The lines of text blurred before Mary’s eyes, and she finally closed the folder. Squeezing her eyes shut, she rested her head on the table. She’d struggled through about two-thirds of the material in the packet, reading a little each day for more than a week, but there was no way she’d get it all read in time for the seven o’clock council meeting. If a vote came up and she didn’t know enough to give an opinion confidently, she’d just have to abstain. She’d given it her best shot.
Mary pushed her chair back and reached for the new claw-foot cane to stand. It wasn’t as fun or lightweight as the leopard print, but it gave her more stability. Her goal now was to simply make it to the meeting on time. That included getting dinner ready and putting herself together. Moving at the pace of a slug, it wouldn’t be easy.
She flexed her fingers. At least the cast was gone. She didn’t look like such an invalid. And she could manage to get a meal on the table again.
An hour later, she called Grant to the kitchen. “Just grab those rolls out of the oven, love, then we’re all set.” She admitted the oven had her spooked a bit.
“Ready for the meeting?” Grant asked when they sat down.
“Well, I didn’t get through all the material, but close enough.”
Grant glanced at his watch. “Where’s the packet? Show me what you didn’t get to, and I’ll read it out loud.”
Mary’s fork hit the table, and her throat clogged. Would he soon be spoon-feeding her, too? She took a sip of water before answering. “Thanks, love. That’s a great idea. I may take you up on that next time, but let’s don’t worry about it for tonight.”
At ten minutes to seven, she hoisted herself out of the car. She tossed her purse over her shoulder and picked up her packet, then made her way to the council chambers.
With impeccable timing, she arrived at the entrance along with Steve Unruh who stepped ahead and opened the heavy glass door.
“Good to see you, Mary. We missed you last time.”
“Thanks, Steve.”
“Good holidays?”
“Absolutely. And you?”
“Had a nice break.”
Mary smiled, grateful for the mundane, ordinary conversation. Made her feel normal.
When she started up the small step to the elevated tables where the council members sat, Phil Matthews nearly leaped out of his seat and rushed to her side. “Here, Mary, let me help you with that,” he said, grabbing her arm.
She swayed a bit. “Thanks, Phil, but I’ve got it.” People yanking on her arm was the worst. It threw her off balance.
Mary sank into her padded chair, and glanced around the room, nodding at the city attorney and other council members there. A moment later, Pamela Shore placed a bottle of water on the table in front of Mary.
“Can I get you anything else, Mary? Would you like coffee?”
“No, thanks, Pam. This is great.”
“How are you doing?”
Mary sensed heads turning their direction. Maybe if she spoke loudly enough, everyone could hear, get the scoop, and not ask again. “Taking a little longer for me to haul myself around, but I’m doing well, thanks.”
“Have you got a diagnosis yet?”
She forced an upbeat tone to her voice. “Still testing. I guess I’m something of a mystery. ‘Stump The Doctors’ …just a little game I like to play.”
Pamela patted her arm. “All right. Keep us posted. Glad you’re here.”
Mary turned her attention to the agenda on the table, but her head snapped up again at the sound of Kent Donovan’s voice. When she caught his eye, she smiled and waved. Didn’t remember seeing him on the agenda. Must be library business – something she’d let fall by the wayside knowing that Claire and Kent were on top of it. Kent appeared to be heading her direction when Pamela called the meeting to order. Instead, he took a seat in the front row.
He stood and approached the podium when Pamela announced the public forum open.
“Evening, everyone. Sorry I didn’t contact the office in time to get on the agenda. Just wanted to give you all a quick update on the library opening.”
“Thanks for coming, Mr. Donovan,” Pamela said. “We’re eager to hear about it.”
“Ribbon cutting and grand opening will be at ten o’clock on Saturday morning, March twenty-seventh. Of course, you’re all invited. We’d love for you to join the library board to help cut the ribbon.”
Mary made a note in her calendar. Claire would be in town. The thought made her smile, so she added an exclamation point and a happy face to her note. Something good to look forward to.
“Interior work should be finished in a few weeks. Books on the shelves and computer system up and running two weeks prior to opening. Marketing and advertising campaign will start end of February.”
Mary’s ears perked up at that. She hadn’t considered marketing needs for the library, but she just happened to have a daughter experienced in that field who needed a job.
“Excellent,” Pamela told Kent. “Thank you for the update. It’s exciting to see the new facility coming together. You can be sure we’ll be there.”
Kent nodded, and instead of returning to his seat, headed for the door. As discreetly as she could, Mary pulled her cell phone into her lap. She sent a text message, hoping she wasn’t too late to put Sara’s name on the table.
For the next thirty minutes, the council listened to people unhappy about the new traffic flow around their neighborhood, complaints about shoddy sidewalks and assorted problems that made Mary’s head hurt. They hadn’t even come to the real agenda yet.
Trying not to space out, she sipped her bottled water, and forced herself to make eye contact with members of the audience, nodding when appropriate – she hoped. By the time they got to the first voting item, Mary was considering excusing herself and bailing out. Without comment, she voted in favor of the zoning change allowing a multi-family development as a buffer between a residential area and the highway. Mary didn’t see a big demand for that kind of housing in Whitfield, but the tornado had brought change, and maybe it was needed. There didn’t seem to be any opposition. Thank God.
She flipped back through her packet to see if there was controversy over the next item. Park benches. Hmmm. Why would anyone object to new park benches? She re-read some of the comments. Too much noise? Wait. Oh, that was the play equipment. No, the bids for the play equipment were coming in over budget. That was a money issue.
“And to plant some of her rose bushes, which the garden club will care for. No obligation from the city.”
Mary glanced up and saw Cynthia Schroeder at the podium. What did rose bushes have to do with anything? She looked around the room, but no one else seemed confused.
“All in favor?” Pamela asked.
Mary held up a hand. “Wait. I’m sorry. I think I’ve missed something. We’re voting on rose bushes?”
Cynthia stared at her. “We– We’re talking about Mother’s memorial bench.”
Mary’s face flashed hot. A memorial. Cynthia’s mother had been killed in the tornado.
All eyes turned to Mary.
“We thought it would be nice to plant some of the rose bushes we salvaged around her bench at the park,” Cynthia explained.
The papers in front of Mary blurred. How had she missed that? “Right. Of course. Yes, of course. That’s a lovely idea. I vote yes.” Her heart sank as she registered the hurt in Cynthia’s eyes. Her mother, Adele, had been a delightful woman with the greenest thumb in town. That they still had some of her prize roses was a blessing. She made a note to call Cynthia tomorrow.
Mary muddled her way through the rest of the meeting, abstaining from the final vote on cell service providers and a tower. She hadn’t read the supporting background material, though she knew people were eager for better service. She’d trust her colleagues on this one.
As soon as Pamela’s gavel hit the table, Mary gathered her things, ready to bolt. She pushed back her chair to find Pamela behind her.
Leaning close to Mary, she whispered, “Stay put for a few minutes. I’m driving you home.”
Mary stayed where she was. Standing, she rested her knee on the chair, and chatted with the other council members as they came by. She’d hang around to avoid a scene. Besides, she didn’t need an audience while she trudged to her car. But she didn’t need a ride, either.
“Whew. That was a long one,” Pamela said when she returned to Mary’s side. “An awful lot to take in for your first meeting back.”
“It’s fine,” Mary told her. “I’m sorry I didn’t get through everything. With all–”
Pamela cut her off. “Not a problem. You ready to go?”
“Definitely.”
Pamela kept pace beside Mary, making her self-conscious. She’d be better on her own. Outside the building, Mary took a deep breath, hoping the blast of cold air would make her more alert. Then she tried to brush off her pesky sidekick. “Thanks, Pam. I appreciate–”
“Let me run you home, Mary. My car’s right here. You can get yours tomorrow.”
Pamela’s car was closer. Mayor’s spot. First one next to the handicap spot. Not for the first time, Mary wondered if she ought to apply for one of those handicap tags, but the idea made her grimace.
In the end, she didn’t have the energy to fight it. Pamela unlocked the door and hovered while Mary maneuvered inside. Thankfully, Pamela didn’t insist on chipper conversation during the drive.
Sagging against the front door, Mary dug in her purse for house keys. She rarely used them since she kept her car in the garage. Before she could find them, the porch light snapped on, and Grant opened the door.
Grant caught hold of her as she tumbled into his arms. “Hey, what’s going on? You all right?”
Apparently not. She blew out a heavy breath. “That may have been my last council meeting. It was awful.”
Grant offered his arm and helped into a chair by the fireplace. He returned a moment later, handed her a glass of wine and sat facing her, his eyes full of concern.
“What happened?”
She took a sip before launching into the details. They talked until Mary couldn’t keep her eyes open or think coherently. “I’ve got to get this figured out,” she told Grant, rubbing her temples.
“Well, not tonight, you don’t. Sleep on it.” He held out his hand to help her from the chair.
“No, I mean what’s going on inside me. I have to get some answers. I–” Hearing the high pitch in her own voice, she stopped short, and took a deep breath.
Grant tipped her chin. “Hang in there, darlin’. We’re going to find the best doctors in the country. And we’re going to get our answers.”
* * *
The meeting was still on Mary’s mind the next morning, but she hadn’t come to any conclusions. Except that she’d made a fool of herself. She let out a snort. The word on the street would probably be that she was losing her mind. Maybe no one would be surprised. She glanced at the clock as she poured a cup of coffee. She’d wait until mid-morning to call Cynthia and apologize for her behavior.
“Hey, babe?” Grant suddenly hollered at her from the family room. “I forgot to tell you last night, Dana called while you were gone.”
“Okay, thanks.”
At this rate, she’d spend the entire day on the phone. There were worse ways to spend the day, she supposed. She’d put off calling Dana for too long. She wanted to know what, if anything, Dana had heard from Evan, but there was a fine line between catching up with her friend and gossiping about her daughter. Mary didn’t want to be on the wrong side of the line.
Sara was also on her list of people to check in with. Looked like the call to Kent was going to pay off. Hooray for that. He’d practically pounced on her suggestion last night. Hopefully, Sara would agree to take the job, and the work would charge her batteries and revive her spirits – possibly bring her to Whitfield.
She sent a text to Dana. Hey, give me a call if this is a good time to talk.
Mary’s phone rang within a minute, and Dana’s voice came on the line. “Hey, stranger. How are you? How you feeling?”
“Made it through the holidays,” Mary said, ignoring the question that sounded as though it came from Nurse Dana. She didn’t want to talk about her health. “Missed you New Year’s Eve.”
“We just decided we wanted to ring in the new year at the new house.”
“Sounds very cozy.”
Dana gave a light laugh. “It was. I’m so glad I didn’t skip the fireplace.”
Mary decided to test the waters. “It was great to see Evan at Christmas.”
“I wish the weather had been better and we could’ve seen Sara, too. Sounds like we’ll be seeing more of her, though. You do realize she and Evan have something going on, right?”
“I know.” Mary couldn’t contain the grin that spread across her face. “Isn’t that fun? I sure do like that guy. I’d love to see this go somewhere.”
“Oh, Mare, I’d love it, too. I don’t want to get way ahead of ourselves, but he sure did seem happy.”
“I haven’t heard anything about New Year’s Eve, have you?”
“No, why?”
“Just wondered if he’d said anything. They were supposed to be together for the weekend, you know.”
“Actually, I didn’t know. He didn’t mention going to Dallas.”
Hmm. Entering gray area here. “I think Sara was visiting him this time,” Mary hedged.
“Oh.” Dana’s voice lowered, and Mary knew the direction her thoughts had turned. And there was that other thing she didn’t know. Mary cringed, feeling a little guilt about keeping that news from Dana. On further consideration, she probably should’ve called Sara first.
“Interesting,” Dana said.
“Well, like you said, we’re probably getting ahead of ourselves.” A change of subject was in order. “You all set for the big day?”
“Oh, I am so ready.”
The conversation turned to Dana’s upcoming wedding. Two more weeks and she’d be in Hawaii, getting married. And Mary would be home from her appointment at Mayo. In her mind, everything revolved around that. She tried not to dwell on it, but–
“Listen, Mare, I need to get back to work. I’ll give you a call later.” Dana’s words snapped Mary back to the present.
“Sounds good,” she said. Mary ended the call and turned her gaze to the light flurries dancing in the gray skies outside. The frosty weather reminded her of Sara, and memories of playing in the snow. For a moment, Mary let herself imagine the possibility of making snow angels with her granddaughter – something a little girl couldn’t do in Dallas. But that line of thinking brought her right back to wondering what had happened last weekend and whether it had affected Sara’s decision. That Sara hadn’t called didn’t seem like a good sign. Taking a deep breath, Mary punched Sara’s number.
“Hi, Mom.”
“Hi there. Do you have time to talk?”
“Yeah. I just got off the phone with Kent Donovan. I think it’s going to work out for me to do the library marketing. Thanks for the tip.”
Mary squelched an outright squeal. “That’s fantastic. I wish I’d thought of it earlier.”
“Yeah, it is kind of short turn-around. Guess they were so focused on getting it built and stocked, they forgot about telling people about it.”
“You think you can accomplish what they need?”
“Sure. Might be a little more expensive if we run into any rush charges, though. Kent thought the budget would be okay. He has to check with a couple of committee members first. He said they’re trying to do things locally as much as possible, and I still qualify.”
“Good. I’m–”
“My only concern is, well, whether it could be awkward. Working with Kent, I mean.”
Mary held her breath a moment. “Why would it be?”
Silence greeted her question.
“Do you mean because of you and Evan?” she asked cautiously.
“Yeah. I– I don’t know what he’s told his mom, and I’m definitely showing.”
“You told Evan?”
“Yeah.”
“And?”
“Oh, Mom. He…he was surprised, of course.”
“What did he say?”
“Well, he didn’t say ‘hey, that’s great. Congratulations.’”
Mary’s heart sank. She could hear the disappointment in Sara’s voice. “Did you stay the weekend?”
“I stayed at his place one night, then came back to Dallas.”
“Oh, sweetie. I’m sorry. Was he angry? Did you break up?” Another rejection? Mary wondered how many her daughter could handle in such a short amount of time. She couldn’t imagine Evan being ugly or hateful, though.
“Not exactly, but he, um, wants some time.”
Mary blew out her breath, careful to keep her tone neutral. “I suppose that’s understandable. How are you doing?” Time was no big deal. A few years apart obviously hadn’t eroded their relationship before. No reason to assume it would now – once he got over the shock. Mary sensed that the bond between these two went deeper than they even realized.
“I’m okay. If I can start working, that’ll help.”
“Definitely. Keeping busy will keep your mind occupied. Can you do it all from there?”
“No. If they want to use local talent and print shops, I’ll probably have to come to Whitfield at least for a few days.”
“That makes sense.” And was exactly what Mary had hoped. She was tempted to offer to meet in the middle, but she knew Sara would roll her eyes at the idea. “Listen, sweetie, I just got off the phone with Dana before I called you. Evan hasn’t told her anything. She didn’t even know you were there for New Year’s.” Mary paused a moment, weighing the options. Who should be the one to drop the bomb? “Do you want me to tell her? Or should it come from Evan?” And could it possibly wait until after Dana’s wedding? The last thing Mary wanted to do was cause her friend any worry. Perhaps blissful ignorance would be best on this one. “Can you text Evan and get his opinion?”
“Maybe I should.”
“Might get some dialogue going.”
“I’ll think about it. Don’t do anything for now, okay?”
“Okay. Keep us posted.” Mary retrieved her mug and sank into the chair behind her. Doing nothing sounded like the perfect plan for the moment.
* * *
The last call of the day was to Jason. After supper, Mary curled up on the bed and opened her laptop. It’d been two days since her son had sent her a list of questions and discussion points for her appointment at Mayo. She’d read through them once but wanted to make sure she understood them. Normally, she had no problem asking direct questions, but she had to admit that the thought of questioning doctors at Mayo Clinic was a little intimidating.
“The main thing is to know all the tests they’re doing, and make sure you understand the meaning of the results,” Jason told her. “If they take blood, find out exactly what they’re testing for. And get your own copy of the results.”
“Sure, but, honey, I won’t be able to make any sense of it. It’ll be like trying to read Greek to me.”
“I want to see it, Mom. Also, I’ve talked to some people around here. Make sure they check for Lyme disease.”
“Yeah, they already did. It was negative.”
“Tell them to check again. It can be hard to detect.”
Mary drew in a deep breath. She was beginning to lose focus. Asking questions was one thing, telling these top doctors to re-check something could get her labeled as annoying right off the bat. Rubbing her temples, she tried to infuse her voice with a light teasing. “Sounds like you’re telling me to be bossy and demanding,” she said.
Jason chuckled. “Mom, come on. That’s not going to be a problem for you, is it?”
Mary let out a whoop. It was her first real laugh of the day. “All, right. All, right. I’ve got this.”
It felt good to laugh, but as she ended the call, reality hit hard. She had appointments to see some of the most renowned doctors in the world – because whatever was going on inside her was serious.