“Did I ask you?” Cassie retorted as she looked back at Mariah. “I ain’t gonna do nothing to hurt Momma. I love her.” Cassie looked like a little girl as she looked down at her mother. She wasn’t sure what to do with her hands; she patted Rosemary’s arm.
Rosemary opened her eyes. She smiled and then grimaced, as if in pain. “Both my girls are together, praise God.” Then she closed her eyes, turned her head, and promptly fell asleep.
“It’s the medication,” Mariah explained. “She’s been in and out. We can only stay with her for ten minutes. I’ll be back in the waiting area.”
“Thank you,” Cassie said and frowned at Mariah’s back. She turned back to Rosemary. “Momma, I’m sorry. I hope I ain’t the cause of you being here. I promise, Momma, if you get better, I’ma try to get myself together. I ain’t said this in a long time, but I love you.” She put her head on Rosemary’s bosom and cried.
Cassie refused to leave her mother’s side, until the nurse came into the room to inform her that time was up. Cassie got lost trying to find the waiting room. When she finally located it, she kept her swollen eyes averted from Mariah, Sonyell, Raquel, and Michael. Cassie sat away from them on the other side of the room.
Michael stood up. “She can have my seat if she wants. I’m going to tell her she can sit with y’all.”
“Michael, no.” Mariah shook her head before he could leave. “I don’t know if I can cope with Cassie and with Granny being so ill. Maybe she should stay where she is.”
“I think your grandmother would want the two of you together right now,” Sonyell declared. “I know Cassie is not the easiest person in the world to be around. Couldn’t you put up with her for a little while?” She looked at Mariah encouragingly. Raquel nodded in agreement.
“I guess. If she gets on my last nerve, then you’re going to have to deal with her,” Mariah told Sonyell.
Michael walked over to Cassie. He sat next to her and began talking.
“Okay. We got you. Do you want coffee or anything?” Raquel asked. “I need to stretch my legs.” She stood up, and waited to see if Mariah wanted anything. Mariah said that she didn’t and Rocki departed the room.
Mariah’s gaze fell on Michael and Cassie. “I wonder what Michael is saying to Cassie.” She turned toward Sonyell.
“Probably the same thing I said to you. How the two of you need to come together for Granny,” Sonyell quipped. Her tone became serious. “I have a feeling it’s going to be a long night. I need to run and get Sasha from day care. I’m going to take her to my mother’s house and then I’ll come back.”
“Okay.” Mariah’s grabbed Sonyell’s hand. “Please hurry back. I couldn’t bear it if something bad was to happen to Granny. Rocki is okay and all, but in a crisis, I’d rather have you here than her.”
“I know, girl. I’ll be back as soon as I can.” She looked at her watch. “I should be back in about an hour. Keep the faith, Granny will be fine.” She stood up and headed to the exit.
Michael caught up with her before she reached the door. “Where are you going?”
“I’m going to pick up Sasha from school, take her to my mom’s, and then come back.”
“I can stay with her. You could drop us off at your house, I’ll stay with her. She’s going to be worried sick. It’s best that one of us stay with her.”
Sonyell hesitated then she nodded her head. “Okay. Then I can get back here sooner.”
As Mariah looked at the couple departing together, a little smile crossed her lips. She turned her left to see Cassie sitting in the seat next to hers.
“Michael told me to be nice. I know Momma would want me to. I guess it ain’t gonna kill me to sit by you,” Cassie announced curtly. She looked up at the television screen perched on a stand in the left corner of the room.
Mariah simply bobbed her head up and down. She looked at her watch and discovered she had forty minutes before she could go back and see Rosemary again.
Raquel returned with a cup of coffee. She handed it to Mariah. “Do you want anything?” she asked Cassie, who shook her head.
“Where’s Sonni?” Raquel asked Mariah after she took the vacant seat on Mariah’s other side.
“She and Michael went to pick up Sasha,” Mariah leaned over and told her.
“Hmmm.” Raquel narrowed her eyes and shook her head. “I knew they wasn’t over.”
Carson and Sonyell returned at the same time, about an hour later. Mariah and Cassie took turns checking on Rosemary. Her condition was the same; it hadn’t worsened. She would be moved from the emergency room to Cardiac ICU was soon as a bed was available.
By nine o’clock that evening, Cassie was becoming edgy. She became short-tempered, and was clawing at her arms like she had the measles or chicken pox. Everyone noticed her behavior.
“I think I’d better take her home,” Carson told Mariah. “She’s getting worse. I’ll come back if you’d like.”
“No, you go on home. I know you need to talk to your girls. I’ll call you if anything changes. Carson, thank you for being here with me.” She took his hand, and held it tightly. “Your being here makes my heart glad.”
“No problem, love. I know you would do the same if it were me.” Carson squeezed Mariah’s hand lightly. “I love you and I’ll do what I can to help.”
“I love you too.” Mariah became choked with emotion. “I’ll see if Cassie is ready to go and walk you to your truck.”
She nudged Cassie’s arm and whispered, “Are you ready to go? Carson says he’ll take you home.”
Cassie looked relieved. She jumped out of her seat. “Yeah, I’m ready. I’ma just go see Momma. I’ma tell her I’ll be back tomorrow.”
“That’s good,” Mariah said approvingly. “I’m going to spend the night at the hospital. I should be here when you come back.” She watched Cassie rush to Rosemary’s room.
Cassie returned to the waiting room several minutes later. Mariah and Carson were standing near the exit. Mariah waved Cassie over.
“Bye,” Cassie told Sonyell and Raquel. She nearly ran to the exit door.
“Take care. See you tomorrow,” Sonyell told her.
As the trio walked to Carson’s truck, Mariah said, “Cassie, I know you don’t have a phone. How do I get in touch with you, if something were to happen?”
Cassie answered, “I can give you a number. It’s to the lady who owns the building I stay in. You can leave a message with her and she can get it to me.”
Mariah took her cell phone out of her purse. “Give me the number and I’ll program it in my phone.”
Cassie recited the number. They arrived at the truck.
“Thanks for coming, Cassie,” Mariah said as Carson opened the truck door for Cassie. “I’ll call you if anything changes.”
“She’s my momma,” Cassie said dramatically. “Where else would I be?”
“Okay.” Mariah held up her hands in surrender. “I’m sorry. What time do you think you’ll be here tomorrow?”
“Look, I don’t know. I gotta try and find a ride. I’ll be here when I get here.” She looked at Carson impatiently. “I’m ready if you are.” She clawed at her arm again. “This place makes me nervous. Bye, Mari.”
Carson gave Mariah a comforting look. He held two finger nears his ear, and mouthed, “I’ll call you,” before he and Cassie departed.
Mariah returned to her friends and sat in the chair between Sonyell and Raquel. “If you need to go home, I’ll understand,” she informed them.
“We ain’t going nowhere.” Raquel thumped her hand on the side of the chair. “We’ll sleep here in the waiting room tonight. We are not leaving you alone.”
“What did I do to deserve such good friends?” Mariah’s voice cracked. “You know I love both of you; thank you for staying with me. If you could just stay until they transfer Granny to a room, I can take it from there.”
Raquel turned to Sonyell. “I think this girl is hard of hearing.” She put her hand near her ea
r and said to Mariah, “Didn’t you hear me say we were staying with you no matter how long it takes?”
“You know,” Sonyell said with a deadpan expression, “she’s slow sometimes. We’re going to forgive her today. I heard you. You’re right; we’re going to stay all night.”
Mariah reached over and hugged Sonyell, then Raquel. “Again, thanks.”
The women talked to pass the time, and Raquel made a food run. They were in and out of Rosemary’s emergency room. Finally, the older woman was taken to the Cardiac Intensive Care Unit at 10:00 P.M. After she was settled into her room, the nurse informed Mariah she couldn’t stay in the room with Rosemary, since she was in intensive care, but that the three women were more than welcome to bunk in the waiting room.
Mariah called Carson and he told her the girls were at his house. He told her again to stand on faith, and to call him if she needed to talk regardless of the time. When Mariah finished talking to Carson, she went to the ladies’ room. She splashed cold water on her face. She looked fatigued. She closed her eyes, “Father, thank you for allowing my Granny to live one more day. Lord, please take care of her. I can’t imagine life without her. Thank you for my sisters, Sonni and Rocki. I don’t know where I’d be without them. They are my rocks in the storm. And, Father, thank you for bringing Carson into my life. In the midst of his problems, he took time to take care of me. Lord, help me to be kinder to Cassie. I know that’s what Granny would want. These blessings, I ask in Jesus’ name. Amen.”
Mariah felt strengthened. She realized that she wasn’t alone. God had sent angels to her in her time of need. Most of all, the Father was there for her to lean on whenever she needed to. The old song “Jesus on the Mainline” came to mind. He was available twenty-four seven. Mariah inhaled deeply, and exhaled. Then, she departed to check on her grandmother.
Chapter Thirty-nine
Two weeks later, Rosemary was released from the hospital. The heart attack she’d suffered was severe. She was put on a new regimen of medication, and a new diet. The cardiologist informed Rosemary that she couldn’t return to work for at least three months. Mariah was hoping her grandmother wouldn’t ever return to work. She planned to care for Rosemary, as Rosemary had cared for her as a child. The physician emphasized the importance of rest. If Rosemary’s condition continued to improve, then she could resume normal activities within six months.
A week after Rosemary’s heart attack, Sonyell and Raquel supervised the move from Mariah’s father’s house to her new one. The spare bedroom was prepared for Rosemary’s recuperation.
Rosemary initially insisted on going home. But after talking to her doctor, she realized Mariah’s house was the best place for her to be. Cassie didn’t return to the hospital for a couple of days after Rosemary’s attack. It was obvious to everyone when she did reappear that she had binged.
Rosemary became troubled. She begged Cassie to consider entering a rehabilitation facility. Mariah didn’t want her grandmother to suffer a setback, so she found a highly recommended facility in Arizona. Cassie couldn’t refuse her mother’s pleas for her to go for treatment due to Rosemary’s health issues.
A week later when Mariah and Carson went to pick up Cassie to take her to the airport for her flight to Arizona, Cassie was a no-show. Mariah had to bite her tongue, and refrain from saying to Rosemary, “I told you so.”
Rosemary again implored her daughter to go to Arizona for treatment. Three days later, Sonyell and Michael drove Cassie to O’Hare Airport. That time Cassie was on the nonstop flight to Phoenix.
Carson picked up Rosemary and Mariah from the hospital the day Rosemary was released. He drove them to Mariah’s new home. He didn’t stay long since he had a hearing for custody of his daughters that afternoon. He told Mariah he’d come by later.
“Well, Granny, I guess it’s you and me again,” Mariah told her grandmother after Rosemary had settled into bed in the guest bedroom. “See, you couldn’t get rid of me that easily.” She pulled the peach floral comforter over her grandmother’s shoulders.
“I guess you’re right, this time,” Rosemary admitted. “Don’t get the idea that my stay here is permanent. As soon as I’m back on my feet, I’m going home,” Rosemary insisted.
“No, you’re not,” Mariah shot back. “The coach house is ready for you to move into. I don’t think you should live alone. I have a perfectly good house out back waiting for you.”
“I’ll think about it.” Rosemary smiled. Secretly, she enjoyed being pampered by Mariah.
“It’s not up for discussion,” Mariah chided her grandmother. “Are you hungry? Can I get you anything?”
“I think it’s time for my medication. You can bring me a glass of water.”
“Fine, I’ll be right back.” Mariah left the room and went to the bathroom and returned with a paper cup of water. She sat at the reclining chair near the bed.
“I like what I saw of the house. It looks real good,” Rosemary commented after she set the cup on the nightstand.
“Luckily, most of the work was done. The house was painted and new carpeting was installed. All that was left was to move furniture from the old house to here. Carson, Michael, and Alex handled that part with ease.”
“Carson is a great young man. I am glad God put him in your path. If anything had happened to me you would have been in good hands,” Rosemary commented. She shifted her body slightly. She glanced around the room. The bedroom set was oak. There was a wall-mounted television. Mariah had put her clothes in the closet. The room had an attached bathroom.
“Nothing was going to happen to you. It wasn’t your time.” Mariah held up her hand.
“I know you want to talk about me and Harold and what happened. Just give me a little time, if you don’t mind. I need to get clear in my head as to what I want to say to you.”
“That’s fine. I plan to continue reading his journals. I’d like to hear his side too, if you don’t mind.”
“Now that everything is out in the open, I think you should,” Rosemary said magnanimously. “I realize I handled the situation incorrectly. It was just a different era back then. I hope you can find it in your heart to forgive me.” Rosemary looked ashamed.
“Consider it done. I’m going to fix you lunch. I’ll be back in a sec.” Mariah left the room and went downstairs to the kitchen.
She smiled admiringly at the furnishings in the house. She loved her new place.
That morning Mariah had received a letter from the Hammond Planning Commission asking her to come in for a meeting. Mariah was hopeful her dreams would eventually come to fruition.
After Rosemary had eaten lunch and was asleep, Mariah returned to her bedroom and picked up a journal and continued reading. She was engrossed in the entries when her telephone rang.
“Hi, babe,” she greeted Carson. “How did the hearing go?”
“It went well. I now have sole custody of the girls. Luckily, I didn’t have any problems. As soon as I got wind that Lola was going to be charged in connection with the robbery at my office, I called my lawyer. He prepared the necessary paperwork.”
“That’s good. What’s happening with Lola?”
“It looks like she’ll get off with probation. She’s spent all of a night in jail. The next day her father posted bail. I heard that Lola was ranting and raving like a madwoman. Her cousin, Javier, confessed she was the mastermind behind the break-in.”
“I don’t want to speak ill of your ex, but what a shame. It’s obvious she’s still in love with you,” Mariah remarked as she shook her head.
“In her mind she is. In reality Lola just hates to lose. She has always been overly competitive. When she realized I was serious about you, her competitive nature went haywire.”
“And that is why, Mr. Palmer, I don’t like to deal with men with children: too much baby momma drama,” Mariah responded.
“I’d like to think all exes are not like Lola; she’s the exception to the rule.”
“Why is it we neve
r hear about them, I wonder?” Mariah commented cattily.
“Why you ask? Because the media shoves drama down our throats. Look, at all the reality shows. Most of them are full of drama or so I hear,” Carson answered firmly.
“You could have a point there. So, are you up to being a single parent? I don’t envy you that task.”
“Whether I am or not, I’ve got to get ready fast. Although, I think I am. It helped that Lola and I shared joint custody. So now, the challenge begins, taking care of my daughters every day.”
“Do you think you’ll ever split custody with Lola again?” Mariah couldn’t prevent herself from asking. She knew that her relationship with Carson had changed the minute he told her that he had taken the girls from Lola. She was aware that Carson spending more time with his daughters would leave less time for her.
“I’ll cross that bridge when and if I have to. As part of her probation Lola will have to see a psychologist. I will have to wait for a clean bill of health from the doctor. If that occurs, then and only then would I consider joint custody with her again,” Carson answered truthfully.
“So where does leave us?” Mariah asked. This was one of those times she wished that life stood still and never changed. She loved Carson dearly. But due to Lola’s drama and his having full custody of his daughters, she didn’t think they would have time to take their relationship to the next level. Mariah wasn’t quite ready for marriage. But she couldn’t imagine life without Carson.
“Things will change to a certain degree, that’s true,” Carson admitted. “But life always changes, Mari. Nothing stays the same. I care for you, and by that I mean I love you deeply. I just ask that you continue what we have and see where life takes us. I have plenty of family, that village it takes to raise children. And, my family will always be there to step in when needed and that time will be spent with you.
“I think we have that once-in-a-lifetime relationship that people dream of. God has blessed us. He will see us through any storms we may encounter. He was already on the case when Rocki went to the bar, and heard Javier bragging. So I suggest we stay on the status quo and see where life leads us. I already know where it will, if a certain businesswoman is willing to take a chance and follow her heart.”
Blessings From the Father Page 29