CHAPTER FOURTEEN
“Hi, granddad.”
Nick lowered her suitcase to the floor and gave Mia a hug. She held on tight, needing his strength more than ever.
“How is Annabelle?” Nick asked. “Is she better?”
“She’s much better than when you left last night. Her temperature is down and she’s not as restless. Did you manage to get any sleep?”
“A little.” Nick held her arm as they walked toward one of the sofas in the visitors’ room. “How is Stan?”
“He’s okay. He managed to get a couple of hours’ sleep this morning.”
“And you?”
“Not much. I stayed with Annabelle while Stan slept.”
“That is good.” Nick patted her hand. “Mark will be here soon. I drove Stan’s truck into town to give him his own transport.”
“You drove it?
“Don’t look so shocked. I know how to drive.”
Mia couldn’t imagine her granddad behind the wheel of Stan’s big truck. He always drove imported European cars, the kind that felt as though you were driving on a cloud.
The door to the visitors’ room opened and Mark walked toward them. “Hi, Mia. How was your night?”
“I didn’t sleep, but at least Annabelle’s getting better.”
“I saw Stan in the corridor. Thanks for making sure he ate something.”
Mia sighed. “I think he enjoyed the break from the Intensive Care Unit as much as anything. How are Eileen and the children?”
“Worried about Annabelle.” Mark swung a backpack off his shoulder. “Eileen spent most of the night baking. There’s enough food in here to last three days.”
“She didn’t need to do that.”
Mark smiled. “It’s her way of helping.” He handed Mia a small lunch box. “She said to give you this for breakfast. They’re her homemade granola bars. They’re full of dried apricots, cranberries, and walnuts.”
“They sound delicious.”
“They are.” He pulled out a juice box and left it on the coffee table. “There’s a lot of sugar in here, but we figured you’d need the energy.”
“Thank you.”
Nick leaned forward and broke the seal on the straw. “Drink, Mia. You look as though you will fall down.”
“It’s because I’m tired. Do you know if there’s a shower in the hospital that I could use?”
Nick opened the lunch box. “After you eat some of Eileen’s granola bar, I will take you to a hotel that Mark and I found. You can have a shower and sleep for a few hours. It is within walking distance of the hospital.”
Tears filled her eyes.
“What is wrong, little one?”
Mark gave Mia a quick hug. “I’ll go and see Annabelle while you’re talking to Nick. Keep the backpack. I’ve given Stan one as well.”
After Mark left the room, Nick held her hand. “Mia? Tell your pappouli what is wrong.”
“I’m just tired, granddad. It’s been a long night.”
Nick studied her face. “You have been tired before. It is more than that.”
She took a deep breath. Her hand trembled as she picked up the juice box and took a sip. “I spoke to Stan last night. About mom and dad.”
Nick nodded. “That is good.”
She didn’t know how to tell her granddad what she’d told Stan. Nick had been her rock, the only person who understood the grief that had left her broken. “Mom and dad died because of me.” Her soft words tore through her heart, leaving her as raw and vulnerable as she’d been this morning.
“No, Mia. They died because a man had been drinking and his truck hit their car.”
“They wouldn’t have been on the road if I hadn’t burned my hand. I didn’t go home after school, granddad. Mom was angry with me.”
Nick took a deep breath. “Arianna called me after she had spoken with you. Your mom wasn’t angry. She was upset that you didn’t ask her first before visiting your friend. Arianna did the same thing to your grandma and me when she was your age.”
Nick held her hand, wrapping his fingers around her scar. “This is why you have been sad? You think it was your fault that your parents died?”
Mia nodded.
“Oh, little one. It was not your fault. Is that why you would not let the plastic surgeon make your scar better?”
“I didn’t deserve to have the scar removed.”
“It was not meant to be a punishment.” Tears welled in Nick’s eyes. “Arianna would not want you to feel this way. You were a little girl, Mia. Little girls do things that their parents do not like. It is the way of the world. It is how you learn to be a sensible adult.”
Nick squeezed her hand once more before letting go. “Come. I will take you to the hotel. You will eat the breakfast that Eileen made and drink the juice. A shower and some sleep will help you feel better. Later, we will talk.”
Mia sighed. “You don’t hate me do you, granddad?”
“I could never hate you, little one. You are my beginning, middle, and end. I love you more than you will ever know. Now come. It is time to leave.”
Nick picked up her suitcase and waited for her to repack the food Eileen had made. With the backpack ready, she wiped her face and walked across to her grandfather.
“I love you, granddad.”
Nick’s blue eyes softened. “Your parents would want you to be happy. Life is too short to regret the things we cannot change.”
Her granddad’s words had never been so true. Twenty-four hours ago, Annabelle was bouncing on Mia’s bed, asking if she wanted to go for a snowmobile ride. Now, she was fighting for her life in an Intensive Care Unit.
As they walked out of the visitors’ room, Mia held onto Nick’s arm and prayed that Annabelle would make a full recovery.
***
Two days later, Stan watched Mia say goodbye to Annabelle. With Mark here, there was no need for her and Nick to stay in Billings. They had work they needed to do, a life they needed to get back to. He had repeated those words to himself so often that he almost believed them. But the last thing he wanted was to say goodbye.
Mia had sat quietly with him as Annabelle’s doctors had updated them with her test results and progress. She’d made him smile when he’d been overcome with exhaustion and persuaded him to spend a few hours away from the hospital to try and sleep.
She’d been his soft place to fall and now she was leaving.
Mia kissed Annabelle on the cheek. “I’ll see you as soon as you get home.”
“Thank you for staying with me. I’ll miss you.”
Stan glanced at Mia, wondering if she knew how much she meant to his daughter.
“I’ll miss you too,” Mia said. “I’ll call your dad when Nick and I are home.”
Annabelle nodded and closed her eyes.
Stan followed Mia out of the room. As the doors to the Intensive Care Unit closed behind them, he felt as though a part of his life was ending. The sharp stab of grief was so intense that he caught his breath, waiting for the final blow.
Mia touched his arm. “Are you okay?”
He looked into her exhausted eyes. He hadn’t been okay for a long time, but admitting that to her now would be wrong. She would want to stay in Billings and he couldn’t do that to her.
“I’ll be fine,” he lied. “Let’s find your granddad.”
They walked silently down the corridor, stopping when they saw Nick and Mark beside the elevators.
“How is Annabelle?” Mark asked.
“Tired,” Mia said. She looked at Stan. “Are you sure you’ll be all right here with Mark? I can stay another couple of days.”
“You need to make sure your paintings arrive safely in San Francisco. Annabelle and I will be back in Bozeman before you know it.”
She wrapped her arms around his waist, holding him in an embrace that tore at his heart. “I’ll miss you.”
“Are you sure it’s not the café’s mac and cheese that you’ll miss?”
“No. Definitely you and Annabelle.”
He kissed the top of her head and held out his hand to Nick. “Thank you for everything you’ve done.”
“It was my pleasure. I will look forward to visiting Annabelle when you are home.”
Mia picked up her suitcase. “I guess we’d better leave. It was nice meeting you, Mark.”
“It was good meeting you and Nick, too. You’ll have to visit us again.”
Mia nodded. “I’d enjoy that.”
Nick touched Mia’s arm. “We will go. The elevator has arrived.”
“Okay, granddad.” She sent Stan a wobbly smile. “Bye.”
“Bye.” The metal doors closed and Stan dropped his head to his chest.
“It will be okay,” Mark said from beside him.
“I don’t know if it will be.” The knife in his chest dug deeper and tears stung his eyes.
Mark wrapped his arm around Stan’s shoulders. “How about we grab a coffee while Annabelle has a rest? There’s a café on the third floor that has a great view of the parking lot. And I know exactly where Nick parked his rental car.”
“You really can read my mind.”
“Not all the time.” Mark leaned forward and pushed the elevator button. “There’s a cute brunette that you didn’t mention until a week ago. Now would be a great time to tell me about her.”
Stan didn’t know where to start or even if he could. He was missing Mia already and she hadn’t even left the building.
***
Hannah studied the schedule for the neonatal gala. “We’ve gone through your calendar, Mia, and everything that needed to be done by now is finished. Is there anything we’ve forgotten?”
Steam rose out of Mia’s coffee cup and warmed her face. “Did you confirm the flower arrangements with Becky?”
“All done.”
“In that case, we’re ready for the big night.” With ten days left until the charity gala, everyone was feeling stressed. Hannah and Claire had been working long hours, juggling the Jenkins’ wedding, the neonatal gala, and overseeing another five pre-Christmas events.
Mia had been busy working on her next set of paintings and worrying about Annabelle.
“Talking about the big night,” Hannah said. “Have you told Stan about the art auction?”
“No. He’s got enough on his mind. But he’ll be blown away by everyone’s generosity.” Because the gala was going to be held in Nick’s gallery, Claire and Hannah had organized a charity art auction on the same night. So far, more than forty artists from throughout Montana had donated paintings, sculptures, and beautiful handcrafted jewelry.
Hannah tapped her pen against her chin. “Claire is coordinating the arrival of the art with your granddad. Molly Green is taking a photo of each item and promoting the auction on Nick’s website. Has Gina told you how many tickets we still have to sell?”
Mia nodded. “None. All the tickets are sold. The stories she wrote for the newspapers and social media sites must have worked.”
“I’m not surprised. Some of the children’s stories were heartbreaking. I don’t know how their families survived.”
An image of Stan holding Annabelle’s hand in the Intensive Care Unit filled Mia’s mind. “They survived because they love their children. They never gave up believing that things would get better.”
Hannah rubbed Mia’s arm. “Do you know when Stan is coming home with Annabelle?”
“It’s supposed to be tomorrow, but if the doctors aren’t happy with her blood tests, it could be next week.” The last few days had been worse than when Annabelle first arrived at the hospital. Not long after Mia left Billings, Annabelle’s temperature had risen to the point where everyone was extremely concerned. More blood cultures had been taken and her antibiotic regime was changed. Thankfully, she’d responded well and was feeling a lot better.
“When did you last speak to Stan?” Hannah asked.
Mia bit her bottom lip to stop it from trembling. “Two days ago.”
Hannah wrapped her arm around Mia’s shoulders. “What’s wrong?”
“I don’t know.”
“There must be something wrong to make you cry?”
Mia took a deep breath. “I get the feeling that Stan’s pushing me away. I know he’s tired and that Annabelle is sick, but I don’t understand why he seems so distant when I speak to him.”
“Maybe he’s feeling overwhelmed?”
She wiped her eyes and sighed. “Maybe.”
“When he comes home, go and see him. Tell him how you feel.”
“What if he doesn’t want to know how I feel? He’s been through so much. I don’t want to add more stress to his life.”
Hannah gave Mia a tissue. “Stan needs all the support he can get at the moment. I don’t think you’ll be adding any more stress to his life. Besides, Annabelle will enjoy seeing you.”
A smile tugged at Mia’s lips. “I talked to her on the phone. She took photos of her doctors and nurses and wants to paint their portraits.”
“Are you sure the two of you aren’t related?”
Mia’s smile disappeared.
“Come on. Think positive thoughts.”
“I’ll try.”
Hannah rubbed Mia’s arm. “Do the doctors know how Annabelle ended up with the infection in her heart?”
“She had a wobbly tooth and one of her friends pulled it out. They think that might have been the original site of the infection.”
“And it went straight to her heart?”
“Because she was born with a heart defect, it made her more likely to get that type of infection. She’ll have to be careful when she goes to the dentist or even when she brushes her teeth.”
Hannah frowned. “No wonder Stan’s stressed.”
The only thing Mia could do was nod. It had been hard for everyone. And until Annabelle and Stan were safely home, it might get worse.
***
As soon as Stan opened his front door, exhaustion swept through him. Annabelle was home. They could begin to rebuild her strength and after the next five weeks, go back to an almost normal life.
“Welcome home, Stan.” Mrs. Dodds gave him a big hug, then stood in front of Annabelle. “Welcome home. I’ve missed you.”
Annabelle wrapped her thin arms around Mrs. Dodds’ waist. “I missed you, too.”
Their gentle hug brought tears to Stan’s eyes. He wasn’t the only person who had been worried about Annabelle.
Mrs. Dodds kissed Annabelle’s cheek. “I made some of your favorite cookies. Would you like to sit in the living room and have some?”
Annabelle looked up at him. “Is that all right, dad?”
“Of course it is. I’ll bring your antibiotics.”
He followed Annabelle, pushing her pole and bag of antibiotics across the wooden floor. A smile lifted one corner of his mouth when he saw what Mrs. Dodds had done.
Annabelle’s eyes widened. “Oh, wow. This is amazing.” She shuffled across to the window, sighing as she sat on the sofa that didn’t look like a sofa anymore.
“It wasn’t me,” Mrs. Dodds said with a smile. “Mia and her friends thought you should dine on cookies and milk like a princess. They brought everything here yesterday and set it up for you.”
Annabelle’s hand brushed against the thick, velvet blanket under her legs. A canopy of sheer fabric was draped over a frame, making the sofa look like a four poster bed. They’d even dressed the windows with fairy lights and ribbons of tinsel.
“Can I call Mia and say thank you?”
Stan made sure Annabelle’s bag of antibiotics was firmly attached to the pole. “Have your cookies and a rest first. It’s been a big day for you.”
“Then after that can I call Mia?”
“After that would be fine.”
Mrs. Dodds bustled across to the kitchen. “I’ll only be a few minutes. I’ve got something for you, too, Stan.”
He sat beside Annabelle and looked up at the canopy. He blinked, then tilted his head sideways. “Is that the solar system?” Nine balls in different colors hung around a brightly lit sun.
Annabelle pointed to a smaller ball. “There’s a moon, too. When Mia was teaching us, she said to reach for the moon and even if we miss, we’ll land among the stars.” She leaned against Stan. “I missed her when she left the hospital.”
He wrapped his arm around Annabelle’s shoulders and closed his eyes. He’d missed Mia, too. But he couldn’t let the way he felt change what needed to happen. He had relied on her too much, put too much faith in thinking she would always be there for him and Annabelle.
But Mia had her own life, her own dreams that were only just unfolding. One day, he hoped she would thank him for stepping away before anyone was hurt.
“Oh, dad. Look.”
Stan turned toward the kitchen. Bright light shimmered through the fabric canopy. He pulled back the material and stared at Mrs. Dodds.
“Mia remembered my story,” Annabelle whispered.
“It’s a vanilla cream cake,” Mrs. Dodds said proudly. “Mia made it yesterday. Happy birthday, Stan.”
His heart pounded and tears filled his eyes.
“It’s okay, dad. It won’t catch on fire.”
“That’s good to know.” Memories of another birthday made his heart ache. The cake Sandra made for his mom had been smaller, with red roses clustered around the base. His chest tightened and left him yearning for things he couldn’t change. “How did Mia know it was my birthday?”
Annabelle’s cheeks turned pink. “I called her from the hospital when you were sleeping. I told her about Grandpa Joe and the cake mom made. She must have wanted to make something special for you.”
Mrs. Dodds slid the cake onto the coffee table. “We’d better sing happy birthday before we do have a fire. Are you ready Annabelle?”
She nodded, and with Mrs. Dodds, sang him the best happy birthday song he’d heard in a long time.
“Blow out the candles,” Annabelle said with a grin.
Stan leaned forward and blew with all his might. The candles flickered. He blew again and Annabelle cheered.
“Yeah! Did you make a wish, dad?”
Stan hugged his daughter. “I don’t need to. My wish has already come true.”
Mrs. Dodds wiped her eyes on the edge of her apron. “I’ll get the cookies and some plates for the cake.”
Annabelle gave him another hug. “This is going to be the best year ever.”
Stan looked at the cake. He wasn’t so sure.