Chapter Eleven

 

 

Grey had been playing poker with Dare, Mom, and Cora at the kitchen table when a blood curdling scream drew everyone to the living room. They found Zac standing near the fire place, the log Dare had been working on at his feet, and blood dripping from his left hand. Pogo was whining at him, clearly concerned.

Abby reached the boy first, but only by moments. She nudged the dog out of the way and knelt in front of her son. Dare led Pogo off to the side so he wouldn’t get in the middle of everything.

Once Grey got closer, it was clear what had happened when they all saw the open pocket knife lying on the ground near the log.

Flynn’s back straightened. “Zac, I’ve told you a hundred times not to mess with pocket knives unless someone’s helping you.”

Abby gave him a surprised look. “He cut himself really bad. I think that’s punishment enough.”

Flynn raised a challenging eyebrow at Dare. “Maybe if certain people didn’t just leave their knives lying around…” After his less-than-veiled accusation, he handed Emma to Mom and then turned his attention to his son. Abby held Zac’s hand in hers as blood continued to drip. The boy cried even though he couldn’t seem to take his eyes off the wound.

Dare’s eyes flashed. “I get you’re worried about your son, Flynn. But maybe you should do some checking before you start throwing accusations around.” He patted his pocket. “My knife is right here.”

Flynn bent to retrieve the knife on the ground then grunted. “Zac, did you go upstairs and get my knife off the side table?”

Zac’s chin dropped as he stared at something invisible on the floor.

In true Flynn fashion, he ignored the fact that he owed Dare an apology. Grey would’ve said something if it weren’t for Zac’s finger.

“This is really deep, Flynn.”

Grey’s older brother knelt next to his son and nodded grimly.

“I’d be happy to take a look if you want me to.” Cora’s voice brought everyone’s attention to the back of the crowd. “I even brought my medical bag with me—I don’t go anywhere without it. I’m sure we can get his hand fixed up in no time.”

Abby hesitated only a moment before moving so Cora could get closer. Flynn didn’t argue, but it was clear he was less than happy about this turn of events. Grey wagered that if it’d been Flynn’s own hand, he’d have used a staple gun or duct tape before he would’ve let Cora help.

Zac buried his hand in his shirt and shook his head, adamant that Cora wasn’t going to touch him. Blood from his finger had already smeared across the front of his shirt.

Cora sat cross legged on the floor and patted the rug next to her. Zac sat too, looking wary. “I’m going to go get my medical bag. When I bring it down, do you think you can help me? I have a stethoscope you can use to listen to your own heartbeat. What do you say?” Zac only hesitated a moment or two before he finally nodded. “Wonderful! But I need to look at your hand first, just so I know what size bandage to bring down in my bag. Do you think I can do that? I promise I won’t touch it right now.”

Zac held his shaky hand out and opened it to reveal a cut on his thumb. It wasn’t more than an inch long, but even Grey could see how it was split open from his vantage point.

Cora gave him a kind smile. “Good job, buddy. Okay, hold it against your shirt again and wait right here. I’ll go get my bag, and we’ll see if we can find that stethoscope.”

She stepped away and headed for the stairs. Pogo broke away from Dare to lope after her while Grey jogged to catch up. Once they were out of earshot, he said, “Zac’s going to need some stitches, isn’t he?”

“Maybe. But I think I can use a butterfly bandage and some glue to close the wound.”

“Let me guess, you have everything you need in your bag?”

Cora grinned at him as she opened the door to her room. “There was a legitimate reason why my suitcase was so heavy.” The playful wink she gave him made his heart stutter.

Pogo jumped onto the bed and watched as she rummaged through her suitcase until she produced a large, leather bag with a shoulder strap. “You’re not the only one that goes everywhere prepared.”

“Thank goodness for that.” Grey watched as she retrieved a towel and a washcloth from the bathroom.

When they got downstairs, Zac was still sitting on the floor, clearly hurting. Cora motioned for Flynn and Abby to join her. Mom patted Emma on the back and walked to the window to talk about what they saw outside.

“Zac’s going to need more than a bandage to close that cut, but I don’t think stitches are going to be necessary. Since I don’t have a good way to numb the skin first, I’d rather avoid that anyway. I can use a butterfly bandage and some glue to fix it. Are you both okay with that?”

Flynn and Abby looked at each other a moment before nodding.

Once she had permission, Cora sat down in front of Zac and gave him a reassuring smile. “Let’s see if I can find my stethoscope. Did you know this bag has so many things in it, it may as well not have a bottom?”

Zac’s eyes widened as she made an exaggerated search through her bag.

“Ah, here we are.” Cora withdrew the stethoscope from her bag and helped Zac listen to his own heart.

The boy’s worried face broke into a smile. Then he pointed to the bag with his uninjured hand. “What else?”

“I’m going to show you. But first, I need to tell you something. You know that cut on your thumb? A bandage isn’t going to be enough to help it get better. Have you ever watched your dad fix something that’s broken by using glue?” Zac nodded. “That’s exactly what I need to do for you. I have some magic glue that’ll fix your thumb all up.” She tickled his side a little and managed to get a giggle out of him. Pogo joined them then, lying on the floor with his chin resting on Zac’s shoe.

“Wow, Cora’s really good at what she does, isn’t she?” Dare’s voice held a measure of awe.

“Yes, she is.” When she’d told Grey she was a registered nurse, he had no doubt she was good at her job. But watching her in action was a whole different thing. Even though Zac was worried and hurting, she had him trusting her to make him better.

He pictured her tending to their own child had things gone differently. Cora would’ve been an amazing mom. He tried to push the image aside, unprepared for the way it made his heart trip inside his chest.

Truthfully, every time he thought he might be getting serious about a woman he was dating, he’d picture their future together. When he did that, it was like staring into a thick fog. Unlike when he was dating Cora. Back then, he’d had no doubt where their relationship was heading. The inability to see that with anyone else was more than frustrating.

It didn’t take long for Cora to clean Zac’s wound, pull the skin together, and apply glue to keep everything in place. Once she’d finished, she put antibiotic cream and a bandage on his thumb.

“There we go. Now that wasn’t so bad, was it?”

Zac shook his head. He held his thumb up for everyone to see, a big grin on his face.

Abby gave her son a big hug. “Come on, sweetie. Why don’t we go upstairs, get you a clean shirt, and then I’ll find you some Tylenol in our bathroom bag.” She smiled at Cora before leading Zac to the stairs. “Thank you.”

“Of course. I’m glad I could help.”

Flynn retrieved Emma from Mom’s arms, gave Cora a nod, and followed the rest of his family.

Dare hooked an arm around Cora’s shoulders. “And that, my dear, is about as close as you’ll get to a thank you from Flynn.” He dropped his arm and laughed.

Mom started to clean the blood off the floor. Thankfully nearly all of it had landed on the tile and not on the rug.

Cora packed the rest of her stuff back into her bag and stood. She rolled her shoulders and tilted her head to one side, causing her neck to pop. “That’s better.”

Grey just nearly reached out to rub her neck and shoulders but stopped himself. It was exactly what he would’ve done when they were married, and the fact that he’d nearly instinctively done so both amazed and bothered him.

 

~*~

 

“Is it ready?” Zac could hardly stand still. Abby helped him keep his metal coat hanger and marshmallow hovering just above the fire.

When Maria came into the living room bearing marshmallows, graham crackers, chocolate bars, and plenty of metal roasters, Zac was immediately excited.

Truthfully, Cora was right there with him. She’d had her first s’mores when she went camping with Grey and his family. It was something her own parents never would’ve splurged on.

Sitting around the campfire with the Jackson family—roasting marshmallows and trying to eat the sticky treats—was one of her favorite memories.

It also happened to be one of her most memorable kisses with Grey. He’d softly touched her chin with his finger, whispered that she had a little marshmallow on the corner of her mouth, and proceeded to kiss it away.

Just remembering it sent chills racing up and down Cora’s spine.

Things were very different this time. There would be no kiss. No promise of future campouts together.

But there was chocolate. If there was one thing Cora learned long ago, it’s that you should never underestimate the power of chocolate when it comes to making things better.

Cora threaded a large marshmallow onto her roaster and held it over the flame in the fireplace. It was dark outside, and the flames were the only source of light in the living room.

Even Pogo seemed interested in what everyone else was doing. Grey tossed the dog a marshmallow, and they laughed as he chewed repeatedly. They weren’t sure he was even going to eat it, but before long, he was begging for another.

After Cora finished her second s’more, she set her roasting stick on the hearth and went to sit down. Most of the furniture was already being used. She went to the large overstuffed recliner and arrived just as Abby did. She had a sleepy Emma in her arms. Cora motioned to the chair. “You go ahead.”

“Thank you. She’s been yawning for a while. I don’t think it’ll take her long to go to sleep.” She got comfortable, and little Emma yawned again with her head resting against her mom’s chest.

Cora ended up sitting on the rug with her back to the bricks of the large hearth. A moment later, Grey joined her.

The family began to relate their favorite stories about Grandpa Jackson. There was a lot of laughter and joking. Even Flynn, who held Zac on his lap, looked content for the first time that weekend.

Cora’s heart ached. She was completely unaware she’d been crying until Grey gently wiped a tear from her cheek. He didn’t ask her if she was okay or say anything at all.

Thoughts swirled around in her head until she finally whispered to Grey, “I wish we knew whether our baby was a boy or a girl.”

“I felt like it was a girl from the very beginning,” he said with conviction. “She would’ve looked just like you.”

“She should be here right now.” She was on the verge of losing control of her emotions. She bit her lip to keep the tears at bay and tried to sniff discreetly.

Grey didn’t say a word. Instead, he put an arm around her shoulders and drew her close to his side. It meant more than anything he might have voiced. For once, Cora didn’t care what the others thought, or even if it meant it might complicate things between them later. What she needed was support and comfort from the only person who knew what she was feeling right now.

This time, when their hands brushed, she didn’t hesitate to place hers in his. Their fingers laced together without a second thought from Cora.

Suddenly, the lights flickered on, effectively blinding everyone. Cora flinched and closed her eyes. She wasn’t sure who let go first, but their hands fell away from each other and cooler air seeped into the new space between them.

Zac stood and jumped around with excitement. The hum of the heater announced that soon, the entire cabin would be warm again.

“Finally.” Flynn stood and brushed off his pants. “I’m going to get my cell phone and charge it. Hopefully we can call someone at the resort or the airport and get an update.” He began to go upstairs.

Abby grabbed her son’s arm as he ran by. “Zac, your sister is asleep. I need you to quiet down a little.”

He looked at Emma and sat down again, properly chastised.  Emma stirred a little before snuggling closer to Abby.

Maria stood, too. She made an exaggerated sad expression. “I guess that’s it.” She almost looked lost as she took in the lit interior of the cabin.

Cora got up from her spot on the floor and gave her a hug. “No, it’s not. We still have tonight.” She tried to give Maria a smile of encouragement, but she felt it, too. It felt as if the lights coming on had burst this bubble they’d all been living in. Now real life would creep back in, and she wasn’t sure she was ready for it.