| |
The next afternoon, Marla was released from the hospital. Ben and Delaney drove her home and helped her settle back into her house. In Marla’s absence, Delaney had washed her bed linens and cleaned her house. Ben had repaired the front door where the emergency medical workers had kicked it in. Delaney stayed with Marla the first night she was home to be sure she was okay.
In the morning, Delaney found Marla sitting in the kitchen sipping a cup of coffee. Delaney asked, “How long have you been awake?”
“Since about four o’clock. My sleep cycle is messed up from my hospital stay. I’ll go back to sleep in a while. It was nice to see the sunrise this morning. I’ve missed the lake.”
“You look so much better and stronger. It makes me happy to see you up and moving around. I have to get going to the office. Can I bring you anything later today?”
“No, I’m fine. I have soup in the pantry. I’ll venture out to the grocery tomorrow. I’m feeling stronger every day.”
“I don’t think you should drive just yet. Let me bring you a few groceries on my way home tonight.”
“Okay, if you insist. Thanks.”
Delaney hugged Marla and said, “Okay, I’ll see you tonight.”
After Delaney left, Marla ate some cereal. She stared at the unlit Christmas tree in the living room while she ate. She had missed Christmas. Suddenly, her full belly made her feel tired. She plugged in the Christmas lights and then lay down on the couch under a blanket and fell asleep.
Around five o’clock that evening, Marla awoke to a sound. She wasn’t sure what had awakened her until she heard it again. It was a knock at the front door.
Slowly, she rose from the couch. Delaney was supposed to come by with groceries, so Marla went to the front door and opened it, but it wasn’t Delaney. It was Micah. He smiled at her cautiously and held out a white paper bag to her. She felt her heart begin to race with excitement, but she frowned.
Micah could see from her frown that she didn’t want to see him. “Before you say anything, I just stopped by to give you some dinner. I’m not staying.” He continued to hold the bag out to her and said, “This is homemade chicken noodle soup and a chicken salad sandwich from Millie’s Deli.”
Marla reluctantly took the bag from him. “Thank you,” she said.
Micah turned and walked away. He yelled back over his shoulder, “I hope you’re feeling better.” Then he got in his truck and drove away.
Marla furrowed her brows and closed the door. He really did stop by just to drop off food. Her stomach growled as she realized she was hungry. She took the bag into the kitchen and emptied its contents onto the table. She sat down and tasted the soup. It was the perfect temperature, and it was delicious. She bit into the sandwich remembering how good it was the first time she had ordered the same sandwich from Millie’s Deli. It tasted even better this time. She exhaled with delight. No matter how delighted she was with the meal he had brought her, she would not admit to herself that she had been happy to see Micah. Seeing him had stirred up feelings she was trying to suppress. Why was being without him so hard?
An hour later, Delaney stopped by and brought Marla’s groceries. “Want me to make you some dinner?” Delaney asked.
“No, I already ate, but thanks,” replied Marla.
“What did you eat?”
“I ate soup and a sandwich from Millie’s Deli.”
“Did you go out?” Delaney appeared shocked.
“No, Micah brought it by.”
Delaney smiled and tilted her head. She asked, “Oh? Did you guys talk?”
“No, he just dropped off some dinner for me.”
“Well, that was thoughtful.”
“Yes, I appreciated it.”
Delaney sighed loudly. “Okay, I’ll quit asking questions about Micah. I figure you’ll talk to him when you’re ready.”
“If I’m ever ready,” corrected Marla.
“Okay,” replied Delaney, rolling her eyes. “I’ve got to get home. Call me if you need anything, and I mean anything.”
“I will. Thank you,” said Marla. “Oh, by the way, how was your Christmas?”
Delaney replied, “It was okay. None of us thought much about Christmas. We all really worried about you. Your getting better was the best Christmas present for all of us. I have a feeling that Micah got his Christmas present when you got better. I know you may not want to hear this, but he is so in love with you. Whatever happened before, I don’t think it matters anymore. If you love him, give the guy a chance to make things right.”
Delaney left, and Marla decided to pop some popcorn and watch a few Christmas movies she had missed. She pulled out her grandma’s DVD collection and chose Miracle on 34th Street, and It’s a Wonderful Life. She plugged in the Christmas lights over the fireplace mantle and lit a fire in the fireplace. Snuggled into the corner of the couch under a blanket, she watched her movies. Somewhere in the middle of the second movie, she fell asleep.