But other than that, she was in a fog, mostly because she was trying not to remember.
It was the dead of night and Isabella was dozing, still unable to sleep, when she heard the phone ring.
She reached for it, put it to her ear and said, “Hello.”
“Bella?”
Isabella came up to an elbow and her heart thumped painfully in her chest when she heard Annie’s tone.
“Annie? What is it? Are you back from Greece? Is everything okay?” Isabella’s questions came out in a rush and her mind was racing.
God, she hoped Dougal was all right, they’d only just come back from their honeymoon.
And Fergus, he beat cancer, but Isabella heard that comes back all the time.
And Clarissa, she could be crazy, just like her daughter, anything could happen when you were always doing crazy things!
And Prentice… but Isabella didn’t go there.
Those questions were greeted with silence.
Isabella waited.
“Annie?” she prompted.
“Yes, Dougal and I are back from Greece.”
Annie stopped talking.
Isabella waited.
Then she pressed, “And?”
Another pause then, “It’s Sally,” Annie answered softly and Isabella’s thumping heart stopped dead. “She’s been knocked over by a car.”
Isabella lay still in her bed, her eyes unfocused, her mind filled with images of Sally.
Isabella hadn’t thought to worry about Sally. In her mind, Sally was invincible, protected by her youth and her shield of impenetrable cheerfulness.
Nothing could happen to Sally.
Especially not something so horrific as being hit by a car.
“Bella? Are you there?”
Isabella’s voice was a croak when she asked, “Is she okay?”
“Broken bones and –” Annie stopped.
“And what?” Isabella pushed.
“They’ve induced a coma because of the head injuries.”
Isabella threw the covers off the bed and jumped out.
“Bella, I know something went wrong with Prentice,” Annie was talking as Isabella ran from her room, down the hall to where she stowed her luggage. “He’s not talking to Dougal and Dad told me to leave you alone, you needed time and then you’d call me. I know you probably don’t want to come all the way back here but –”
Isabella cut her off. “I’ll be on the next flight.”
A moment of silence then, “What?”
“I’ll be on the next flight,” Isabella repeated as she lugged out one of her bags and carried it down the hall.
“You’re… coming?” Annie sounded astounded.
“I’ll call you back when I have details.”
“You’ll… call?” Annie still sounded astounded.
Isabella didn’t have time for Annie’s astonishment.
“Annie,” Isabella said evenly, using everything she had to calm her breathing, her heart and her mind and not scream with fear, anger and impatience, “I need to get off the phone and call the airlines. I’ll ring you when I know when I’m arriving.”
Another moment of silence then, “Okay.”
Isabella nodded and was about to take the phone from her ear and hit the off button when Annie spoke again.
“Bella, honey, it’s going to be all right.”
Isabella was no nurse (no matter what Mikey told the children) but she knew inducing comas because of head injuries made the chances of everything being “all right” pretty dismal.
And Isabella had learned, over and over, that very little ended up “all right”.
But she couldn’t think of that now.
She had a plane to catch.
She didn’t know which one yet or when it left but whatever or whenever, she was going to catch it.
Prentice
Prentice stood looking out the window of his daughter’s hospital room thinking that there was only one thing worse than watching your always full of life and laughter wife wasting away in a matter of months.
That was seeing your always full of life and laughter six year old daughter lying in a coma in a hospital room.
These were his thoughts when the door opened and Annie walked in.
Prentice began to smile a tired smile. The accident was two days ago and Annie had barely left the hospital. Debs and his mother had fallen to pieces but Annie had been a rock.
The smile died when Annie, who was setting down suitcases, was followed by Elle.
For the first time in forty-eight hours, Prentice forgot about his daughter and he stared at Elle in shock.
In his memory, both recent and past, he never remembered Elle looking bad.
Decades ago, she was always bright-eyed, pink-cheeked and cheery, a healthy glow emanating from her. She wore even her casual clothes with a grace that made them stylish.
More recently, she was cool and refined, classically beautiful, her poise alluring. She wore her sophisticated clothes with a grace and assurance that made them striking.
Three weeks she’d been gone and now she looked gaunt and fatigued. She’d lost weight. Her pallor was startling. There were soft, blue shadows under her eyes. Her hair was tied up in a mess on top of her head and her blouse and jacket were wrinkled as if she’d slept in them.
Her tired eyes skittered across him and went direct to the bed.
Prentice watched as she lifted her hand, held onto the edge of the door with white-knuckled fingers and her eyes closed slowly.
He wanted to be furious at her unbelievable cheek.
He couldn’t be.
He didn’t have the energy and he didn’t have the capacity when her face filled with the worry he’d experienced gnawing at his gut constantly for two days.
He watched as she opened her eyes, let go of the door and strode into the room to Sally’s bed.
Then he watched as she reached out and touched the cast on Sally’s arm with her fingertips.
Then he watched her head turn from Sally to him.
“I’m sorry, Prentice.”
Christ. Even her voice sounded exhausted.
“Aye. I am too.”
Her head tilted slightly. “Do you mind if I stay awhile?”
Prentice shook his head. “No, she’d like that.”
And she would. If Sally was awake, she’d be in fits of glee.
Elle’s departure had left Jason moody and confused. This had only shifted (slightly) when Elle’s boxes started to arrive.
Sally, on the other hand, chose to think Elle had gone on an enchanted holiday meeting dukes and princes and talking birds and she chatted about all these magical fairytale possibilities and Elle incessantly. Her blind adoration of Elle only intensified when the boxes started to arrive.
Elle grabbed a chair and dragged it to the side of the bed. She dumped her purse on the floor, sat down and got close. Leaning forward, she crossed her arms on the bed and put her chin on them.
Then, with her head turned toward Sally, she started whispering to his daughter.
Annie moved to Prentice.
“I had to call her,” Annie said softly.
Prentice tore his gaze from the bed to look at his friend.
“Aye.”
“She came straight away,” Annie informed him.
If you told him four days ago his daughter would be knocked over by a car and Elle would come straight away, he wouldn’t have believed it. Two months ago, something happened to Annie or Fergus, if you told him Elle would come straight away, he wouldn’t have believed it.
Looking at her, he knew without a shred of doubt she came straight away.
Prentice didn’t know what to do with that so he didn’t do anything with it.
“Aye,” he repeated.
“I know this is going to sound, erm… mad…” Prentice thought most everything Annie came up with was mad but he watched her mutely and she went on, “But, do you mind taking Bella to Dad’s place later? I promised Mrs. Kilbride I’d take her to the shops today. If I don’t go ‘round, she won’t have tea.”