by Cindy Kirk
She prayed as she watched Brynn’s chest rise. The sheriff’s fingers went to her pulse, then he repeated the breath. “We’ve got a pulse.”
When Brynn began to gag, Cade turned her to one side. She vomited up water, then opened her eyes and began to cry.
It was the sweetest sound Hadley had ever heard. She started to rush to Brynn’s side, but sirens sounded and Cade ordered everyone back.
“I’ll let them in.” Clay, his face an unearthly white, bolted toward the front of the house.
“Tell me what happened.” Max’s voice, dangerously calm, landed on his twin sons now huddled against their mother. “Make it quick. We need to tell the EMTs how Brynn ended up in the pool.”
Callum and Connor looked at each other.
“Now.” Max, normally one of the most easygoing guys Hadley had ever met, barked the command.
“We were playing tag,” Callum began.
“We were splashing each other first,” Connor reminded his brother. “There was water around the edge of the pool. It was kind of slippery.”
“We were playing tag,” Callum repeated. “She was chasing me and Connor.”
“Get to the point.” Max’s eyes softened as he saw his son’s distress, but his tone was firm.
“She slipped and fell into the water.” Connor glanced at his brother as he spoke. “She hit her head on the side. We thought she was playing, pranking us, when she first started floating.”
“We came to get you.” Callum’s blue eyes were wide, freckles standing out against pale skin like newly minted pennies. “Is she gonna die?”
“No,” Hadley heard herself say, her voice sounding as if it came from far away. “She’ll be fine. You did the right thing in coming for help. Your quick action likely saved her life.”
Connor’s gaze dropped to his feet. “We shouldn’t have been running by the pool.”
“No,” she said. “Next time, you won’t.”
The crowd parted like the Red Sea for the EMTs and their gurney. Cade gave them a quick report as they did their assessment. After sliding a backboard under Brynn and stabilizing her neck, they loaded her on the gurney.
“I want my daddy.” Brynn’s voice rose then broke.
Hadley heard the attendants tell David he could ride with his daughter to the hospital. She didn’t move, couldn’t move. Instead, she stood there, alone, dress soaked, shoes still somewhere in the pool.
She waited for David to turn, to ask her to ride with them.
He climbed into the ambulance without a backwards glance.
“Hadley.”
She turned at the gentle voice and saw Lynn, her beautiful face streaked with tears.
“Thank you for saving my granddaughter.”
Before she could protest that it had been Cade who’d resuscitated Brynn, Lynn’s arms were around her, holding her close.
“You’re going to ruin your dress.” Hadley attempted to pull away.
“Thank you,” Lynn repeated, tightening her hold.
“I couldn’t do anything but try to save her.” A sob caught in Hadley’s throat as the enormity of what had happened hit her. She began to shake. “I love her so much. If anything happens to—”
“Shhh.” Lynn stroked Hadley’s wet hair as if she was a small child. “It will be okay. She’ll be fine.”
Hadley let herself be comforted, wondering if this was what it was like to have a mother. Someone to soothe, someone you could count on to be there for you.
Greer touched her shoulder. “I’ve got clothes in my old room that should fit you.”
When David’s mother released her hold, Hadley realized she felt steadier.
“I can drive. I just need to find my purse.” Lynn gaze darted all around, as if expecting to find her bag at the edge of the pool.
“It’s okay.” Steve’s arm slid around her shoulders. “I’ll drive.”
When Lynn opened her mouth, prepared to protest, her fiancé shook his head. “If I drive, you can call David and concentrate on what he has to tell you.”
Before heading to Greer’s bedroom, Hadley walked over to Cade and gave the sheriff a fierce hug. “Thanks for saving my girl.”
“We all had a part in that rescue.” Cade gave her arm a squeeze. “Now get going. Your daughter will want you there.”
Your daughter.
Hadley hurried to the stairs, praying with each step that Brynn would be okay.
Chapter 24
“The CT was negative for bleeding.” The doctor glanced down at his clipboard then up at David. “She’s got quite a bump on her head. That will take a while to go away. The nurse will give you a sheet detailing signs and symptoms we want you to look out for in the next few weeks.”
The physician had a calm, efficient manner and appeared to know what he was doing. But he looked about twelve, a fact that didn’t inspire much confidence.
“Brynn insisted I call my ex-wife. In fact, she was almost hysterical.” Reaching out to Whitney hadn’t been at the top of David’s to-do list, but he had to admit that speaking with her mother had calmed Brynn.
“Brynn may be more emotional for the next few days, but that’s normal and to be expected.” His gaze met David’s. “It’s usually a good idea to notify the noncustodial parent anyway when something serious occurs.”
Something serious.
This had definitely been serious. Brynn could have died. Bile rose in his throat as the adrenaline pumping through his body dipped.
David cleared his throat. “When can I take her home?”
“Tomorrow morning.”
“Why keep her overnight? You said the CT was clear.”
“Mr. Chapin, your daughter nearly drowned. There are occasionally complications from those near misses. Most problems usually arise within the first seven hours.” The doctor listened as his name was paged overhead. “I don’t anticipate any issues, but we can’t be too careful.”
He turned to leave, then paused. “Brynn is a very lucky little girl.”
David watched as the boy, man, strolled off with brisk strides. While the nurse got Brynn settled, he tried to settle himself.
The walls in the pediatric unit displayed an ocean scene, with brightly colored fish, a friendly looking octopus and bright orange seahorses. The mural looked like something Good Hope artist Izzie Deshler might have done.
Staring down at his hands, David saw they trembled. They mirrored how his insides felt at the moment. He closed his hands into fists and told himself to stay strong. Brynn counted on him to stay strong.
He might have had a chance of convincing himself this was no big deal, if not for the movie that kept replaying in his head.
The twins bursting into the parlor, their words tumbling out.
Hadley, racing through the door and diving into the water.
Brynn, his precious child, floating facedown in the water.
The terror of breathing life into his daughter’s lungs.
Clay, performing CPR on the deck of the pool.
What had taken only minutes had felt like hours.
If the boys hadn’t run into the house for help, if Hadley, if he, if Cade…
David closed his eyes as the what-ifs pounded against his aching skull. He pressed fingers against his eyes.
“David.” It was his mother’s voice, trembling and filled with fear. She gripped his arm. “Is she okay? Did something—?”
His mother began to sway.
David reached out, but Steve was closer and faster. His arms closed around his fiancée.
Only then did he see Hadley standing with his sister.
“Brynn is fine. I spoke with the doctor.” David knew they needed reassurance more than specifics. “He’s going to keep her overnight as a precaution, but she’s great.”
Okay, so great might be laying it on a little thick, but it seemed to work. His mother sagged against Steve, relief in her eyes.
Hadley didn’t move or speak.
“Can we see he
r?” His mother eyed the closed door.
“The nurse is in there with her.” David kept his tone easy, but his gaze was on Hadley. “As soon as she comes out, we can go in.”
“Why don’t we grab a cup of coffee from the vending machine?” Steve suggested.
“I don’t want to—” Lynn paused when Steve’s gaze shifted pointedly from Hadley to David.
“Yes. A cup of something hot would be nice.” Lynn smiled, the movement of her lips not reaching her eyes.
“I’ll come with you and Steve.” Greer gave her brother a pointed glance. “C’mon, Clay.”
Steve glanced at David and Hadley. “Can we bring something back for either of you?”
Hadley cleared her throat and finally spoke. “Nothing for me, thank you.”
David shook his head. “I’m good.”
Then they were alone. David wanted desperately to take her into his arms, but feared if he did, he might break.
“Is she really okay?” Hadley stepped close. Her voice remained low, as if concerned it might carry.
“Yes. It’s a miracle. We could have lost her, but we didn’t.”
Without him quite realizing how it happened, she was in his arms and they were clinging to each other.
“I was terrified.”
Without seeing her face, he heard the tears.
“Me, too.” His voice caught. “If-if anything would have happened to her, I don’t know if I could have gone on.”
Her fingers wrapped around the fabric of his shirt as she rested her head against his. Her entire body quivered.
“She’s going to be okay. Nothing else matters.”
David stroked her hair. “I should have insisted you ride in the ambulance with us.”
“You had other things on your mind.”
“I’m sorry.” When she said nothing, he added. “You saved her.”
She shook her head.
“You were in the water and pulling her to safety—”
“We pulled her to safety,” she insisted. “Cade—”
“He’s getting those house plans for free.”
The comment brought a choked laugh from Hadley.
“So lucky,” she murmured, holding him with a fierceness that steadied him.
“I love you.”
She lifted her head, inclined her head.
“I love you,” he repeated and tucked a stray strand of her hair behind one ear, wondering why he hadn’t said it before. “I’ve known it for a while.”
A look of wonder filled her eyes. For a second, David thought—hoped-she’d say the words back, but his family returned and the nurse stepped out of Brynn’s room.
“You can go in.” The RN, an older woman with salt-and-pepper hair and a warm smile, gestured toward the door. “She’s eager to see her family.”
“We’d like to spend the night,” David told her.
“Parents are allowed to stay with their child, but I’m afraid you’ll have to use the sleep chairs.”
Hadley stepped forward. “I want to stay.”
The nurse’s gaze was cautious. “You are…?”
“She’s Brynn’s mother,” Lynn advised before David could reply. “She saved her daughter’s life.”
Three days later, David strolled into the kitchen, a bounce in his step. Each day, his daughter seemed more like herself. “How’s Brynn doing today?”
“We baked banana bread. While I cleaned up, she built a monster Jenga tower.” Hadley smiled apologetically. “Now, she’s watching a movie. I know we’re supposed to limit screen time, but this is the first time she’s had any since leaving the hospital.”
He glanced into the other room where he could see Brynn sprawled on the sofa, one arm around her stuffed monkey. She looked relaxed, content and—praise God—healthy. “Tuesday night seems like a bad dream.”
“I’d say more of a nightmare with a happy ending.” Hadley cocked her head. “How are the surgery center plans coming?”
David had spent the morning in his upstairs office, first on a conference call, then digging into a surgery center project that required a quick turnaround.
“I made excellent progress.” He gestured toward the loaf. “That smells wonderful.”
“I’ll get you a slice.” She slanted him a playful glance. “First, you have to do something for me.”
David slid his arms around her and pressed his lips to her neck, sending shivers of delight traveling down her spine. “Anything.”
His breath was warm and arousing.
Hadley reminded herself Brynn was in the next room. Still, she kissed him lightly. “You can pour us each a cup of coffee.”
The eyes that stared down into hers were dark with desire. “You should have asked for more. I’d have given it to you.”
A home? A family? A lifetime with the two people who mattered most in her life?
Hadley doubted that was what he meant. The knowledge didn’t stop the yearning. Keeping her tone light, she lifted a hand to his cheek, then gave it a brisk pat. “Coffee will do for now.”
Once they were seated across the table, Hadley brought up the subject she knew he didn’t want to discuss. “Brynn asked again about the performance tomorrow.”
David swore. “I wish her teacher had simply said if she didn’t practice this week, she couldn’t perform. She doesn’t even like dance.”
“The teacher is being nice.” Hadley brought the mug to her lips and studied David over the rim. “She understands what Brynn went through and doesn’t want to penalize her.”
David expelled a breath. He hadn’t been sleeping any better than she had since the accident, tossing and turning, then getting up and pacing.
Hadley knew because she’d been up and heard him. Last night, she couldn’t take it any longer. Hadley had eased open his door and, without a word, slid into bed beside him.
After making love, they’d fallen into an exhausted slumber. She’d hopped out of bed at nine and found Brynn still sleeping.
“Brynn seems less restless at night,” Hadley told David over coffee. “Yesterday, she didn’t cry once.”
Though the little girl had been emotional since the accident, Hadley had seen a marked change over the past twenty-four hours.
“Max texted me this morning.”
Hadley cocked her head. “What about?”
“They want to bring the boys by today, just for a few minutes.” David expelled a breath. “He’d like the twins to see for themselves Brynn is okay. What do you think?”
He’d been doing that more and more often, Hadley realized. Asking for her input on decisions, like they were a team, like they were a family.
I love you.
Did David remember saying the words? Perhaps he hadn’t brought it up again because he regretted saying it in the emotion of the moment.
“Hadley.”
She looked up and blinked, realizing he was waiting for her reply. “That’s fine with me. We could have them over for dinner? It’s no trouble to whip up—”
“Let’s wait on that. Brynn’s still recovering, and the boys can be a bit…intense.” He smiled. “We can have them over once all this Founder’s Day craziness is behind us.”
It sounded as if he expected them to continue living together but Hadley refused to read anything into his words. But when they were finished with their snack and he pulled her close for a kiss, she let herself dream, just for the moment, of a life with the man and child she loved.
Good Hope hit the Founder’s Day jackpot on Saturday. The day dawned clear and sunny with a high temperature forecast in the mid-seventies. A perfect day for Brynn to dance on the bandstand stage.
Instead of heading immediately to the town square for the festivities, they’d decided to spend a relaxing morning at home so as not to overtax her.
The doorbell rang midway through breakfast.
Ruckus barked and raced to the front door.
Hadley paused on her trip to the coffeepot. “I’ll get it.”
Brynn looked up from the blueberry French toast casserole. “Who is it?”
Hadley smiled. “That’s what I’m about to find out.”
David, who’d already had one helping, spooned out another, then stood. “I’ll refill our coffee. Would you like more OJ, Brynn?”
“Yes, please.” The little girl lifted a piece of brown-sugar streusel from the top of the casserole and popped it into her mouth.
Hadley smiled. Getting up early to make the casserole had been the right move. By the time David and Brynn had risen, the enticing aroma of cinnamon, brown sugar and vanilla filled the air. Not to mention the heady aroma of freshly brewed coffee.
She practically skipped as she made her way to the front door, tempted to take a note from Brynn’s playbook and burst into song.
Upon reaching the foyer she hushed Ruckus. The dog quieted but his keen-eyed gaze remained focused on the door.
Hadley smiled. The day was planned out. They’d perform their greeter duties, then Brynn would dance. The afternoon would be spent at home, giving Brynn a chance to rest and recharge for the fireworks display that evening.
Yes, Hadley thought as she reached for the knob and opened the door, it was going to be an absolutely perfect day.
The smile remained on her lips for a full five seconds before disappearing. Her heart pounded. Perspiration slicked her hands. “Whitney.”
If possible, the woman was even more beautiful than she’d been the last time Hadley had seen her. Instead of burgundy highlights, gold streaks had been woven through thick mahogany hair worn in a long bob.
Without waiting for an invitation, Whitney brushed past Hadley, leaving the sultry scent of her perfume hanging in the air. She set a red travel case on the floor, swaying a bit as she straightened.
“Your food is getting cold.” David came to an abrupt halt.
His ex-wife’s lush lips curved in a feline smile. “Hello, David.”
“Whitney. What are you doing here?”
The coolness of his welcome seemed to amuse his ex. “I’ve come to see my daughter. I want to see for myself that Brynn is okay.”
Whitney’s words held a slight slur, as if she’d enjoyed one too many cocktails on the flight from Florida.