by Diana Palmer
“Well, they mostly do,” Odalie said sheepishly. “But, you see, Cort’s Dad endowed the new pediatric unit, and mine paid for the equipment in the physical therapy unit. So, they sort of made an exception for us.”
Maddie laughed in spite of the pain. “Oh, my.”
“As my dad explained it, you can do a lot of good for other people and help defray your own taxes, all at once. But, just between us, my dad would give away money even if it didn’t help his tax bill. So would Cort’s. It’s just the sort of people they are.”
“It’s very nice of them.” She shifted and grimaced. “How are things at my ranch, do you know?” she asked worriedly.
“Great. Not that the boys don’t miss you. But Cort’s been over there every day getting roundup organized and deciding on your breeding program. I hope you don’t mind.”
“Are you kidding? I make fairies...I don’t know anything about creating bloodlines.” She sighed. “My dad knew all that stuff. He was great at it. But he should have had a boy who’d have loved running a ranch. I just got stuck with it because there was nobody else he could leave it to.”
“Your father must have known that you’d do the best you could to keep it going,” Odalie said gently.
“I am. It’s just I have no aptitude for it, that’s all.”
“I think...”
“Finally!” John Everett said as he walked in, frowning at his sister. “There was such a conspiracy of silence. I couldn’t get Cort to tell me where you were. I called every hospital in Dallas...”
“I left you seven emails and ten text messages!” Odalie gasped. “Don’t tell me you never read them?”
He glowered at her. “I don’t read my personal email because it’s always advertisements, and I hate text messages. I disabled them from coming to my phone. You couldn’t have called me in Denver and told me what happened?”
Odalie would have told him that Cort talked her out of it, but he was mad, and John in a temper would discourage most people from confessing that.
“Sorry,” she said instead.
He turned his attention to Maddie and grimaced. The bruises were visible around the short-sleeved gown she was wearing. “Poor little thing,” he said gently. “I brought you flowers.”
He opened the door and nodded to a lady standing outside with a huge square vase full of every flower known to man—or so it seemed. “Right over there looks like a good place,” he said, indicating a side table.
The lady, probably from the gift shop, smiled at Maddie and placed the flowers on the table. “I hope you feel better soon,” she told her.
“The flowers are just lovely,” Maddie exclaimed.
“Thanks,” the lady replied, smiled at John and left them to it.
“Oh, how beautiful. Thanks, John!” she exclaimed.
Odalie looked very uncomfortable. John didn’t even look at her. He went to the bedside, removed his Stetson and sat down in the chair by the bed, grasping one of Maddie’s hands in his. “I’ve been beside myself since I knew what happened. I wanted to fly right home, but I was in the middle of negotiations for Dad and I couldn’t. I did try to call your house, but nobody answered, and I didn’t have your cell phone number.” He glared at his sister again. “Nobody would even tell me which hospital you were in!”
“I sent you emails,” Odalie said again.
“The telephone has a voice mode,” he drawled sarcastically.
Odalie swallowed hard and got to her feet. “Maybe I should help Cort carry the coffee,” she said. “Do you want some?”
“Don’t be mean to her,” Maddie said firmly. “She’s been wonderful to me.”
John blinked. He glanced at Odalie with wide-eyed surprise. “Her?”
“Yes, her,” Maddie replied. “She hasn’t left me since I’ve been in here. She brought me books...”
“Her?” John exclaimed again.
Odalie glared at him. “I am not totally beyond redemption,” she said haughtily.
“Maybe I have a fever,” John mused, touching his forehead as he looked back down into Maddie’s eyes. “I thought you said she stayed with you in the hospital. She hates hospitals.”
“She’s been here all night every night,” Maddie said softly. She smiled at Odalie. “She’s been amazing.”
Odalie went beet-red. She didn’t know how to handle the compliment. She’d had so many, all her life, about her beauty and her talent. But nobody had ever said she was amazing for exhibiting compassion. It felt really good.
“It was my fault, what happened,” Odalie said quietly. “I was driving.”
“Who the hell let you drive a car?” John exclaimed.
“I did,” Cort said heavily as he joined them. He looked at John’s hand holding Maddie’s and his dark eyes began to burn with irritation. “Don’t hold her hand, it’s bruised,” he blurted out before he thought.
John’s blue eyes twinkled suddenly. “It is?” He turned it over and looked at it. “Doesn’t look bruised. That hurt?” he asked Maddie.
“Well, no,” she answered. The way Cort was looking at John was very odd.
“Yes, he let me drive because I badgered him into it,” Odalie broke in. “Poor Maddie tried to save her rooster and ran out into the road. I didn’t see her until it was too late.”
“Oh, no,” John said, concerned. “Will you be all right?” he asked Maddie.
“I’m going to be fine,” she assured him with more confidence than she really felt.
“Yes, she is,” Odalie said, smiling. “We’re all going to make sure of it.”
“What about Pumpkin?” John asked.
Odalie tried to stop him from asking, but she was too late.
“It’s all right,” Maddie said gently. “I’m getting used to it. Pumpkin...didn’t make it.”
Sadie had told her that Ben had buried the awful rooster under a mesquite tree and even made a little headstone to go on the grave. Considering how many scars Ben had, it was quite a feat of compassion.
“I’ll get you a new rooster,” John said firmly.
“Already taken care of,” Cort replied. “You’re in my seat, bro.”
John gave him a strange look. “Excuse me?”
“That’s my seat. I’ve got it just the way I like it, from sleeping in it for two nights.”
John was getting the picture. He laughed inside. Amazing how determined Cort was to get him away from Maddie. He glanced at his sister, who should be fuming. But she wasn’t. Her eyes were smiling. She didn’t even seem to be jealous.
Maddie was so out of it that she barely noticed the byplay. The sedative was working on her. She could barely keep her eyes open.
As she drifted off, Cort was saying something about a rooster with feathers on his feet....
* * *
A WEEK AFTER the accident, Maddie began to feel her back again. It was agonizing pain. Dr. Brooks came in to examine her, his face impassive as he had her grip his fingers. He used a pin on the bottom of her feet, and actually grinned when she flinched.
“I’m not going to be paralyzed?” she asked, excited and hopeful.
“We can’t say that for sure,” Dr. Brooks said gently. “Once the swelling and edema are reduced, there may be additional injuries that become apparent. But I will say it’s a good sign.”
She let out a breath. “I’d have coped,” she assured him. “But I’m hoping I won’t have to.”
He smiled and patted her on the shoulder. “One step at a time, young lady. Recovery first, then rehabilitation with physiotherapy. Meanwhile I’m going to consult with your orthopedic surgeon and put in a call to a friend of mine, a neurologist. We want to cover all our bases.”
“You’re being very cautious,” she murmured.
“I have to be. The fact that you got excellent immediate care at the scene is greatly in your favor, however. Cort knew exactly what to do, and the paramedics followed up in textbook perfection. However,” he added with a smile, “my personal opinion is your co
ndition comes from bad bruising and it is not a permanent injury. We saw nothing on the tests that indicated a tearing of the spinal cord or critical damage to any of your lumbar vertebrae.”
“You didn’t say,” she replied.
“Until the swelling goes down, we can’t be absolutely sure of anything, which is why I’m reluctant to go all bright-eyed over a cheery prognosis,” he explained. “But on the evidence of what I see, I think you’re going to make a complete recovery.”
She beamed. “Thank you!”
He held up a hand. “We’ll still wait and see.”
“When can I go home?” she asked.
“Ask me next week.”
She made a face. “I’m tired of colored gelatin,” she complained. “They’re force feeding me water and stuff with fiber in it.”
“To keep your kidney and bowel function within acceptable levels,” he said. “Don’t fuss. Do what they tell you.”
She sighed. “Okay. Thanks for letting Cort and Odalie stay with me at night. One of the nurses said you spoke to the administrator himself.”
He shrugged. “He and I were at med school together. I beat him at chess regularly.”
She laughed. “Can you thank him for me? You don’t know what it meant, that they wanted to stay.”
“Yes, I do,” he replied solemnly. “I’ve never seen anybody do a greater turnaround than your friend Odalie.” He was the doctor who’d treated Maddie after the boy tried to throw her out of the window at school. He’d given a statement to the attorneys who went to see Cole Everett, as well. He shook his head. “I’ve known your families since you were children. I know more about Odalie than most people do. I must say, she’s impressed me. And I’m hard to impress.”
Maddie smiled. “She’s impressed me, too. I never expected her to be so compassionate. Of course, it could be guilt,” she said hesitantly. She didn’t add that Odalie could be trying to win back Cort. She made a face. “I’m ashamed that I said that.”
“Don’t be. It’s natural to be suspicious of someone who’s been nothing short of an enemy. But this time, I believe her motives are quite sincere.”
“Thanks. That helps.”
He smiled. “You keep improving. I’ll be back to see you from time to time. But I’m pleased with the progress I see.”
“Thanks more for that.”
He chuckled. “I love my job,” he said at the door.
* * *
LATE AT NIGHT, Maddie was prey to her secret fears of losing the use of her legs. Despite Dr. Brooks’s assurances, she knew that the prognosis could change. The traumatic nature of her injury made it unpredictable.
“Hey,” Cort said softly, holding her hand when she moved restlessly in bed. “Don’t think about tomorrow. Just get through one day at a time.”
She rolled her head on the pillow and looked at him with tormented eyes. Odalie was sound asleep on the rollaway bed nearby, oblivious. But last night, it had been the other woman who’d been awake while Cort slept, to make sure Maddie had anything she needed.
“It’s hard not to think about it,” she said worriedly. “I’m letting everybody at the ranch down....”
“Baloney,” he mused, smiling. “I’ve got Ben and the others organized. We’re making progress on your breeding program.” He made a face. “John went over there today to oversee things while I was here with you.”
“John’s your best friend,” she reminded him.
He didn’t want to tell her that he was jealous of his friend. He’d wanted to thump John when he walked in and found him holding Maddie’s hand. But he was trying to be reasonable. He couldn’t be here and at the ranch. And John was talented with breeding livestock. He’d learned from Cole Everett, whose skills were at least equal with King Brannt’s and, some people said, just a tad more scientific.
“That’s nice of John,” she remarked.
He forced a smile. “Yeah. He’s a good guy.”
She searched his eyes.
“Oh, hell,” he muttered, “he’s got an honors degree in animal husbandry. I’ve got an associate’s.”
She brightened. “Doesn’t experience count for something?” she teased lightly.
He chuckled deep in his throat. “Nice of you, to make me feel better, when I’ve landed you in that hospital bed,” he added with guilt in his eyes.
She squeezed his hand. “My dad used to say,” she said softly, “that God sends people into our lives at various times, sometimes to help, sometimes as instruments to test us. He said that you should never blame people who cause things to happen to you, because that might be a test to teach you something you needed to know.” She glanced at Odalie. “I can’t be the only person who’s noticed how much she’s changed,” she added in a low tone. “She’s been my rock through all this. You have, too, but...”
“I understand.” He squeezed her hand back, turning it over to look at the neat, clean fingernails tipping her small, capable fingers. “I’ve been very proud of her.”
“Me, too,” Maddie confessed. “Honestly this whole experience has changed the way I look at the world, at people.”
“Your dad,” he replied, “was a very smart man. And not just with cattle.”
She smiled. “I always thought so. I do miss him.”
He nodded. “I know you do.”
He put her hand back on the bed. “You try to go back to sleep. Want me to call the nurse and see if she can give you something else for pain?”
She laughed softly and indicated the patch on her arm. “It’s automatic. Isn’t science incredible?”
“Gets more incredible every day,” he agreed. He got up. “I’m going for more coffee. I won’t be long.”
“Thanks. For all you’re doing,” she said seriously.
He stared down at her with quiet, guilty eyes. “It will never be enough to make up for what happened.”
“That’s not true,” she began.
“I’ll be back in a bit.” He left her brooding.
* * *
“YOU HAVE TO try to make Cort stop blaming himself,” Maddie told Odalie the next day after she’d had breakfast and Cort had gone to the ranch for a shower and change of clothes. Odalie would go when he returned, they’d decided.
“That’s going to be a tall order,” the other woman said with a gentle smile.
“If there was a fault, it was Pumpkin’s and mine,” Maddie said doggedly. “He ran out into the road and I chased after him without paying any attention to traffic.”
Odalie sat down in the seat beside the bed, her face covered in guilt. “I have a confession,” she said heavily. “You’re going to hate me when you hear it.”
“I couldn’t hate you after all you’ve done,” came the soft reply. “It isn’t possible.”
Odalie flushed. “Thanks,” she said in a subdued tone. She drew in a deep breath. “I drove by your place deliberately. Cort had been talking about you when I got home. I was jealous. I wanted you to see me with him.” She averted her eyes. “I swear to God, if I’d had any idea what misery and grief I was going to cause, I’d never have gotten in the car at all!”
“Oh, goodness,” Maddie said unsteadily. But she was much more unsettled by Odalie’s jealousy than she was of her actions. It meant that Odalie cared for Cort. And everybody knew how he felt about her; he’d never made any secret of it.
But Maddie had been hurt, and Cort felt responsible. So he was paying attention to Maddie instead of Odalie out of guilt.
Everything became clear. Maddie felt her heart break. But it wasn’t Odalie’s fault. She couldn’t force Cort not to care about her.
Odalie’s clear blue eyes lifted and looked into Maddie’s gray ones. “You care for him, don’t you?” she asked heavily. “I’m so sorry!”
Maddie reached out a hand and touched hers. “One thing I’ve learned in my life is that you can’t make people love you,” she said softly. She drew in a long breath and stared at the ceiling. “Life just doesn’t work that way.
”
“So it seems...” Odalie said, and her voice trailed away. “But you see the accident really was my fault.”
Maddie shook her head. She wasn’t vindictive. She smiled. “It was Pumpkin’s.”
Odalie felt tears streaming down her cheeks. “All this time, all I could think about is the things I did to you when we were in school. I’m so ashamed, Maddie.”
Maddie was stunned.
“I put on a great act for the adults. I was shy and sweet and everybody’s idea of the perfect child. But when they weren’t looking, I was horrible. My parents didn’t know how horrible until your father came to the house with an attorney, and laid it out for them.” She grimaced. “I didn’t know what happened to you. There was gossip, but it was hushed up. And gossip is usually exaggerated, you know.” She picked at her fingernail, her head lowered. “I pretended that I didn’t care. But I did.” She looked up. “It wasn’t until the accident that I really faced up to the person I’d become.” She shook her own head. “I didn’t like what I saw.”
Maddie didn’t speak. She just listened.
Odalie smiled sadly. “You know, I’ve spent my life listening to people rave about how pretty I was, how talented I was. But until now, nobody ever liked me because I was kind to someone.” She flushed red. “You needed me. That’s new, having somebody need me.” She grinned. “I really like it.”
Maddie burst out laughing.
Odalie laughed, too, wiping at tears. “Anyway, I apologize wholeheartedly for all the misery I’ve caused you, and I’m going to work really hard at being the person I hope I can be.”
“I don’t know what I would have done without you,” Maddie said with genuine feeling. “Nobody could have been kinder.”
“Some of that was guilt. But I really like you,” she said, and laughed again sheepishly. “I never knew what beautiful little creatures you could create from clay and paint.”
“My hobby.” She laughed.
“It’s going to be a life-changing hobby. You wait.”
Maddie only smiled. She didn’t really believe that. But she wanted to.
* * *
CORT CAME BACK later and Odalie went home to freshen up.