Chapter Sixteen

 

 

IVY

 

I knocked on the door of Audrey’s house and bounced up on my toes, waiting for her to answer. I had a check tucked in my purse and wanted to get in the house with it before anyone saw me. It wouldn’t be hard to determine why I was standing on the Violets’ doorstep at nine a.m. in the morning after a fundraising event held in their honor.

When I woke up at six this morning, Shepard was already up and in the shower, his shift starting early with a trip to the sewer facility. If you ask me, it sounded like a heck of a good time…not. I’ve never been more thankful I’m not a sewer plant operator. I kissed him goodbye, a first for us, but it felt right when our lips locked, and it was another five minutes before he got out the door. A lot of things felt right when we were together, but I still wasn’t one hundred percent certain how a friends to lovers scenario worked in the long run.

Footsteps approached the door and then Audrey opened it, her hair perfectly coiffed. She wore a pair of black dress pants and a blouse covered in snowflakes. “Ivy,” she said, the smile on her face large and her eyes sparkling. “Come in, honey.”

I stepped in the door and hugged her after I pulled my mittens off. “Hi, Audrey. How are you and Alan today?” I asked, stepping out of my boots so I could follow her to the living room.

“Full of your pot roast,” he answered from his chair. “It sure has been mighty nice of you to send meals for Audrey to heat the last week. I might even be putting on a few pounds,” he said, patting his belly.

I laughed at his joke, since his belly was flat and always had been. “I made sure you didn’t get any meatloaf. I know how you abhor the stuff.”

He shivered. “Almost gagged the other day watching Shepard shovel it in like it was going out of style.”

Audrey sat next to me on the couch and patted my shoulder. “It was lovely visiting with Alan’s coworkers last night. I had no idea you had arranged a fundraiser for us. Sure wish you had told me,” she said uncomfortably.

I swiveled toward her. “I sorta figured you knew. Everyone knows everything that goes on in Bells Pass.”

“Not this time, you snuck it right by us,” Alan laughed, coughing a little. “My buddies from the plant showed up bearing chicken, pot roast, and pie in your to-go boxes and we were gobsmacked.”

I scratched my head. “I remember a large group of people coming in and getting meals to go. I was so busy I honestly didn’t give it a second thought. They were from Colton then?” I asked and they both nodded. “Wonder how they found out about it.”

“George and Linda live here in Bells Pass and she saw the sign. She made sure George told everyone at the plant, but they wanted to surprise us with dinner, so they brought it here. It was wonderful visiting with them again,” Alan said, staring at the TV, which was off.

“I’m happy you had a nice evening. I didn’t invite you because I knew it would simply be too much for you when the place reached capacity, and it did, for most of the night. I didn’t want you to feel obligated to come, and then end up catching a cold from someone.”

Audrey looked surprised. “There were a lot of people there? I figured it was just your usual Wednesday night crowd and the gang from Colton.”

I laughed, shaking my head. “No, there were a few more people than that. We served twelve hundred people last night. A lot of people ended up taking food to go because there was no place to sit.” I opened my purse and pulled out the envelope from the bank. “I had them put the donations on a bank check for you to do with as you see fit. I hope it helps in a small way to get you through this time,” I said, handing it to Audrey.

She accepted and held it to her chest. “You’re something else, Ivy Lancombe,” she whispered. “First the meals and the tree, and now this.”

I leaned forward, glancing between the two of them. “It could be any of us at any time, Audrey. The Bells Pass community likes to help each other out. For the price of a meal out they could offer you some hope and relief. It was a small thing to do.”

Audrey opened the envelope and lifted the check out, her hands shaking when she saw the numbers on the check. “This isn’t a small thing,” she whispered. “How could this happen?”

Alan leaned forward as tears fell down Audrey’s face. She passed the envelope to him and he read the number on the check. “My word,” he said softly. “This is—”

“Good old-fashioned Christmas spirit,” I promised.

“How could you give us so much if you had to pay for food and wages?” she asked through her tears.

I patted her hand. “That was our contribution to the event. Mason, Melissa, and I hope we’ve made your holidays a bit brighter. We’re praying it will carry you through until all your finances are settled out. We don’t want you to have to work because of money. We want Alan well and he needs you to make sure it happens. Don’t sweat the small stuff, we’ve got it covered.”

“I’ve been praying and wishing for all of this to work out,” she said, her voice warbling.

“It hardly feels right taking all of this money when others are in need,” Alan whispered, still holding the envelope.

“You’ve paid a high price to this community in making sure we have modern conveniences to run our lives and our businesses, Alan,” I reminded him. “Let others repay it in a small way now.”

He nodded once, his eyes trained on the check, but filled with unshed tears. “I’ll consider it a Christmas wish granted.”

Audrey put her arms around me and hugged me fiercely, her tears wet on my cheek, but it didn’t matter. A Christmas wish had come early and Bells Pass stepped up to make it happen.

 

 

The sun was shining as I made my way to Lucille’s. It was wonderful to see Audrey and Alan relieved and happy for the first time in too many months. They were grinning from ear-to-ear by the time I left, with plans to make an outing to the bank to deposit the check, and catch up some overdue bills. You could see the weight of the world lift from their shoulders. With only three weeks until Christmas, I felt like Santa Claus giving them the gift of peace on earth. It was a feeling I wouldn’t forget any time soon.

I grabbed the door handle to the long-term care facility and yanked. It flew open in my hand, and I looked around, surprised to see a new handicapped door opener had been installed and you no longer had to crank on it. I laughed at myself and approached the front desk, a nursing assistant sitting behind it.

“Hi, I’m here to see Lucille. Do you know where she is?” I asked and she glanced up.

“She’s in her room,” she said before going back to her paperwork.

Alrighty then, I thought as I headed down the hallway to room twenty. I couldn’t wait to tell her how well the fundraiser had gone. Considering she gave me some great ideas to cover the costs just by blinking her eyes, I owed her an update. I pushed the door open and was startled when Polly stood by her bed, holding her hand.

“Oh, she’s resting, I’ll come back later,” I said, stopping in the doorway.

Polly held up her finger and laid Lucille’s flaccid hand back on her chest before she approached me. She took my shoulder and moved me aside, her face stoic. “I’m afraid I have bad news, Ivy. Lucille suffered another stroke this morning. It’s only a matter of time before she passes. She’s taking only a few breaths a minute now.”

I stared at the woman in the bed. “But, she was getting better,” I whispered. “She was working with PT and everything.”

She rubbed my arm. “I know, sweetie, but this isn’t uncommon. She has a DNR listed which means all we can do is make her comfortable until she passes. I’ll stay with her so she’s not alone.”

I put my hand to my mouth and shook my head. “No, I’ll stay. I should be the one here with her. She was there when I needed her. This is my chance to repay the favor,” I said, my voice breaking with sadness.

She pulled a chair next to Lucille’s bed and I lowered myself into it. “I’ll be in and out checking on her respirations. She could linger, I want you to know. There’s no way to know for sure when she will pass. Stay as long as you can and say your goodbyes, but she won’t be alone if you have to leave. You don’t have to worry.”

I kept my eyes pinned on the frail woman in the bed and nodded. “Okay, thank you, Polly.”

She patted my shoulder and left the room, pulling the door closed behind her. I sat with the woman who had once comforted me when my own mother was killed. She offered me what I needed most at the time – guidance, patience, and sternness. She didn’t need those things from me now. She needed love, appreciation, and peace.

I picked up her hand and held it, the warmth seeping into my chilled hands from the walk into the facility. “Hi, Lucille. I promised to come and tell you about the fundraiser last night. I’m sorry I didn’t get here sooner.” I stopped when my voice cracked and I cleared my throat. “The ideas you gave me were great ones. We served almost twelve hundred people and raised over seven thousand dollars for Audrey and Alan,” I whispered, squeezing her hand gently. “I came straight over after I dropped it off at their house. They said their Christmas wish had been granted. They were grateful beyond words for the help during their time of need. If I know them, and I do, Audrey will be organizing the next spaghetti dinner for someone in the community who needs treatment or money to pay for a mission trip. She will find a way to repay the gift even if it’s not in monetary ways. I always thought she was a bit of a sourpuss, but looks can be deceiving. Now that I’ve gotten to know her, I hope we’ll be good friends.”

I quieted, unsure what was left to say. She most likely couldn’t hear me if she had another stroke. She was probably already gone, at least in spirit, and only her body remained to do what our bodies do at the end. Her chest rose and fell in a shuddering manner only a couple times a minute. It looked painful and hopeless to those of us waiting for the next breath to come. You were certain each one would be the last, resigned to say a final goodbye, only to be fooled when another shuddering breath would come. I prayed for her soul, and the words of my prayer reminded me of something. Her favorite Christmas song was I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day. It was an obscure song, but after hearing it for years at the diner I didn’t have to strain to remember the lyrics.

“I heard the bells on Christmas Day. Their old, familiar carols play, and wild, and sweet, the words repeat, of peace on earth, goodwill to men,” I sang. I worked my way through the verses, praying I was remembering them correctly. “Then pealed the bells more loud and deep, God is not dead, nor doth He sleep. The wrong shall fail, the right prevail with peace on earth, good-will to men.”

I paused in singing when a hand came down on my shoulder. I glanced up startled to see Polly standing by me, her eyes wet with tears. “It was beautiful, Ivy. You sang her into peace. She couldn’t have asked for a better gift.”

My head flipped back to the bed, focusing on her chest. “No, she’s not gone. She’ll take a breath. Just wait,” I said, her hand still warm in mine.

Polly stood next to me, her hand on my shoulder as we waited, but her chest never rose again. “She’s gone, isn’t she?” I asked and Polly patted my shoulder.

“I’m sorry, Ivy, but yes. She’s gone.”

I let out the breath I had been holding and my shoulders fell forward, the feeling of loss as strong now as it was when I found her two months ago at the diner. “What happens now?” I asked.

“I’ll call the doctor and he will come to pronounce her and record a time of death. I’ll do the paperwork and call the hospital. She donated her body to science.”

“Services?” I asked, unsure what her will said.

“She wished for no services and there will be no grave. You have the one thing she loved most in the world, and after last night, I would say you’re doing with it exactly as she would have you do. Maybe you can find a way to honor her there.”

I put my hand to my mouth, my chin trembling. “I will find a way.”

“You can stay as long as you’d like or until the doctor gets here,” she said, patting Lucille’s leg.

I stood quickly, almost knocking the chair backward in my haste. “I’ve said what I had to say. Is it okay if I go now? I don’t want to stay any longer.”

Her eyes held pity when she put her arm around me. “You don’t need permission, Ivy. You were here with her when it mattered. She’s gone now. Her body is left, but her soul left here on the notes of your song. Go home and take some time for yourself now.”

I nodded absently, almost trancelike. “Thank you, Polly. Call me if anything comes up or if I can help with anything. I don’t know what her will says, but her lawyer should have everything. Lance is her lawyer.”

She walked me to the front doors, her hand on my back as I prattled on about wills and bills. “I’ll let you know if we need anything. Are you driving? I’m not sure if you should be behind the wheel.”

“She’s not driving,” Shep said as he approached from the side parking lot. “I’ll take her from here,” he promised the woman holding my elbow.

Polly whispered goodbye and disappeared inside the nursing home again.

“Shep, what are you doing here?” I asked, wiping my eyes of tears.

“I told you I’d always be here for you, no matter what. Polly called the office to see if I could check on you later, but I wasn’t waiting until later.” My chin trembled again and I made a feeble attempt to nod. “Let me take you home, sweetheart.”

I fell into his arms, sobbing like a child who had lost her toy. He held me up until we got around the corner then he picked me up in his arms and stuffed me in his truck. Once out of the sight of curious onlookers he held me while I cried.

“I’m sorry, Ivy. You loved her and at the end, when it was most important, she knew it,” he whispered, rubbing my back. “I love you.”

I clung to him, his coat wet with my tears as I stared up at him. “I love you, too. Don’t ever leave me,” I cried.

He tucked me under his chin and started the truck, driving through town slowly while I curled up in a ball next to him. He stroked my hair and murmured how he was here to stay, no matter what.