Mom.” Michael stood in the bedroom doorway. “We’re leaving for school.”
“What time is it?” Elise opened her eyes.
“Seven forty-five. We’re riding our bikes.” Michael paused. “Are you sick?”
“Just tired.” She flung the blankets back, climbed out of bed, and slipped into her robe. She hadn’t been able to sleep and finally had taken a pill at three thirty. Ted’s cell phone had rung an hour later, and he had headed to the Salem Hospital. She stood at the living room window and waved as the boys rode down the street. Ted. Germany. They hadn’t told Michael. Ted had told Mark last night, but Michael was already asleep. Had Mark said something? Elise poured a cup of coffee and slumped into a chair at the kitchen table.
She swallowed the coffee. Ted always made it too weak. Ted. Had he tricked her? Had he known that being deployed again was a possibility but didn’t think she would agree to move to Forest Falls if he told her?
She headed to the shower. She was scheduled to volunteer in the school library third period. She would find Michael and tell him then.
Elise scanned the hall. Three girls came toward her, their arms linked. “Hey!” one of them called out to Reid, who stood in front of his locker. “How’s your sister? Are you going to give her a kidney?”
Reid poked his head out from behind the door. “Get lost.”
Elise smiled. She loved to see other people’s kids act out.
“Boy, you’re grumpy,” the middle girl called out.
“Hi, Reid.” Elise took a step toward his locker.
He slammed the door; it bounced back open. He slammed it again.
“Hi,” she said again.
He ignored her.
“Hi, Elise!” Pepper hurried toward her. “Don’t mind Reid. He’s mad at me.”
“Why?”
Pepper shrugged. “He’s been a creep since last night.”
Maybe Mark wasn’t that unusual; maybe it was the age. “Pepper, I thought you were sick.”
“I’m on antibiotics. I feel better already.”
“So it’s just an infection?” Elise wanted to laugh. The middle school gossip mill had turned a kidney infection into a transplant.
“Sort of.” Pepper flipped both of her braids over her shoulder and waved good-bye as the bell rang.
Elise wove her way down the hall to Michael’s math class. He hopped off the back of his chair and onto the seat as Elise entered the classroom.
“What are you doing here?” he whispered.
“I need to talk to you.”
“Now?” His head bobbed from side to side.
Elise nodded. “Let’s go outside. Tell your teacher you’ll be right back.”
She sat on the top step; Michael sat three steps lower. Bright yellow maple leaves covered the school lawn.
“Dad had a phone call last night.”
Michael shrugged.
“Did Mark say anything?” Elise took her purse from her shoulder and held it in her lap.
“Just that we might move to Seattle after Dad’s deployed.”
What was Mark up to? “Dad will be gone for only three months.”
“Germany. Mark didn’t tell you that?”
“He just said Dad was being deployed—again.” Michael cracked his knuckles.
“Have you and Mark told anyone else?”
“No.” Michael hesitated. “Well, just a few of my football buddies. They might have told some girls. Rumor is that Dad is going to fight; no one seems to know that he’s an anesthesiologist.” He grinned and squared his shoulders.
Elise shook her head. The boys had no idea how gossipy small towns could be. “Michael.” She leaned forward. “I’m sorry that Mark told you before Dad or I could.”
He shrugged. “I should get to class.”
“Pepper told me she doesn’t need a kidney.” Elise spoke the words softly as they headed back into the building.
“No, she does, Mom. The whole school knows.” Michael stopped. “Will you be okay while Dad’s gone?”
“Sure, honey. We’ll all be fine. It’s only Germany; it’s only for three months.”
Elise pushed open the door to the Scrap Shack. “Hi, Rebekah.”
“Oh, hi! I was hoping you would stop by.” Rebekah put a box of horseshoe charms on the counter. “Sandi told me about your husband.”
“How did Sandi know?”
“She’s in a Bible study at church with your father-in-law. He asked for prayer for you.”
Elise wrinkled her nose.
“How are you doing with all of this?”
“Fine.”
“Really? I wouldn’t be fine if Patrick was going off for three months.” Rebekah slid her hands into the back pockets of her jeans.
“It’s just Germany.” Elise picked a blond hair off her blazer.
Rebekah nodded. “So this is no big deal to you?”
Elise shrugged. “I’m thinking about taking the boys over at Christmas.”
“I’ve got the perfect embellishments for you.” Rebekah hurried over to the travel section and held up a German flag. “You could do a vacation book.”
Elise shrugged. She didn’t want to hide another scrapbook in the closet. “I’m curious—what happened with the cougar?”
“Oh, that.” Rebekah put the flag back on the rack. “The game-department guy didn’t find anything. He said to let him know if we see it again.”
“Are the horses safe?”
“He said the cougar is probably long gone. They have huge territories, up to ten square miles.”
Elise relaxed just a little. “I was going to ask about Pepper too. I heard a rumor, but I saw her at school, and she debunked it. Sorry to hear she has an infection, however.”
“She does have an infection, but—”
“She doesn’t need a transplant, though, right?”
“No. She does.” Rebekah’s voice was a near whisper.
“Oh, Rebekah. I’m sorry.” Elise stepped backward.
“We’ve known for a long time, kind of, but I had convinced myself that she was healed. Well, she’s not.”
“What’s the first step?”
“To find a kidney.”
“You’ll be tested?”
Rebekah shook her head. “There’s no point. I have the wrong blood type. I’m going to contact Pepper’s birth family.”
“Birth family?” Elise asked. “Pepper’s adopted?”
Rebekah nodded, a half smile on her face.
“Is Reid adopted?”
Rebekah shook her head. “No.”
“So it’s an open adoption?” Elise felt confused. She never would have guessed that Pepper was adopted.
“Not really. Her bio mom died when she was a baby. The grandma and an aunt live in Nevada.”
“Wow. That’s a lot for you to deal with.” But at least Rebekah had known for years that Pepper’s situation was precarious; it wasn’t as though she’d just found out. Elise put her hand against her lower back.
“Parenting two teenagers alone—now that’s a lot.” Rebekah picked up the horseshoe charms again. “Finding a kidney might be easier.”
“Speaking of—” Elise nodded toward the window. Pepper bounced up the sidewalk.
“Mom! Oh, hi, Elise.” Pepper hurried into the shop. “I wish I hadn’t told Ainsley I was sick. The whole school knows. Now everyone—except for Reid—wants to give me a kidney.” Pepper took the charms from Rebekah’s hand. “Look at these!”
Elise stood. “I should get going.”
“Mom, are we going to ride tomorrow? Before the game?”
Rebekah nodded.
“Can Elise come out and ride with us?”
Elise shook her head. “You’ll be too busy.”
“I’m closing the shop at four. Why don’t you bring the boys out—and your husband? The guys can all eat dinner and then go into town. We’ll have plenty of time to ride; the game doesn’t start until seven.”
“All right.” Elise slung her purse to her other shoulder. She didn’t want to feel obligated to return a dinner invitation. “Let me bring a pan of enchiladas.”
“That would be great.” Rebekah took the charms from Pepper. “I’ll make a salad and mix up some lemonade.”
“See you tomorrow!” Pepper yelled out the door of the Scrap Shack. Elise waved. It had been Pepper who had invited her to ride. Was Rebekah just being polite to have her out again?