The passenger door opened and Agnes climbed in. She wedged the big old tote bag between her legs and pulled her seat belt on. "Napping on the job?"
"Something like that. It was a late night last night. Henry's getting Cassidy from school."
Agnes nodded and craned to look at the things in the back seat. "Moving?"
"Beryl Watson brought that to me. We're setting up a bedroom in my craft room."
"I knew it," Agnes said. "You're rescuing another waif. You have a thing for them, don't you?"
"Waifs?"
"Well, maybe. But I meant rescues."
"I rescued you. Look how well that turned out. Now you're rescuing me."
"Us tough broads gotta look out for each other."
Polly laughed and found that it was hard to stop. "I'm a tough broad?"
"The toughest. You may seem all soft and cuddly on the outside, but inside, you have a heart of steel and a will of iron. Kinda makes it easy to trust you."
"You're too good to me."
Agnes tentatively reached out and touched Polly's hand which was resting on the steering wheel. "Honey, I won't say it very often, but you saved my life that day you pulled me out of the bushes. I was so lonely, I didn't know what to do. I walked around this town by myself and no one really knew me. They barely saw me. But you and little Cassidy saw me. I wasn't just a little old lady, I was someone to you. That changed me."
Polly's eyes filled with tears and she brushed at her face with her arm. "Stop that. You're making me cry."
"I cried a lot before you came into my life," Agnes said. "You have no idea how much loneliness is an ache that never seems to abate. Day after day, just me and Hannibal. If I hadn't had him around …" She shook her head. "But that's all in the past. Now I have more action and adventure than an old lady could have ever dreamed of."
"What about your assassination teams?"
Agnes waved her hand in dismissal. "They're the ones having all the fun, action, and adventure. All I do is keep track of their locations and make sure they're doing their jobs. Not much excitement there."
"But they'd miss you if you were gone." Polly still had no idea if Agnes was telling the truth about this other part of her life.
"When I die, you'll meet my other family. They'll all come to the funeral."
Polly shook her head. "I don't know what to think about you."
"That's just the way I like it. Are you going to be okay with me watching over little Cassidy?"
"Sure, why?"
"Because you won't be the one to put her to bed or know for sure if she's sick or healthy. Are you okay with that?"
They pulled into the driveway. Henry's truck was gone. The back door opened and both Heath and Hayden came out.
"I have to be, Agnes," Polly said. "I trust you and I trust Henry." She opened the car door and reached over to pop the trunk lid. "The rugs in the trunk and the cute little table, as well as the blanket bag."
Hayden walked around back as she got out of the car. "Polly?"
"Yeah."
"All those rugs for one little room?"
"We're leaving the decorating to Rebecca," Polly said. "She knows what to do."
She opened the door to the back seat and took out the table, then reached in for the blanket bag which had been parked on top of Cassidy's car seat. Hayden had his hands full with rugs and Heath had grabbed up the last two before shutting the trunk. She watched him work through how to carry the table and the blankets, the lamp and shade.
"I've got this," Polly said with a grin.
He looked frustrated. "I can figure it out."
"I have time to take things inside." If she waited long enough, Henry would be back with Cassidy. He'd surprised her with his offer to pick up their daughter and Polly was so tired that she wasn't thinking straight. She wanted to spend at least a few minutes with her little girl and make sure that she felt safe and loved.
Agnes held the door open as everyone traipsed into the house.
"We'll take this upstairs," Polly said. "It's up to you where you want to spend the day with Cassidy. If you want to hang out in the family room, that's just fine. I'll bring down her pillow and a couple of blankets.
"That sounds like a brilliant idea," Agnes said. "I brought my knitting along."
"You knit?"
"So many things you don't know about me yet. Are the boys going to be around all day?"
"No, they have class. They just wanted to attack that craft room. I want to see what they've done before I leave. I'll bring down a basket filled with dolls and books from Cassidy's room. That should keep the two of you busy enough."
"We'll be fine."
Hayden and Heath had already gone upstairs, and Polly carried the blanket bag up. When she got to the doorway of what had been her craft room, she just shook her head. Everything but the curtains on the windows had been taken out. The room was swept clean and ready for furniture.
"This is amazing, boys. Thank you."
Hayden pointed over his head toward the front of the house. "When you're ready to turn that upstairs room into a sewing room, we'll help. It's bigger than this room."
"I'll build shelves and cupboards for you," Heath said. "We can put a window air conditioner in there for the summer. It would be like your own little hideaway."
Polly headed back out the door.
"Don't go up there now," Hayden warned. "We made a terrible mess. When things settle down, we'll help you reorganize it."
"It looks bad," Heath said, "but it will be really cool."
"I'll leave it alone, then," she replied. "You two are wonderful. Thank you. Don't you need to get moving?"
"Unless there's something else we can do for you."
"No. You've done so much already. I'm not sure when Lexi is moving in."
"Are you sure she will?" Heath asked.
"Not really."
"So maybe this room isn't for her, but for someone else?"
Polly chuckled. "You know me too well. At least we have another room." She dropped the blanket bag inside the door. "This is fantastic. Thank you again."
Heath walked with her down the hall and went into his room as she went into Cassidy's. The bed didn't look any worse than it usually did, so Cassidy hadn't been sick last night. What happened this morning at school? Polly picked up three of her favorite dolls and then stood in front of the bookcases, picking out books that she'd wanted to read lately. After she had an armful of books and coloring books, dolls, and even a stuffed turtle, Polly went back downstairs. She heard noise coming from the family room and headed that way.
Henry stood behind the sofa where Cassidy was sitting.
"How’s my girl?" Polly asked.
Cassidy leaped to the ground and ran to Polly, enveloping her in a hug. "Mommy! Where were you this morning?"
"I had to go to work early. Remember when we talked on the phone?"
"You weren't here last night to tell me you loved me either," Cassidy said, her lower lip out in a full pout.
"I'm sorry." Polly handed everything she was carrying to Henry. She hefted Cassidy up and sat her bottom on the back of the sofa. "I love you very much. I always love you, even if I'm not here to say the words. Do you know that?"
"But I like the words."
"So do I, honey. So do I." Polly put her hand on Cassidy's forehead. She didn't feel a fever and glanced at Agnes, who shrugged and gave a quick little eye roll. "Honey, where does it hurt? Are you sick?"
Cassidy pointed at her forehead. "It hurts here." Then she pointed at her torso. "And here."
"Like a tummy ache. Maybe you're going to be sick to your stomach?"
"No, I won't be sick. I just don't feel good."
"Because you missed me?"
Without a word, Cassidy wrapped herself around Polly again. She hadn't missed a single day of school this year, no matter how chaotic things were in their lives. She could take today off.
"You know that I have to leave you with Agnes, don't you?"
Cassidy held on with more strength. "I love you, Mommy."
"I love you, too. Are you going to be okay here with Agnes?"
"Yes, Mommy."
"Are you really sick or did you just want to come home?"
The lower lip returned to its pout.
"Be honest with me."
"I wanted to come home."
Polly hugged Cassidy close. "We can't do this very often, but today, you can stay here with Agnes. You have to promise that you won't do this again, okay?"
"I promise." Cassidy still hadn't looked up at her, so Polly tipped her chin up and looked her in the eyes.
"Promise?"
"Yes, Mommy."
"Let's get you settled on the sofa with your things. You'll be good for Mrs. Agnes today, right?"
Cassidy nodded.
"Tell Daddy thank you for picking you up at school."
Cassidy beamed when she turned to Henry. She held her arms out and he chuckled as he walked into her hug. "Thank you, Daddy."
"You're welcome. I love you."
"I love you, too." Cassidy turned around and flopped down onto the couch. "Can I play with the dollhouse?"
"Tell you what. Since Mrs. Agnes has taken a day away from her life to spend it with you, she gets to make all the decisions about what happens today. You be very nice to her and tell her thank you all the time."
Cassidy jumped down from the sofa and went over to stand beside Agnes, who put her arm around Cassidy's shoulders. "Mrs. Agnes is my friend."
"Yes, she is," Henry said. "We love her, too."
"Why, what a compliment," Agnes said, batting her eyes at him. "I had no idea. If you'd like, I have teams around the world that can make it so we can be together forever."
He shook his head. "And just like that, the moment's over."
CHAPTER TWELVE
Hospitals weren’t Polly’s favorite places. Sitting in a stranger's room while she drifted in and out of consciousness didn’t make it any better. Lexi had slept most of the day; the poor girl's body was doing its best to heal itself. She'd said very little when she was awake, preferring to watch television or gaze out the window.
Until she was more alert and able to make decisions for herself, Polly didn't want to talk to her about coming back to the Bell House when she left the hospital. The last thing anyone wanted was for Lexi to feel as if she was given no choice about where she lived.
While Lexi slept, Polly kept herself busy. Thank goodness for her phone. She talked to Rachel about the brunch menu for Cat's baby shower on Saturday and then texted back and forth with Marnie and Ella Evans about decorations. With Ella seriously dating Heath now, she'd wanted to be part of the shower planning. Her mother, Marnie, who worked at Mark Ogden's veterinary office, jumped right on board.
Cat's mother and sisters were planning a shower in West Liberty over the Thanksgiving holiday. Helena, Cat's mother, was coming to Bellingwood, but just for the morning. Polly had invited her to spend at least one night in the hotel, but she was busy and couldn't stay long.
With the Renaldis coming to town, that was just as well. One extra family in the mix was enough. Polly wondered at how things would go in the future with the Mendez's. She and Henry weren't really Hayden's parents. They'd taken legal guardianship of Heath when he was a minor, but Hayden had come into their home as part of Heath's family. He'd become part of the whole mix, but she sometimes wondered how he would explain their relationship to his children. She saw it in Carlos's eyes. Cat's father understood at a basic level what Polly and Henry had done for those two boys, but he was wary around them, as if at any minute, Cat and Hayden would be forced out of the house because they weren't really family.
"Polly?"
She jumped and looked at Lexi, who'd been sound asleep. "Yes, honey. I'm right here."
"Just checking." And the girl fell back to sleep.
That was why she was here in this uncomfortable chair, trying to keep her world spinning while she sat in a hospital room.
The door to the room opened and a nurse came in. "Ms. Giller, there is someone outside to see you."
Polly frowned as she stood up. It was still too early for Rebecca to be here. She checked Lexi's breathing to make sure she was still asleep and quiet.
"Sal," Polly whispered her amazement. "What are you doing here?"
"Checking on you. Why didn't you tell me you were caught up in the middle of another mess?"
"It kind of just happened. Why are you here, though?"
"I had a doctor's appointment and figured I would try to find you. Can I help with anything?"
Polly shook her head. "I don't think so. Somehow, I’m the only person this girl feels safe with. She just woke up and called my name, simply to make sure I was near."
"What happened to her?"
Pointing to a small waiting room down the hall, Polly walked away, hesitant to leave Lexi alone, but she didn't want to talk about it in front of her. As they walked, she explained the story as she understood it.
Sal rubbed her hand across her stomach. "Stories like this break my heart. What can I do?"
"Nothing right now," Polly said. "She'll be here for a few more days at least. Oh, Jon and Ray are coming into town this weekend."
"The boys are back in town?" Sal's smile lit up the room. "I've gotten to know them better since moving to Bellingwood than I did when we all lived in Boston. How weird is that? So, I'm going shopping tomorrow. I have to get Cat's shower gift. Can I buy clothes or anything for Lexi? A snuggly nightie? Does she have anything at all?"
"I talked to Jessie. They're about the same size. She's going to give me her old maternity clothes."
Sal scowled at Polly. "That's fine for when she's trying to get back on her feet, but the girl needs things that were bought just for her. What size clothing do you think she wears?"
"I have no idea," Polly said. "Maybe ten / twelve? I can never tell."
"Can I meet her?"
"Why?"
Sal laughed. "Do you think I'll scare her with my bad self? Because I can look at her and gauge pretty closely what size clothing she'll wear. Or hell, maybe we could just flat out ask her. What about that idea?"
"Okay. Come on. I'm so fearful for her. She is fragile."
"If I frighten her, I'll duck out of the room before you know it. Come on. Maybe she'll think I'm the princess that I am."
"You are something," Polly said.
"You're the one who is always about restoring a sense of normalcy to a situation so that people can move forward and find their healing. No time to start like the present."
Polly always felt short and frumpy whenever she walked next to Sal. They’d been best friends from their first year in college. Their differences were obvious to Polly, though Sal never saw them. Today Sal was dressed in tall black heels. How she could walk down the tile floor of this hallway without clattering, Polly would never understand. She wore slim long black slacks with a sharp crease in front, a deep red tunic with a Victorian neckline and gold belt at the waist. Her long black wool coat was sharply tailored, and the woman looked like a model. It was a good thing Polly loved her or else she'd despise this gorgeous woman.
She pushed open the door to the room and was gratified that Lexi was still sound asleep. "Get short," Polly said to Sal.
"What?"
Polly chuckled and pointed to the chair. "Sit. You are a towering Amazon dressed like a runway model."
"Whatever."
"Lexi?" Polly sat on the edge of the girl's bed and gently touched her hand. "Honey, I'd like you to meet a friend of mine. This is Sal."
The girl blinked her eyes open and saw Sal, then searched for Polly. "Who? Why is she here?"
"Because she loves me," Polly said and then chuckled when she realized that anyone who didn't know her might read something different into that. "She's my best friend and wants to help you."
Lexi tried to pull herself into a seated position, but she moaned and dropped back down. "Hello."
>
Sal put her hand on the bed, far enough from Lexi that the girl wouldn't feel threatened, but close enough that she could make a physical connection if she wanted. "Hi there, Lexi. As you can tell, I'm the stylish one in this friendship."
"Hey," Polly said. "I'm not a frump, though every time I walk beside you, I feel that way."
"You're beautiful," Sal said. "But stylish is not what I'd call you. Look at what you're wearing today. All blacks and blues." She shook her head and grimaced at Lexi. "I try. I really try, but Polly insists that she is her own person. We've known each other for years. This crazy little Iowa girl showed up in Boston and I had to share a dorm room with her. I didn't know what to think. But we've been best friends ever since. She even convinced me to give up my fancy-dancy life in Massachusetts and move out here to Iowa."
"Where she married the best-looking man in the state," Polly said.
Lexi watched the two of them banter, her eyes lighting up with interest for the first time since Polly had met her.
"You won't even believe it," Polly said. "When I say this guy is gorgeous, we're talking about every man you've ever had a crush on — times ten. Surely you have a picture, Sal."
Sal took out her phone, swiped through a couple of times, peered at the picture, shook her head, and swiped again. "This is Mark. He is kinda hot, isn't he?" She turned the phone toward Lexi, whose eyes got big. "I know, right? But that isn't even why I married him. He’s gentle with me and the kids, he loves taking care of animals — did Polly tell you he's a veterinarian? Yeah, he comes home smelling like cow poop on a regular basis. In my house. Of all the people in the world I could meet, I find a gorgeous man who is absolutely wonderful and yet, he smells like poop. Trust me when I tell you that I have the finest bath soap in the world to get rid of that stench."
Lexi giggled.
"Polly's husband, Henry, might not be as stunningly gorgeous as my Mark, but he's pretty good looking. Has she shown you pictures of her family yet?"
"Not yet," Polly said.
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