Chapter 31
The Chief stayed nearly half an hour, until a nurse came in and said it was time for Rex to get up and walk, and that she needed to supervise him doing it. Before Maddie knew it, she was alone in the room, and extremely grateful that Ken hadn’t shared details of the notes with Rex.
“We’re pretty sure it was just some prank stuff,” he’d replied. “Remember what it was like to be bored as a kid in winter?” He no doubt was experienced at reading people’s expressions, and the look of horror that must have appeared on Maddie’s face must have helped shift the conversation.
She was also grateful for the nurse, because Ken took her interruption as the time to leave; he said good-bye to Maddie and followed the nurse and Rex out into the hall.
As Maddie sat, alone, she craved a glass of chardonnay. A big glass—even though she rarely drank alcohol, and certainly couldn’t now, what with the baby. She only wished the topic of the notes hadn’t come up right after she’d agreed with Rex that they would not have secrets from each other.
Thankfully, she was saved from her frustration because Francine arrived with three-year-old Reggie in tow.
“Hey,” Maddie said, “you’re a welcome surprise.”
“Where’s the patient? Every time I stop by, he’s unavailable.” She tossed her oversized bag on the floor. “I’m starting to feel like he’s avoiding me. I even brought this little guy so Rex could see his namesake.”
“Hi, Reggie,” Maddie said and rose to greet them.
The “little guy” lowered his head, then bashfully raised his big, dark eyes to Maddie.
“You are the sweetest boy,” Maddie said. Reggie was a wonderful reminder of how children can easily direct one’s perspective to joy. She touched her belly and smiled.
“He hopes your baby is a boy,” Francine said as she took a play mat from her oversized bag, unfolded it, and spread it on the floor, then placed three dinosaur-shaped trucks, a coloring book, and a small container of crayons on top.
Reggie sat down on the mat and started to play without being prodded.
“He says if Rex has a boy then he’ll have someone to play with who won’t boss him around the way our Bella does. ”
Maddie laughed. At least Rafe was old enough to know better than to “boss around” a sibling. Rafe! she thought. She’d forgotten to ask Francine about someone to run the bookshop on Rafe’s graduation day.
“I need a favor,” Maddie said. “I stupidly scheduled the bookshop opening for Memorial Day weekend—and Rafe’s graduation is that Sunday. I know you’ll be busy with the Inn, but do you know anyone who could fill in for me for the day?”
Francine thought for a moment, then said, “As it happens, I do. How about me? Lucy will be home on the island for the summer, and she’s already excited to be back working at the Inn.
So she can cover for me there. I can ask Charlie to cover for me at the Lord James, and I’ll cover for you. Sound good?”
“Sounds great.” Especially when Maddie remembered that “Charlie” was the name of Rex’s sous chef.
“But you’re going to go only for Sunday?” Francine asked. “Not for the whole weekend?”
“No. We’ll leave Saturday after I close the shop, and have enough time to catch the late boat back on Sunday night. A whole weekend there might knock me out, anyway. Especially since my ex will be there. Yuck.”
Francine laughed. “So, let’s see. By then you’ll be, what, more than seven months pregnant?
And you don’t think that doing a round trip to and from Amherst in twenty-four hours won’t do more than knock you out?
Have you forgotten how exhausting the last couple of pregnant months can be?
Like how every hour seems like a month?”
Maddie slumped in her chair. “Yes, I had forgotten.”
“Never mind. I shouldn’t have said all that. But yes, I’ll be happy to babysit your new shop. And if you need me for Monday, I can arrange that, too.”
“You’re an angel, Francine. I wish everything wasn’t happening at the same time, but once gradation’s behind us, my father will be here, too, and he can take over if I fall asleep between the bookshelves the next day.”
Smiling as she watched her son line his dinosaur trucks up for a race, Francine said, “You’re going to be a busy lady.”
“In summer, isn’t everybody on this island busy?”
“Good point. The traffic coming through Edgartown is already a nightmare.” Francine’s comment was benign, but made Maddie think of something—or rather, someone—else.
“Hey,” she said, “I have a question about something Rex mentioned.”
“Shoot.”
“It’s about Annie Sutton. Is she going to move back here?”
“Heck, no, she’s not moving back. She loves her work, and there’s a guy she’s been seeing for a while. Phil, his name is. Anyway, no. Why? Does Rex think she is?”
“I don’t know. Which was why I was wondering.”
Francine narrowed her dark eyes and squinted at Maddie. “Please tell me you don’t think there’s something between Rex and Annie, because there isn’t.”
“No?”
“No. She’s like a sister to him. Or was, when she lived here. So please. Don’t let it cross your mind again.”
Maddie smiled. “I won’t. And thanks.” The end, she told her leftover teenage brain.
Then the sound of creaking wheelchair tires announced the arrival of the room’s occupant.
“Wow!” Rex exclaimed as he rolled in and spotted Reggie. “My favorite pal is here!”
The boy gave him a toothy grin and held up one of the trucks. “T-Rex,” he said. “Like you!”
“That’s me, all right. A dinosaur.”
The caregiver behind him asked if they’d please leave for a few minutes so she could situate her patient in his bed. “He had quite a workout today.”
Francine scooped up Reggie. “We’ll be in the waiting room. Let us know when the coast is clear.” With that she waved and, toting her son on one of her narrow hips, swept out of the room.
Then Maddie stood up. “Actually, I think I’ll take off.
Francine has hardly seen you, and, as she reminded me, sometimes pregnant ladies get tired.
” She leaned down and kissed him. It was wonderful to feel her lips on his again.
“I’ll see you tomorrow. Kevin or Taylor or both of them will probably be here tonight.
Sleep well, and don’t let anyone wear you out.
” She kissed him again and headed for the door.
“Wait,” he called after her. “When you come back tomorrow, bring the notes, okay? When Ken followed me out into the hall, he suggested that I take a look.”
Maddie was reluctant; Rex needed to get well, not take on her little drama. But she also knew that, sooner or later, he’d pry them out of her, if only to protect her. Which, she supposed, was a good enough reason.
She smiled. “For now, please, concentrate on getting well. It’s almost summer. You don’t want Francine to have to be responsible for both the Inn and the Lord James, do you?”
In the morning, Maddie didn’t rouse until ten thirty.
At first she panicked—she had so much to do.
Then she remembered that was a Green Hills attitude.
As a pregnant old lady living on the Vineyard, she could allow herself to sleep in if she wanted.
So she closed her eyes, slept another half an hour, and didn’t make it to the hospital until after one o’clock.
“What took you so long?” Rex joked when she sauntered into the room. “You have more important things to do, like work?”
“No, you incorrigible man. Nothing’s more important than seeing you. But I wanted you to rest after PT.” He looked good; he had “color in his cheeks,” as Grandma would say.
“It’s Sunday. No PT today. And I’m greedy because I was without you all damn winter.”
She pulled the chair next to the bed. “And I was without you, too. It’s a miracle we both survived.” She was half joking, half serious. Hopefully, he’d never learn how weirdly she had acted in those first few weeks.
“Which brings me to another topic,” he said. “Furniture.”
She sat down. “Of course it does. Furniture is so important to life’s essentials.”
“You’re laughing at me!” he teased. “But have you thought about baby furniture yet?”
She paused only a few seconds. “I’ve thought about lots of baby things.” In truth, rather than furniture, she’d thought about clothes and a car seat—which she’d need if she ever got a car—and diapers and a breast pump.
“Like a crib?” he asked. “And a changing table? And a jumpy seat?”
“A jumpy seat?”
“Don’t laugh! I only want you to have everything you’ll need. And to be sure you know that living on an island means that planning ahead is usually essential. Like now.”
“Okay. So, do you have a plan?”
He reached over to the nightstand, pulled out a drawer, and extracted a small notebook. That’s when Maddie noticed that his IVs were gone; he must have been taken off the heavy-duty meds.
“Yes, I have a plan. Taylor brought me this. And I have my phone, so I’ve been surfing the internet—do they still say that?—and making lists. Other than sleeping, eating, and PT, I have little else to do.”
She listened patiently as he read the options and the items he preferred and why. Needless to say, she was impressed. Especially because the baby’s daddy was taking charge.
“You’re amazing,” she said when he was done.
“Well, I figured since I’m not the one who’ll be doing the ‘giving birth’ part, I could at least do this. If you don’t mind.”
“Absolutely, I don’t mind. I guess I figured I’d have time after the shop opens.”
He shook his head and said, “All you’ll need to do is bless my choices and pick out the color.”
“Please don’t say ‘pink or blue.’”
He smiled. “Only if we find out when we can see the ultra sound.”
Before Maddie had a chance to answer, a woman dressed in green scrubs came into the room. She was carrying an iPad.
“Mr. Winsted? I’m Dr. Page. I’m a resident working with your doctor. I’d like to go over your discharge papers, okay?”
Rex looked from her over to Maddie, as if she must have known this was going to happen, but she had not.