Healing Hearts

by Margaret Daley

  That wasn’t the man she’d gotten a brief glimpse of, but she could have been reading more into their encounter. “Maybe. He’s probably anxious about Madison having another operation. Does that make three now in six months?”

  “Yes. She had multiple fractures to both legs—a lot of damage to repair.”

  Abbey inwardly sighed. Her daughter, Lisa, had come to hate going to the hospital those last few months of her life. “I’d better go. Mr. Johnson is expecting Gabe.”

  “And we wouldn’t want him to get upset,” Caron said with a long sigh.

  “No, we wouldn’t.”

  Holding Gabe’s leash, Abbey headed for the other side of the third floor, where the eighty-year-old man’s room was located. The closer they got, the more Gabe pulled on the strap. The second she hit the doorway she unclipped Gabe, and he padded toward Mr. Johnson, his tail wagging frantically. The frail, hunched-over man sat in his wheelchair, his head down as though he had fallen asleep seated in front of the window. Tufts of gray hair lay at odd angles as though he hadn’t combed it since he got up.

  Gabe nudged Mr. Johnson’s hand. He straightened, a grin spreading across his wrinkled face, an ashen cast to it. “It’s about time you got here, boy. I expected you fifteen minutes ago.” Mr. Johnson shot her a censuring look.

  “Sorry about that. We paid another patient a visit before we came here.”

  “Are you going to come see me at the nursing home once I’m transferred?” His gruff voice wavered.

  “Of course we are. I thought others at the place would enjoy meeting Gabe, too.”

  “Sure. Sure. So long as you come.” Gabe perched his front legs on the arm of the wheelchair while Mr. Johnson rubbed him. “If I have to be in prison, I need something to look forward to.”

  “You can count on us. I talked to the Shady Oaks Nursing Home this morning. Everything will be ready.” Another one of her duties at the hospital was often making arrangements for patients who were leaving for some kind of long-term care.

  Mr. Johnson snorted. “That’ll make my son happy. He won’t have to deal with me.”

  “Now, Mr. Johnson, you know he cares about you. He comes to see you every night.”

  Another snort preceded a series of coughs. Tears crowded the old man’s gray eyes. Gabe licked him on the cheek, and Mr. Johnson cackled as one tear slipped down his face. “He always knows what to do.”

  Abbey took a seat in a chair in a room decorated very differently from Madison’s. The walls were pale blue with two generic landscape pictures. She watched as Mr. Johnson produced a ball he liked to toss for Gabe, one of her pet’s favorite activities.

  She used to throw a ball to Gabe for endless hours after her daughter’s death because Lisa had loved to do that when she hadn’t been too weak. If it hadn’t been for her dogs, she didn’t know if she could have pulled her life together, to finally finish her master’s degree and become a medical social worker. But nine months ago, she finally did just that. She knew more than anyone the power of animals to heal a broken heart.

  * * *

  Later that evening while his sister slept, Dominic paced the hospital room. This was the last operation—at least he hoped so—the one the doctors said would give Madison a chance to regain her ability to walk. But there was no guarantee, thanks to the extensive damage to her legs. Each limb had multiple fractures from the plane wreck. When the rescuers had arrived on the scene, they had been surprised anyone had survived the crash. His father and second wife hadn’t, along with Madi’s beloved pet, Zoe. All the money in the world hadn’t been able to bring his dad back, and it might not be able to give his sister the ability to walk or run.

  His cell phone vibrated. He strode to the corridor to answer the call. It was the one he’d been waiting for but dreading from the second in command of his clothing and textile company. “Yes, what’s happening?”

  “Not good, Dominic,” Samuel Dearborn said, in a voice full of exhaustion that matched how Dominic felt. “Three of our employees were kidnapped. The rebels are demanding two hundred thousand each.”

  Dominic’s stomach clenched. “We have to do whatever is necessary to get our people back. But this is it. I won’t be threatened again and again. We’re moving the factory back to the United States. We should have done that six months ago when the rebels grew stronger.” But at that time his life had fallen apart, and his focus had been on burying his father and stepmother. Then he had to take care of his dad’s business affairs, especially Winter Haven Ranch, as well as make sure his younger half sister got the care and medical treatment she needed.

  “When will you be able to come back to Houston?”

  “Don’t know. I’m still needed here. Keep me updated.” After Dominic hung up, he leaned back against the wall, the quiet in the hallway not the comfort he needed. But what would that be, exactly? His sister healed? Yes, but something else wasn’t right.

  Was it the situation in Costa Sierra? Maybe. He’d never been totally convinced that had been the best move for his company. The profit levels had gone up, but look at what he was dealing with now. He couldn’t risk any more of his workers being taken for ransom.

  His gaze fixed upon a scene painted on the wall across from him. A little white dog holding a ball in its mouth looking up at a boy. The dog reminded him of Zoe—the dog that had died in the plane crash, the one his sister had been crying about earlier when that woman—Abbey Harris—had visited with her black Lab.

  For a few seconds an image of the social worker flashed into his mind. Her pert face, framed by medium-length chestnut-red hair, had held his attention, but what had kept him looking at her in the hallway were her eyes, looking like swirls of milk chocolate. Inviting. Full of concern. Could she and Gabe truly help his sister?

  A scream pierced the air—a scream from Madi’s room. Dominic raced inside and scooped his sister into his embrace while she lay in bed. “I’m here. You aren’t alone.”

  Madi shook against him, sobbing and clinging to him. It had taken the rescuers twenty minutes to get to her in the plane wreck. She’d been there alone. Trapped.

  The only thing that seemed to calm her was his reassurances that she wasn’t alone, that he was there for her. The few times he hadn’t been, he’d gotten a frantic call from the housekeeper or a nurse at the hospital. That was why he always stayed in the room with her and hadn’t yet returned to his life in Houston.

  “I won’t leave you, Madi,” he whispered over and over until her cries subsided. “Ever.”

  She pushed her hair back, her eyes red, her face pale. “You weren’t here.”

  “I’d only gone out into the hall for a minute.” He sat back in the chair near the bed and held her hand. “Go back to sleep. I’ll stay beside you. Nothing can hurt you now—not with me here.”

  She closed her eyes, but a minute later they popped opened, then slid shut again. Slowly her tense body relaxed. He kept holding her hand until he was sure she had fallen asleep. Tomorrow would be a long day with her surgery. He needed to get some rest, too.

  He moved to the cot he’d been using and eased down onto it, his feet planted on the floor, his elbows on his thighs, his hands clasped together.

  Heavenly Father, if someone has to suffer, make it me. I can’t take seeing Madi go through this anymore. I’ve needed You these past months. Why are You so silent? I’ve gotten her the best doctors money can buy. It doesn’t seem to be enough. What should I do?

  * * *

  The next morning, Abbey entered Harris Veterinary Hospital, which her father owned, and headed back to the examination rooms where he saw animals. Spying her dad writing something on a chart, she stopped, taking in the white lab coat he always wore at work. Distinguished-looking, with short salt-and-pepper hair, he was one of the kindest men she knew. Her childhood had been filled with animals and loving parent
s.

  “Hi, Dad. Why did you want to see me? I can’t stay long, or I’ll be late for work.” Abbey set down a cup of coffee from their favorite place on the counter for her father. “Who do you have here?”

  “An abandoned dog. Someone left her on my doorstep this morning. She’s in pretty good health and hasn’t been on her own long. I wouldn’t be surprised if her owner left her here.”

  She knew where this was going. At least once a month, they had this conversation. “I can’t take another pet. I have three dogs and a couple of cats. With my crazy hours lately I feel I’m neglecting them.” Abbey tried not to make eye contact with the white bichon frise with matted fur.

  “I’m going to have to cut most of her fur off. She hasn’t been brushed in a while, but she isn’t too thin. She has fleas, but I’ll take care of that as well as her shots,” he rattled off as he checked the dog’s ears, teeth, lungs and heart. “But I need a home for her.” He fixed his dark eyes on her.

  Abbey shook her head. “What part of ‘I can’t take her’ do you not understand?”

  “Oh, I heard you. But she’s so sweet and loves to be held. Just ask around. She’ll make someone a great pet. She could easily be trained as a therapy dog. Here, hold her while I give her a shot.”

  She started backing toward the door. “No, you don’t. You think the second I hold her, I’ll fall in love with her and take her. I know all of your tactics. Where’s Emma? She’s usually in here assisting you.”

  Her father ignored her protests and thrust the animal against her. “Emma’s busy with another animal.”

  Abbey sighed, put her coffee down and took the quivering dog into her arms.

  “She needs extra love right now.” Her father finished with the shot and turned away rather than taking the bichon.

  Just like Madison Winters. “You could always take her. Or Emma.”

  “I already have five dogs and two cats, besides taking care of this veterinary practice. And Emma took home the last stray.”

  “You already asked her, didn’t you?”

  He nodded. “I have to keep my assistant happy. She’s the best there is. Almost like having another veterinarian working here.”

  “I know.” When Abbey made the mistake of looking down into the dog’s brown eyes, she knew she was a goner. “Okay, okay. I’ll try to find her a home. But no guarantees.”

  Her dad smiled. “Good. You can come pick her up after work today. Being at your house would be so much better than living in a cage here. Don’t you agree?”

  She laughed. “I could say no, but it wouldn’t make any difference.” Approaching her father, she kissed him on the cheek, then turned to leave. “Now I really do have to go. A little girl is having an operation, and I want to check on her this morning.”

  Abbey quickly left before her father found another animal for her to take home. In spite of her protests, she loved giving them a place to live. Along with the Lord, it was her dogs, especially Gabe, that had gotten her through Lisa’s death and her husband’s abandonment. But no pet could totally replace the emptiness in her heart.

  Was that why she couldn’t shake Dominic Winters and his sister from her mind last night? She’d even dreamed about the pair. And she’d relived the grief and pain in their expressions in that dream. She’d seen that in herself when her daughter had died—and it was still there locked deep inside her. Seeing Madison yesterday had brought it rushing back to the surface.

  When she pulled into her parking space at the hospital, an idea started forming in her mind concerning the Winters family. She knew what might help Madison, and perhaps even her older brother. Abbey had promised her dad she would find a good home for the bichon frise. What if the abandoned animal could replace the dog Madison lost?

  As she strode toward her office, she remembered Dominic’s reaction to Gabe yesterday. Now all she had to do was convince him a pet would help Madison in her recovery.

  Chapter Two

  In the surgery waiting room, Dominic sat in a corner, spreading his work out on the small couch so no one would sit next to him. A crowd packed the area, taking every seat and making him unable to focus on the folder opened on his lap. The wall of people pressed in on him—had done so for several hours. But slowly, family and friends left when the nurse announced a patient’s name.

  Dominic scrubbed his hands down his face, his eyes stinging from lack of sleep. No matter how hard he’d tried to sleep last night, he couldn’t forget what Madi would face today—a long operation that could make the difference in her life. He was also waiting for any news about his three employees in Costa Sierra.

  Before his life had gone haywire six months ago, he would have flown to Costa Sierra personally to handle getting his people back safely. Although he felt he’d let his workers down, there was no way he could be in two places at once, and his sister needed him right now.

  Dropping his head, he kneaded the tight cords of his neck. He’d stared at the same piece of paper for the past fifteen minutes and had only read a few paragraphs. He closed the folder, deciding he couldn’t work with everything in turmoil. When he looked up, he caught sight of the woman who’d been in Madi’s room yesterday with the dog. Abbey Harris. She saw him and grinned, then headed toward him. At least she didn’t have the dog with her.

  When Madi came back from her tests yesterday, she’d wanted to know where the black Lab was. He hadn’t said anything because he still wasn’t certain that having a dog around would help Madi heal. Losing Zoe had been so hard on her. In fact, she’d reacted more to Zoe’s death than anything else, which concerned Dominic. His sister wasn’t dealing well with her parents’ deaths. He sometimes wondered if Madi thought her mom and dad would return from a long vacation. Even the counselor had remarked about Madi’s silence when it came to her parents.

  His gaze fixed on the lady dressed in bright yellow pants with a yellow-and-white shirt. Miss Sunshine flashed him a smile, which reached deep into her warm brown eyes. He slid his folder on top of his briefcase and rose.

  “Hi, Mr. Winters, as I told you yesterday, I’m Abbey Harris and I work here as a social worker.” She stuck her hand out.

  As he shook it, he asked, “Is there something the hospital needs from me?”

  “No. I just wanted to find out how Madison is doing. Have you heard anything about her surgery?”

  “About twenty minutes ago a nurse told me everything is progressing the way it should.”

  Ms. Harris glanced around, spied an empty chair nearby and dragged it closer, then sat. “I’d like to wait with you if that’s okay.”

  He remained standing for a moment, not sure what to say to the woman.

  She tilted her head back to look up at him. Her forehead scrunched, and she started to rise. “I’m sorry. I’ve intruded—”

  He shook his head. “No, not at all.” Taking his seat again, he continued. “I guess I haven’t gotten past the part that you’re a social worker. I hadn’t had much to do with hospitals until Madi’s accident. What do you do as a social worker at a hospital?”

  “I specialize in medical issues. I often counsel patients, especially in connection with what’s happening in their lives due to their health issues. I also oversee several support groups for patients and their family.”

  “Madi already has a counselor.”

  Abbey hooked a strand of hair behind her ear. “Another part of my job is to counsel families about what’s going on with their loved ones. Health problems can have far-reaching effects on a person’s family.”

  He stiffened, his fingers clutching the arm of the couch. “I don’t need any counseling.”

  “You’ve misunderstood my visit today. I’m not here to drum up business. I’m merely here to find out how Madison is doing. She seemed upset when I saw her yesterday, and I brought Gabe in to help cheer her u
p.”

  “It didn’t work. She was crying,” Dominic said without censoring himself and regretted it almost instantly.

  Especially when Ms. Harris’s eyes darkened. She shoved to her feet. “I hope everything goes well. Madison is a sweet girl. Good day, Mr. Winters.”

  The frost that poured off the woman encased Dominic in remorse. Abbey Harris seemed so together, her life in control. He’d let his frustration about what was happening in his own life loose on her. And he deeply regretted it.

  * * *

  Abbey headed toward the hallway. The heat of embarrassment seared her cheeks. She should be used to being dismissed. More often than not, family members didn’t want any help from a social worker.

  When she left the waiting room, she increased her pace, wanting to put distance between her and Dominic Winters. She’d felt a connection with the man yesterday, having dealt with sorrow herself and been thrown into a situation she hadn’t been prepared for. Her husband leaving her right before Lisa died had nearly destroyed Abbey. He hadn’t been able to handle their daughter’s illness and had sought comfort with another woman.

  “Ms. Harris, wait.”

  She continued forward.

  “Please.”

  She tamped down her burst of anger, stopped and swung around, coming face-to-face with Mr. Winters.

  He closed the distance between them in the corridor. “I’m sorry. My worry over Madi’s surgery isn’t a good excuse for bad manners. Can we start over?”

  For a split second, Abbey stayed angry. But his contrite tone soon melted her irritation. “Hi, I’m Abbey Harris.” For the second time that day she stuck her hand out for him to shake.

  He did. “I’m Dominic Winters. I appreciate your concern over Madi. Really.”

  His firm handshake reminded her what she’d read concerning him last night on the internet. A thirty-one year-old bachelor. He’d taken a small inheritance and built his company, Winters Clothing and Textiles, into a multimillion-dollar business in the ten years since he’d left Cimarron City.