Magnolia Bay Memories

by Babette de Jongh

Damn him for doing this to them. Damn him for making them all fall in love with him and then doing this. “I’m okay, honey,” he said in that stupid-sounding slurred voice. “It doesn’t even hurt; it just feels numb.”

  Stupid idiot. Didn’t he know that really bad injuries might not hurt at first because adrenaline kept the pain from kicking in? “I’d feel better if it did hurt,” she said over her shoulder without looking at him. “Your fucking face has been laid open. It’s supposed to hurt.”

  “Come here, baby.”

  “Don’t try to sit up,” Reva said again, her voice stern.

  An indelible snapshot of Adrian’s beautiful face covered in blood would be stuck in Heather’s mind forever. Worse, the twins had seen it.

  Heather realized in that moment how badly she had failed her poor kids by letting Adrian into their lives and allowing them to go through this kind of trauma all over again.

  Chapter 16

  The ambulance was parked next to the boat ramp. Two medics stood on the dock holding a backboard. All business, Mack jumped out of the boat and tied it off at the dock.

  Adrian sat up and batted Reva’s hand away. “I can get out by myself.”

  “Fine.” Reva held her hands up. “Do what you want.” She got up and went over to comfort the twins, who huddled together on the bench seat at the bow.

  Adrian got to his knees, feeling woozy, seeing double. The whole top of his head—including his face—was on fire.

  Heather, still at the back of the boat, got to her knees too. Her face would have been pasty white if not for the beginnings of a mild sunburn. Even her lips were white.

  “Heather,” he said, but she looked away, her mouth tight.

  Mack and the medics lifted Adrian out of the boat. Then without exactly knowing how it happened, he was inside the ambulance and strapped down to the gurney.

  “Who’s riding with?” one of the medics yelled. “Anybody?”

  Reva held up a hand to signal them to wait, and she and Heather had a heated-looking discussion. Then Reva gathered the twins to her like a mother hen tucking two baby chicks under her wings, and Heather stomped toward the ambulance with her head down before climbing inside. One of the medics directed her to a small, out-of-the-way seat, and she buckled her seat belt, then clenched her fingers in her lap.

  Heather watched with an unhappy look on her face while the medics checked him out. The whole time, they went on and on talking about Adrian’s good luck. They chatted about how lucky he was that the leading edge of the ski had hit his forehead instead of his nose—which probably wasn’t broken. His head was sliced open, he most likely had a concussion, and he ought to consider going as Frankenstein this Halloween. But the scar would fade over time because the ER surgeon on call this weekend was really good. (He could be a princess next Halloween.) The luckiest thing of all was that he hadn’t ended up facedown in the water, because if he had, he’d be dead.

  Yeah, Adrian was lucky. He didn’t need the paramedics to tell him that.

  He just didn’t feel all that lucky right this minute.

  He had told Heather it didn’t hurt, hoping to make her feel a little better about the situation, but that tactic had backfired big-time.

  Truth was, it hadn’t hurt much at first. It had been numb but pulsating with every heartbeat, promising greater pain to come. The promised pain had arrived. His head pounded worse than the worst hangover of all time.

  He reached out for Heather’s hand, and she took it, but her hand felt limp in his. “I’m gonna be okay,” he said. “You don’t need to worry.”

  “I’m not worried,” she answered, her voice dull. “But I thought you were dead.” Her chin trembled, and she looked away, pressing her lips together and visibly composing herself.

  Then she speared him with her tear-filled eyes, and the tears spilled over. “I thought you were dead,” she whispered, her voice breaking. “And I can’t go through that again.” She swallowed and looked away. “Not ever again.”

  She was upset, understandably so. By the time they saw each other tomorrow at the shelter’s grand opening, when she saw that he was fine—a little uglier than before, maybe, but fine—she would be over the shock of the accident, and they’d go back to where they’d been before this happened.

  One of the medics reached over and patted Heather’s shoulder; it was pretty close quarters in the ambulance, so they’d heard every word that was said. “Head wounds bleed a lot, ma’am, and they often look way worse than they are. This one was pretty bad, all right, and they’ll make him stay overnight, for sure, because of the concussion. But he’ll be okay.”

  The other medic chuckled. “I bet he won’t go skiing again anytime soon. Not for the rest of this season, at least.”

  Adrian closed his eyes and let the medics’ chatter wash over him. He was trying very hard not to vomit, but he wasn’t holding out much hope of success.

  And that was before the ambulance hit the highway with lights flashing and sirens blaring. The rocking motion of the ambulance didn’t help to quell his nausea. But they got to the hospital without him tossing his cookies, and when the medics wheeled him into the ER, he was grateful that nobody expected him to walk.

  Though the place bustled with hospital staff and the families of people who’d suffered Labor Day mishaps, it wasn’t long before Adrian was installed in one of the curtained cubicles. A nurse inserted an IV and hung a bag of saline while Heather sent text updates from Adrian’s phone.

  “Your parents are on their way here now,” Heather said without looking up. “Your dad’s bringing my car; it’s a good thing I left the keys in my beach bag on the pontoon.”

  “How are your kids?”

  “Reva says they’re fine. I told her to cancel their spend-the-night plans. She took them to her house, and she’ll bring them here in a little while so I can take them home when I leave.”

  “That’s good. Y’all need to rest.” The saline drip seemed to be settling his stomach somehow. Thank God. He held out a hand to Heather. “Come here.”

  She looked reluctant, and though she put his phone down in her lap, she didn’t budge from the chair.

  He crooked his fingers. “Please.”

  She got up and came over to the hospital bed. He patted the thin mattress. She sat next to him, and he kept urging until she stretched out and put her head on his shoulder.

  He stroked her hair. “You know I’m gonna be okay, right?”

  “I know.” Her voice sounded tired, resigned.

  “So what’s the matter?”

  Before she could answer, Adrian’s mother rushed into the cubicle. She gasped and cried out when she saw him. “Oh, Adrian, you could have been killed,” she said so loudly that he cringed. That was not what Heather needed to hear right now. Heather sat up and tried to stand, but he wrapped an arm around her waist, so she perched on the side of the bed instead. “I’m fine, Mom. It looks worse than it is.”

  Gordon came in. “Whoa, son,” he boomed in a too-loud voice. “You got yourself a good little whack on the head there.”

  A nurse wheeled in a tray with syringes and needles and a bunch of shiny silver implements. “Too many people in here,” she said in a businesslike tone. “Somebody’s gotta leave.”

  Heather stood, and this time, he let her. She leaned toward him as if she might give him a kiss, but instead, she took his hand and gave it a gentle squeeze. “I’ll see you tomorrow.”

  ***

  Heather walked out of the ER. Gordon caught up with her after she’d walked through the automatic doors that led to the parking lot.

  “Heather.” He put a hand on her arm. “You won’t get far without these.” He pressed her car keys into her palm. “Your car’s in the first row. Can’t miss it. Your beach tote is on the front seat.” He studied her face. “Are you okay?” His voice sounded gruff. Worried.
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br />   She pressed her lips together and blinked back tears. Unable to speak, she shook her head. He opened his arms, and the next thing she knew, she was enveloped in Adrian’s father’s comforting embrace. He patted her back. “He’s going to be all right,” he soothed. “That boy’s hardheaded.”

  She choked on a laugh. “Not hardheaded enough, apparently.”

  “So he’ll have a new dent in his noggin.” He drew her away from the doors as a couple walked in carrying a crying child. “It’ll make him look more manly.”

  “I know.” Heather stepped back and wiped her tears. “It’s just… It was hard seeing him unconscious and bleeding. I felt so…helpless.” The worst of it was knowing that anything could happen to him, at any time, and she’d be just that helpless all over again. “And he’s such a daredevil. Skiing backward…”

  “Awww.” Gordon chuckled and patted her shoulder awkwardly. “Skiing backward isn’t that big a deal. He’s no more a daredevil than any man I know.”

  “Well, then, you’re all crazy.” She sniffed and tried to smile. “But that doesn’t much help my feelings.” Today, she’d begun to imagine her life with Adrian in it, not just as a temporary bridge from widowhood back to womanhood but as something more—something she wasn’t yet ready to put a name to, especially now that it had almost been snatched away. “Anyhow.” She patted Gordon’s shoulder. “Thanks for bringing my car.”

  “Happy to do it.” Gordon smiled before he turned to go, the ghost of Adrian’s smile on an older man’s face. A glimpse into a future with Adrian that she wondered if she’d ever see. She’d thought there wouldn’t be any harm in having a quiet fling with Adrian and being open to the possibility of something more developing between them. But seeing him with her kids today, she’d started falling in love with him. Worse, so had they.

  Was today’s accident the wake-up call she needed to put on the brakes before they all got their hearts broken again? Life without Adrian would be smaller, maybe, but more predictable. Safer.

  Reva pulled into the parking lot and parked next to Heather’s car. Her window came down, and she waved. “How’s Adrian?”

  “Concussion and stitches, just like Mack said. He’ll be staying overnight for observation.”

  The twins bolted out of the back seat of Reva’s sedan and clung to her legs, effectively hobbling her. “Can we go see him?” Josh asked in a whiny tone. “I want to see him.” Apparently, Josh had found his voice again. “Does he have stitches?”

  Erin got out of the car holding Jasper’s leash, then made the dog sit long enough for her to peel Josh off Heather’s leg. “Come on, dude.” She reached for Heather’s keys. “Let’s go get in the car.”

  “Is Adrian gonna be okay, Mommy?” Caroline asked. “He’s not gonna be dead like Daddy, is he?”

  “No, baby. Adrian is not going to die.” Not this time, anyway. Who knew what would happen the next time he decided to be a stupid daredevil cowboy. “It’s been a long, tiring day. Let’s go home.”

  Heather thanked Reva and drove home with Joshua keeping up a steady stream of chatter from the back seat. In the house, Erin helped out without being asked, directing the twins upstairs to take their baths while Heather went to the downstairs master suite to take off her bloodstained clothes and have a hot shower.

  Dressed in her pajamas, she rolled up the bloody swimsuit and beach cover-up and stuffed them in the kitchen trash bin. They’d wash, but she didn’t think she’d ever want to wear them again. The television blared from the den, and Erin stood at the stove, making grilled cheese sandwiches. “Dinner’s almost ready,” Erin said over her shoulder. “I told the twins they could eat in the den tonight. I hope that’s okay.”

  Heather sat at the bar. “That’s fine. Thank you for taking over.”

  “I could tell you’re upset about what happened to Adrian.” Erin set a plate in front of Heather. “Was it really as bad as the twins said?”

  Heather pushed the plate away. “I don’t think I can eat anything tonight.” Her stomach was still in knots. “It was as bad as they said. Or worse.”

  “I’m sorry.” Erin pushed the plate in front of Heather again. “Once you start eating, it’ll get easier.”

  Yes. Heather remembered that from last time. Erin took plates for her siblings into the den. Heather took a small bite of the warm, buttery bread and melted cheese, and made herself chew until she could swallow. The second bite went down more easily.

  After dinner, Heather cleaned the kitchen and sent the kids up to bed with a promise to tuck them in later. She checked on Erin first. “Hey,” she said quietly after tapping on the door.

  “Come in,” Erin said, her voice sleepy.

  “Just seeing if you want to talk about the day.”

  “Sure.” Erin sat up in bed. “I had a really good time. I’m sorry about how it ended for y’all, though.”

  Heather sat on the edge of Erin’s bed. “You learned how to ski.”

  “Adrian was a good teacher.” Erin fiddled with the end of her braid. “He’s really nice, Mom.”

  Heather nodded. “Yes, he is.”

  “I’m sorry I pitched a fit about y’all kissing before.”

  “That’s okay.” Heather patted Erin’s leg through the comforter. “I know it was a bit of a shock.”

  Erin chuckled. “It was. But you know, now that I’ve had time to get used to the idea, I think Adrian will be good for you. And for us too.” A mischievous grin spread across her face. “If y’all get married, all the girls will be jealous that I have such a hot stepfather.”

  “Well, about that…” Heather looked down and picked at a tiny pinhole in her pajamas. “I don’t think Adrian and I are going to be a thing after all.”

  “Why not?” Erin sounded disappointed. “What happened?”

  Heather shrugged. “I’m not ready for a relationship.”

  “But Mom,” Erin argued, “Adrian’s kind of a catch, and he’s probably not the waiting-around type.”

  Heather patted Erin’s leg again. “We don’t have to think about that right now. Tomorrow is a new day, and we have to get up early for the shelter’s grand opening.”

  Heather stood and turned to go, but Erin called her back. “Mom.”

  “Yes?”

  “What did you think of Sean?”

  “Besides the fact that he’s way cute?”

  “He’s really nice too,” Erin said. “I think I might have a little crush on him. Do you think he’d go out with me?”

  Heather sat back down on the bed. “I don’t know, sweetie. I mean, he’d be a fool not to want to go out with you, but who knows what’s in the minds of young men? You are a couple years behind him in school.”

  “He held my hand today.”

  “He did?” Heather tried not to look shocked. She and Abby had thought that all the adults were watching those kids with hawklike precision. “When?”

  “When he helped me get in the boat—and out of it too.”

  “Oh.” Heather’s relief must have showed in her tone, but Erin shot it down.

  “He held my hand longer than he needed to, I mean.”

  “Oh. That’s…um… That’s good, I guess.” They’d have to watch the kids even closer than they had been.

  Erin laughed. “Sorry, Mom. I didn’t mean to scare you.”

  “No, it’s okay.” Heather smiled. “You didn’t scare me.” Much. “But if you want to impress Sean with your wit and beauty tomorrow, you should try to get enough sleep tonight.”

  “Night, Mom.”

  “Night, sweetie.” Heather turned out Erin’s light and pulled the door closed, then went across the hall to Josh’s room. He was already asleep, with his face buried in the pillow and his covers halfway off the bed. Jasper looked up from the foot of the bed and wagged his bob tail.

  Heather crossed the hall
to check on Caroline. It seemed that she was asleep too, with the covers pulled up over her head. But when Heather opened the door wider, Caroline flung the covers off and sat up. “Mama…” Caroline leaped off the bed and ran to hug Heather. “Can I sleep in your bed tonight?”

  Heather squatted down to meet Caroline’s eyes. “Why, baby?”

  “I had that nightmare about Daddy again, that he was coming after me with his face all puffy and blue and his tongue sticking out.”

  “Aww.” Heather brushed Caroline’s hair away from her forehead. She was hot and sweaty from hiding under the covers. “I’m sorry.” Hopefully, the trauma would be short-lived this time because Adrian was going to be okay, and because Caroline hadn’t had time to learn to love him and to think of him as a daddy. “Sure, you can sleep with me tonight.”

  “I tried to go back to sleep,” Caroline said, “but every time I close my eyes, I see Adrian with blood all over his face… Or sometimes I see Daddy instead.”

  “Come on.” Heather held out a hand. “Let’s go downstairs. I’ll tuck you into my bed and tell you a story.”

  Caroline slept fitfully that night, and Heather hardly slept at all, so she was able to notice when Caroline’s dreams turned dark and soothe her with a gentle touch. Heather spent most of the night staring at the ceiling because whenever she closed her eyes, she saw Adrian’s beautiful, ruined face. There were times when she drifted off, but either Caroline’s nightmares or her own kept her from getting truly restful sleep.

  The drastic measure of breaking up with him had crossed her mind when she was still reeling with shock, but now that she’d had time to think it over, she knew she didn’t want to break things off with him completely. He was the best thing that had happened to her and her kids in a long time.

  The accident wasn’t his fault. He’d been a daredevil cowboy when he was skiing backward, but the ski hitting a log could have happened to anyone. Erin had been skiing that day too. It could have happened to her. Accidents happened.

  Heather knew, intellectually, that pulling the plug on her new relationship with Adrian wouldn’t stop anyone she loved from experiencing harm or loss. But the whole thing had spooked her and made her realize that their relationship was developing too quickly.