and listened as all his feelings came pouring out. She hadn’t told him where to find her, but she had told him that Emily was doing okay. And every Tuesday, from then on, Jason had shown up at the kitchen door and had breakfast with Grace. She told him bits and pieces of Emily’s life, things that were of no serious consequence, but things that Jason drank in. And once Sadie had been born, she’d been a fount of knowledge giving him all the growth and physical milestones as well as giving him a plethora of photographs.

  He needed to see them in person, again. The FaceTime chats with Sadie were a treasured treat, but he needed more. Especially for times, like tonight, when he and Emily had a difference of opinion. He had to make his case, face-to-face, to Emily. How much longer could this go on? Maybe Emily just didn’t realize how incredibly serious he was about getting her back. Maybe she thought he was just going through the motions. Though, how she could believe that was beyond him.

  Ben set his dinner in front of him, and nodding his thanks, Jason dug in.

  “Hello, handsome,” a silky smooth, yet grating, voice greeted him.

  “Lila.” He acknowledged her presence with a curt nod and pulled his arm away from her touch. He went back to his food, praying she’d get the hint even though he knew better.

  “Will you be here Friday with the guys?”

  Jason shrugged, but knew if she was going to be here, he sure as hell wasn’t.

  “Why won’t you talk to me? You know how I feel about you.” Lila pouted.

  “Lila,” he growled between bites. “We’ve been down this road. Go away.”

  Eyes going to slits, Lila’s true nature spilled out. “Obviously, she doesn’t want you back. You’re wasting your life.”

  “It’s mine to waste,” Jason warned, taking another long gulp of his beer.

  “Did you hear about Aunt Grace?” Lila asked innocently, inspecting her cuticles in the dim light.

  Jason whipped his head around, his burger and fries forgotten. “No.”

  “She was in a car accident this afternoon.”

  “What?” Jason asked, straightening up on the barstool, alert and worried.

  Lila nodded. “People have been coming in to the bank all afternoon talking about it. I don’t know all the deets, but people are saying she was hit and the car rolled. She’s at the hospital right now.”

  “Shit!” Jason stood and threw a twenty on the bar. “Which hospital?”

  “Santa Fe General,” she said, placing her hand on his arm again. “Where are you going?”

  “To the hospital,” he growled.

  “Don’t be ridiculous. It’s two hours away, and you know they’ll never let you see her,” Lila said with a smirk.

  “We’ll see about that,” he replied over his shoulder, already jogging to the door.

  He sent a prayer toward heaven for Grace. She was more to him than just his only connection to Emily and Sadie. She was like a mother to him. No, she was a mother to him. His own had died when he was two and taken his little sister to heaven with her. Living next door to the Camanchos had been a blessing, and when Grace joined the family, she’d welcomed him into her heart with open arms, long before he’d seen Emily in any kind of romantic light. She’d bandaged his skinned knees and elbows, helped with homework, and fed him almost nightly. His father had more than enough on his plate with running the ranch and overcoming his devastating loss, and he knew his father credited Grace for turning him into the man he was.

  Arriving at the hospital, he headed straight to the gift shop, hoping they were still open at this late hour. He would not show up empty-handed . . . at the very least he could buy her some flowers. She loved flowers, and Jason had bought her a bouquet every year for Mother’s Day and for her birthday, ever since he’d gotten his first paying job. Before that it had been random weeds and wildflowers picked from the fields
and the sides of the road. Even these past few years when tensions were strained, he never failed to give her flowers. Only instead of bringing them to her in person, he now sent them from the flower shop.

  He stopped at the information desk to find out which room Grace was in, surprised to learn she was in the ICU. After wiping his suddenly sweaty palms on his jeans, he pressed the button for Grace’s floor. He didn’t know how they would react to his arrival, but he hoped they could see and remember how much Grace meant to him.

  The nurses’ station was right outside the elevator, so Jason walked up and asked for Grace’s room. The nurse smiled up at him and pointed him in the direction of her room. Jason thanked her and continued down the hall.

  Arriving at Grace’s room, Jason knocked on the door and waved to Clint through the window. He watched as Clint rose from his chair and met Jason in the hall.

  “Jason,” Clint said, holding out his hand.

  “How’s she doing?” Jason asked, shaking Clint’s hand.

  “Not good,” Clint answered, his worried eyes scanning his still wife through the window.

  “What happened?”

  Clint sighed and motioned toward the flowers in Jason’s hand. “Can’t have those in the room.”

  Jason set them on the floor in the hall and followed Clint into Grace’s room. It was quiet, save for the occasional beeping from the machines. Clint motioned for Jason to sit in the chair he’d just vacated. Sitting down, Jason held Grace’s hand in his own, marveling at how small her hand seemed next to his own. Had it always been so small? He never remembered that. Grace had always seemed larger than life to him. Of course, you always thought of your parents being so much bigger, even when you were fully grown.

  “Drunk driver was in her lane. We think she swerved to avoid him, skidded on the gravel, flipped the car, and landed in a tree.”

  “Where’s he at?”

  “The police station, sleeping it off in a jail cell. Sheriff Fred said he found him about a half mile down the road in a ditch, passed out. Not a scratch on him, either.”

  “Is she going to be okay?”

  Clint sighed. “Doctors aren’t optimistic. She’s had a lot of trauma to her head. There’s swelling, and she’s in a coma.”

  Jason nodded and squeezed Grace’s hand. He knew visiting times were limited in the ICU, so he stood, leaned over, and kissed her cheek. “Get well soon, Grace. I love you,” he whispered in her ear. He shuffled toward the door and looked Clint in the eye. “I’ve been out fixing fences all day. I just found out when I stopped at The Dustbowl for dinner. I had to come and see her for myself.” Jason shook Clint’s hand. “If you need any help at the ranch, don’t hesitate to call.”

  “Thanks, Jason,” Clint said, resting a hand on Jason’s shoulder. “I appreciate it.”

  Jason’s eyes found Grace, so pale beneath the blankets. “She’s always been kind to me.”

  “She has a soft spot for you.” Clint chuckled. “Not that I blame her. You’ve always been a good boy.”

  Jason smiled. “Will you let me know how she’s doing?”

  Clint nodded. “Sure. Glad you stopped in.”

  Jason cast one last glance at Grace and then silently walked out the door.

  He meandered down the hall, nodding to the nurse at the station and then slipping into the elevator. His hands were shaking as he pressed the button for the ground level. He didn’t know what he expected, but it wasn’t the easy acceptance he’d received. He was happy it hadn’t been awkward and figured Tyler’s absence helped in that respect. He still had an immense amount of respect for Clint, even more now. Clint allowing Jason in the room, giving him a chance to sit and hold Grace’s hand, just reinforced that.

  When he got to the truck, he rested his head against the steering wheel for a moment. He missed them and he hadn’t really realized how much until this moment. It had almost felt like old times for a few minutes there. That, as much as anything else, made his resolve to get Emily back even stronger now.

  He drove for an hour and then pulled over in a rest stop to get a little sleep. Resting his head against the headrest, he was almost asleep when a thought made his eyes pop open. As it gained traction in his mind, his heart rate sped up. There was no way she could stay away, not with Grace in such bad shape. Could she? Could it be possible that Emily would be coming home?

  Chapter Sixteen

  After getting Sadie settled by the window, Emily pulled out her cell phone and dialed the office to check in before her flight. Between getting calls made and the packing finished, the morning had flown by and she had completely forgotten to call Phil. But she and Sadie were one of the first on the plane, so she had just enough time to get it done before takeoff.

  “A Touch of Flair. This is Phil, may I help you?”

  Emily smiled, it was nice to know that the employees were professional and polite even when she wasn’t in the office. “Hey, Phil, it’s Em. Just wanted to check in before this flying deathtrap takes off.”

  “Jeez, Em, try some positivity. Bad things happen to people who envision bad things,” Phil warned her.

  “You know I don’t like to fly,” Emily said, cringing when she realized there was just the tiniest bit of whining in her voice. Clearing her throat, she continued, “How are things?”

  “Ugh, horrible. Jenny’s sick as a dog, and she won’t go home. I’m afraid to get within ten feet of her.”

  Rolling her eyes, Emily sighed. This was the last thing she needed. The owner of the company was away on a months-long trip across Europe with her husband and children. Emily was in charge, and she needed both Phil and Jenny in the office this week, especially now that she was heading home for who-knew-how-long. Emily was Kendra’s backup, and Phil was hers. There was no backup for Phil. She couldn’t risk Jenny infecting Phil and then having no one in the office.

  “Tell her to go home and email me the new project from Friday. I can sketch it out and get it started while I’m in New Mexico.”

  “You tell her; she’s not listening to me.”

  “Are you crazy, Emily?” Jenny shrieked into the phone. “There’s too much to do around here, I can’t go home!”

  “You have to go home, Jenny. I can’t afford for you both to be sick. Take a project home with you and work on it there. Phil can handle the office by himself.”

  “He’s sticking to his side of the office and he’s wearing a face mask. I’m fine. I’m just a little stuffy,” she said, dissolving into a coughing fit.

  “Uh-huh. Just a little stuffy. Go home, Jenny!”

  “Fine, I’ll go.”

  Emily heard the unmistakable sound of an aerosol spray across the line.

  “Thanks, Em! I didn’t think she’d go.”

  “Did you just spray Lysol on the phone?”

  Phil laughed. “Yes. I’ve been spraying everything she touches since she came in this morning.”

  “Nice.” Emily chuckled. “Is she going?”

  “Yeah, she’s packing up her desk.”

  “Email me the project notes, and when I get to the hotel this evening, I’ll start working on it.”

  “Are you sure you’ll have enough time to work on this stuff? Shouldn’t you focus on your mom?”

  “The ICU only allows five- or ten-minute visits every hour. I’ll have a lot of downtime. Just do what you can this week, Phil. When I get back, we’ll update all the project plans and see what needs doing. You know we always manage to get it done. Somehow.”

  “Sounds good. Have a safe flight.”

  “Hm. I’ll practice some of that positivity you like so much.”

  Emily hung up with seconds to spare. She was putting her phone back in her purse when the announcement came over the loud speaker to turn off all electronic devices. She watched as the flight attendants went through the safety procedures, but it did little to ease her mind on the safety and survivability of the aircraft. Sighing to herself and trying to calm her racing heart, Emily held Sadie’s hand
and rested her head against the headrest, closing her eyes and practicing deep breathing exercises.

  A few minutes later, the plane taxied out onto the runway. “Mama, fast!” Sadie exclaimed excitedly, eyes glued to the scenery outside the window.

  Unable to help herself, she gripped the armrest hard during the takeoff and didn’t relax her grip until the plane leveled out. Who had the bright idea to invent planes? Weren’t trains, boats, and cars enough? How much of the world was missed because people were too high in the air to see it and appreciate it. She wondered what life would be like if the airplane had never been invented. Would families have continued to live close? Would children be better adjusted? Would there be less crime?

  Shrugging her shoulders, she pushed the thoughts out of her mind. They’d been invented, so there was no use imagining a world without them. She pulled out her copies of US Weekly and People, reading through both of them and then starting on the word find puzzles book she’d tucked into her purse at the last minute.

  She was relieved when the plane landed with barely a bump in Dallas and was glad for the break, a chance to stretch her legs and get something to eat. Even better, a chance to use the restroom—one that wasn’t cramped and impossible to maneuver in. Sadie had fallen asleep during the flight and was groggy and slow as they tried to deplane. They quickly used the restroom and then stopped at a TGI Fridays for some food.

  When it was time to board again, they gathered up their belongings. Emily was grateful that the airlines saw fit to let passengers traveling with small children board first. Settling into their seats, she made sure Sadie’s bag was in easy reach yet still under the seat in front of her. Then she turned off her phone and pulled out the word find puzzles, tucking it under her leg for easy access. She leaned her head against the seat and closed her eyes. One more takeoff and landing. I can do this. When the plane had leveled out again, she slowly opened her eyes, peeking out the window. All she saw were puffy white clouds, a soft carpet beneath the plane. Deciding that wasn’t as comforting as she thought it should be, she pulled out her puzzles and left the window gazing to her daughter.