by Loree Lough
“Y’all ready to order?”
“You first,” Hank said.
“One egg over easy, bacon, white toast, and home fries.”
“I’ll have the same, only—”
“—two eggs over easy,” Agnes finished for him. “You got it, cutie-pie.” And winking, she sashayed away.
“That Agnes,” he said, blushing.
“I wonder…”
“What?”
“If Maude would play so hard to get if she knew how many other women found you appealing?”
“I’d just as soon not win her over with jealousy.” He chuckled. “I’m a little long in the tooth for black eyes and split lips.”
Maude didn’t seem the type who’d resort to such behavior, but she didn’t point it out. Holly had a feeling Hank knew that even better than she did.
“So how much did she tell you? About Daniel, I mean?”
Was it her imagination, or did Hank’s voice take on a bit of an edge just saying the man’s name? “Nothing, really, except that he’s Parker’s father. It was weird,” Holly told him, remembering how Maude’s eyes had filled with tears and how she’d suddenly grown weary enough to require a nap just by looking at the black-and-white reminder of her past.
“He’s more than that. A whole lot more, I’m afraid.”
If there’d been any question about how Hank felt about Daniel, it was gone. Hank definitely had issues with the man who still seemed to hold control of Maude’s heart.
Agnes brought their food and invited them to call her if they needed anything. When she was gone, Hank told the story as he knew it: it was love at first sight for Maude, who was young and naive when she’d met the good-looking soldier. Before she knew what was happening between them, she was pregnant. “She tried to tell him about the baby but chickened out when he said he’d been promoted, that he’d been reassigned to a base out West, where he’d get the chance of his lifetime, test piloting fighter jets.”
Holly felt horrible, making him relive it all by telling her what he knew. “I don’t know anything that tastes worse than cold eggs,” she said.
“Your breakfast is getting cold too,” he said, and then he picked up where he’d left off.
“She was about to break the news to him when a pretty Air Force nurse asked if he was ready for takeoff.”
“And she jumped to the conclusion that Daniel and the woman were an item.”
“Something like that.” He shook his head then pierced the yolk of his egg with a fork tine. She’d been raised by her grandparents, Hank said, who’d scrimped and saved to keep the wolf from the door. “Daniel, on the other hand, was born with the proverbial silver spoon in his mouth.”
Nodding, Holly said, “And she figured they’d think she got pregnant on purpose, hoping to get a matching spoon out of the deal.”
“Which is why they never married.”
How sad, Holly thought, sighing as she shoved her plate away. “Do you ever wish you weren’t so easy to talk to, Hank?”
“All the time, kiddo. All the time.”
“Well, if it’s any consolation, I feel the same way.”
“Wishing Maudie hadn’t hung her dirty laundry out for you to see, are you?”
“Not for the reasons you might think.”
“Oh, I think I know why.”
She met his eyes and waited for him to explain.
“Now that you’ve got this overloaded basket in your lap, you can’t decide what to do with it: tell Parker what you know, or keep your mouth shut.”
“Exactly.”
“Want a piece of advice?”
She grabbed his hand and gave it a gentle squeeze. “Please.”
“Pray for patience and the wisdom to know when to tell him…if you should.” He returned her squeeze. “You’re exactly what that boy needs, Holly. When the truth comes out—and it’s just a matter of time before it does—he’s gonna need somebody like you to lean on.”
“Hard to believe a man like Parker would ever need to lean on someone, but if you’re right, I hope I’ll be strong enough. He’s already been through so much, with heartaches and war wounds and growing up without a father.”
“See there?”
“See what?”
“What you said just now—it’s all the proof I need to tell me you’re a godsend.” He chuckled.
Grinning, she said, “What’s so funny?”
“I don’t know if Parker ever prayed for help in choosing the right woman, but it looks to me like the good Lord read his heart and sent her to him, anyway.”
“I feel so silly saying this, because I’ve known him such a short time, but—”
His cell phone rang, interrupting her. “Speak of the devil,” he said, grinning as he answered. “Hey, Parker. What’s up, son?”
She watched Hank’s face go ashen as he nodded, listening intently to whatever Parker had said. “We’ll be there in ten minutes,” he said, snapping the phone shut.
“It’s Maudie,” he said, answering Holly’s unasked question. “She’s had a heart attack.”
Chapter Fourteen
Seeing how shaken the news had left Hank, Holly slipped Agnes a twenty-dollar bill and she led him to her car. She didn’t want to come right out and say that he was in no condition to drive, so she told him he’d be doing her a favor, acting as her navigator.
“Clumsy as I am, there’s no telling when I might need to make a quick trip to the ER,” she said, hoping to ease his worry at least a little bit. There would be plenty of time for worry once they arrived at the hospital and got all the details about Maude’s condition from Parker.
“Your problem isn’t clumsiness, kiddo; it’s intelligence.” He pointed. “Make a right at the next traffic light.”
Despite the serious situation, she couldn’t help but laugh at that. “You’re joking, right?”
“I’ve had plenty of time to read about all the great inventors and scholars—being Maudie’s boyfriend allows a man lots of time alone—and without exception, they were awkward. You know why?”
“No, but I’d love to hear!”
“Take the next left,” he said. Then, “Because their brains never stopped. Always thinking of the next experiment or test, they were easily distracted. Didn’t see what the rest of us dummies see, so they tripped and dropped things and walked into walls.” He gave her arm a gentle nudge. “Get it? If you weren’t brilliant, you’d be as graceful as a gazelle.”
“Hank Donovan,” she said, “if your heart didn’t already belong to Maude, I’d pray for the means to make you mine.”
“I’m flattered, but you’re all wet, you know that?” Chuckling, he said, “The hospital is just around the next curve. On your right.” And then he said, “But you can’t kid a kidder, kiddo. Your heart belongs to Parker, and nothing this old FBI agent can do will ever change that fact.”
“Goodness,” she said, steering into the parking lot, “does it really show that much?”
“Only to people who take the time to look.” He got out of the car, and when Holly joined him, he linked his arm with hers. “You remember when Agnes asked if you were my daughter?”
As they walked into the lobby, she nodded.
“Well, if God had seen fit to bless me with a daughter, I hope she’d have been exactly like you.”
“You’re sweet.” She stood on tiptoe and kissed his cheek.
“Sweet’s got nothing to do with it. Just tellin’ it like it is, that’s all.” Then he asked the woman behind the desk to look up Maude’s name in the patient directory, and she told them where they could find her.
Parker saw them the instant the elevator doors opened. “Thank God you’re here,” he said, stepping between them. Flinging an arm over their shoulders, he led them to the waiting area where he’d been sitting. “They’ve done a preliminary exam and think it’s a blockage. They’ve got her in the Cath Lab now, looking to see how bad it is.”
“But she just had a full physical,” Hank said, “and the EKG
didn’t show a thing wrong with her.”
“That’s because that test doesn’t show blockages,” Holly said. “My dad went through something similar a couple of years ago. It took a sonogram to determine where the blockages were.” She squeezed Hank’s forearm. “They’re doing the right tests,” she assured him. “And they’re pretty quick about getting back with the results.”
She didn’t say that her father’s episode had sent him to Johns Hopkins, one of the nation’s best-equipped, best-staffed institutions. “Why don’t we relax over there?” she said instead, pointing to the row of chairs across the way.
Parker and Hank sat side by side as she added, “How about if I see if the nurses will share some stale coffee with us?”
“None for me,” Parker said.
“Me either,” said Hank.
“Then, bottled water or a soda or—”
The double doors at the end of the hall whooshed open, admitting a white-coated doctor. He slid off his surgical cap and stuffed his stethoscope into a deep lab coat pocket. “Mr. Brant?”
Parker stood, and so did Hank. Holly, who hadn’t had a chance to sit yet, stood between them.
The doctor extended a hand. “Bill Williams,” he said when Parker shook it. He looked at Hank. “You must be the boyfriend.”
Hank’s white eyebrows lifted in surprise.
“She told me you’d be here, and that I was to tell you not to worry.”
When Holly heard Hank swallow, she grabbed his hand.
The doctor explained what they’d found so far, adding that the only solution was open-heart surgery. He told them how they’d remove veins from her leg and use them to replace the arteries damaged by the blockage. A six-to eight-hour operation, he added, provided that there were no complications. He asked if they knew their blood types and then nodded when all three claimed Type O. “Good,” he said to Parker. “That’s the universal donor, and your mother’s blood type as well. We’ll run some quick tests—which I’m sure you’ll all pass—then get a pint or two from each of you just as a precaution. Give me a few minutes to arrange it.”
And with that, he disappeared through the double doors again.
“Well, that was fast,” Parker said, slumping onto the nearest chair.
Hank sat beside him. “I suppose there’s one good thing to come of this.”
Frowning, Parker looked over at him, as if to say, “Are you nuts?”
“At least now we know she’ll get the flat-on-her-back rest she needs,” Hank said, “for those feet of hers to continue healing.”
Several minutes later, a nurse carrying a clipboard stepped into the quiet hall. “You three,” she said, pointing, “come with me.”
Exchanging puzzled glances, they followed her. “Reminds me of my days in boot camp,” Parker whispered from the corner of his mouth. “ ‘Just do what you’re told and don’t ask questions.’ ”
“Now that’s what I like,” the nurse said, winking, “obedient patients.”
“Patients?” Holly cleared her throat. “There must be some mistake. We’re here for Maude Brant.”
“You’re all Type O, right?”
“Yes, but—”
“Then you’re my patients.” She handed Hank the clipboard. “You fill out that form, honey, while I get these two hooked up.”
Parker and Holly leaned back in pink vinyl chairs and sipped the OJ the nurse had thrust at them. “Ladies first,” the nurse said, wrapping a tourniquet around Holly’s bicep. She hung an empty IV bag on the pole between the lounges before saying, “Make a fist, honey.” Uncapping a needle, she reassured Holly. “This won’t hurt a bit.” After piercing the tender flesh in the bend of Holly’s arm, the nurse checked the clear tubing that led from the needle to the bag. Satisfied that things were working as they should, she stepped up beside Parker.
“Ready, good-lookin’?” she asked. Before he had a chance to reply, she ran him through the same paces Holly had just completed then took the clipboard from Hank and handed it to Parker. “Fill that out while I take care of Handsome over there, and when you’ve finished filling out your form, hand it to your girlfriend.” She gave them all a hard stare. “If everybody does his or her job just right, we can be finished here just in time for my coffee break.”
Another nurse poked her head into the room. “Mrs. Brant is asking for Dr. Leonard. So when you’re finished here—”
Their nurse blanched. “Doctor?” she echoed. “Why didn’t you say something? If I’d known you were a doctor, I’d have—”
“Relax, lady,” Hank butt in, “she ain’t that kinda doctor.” He shook his head. “But it’s nice to know that your bedside manner changes depending on who your patients are.”
“As I was going to say,” the nurse began, “before I was so rudely interrupted, if I’d known she was a doctor, I would’ve saved her for last.” She wigged her eyebrows and snickered. “You know, enhancing the whole ‘misery loves company’ sensation.”
She wasted no time in getting Hank hooked up to an IV. “So tell me, if you’re not a medical doctor, what type of doctor are you?” she asked Holly.
“PhD,” Holly answered.
“She’s too modest,” Hank said. “The lady’s a marine biologist.”
“Is that a fact?” She didn’t sound impressed. Didn’t look impressed, either, as she rechecked the tubes and bags. “Drink that orange juice, gang. I wouldn’t want anybody passing out on me.”
“I could use a refill…,” Hank said, holding up his empty juice bottle, “…Florence.”
“Oh. A funny man, eh?” But she chuckled, and this time it almost seemed sincere. “Happy to oblige, Handsome.” With that, she shoved through the door and called over her shoulder, “I’ve got orders to get a full bag from each of you, so behave, or I might just make that two.”
“She isn’t fooling me,” Holly said.
Parker looked up from the clipboard to say, “What’re you talking about?”
“She saw how tense we were and distracted us by behaving like Dorothy’s wicked witch.” She sipped her juice. “And it worked, didn’t it?”
Hank and Parker exchanged a bored glance. “Yeah. I guess so,” Parker admitted.
“Maybe we oughta send her a thank-you card.”
“Good one, Hank.”
“And flowers.”
“Let’s not get carried away.”
Doctor Williams burst into the room. “Good, good,” he said, inspecting the tubing. Stepping up beside Parker, he added, “Your mom is doing great. We’ve given her some light sedation to keep her calm while we finish the tests and wait for the results, so don’t be surprised if, when you’re finished here, she’s a little drowsy.” He looked at Holly. “Did the nurse tell you that Mrs. Brant wants to see you?”
“She did.”
“Alone?”
“No.” Holly licked her lips. Why would Maude want to spend these last minutes with her instead of her son—or Hank, who loved her so much that he would have happily traded places with her?
“Ever given blood before?”
“Yes.”
“Good. Then you know that sometimes dizziness can sneak up on you.” He patted her hand. “So make sure you give yourself plenty of time before you see her. We don’t need two patients from the same family tonight.”
Nodding, Holly smiled. “Thanks. I’ll remember that.”
“Don’t stay too long, now. I’m sure she’ll want to see these two before she goes off to surgery as well, and we don’t want to unnecessarily tire her.”
It was all happening so fast. Maybe that explains the dizziness, Holly thought. “I won’t.”
“When will you start the operation?” Parker wanted to know.
Williams pulled back his sleeve and looked at his watch. “I’m guessing it’ll be another hour or two before we have all the test results. As soon as I’ve had a chance to review everything, I’ll book an OR and come find you.”
“Thanks, Doc.”
; Nodding, he disconnected Holly from the tubes.
“I’m not finished already, am I?”
“Yeah, you are.” After pressing a bandage to the needle prick, he added, “It’s my professional opinion that when a patient’s face is as white as the pillowcase under her head, she’s given enough blood.”
Holly groaned. “Of all the times to behave like a weakling.”
“Happens to the best of us. Last time I donated, I passed out cold. Took two orderlies and a burly nurse to get me back up onto the chair.” He made a last check of the men’s tubes. “I’ll have the nurse bring you a soda. The sugar and caffeine works better for some reason than OJ.” On his way out the door, he laughed. “Nobody go anywhere now, hear?”
“Hmpf. And Nurse Ratchet called me a comedian,” Hank muttered as the door opened again.
“Goodness,” said their nurse. “I’ve starred in two movies in less than a half hour.” After handing them each a can of cola, she fluffed her hair. “Maybe I’ve missed my calling.” She disappeared for a moment and returned pushing a wheelchair. “Hop on, my pretty,” she told Holly. “You and I are going for a little ride.”
“Speed limit in the hospital is five,” Hank called after her.
“That’s only if you’re a patient. Or a visitor.” And the last thing they heard before the door whooshed closed was her enthusiastic, “Woo-hoo!”
* * * * *
Maude’s eyes fluttered open when she heard the tick-tick-tick of the wheelchair rolling into the draped cubicle. “Holly? Is that you?”
“Yeah, it’s me,” she said, squeezing Maude’s hand as the nurse pushed a chair closer to the bed. Holly thanked her and sat down. “The doctor said you wanted to talk to me?”
Maude nodded. “I have a favor to ask.”
“You know I’d do anything for you.”
“It’s a big ’un,” she said, smiling weakly, “so if you feel differently after you hear what I have to say, I won’t hold it against you.”
Under different circumstances, Holly might have admitted that the woman was scaring her. At times like these, she wished her mom was nearby, so she could get some solid, straightforward advice, the kind only a loving mother could give.