Feels Like Family (25 page)

“Okay, let’s go,” he said at last.

Dana Sue looked triumphant, but Maddie merely looked relieved.

“We’ll call you from the hospital,” she promised Dana Sue.

“And I’ll be back in time for the dinner rush,” Erik told her.

“You most certainly will not be,” Dana Sue said. “Especially if they release Helen from the hospital. You’ll need to stay with her. Tess and Karen can fill in. I’ll call them right now and explain what’s going on.”

“We’ll play it by ear, then,” he said, which was as much of a concession as he was prepared to make.

In the car, Maddie glanced at him. “You okay?”

“I’m not the one who was shot.”

“They say when you love someone, it’s possible to feel their pain.”

“Oh, please, spare me the psychobabble,” he said. “But I understand what you’re trying to say.” He swiped a hand over his eyes. “When I got the call from Barb, you have no idea what went through my mind.”

“Oh, I think I have some idea,” Maddie responded. “I suspect it was a lot like what Dana Sue and I were think
ing— What if it’s more serious than Barb is saying? What if we lose her?” She met his gaze. “Am I close?”

Erik smiled, relieved to know he wasn’t alone with a heavy load of guilt. “On the money.”

“I imagine Barb’s feeling the same thing about now,” Maddie went on, “since she’s the one who let Brad into Helen’s office. But the truth is, all the blame should be directed at Brad. He’s the one who lost his grip on reality just because his divorce didn’t go the way he’d anticipated. He was the one with the gun. He shot himself when he saw the police closing in. None of that is the behavior of a rational man. Accept what he did, maybe even pity him, but then let it go. Nothing matters now except making sure that Helen and the baby are okay.”

“That all sounds very mature and rational, but I still feel this overwhelming sense of guilt.” The deputy’s words echoed in his head. “Did you know I never thought to let the sheriff’s department know we were back from Paris? If I had, there would’ve been someone keeping an eye on her.”

“You’d just come back from an incredible honeymoon. You can be forgiven for not thinking about a threat that was made weeks ago in anger. All of us had at least some reason to believe the danger was past.”

“You didn’t,” he corrected. “You insisted that Elliott go with her to the office.”

Her lips curved slightly. “I’m a mother. I worry about everything. Ask my kids. Even though Ty’s away at college, I worry about whether he’s wearing a sweater when it’s chilly or whether he’s brushed his teeth at night or has eaten a decent meal. It’s all force of habit.”

“I don’t imagine you call him to ask about all those things, though, do you?” Erik asked, pretty certain the
nineteen-year-old star baseball prospect wouldn’t take kindly to such questions from his mother.

“Are you crazy?” she asked, laughing. “He’d never come home again. I just drive Cal crazy asking
him
if he thinks Ty is doing all those things. Periodically, I catch Cal telling Ty that I’ve been pestering him about stuff like that. They commiserate over how nutty I am, what a
mom
I am.”

Just then she pulled up in front of the emergency entrance. “You go in. I’ll park the car,” she told him. “Helen needs you right now more than she needs me.”

“I’m not so sure about that,” Erik said. “I did a fairly lousy job of handling this particular crisis.”

“Maybe, but you have a lot of other things going for you, including the fact that you love her to pieces. That’s what matters. Maybe you can finally tell her that.”

With Maddie’s words resounding in his head, he went inside to find his wife.

His
wife
. Calling her that still had the power to amaze him.

“I’m looking for Helen Whitney,” he told the nurse at triage. “Or Helen Decatur. I’m not sure how she registered.”

“Just married,” the nurse guessed. “She couldn’t decide, either. She’s in cubicle eight. I think she’d be happy to see your handsome face about now. She’s waiting for the obstetrician to get here.”

Erik’s heart sank. “Is there a problem with the baby?”

“Not that we know of. It’s just a precaution after the trauma she’s been through. Dr. Wilson recommended it.”

Erik nodded, relieved that Emily Wilson had been on duty. At least hers would have been a familiar face for Helen. “Thanks,” he said as he started toward the back.

“By the way,” the nurse called out, “she’s registered as Helen Whitney. Guess she took those vows seriously.”

Erik couldn’t stop the smile that crept across his face as he went in search of Helen. If she’d wanted to disavow their marriage because of his failure to protect her or because he’d bolted from her office, she would’ve stuck with her maiden name. Maybe he had one more chance to get this right, after all.

The pain medicine had made Helen groggy, but she knew the instant that Erik came into her cubicle and took the seat beside her.

Fighting to open her eyes, she managed a faint smile. “Hi. You came. I wasn’t sure you would.”

“Maddie and Dana Sue were pretty persuasive,” he admitted.

Her smile wobbled. “Did they beat you up?” she asked, actually sounding a little worried that they might have.

He laughed. “No, they didn’t need to go that far.” His expression sobered. “How are you feeling?”

“Dopey. They patched up my arm.”

“Any twinges with the baby?”

She shook her head. Her hand instinctively went to her stomach. “I think she’s okay, but the doctor’s going to make sure.”

He gave her an odd look. “She?”

“Or he,” she said. “Just not ‘it,’ okay?”

“Understood. Look, you need to rest. I’ll be in the waiting room with Maddie.”

He started to stand up, but Helen latched on to his hand. “No,” she commanded. “Don’t leave me again, please. I’m scared, Erik. Really scared. And nobody will tell me what happened to Brad. He didn’t get away, did he?”

“You don’t need to worry about Brad ever again.”

“Why? Tell me.”

“He shot himself. He’s dead,” he said, sitting back down beside her. He kept her hand in his, his thumb idly caressing her knuckles, his thoughts seemingly far away.

Her relief that Brad was gone lasted only a moment. “Erik?”

He looked into her eyes. “What?”

“Why did you take off back at my office? You know none of this was your fault, don’t you? You weren’t there. There was nothing you could have done to stop it.”

“I’m not so sure about that,” he said. “But Maddie convinced me that maybe there’s enough blame to go around.”

“But there was something more going on with you, something that went deeper than what happened today. I could sense it.”

His expression shut down. “It’s nothing for you to worry about,” he told her. “All that matters is making sure you and the baby are okay. Close your eyes and rest ’til the doctor gets here.”

When she would have probed a little more deeply, he gave her a warning look. “I mean it,” he said. “Rest or I’ll leave.”

She sighed and closed her eyes. Maybe he thought he could stall her now, but he surely knew he wouldn’t be able to stall her forever. She was a pro at interrogation, at least when she was at the top of her game. In a few days, fewer if she concentrated hard on making a quick recovery, she’d get the answers she was after.

Karen and Tess exchanged a look as Dana Sue flew around the kitchen snapping out orders. Finally Karen grabbed her by the shoulders and marched her toward a stool.

“Sit,” she ordered. “You need to calm down and eat something.”

“I can’t eat,” Dana Sue grumbled, but she accepted the dish of chicken salad Karen handed her. “Why haven’t we heard anything from the hospital?”

“Probably because they don’t know anything yet,” Karen soothed. “I’m sure Helen is fine. Maddie would have called immediately if things were bad, so you could get over there.”

“I suppose,” Dana Sue said, eating a bite of the chicken salad and then another. Finally she looked up, a curious expression on her face. “This is different. What did you add to it? Dill?”

“Just a little,” Karen said. “Is it okay?”

“It’s fabulous.”

“I was thinking of adding toasted walnuts, too, or maybe almonds. What do you think?”

Dana Sue took another bite. “Almonds, I think. I love walnuts in salads, but they’re best sprinkled on the top. People need to know they’re in there. Otherwise, they’re liable to think they’re biting down on a piece of bone. Almonds aren’t quite as crunchy.”

“Good point,” Karen said. “Anyway, I thought it might be a nice change from the pineapple chicken salad we do now. We could rotate them seasonally or something.”

“I’ve been thinking about that myself,” Dana Sue said. “I think we ought to have a new menu each season with some of the favorites, of course, but a few new dishes as well. We’d still have specials, too, but I think change might keep our regulars coming in— You know, in case they get tired of the same old things.”

“I have some ideas if you want to hear them,” Karen
said, barely able to contain her excitement. At Dana Sue’s nod, she pulled a stool up next to her.

“Fresh tomatoes are still available. We’ve never tried a tomato and buffalo mozzarella salad. Or a bruschetta. Those are terrific in warm weather and we have another couple of months of that, at least.”

“It would be a change from the house salad or sliced tomatoes and onions,” Dana Sue agreed. “Do you think our customers are ready for that kind of change?”

Karen nodded eagerly. “Sure. Just look at how much they loved the gazpacho. Sullivan’s is known for being innovative. People can make a plain old salad or sliced tomatoes at home. They don’t need us for that.”

Dana Sue grinned. “Good point. Okay, what else?”

“Last summer Erik made a lot of cobblers, but what about fruit tarts instead?”

“I love it,” Dana Sue said, clearly catching her enthusiasm. “He can do a wonderful pastry, then add a thin layer of custard and top it with fresh fruits and berries. They’ll taste great and look fabulous if we finally get that big color-photo spread in one of the regional magazines.” She studied Karen. “You’re good at this. I hope I tell you that enough.”

“You do,” Karen said.

Dana Sue studied her. “And things are better at home now, aren’t they? Your life has settled down?”

Karen nodded. “I finally feel as if I’m back in control. Elliott’s helped with that. He’s been a rock. Frances, too.”

“Are you and Elliott getting serious?”

“He is,” she admitted. “But there are complications.”

Dana Sue regarded her with concern. “Oh? Anything you want to talk about?”

“No,” Karen said. “I don’t want to bring my problems to work, not anymore.”

“Maybe you could think of it as sharing them with a friend,” Dana Sue said.

“You’re still my boss,” Karen reminded her.

Dana Sue frowned slightly. “We’re a team, Karen. You and Tess and Erik are all like family to me. Okay, it’s a
work
family, but the feelings are there, just the same. I care about what’s going on with you, I really do. I know it might not have seemed that way a few weeks ago, but even when Erik and I were stressed out and annoyed because you weren’t here, we still cared about you.”

Tears stung Karen’s eyes. “I know, it’s just that I need to know I can solve my own problems. Maybe that’ll change one day, but for now it’s important to me.”

Dana Sue reached over and squeezed her hand. “As long as you know I’m here if you need me, I can respect your need to do things your own way.” She stood up. “Now we’d better get back to work or the dinner crowd will be dining on leftover cheese grits from lunch. They might be great with a slice of ham, but they sure won’t go over as a main course.”

Before she walked away, she turned back to Karen. “Thanks for distracting me and keeping me from climbing the walls.”

“No problem. It was survival instinct.”

Dana Sue winced. “I was that bad?”

“Pretty much, but not to worry. I’m sure we’ll hear something from the hospital soon and you’ll really be able to relax.”

After that, they all fell back into their usual routine, including Tess, who’d made herself scarce while Karen had been talking to Dana Sue.

It was nearly five before the phone rang. Dana Sue grabbed it on the first ring, mumbled replies Karen couldn’t hear, then hung up. But when she turned around she was smiling. “Helen and the baby are both okay. Erik and Maddie are bringing them home. They didn’t even insist on her staying overnight for observation.” Dana Sue grinned. “Probably because they figured they’d never hear the end of it if they tried.”

“Thank God,” Karen said as Tess sketched a cross over her chest.

“Amen to that,” Dana Sue said. “Now, let’s get busy, ladies. The hungry hordes will be here any minute. And if I haven’t said it before, thank you both for pitching in and picking up the slack today. You’re angels.”

The sincerity in Dana Sue’s voice filled Karen with happiness and pride. Only a few short months ago, she’d been on the verge of losing this job. Now she knew she was capable of making a real contribution here. And it did feel as if she’d found more than a job—she’d found a family. Add in Daisy and Mack, Elliott and Frances, and her life was full.

Erik knew he’d accused Helen of being obsessive-compulsive, but when it came down to it, where the baby was concerned, he had her beat by a mile. The thought of another pregnancy, another baby, cast a shadow over everything. Ever since the close call with Brad Holliday, he found himself watching Helen just about around the clock. He went to every doctor appointment, but he wasn’t half as reassured as she seemed to be when she received a clean bill of health. He’d asked so many questions on their last visit that the obstetrician had joked that next time he’d schedule two appointments, one for each of them.

If Helen woke in the middle of the night with a craving, he saw to it she got whatever she wanted. If she looked tired, he couldn’t rest ’til she was in bed or on the sofa with her feet up. He dreaded a time when the doctor might insist on complete bed rest, because he knew with absolute certainty he’d have a fight on his hands. Helen was incapable of staying still that long. Thankfully, though, she’d kept her blood pressure in check so far.