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Authors: Clare O'Donohue
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thing, but I don’t want everyone getting on a plane to see me hop around in a cast.” Her voice was losing energy and she suddenly looked as if she needed me.
I had to smile. “Okay. I’m going to let you rest.”
She touched my hand lightly and seemed unwilling to let it go. “I’m sorry, Nell. You didn’t need this. And on top of it, you’ve been waiting out there alone all night.”
“I haven’t been alone.” It was out before I remembered Bernie’s advice and did my best to cover. “The nurses, the doctors, patients all over the place. It’s more crowded than Manhattan.”
She smiled weakly and let go of my hand. I hesitated, but it was time to go. She did need her rest.
In the hallway outside her room, everyone was waiting.
“She’s fine. She’s tired,” I told them.
“Of course she’s tired,” said Maggie. “We all need some rest.”
Maggie wrapped her arms around me and I found myself hugging her tightly. Then each woman hugged me, and hugged each other, until we made a sloppy, relieved mess of tangled huggers. Twenty-four hours ago these women were strangers to me, and now we were reassuring one another like old friends. We walked out together into the parking lot and stayed talking for another twenty minutes. Nancy would open the shop tomorrow. I’d spend the morning at the hospital and call Natalie to let her know how Eleanor was doing and when she’d be released. Natalie would initiate the phone chain they had in place for quilting emergencies. I didn’t ask for the definition of a quilting emergency.
All I could think about was spending the night in that big house without my grandmother.
CHAPTER 12
The ride back home with Marc was silent, and that was fine with me. When we got to the house I started to hop out with barely a good-bye, but Marc grabbed my hand.
“Are you going to be okay in there alone?” The friendly smile was back.
“I have Barney.”
He laughed. “Yeah, great watchdog.” He reached into the glove compartment and pulled out a business card. “Take my number and call me if you need anything.”
I nodded and watched him drive away before I went inside.
Barney was waiting by the door, sitting at attention. When he saw me he wagged his tail, but his heart wasn’t in it. He kept looking past me to the front door.
I went into the kitchen and put on the kettle. After a few minutes Barney came in, looked around, and walked over to me. His head was up, but his tail was hanging low between his legs.
“I know, love.” I patted his head. “Believe me, she wants to come home just as much as you want her here.”
I made some tea, cut myself a piece of cake, and sat at the table, then realized I was too tired to eat. I offered Barney a dog biscuit, but he just sniffed at it and lay at my feet.
My eyes were starting to close, and the effort to open them again seemed pointless. I left the tea half-finished, the cake untouched, and headed up to bed. The stairs creaked as I walked up, and the entire second floor was dark. There were no streetlights by my grandmother’s house, so without a full moon, there was no light outside. And it was quiet. Not even crickets were doing whatever crickets do to make that noise.
Barney settled on the floor and I crawled in underneath the pin-wheel quilt that covered the bed. I reached my hand out, turned off the light on the bedside table, and lay back. I stared off into space for a while, waiting to go to sleep. Then . . . something. It sounded like someone at the front door. The sleepiness of just a minute before was gone. I sat up and listened. Quiet. I looked over at a sleeping Barney and was comforted for a moment that he hadn’t been alarmed, until I remembered he couldn’t have heard anything. I lay down again, but I made sure to face the bedroom door. Just in case. Minutes passed. I started to close my eyes when there was a definite noise, like a door flying open, but it seemed to be coming from the kitchen this
I had to smile. “Okay. I’m going to let you rest.”
She touched my hand lightly and seemed unwilling to let it go. “I’m sorry, Nell. You didn’t need this. And on top of it, you’ve been waiting out there alone all night.”
“I haven’t been alone.” It was out before I remembered Bernie’s advice and did my best to cover. “The nurses, the doctors, patients all over the place. It’s more crowded than Manhattan.”
She smiled weakly and let go of my hand. I hesitated, but it was time to go. She did need her rest.
In the hallway outside her room, everyone was waiting.
“She’s fine. She’s tired,” I told them.
“Of course she’s tired,” said Maggie. “We all need some rest.”
Maggie wrapped her arms around me and I found myself hugging her tightly. Then each woman hugged me, and hugged each other, until we made a sloppy, relieved mess of tangled huggers. Twenty-four hours ago these women were strangers to me, and now we were reassuring one another like old friends. We walked out together into the parking lot and stayed talking for another twenty minutes. Nancy would open the shop tomorrow. I’d spend the morning at the hospital and call Natalie to let her know how Eleanor was doing and when she’d be released. Natalie would initiate the phone chain they had in place for quilting emergencies. I didn’t ask for the definition of a quilting emergency.
All I could think about was spending the night in that big house without my grandmother.
CHAPTER 12
The ride back home with Marc was silent, and that was fine with me. When we got to the house I started to hop out with barely a good-bye, but Marc grabbed my hand.
“Are you going to be okay in there alone?” The friendly smile was back.
“I have Barney.”
He laughed. “Yeah, great watchdog.” He reached into the glove compartment and pulled out a business card. “Take my number and call me if you need anything.”
I nodded and watched him drive away before I went inside.
Barney was waiting by the door, sitting at attention. When he saw me he wagged his tail, but his heart wasn’t in it. He kept looking past me to the front door.
I went into the kitchen and put on the kettle. After a few minutes Barney came in, looked around, and walked over to me. His head was up, but his tail was hanging low between his legs.
“I know, love.” I patted his head. “Believe me, she wants to come home just as much as you want her here.”
I made some tea, cut myself a piece of cake, and sat at the table, then realized I was too tired to eat. I offered Barney a dog biscuit, but he just sniffed at it and lay at my feet.
My eyes were starting to close, and the effort to open them again seemed pointless. I left the tea half-finished, the cake untouched, and headed up to bed. The stairs creaked as I walked up, and the entire second floor was dark. There were no streetlights by my grandmother’s house, so without a full moon, there was no light outside. And it was quiet. Not even crickets were doing whatever crickets do to make that noise.
Barney settled on the floor and I crawled in underneath the pin-wheel quilt that covered the bed. I reached my hand out, turned off the light on the bedside table, and lay back. I stared off into space for a while, waiting to go to sleep. Then . . . something. It sounded like someone at the front door. The sleepiness of just a minute before was gone. I sat up and listened. Quiet. I looked over at a sleeping Barney and was comforted for a moment that he hadn’t been alarmed, until I remembered he couldn’t have heard anything. I lay down again, but I made sure to face the bedroom door. Just in case. Minutes passed. I started to close my eyes when there was a definite noise, like a door flying open, but it seemed to be coming from the kitchen this
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