babies."
"They're seven and nine. They can live without you for a handful of days here and there."
"Handfuls of days add up. And maybe it's me. Maybe I can't live without them.
It's different for mothers. Very different." They had been through that before, too. He tossed more ties on the bed.
"Look at those, " Rachel cried. "Look at those. They're so conservative.
We were going to be different. We were going to do our own thing, not get caught up in the rat race."
"We've done our own thing. You freelance, I have my own firm." She pressed her lips together. After a minute, she bowed her head.
"What? " he asked.
The eyes she raised were hollow, her voice low. "I won't be here when you get back."
"You said that last time."
"This time's for real." He sighed. "Come on, Rachel. Try to understand."
"You try to understand, " she cried, then quieted again. "If I have to be alone, there are other places I'd rather be. I'm moving to Big Sur.
" Softly, she asked, "Come with me? " "Are you serious? " "Very."
He was frightened. More, he wasfurious. She knew he couldn't move to Big SilL Big Sur was three hours from San Francisco.
"I've done fifteen years here for you, " she said, softly still. "Now it's your turn to live somewhere else for me."
"Rachel." Didn't she get it? "My firm is here."
"You travel all the time. You don't do much more than visit the city anyway. You can commute from Big Sur."
"That makes no sense." She was hugging her middle again, seeming in pain. "I'm going. I need you to come with me." Frustrated that she didn't understand the pressure he felt, exasperated that she couldn't give a little, angry that everything about her should suggest that .
.
. pain, he cried, "How can I do that, if I'm on my way to Providence?
" "Dad! " Samantha's shout brought him back to the present. "How is she? " He ran a hand over his face and took a steadying breath. When he was firmly back in the present, he told her about the leg, the ribs, and the hand. Then he reached out and touched Hope's hair, wanting desperately to ease the blow but not knowing how. "The thing is that her head took a bad hit. She's still unconscious." Hope's eyes flew to his. "Sleeping? " she asked on an indrawn breath.
"In a manner. Only, nothing we do wakes her up. The doctors call it a coma."
"Coma! " Samantha cried.
"No, " Jack hurried to say, "it's not as bad as it sounds." He gave them a shortened version of the doctor's explanation, then improvised on a hopeful note. "Coma is what the brain does when it needs to focus all its energy on healing. Once enough of the healing's done, the person wakes up."
"Not always, " Samantha challenged. "Sometimes people are comatose for years. Sometimes coma is just another word for vegetable."
"Not the case here Jack insisted. "Your mother will wake up."
"How do you know? " He didn't, but the alternative was unthinkable.
"The doctor had no reason to think she won't. Listen he began, looking down to include Hope, but she was bent over her cat, shoulders hunched and quivering. He slid to the floor and put an arm around her. "We have to be optimistic.
That's the most important thing. We have to go in there and tell your mom that she's going to get better. If we tell her enough, she will.
" Samantha made a sound. He looked up in time to see her roll her eyes, but those eyes were tear-lidded when they met his.
"Do you have a better suggestion? " he asked.
Mutely, she shook her head.
"Okay. Then this is what I think we should do. I think we should have breakfast and drive up to Monterey." Hope said something he didn't hear. He put his ear down. "Hmm? " "Maybe I sh-should stay h-here.
" She hugged the cat to her chest.
"Don't you want to see your mom? " "Yes, b-but�" "She's scared Samantha said with disgust. "Well, so am I, Hope, but if we sit home, we'll never know whether she really is alive."
"She's alive Jack said.
Hope raised a tear-streaked face to her sister. "What if Guinevere dies while
"They're seven and nine. They can live without you for a handful of days here and there."
"Handfuls of days add up. And maybe it's me. Maybe I can't live without them.
It's different for mothers. Very different." They had been through that before, too. He tossed more ties on the bed.
"Look at those, " Rachel cried. "Look at those. They're so conservative.
We were going to be different. We were going to do our own thing, not get caught up in the rat race."
"We've done our own thing. You freelance, I have my own firm." She pressed her lips together. After a minute, she bowed her head.
"What? " he asked.
The eyes she raised were hollow, her voice low. "I won't be here when you get back."
"You said that last time."
"This time's for real." He sighed. "Come on, Rachel. Try to understand."
"You try to understand, " she cried, then quieted again. "If I have to be alone, there are other places I'd rather be. I'm moving to Big Sur.
" Softly, she asked, "Come with me? " "Are you serious? " "Very."
He was frightened. More, he wasfurious. She knew he couldn't move to Big SilL Big Sur was three hours from San Francisco.
"I've done fifteen years here for you, " she said, softly still. "Now it's your turn to live somewhere else for me."
"Rachel." Didn't she get it? "My firm is here."
"You travel all the time. You don't do much more than visit the city anyway. You can commute from Big Sur."
"That makes no sense." She was hugging her middle again, seeming in pain. "I'm going. I need you to come with me." Frustrated that she didn't understand the pressure he felt, exasperated that she couldn't give a little, angry that everything about her should suggest that .
.
. pain, he cried, "How can I do that, if I'm on my way to Providence?
" "Dad! " Samantha's shout brought him back to the present. "How is she? " He ran a hand over his face and took a steadying breath. When he was firmly back in the present, he told her about the leg, the ribs, and the hand. Then he reached out and touched Hope's hair, wanting desperately to ease the blow but not knowing how. "The thing is that her head took a bad hit. She's still unconscious." Hope's eyes flew to his. "Sleeping? " she asked on an indrawn breath.
"In a manner. Only, nothing we do wakes her up. The doctors call it a coma."
"Coma! " Samantha cried.
"No, " Jack hurried to say, "it's not as bad as it sounds." He gave them a shortened version of the doctor's explanation, then improvised on a hopeful note. "Coma is what the brain does when it needs to focus all its energy on healing. Once enough of the healing's done, the person wakes up."
"Not always, " Samantha challenged. "Sometimes people are comatose for years. Sometimes coma is just another word for vegetable."
"Not the case here Jack insisted. "Your mother will wake up."
"How do you know? " He didn't, but the alternative was unthinkable.
"The doctor had no reason to think she won't. Listen he began, looking down to include Hope, but she was bent over her cat, shoulders hunched and quivering. He slid to the floor and put an arm around her. "We have to be optimistic.
That's the most important thing. We have to go in there and tell your mom that she's going to get better. If we tell her enough, she will.
" Samantha made a sound. He looked up in time to see her roll her eyes, but those eyes were tear-lidded when they met his.
"Do you have a better suggestion? " he asked.
Mutely, she shook her head.
"Okay. Then this is what I think we should do. I think we should have breakfast and drive up to Monterey." Hope said something he didn't hear. He put his ear down. "Hmm? " "Maybe I sh-should stay h-here.
" She hugged the cat to her chest.
"Don't you want to see your mom? " "Yes, b-but�" "She's scared Samantha said with disgust. "Well, so am I, Hope, but if we sit home, we'll never know whether she really is alive."
"She's alive Jack said.
Hope raised a tear-streaked face to her sister. "What if Guinevere dies while
Similar Books
