by Linda Warren
They went through the automatic glass doors and saw Falcon and Quincy standing to the left.
“What happened?” Elias asked.
From his brothers’ pale faces, he knew it was bad.
“We were in the office, just Mom and me,” Falcon said. “I told her we needed more help to get the hay in and she said to do whatever I wanted. Then she grabbed her chest and fell to the floor. It’s a sight I’ll never forget.” Falcon turned away and then turned back. “What the hell is taking so long?”
His other brothers came running in, dirty from the hay fields. “How’s Mom?” Egan asked.
“We don’t know,” Quincy said. “They’re working on her. The paramedic felt it was either a heart attack or a stroke. We just have to wait.”
His brothers milled around, waiting, but they were all glancing at him and he knew what they were thinking: It’s your fault. But no one said it out loud.
A nurse came up to them. “There’s a waiting room to the right,” she said and they all filed into the small room. Grandpa sank into a chair as white as Elias had ever seen him. Chase stayed close to Grandpa. Elias’s chest felt like a forty-pound bowling ball was sitting on it and he was having trouble breathing. He gripped Maribel’s hand tighter.
His brothers paced. Some sat and then they got back up again. They were all worried. A coldness settled over Elias and a chill touched his soul. How would he survive if something happened to his mother? There was no going back, though, and he had to face this head-on. He stood a little taller and a little bolder. His mom would want him to.
A doctor in scrubs came into the waiting room. “Rebel family?”
They all went to meet him.
The doctor raised an eyebrow. “You’re all with Kate Rebel?”
“We’re her sons,” Falcon said. “How’s our mom?”
Elias held his breath as he waited for the next words because he knew they would stay with him for the rest of his life.
“Your mom did not have a heart attack or a stroke. She had an anxiety attack and she’s resting comfortably now.”
Everyone sagged with relief.
“What does this mean?” Quincy asked.
“It means she’s been under a lot of stress and now she’s going to have to take it easy and I’m counting on all of you to make that happen.”
“Yes, sir,” echoed around the room.
“We’re going to keep her for a few days to monitor her and we’re going to limit visitation. Only two people at a time. The main thing for her right now is to keep her quiet and relaxed. We’ll be taking her up to a room in a few minutes. All of you can go home and sort through visiting times. I’m serious—only two people at a time. But she’s asking to see Elias. Which one is Elias?”
Elias raised his hand. “That’s me.”
“I’ll allow you ten minutes with her. Agree with whatever she tells you. Don’t upset her.”
He swallowed hard. “I won’t.”
The doctor walked away.
Falcon turned to Elias. “Do exactly as he says.”
“I wouldn’t think of doing anything else, Falcon.”
“You and Mom have to sort this out, but not tonight.”
He didn’t want to get into an argument with his brothers. He turned around and wrapped his arm around Maribel. His legs were wobbly and he needed her to hold on to.
She patted his chest. “Your mom’s okay. Everything’s going to be fine.”
He drew a deep breath and blinked back a tear. “I know. I can hardly believe it. And you were right. I should have talked to her before now.”
“Since we can’t see her, I guess we need to get back to work,” Egan said.
“That’s a good idea,” Falcon added. “I’ll put a schedule in the office in the morning for visiting times. I’ll check with the doctor first. She’s going to be okay. That’s the main thing.”
“I don’t think she’s going to want to see anybody but Elias for the next few days.” Phoenix slapped Elias on the shoulder.
“That’s probably true.” Quincy joined his brothers as they left the hospital.
Chase came to Elias’s side. “Dad, Grandpa is shaky and he can’t get up.”
Dad. It sounded so beautiful in that moment in time.
Elias went to his grandpa in the waiting room and sat beside him. “How you doing?”
“Could you get me something to eat or drink?”
“I’ll get it,” Chase said and turned toward a vending machine. He quickly turned back. “I don’t have any money.”
Elias pulled out his wallet and handed Chase a couple of bills. “Get something for yourself, too, and see if your mom wants something.”
“Grandpa, Mom’s going to be okay so you can stop worrying. But you and Maribel were right. I should’ve gone home a long time ago. Just can’t escape from being stubborn.”
Grandpa slapped him on the leg. “It’s in your DNA.”
Chase handed Grandpa a Coke and some peanut butter crackers.
Maribel sat beside him, drinking a soda.
A nurse came into the room. “Your mother is in her room and she’s asking for you.”
Elias got to his feet. “Thanks.”
“We’ll wait for you here,” Maribel said.
He shook his head. “No, I need you with me.” Admitting that meant some of the stubbornness in him had been chipped away.
Chase stayed with Grandpa and he and Maribel took the elevator up to his mother’s room. He met another doctor who once again cautioned him about upsetting his mother.
“It’ll be okay, Elias,” Maribel told him. “She wants to see you for a reason. And it’s a good reason.”
Elias held on to that thought as he pushed the door open. The moment he saw his mother lying in the bed so pale and lifeless, his heart fell to the pit of his stomach. An IV was in one arm and she was hooked up to a heart monitor. He had never seen her look so pale. The beep of the monitor sounded like an alarm going off in his head. For a moment, he couldn’t move as he realized how much his mother had aged.
The moment she saw him, she held out her hand. “Elias, Elias, come here.”
He immediately went to the bedside and she reached for his hand and gripped it with more strength than he thought she had.
“I’m sorry. I’m so sorry.” Her words were weak and almost breathless. “I would never disinherit you. Please believe that.”
He swallowed hard. “I do, Mom.”
“I can’t believe I said that.”
“It’s okay, Mom. Everything’s okay.”
She shook her head. “No, it’s not. I did a terrible thing. A horrible thing. I will never be able to forgive myself.”
He gripped her hand. “I forgive you, Mom.”
“You shouldn’t. Your father must be so upset with me. He used to say I was the most stubborn woman he’d ever met and he was right. I just couldn’t admit what I’d done. Sending our first male grandson away to live who knows what kind of life.”
“Maribel did okay, Mom. She was helped by a woman named Miss Vennie, who was like a mother to her and a grandmother to Chase. They had a good life until Maribel lost her job.”
“I’m glad someone was there for them.” She squeezed Elias’s hand. “I want to tell you what happened that day.”
“You don’t have to.”
“That morning I couldn’t wake your dad. He’d been drinking all night and was out like a light. He didn’t even go to work, which was unusual. I was angry at what the McCrays had done to our lives and then Maribel showed up, saying she was pregnant with your child. I just knew it was Ira’s way of getting back at us. To make us suffer. Not for one minute did I believe she was telling the truth.” A tear slipped from his mother’s eyes. “I’m so sor
ry.”
“There’s no need to be. I understand how you felt. I understand what was going on at the time and so does Maribel. For all our sakes, just let it go.”
“I have to see her, Elias. I won’t have any peace until I see Maribel.”
“The doctor said you had to rest and you can’t have visitors.”
His mom looked at the nurse standing on the other side of the bed. “I need to see my doctor. I have to talk to him.”
“Mrs. Rebel, you have to rest.”
“I won’t get any rest until I see this young woman and her son...my grandson.”
“I’ll see if he’s still at the nurse’s station.” The nurse left the room and Elias wasn’t sure what to say.
In a minute, the nurse was back. “The doctor said for only a minute and he’s ordered another medication so you can rest. So make it quick.”
Elias went into the hall to get Maribel, who had her own doubts.
“Elias, I don’t think this is wise.”
“Me, either. But she’s insisting and the doctor said it was okay.” They went back-and-forth but Elias knew he had to do what his mother wanted. Chase was opposed to seeing his grandmother. But after more discussion, Elias walked back into the room with Maribel and his son behind him. He planned to make it short.
Before he could say anything, his mother held out her hand, “Maribel, please come closer.”
Maribel walked to the bedside.
“I’m so sorry for the way I have treated you. I will never get over the injustice I have done to you and your son. Please forgive me. I’m just a crazy old woman, clinging to a past that has died long ago.”
“It’s okay, Miss Kate,” Maribel said. “Just get well again. That’s what we want.”
“You’re so nice.” His mother’s eyes glanced toward the door where Chase was standing like a statue. “Can I please meet my grandson? I know I don’t deserve to, but I’m begging you.”
Elias put his hand on Chase’s back and slowly moved him forward. “Mom, this is my son, Chase.”
“Oh.” Another tear slipped from his mother’s eyes. “You look so much like your father and your grandfather. Elias is more like his father than any of my sons. He has that stubborn streak in him and his work ethics are the same as John’s. I’m so sorry you never got to meet your grandfather and he would be so angry with me for the choices I made when your mother came to the house. Please forgive me.”
Chase cleared his throat. “It’s okay. My mom took good care of me and so did Nana.”
“I’m glad. I hope someday you’ll accept me as your grandma.”
The nurse injected something into the IV. “Visiting time is over, Mrs. Rebel. You can see your family again tomorrow.”
Elias leaned over and kissed his mother’s forehead. “Get some rest and I’ll be back tomorrow. Just don’t worry about anything.”
“Elias.” She reached up and touched his face and a warmth shot through him as if he was five years old again. “They need you on the ranch. They need your help to get the hay in. Think about coming home, please.”
He swallowed the tightness in his throat. “I will. And don’t worry.”
Elias walked out of the hospital with his family and for the first time he felt as if he and Maribel and Chase were a family. And, of course, Grandpa. It was a surreal moment.
As he got into his truck, he knew when he’d told his mother he would think about coming back to the ranch that he would. His mother knew it, too. He would have to burn the candle at both ends and then some. But never again would he disappoint the women in his life: his mother and Maribel.
* * *
MARIBEL WANTED TO say something on the drive home, but felt it was better if she remained silent. Elias had a lot on his mind. She was just happy Miss Kate was going to be okay.
As soon as they reached the house, Elias went to work, laying the flooring in Chase’s bedroom. He’d had no plans to do that today but she didn’t question him. It was late, so she went to Paige’s house to cook supper. Grandpa went with her. He was exhausted and fell asleep on the sofa.
Chase came in at about eight o’clock.
“Where’s your father?”
“He’s still working. He told me to go home and eat. I told him I’d stay, but he said in that deep no-nonsense voice to go home, so I did.”
At ten o’clock, Elias still wasn’t home. Chase and Grandpa were asleep, so she got in her car and went back to the house in her T-shirt and flip-flops. Elias was laying the flooring in the study. He already had the flooring finished in the two bedrooms.
“Elias, it’s time to quit.”
He swabbed glue onto the floor and laid a hard wood plank in place and tapped it to fit securely. “As soon as I finish the study, I’ll be home.”
“You’re coming home now. The flooring can wait.”
“Maribel...”
“Now, Elias. We have plenty of time to get the flooring in, but not at the risk of your health.”
Surprisingly, he got to his feet. But he winced.
“What’s wrong?”
“Nothing, just a little stiff from being on my knees.”
She hooked an arm around his waist. “Let’s go home.”
At the house, he quickly ate supper, took a shower and fell into bed. When she went to check on him, he was sprawled on the king-size bed on his stomach in his underwear.
“Are you okay?”
“Yeah. Just tired.”
“Does your back hurt?”
“A little.”
For him to admit that, she knew it must hurt a lot.
“Did you know that I give a killer massage?” She straddled his back and started to knead the tight muscles in his shoulders.
“Ah, Mari, I think I’m dreaming.”
She loved it when he called her that. It came out Merry.
“I’ll be working on the house and helping with the hay, too. I’ll take Chase with me.”
She had known that was his intention by his sudden mad rush to finish the house that evening. “Elias, just take it slow.” His muscles were tight and she continued to rub until she felt him relax. Touching the strong muscles of his back was intimate and tempting. It had been a long time since she’d touched him and she wanted to continue to touch him long into the night. The thought stopped her hands.
Elias reached around with one arm and pulled her down beside him. “Sleep with me tonight, Mari.”
Without thinking about it, she snuggled into his almost naked frame and felt alive for the first time since she was seventeen years old. It wouldn’t hurt to stay here for a few minutes just to enjoy being with him. She didn’t question her motive. She just went with her feelings.
When she awoke at 5:00 a.m. the spot beside her was empty and a loneliness crept into her soul. She knew Elias wasn’t in the bathroom. There was only one place he’d go at this time of the morning: the hospital.
He’d gone to see his mother.
And the loneliness grew deeper.
Chapter Thirteen
The next morning, Elias crawled out of bed reluctantly. The sight of Maribel lying there with her hair all over the pillow and her long smooth legs visible from under the T-shirt made him pause. He just wanted to crawl back in bed and spend the rest of the day with her.
But duty called.
He checked in on his mom and she was much better and ready to go home. She looked like her old self and his heart eased. He told her he would be helping with the hay and that made her feel even better. She apologized all over again and he didn’t want a repeat of yesterday so he told her he had to go.
Back at the house he had a quick breakfast then he, Chase and Grandpa went to work. Grandpa sat in a chair watching them lay the flooring in the study and
the master bedroom. At eight o’clock, they headed to Rebel Ranch.
Elias knew the schedule during hay months. First thing in the morning, they took care of the cattle and the horses and then met at the office to discuss the rest of the day. The office was full by the time they got there.
Falcon was speaking but stopped when they entered the room. “Welcome back, Elias.”
He nodded. “I’d like everyone to meet my son, Chase. I didn’t get to do that yesterday with all the excitement.”
Chase shook hands with his uncles. Zane, Jude’s almost sixteen-year-old son, walked up to Chase.
“I’m Zane.”
“So?”
Elias didn’t like the attitude, but he didn’t say anything. He knew his son was nervous meeting so many people at one time.
“I’m your cousin. You’re living in my mom’s house.”
“Oh. Thanks.”
His son was at a loss for words. Zane was a good kid and Elias knew the two boys would work it out on their own.
“Okay, well...” Falcon got back to business. “Quincy will be bailing today and Jude and Egan will be working on the second hay baler, which broke yesterday. We have hundreds of round bales that need to be taken off the field. And we have one thousand alfalfa bales on the field, too. Mr. Whitaker wants five hundred alfalfa bales delivered to his farm today. Mr. Cummings is coming with his trailer to be loaded with two hundred bales at one o’clock and Mr. Dorsey is coming at three with his trailer to be loaded with two hundred bales. That leaves one hundred bales on the field that need to go into the barn. Pick your poison.”
“Jericho and I will take care of the alfalfa bales,” Elias said.
“You mean the bales to Mr. Whitaker?” Falcon asked.
“No. I mean I’ll take care of the alfalfa bales to everyone.”
Falcon sighed. “You can’t do all that in one day, Elias.”
“Do you know me, Falcon?”
Falcon sighed. “Okay. But call me if you can’t load Mr. Cummings’s trailer. I’ll need to alert him and Mr. Dorsey.”
“There’ll be no phone call.” Elias turned to Rico. “Ready?”
“Ready.”
“Since Dad is working on the baler, I’ll help Uncle Elias today,” Zane said.