A sound at the back door made Renee whirl around. It was Clancy. She opened the door and he came quickly in, his body language tense. “What, buddy? What is it?”
He jumped on her, something he rarely did, and then raced back to the door. When she didn’t follow, he ran back to her and jumped up again hitting her hard before running back to the door.
She didn’t know what had gotten into him. He knew better than to jump on her or anyone else for that matter. The only explanation was he was probably picking up on her panic.
“I think he wants us to follow him,” Lorna said as she watched Clancy repeat the process a third time.
It was stupid on her part not to pick up on Clancy’s attempts to make her understand. Of course he wanted her to follow him. He was a smart guy and she was the dumb human who failed to translate his very clear message. He didn’t usually act this way, and now that she realized he was trying to communicate, it scared her. First her mom was MIA and now Clancy was fretting about something. She had a bad feeling.
“All right, Clancy,” Renee told him as she followed him back to the door. “Show me.”
He proceeded to do just that. The second she opened the door for him, he raced out and across the grass, stopping only long enough to look back at her, presumably to make sure she was following. He’d had enough trouble getting her to understand in the first place, and apparently, he wasn’t taking any chances she’d go stupid on him again. At the bluff, he began to skitter his way down.
“Clancy!” Going down that steep incline in the dark was dangerous, and she didn’t want him to get hurt. While she’d raced out of the house without considering the fact it was dark outside, Lorna, thank goodness, had thought to bring a flashlight. It would help her, but it wouldn’t help her dog.
“Look,” Lorna said as she shone the light down. The illumination was enough to catch Clancy as he continued to make his way down the slope. “There’s something down there.”
Though too far below to catch much of the light, she saw what had caught Lorna’s attention. Something was there, and Clancy was heading straight for it. She squinted and tried to make out more detail. Could it be? Renee’s heart was pounding as she started to follow her dog, her feet slipping and sliding on the loose rocks.
“Careful,” Lorna said as she followed close on her heels, making sure to stay close enough to give Renee enough light to keep from losing her footing completely. Rocks were kicked loose and skittering down the hill. She kept stumbling and catching herself with her hands that were now scraped up from the rough ground.
As they closed in on the spot where Clancy stopped, his whining filled the night air. Clearly, he was upset, and she felt bad it had taken her so long to understand him. When she saw why he was so distressed, her heart nearly stopped. At the base of the bluff, her mother lay in a motionless heap, her skin a scary shade of white in the glow of the flashlight.
“Oh my God,” she murmured as she fell to her knees, heedless of the rocks that cut through the fabric of her jeans. “Mama.” She touched her face, alarmed by the coolness of her skin. “Mama.”
Lorna kneeled beside her and took hold of her mother’s wrist. “She’s got a pulse.” As she pulled her phone from her pocket, she told Renee. “I’m calling 911.”
Renee heard her, but it didn’t register. Nothing did except for the fact her mother was hurt, and badly by the look of things. How could this have happened? Why did it happen? She’d lived here for decades and knew the landscape like the back of her hand. She was aware of all the danger spots and how treacherous this bluff could be in the dark. There was no way she’d be wandering out here at night. Definitely not wandering around out here by herself. Renee was certain of that.
“Renee,” Lorna said as she held her hand over the phone. “Put your sweater over her. Let’s try to keep her as warm as we can while we wait for emergency services.”
Lorna was right. They needed to keep her body temperature up as much as they could until help arrived. Quickly, she pulled her arms out of the soft sweater and carefully wrapped it around her mother’s torso and shoulders, tucking it underneath. She put her hands on either side of her head intending to hold her head up until help came, but Lorna’s single sharp word stopped her.
“Don’t.”
She looked up, confused and a little angry. “Why? I want to get her head off the cold ground. Her hair is wet; she’s got to be cold.”
Lorna shook her head vehemently. “We don’t know what kind of injury she has. If she’s hurt her neck and you move her head, it could make things so much worse. The EMTs will be here before you know it, and they have all the right equipment to make sure she’s stabilized.”
Her heart sank at the thought of what she might have done to her mother if Lorna hadn’t stopped her. “I don’t want to hurt her,” she said with tears in her eyes.
Lorna put an arm around her and squeezed. “Of course you don’t, and you’ve done what you can to keep her safe. Help will be here soon, and she’ll be where they can make sure she’s fine. Keep hold of her head just like you’re doing now and just keep her still. It’s the best thing you can do for her at the moment. ”
That wasn’t a problem for her. She was seated on the sand, one leg bent, the other straight out. She had her hands on either side of her mother’s head and her elbows rested on her legs. If she had to, she could stay this way all night. Anything to make sure Mom was going to be okay.
It seemed to Renee it took the emergency people hours to show up. Not because her arms hurt or she was upset that by sitting on the sand she was getting soaked to the skin. It was the worry that made it seem like forever before help arrived. In reality, it was less than thirty minutes. Had they not lived so far out, the response time would have been quicker. There were disadvantages to the beautiful solitude this place offered.
The emergency crew navigated the bluff with impressive skill and speed. The beefy EMT with hands the size of plates, told her she’d done exactly the right thing and had her continue to hold until he had a cervical collar in place. Her fear that something was terribly wrong must have shown on her face because he gave her a pat on the back when they were done and told her it was a just in case thing and not to worry. She did anyway.
The crew checked her mother from head to toe before moving her as a team from the ground to the litter they’d brought down the hill. Through it all, she never made a sound or opened her eyes. Before they picked up the litter to carry her to the waiting ambulance, Clancy licked her cheek. Only then did she make a sound, a small moan. Renee didn’t think a moan could ever sound so fantastic and there was no way she could stop the tears that trickled down her cheeks
Renee followed them up the hill, Lorna and Clancy right behind. It was trickier ascending in the darkness. Her feet slipped, and many times, she stumbled, catching herself before tumbling back down. The emergency crew didn’t need a second victim. Like her earlier descent, it seemed like it took forever before they finally made it to the top of the bluff. The grass beneath her feet was a relief in more ways than one.
The lights of the ambulance cut through the night in flashes of color, a beacon that drew them all toward it. She hurried, her heart pounding and tears still pricking at the back of her eyes. None of this made any sense. She still didn’t understand how she’d ended up at the bottom of the bluff. Mom didn’t do crazy things, and coming out here in the dark was crazy.
As they were loading her mother into the ambulance, Lorna held her hand. The gesture was simple and yet it meant a great deal to Renee. The comfort of her touch was incredible. If not for Lorna, Renee would be falling apart. She could deal with losing her home and her business. Those were mere things, and things could always be replaced. Not so when it came to family. Even the thought of losing her mother made her want to scream.
“Go,” Lorna whispered in her ear. “She needs you at her side.”
She was torn. On one hand, she wanted to run to her side and hold her tight. On
the other, she was afraid of what might happen. “I’m scared.”
“It’ll be fine. She’s in good hands.” Lorna placed a kiss on the top of her head. “Go. I feel it here.” She tapped her heart. “It’s going to be all right.”
After squeezing Lorna’s hand once, she reluctantly let go and climbed into the ambulance to sit beside her mother. The EMT shut the doors once she was in and seated. As the ambulance drove away, she watched out the small rear windows. Lorna, with Clancy at her side, gave her a wave. Her eyes stayed on Lorna and Clancy until they faded, swallowed up by the darkness.
She’d never felt so alone.
Chapter Seventeen
Jeremy didn’t think too much about the ambulance that passed them on the highway with its lights flashing and siren blaring, at least not until they got back to Lorna’s house. The big old place that as of late was home to a party of five was almost empty. Only Lorna waited inside. Well, Lorna and Clancy, who sat like a statue in the front window staring out. He gave them little more than a sideways glance as he and Merry walked in the front door. It was pretty clear right from the second they stepped inside that something was terribly wrong.
They found Lorna sitting at the kitchen table with a steaming mug of coffee in one hand and her cell phone in the other. She stared at the phone as though by watching it intently, she could will it to ring. It wasn’t working; the phone was silent.
“What’s happened?” The tension in the room was so intense he didn’t even bother with a hello. Neither did Merry. They both stood and waited.
“You better sit down,” she told them without taking her eyes off the cell phone.
They sat.
By the time she finished filling them in on Jolene’s accident, he was sick to his stomach. He’d been feeling better after the incident in the library, at least until he’d stepped foot back in the house. Now he ached all over, like someone had taken a baseball bat to his body.
He ran his hands through his hair and tried to think what they could do to help. This feeling of helplessness was horrible. There had to be something they could do, but he was coming up blank. As they sat there in silence, Merry’s cell rang, and all three of them jumped. She glanced at the number and frowned.
“I need to take this.” She walked out of the kitchen to talk in privacy.
He didn’t give much thought to Merry’s caller. His thoughts were on Jolene. She was such a wonderful woman, and the thought of her being hurt made him sad. They had to figure out some way to help.
“This sucks,” he said to Lorna.
She nodded, her eyes looking tired. “Yeah, big time.”
When Merry walked back in holding the cell phone in her hand, her face was clouded. She’d been full of energy all day and they’d had fun together. It was like the old days and as if the recent tension between never existed at all. Her expression now brought back the anxiety he’d hoped was gone.
“What?” He was almost afraid to ask, the way things were going since they’d gotten back here.
She cocked her head and met his eyes. “That was Lexie.”
Inwardly, Jeremy groaned. Lexie was a straight up flake. Why Merry lived with her was something he’d never been able to understand. Granted, Merry and Lexie had been friends since childhood. It didn’t change the fact that Lexie was weird. It also didn’t change the fact that the bond between them didn’t seem to be breakable no matter what dumbass thing Lexie did. And there were plenty.
He tried not to let the irritation sound in his voice, even if the last thing they needed right now was a Lexie crisis. “What did she do this time?”
Merry blew out her cheeks and looked at the ceiling. “She moved out.”
Okay, now that wasn’t what he expected, and in the big picture, it was not bad. In fact, in his opinion, it was a good thing. Not having Lexie in her day-to-day world was bound to make Merry’s life a great deal easier. By the expression on her face, however, she didn’t share his sentiments.
“That’s good, Merry. You don’t need her drama, especially now.”
She shook her head. “No, Jeremy, you don’t understand. This is definitely not good. I can’t afford the rent by myself, and it’s due in a week. I’m screwed.” Tears welled in her eyes and spilled down her cheeks.
He didn’t hesitate. He stood and pulled her into his arms, kissing away the tears. Her body trembled, and he smoothed her hair with one hand. “No, baby, you are most definitely not screwed. The solution is very simple. You’ll move in with me.”
She started to cry. “That’s a horrible idea.”
He held her at arm’s length. Despite being a big, tough guy, her words hurt his feelings. “What?” After everything between them, the last thing he expected to hear from her was that living with him would be a terrible thing. They were going to be parents together. “I love you, Merry, and have loved you for a long time. This baby of ours is incredible and just makes me love you even more if that’s even possible.”
She sniffled. “It’s not that. I love you too, and I love that we’re having a baby together.”
He didn’t think his feelings could be hurt more, but he was wrong. What she said made it even worse. “Then what is it? Why won’t you live with me?”
She gazed at him with watery eyes and sniffed. “I don’t mean to hurt your feelings, but I hate your apartment and you live in an awful area. I’m not living there, and I’m not having a baby there.”
The pressure disappeared in a heartbeat, and he began to laugh as he pulled her close again. His joy came rolling back in. “Okay, gorgeous, not a problem. We’ll live wherever you want. You just pick the place and we’re there.”
“We don’t have time,” she wailed.
He hugged her even closer. He had to think there were some hormones at work here. Merry was not an emotional woman, not like the one he currently held in his arms. “We’ll make time. I promise.”
Lorna laughed lightly. “Merry’s right you know, Jeremy. Your apartment stinks, and honestly, why you decided to live in that area, I’ll never know. Might be okay for you, and I’m using the word okay loosely. It’s absolutely no place for Merry and the baby. This”—she waved her arms around—“is the perfect place for you to have a baby.”
He stared at her, not quite catching her drift. “Here?”
“Here?” Merry repeated.
Lorna smiled at them like they were small children. “Did you or did you not both tell me you’re currently unemployed?”
“Yeah,” he admitted. “We did.”
“Well, then,” she declared. “I can use help. Merry, you have some seriously mad skills that I can use, and while I can’t pay you what you’re accustomed to earning, I can nonetheless pay you a small salary. Jeremy, you’re on your own for employment, but knowing you like I do, I’m confident you’ll find something. In the meantime, there’s plenty of handyman things you can help me with around here. Think about it. It’s a win-win for all three of us.”
“I don’t know,” he said. He’d always lived in Spokane and had never given serious consideration to moving anywhere else. In fact, he’d even gone to college in Spokane, opting for Gonzaga University because it was both a great school and local. Well, that and GU had an awesome basketball team.
Lorna wasn’t cutting him any slack. “Bull. You do know. You both know I’m right. It’s settled. You two can haul ass back to Spokane tomorrow. Load up your stuff and bring it back pronto. No sense waiting around and spending more money on rent and utilities when you can live here. We’ll be one big happy family.”
Big family maybe, she was right on that score. He wasn’t so sure about the happy part. It wasn’t like they’d lived in the same household lately. It had been a pretty long time since they’d lived under the same roof, and when they were kids, well, they’d been known to disagree. Then again, they were all adults now and this was a really big house, not like the moderate-sized rancher they’d grown up in. Maybe Lorna was right. This could be the solution to
their immediate needs. Wasn’t like it had to be forever, and for a little while it could be a fun adventure.
If only he didn’t still have that sick feeling in the pit of his stomach.
*
Lorna couldn’t sleep. Not until she knew how Jolene was doing. The fact that she was still unconscious when they’d loaded her into the ambulance was more than a little concerning. The only sound she’d made was the tiny moan when Clancy licked her face. That had been encouraging, but only a little.
When Renee called at a little after one to tell her Jolene had regained consciousness, her relief was enough that it almost made her cry. The initial diagnosis was a small skull fracture and understandably, a concussion. At this point, they weren’t giving Renee an estimate on how much time Jolene would need to stay in the hospital. From the sounds of things, it was going to be a day-by-day process. The encouraging part was they expected a full recovery.
After regaining consciousness, Jolene related an odd thing to Renee. She told her she’d been standing at the edge of the bluff looking out at the ocean when it felt like someone put two hands on her back and shoved. As far as she’d known, she was alone, so to feel someone’s hands on her back shocked her. Jolene hadn’t had time to react: she was tumbling down the hill. The next thing she knew, she woke up in a hospital bed with a worried daughter holding her hand.
Renee tried to coax a little more detail from her mother. That didn’t happen. The head injury had made her drowsy, and there was little more to be discovered tonight. She told Lorna everything she knew and promised she’d call in the morning.
Lorna wished Renee wasn’t so far away. The hospital in Seattle was the best place Jolene could be right now. They would give her the kind of care she deserved and would need to recover from her injuries. Still, she wanted to be with both Renee and Jolene. They felt like family, and family stayed together.
After a few hours, Clancy had given up his vigil at the window, sort of. He was no longer sitting like a statue in front of the glass. Instead, he was now curled up on the rug resting while still close enough to the window that he wouldn’t miss a thing that might happen outside. She understood how he felt. She wanted to do the same thing. Just curl up, wait, and watch.
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