The Summer Sisters (Juniper Springs Book 2)

by Sara Richardson

  “We can understand that.” Mags took her hand. “But don’t hide anything else from us. You’ve given each of us so much. Now it’s time for us to give back to you.”

  “Have the doctors said anything?” Out of the four of them, Dahlia seemed to be hiding her concern the best. She had practice being a mom and all.

  “I don’t have any test results yet.” But relief still settled her. The tests were done. She’d taken the first step in finding out what was to come. “Ike is running around trying to harass them into finding some answers as soon as possible, so it shouldn’t be too long before we hear something.”

  Yet another person she would have to apologize to when the time was right. Ike hadn’t demanded to know why she hadn’t come to him in the first place—he was too kind to ask—but he wondered. She could see the questions in his subdued expression whenever he talked to her.

  “Whatever they find out, you know you’re not alone.” Rose pushed herself out of the wheelchair and stood on her good foot. “You have so many people in your corner.”

  “Exactly.” Lillian prodded her daughter to sit back down in the chair with a motherly look. “I was talking to Elroy about your symptoms, and—”

  “Who’s Elroy?” Sassy couldn’t seem to remember anyone by that name around these parts.

  Rose and Dahlia laughed.

  “That’s Grumpy’s real name,” Rose said.

  “No!” Sassy laughed too. “How in the world did you find that out?”

  All eyes turned on Lillian.

  Her sister’s perfect, creamy, moisturized skin turned a bright shade of red. “He told me. I couldn’t very well call him Grumpy. That’s not a proper name.”

  “And they are on a proper-name basis,” Rose informed her, teasing Lillian with a bounce of her eyebrows.

  A few weeks ago, news of Grumpy and Lillian would’ve shocked her, but after spending time with Graham, she knew love could come out of nowhere and hit you right between the eyes.

  “Anyway,” Lillian went on. “Elroy said his son knows a fantastic neurosurgeon in Denver. So if we’re dealing with a tumor or anything at all with your brain, we’re going to find you the absolute best care and get you all fixed up.”

  Magnolia’s weary expression revealed she feared it wouldn’t be that easy. Sassy could see the concern in all of their expressions, as much as Dahlia was trying to hide it.

  “Whatever it is, I’m going to fight it. I can promise you that.” She wasn’t going to let anything steal this time from her. Her nieces gave her courage. Her sister gave her courage. She was stronger here with them.

  “We’ll fight it together.” Dahlia hugged her and then moved out of the way so the others could follow, but a knock on the door broke up the party.

  Theo poked his head in. “Time’s up,” he announced. “We have to keep on schedule people. Sassy is in demand.”

  Rose squeezed her hand. “Send Ike out to see us the second you hear anything,” she instructed.

  “I promise.” Sassy blew her nieces kisses as they filed out of the room. “No more secrets.”

  Even though the girls had gone, Lillian lingered by the bed. “I know it was ridiculous of me to resent you all these years.” The mask of indifference had fallen away from her sister’s face. “I was angry and hurt, and I directed all of my pain at you. I was scared to confront the real problems in my marriage.”

  “I know how it feels to be scared.” Fear had made her do something she never would’ve done—hide, lie. But that was over now. The fear. She would hold on to the hope instead. She would hold on to the strength her family brought. “You always have a place in Juniper Springs. With me. With your daughters. They love you so much, Lil.”

  “I love them too.” Tears glistened in her sister’s bright blue eyes. “And you. I love you, Sassafras. You can’t leave me. Not now. I have a lot of years to make up for.”

  “We have a lot of years to make up for.” Another gust of courage blew through her. “And we’ll have the time. We’ll make the time to build some new memories.”

  “Knock-knock.” Graham sauntered into the cramped hospital room with his calm manner and steady sureness.

  “I’ll see you very soon.” Lillian slipped past the man with a smile.

  Sassy was smiling too—ear to ear—at the sight of this man while tears leaked from the corners of her eyes. “I suppose I owe you an explanation.” Even with the guilt weighing down her heart, she found it easy to look into his eyes. They were home.

  “No.” He eased onto the bed next to her, slipping his arm around her shoulders. “You don’t owe me anything. That’s not why I’m here.” He seemed to study the details of her face with his meticulous powers of observation. “I’m here to sit with you. I’m here to make sure you have everything you need. I’m here to make you smile. That’s all.”

  Darn those tears. She couldn’t seem to shut them off. Graham was so kind. So good. But this wasn’t fair to him. “We just started to spend time together, and this is a lot.” She couldn’t stand the thought of him feeling obligated to bear her burdens. Especially when she hadn’t been up front with him from the beginning. “I don’t expect you to take on any of my problems. I don’t know if I’m sick or if I have cancer. This could be a hard road, and I don’t want you to feel like you have to walk it with me.” She held her breath. Seeing him walk away now might very well tear her heart in two, but she had to give him the choice.

  Graham pulled his arm away and shifted to face her fully. “If you only had a week left on this earth, I would want to spend every minute of it with you.” There wasn’t one note of uncertainty in his voice. “You brought me back to life with your kindness and your grace.” He leaned forward and kissed her softly, taking her away from the hospital, from so many unknowns. “You helped me feel a purpose again,” he murmured, still lingering close enough that she could feel his breath against her skin. “I don’t know what the future holds for either of us. But I do know that love has come back into my life, and it is a gift.”

  He held her cheek in his palm. “You are a gift, dear Sassy. So I will hold on to you as long as I can. I’ll hold on to you as long as you’ll let me.”

  Chapter Twenty-Five

  Dahlia

  I don’t like it here.” Maya pulled her feet up onto the waiting room chair and hugged her knees to her chest.

  “Me neither.” Ollie mimicked exactly what his older sister did down to the sulking expression on her face.

  “I’m not sure anyone likes hospitals.” Dahlia halfheartedly flipped to the next page in the travel magazine she was pretending to read, but she couldn’t seem to focus on any of the words or even the beautiful pictures.

  They’d been waiting at least an hour to hear anything from Ike, but he hadn’t come out to see them. Did the long absence mean bad news?

  She shouldn’t think like that, but thinking was all she seemed to be able to do. Earlier, the waiting room had been crowded and loud and comforting, but now it had gotten too quiet. Mags and Eric had left to go get the baby down for a nap, promising to be back later, and Colt had said he had something to take care of. Rose had been too restless to sit still, so she’d wheeled herself off in the direction of the cafeteria with Lillian following close behind, admonishing her to be careful, and Graham seemed to have earned himself a permanent spot in Sassy’s room.

  “I’m hungry.” Ollie spun himself around in the chair so that his legs were sticking up in the air. “I could eat five whole pepperoni pizzas and a chocolate cake right now.”

  “I couldn’t.” Maya still seemed a bit pale from the shock of the afternoon. “I’m not hungry. Do you think Sassy’s gonna be okay, Mom?” She had asked the same question at least twenty times in the last hour. Sweet girl. She was such a worrier.

  Dahlia set down the magazine and gathered her daughter into her arms planting a kiss on the top of her head. “Yes, honey. I believe she will be okay.” Sometimes thinking and believing were two different things
. She always tended to be too practical, but in this case she wanted to rely on her heart. “They’re taking very good care of her. You saw her in the ambulance. She was wide awake and smiling and still the same Aunt Sassy.”

  “That’s how she was before she fainted too,” her daughter muttered.

  Dahlia held her. No matter how much she wanted to, she couldn’t erase the images of Sassy lying on the ground unconscious from her daughter’s memory. Trauma like that took time to get over. Time and love, and right now she had plenty of both to offer.

  “Hey, you two!” Rose wheeled herself out from a hallway on the other side of the room. “Anyone want to go for a ride?”

  “That wheelchair is not a toy.” Lillian stalked along behind Rose with her hands on her hips. “You can’t take them for a ride. All we need right now is someone else getting hurt.”

  “They need a little fun.” Rose ignored their mother and waved the kids over.

  “I wanna ride!” Ollie leapt out of his chair and sprinted to Rose, jumping into her lap.

  Her sister winced but laughed at the same time and turned them in a circle. “See? Totally safe and fun.” She spun them around again, making Ollie giggle.

  “Well, I refuse to watch you injure yourself anymore.” Their mother marched to the chair next to Dahlia and plopped down. “Really, Rose. You’re a grown woman tearing around here in that thing like a child.”

  “You’re a grown-up?” Ollie wrinkled his nose like he couldn’t quite believe it.

  “Sometimes.” Rose shrugged. “Today—right now—I feel like being a kid.” She did a few more 360s.

  “Woo-hoo!” Ollie raised his arms in the air. “Look! No hands!”

  “Good Lord,” Lillian huffed.

  Dahlia let the two of them carry on. They could all use a little fun right now.

  “Maya, why don’t you drive?” Rose pointed to the handles behind her. “I’ll bet we could really get up some speed with a good driver.”

  Her daughter remained firmly enclosed in Dahlia’s arms. “That’s okay. I don’t really feel like it right now.”

  “What would you like to—”

  The door to the hallway opened, and Rose fell silent. Ike stepped through, wearing the best smile Dahlia had ever seen. With a smile like that, he must have good news.

  “Dr. Ike…” Maya rose slowly, cautiously.

  No one else said anything, but they all crowded around him.

  “I have great news to report.” He seemed to especially address her daughter. “Sassy’s scans are clear. They’ve ruled out a stroke and any tumors.”

  “She’s going to be okay?” her daughter asked in disbelief.

  Dahlia shared a long look with Rose along with some tears. She couldn’t hold them back.

  Ike knelt in front of Maya. “They’re still doing some tests, but yes. It looks like Sassy will be okay.”

  “So what was it then?” Lillian asked before Dahlia could. “There must be something causing the headaches and dizziness.”

  The man nodded, staying right where he was at Maya’s level, as though he could tell she needed the most reassurance. “Right now they’re conducting some hearing and balance tests. Sassy mentioned she’s had ringing in her ears too, so this could be related to some type of inner ear problem that’s causing her vertigo.”

  “That’s it?” Rose laughed. “An inner ear problem?”

  “That’s awesome!” Ollie cried, and Rose spun them in a few more circles.

  “Thank God.” Lillian sniffled a little, and Dahlia put her arm around her mother.

  “There’s no definitive diagnosis yet.” Again, Ike seemed to be speaking to Maya. “But that’s the way they’re leaning right now. And that’s really good news, because inner ear problems are treatable.”

  “So she really will be okay?” Her daughter’s voice was small, still unsure. “I thought she was dead…”

  “I know.” The man gazed into Maya’s eyes with such kindness. “I know how scary it was, but you were very strong. You did exactly the right thing, and we’re all grateful to you.”

  “Thank you.” Her daughter threw her arms around Ike, nearly knocking him off balance. “Thank you for helping her. I’m so glad you were there.”

  “Me too.” Ike brought his arms around her, carefully hugging her while she cried.

  After a few seconds, Maya lifted her head and gazed at him. “I think I want to be a doctor someday. Like you and Dr. Jolly.”

  “You would make an amazing doctor.” He stood. “Anyone who can stay so calm and know just what to do in an emergency definitely has what it takes.”

  “You really think so?” The hope in her daughter’s eyes lifted Dahlia’s heart.

  Ollie hopped out of Rose’s lap. “Since Sassy’s feeling all better now, can we have pizza for dinner? My belly is talking.”

  “Yes. Of course, sweetie.” It had been hours since any of them had eaten. Ollie’s five thirty dinner hour had long since passed them by. And now that they knew more about Sassy’s condition, even she could eat. “I have some pizzas in the freezer from the last time we ordered.” Seeing as how she had to drive two towns away to get the kids’ favorite pizza, she always stocked up. “Let’s go home and have some dinner.”

  “Do you want to come with us, Dr. Ike?”

  Dahlia was sure Maya’s question had stopped her heart.

  For a second the man looked too stunned to speak, but he seemed to recover quickly. “I would love to come with you. If you’re sure it’s okay.”

  “I’m sure.” Maya glanced up at Dahlia.

  She tried to keep her response casual, but she was having a hard time pulling back her emotion. “It’s okay with me too.” She knew it was only dinner, but she wanted to laugh and cry at the same time. Inviting Ike over was a big step for Maya. “What do you say, Ollie?”

  “Yes!” The boy’s face got skeptical. “As long as you like pepperoni pizza. That’s my favorite.”

  “It’s my favorite too.” Ike high-fived her son, and then his gaze lingered on Dahlia. “I’ll check in on Sassy one more time and be right back.”

  “Sure.” Sheesh. That high breathless quality in her voice made her sound like she was under some kind of spell. “Okay. We’ll be waiting right here.”

  Ike’s very kissable lips smiled at her before he walked away, and it was all she could do to not fan her face.

  “Sounds like it’s going to be quite the dinner at your house.” Rose’s smirk was so subtle the kids didn’t seem to notice it.

  “Um, yeah.” She’d almost forgotten her sister and mother were standing there. “Do you want to come and have some pizza too?”

  “No.” Lillian still seemed to be sniffling. “I’m staying with Sassy. All night, if that’s how long she’s here. I refuse to leave her alone.”

  “I want to stay for a while too,” Rose said. “Colt said he’d come back and get me later. But you guys have fun.” The singsongy tone made it clear she knew they would have fun.

  “Colt’s coming to pick you up later, huh?” Rose wasn’t the only one who could tease.

  “I must say…” Their mother looked back and forth between the two of them. “You girls sure have some wonderful men in your lives.”

  Dahlia could hardly believe her ears. Lillian used to be able to find a flaw with everyone and had no problem pointing it out. And she’d never liked Colt.

  “You seem to have a pretty great man in your life right now too,” Dahlia reminded her.

  Their mother blushed.

  “Grumpy is never as nice to other people as he is to you,” Rose added. “I didn’t even know he had it in him.”

  “Love brings out the best in people,” Dahlia told their mother. That’s what Sassy had taught her.

  “Love, pshaw.” Lillian waved off the thought, but her cheeks got even redder.

  “I’m ready.” Ike hustled through the doorway again. “Sassy is going to stay overnight for observation, but they’ve detected a slight
loss of hearing and are leaning toward a Ménière’s disease diagnosis.”

  Maya stopped chasing her brother. “That sounds scary.”

  “It only means there’s a problem very deep inside of her ear,” he explained patiently. “But there are a lot of ways to treat it so she doesn’t get the headaches and dizziness.”

  “Oh good.” Maya took the doctor’s hand. “Then we don’t have to worry about her anymore. We can go have some dinner.”

  “Exactly.” The man looked almost bewildered by her daughter’s sudden affection for him, but Dahlia could see…Maya had a new hero.

  “Finally! Pizza!” Ollie grabbed Ike’s other hand and they said their goodbyes.

  She followed the three of them out to the parking lot, her heart melting at the sight of her children walking alongside the man she loved.

  “Is it hard to be a doctor?” Maya asked Ike as they all climbed into the car.

  “Not when you really love it.” He started the engine and waited until they’d all clicked in their seatbelts before backing out of the spot. “I think it’s the best job ever. I get to spend the day talking to people, helping them.”

  “You also give them shots,” Ollie reminded him a little crossly.

  Ike laughed. “Yes, sometimes I have to do that too. That’s not my favorite.”

  “Mine either,” her son mumbled.

  “What is your favorite part?” her daughter asked.

  Dahlia gazed at the man next to her, anticipating his answer. She wanted to know everything about him.

  He seemed to take his time thinking. “My favorite is when I call a patient who was sick or hurt to check in and they tell me they’re feeling all better.”

  “That would be my favorite part too,” Maya agreed. “Like when you said Sassy was going to be okay, I got this really happy feeling inside.”