“Let me tell you…dinnertime,” she said immediately after the timer sounded on the stove.
“As long as you’re for dessert.”
* * * *
Sarah mastered the art of driving in the rain in Seattle. But she was a novice with ice and snow, plus being a bit scared of slick roads. When Mike called about the job, Sarah ventured out in the lightly falling snow not worried about the driving. They met for lunch at Bon Appetit. Don frowned at Sarah when Mike greeted her with a kiss.
They ended up at the same corner table. Mike looked great, wearing a sweater the same color as his eyes emphasizing the contours of his chest, tight jeans topped off with a sexy grin. Sarah had on a purple sweater and jeans. Her hair hung loose, hugging her shoulders. Mike’ gaze swept over her.
“You’d still be the prettiest girl on campus.” He pulled out a chair for her.
She blushed, pleased at the compliment. They spent the next half hour talking about aspirations, then their food arrived.
“Do you want to be president?”
“I doubt I could…too many skeletons. We both have pasts. Governor is as high as I can go.”
“Too bad…was it worth it?”
“You mean screwing around?” He raised an eyebrow.
She nodded, taking a forkful of her pasta.
“Probably not. But at the time, I thought…guess I didn’t think. Too bad public figures have to be better than the rest all the time to get elected and stay elected.”
“True. If you didn’t have history…would you go for president?”
“Sure. Why not? But I do. Carly doesn’t have a clean past either, although I’m not sure to what extent.”
“Let me take the proposal home, so I can read all the fine print.”
“You mean the part where it says you are required to make love with me at least once a day, every day?” he joked, his eyes boring into hers, his desire evident.
“Mike!” she said, blushing.
“Under my desk…” he put in, raising his fork to his mouth.
She laughed. They had a pleasant lunch. Afterward, Mike walked her to her car.
“Won’t you come up to my room? Just once. For old times’ sake?” Mike took her hand.
“I don’t think so,” she said.
“A little afternoon delight? If I could touch you again…who knows…? Just once?” His eyes pleaded with her.
“Mike…”
“Sarah…you don’t know…”
“But I do know, Mike. I remember nights when I cried myself to sleep because I wanted to make love with you more than anything in the world but you weren’t there. I know very well.”
“So this is revenge for my stupidity in college?” He cocked an eyebrow at her.
“This is being faithful to someone I love. Had you met me six months earlier, my choice might have been different. Believe me, Mike, it isn’t easy for me to say “no” to you. Part of me is just as curious as you are.”
He opened the car door for her, took her in his arms and kissed her. She relaxed a little in his embrace, still aware she could not lose control.
“I wrote out the proposal…for the job…last night. Here. I’ll be back in two weeks for your answer. I want you on my team. I’m hoping for a different answer on us, too, when I return.”
“I’ll think about it. Thanks for the offer…and the proposition. Glad to know I haven’t lost it yet,” she said.
“You’ll never lose it for me. Your guy’s lucky. Hope he’s grateful.”
“I think he is.” She closed the car door, put it in gear, then pulled away from the curb.
Passing Wal-Mart, she pulled into the parking lot. Perfect opportunity for last minute shopping! The snow fall had increased since she left the house. A steady snow coupled with a strong wind created accumulation on the local roads. I’ll only be a minute. A few minutes morphed into more than an hour. When she pushed through the doors with a full cart, over an inch of snow covered the street. Plows had not been through yet, the roads were slippery. Sarah loaded everything in the trunk except the large ceramic cookie jar, which got propped up in the front seat.
Even driving slowly, she got more and more nervous with each block. Her little car slid occasionally causing her to stiffen at the wheel. Not far from home, she saw the light turn orange, hit the brake but her brakes locked. She skidded instead of stopping. An SUV going the opposite way racing to beat the light skidded into Sarah’s car, sending it sliding across the road, slamming into another car, bouncing off one tree then being stopped by another. Sarah felt the airbag deploy right before she lost consciousness.
* * * *
Laura and Scottie sat impatiently on the stopped school bus. Traffic ground to a halt.
“All those sirens. Must mean an accident.” Laura said, craning her neck for a peek.
“Fire truck, ambulance, police car. Yep. Accident all right.” Scottie replied.
“Hope no one is badly hurt.” Laura sat back in her seat. “Mom’ll be worried ‘cause it looks like we’re gonna be real late getting home.”
“I’m hungry.”
“You’re always hungry. Mom’ll have something for us when we get home.”
“Wish I could see the rescue.” Scottie turned his attention out the window again.
“You’ll see it on the TV tonight.” Laura sat back and opened her backpack. She took out a book and began to read.
“I’m still hungry.” Scottie slumped down in his seat, crossing his arms over his chest.
Laura and Scottie weren’t alarmed their mother wasn’t home when they arrived. They assumed she had an errand to run. But after an hour, the young girl began to get nervous. That accident we passed on the way home. Couldn’t have been Mom. She called her mother’s cell phone but got no answer. Laura didn’t say anything to Scottie because she didn’t want to scare him but fear crept up her spine. What happens to us if Mom dies?
She took her homework to the coffee table in the living room where she kept an eye on the front door and sat close to their land line. When the phone rang. Laura picked up the receiver almost immediately.
The young girl paled, then silently hung up the phone.
“Was that Mom? Where is she?” Scottie asked from the doorway.
Before she could answer, Jim came in with groceries to start dinner.
“Where’s Sarah? Why aren’t you two getting ready for swimming and ballet?”
Laura stared at him right before tears flooded her eyes, spilling down across her face faster than she could wipe them away.
“There’s been an accident…” she stammered.
* * * *
Jim called the emergency room then Callie. Scottie got completely hysterical, certain his mother was dead. Jim could hardly calm him down for the ride to the hospital. Then he had to quiet his own nerves to drive slowly through the snow storm. He had an SUV because he was used to storms like this one. When they arrived, Scottie raced into the lobby looking for his mother. Jim placed a firm hand on the boy’s shoulder.
“Come with me, we’re meeting Callie. Let’s look for Dr. Cho.”
The receptionist paged Dr. Cho. Callie arrived along with the doctor, who shook Jim’s hand.
“Mrs. Morgan has a concussion. She fractured her wrist and her kneecap. We want to observe her for a day or two because of the concussion. I won’t know if we can isolate the knee with a cast, until after I see an x-ray. The wrist will require surgery.”
“How long do you think Sarah will need to be here, Dr. Cho?” Jim asked.
“I can’t tell yet. Perhaps tomorrow.”
“I want to see my mother!” Scottie demanded with a stomp of his foot.
“You can go in, but only for a few minutes. She needs to rest,” the doctor said.
“Where is she?” Jim asked.
“Room one-oh-five, down the hall, the first room on the right. Remember, only five minutes.”
Dr. Cho shook hands with everyone. Scottie raced down the hal
l. The boy had tears on his face when he got to his mother’s room.
“Let’s go in quietly,” Jim said, taking Scottie’s hand with his right and Laura’s with his left. Callie followed.
They walked in as silently as is possible with a seven-year-old boy.
“She’s dead! She’s dead!” Scottie cried.
“Scottie…no, no. She’s sleeping,” Callie said, taking the boy in her arms.
“Look you can see her breathing,” Jim said, pointing.
Laura stood silently, her face ashen. Callie drew the stunned girl close to her. Sarah opened her eyes. She had a big bruise on her left cheekbone along with a black eye. Her bottom lip was split. Some blood discolored the white of her left eye. Swelling as well as black-and-blue marks on both sides of her jaw made her look like she had the mumps. Blood lay matted in her hair. The cookie jar had become a missile in the skidding car inflicting wounds on her. She managed a small lopsided smile at Laura.
“Mom!” Scottie cried.
She reached over with her good hand to touch Scottie’s face.
Jim leaned down and kissed her lightly on the lips. Callie brushed her sister’s hair back from her face.
“Don’t worry about the kids. Callie and I have things under control. Just get better.”
“Okay, everyone. We need to let Mrs. Morgan rest now,” said Dr. Cho, “tomorrow…around one o’clock?”
Chapter Twenty-One
Late the next morning Dr. Cho visited Sarah to tell her, her knee injury was only a hairline fracture and that he had scheduled her wrist surgery for three o’clock. Her brain scan came back clean. Fear tightened in her chest and combined with the pain. How would she to take care of the children? No driving, couldn’t do much, not even take care of herself. After Dr. Cho left, she buried her face in the pillow, letting the tears come until there was a tug on her shoulder.
When she turned around, Jim was there.
“What’s wrong?”
“Everything. I’m having surgery today. How can I take care of Scottie and Laura? I won’t be able to drive for weeks, not days, weeks! My knee hurts, I’m scared…” Her voice shook and fresh tears made little rivulets down her cheeks. He dabbed at her face with his handkerchief. He sat on the bed then took her in his arms, stroking her head.
“Everything is going to be all right. I’m moving in.”
“I can’t ask you to…”
“You didn’t. The kids want me there. Do you?”
“You know I do.”
She clung to him. He set her back on the pillows, and moved to the armchair pulling out papers to grade from his valise while she fell back to sleep. At one o’clock Callie came with the children. After being satisfied their mother was going to live, they left with their aunt. Jim stayed until two, when the nurses came to prep Sarah for surgery.
“Cancel the tree trimming party on Saturday,” she said.
“Don’t worry about a thing, honey,” he said, kissing her before he moved to the waiting room. After the surgery, Dr. Cho came out to speak with him.’“Dr. Caterson, everything went fine with the surgery. She’ll have to keep her wrist in a cast for six weeks. We’ll be wrapping up her knee as well. Mrs. Morgan will need physical therapy. By the way, no driving.”
“Okay, doctor, any other limits?”
“Don’t get the cast wet, baths for six weeks instead of showers. No fly casting,” Dr. Cho said, breaking into a smile.
“No…uh…intimacy…limitations?” Jim asked, embarrassed.
“None at all, just no pressure or weight on her wrist or knee. She might have to be a contortionist or aerialist, but Mrs. Morgan can resume sexual relations whenever she wishes.”
“Thank you, doctor,” he said, shaking his hand.
She was asleep when Jim went in. He dozed in the chair next to her bed until the nurse brought in dinner. Sarah woke up to find him groggy, folded up in the chair.
“Have you been here all day?”
He nodded, massaging a crick in his neck.
“What about the children?”
“They’re with Callie and Mac,” he said, “Dr. Cho said you did great. No showers, no driving and no pressure on your wrist or knee for six weeks.”
“Oh my God!” she burst into tears.
“For only six weeks, we’ll manage,” he said, handing her his handkerchief.
At the word we, she looked up at him. He smiled at her, took her good hand, while she tried to process the fact he wasn’t going anywhere.
After dinner, Callie brought the children by. Sarah’s cheeks had color. She was groggy but smiling as the pain killers had taken effect. The children were going back to school the next day when Sarah was to be discharged. Schedules were discussed, opinions stated, ideas accepted or rejected, disagreements resolved.
Dr. Cho peeked into Sarah’s room. He heard the pleasant cacophony of a family working things out together with loud voices, laughter and warmth.
* * * *
“Are you ready to leave? The nurse said she could check you out any time,” Jim asked.
The nurse wheeled her out to Jim’s car. He picked her up, putting her down gently in the front seat, stowing her crutch in the back. He belted her in, closed the door then slid into the driver’s side.
“When are you leaving for Michigan?” he asked her when they got underway.
Sweat breaking out on his upper lip belied his nonchalant attitude.
“What?” She turned her head to face him, her brow furrowed.
“I saw the paper…in the car…the job offer he made you. Of course the proposal didn’t state the other part of the offer, the real attraction, going to bed with him…when are you leaving?”
“I’m not.”
“You mean not for six weeks or not ever?”
“Not ever.”
Stopped at a red light, he took the opportunity to face her directly.
“Did you sleep with Mike when you saw him?”
“No.” Sarah clenched the fist of her good hand.
Unable to stop himself he asked the question he most feared the answer to.
“Did you want to?” Jim glanced at her.
“If I had wanted to, I would have.”
She trained her gaze out the window, her voice edged with irritation.
“Don’t let me stop you.” He couldn’t stop himself though he knew he was throwing her at his rival. Jealousy pricked at his heart. Can I compete with her first love?
“Jim…”
“Are you going to Michigan after your six week recuperation is over?”
“No. I told you.” She turned to face him.
“Why not?” Jim’s hands gripped the wheel with increasing strength.
“I’m not taking the job!”
“Looks like a pretty good job…in fact, a dream job for an accomplished writer, like you.”
“I’m happy here,” she said, her voice edged with weariness.
“When are you going to tell him?” He turned right, squeaking through the orange light.
“He’s coming back in two weeks for my answer. Careful, Jim!” Her brows knitted.
“What about your affair?” Jim slowed the car down.
“What affair?”
Sarah registered surprise he’d guessed what had occupied her mind.
“The one he obviously wants to have with you.”
“Not happening either.” She turned away to stare out the window.
“Haven’t you been pining for him ever since college?” Jim barreled ahead, terrified she’d admit her love for Mike but unable to stop questioning her.
“Not anymore.” Disappointment was evident in her voice.
“Why?” he said, entering her driveway, stopping the car and turning to look at her.
“Because I’m committed to you. I’m in love with you…you idiot!”
She squirmed in her seat, unable to move.
“Are you sure?” Insecurity grabbed him by the heart. Fran’s last minute defection still f
resh in his mind.
“Stop this cross-examination!” She pounded her good hand on the dashboard.
“I shouldn’t badger you when you’re recovering from surgery.”
Tears welled in her eyes.
“By all means wait until I’m feeling better to give me a hard time!”
“I’m sorry.”
He reached over and cupped his hand around her shoulder.
“Don’t you want me to love you?”
She covered her eyes with her good hand, pushing her thumb in to stop the tears but it was too late.
“More than anything. I need to be sure. You’re not the only one with history.”
He lowered his voice to just above a whisper before moving his hand to the back of her head, threading his fingers through her hair.
“Do you love me, Jim?” She turned her tear-stained face toward him.
“So much, honey. So much.” He stroked her hair.
A smile tilted up the corners of her mouth. He put his finger under her chin and tipped it toward him. He searched her bruised face for a place to plant a kiss without hurting her, finally settling on her forehead.
* * * *
Exhausted, Sarah readied for bed by eight p.m. Jim helped her undress.
“This is not undressing you the way I’d like to.” He chuckled.
“I’m tired, I’m sore…I’m sorry I don’t think I’m up for sex tonight.”
“Please don’t apologize. I was kidding. I’m in no hurry. Get your strength back,” he said, looking at her, “I give you the reins.”
“What?” She raised her eyebrows.
“We’ll make love when you’re ready…you tell me. Until then, I’ll be your roommate. How’s that for no pressure?”
“Did the doctor say anything?” With Jim’s help, she eased herself down on the edge of the bed.
“He said as long as you keep pressure off your wrist and knee, sex is okay…up to you…although he said you might have to be a contortionist!”
Now and Forever 4, The Renovated Heart Page 19