28. Faith
CHAPTER 28
Faith
The plane landed at LAX, and as we taxied to the gate, I turned on my cell phone. Three missed calls from Steph? I hit the button to call her back, and she picked up on the first ring.
“Faith, where in the world have you been? I’ve been trying to call you all morning,” Steph said.
“I’m on a plane. What’s going on?”
“Your book, girlfriend. You’ve done it!”
I squished down in my middle seat. “What are you talking about?”
“ Carnal Knowledge made it to the New York Times bestseller list!” Steph shrieked.
I held the phone away from my ear for a moment before Steph’s voice could pierce my eardrum. The guy on my left shifted in his seat, scowling at me, and the woman on my right looked over. I put my free hand around my mouth as I spoke into the phone in an attempt to establish some privacy. “What?”
“You debuted at number ninety-eight. That’s awesome, Faith! Traffic to your website is way up. You’re going to need to make some social media posts later on today. Let’s keep this momentum going.”
“That’s great, Steph. I’ll log on as soon as I get to my mom’s.” My other books had sold fairly well, but I’d never made a list before. Part of me wanted to throw my arms in the air and shout out my accomplishment. The rest of me wanted to crouch down under the cushion of my chair and hide. A bestseller? Continuing to fly under the radar just got a tiny bit harder.
Other passengers in the rows ahead of me started to stand and grab their luggage.
“I’ve got to go. I’m about to get off the plane.”
“Okay. Have a great holiday. I’ll keep my eye on the list and let you know if you move up.”
“Sounds good, thanks.”
We disconnected, and the guy on my left finally stood up. I grabbed my bag and coat and followed the long line of passengers to the front of the plane.
As the escalator carried me down toward baggage claim, I scanned the crowd for my mother. She stood right outside the sliding glass doors, waving her arms, a big goofy smile plastered across her face. Clem paced a few feet behind her, cell phone glued to his ear.
I whooshed through the exit and let my mother envelop me in a hug. I drew in a deep breath. Donna Karan’s Cashmere Mist and Mentos—the smell of home.
“Let me take a look at you,” my mother said, stepping back and holding me at arm’s length. “Have you been eating okay? You look thinner than the last time I saw you.”
I laughed. “Three meals a day. I’m fine.”
Clem hung up the phone and put an arm around my shoulder, giving me a half hug. “Welcome home, Faith.”
“Thanks, I’ve been looking forward to it.” Home? My mother and Clem had moved again since I’d visited over the summer, and I hadn’t even seen the new house. I supposed home was where the heart was... and that meant with my mom.
“Let’s get your bags.” Clem took off toward the baggage claim. Mom and I followed, linked arm in arm.
I pointed out my rolling bag, and Clem grabbed it off the belt. “Is this all?”
“Yep, that’s it,” I replied.
“Oh, honey, where’s your hang-up bag?” Mom asked.
“Mom, I’m only here for a week. What else do I need besides jeans?”
Clem gave my mother a pointed look. “Hon, didn’t you tell her?”
She busied herself with her leather gloves. “Well, I guess I just didn’t get around to it.”
“What? What are you guys keeping from me?” I asked.
“We’re going to a little party tonight,” Mom said.
“A little party?” Clem put a hand to his chest. “Claire dear, it’s black tie.”
I waved my hands in front of me. “Uh no, I’ll just order takeout and stay in. You two have fun.”
“Oh, sweetheart, I knew you’d say that. That’s why I didn’t tell you about it,” Mom said. “I have three dresses on hold for you at the boutique. I thought we could drop Clem off at home and head over for you to try them on.”
“Aw, Mom, I don’t want to go to some fancy party tonight.” I felt like a four-year-old who’d been told she had to stop making mud pies and put on a dress.
She tucked her arm into mine and whispered into my ear. “It’s important to Clem. Can you please do this for me?”
I sighed. “You could have told me about it, Mom.”
She gave me the puppy dog eyes. I couldn’t deny her when she pulled out all the stops like that.
“Fine. But there better be an open bar.”
Clem laughed. “That shouldn’t be a problem.”
As we made our way out into the California sun, I held tight to my mother’s arm. It was good to be home.
“You did tell her about Carter though, right Claire?” Clem asked.
I turned on my mom. “Carter? Who’s Carter?”
Her hand fluttered to her chest. “Didn’t I mention him, dear? I’m sure I meant to.”
“Yeah, right.” I’d been subjected to my mom’s failed attempts at matchmaking before. “Who’s Carter?”
“Just your plus one for the night, dear.” We’d reached Clem’s black Cadillac, and before I could come up with a killer reply, my mom climbed into the front seat and closed the door.
My plus one? Great, just great. A surprise black tie function and an unwanted blind date. Just the kind of evening I had in mind for my first night of winter break. What could possibly go wrong?
Dante
I careened into the Hinkley Memorial Hospital parking lot. I’d been on my way to Meemaw’s when I got the call. What was the old bird thinking, trying to hang Christmas ornaments from the ceiling of the senior center? She’d fallen off a ladder and hit her head pretty hard on the corner of a table on her way down. The nurse on the phone said she’d passed out but was in stable condition, and I should try to get there as soon as possible.
I bolted through the revolving door and right to the information counter. “I’m looking for Dolores Bishop,” I said to the woman behind the desk.
“You must be her grandson.”
I nodded and pointed to the computer, frustrated that she didn’t seem to be in much of a hurry.
She smiled at me and typed a few things on the keyboard. “She’s still in the ER. Right down the hall and to the?—”
I didn’t wait around for directions. I took off down the long hall toward the ER. I’d been there often enough over the years to know my way around. A broken arm in fourth grade, a dirt bike wreck in seventh, jumping off the roof of the high school and earning a concussion in tenth... yeah, I knew how to find the ER.
I rounded the corner and came to a dead stop in front of the nurse’s station. What the hell was she doing here?
The nurse on duty looked up with big brown eyes. “Dante?”
I hadn’t seen her in years. Unless I counted the number of times I’d used her senior picture for target practice. The sight of her here in the flesh turned my blood thick and cold like the frozen pomegranate daiquiris I’d made popular at the bar. “Hey, Cheryl. So, you work here now?”
One hand fluttered up to her hair. Her lips spread in a nervous smile. “Yeah, I’ve been here since May.”
No one told me she was back in town. Would it have mattered? “Where’s my grandmother?” My heart pounded. If anything bad happened to Meemaw, well, I didn’t even want to think about it.
“Oh sorry, let me show you where she is.” Cheryl walked out from behind the tall counter and linked her arm through mine. “I’ll take you to her. She had a pretty bad fall.”
I came to an abrupt stop and yanked my arm away. “Why won’t anyone tell me what’s going on?”
“Come on, she’s just right over here.” Cheryl tugged on my arm, and I let her lead me to a small cubby. The curtain was drawn, and she eased it open, just enough for us to step inside.
The big hospital bed dwarfed Meemaw. Tubes stuck out of her mouth and arm. A giant white bandage covered half her head and the right side of her face had already turned ten shades of purple. An arsenal of machines whirred, buzzed, and beeped around her.
I covered my eyes, not wanting Cheryl to see me lose it. Dammit, I wasn’t going to cry. “What happened? Why isn’t she awake yet?”
“I’ll have the doctor come in and talk to you.” Cheryl stepped through the curtain and slid it closed.
I moved closer to the bed and carefully put my hand on Meemaw’s. Thank god, she was warm. I’d expected her hand to be ice cold.
“Damn you, old woman. What have you done to yourself now?” I asked, willing her to open her eyes and chastise me for cursing.
I turned at the sound of the curtain sliding open. A man who didn’t look that much older than I was stepped into the cubby. He offered his hand in introduction. “I’m Doctor Cain. You must be Mrs. Bishop’s grandson. I believe you were listed as next of kin.”
I shook his hand and nodded.
“Your grandmother had a pretty bad fall. She bumped her head and there was quite a bit of swelling?—”
“That’s what the nurse said on the phone. When will she wake up?”
“As I was saying, there was quite a bit of swelling. We thought it would be best to go ahead and keep her heavily sedated until the swelling goes down.”
I nodded. “Wait. What do you mean heavily sedated?”
The doctor stepped over to the foot of the bed and picked up a chart. “Sometimes, in the case of a moderate trauma to the head, it’s best if we keep a patient sedated. It will minimize your grandmother’s discomfort and give her brain a chance to heal faster.”
This was a lot to take in. I ran my fingers through my hair, wishing it was still long enough to grab a fistful and let out a deep sigh. “What happens next?” I took in a ragged breath.
The doctor shrugged. “Rumor has it Mrs. Bishop is a pretty tough cookie. She might be totally fine and just wake up with a bad headache. I know it’s hard to wait, but we’re doing absolutely everything we possibly can for her. The best thing you can do is talk to her, sit by her bedside and hold her hand. I’m sure she can hear you and has some awareness of what’s going on. I wish I could tell you more, but only time will tell us what we can expect.”
“Yeah, okay. Thanks.”
“If you have any other questions, feel free to ask one of the nurses to find me. I’ll be around for the next couple of hours. Once we get the paperwork done, she’ll be moved up to a room.”
I stuck out my hand, and the doctor grasped it in another firm handshake.
“Take care, Dante.” He stepped out of the curtain, leaving me and Meemaw alone in the brightly lit room.