Love Times Four

by Jeanne Mccann

  "How are you, doll?" Tia hugged her gently. Emma's face was dark with bruising and very swollen. She looked exhausted and in pain.

  "Tired, I can't seem to stay awake." Emma started to sit up.

  "Here, let us help you."

  "Melinda, did you tell Tia I get to go home tomorrow?"

  "She just got here, honey. I haven't had a chance."

  "Are you sure you should go home?" Tia was very concerned.

  "Tia, quit being a mom, please."

  "On that note, I am going to give Melinda your things and get out of here. I think you need to go to sleep. Call me later if you need me. I'm glad you get to go home, honey. And I'm very happy you are going to be okay."

  "Thanks, Tia. I love you."

  "I love you, doll." Tia hugged her goodbye. "Melinda, make sure she behaves.'

  "I will, Tia."

  "Emma, your parents are on the way and your car is in for repair. Melinda, I threw in a little of everything, so I hope I got what you needed."

  "I'm sure you did. Thanks, Tia."

  "Melinda, honey, you're very welcome." Tia and Melinda hugged tightly. "Call me if you need anything else."

  "We will."

  Tia slipped out of the hospital room with a smile and a wave.

  "Melinda?"

  "Yes, honey?"

  "Would you come here and kiss me?"

  "It would be my pleasure." Melinda bent over and kissed Emma slowly, savoring the taste and the love she felt at that moment.

  "Emma?" An older couple entered the room.

  "Mom and Dad, come on in." Emma smiled up at the older couple.

  "Hi honey, how are you feeling?" The woman approached the bed with tears in her eyes. The resemblance to Emma was in her face. She had the same eyes and smile as her daughter.

  "I'm okay, Mom." Emma's mother began to cry as she looked at her injured daughter. "Hi Dad."

  "How are you feeling, Emma?" He was tall and slender, with the same dark hair as his daughter, showing little signs of age. The look on his face was full of love and concern as he covered her hand with his.

  "Not too bad. Mom and Dad, this is Melinda. I told you about her."

  "Hello, Melinda. It's nice to finally meet you." Emma's father shook her hand.

  "I wish it was under better circumstances, but it's nice to meet you both."

  "Emma, tell us what the doctor said." Both Emma's mother and father hugged and kissed their daughter.

  "Melinda can tell you what he said. Everything is a little fuzzy right now."

  "She has a concussion and a pretty good sized cut on her forehead with quite a few stitches. She has several more cuts on her face and chest. The doctor assured me they wouldn't scar. She also broke her wrist and has to wear a cast for six to eight weeks. She's extremely bruised and battered and is very lucky to be alive."

  "Honey, we're so glad you're okay."

  "So am I, Mom."

  Emma's parents sat down and visited with their daughter after Melinda went and located another chair. Emma held tightly to Melinda's hand while they talked as Melinda sat next to Emma's father. Her mother sat beside her daughter on the hospital bed. They talked for over an hour, until Emma's dinner arrived.

  "Mom and Dad, would you do me a favor? Will you take Melinda to the cafeteria and eat dinner with her? She hasn't eaten all day."

  "Emma, I am fine." Melinda blushed with embarrassment.

  "You need to eat, honey. I know you haven't taken the time."

  "Emma, we'll all go to the cafeteria and eat. Come on, Melinda. Emma's dad is going to spring for dinner." Emma's mother grinned at her and Melinda could see the same grin that she had seen many times on Emma's face. It made her smile.

  "Okay, Emma. We'll be back in an hour or so." Melinda squeezed Emma's hand as she stood up.

  "Melinda?" Emma whispered. "Can I have a kiss?"

  "Of course." Melinda bent over and kissed Emma gently. "Love you."

  "Love you, too."

  Dinner was pleasant and quick. Considering Melinda had only met Emma's parents for the very first time that afternoon, they were very much at ease with each other. They visited comfortably for over an hour and then headed back upstairs to Emma's room. Emma's parents stayed for another hour, talking about work with Emma then left when her eyes started to droop with exhaustion. Both of them kissed their daughter goodbye, hugged Melinda, and made her promise to call them with updates.

  "You have nice parents, Emma."

  "They liked you. I could tell."

  "It's a good thing since I'm going to be living with their daughter." Melinda reminded her.

  "Yes, it is." Emma smiled as her eyes slid closed.

  Emma slept fitfully for awhile and then woke up to find Melinda seated by her side, her head bent as she worked. Emma's heart filled with love as she watched her.

  "I love you, Melinda."

  "I love you. How are you feeling?"

  "A little sick to my stomach."

  "Do you want me to get the nurse to get you something?"

  "No, I think I just need to sleep. Could you give me a kiss?"

  "Of course, sweetie."

  Emma and Melinda were sharing a long leisurely goodnight kiss when the door to the hospital room opened and Chuck and another teacher from the school entered the room. Melinda froze with shock when she realized what they had seen. She stepped away from the bed, a smile frozen on her face. It was too late to do anything else.

  Chuck and Amanda, a science teacher, hid their reactions well, as they cheerfully greeted Emma and Melinda. They'd brought balloons and a gift from the school for Emma and visited with her for over thirty minutes before leaving. Not once did they act in anyway uncomfortable, both were friendly and concerned. Nevertheless, Melinda knew by tomorrow morning everyone at school would know about her and Emma. It was only a matter of time, and Melinda couldn't keep the sinking feeling from filling her heart. Once the school board found out about her relationship with Emma, her job was in jeopardy, and possibly Emma's. They could ask her to leave.

  "Melinda, I am so sorry." Emma gazed at her obviously distraught lover.

  "Emma, it's nothing, don't worry about it. Let's get you comfortable."

  "Melinda, look at me, please." Emma pleaded, as she took Melinda's hand in her own. "I know what you're thinking. This isn't the same thing. You won't lose your job because of our relationship, sweetie. I promise you."

  "I'm not worried." Melinda would not let Emma know how terribly concerned she was. All Emma should concentrate on was healing. "Now, I want you to close your eyes and sleep."

  "Melinda, I'm really sorry." Emma could have sobbed she felt so bad for Melinda.

  "Honey, please, it's nothing to worry about." Melinda hugged Emma tightly and kissed her. "Go to sleep, please."

  Emma didn't argue any longer as her eyes slid shut. She was exhausted and in pain. Melinda held tightly to Emma's hand as she fell asleep. Melinda was not worried about her love for Emma and she knew Emma loved her. She also loved her job. What if they made her choose between Emma and her job? What would she do?

  Melinda sat down in the chair next to Emma's bed and covered herself with an extra blanket as she thought about the fallout. She wasn't prepared for another scandal. She drifted into a restless sleep as she worried about what would happen at school once they found out about her and Emma. She couldn't lose Emma or her job.

  "Melinda, honey, the nurses brought a cart for you to sleep on." Melinda responded to Emma's voice and opened her eyes. Emma looked even more bruised and battered than she had earlier.

  "Okay sweetie." Melinda stood up and stretched to shake out the kinks in her shoulders and neck from sleeping in the chair. Checking her watch, she was amazed that it was after midnight. "How are you feeling, honey?"

  "Pretty good, my wrist aches a little, and my chest is pretty sore. Considering what happened to me today, I shouldn't complain. The nurse just gave me another pain pill."

  "I'm just glad you're going to
be okay."

  "So if I hadn't been injured in a car accident how long do you think it would have taken for us to tell each other how we feel?"

  "I don't know. I think we would have figured it out eventually."

  "Will you move in with me? I've never had anyone else in my house but you." Emma held Melinda's hand tightly in her own, her eyes watching Melinda carefully.

  "I would love to live with you. And right now you and I are going to be living together like we planned for the Christmas break. We'll deal with the rest of our lives after you've had a chance to recuperate. I promise you. We will be together for the rest of our lives."

  "I love you, Melinda."

  "I love you, Emma." Melinda kissed her gently. "Now, go to sleep."

  "Are you going to?"

  "I am, as soon as I change my clothes into something more comfortable. Tia brought a change of clothes for me."

  Once again, Melinda and Emma both settled down and went to sleep, Emma in her hospital bed, and Melinda right beside her on the cot. Melinda's hand rested on Emma's leg as they both succumbed to exhaustion. Even the nurse's frequent visits to check on Emma didn't disturb them.

  "Emma, I will send you home this morning as long as you stay in bed for the rest of the week," her doctor requested, standing next to her bed after finishing his examination.

  "I will. I promise."

  "Okay, I'll sign your release papers. The nurse will come in and remove your IV and change your bandages before you leave."

  "Thank you, doctor."

  "You're very welcome. Take care of yourself. I'm going to have the nurse get your pain medication. I'll give you enough to last you until you visit your regular doctor next week. Take it, as you need to, but no more then one every four hours. The nurse will give you some fresh bandages for your head. I don't want you to get those stitches wet until after your doctor sees you."

  "Okay." Emma nodded in agreement.

  It took another hour and a half before Emma and Melinda were finally on their way home. Emma was uncharacteristically silent on the drive and she held tightly to Melinda's hand. It would be a while before Emma felt comfortable riding in a car, her breathing uneven as Melinda carefully made the trip home in the winter ice.

  "Emma, are you okay, sweetie?

  "Yes, I'm just thinking that I am very, very, lucky to be alive."

  "I'm very lucky too. I mean it when I say I love you. I'm committed to you for the rest of our lives. I don't want to waste one moment with you."

  "I love you. But, I think you need to stay away from me." Emma's heart ached as she spoke the words she had been rehearsing in her head all morning.

  "Why?" Melinda's heart pounded in her chest.

  "Because of your job, you can't take a chance with it."

  Melinda pulled the car up in front of Emma's house and shut the engine off. "Emma, look at me." Melinda turned to face Emma.

  Emma turned to look at Melinda, fear evident on her face. Her hand shook in Melinda's as she stared at her, very close to tears.

  "Honey, I won't stay away from you unless you tell me you don't love me. No job is worth my losing you." Melinda held on tightly to Emma's hand. "When I found out you were in a car accident I prayed to God that you would be okay so that I could tell you I love you and that I want to be with you. Now, it's up to you, honey. If you don't feel the same way, just tell me."

  Emma's face was streaked with tears. "I feel the same way. I think I fell in love with you the first day I met you. I want to be with you forever."

  "Then, it's settled." Melinda smiled at her bruised and battered lover. "We're officially a couple."

  "So do you want to move in with me this week?" Emma grinned at Melinda.

  "Honey, I am all but moved." Melinda kissed her softly.

  "People at school are going to talk. But we will get through it together, I promise."

  "I know we will. I can deal with anything as long as you're with me."

  "Always." Emma kissed her gently, her heart full of love.

  "Now, can we get you inside? The doctor said to put you to bed."

  "Will you join me?" Emma's eyes twinkled as she grinned at her.

  "Honey, it would be my pleasure, as soon as you have had a chance to do a little healing." Melinda chuckled as she responded. "Let me help you in to the house."

  "I'm not crippled, I can walk."

  "Humor me, please."

  Melinda assisted Emma into the house and straight into the bedroom. Despite Emma's teasing, she was a little unsteady and barely made it to her bed.

  "I'll go get our things and then fix you some lunch."

  "Don't you have to go to school?"

  "No, I'm not going in until tomorrow. Tia's going to stay with you for the day."

  "I don't need anyone to stay with me." Emma impatiently responded, as she crawled under the covers.

  "It will make Tia feel better if she stays with you. Besides, it will make me feel better to have her here."

  Emma grumbled and then lay back in her bed. She was exhausted, unhappy, and unwilling to argue. She didn't like being taken care of.

  "Honey, rest." Melinda kissed Emma and gazed at her for a few more moments before turning out the light and leaving the room.

  It was over two hours before Emma woke from her nap. Melinda checked on her frequently as she caught up with her office. Melinda had been on the telephone to her assistant principal twice while she finished some of her waiting paperwork at the dining room table. She hadn't even wakened Emma for lunch. She needed her sleep.

  "Good afternoon, how are you feeling?"

  "Okay."

  "How about you take another pain pill?"

  "I think that would be a good idea. I'm not feeling so hot." Emma's face was pale, her eyes all but closed as she tried to ignore the pain.

  "I want you to eat some chicken noodle soup and toast. It might make you feel a little better.

  "That sounds okay."

  The rest of the afternoon Emma dozed on the couch in Melinda's arms while Melinda worked. They both needed to be close. It was after seven that evening, right after Emma crawled into bed, when Phil Armstrong, the assistant principal, called Melinda again.

  "Melinda, Art Miller called this afternoon. He asked for a seven-thirty meeting with you tomorrow morning."

  Melinda sighed loudly. She'd been expecting the call. "I'll be there. Did he say why?"

  "No. But Melinda, the gossip mill is very busy right now."

  "That bad?"

  "Pretty bad. You know you have my full support, and I appreciate your telling me everything. I know how hard it was for you."

  "Phil, if the school board makes me choose between Emma and my job, you need to know I will choose Emma."

  "Melinda, I won't let them do that. You and Emma have done nothing wrong. You're both professionals at work, and Emma doesn't report to you. It shouldn't be a problem."

  "You know that won't make a difference."

  "It will." Phil tried to sound reassuring but he knew the school board wasn't very open-minded.

  "I hope you're right." But Melinda knew differently.

  "I'll be there tomorrow morning in case you need me." He would support Melinda. He respected her as a principal and as a person.

  "I'll always need you, Phil. Thank you."

  "You're very welcome. I enjoy working with you. And you're one hell of a principal. Now, tell me, how's Emma doing?"

  "She's sleeping again. She's in a lot of pain, especially her wrist. I'm afraid she's going to hurt for a couple of more days. She's pretty badly banged up."

  "Tell her I wish her a speedy recovery."

  "I will, Phil."

  "You take care, Melinda. And don't worry we'll get through this together."

  "Thanks, Phil."

  "Goodnight."

  After making a quick telephone call to Tia and Emma's parents, Melinda took a shower, and crawled into bed with the now sound asleep Emma. She hadn't any more then laid down whe
n Emma rolled over and slid her good arm around Melinda's waist. Melinda slid her arm around Emma and pulled her tightly against her. She needed to hold her close. She was still reeling with the fact that she'd almost lost her.