Quick as a flash, she dematerialized and materialized in the great room.
The hospital was outside the village limits.
Fiona couldn’t get there, no matter how hard she tried (and she’d tried hard).
She wanted news of Sally.
She watched the door open and stared at Prentice holding four carrier bags of groceries, two in each hand.
Fiona continued to stare.
Groceries?
Prentice had been to the grocery store once since Bella left mainly because it took that long to eat through the abundant provisions Bella had purchased when she’d been there.
Fiona watched as he stopped, jerked his head at something behind him and then her ghostly mouth dropped open when Bella walked through the door, carrying a bag in each hand.
Fiona would have been surprised that Bella was even there but she was too busy being more surprised that Bella looked like hell.
Bella always looked good.
Once, way back in the day, Bella got a summer cold that took her out of commission for a few days. When Fiona and her ex-boyfriend Scott had come ‘round to Prentice’s Mum’s place to see her, Bella had been lounging on the couch, nestled in Prentice’s arms. She’d been, reportedly, sick as a dog but she’d looked fabulous.
Now she didn’t look good. She didn’t even look bad. She looked awful.
Such was Fiona’s shock, she just floated in the great room while Bella and Prentice walked in, Jason following (also carrying three carrier bags). All of them were silent as they dumped the bags on the kitchen counter.
Bella and Jason got busy unpacking the groceries while Prentice walked away.
Bella saw him going.
She started toward him, saying, “Prentice, please don’t. I’ll get my bags.”
She stopped talking when Prentice sent her a look that would turn a gaily running creek into an ice rink in a blink.
Prentice turned away and walked back out of the house.
Bella bit her lip and walked back into the kitchen.
“Dad’s been in kind of a bad mood for a few weeks,” Jason muttered, Bella sighed and Fiona laughed for the first time since Bella left (except for when the kids got their boxes from Bella, firstly she laughed then because the children had been so happy and secondly because Prentice had looked so cross and then he’d brooded (more) for entire days and Fiona, for some reason, found that hilarious).
“It’s okay, sweetheart. Why don’t you take your books upstairs and I’ll deal with this?” Bella replied.
“I’ll help,” Jason was still muttering and he was also putting groceries away with a determination that both Fiona and Bella noted when they glanced at Jason no one could undermine.
Intelligently, Bella didn’t try.
Fiona watched (again with surprise) as Prentice brought in Bella’s two suitcases and carried them down the hall to the guest suite while Jason and Bella unpacked groceries.
What in bloody hell was going on?
She could have shouted it but, of course, no one would answer.
She’d just have to watch and see.
Prentice returned and disappeared in his study.
Bella immediately began making tea once the groceries were unpacked and Jason ran his book bag upstairs.
Fiona took her opportunity and zoomed close to Bella.
How’s Sally? she shouted.
All right, so Bella was there out of the blue after the whole fiasco at the wedding. She looked like death warmed over and she was staying with Prentice and Jason.
But… priorities.
Bella could hear her, even once spoke directly to her and Fiona needed news of her daughter.
Bella didn’t answer. She didn’t flinch. She didn’t even twitch.
Bella! How’s Sally? Please tell me, Fiona shouted again, this time, louder (but still silent, of course).
Fiona waited.
Bella kept rubbing butter into the skin of the chicken, giving no indication she heard one single word Fiona said.
Fiona groaned in frustration.
Before she could ask again, Jason returned and Fiona was astounded to see her son immediately began to help Bella with tea (something he never did for his mother unless threatened with certain death). All the while they worked Bella quietly gave Jason directions that he followed to the letter.
Bella had the chicken in the oven (stuffed with delicious-looking stuffing), Jason had cleaned and carefully chopped the broccoli and carrots under Bella’s relentlessly vigilant eye at Jason wielding a knife and was cutting up the potatoes that Bella had peeled when Prentice walked into the kitchen.
He stopped and stood for awhile, watching this activity, a muscle ticking in his jaw.
And Fiona knew what he saw that made him so annoyed.
Firstly, Jason was helping with dinner. That was worth putting in your journal (if you had one, which Prentice did not). But, more to the point, he was helping Bella with dinner.
Secondly, Bella looked ready to drop. You could actually see that the woman had no energy. How she was remaining upright and cooking was a mystery.
Prentice, Fiona knew, was also tired. He hadn’t slept in two days. He hadn’t slept well in three weeks.
But, as tired as Prentice had to be, Bella was more tired it was plain to see.
And it wasn’t only from worry over Sally being knocked over.
Life, Fiona knew, was finally wearing Isabella Austin Evangahlala down.
Just what Fiona needed, something else to worry about.
Who said you could rest when you were dead? Whoever it was, they lied.
“Jace, give me a minute, I want to talk to Elle,” Prentice said to his son.
Fiona watched Bella’s shoulders get tight as Jason turned to give his father an assessing look.
Prentice held his son’s gaze and Fiona would have laughed if she wasn’t holding her non-existent ghost breath.
They were having a showdown.
The last time Jason was with Bella, her father walked into wedding reception and struck her so forcefully she went down to her hands and knees. After that hideous event, she’d disappeared for three weeks coming back looking like the walking dead.
Now, it was plain to see, Jason wasn’t leaving Bella’s side even at his father’s command, not if he thought something would harm her even if that something was his father.
Fiona had only nine years to raise her son right and she was pretty pleased with herself that she’d accomplished this feat (with Prentice’s help, of course, but, at that moment, Fiona decided to take all the credit).
“I’ll finish the potatoes, Jason. Do as your Dad says, okay?” Bella said quietly and Fiona looked to her to see she was watching the showdown and it had alarmed her.
Prentice’s eyes cut to Bella and his mouth got tight as Jason turned his assessing look to her.
Then Jason nodded and loped up the stairs.
Bella went back to the potatoes and started cutting.
Prentice moved in close (as did Fiona) and Fiona watched as he took the knife right out of her hand. Her body jolted, her surprised eyes turned to Prentice and she opened her mouth to speak.
Prentice got there first. “I don’t need your help making Jason mind.”
Well, Fiona thought, that wasn’t a good start.
Bella’s mouth stayed open not because she wanted to say something but because she was shocked.
“Go to bed,” Prentice ordered.
Bella’s eyes got wide, she closed her mouth then opened it to ask, “What?”
“Go to bed. I’ll finish this.”
Bella glanced with bewilderment at the potatoes then back at Prentice and, even Fiona had to admit, regardless of how drawn she looked, she was still adorable.