The Emerald Hills Collection

by Judith Post

  "It's the hospital for you, girl. We'll do a few tests, but I'm guessing your gall bladder doesn't want to stay with you much longer."

  Midu gaped. "But I'm healthy."

  "Kyle said you were fine until you ate barbecued ribs. He said every time you eat something spicy, you pay for it," Doc said.

  Midu stared. How had he noticed more about her than she did herself?

  "You didn't feel good the last time we had chili for supper, remember? And when I made you buffalo wings, you could only eat a few."

  Doc nodded. "Grease and spice are sure clues. Let's check you out."

  Before Midu could protest, Kyle gripped her elbow again. "It's always good to have answers. This way, you'll know."

  It was a short drive to Emerald Hills' west side, and before she knew it, she was going from one lab to another. When Doc came to see them again, he shook his head. "It's a hospital gown for you, my girl. No use waiting. I'll operate in the morning." He grinned. "You got lucky. We have open beds. Most people have to wait for an invite."

  "That's lucky?"

  He chuckled. "Life just keeps getting better. Tonight, you get to chug the clean-out potion."

  When they wheeled her to a room, she opened her mouth to protest, and Kyle glared. "Don't even start. You're not going home, and you're seeing this through."

  He knew her too well. "But this is one of our busy times. We need to…."

  He interrupted. "We need to get your gall bladder out. Then you'll be healthy. One thing at a time."

  She grimaced. "That's one of your favorite sayings."

  "For good reason. Just ask Thea. Life has certain patterns. You and I have reached a turning point, but we'll talk about that later."

  She groaned. She didn't know which hurt more—her gall bladder or the thought of losing Kyle. She'd never known she could feel so miserable.

  Kyle bent to kiss her forehead. "Doc says you should get some rest. Your prep starts early tomorrow. I'll be here to wave you off."

  "To the operating room?"

  He smiled. "It's the last time I'll see you with a gall bladder."

  "Smart ass."

  He laughed. "Maybe they'll pull your hair up to keep it out of their way, and you'll look as sexy as you did for the kids."

  He was pushing his luck. She glared. "I tried to look nice that day."

  He rubbed a finger over her cheek. "To me, you're always beautiful."

  Oh, Lord. Her heart stopped. It was a good thing she was in a hospital, in case she was about to die happy.

  "I'll see you in the morning." His lips pressed against her forehead one more time, and he was gone.

  She was too excited to calm down to sleep. Kyle had called her beautiful. She'd replay the words over and over again in her mind. And then a nurse strode in the room. "Now the fun starts. You need to clean out your system. This will help." She placed a gallon of some kind of fluid on the cart by the bed, along with a glass.

  Midu sighed. This was going to be a long night.

  By the time she'd visited the bathroom for the last time, Midu was exhausted. She crawled into bed and tried to recall her last conversation with Kyle, but she couldn't form any coherent thoughts and soon drifted to sleep.

  Noises woke her. Wheels rolling in the hallway. A cart clattering into her room.

  She opened her eyes to see Kyle hovering close by.

  "It's just about show time," he said.

  She smiled. She felt groggy, but the world always looked better when Kyle was near. He squeezed her hand when they rolled her away.

  She vaguely remembered the recovery room and then Kyle waiting for her when they wheeled to her own bed. He took her hand, and she smiled, and then her eyes closed again. Her mind wandered in swirls of odd thoughts. She pictured raising her hospital gown to see bright, gold threads zigzag across her body in a crazy quilt pattern. Thea Patek patted her hand and said, "Don't worry. Each zigzag is just a journey, but they're ugly as sin." Kyle leaned over to inspect them and shook his head. "See? I knew it. She zigs where I zag." Midu started to protest. "No, when the threads are removed, I can change. We can follow the same pattern."

  A nurse woke her, coming in to check her vitals. Kyle was still there. Midu sighed when she saw him. "Thanks for staying."

  Kyle started to answer when Doc swung through the door. He grinned when he saw her awake.

  "Well, young lady, you came through that with flying colors, but I'm not happy with one of your labs, so we're keeping you here a bit longer. No worries, though. You'll be feeling better in no time."

  She didn't believe him. Even on pain meds, she felt crappy. "How long will I be here?"

  He raised an eyebrow. "For you, one more night. That way, you won't be in a greenhouse before you should be."

  When Midu didn't protest, Doc grinned. "I'll enjoy this while I can. Once you feel a little better, you'll be bugging me to go home." He turned to talk to the nurse a minute before he gave her a wave. "Stay out of trouble, and you might want to be careful what you eat for a while until you see if it agrees with you."

  When Doc and the nurse left, Kyle came to stand by her bed. He wore a pinched expression. She had a momentary twinge of guilt. She'd coerced him into eating supper with her last night. How could he leave for Lynn's house when she'd gone to so much bother, making food she knew he liked? And that led to her rush to the hospital, and he was too good of a friend to ditch her here.

  She studied his tired face. She doubted he slept much last night. No nurse gave him a shot to knock him out. He probably wanted to see Lynn and go to bed. No! She rearranged those thoughts, separating them from each other. But she did feel guilty, keeping him here. "Why don't you go home and get some rest? You deserve a little time to relax."

  He studied her. "Are you trying to get rid of me?"

  "No, but I've monopolized all your time. I appreciate your being here for me, but I'm fine now."

  "And what if I want to stay?"

  A nurse swooshed into the room and answered before Midu could. "Patients rest better when they're left alone. This young woman could use some sleep."

  Kyle grimaced. "You're telling me that she'd be better off if I left."

  The nurse gave a knowing smile. "In the nicest way possible, yes."

  Kyle ran a hand through his soft hair. "Fair enough, but I'll be back later tonight." He looked at Midu. "Do you want me to bring you anything?"

  "My Kindle?"

  He nodded. "I'll see you later."

  Midu sagged against the pillows when he left. He was probably going to Lynn's house. She wondered how close he was to finishing her cupboards. If he'd be working on those today. Maybe he had more important things to take care of.

  She frowned at the nurse, and the woman raised her eyebrows.

  "Don't give me that look. You do need your rest. He'll be back. Just wait and see."

  With a sigh, Midu closed her eyes. What did the nurse know? She didn't know that Midu had been a giant dumbass, taking Kyle for granted all these years, and now she might lose him. Before she could fuss more, though, she was asleep.

  The rest of the day blipped by in bits and pieces. Sometimes, she was awake. Sometimes, she wasn't. And the rest, she was groggy.

  After supper, there was a quick knock on the door and Kyle stepped into the room with Lynn and a thin, thoughtful-looking man. Lynn's brows crinkled with worry.

  "I hope you're up for a visit. Kyle thought you might like company. He hasn't stopped talking about you. Greg didn't pace this much when I delivered Ginny."

  Midu frowned. She glanced at the man by Lynn's side. "Are you Greg?"

  The man nodded. "We haven't met yet. Lynn moved to Emerald Hills ahead of me to get her shop ready, but I can't leave Indianapolis until the semester's finished."

  Maybe the nurse gave her too strong of a shot. Midu's brain couldn't keep up. "I'm sorry. I don't understand."

  Greg smiled. "I got a job, working on computer software at I.U., but I can't start until I fin
ish up at the Indy regional campus."

  Her head felt muddled. It must have shown.

  Lynn smiled. "You know, we've never really been introduced. I bought Dan's jewelry shop in town and came here early to get things ready for tourist season. This is my husband, Greg, and he got hired at the university in Bloomington, but he and our daughter, Ginny, can't move here until their school year's finished. They only came to visit today."¶Midu blinked. Lynn's husband. A daughter. Lynn was married. She scowled at Kyle. Why hadn't he told her? Then she couldn't stop the smile that blossomed on her face. Lord, Lynn must think she was an idiot. She tried for normalcy. "How old is Ginny?" she asked.

  Lynn glanced at her husband. "Depends on if you ask her or us. Six, going on thirty."

  "You'll have to introduce her to Bridey," Kyle said. "They're the same age."

  Midu nodded. "In Bridey's mind, she rules the world. But then, she's definitely the center of the universe for Gino and Evelyn."

  Kyle took her hand and stroked it gently. "How are you doing? We don't want to wear you out."

  "Never better," she said. And it was the truth. Midu felt happier than she had for days. She turned to Greg. She liked this man. He'd married Lynn and made her unavailable. "You should meet Tana's Nate. He works at I.U., too. They own the Sweet Shoppe."

  They were making small talk when an aide carried a bouquet of flowers into the room—daisies, her favorites and jasmine, reminders of home. Her mother always bought jasmine. The pitcher that held them was peacock blue, her favorite color. The aide handed her the attached card, and Midu read, "With love, Kyle."

  She blinked back tears. Maybe the anesthesia made her more emotional. "They're beautiful."

  Kyle grinned. "Almost as nice as the ones we grow." Midu had a jasmine in her small, personal greenhouse. And they always had daisies blooming in their perennial beds. He looked at Lynn. "Where's Shortie? Did you ditch her at the shop?"

  "Thea Patek's daughter let her stay at their bakery with her. They were making pie crusts when we left. We can't leave her there long. Ginny will want to move in with them. That girl has a sweet tooth."

  Greg glanced at his watch. "We only stopped in to say hello and introduce ourselves to you. Maybe Kyle will relax now that you're feeling better."

  Lynn reached for Greg's hand, and they left. Kyle came to stand beside the bed.

  "You gave me quite a scare," he said.

  Midu grimaced and decided to go for it. "Then it's mutual. You scared me, too."

  "Me?" Kyle looked surprised.

  "I didn't realize Lynn was married. I thought you were spending time at her shop because you were interested in her."

  Kyle stared. "Haven't you listened to one word I've been saying lately?"

  "Yes. You said that we were reaching a turning point, that you were ready to get married and have children. I thought you were thinking of Lynn."

  He rubbed his forehead. "I must not be good with women. I was trying…."

  She interrupted. "I want it to be me."

  He looked totally caught off guard. "But you always told me that I wasn't the one, that your produce…."

  "Thea told me that no one can use their own magic in their own lives. I've been waiting for something that will never happen."

  He sighed. He reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out a small, narrow weaving and held it up for her to see. "I only needed the answer to one question, so I only asked Thea to weave me one, small part of my life...."

  Midu covered her face with her hands, and Kyle stammered to a stop.

  "Don't you want to know what it means?" he finally asked.

  "Not if it means I'm losing you."

  Very quietly, he said, "It means I'm in love with my best friend, and that's the way it's supposed to be. We're right for each other, if I can just convince her to stop listening to produce and start listening to her heart."

  Midu's hands fell to the bed. She studied his face. "So…."

  "We're meant for each other. I'm destined to marry a girl with no gall bladder."

  She reached for him and winced. Someone cleared a throat behind them. Kyle swung to see a nurse giving him a severe look.

  "This young woman…." the nurse began.

  "Don't interrupt him now!" Midu cried. "He has to ask me."

  The nurse frowned. "Ask you what?"

  Midu waved away her question and turned to Kyle. "If you don't ask me, I'm asking you."

  Kyle's entire face lit with happiness. "We wouldn't want that. I'd better get to it. Midu, will you marry me?"

  "Yes!"

  The nurse smiled. "I'll give you two fifteen minutes, and then I have to come back for vitals. But nothing makes a patient heal faster than happiness."

  Kyle reached for her again, and Midu buried her head against his shoulder.

  "I don't want to wait. I want to walk into a church or go to the justice of the peace and tie the knot."

  Kyle frowned. "What about your parents? Your family?"

  "They can come for the reception."

  "But we've waited this long…."

  "I can't wait another minute. Your family?" she asked.

  "Will be happy for me. They've known how much I want this for a long time."

  "And you never told me?"

  He grew serious. "All you ever talked about was how your produce would let you know when you met the right one."

  She could feel her expression fall. He was right. "I'm sorry."

  "I'm not. With Thea's life map, we know for sure. There's no guess work involved. And I wouldn't have cared. I'd have grabbed you and held on, no matter what your produce said."

  She did cry this time. Emerald Hills was full of magic. This time, hers hadn't worked for her, but Thea Patek's had. And what difference did it make? Magic was magic. And Kyle was hers.

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  Return to the world of Emerald Hills

  Fabric of Life

  Every Patek is born with a special talent. Thea’s is weaving the destiny of each new life before it enters Emerald Hills. The Greek Fates once did this, before the world’s population exploded. Now, it’s Thea who combines colored threads into patterns that form a bookmark for each new soul—its journey through life—before she ties its final knot. The bookmarks hang in her barn, protected from mortals. But when someone manages to enter her studio and unties the knot at the end of a bookmark, that act rips the threads back until a person dies before his allotted time. How did someone get past the golden glow that prohibits mortals from tampering with destiny, and who’d do such a thing? To Thea’s surprise, she has an unlikely ally in her quest for answers--the ghost of her ex-husband, Gabe—the man she still loves, despite what had been a difficult marriage.

  Discover other novella collections by the same author.

  THE BABET & PROSPER COLLECTION I

  Babet grew up practicing magic in her mother's coven. She gets along with River City's Weres, succubi, and vampires. But when Babet starts working with the city's supernatural detectives to help solve crimes, she discovers there's lots more to her town than tourists and beignets. Detective Prosper--a werebear--is a force to be reckoned with. He's a hard man to keep at arm's length. And then there's the voodoo community near the bayou that she visits for the first time. And dead witches who start walking the streets. And exactly what is Hatchet--the law enforcement's liaison between mortals and supernaturals? She finds herself surrounded by all kinds of magicks, some of them friendly and some of them dangerous. ALL of them are complicated.

  THE BABET & PROSPER COLLECTION II

  Prosper isn't the type of man a girl can resist, and Babet doesn't try very hard. When he moves into her yellow bungalow, she thinks it's temporary. He's ready to bond, but they have lots of distract
ions before he can convince Babet to be his for the rest of their long, long lives. The supernaturals who roam River City's streets prove difficult for even a witch and a werebear, working together, to defeat.

  GORGONS & GARGOYLES: THE ALLY & DANTE COLLECTION

  Ally has a secret, one she's carried for centuries. She ran to Summit City to blend with its mortals. She does everything possible not to call attention to herself, until two supernaturals attack her in a restaurant parking lot. She defends herself, but her problems are far from over. Four gargoyles protect the city from rogue magic users, and their leader--Dante--swears to defend Ally. He has more in mind. Gargoyles can only bond with other supernaturals, and until now, the gargoyles have lived a life of duty and responsibility. Duty is fine, but it doesn't have to be lonely. As Ally and her gargoyle friends battle rogues of all sorts, each gargoyle wins his battle...and wins a female's heart.

  THE DEATH & LORALEI COLLECTION

  When Death comes to claim Loralei's mother, it's a blessing. Loralei's grateful her mom's suffering is over. Death is surprised--first, that Loralei can see him, and secondly, that she's not repelled and frightened. But in Loralei's presence, the Grim Reaper morphs into a tall, dark, sexy man; and Loralei has never wanted anyone as much as she wants Scythe Black--her nickname for him. Loralei has always been able to see dead spirits, and she's always tried to lead them to the Light. But with Scythe's help and a crystal ball, she can also help dead spirits return to Earth to comfort loved ones they left behind. Some spirits left too soon, their murders never solved. Others come to warn loved ones of danger. Scythe and Loralei help them all. They even adopt two stray ghost children who refuse to leave their familiar surroundings.