“It’s OK. It’s not your problem to deal with. It was a happy occasion.”
But it is. I’m your daughter. If anyone should understand, it should’ve been me.
“Wipe that look off your face—it might stick that way.”
She smiled. He’d said that a million times when she was a little girl, and it always made her laugh.
Connor knocked on the doorjamb. “Do you mind if I join you?”
Ben lifted his chin. “Come on in, Connor. I didn’t know you were out there.”
“He drove me here,” Carolanne said.
“He’s another good man,” Ben said softly.
I know.
“Good waste of a brand-new battery on the side of the road up on Route 58, I hear. Some people will do anything to get a new car.”
“That Pontiac has been a good car. I don’t have any plans on retiring her.”
“Oh, it’s a total. There’s no way they’ll ever be able to fix it,” Carolanne said.
Ben looked disappointed. “That bad?” He looked to Connor for confirmation.
“Oh yeah,” Connor nodded. “It’s a total.”
“I guess I’ll have to call Glenn down at Farm Bureau. They’ll give me a rental while we work it all out.” Ben looked around the room. “Is there a phone in here? I should probably do that now.”
Carolanne pulled her hands up on her hips. “Not in the ER. You’re not even in a regular room yet, and I’d bet that you’re not going to be going anywhere anytime soon to need a car, anyway. I’ll call Glenn for you when I get home.”
Connor said, “It’s a small town. He’s probably already heard and started the paperwork.”
“True,” Ben said. “But yes, Carolanne, if you’d call, that would be helpful.”
“I’ll take care of it. I’m a lot less worried about that car than I am about you.”
“I’m fine. Really,” he said.
“You always say that.” She glanced over at Connor. “You men always say you’re fine. You could have a limb severed and swear you were fine. It’s OK to be sick or hurt, you know.”
Ben looked to Connor, and they both rolled their eyes.
“Y’all can make fun of me if you want, but you know I’m right.”
“They’re going to put me in a room as soon as they have one ready. I told them as hardheaded as I am, there’s nothing that can put me out of commission, but they wouldn’t hear of sending me home tonight. At least I’ll get a nice big breakfast in the morning that I don’t have to cook.”
“Better safe than sorry.” Carolanne was relieved they weren’t sending him home, since he’d be alone—or would he? She wondered if Gina knew about the accident. There was that feeling again. What else don’t I know about you?
The nurse in the navy blue scrubs walked in. “That’s exactly how we feel about things around here. We’ll err on the side of caution.” She smiled. “Mr. Baxter, we’ve got your room ready.”
Moving him into a room was another sign that her dad was going to be OK.
“Is there anything you need us to bring you from your house?”
“I could use…” Ben started, but then stopped and shook his adamantly. “No. Nothing. I’ll be out of here tomorrow. I don’t need a thing, except maybe a ride home tomorrow, if you don’t mind.”
Afraid I’ll bump into your friend, Dad? What’s going on with that girl staying there? “We don’t mind running by your house if you need something. Are you sure?” Will he tell me?
“I’m positive. You two go do something nice in your dress-up clothes. I didn’t mean to add so much excitement to your day.”
Carolanne got ready to tell her Dad about the even bigger excitement of the day, but Connor must have read her mind, because he shook his head and gave her a wink. He was probably right. It was no time to tell Dad that his accident wasn’t the biggest surprise of the day. That would only worry him, and he could hear about that tomorrow. She’d just have to wait until then to approach the subject of his houseguest, too.
“Call me when they let you know when they’ll be releasing you. I’ll come right over.”
Ben’s eyes seemed glassy with tears. “Yes, I’ll call you. Thank you, honey.”
She reached down and gave him a hug. She didn’t want to let go. It may have been the first real hug she’d given him in years. “I love you, Dad.”
“I love you, too, little one.” He kissed her on the cheek, then looked up at Connor. “Take care of my little girl, Connor.”
“Yes, sir.” Connor walked out behind Carolanne.
As soon as they stepped out in the hall and past Ben’s door, Carolanne sprinted toward the exit.
Connor rushed to catch up with her. “Are you OK?”
She nodded. “Yes,” she managed through the tears. “Yes. I’m good. It’s all good.”
And Milly’s words echoed in her mind. Your future will be as good as you let it be.
Chapter Fifteen
A restful night’s sleep must not have been in the cards for her because Carolanne hadn’t slept for more than an hour or two at a time before waking up to the image of her dad’s car in a heap on the side of the road. A girl can only take so many of those dreams. Nightmares, really. So she’d given up trying, and by seven fifteen, she was whisking down the halls of the hospital, determined to see how Dad had fared through the night.
She took the elevator to the third floor. Asking Dad how he was would be just plain useless. She knew the answer she’d get. Fine.
At the nurse’s station, she stopped to get the real story. “Good morning. I’m Carolanne Baxter. My dad—”
“Good morning. I’ve been Mr. Ben’s nurse all night. I’m sure he’ll be glad to see you. I’m Merry. He’s been chomping at the bit to get out of here.”
“Oh goodness, has he been a handful?”
The huge black nurse laughed in such a way that her stomach bounced, and it looked to Carolanne like the woman’s shiny cheeks bounced, too. “Oh, he did a lot of bellyaching about me checking on him all night, but once I told him that torturing him was the favorite part of my job, we found a way to get along.”
Only took her one night to figure him out. Why has it taken me all these years?
The nurse patted Carolanne’s arm. “Your dad’s feeling pretty good, though. I knew he was feeling better when I went through my normal ‘What’s your name? Who’s the president?’ lines to check his brain function and he tore into me about politics. I swear he’d sat up the hour prior just trying to come up with something to get my goat.”
“I guess that’s a good sign,” she said, but really, she’d put so much distance between the two of them over the years she didn’t even know his views on politics—or most other things.
“Doc already made his rounds, but we don’t have the release papers yet.”
“I know I’m a little early for visiting hours, but do you mind if I go on in?”
“You’ll have to wait your turn. Someone’s already visiting with him.”
Gina? She tried to hide her annoyance. “Who?”
“The sheriff, but when he leaves, he’s all yours.”
Why does the thought of that girl with my dad irk me so? She tried to shake her attitude back into shape. “OK, thanks. I’ll just wait outside until they’re done.” Carolanne walked across the hall and stood outside his room.
Scott’s deep voice carried out into the quiet hallway as he asked her father questions. “You were at the artisan center until six o’clock on Friday night, but you didn’t work yesterday morning? Is that right?”
“No. Jill gave Mac the code to get in. He wasn’t sure what time he was bringing the cake over, so that seemed easiest. Is something wrong?”
“You were at the wedding. I saw you there. Were you leaving the reception when you wrecked?”
Her dad said, “No, I’d left earlier. I went to Penny’s Soda Shoppe to eat, then on my way home from there is when I wrecked.”
“Who else was at
Penny’s?”
“Mac’s kid. That couple who bought the old house at the end of Abbey Road. Some tourists. Is something wrong? Why all the questions? This isn’t about my wreck, is it?”
She heard the rustle of papers and then Scott’s voice. “Have you ever seen this girl before?”
There was a pause and then her dad’s response. “Never seen her.”
Carolanne leaned closer to the door.
Ben’s voice shook. “What happened to her?”
“We found her in the pond behind the artisan center. She floated right up during the reception.”
“That’s awful. Carolanne was here last night. She didn’t mention it.”
She felt badly for not telling him herself, but it hadn’t seemed like the right time. She sure hoped he’d understand.
“Yeah. Well, I’m sure she was more worried about you. Not much we can do for this girl now. No one seems to know her. I’m talking to everyone with any connections to the artisan center as we collect evidence to see what we can piece together.”
“No one knows her? Maybe she was just passing through.”
“Maybe. You didn’t see anything odd last night at the artisan center? No one hanging around?”
“No. It was quiet.”
“Do you check down near the pond as part of your daily rounds?”
“Sure do. I ride the whole perimeter at least once a day, checking for trash, fallen limbs, whatever. I didn’t see anything out of the ordinary.”
Scott’s words sounded thoughtful. “She could’ve been a runaway. Someone has to be missing her. Well, let me know if you think of anything that might help.”
“I’ll do that.”
She heard Scott get up and move toward the door. “Hope you feel better soon.”
Carolanne stepped out from where she’d been eavesdropping and tried to look as if she’d just walked up. “Good morning, Scott.”
“Here to pick up your dad?”
“Hope so. He gave me quite a scare.” Carolanne slid between Scott and the door.
“I bet,” Scott said. “When you get a chance, can you stop by the station? I need to get your statement from yesterday.”
“Absolutely,” she said as he walked away. She hesitated only a moment before walking into her dad’s room. He looked pale and more tired today than he had last night.
“How’s your head feel this morning?” She squinted as she looked closer. “The skin is so tight around that goose egg it looks like you might hatch a baby ostrich.”
“Feels that big, too.”
“I hear the nurses gave you a run for your money last night.”
He pushed the button to raise the bed a little more. “The squeak-squeak-squeak of those shoes they wear is about as annoying as a hound dog scratchin’ fleas. Between that and them coming in to ask me if I knew who I was all night, I didn’t get a lick of sleep. I can’t wait to get home.”
“The nurse said the doctor already made rounds. They’re just waiting on your release papers.”
The scowl on his face said it all. “They’re probably just trying to get another day’s pay from the insurance. It’s all a racket.”
“Your nurse was right. You are cranky!”
“I don’t mean to be like that. I’m just tired.” Ben repositioned the pillow under his neck. “What do they make these things out of—old tires? It’s impossible to get comfortable.” He ran his hand through his hair in an unsuccessful attempt to smooth it down.
She’d never seen his hair in such disarray. He normally had it so slicked in place with Brylcreem that it didn’t move. This morning it was sticking up in six directions. He looked a little like Jack Nicholson in The Shining. That was a little disturbing—and funny, at the same time. She sat down in the chair next to his bed and tried to think of something to talk about that might lift his mood.
“I barely slept a wink. It’s like they waited in the hall for me to drift off before barging in to check on me. They probably have a points system. Extra points for being a real pain in the—”
“Watch your mouth.” Miss Merry strolled in as Ben complained. “I heard that, Mr. Ben.”
“You’re not going to deny it, are you?”
“Oh, heavens no, and I’ve got good news.” Miss Merry tapped her clipboard with her long bright purple fingernails. “I’ve got the release form right here, plus a long list of all the stuff you need to do and shouldn’t do. A couple prescriptions to get filled, too. Maybe your sweet daughter will take care of that for you. I’ll get you to sign that I delivered this message because I won’t be held responsible for your hardheadedness when you don’t follow these guidelines and you land back in here.”
“I won’t be back.” Ben scribbled his name at the bottom of the page.
“I’ll help him.” She watched her dad for a reaction. “I mean, unless you’ve got folks from the Senior Circle or church whom you’d rather have help you.”
He looked up, paused, then said, “No, no. I appreciate your help. Thanks.”
“OK, well, then let’s get you out of here.” Carolanne jumped up from the chair. “Where’s your stuff?”
“In the paper bag in that drawer,” Ben grumbled.
She pulled his clothes out of the bag. The pants were fine, but his white dress shirt was caked in dried blood. “Dad, you can’t wear this. It’s a biohazard.” She held it between two fingers and dropped it back into the bag.
Miss Merry shook her head. “Lord no, people would think right poorly of us if we sent you out of here looking like that. You can just slip on your pants and wear that hospital gown home. They gonna charge you a fortune for it anyway.”
“Problem solved.” Ben shifted to get out of bed.
Miss Merry threw an arm out toward him. “You take it slow there, mister.”
Ben wobbled.
“See? Told you. You’ll be having Bambi legs for a little bit. You take your time, and you’ll be just fine. Don’t fall, or you’ll be back here on my floor again, and I’ll be taking big joy in messing with you.”
Ben steadied himself and muttered, “There’s incentive to follow orders.”
She smiled a toothy white smile. “That’s me. Full of helpful tips. You holler if you need us.”
Carolanne walked out into the hall and waited for Ben to get dressed while Miss Merry went to get a wheelchair to take him downstairs.
Ben grumbled the whole time Miss Merry helped him into the wheelchair and then all the way down the hall. Carolanne wondered how much of his crankiness was due to the secret he was keeping from her.
When Miss Merry stopped at the front desk to sign out, Carolanne whisked by them. “I’ll go get the car and pull it around.”
By the time she had driven up to the front doors, Miss Merry was helping Ben stand up. He slowly negotiated the shift from wheelchair to her car.
Miss Merry buckled him in before waving good-bye.
Carolanne waved back. “She’s sweet.”
“You only say that because she wasn’t waking you up all night.”
I didn’t have a picnic of a night’s sleep, either. “I’ll take you straight home, and then I’ll go get your prescriptions and anything else you need.”
“Or we could stop by the pharmacy on the way.”
Was that a little panic in his voice? “I wouldn’t want you to have to wait in the car. You need to get some rest.”
“Well, if you don’t mind,” he said, “I would like to lie down.”
Carolanne pulled her car into his empty driveway and then ran to the passenger side to help her dad get out of the car.
He pushed himself up and steadied himself against the door. “I can walk. Just give me a second.”
She held her arm out like a spotter with a gymnast. “Do you have your keys?”
He stopped mid-step. “Nope. I guess they’re with the car at the impound lot.”
“Do you have a hide-a-key?”
Ben shook his head. “No, but I think we can get
in through the patio door.”
“You left your patio door open?”
“No.” Ben moved slowly through the yard with Carolanne at his heels.
When they got to the patio, Ben lifted up on the sliding glass door, and it pulled right open.
“How’d you know how to do that?”
“A friend told me.” He looked pretty surprised that it had worked. “I never tried it before now. Works like a charm, though.”
A friend? “Handy if you’re a criminal. I’d suggest you replace those old doors with some secure French doors sometime soon.”
“Not a bad idea.” Ben walked in and surveyed the room.
He seemed to be disoriented, the way he stood there looking around.
Is he looking for Gina? Anything out of place that might let me know that someone else has been staying here? She scanned the room, too. “Dad? Are you OK?”
“Yeah, sorry, I’m just trying to get my sea legs here. Come on in.”
Carolanne walked in behind him. “Are you going to rest in bed or out here on the couch?”
“I think I’ll just lie on the couch.”
She went into the kitchen and came back with a plastic bag of ice. “Here. Put this on your head. It should keep the swelling down.”
He laid back, wincing as he placed the bag of ice on his head.
She winced right along with him. Just looking at the knot on his head made hers hurt. “I’m going to go get your prescriptions.”
Ben balanced the ice on his head, kicked off his shoes, and then closed his eyes. “Just leave the front door unlocked. I don’t know where my spare keys are.”
“OK. While I’m out, is there anything else I can pick up from the store for you?”
“If I need anything, I’ll call your uncle Reggie and have him get Mary Claire to run something over from the market. Really, I’m fine.” He reached for her hand. “Thank you for being here for me.”
“I’m glad to do it.” And she really felt that way. Better memories pulled forward, replacing the harsh thoughts she’d carried for so long. She let go of his hands and wrapped her arms around him.
She’d hugged him more in the past week than she had in the last fifteen years total. He had to have a good explanation for Gina being here the other night.
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