Emerald Fire (Christian Romance) (The Jewel Series) (29 page)

She had no sense of time. She could have existed in her void for five minutes or five years. Disjointed sentences from voices she recognized occasionally penetrated the darkness. She felt more aware when she heard them – aware of the weight that seemed to press down on the left side of her body, aware of a steady rhythmic beeping, aware of her hand being lifted or touched. She could hear the voices, but never comprehended the words. During those times, she felt comfort knowing that people she loved were nearby.

Eventually, she tired of the dark. She wanted her color back, her visible spectrum that gave the world its beauty. Somehow she knew that pain would exact a toll for the color, but she thought maybe she was ready, so she slowly pulled herself forward, toward the light, toward life.

Thirst was her first sensation. She felt thirstier than she had ever felt before. Thirst almost won out over the dull throb in her head, over the tight pain in her chest, over the weight on her left side. Almost, but not quite.

She wanted to move, to shift around a little and maybe help alleviate some of the discomfort, but found herself unable to do so. It was disconcerting to feel trapped, tied down, and she had to shake off the panic that lobbied to claw its way to the forefront of her thoughts. She pushed it firmly back because she sensed that panic would make it hurt worse.

She felt sort of light, as if ever since the impact that had crushed the Jeep, she’d accidentally tripped into an abyss. She felt as if she had simply fallen and fallen and fallen this entire time.

Suddenly, she realized that she had finally hit the solid ground at the bottom of that endless pit. She had come to earth and hit the ground with every single part of her body. Hard.

It all registered at once. She hurt. Lord in heaven, she hurt everywhere.

There was no more thought of shifting to ease discomfort. She didn’t think she could move at all. The steady beeping noise she had been hearing suddenly sped up, went out of control, the weight on her own flesh felt like an elephant sitting on top of her, and something was choking her, blocking her throat making it so hard to breathe. She gagged, muscles tensing, and it felt as if her entire torso was on fire.

Her eyes flew open, and if she’d had the breath she would have screamed in agony. She tried to draw in another breath but couldn’t and tried to lift her hand to claw at her throat, but it wouldn’t move. The dim light above her wavered as tears filled her eyes. Oddly, she wondered how she could make tears when her throat felt as dry as a desert.

Lights glared bright, searing her eyes. Then a face filled her vision, blocking out everything else. She didn’t recognize the face, a black woman with kind eyes and pearl earrings. She tried to focus, but her eyes swam with tears.

“Maxine, it’s good to see you back with us,” the woman said. Her voice was rhythmic, soothing, and Maxine clung to that. “You have a tube in your throat that’s been helping you breathe. That’s part of the reason you’re panicking. I need you to relax so I can remove it. Blink if you can understand me.” Desperate to have the thing removed, she blinked rapidly, ignoring the shooting pain through her temples that simply blinking caused. “Okay. Take a deep breath, as deep and big as you can. When you exhale, I’ll take the tube out. Here we go.”

The second it cleared her throat, Maxine felt herself starting to calm. Then the woman was back. “I’m Dr. Roxanne O’Neill. I know you’re hurting, and the nurse is bringing something in right now to ease your discomfort. Just lie back and relax. You’ve been on quite a journey.”

“I don’t …“ Maxine uttered, barely a weak whisper. She felt her hand being patted.

“I know. There’s time for that later. Right now, just close your eyes.”

“Thirsty,” she said, complying.

The doctor chuckled. “I bet. When you wake up next time, we’ll get you some ice chips.”

Maxine heard some shuffling and something warm shot through her vein and up her arm. “Barry,” she whispered. The warmth turned hot as it reached her chest. Oblivion beckoned from the next heartbeat.

Maxine heard a chuckle and some more shuffling. “Your husband’s here, hon. He’s right outside for now. He hasn’t left your side this whole time. He’ll be back the second we finish.”

This whole time? How long had she been here? Where was Barry? Could he salvage the Jeep? Were his golf-clubs okay? Was the other driver okay? Why was she so cold? Were they keeping her in a freezer?

She let the darkness overtake her, seeking the bliss that shielded her from the pain.

MAXINE
slowly opened her eyes. For the first time since the accident, she felt that the rational side of her brain had a little more control over the emotional. She didn’t know how much time had transpired since the first time she woke up, but it was a haze of panic and pain, of different faces and different voices, all soothing and calm while they did whatever they did before giving her the escape of the drug. Sprinkled among all the fleeting memories was Barry. Sometimes someone else in her family, but always Barry. Someone was always there when she opened her eyes, always smiling down at her and holding her hand.

She was in a different room than she remembered. This one was brighter, more open, lacking the constant beep and surge of machines. The walls were wallpapered with a pink and green floral design on a cream background, creating a very calming pattern.

She smelled fresh flowers. Carefully, to test her ability to move at all, she turned her head, surprised that nothing screamed in protest. There was a large window looking out onto the lawn of the hospital, and on a table in front of the window – actually, on the table, under the table, and to the sides of the table – were baskets and vases and jars of flowers. Every type of flower she could think of was represented, along with stuffed animals, balloons, and potted plants. She tried to smile, but her dry lips cracked.

“We’ve eaten all the chocolate, of course.” Robin appeared from behind her. The way she adjusted her shirt as she came into Maxine’s line of sight told her that her sister had been breast feeding the infant who was now propped on a shoulder.

“Of course.” Her voice sounded like nothing more than a harsh whisper. She tried to swallow, but her mouth felt like an arid desert complete with gritty hot sand.

“You couldn’t have flowers when you were in ICU, and by the time they moved you, the florists had such a backlog of orders that they brought them in waves, new ones every few days.”

“Who?” Maxine croaked out.

“I’ve saved the cards. Old clients, business whatever’s with Tony, Barry’s clients, church.” Robin hooked her foot on a chair and pulled it close to the bed while she patted TJ’s tiny back to coax him to burp. “It’s good to see your eyes focused.”

“How long?”

“Yesterday made two weeks.” Robin grinned and leaned forward to grip her hand. “I’m so excited. So glad you’re actually lucid. I’ll have to call Tony in a sec so he can come home and see you. He left for Florida when we knew you were out of the woods. He was supposed to be back any day, but once he hears you’re awake, he’ll come home immediately, I’m sure.”

Robin propped her legs on the bottom of the bed and laid the baby’s head near her knees, forming a natural cradle out of her long legs. “Sarah gets off at three. She’s on the morning shift and hates it, so she’ll have plenty to complain to you about while she’s here. She had her lunch break at ten, so you missed her by an hour. Barry had court, and Derrick and I had to practically hold him at gunpoint to go. But I’m certain he’ll be here mere minutes after it’s done.”

Maxine lifted her right hand, surprised at the effort it took. She waved toward Robin. Her hand fell limply back onto the bed and she stared at Robin. “How are you?”

Robin’s eyes welled with tears as she smiled. “I’m strung out, emotionally spent, and physically exhausted.” She leaned forward and lowered her voice. “But, I’m still better off than you, and I’ve found the sure fire cure for losing all the weight you gain with pregnancy. Your timing is and always has been perfect.”

“Don’t make me laugh.” It was easier this time to lift her hand. “It will hurt.”

“I know. Of all of us to get hurt, you have, by far, the lowest pain threshold. I’m sorry.”

“Hey,” she croaked, “at least I won’t be scared to give birth now.”

For just a second, Robin’s face clouded. Maxine suddenly wondered just how extensive her injuries might be, and for the first time felt real fear start to creep up on her. She closed her eyes for a moment, tired from the effort to speak. “What happened?”

There was a pause and she opened her eyes to meet Robin’s. “You don’t remember?”

“No, not that. I remember the accident. What happened to me? How bad is it?”

“Maxi, maybe you should wait for the doctor … or Sarah. I don’t know all the details about healing and therapy and recovery time and stuff.”

“Tell me.”

Robin blew out a breath and leaned back in the chair. “Your leg is broken in several places. I guess the door crushed it. You need another surgery on it. And your left arm snapped in two when your hand got caught between the door and the steering wheel.”

Maxine looked down and stared at her hand, completely engulfed in bandages and a soft cast. Robin touched her arm. “The surgeon who worked on your arm and leg says you can heal. He says there’s a really good chance you can walk again, sooner than you think.” She squeezed Maxine’s hand harder. “There was a moment when they wondered if you would be able to keep your hand or leg at all, so that’s amazing progress. God is so good.”

Maxine tried to raise her left arm but had no strength. “My hand?”

Robin’s lips tightened and she gave a short shake of her head. “It isn’t good. It was crushed. With extensive therapy, maybe you can draw again. Maybe. It will take time.”

“How much time?” Maxine asked, trying to keep her voice calm and sound unconcerned.

“Maxi, I just don’t know. Doc Rox, the orthopedic doctor, can give you better information. But you can get better. That’s what matters. Who cares how long it takes?”

Maxine enveloped her fear of never crafting with a pencil again, never picking up a paintbrush again, and tucked it into a far corner of her mind. “My stomach hurts.”

Robin took a deep breath. “A lot of your internal organs were bruised. You bled a lot into your abdomen. They tell me you’re healing up well.”

Maxine searched her sister’s face. “What else?”

“A couple of broken ribs. They had to fix a hole in your lung.” Her voice was mild, and Maxine wondered if she even knew about the tears streaming down her face. “And your head injury is over. The bruise is even nearly gone.”

She let it all digest slowly, one thing at a time. “That all seems pretty workable.”

Surprised, Robin looked at her before she nodded. “You’re only saying that because you’re on some pretty powerful drugs right now.”

“Probably.” She smiled and felt her lips crack. “Can you find out if I can drink something? My mouth is so dry!”

“I bet it feels like it was stuffed with cotton and blow-dried.” She stood and shifted TJ to her shoulder and walked out of the room. The second she was gone, Maxine covered her eyes with her right hand, noticing how badly it shook. She squeezed her eyes shut and pushed back the tears, promising them they could come back out when she was alone. Robin put on a good front, but she looked as close as Maxine felt to a break down, and neither one of them needed that right now. Taking some very careful breaths, she realized it didn’t hurt all that much, and slowly inhaled and exhaled until she had warded off the panic. She sniffed and wiped her right palm dry on the starchy cotton blanket.

“Okay, you can have ice chips. The nurse said that’s all you get until the doctor says otherwise. But, she’s on the phone with her now, so maybe she’ll clear actual water or something.” Robin scooped a piece of ice onto Maxine’s tongue before she sat back down.

“Mmm,” Maxine said, closing her eyes and enjoying the cool wet in her parched mouth. “No, this is fine. Manna.”

“I’m going to try to get a message to Barry, but he’s in court. His secretary will wait outside of the courtroom, I’m sure, and he’ll get back here as soon as he can.”

Maxine wanted to stay awake, but her eyelids grew heavy and she felt herself drift away.