by Carrie Carr
"What? But--"
"No, really. I've never known two people who had as much love to give as you two, and we think our baby would be lucky to have you."
Amanda shook her head, scared at all the talk of her sister's mortality. "Nothing's going to happen to you, Jeannie. Don't talk like that."
"Please?"
Her sister looked so fragile. "All right. Whatever you say."
She hoped that agreeing with Jeannie would help her get through the surgery without worry.
Jeannie squeezed Amanda's hand, and her eyes closed.
"I love you, Jeannie." Amanda pulled her hand up and kissed it, then watched as Jeannie's eyes opened again.
"If I don't make it out of surgery--"
"Please don't say that, Jeannie," she begged, struggling to hold back her tears. "You're going to be fine."
Jeannie tightened her grip on her sister's hand. "If I don't make it, please take care of Frank for me. You know how helpless he is."
Amanda's laugh turned into a sob. "God, Jeannie. I don't know--"
"Promise me?"
Realizing that her sister had no breath to spare on an argument, Amanda nodded. "All right. But nothing's going to happen." She leaned down until they were nose to nose. "You're going to be fine, you hear me?"
A discreet throat clearing from the doorway caused Amanda to stand up and turn around. A middle-aged nurse gave her a sympathetic smile. "I'm sorry, Miss. But we have to get Mrs. Rivers ready for surgery. I'm afraid you'll have to leave."
"Okay." Amanda turned back to her sister and kissed her on the forehead. "I'll see you and the baby in a little while."
Jeannie nodded, and closed her eyes again. The conversation had worn her out.
Amanda walked across the room and stopped by the nurse. "Take good care of her. She's the only sister I've got." Her emotions almost escaped her rigid control when the nurse squeezed her arm. The orderlies entered as Amanda edged her way out of the room.
HEARING THE SLAM of a vehicle door, Martha hurried out of the kitchen and through the back door. The white four-door pickup truck bore the ranch brand on the driver's door, and Roy waited with the other two men next to the truck. When Martha stepped up beside him, the four of them went into the barn together.
Ronnie was still brushing down the filly, and he looked up as the group walked inside. "Hey, there. What's going on?"
"That's what we're trying to figure out," Roy said, looking to Martha. "So, you figure Lex took the filly out today?"
Martha nodded. "According to Ronnie, it was her saddle on the animal."
"Where's the saddle now?"
"In the tack room," Ronnie supplied. "I haven't cleaned it yet. I was going to do that once I finished with the horse."
Roy ducked his head slightly in confirmation, then left the group long enough to check out the saddle. When he returned, he removed his hat and shook his head. "I can't see anything wrong with the saddle, other than being dirty." He tried to sound matter-of-fact to keep Martha from worrying too much. "The filly's new to the saddle, so it wouldn't take much for her to try to toss someone off. I'm sure Lex is walking back now, cursing her decision to take a new pony for a ride."
"Maybe. But I'd feel a lot better if you'd go out looking for her. She said something about checking out the new property today, and that's one heck of a long walk. I can't help but think that she would have called."
"All right." Roy turned to one of the men. "Juan, why don't you gather up some flashlights and supplies while Chris saddles up the horses."
"I want to help," Ronnie interjected. "I've finished taking care of the filly, and I can ride as well as anyone else."
Roy looked over at Martha, who sighed, then nodded. The young man had shown a lot of responsibility around the ranch, and another pair of eyes out in the darkness couldn't hurt.
"Okay, Ronnie," Roy said. "I'll need you to run up to the house and get the radios so we can keep in touch." No sooner had the words left his mouth than Ronnie had raced from the barn. Roy put his hat back on. "We'll contact you the minute we find anything," he promised Martha.
"Thank you, Roy." Martha reached over and squeezed the foreman's arm. "Just take care of my boy, and bring my girl home."
"You know I will." Roy waited until the housekeeper left the barn, then turned to help his men get ready for the ride.
"THIS LOOKS LIKE as good a spot as any." Lex had limped around the creek looking for the easiest place to descend, and her best bet seemed to be in front of her. The muddy walls were at less of an angle, and there were several juniper bushes she could hang onto during the descent.
Halfway down, the stick that Lex used as a crutch snapped in two, throwing her headfirst down the embankment. She tumbled through the mud, finally coming to a stop a few feet from the water. "Damn, damn, damn!" She reached down and gripped her knee, struggling to keep from passing out from the pain. She lay there until the stars in her vision disappeared, then sat up and looked around. "Just perfect. I can't even climb down into a creek bed without screwing it up." The sound of the running water re-awakened her thirst, so Lex dragged herself to the edge of the water and scooped some of the clear liquid into her hand.
Once her thirst was slaked, she lay back and looked up at the stars. The night was clear, and she was definitely feeling the chill. The cold water of the creek gave her an idea, and she reached for the utility knife she wore on her belt. Leaning over her leg, Lex cut away the denim material below her knee. She dipped the cloth into the creek, and then wrapped it around her leg. "Shit, that's freezing." But the cold compress would help the sprain. She lay back again and tried to think warm thoughts.
Her injured knee throbbed in time with the beat of her heart, and she once again found herself thinking about Amanda. As strained as their relationship had been lately, she couldn't help but think about the woman she'd vowed to spend the rest of her life with. "I hope she's not too worried." Suddenly remembering her cell phone, Lex tried to use it again, but was still given the "out of area" message. Then the phone beeped twice, and went dark. "Great. Now the stinking battery's dead." She clipped it back to her belt as she fought off a cough.
The cold, damp night air combined with the wet compress caused Lex to shiver, cough, and struggle to stay awake. Against her will, she found her eyes closing. Amanda's face filled her mind, and she thought back to when they'd first met. I think the moment I saw you lying in the mud next to the creek, I fell in love with you. I tried not to, but there was just something about you, even then. Lex hadn't been the slightest bit interested in finding love, much less expecting to find it in the most unusual of places. What did someone like her, see in me? She's beautiful, smart, and could certainly have her pick of lovers. I wonder why she chose me? Lex had fought her feelings for Amanda, not sure if they'd ever be reciprocated. But every minute they were together opened Lex's heart more and more. And after the kiss in the barn, she knew that she was lost. "And here I am, lost again. But without you," Lex whispered. Lying in the mud, she covered her face with one arm, defeated.
THE HOSPITAL WAS quiet in the late evening hour. Amanda and Frank sat facing the operating room door through which Jeannie had been taken, waiting nervously for any word of Jeannie's progress. Their linked hands drew angry looks from Ellie, who stood at a nearby window, unable to sit still and watch Amanda take comfort from someone else.
Frank wanted to jump up and rant, scream, and demand to be allowed in the operating room. Having taken all the childbirth classes so that he could be present at the birth, he hated not being with his wife. "What's taking so damned long?"
Before Amanda could answer, several more hospital personnel raced down the hall and through the door, leaving a tense atmosphere in their wake.
Ellie walked over and sat next to Amanda. "Something's up." Although she didn't like the way he and Amanda interacted, she couldn't help but feel sorry for Frank and tried to reassure him. "It's probably something routine."
Frank disentangl
ed his hands from Amanda's and stood to pace the floor. He hands went into his pockets and rattled loose change, and he made a wide circuit around the otherwise empty waiting room. "This is taking too damned long. What's going on in there?" His questions, more to himself than anyone else, went unanswered as they waited.
Jeannie's doctor finally stepped through the door, wearing a serious look on his face. He was almost knocked back by Frank, who rushed over to meet him.
"Well? How is she?"
"Mr. Rivers, you are the father of a beautiful baby girl. Even though she's a little premature, she's doing quite well."
Amanda went over to stand next to Frank, seeing by the look on the doctor's face that wasn't all he had to say. "There's something else, isn't there? What about my sister?"
"I'm afraid we've had some complications." The doctor's voice was quiet, and it seemed as if he were searching for the right words.
"Complications? What kind of complications?" Frank tried to push by the physician. "I want to see my wife."
Putting his arm in front of Frank to block his path, the doctor shook his head. "During the procedure, Mrs. Rivers' blood pressure became elevated and she had several seizures. We--"
Amanda gasped, and words wouldn't come.
"Where is she now," Frank demanded. "I've got to--"
"She's in recovery," the doctor told them. "Listen to me now." He waited until he had their complete attention. "I'm afraid there's no easy way to say this. The seizures caused a stroke, and Mrs. Rivers has slipped into a coma."
Amanda stumbled backward, caught and steadied by Ellie. "Dear God," Amanda choked out.
Frank shook his head slowly, mechanically. "No, that's not possible. It was just a simple Caesarean. Things like this don't happen." He grabbed the doctor by the arm. "She's going to be fine though, right? Tell me she's going to be all right."
"I'm sorry, Mr. Rivers. Although she is stable at the moment, she's unconscious. And, unfortunately, we have no way of knowing when she will wake up." The obstetrician put a steadying hand on Frank's arm before continuing. "Or if she will. And if she does, there is no guarantee as to what her condition will be. We have every hope that she will regain consciousness. The next few hours will tell us a lot."
JERKING AWAKE, LEX sat up and looked around. She didn't remember falling asleep, and wasn't too sure how long she'd been out. Her hands shook as she removed the damp wrap from her knee, but at least the compress had diminished the pain. Either that, or it's just numb from the cold. A sound off to her right made her turn her head, and she thought she saw a light in the woods. Am I hallucinating?
Men's voices yelled in the distance, and she heard the sound of several horses. A search party? Lex almost cried with relief at the realization. "Hey," she tried to yell, but the word came out more like a ragged croak. The mixture of the night air and the dampness had all but taken her voice. The lights were moving parallel to the creek, and it wouldn't be long before they'd be out of sight.
Knowing that her voice wouldn't be any help, Lex tried to stand, hoping to attract their attention. Her injured leg buckled beneath her, and she fell back to the ground, gasping in pain. She could tell that the voices were slowly moving away. Desperate to be found, Lex looked around and found several good sized rocks, and began to toss them into the woods at the lights. Dammit, over here!
Ronnie, who was bringing up the rear of the search party, stopped his horse when he thought he heard a noise. To his left, there was a crack, like something hitting a tree. He waited, and heard it again. "Hey, Roy! I think I heard something." The other riders turned their mounts around and backtracked to where the teenager waited.
"What did you hear?" Roy asked.
"Probably his imagination," Chris mumbled. He wasn't too happy about having a kid on a search and had been making rude remarks ever since they'd left the barn. "Maybe he just thinks-- Whoa!" His comment was cut short by his horse rearing, when something hit the animal's flank.
Roy tried to keep from laughing. He never had liked Chris very much.
Ronnie pointed to the left, toward the creek. "I kept hearing what sounded like rocks being thrown into the trees."
"Good man," Roy complimented. He waved his hand forward. "Why don't you lead the way?"
"Really?" Ronnie couldn't keep the excitement out of his voice. He tried to look calm by pulling his cowboy hat down lower over his eyes. "This way, fellas."
Lex was beginning to think that the search party had gone on, until she saw the lights coming back through the trees. When the first rider broke through, Lex thought at first she was seeing things. When the beam from one of the lights hit her in the face, she had never in her life been so happy to be temporarily blinded.
Ronnie quickly moved the beam out of her eyes and urged his horse across the slow moving creek. He jumped down to stand a few feet away from Lex, who made no attempt to get to her feet.
"Damn, I'm glad to see you," she croaked.
The other riders soon joined them, and Roy dropped from his saddle next to Ronnie. "Hey, boss. We'd have rode right past you if it wasn't for this guy here." He squatted down and looked at Lex's leg. "Is it broken?"
"Nah, just sprained," she whispered. "But I'd appreciate a little help getting out of here."
"Can you ride?" Roy asked her. When Lex frowned, he almost laughed. Roy looked up at Chris. "You double up with Juan and give the boss your ride."
"Why can't the boy double up?" Chris whined.
"'Cause I told you to, that's why. Or, if you want, you can walk back." Roy winked at Lex, who covered her mouth to keep from laughing. "Ronnie, you get on that side, and I'll take this one." They helped Lex up on her one good leg. It didn't take long for them to get her into a saddle.
Once mounted, Roy leaned over so that no one could hear him. "What happened to you out here?"
Lex was trying to stay in the saddle while fighting off the intense pain. She shook her head and whispered through gritted teeth, "It'd be easier to tell you what didn't."
THE ONLY VISITOR in the room, Amanda watched as her niece slept. The infant lay on its back in the incubator, sucking on a thumb and unaware of the drama that had surrounded her arrival into the world. Tiny wisps of black hair peeked from the stocking cap, and Amanda thought for a moment that this was what a child of hers and Lex's would look like.
Resentment welled up inside her as Amanda realized that her dream was impossible. She and Lex would never be able to have a child together, and the thought hurt. Jeannie had what she never would, and jealousy tore through Amanda.
Remembering her sister's condition, Amanda closed her eyes. Jeannie's prognosis was grim at best. Frank was with the doctors, trying to hang onto anything positive. Feeling sick to her stomach at her uncharitable thoughts, Amanda rushed from the room in tears.
Ellie looked up from her seat in the waiting room as Amanda hurried down the hallway. Concerned, Ellie stood up and was surprised when Amanda fell into her arms. Not desiring to turn down the opportunity to hold Amanda, she pulled the crying woman close. "Shhh. It's okay."
Amanda absorbed the comfort, closing her eyes and wishing it was Lex holding her close. The gentle hand brushing her hair and the strong heartbeat under her ear was different, and she pulled back, a little embarrassed. "I'm sorry about that, Ellie."
"Don't be. I'm glad I was here." Ellie pulled her hand away from Amanda's head and was about to brush the tears away from her eyes when she saw Frank approaching. "Frank."
Engrossed in his own thoughts, Frank didn't pay much attention to the way Ellie was holding Amanda. His eyes were bloodshot, and his suit was wrinkled almost beyond redemption. He had removed his tie earlier, and the end hung out from one of the jacket pockets. "There's been no change," he relayed, rubbing his rough beard with one hand. "There's a specialist with her now, but it doesn't look good."
Amanda turned. "Oh, Frank. She'll make it through this." She took his hands in hers. "Jeannie's tough, and she's got a lot to live for."
/> "God, I hope so." Frank finally noticed his sister-in-law's wan appearance. "You look worse than I feel, Mandy."
Ellie stepped up and put her arm around Amanda's waist. "I was just going to suggest finding a hotel room so that Amanda could get some rest."
"No. I couldn't." Feeling guilty about her earlier thoughts, Amanda wanted to stay and give Frank her support.
"Mandy, please." Frank pulled her closer and looked down into her tired eyes. "You're not going to be any good to Jeannie if you get sick." He reached into his pocket and pulled out his keys. "Why don't you go to our place?"
"But what about you?"
"I'll be fine. They've offered me a place to rest here so I don't have to leave the hospital." Frank didn't tell her that he'd probably never use the cot. He didn't want to spend any time away from his wife unless he was forced to. "I'll call you if anything changes."
Ellie took the keys from Frank. "Thanks. I'll make sure she gets some rest."
"I'll go, but I won't like it," Amanda muttered. She gave Frank a hug and allowed Ellie to lead her down the hall.
As the two women walked away, Frank couldn't help but feel something wasn't quite right. That Ellie is a strange woman. But before he could muse any more on it, a nurse came up to take him back to Jeannie's doctors.
WITH ROY ON one side and Juan on the other, Lex was carried up the steps to the house. Ronnie opened the back door, and the men carefully maneuvered the injured woman inside. Lex hated the helpless feeling, but the pain in trying to use her leg was worse, so she tolerated the attention the best she could. She wasn't looking forward to explaining to Amanda what had happened.
Having heard the back door open, Martha stepped out of the kitchen and gasped at the sight before her. "Goodness! What in heaven's name did you do to yourself, Lexie?"
"It's not as bad as it looks," Lex tried to assure her, as the men carried her into the kitchen and helped her sit in one of the chairs. Her voice was still scratchy from being out in the cold. "Just twisted my knee a bit, that's all."