“How did you know to come to the hospital?” Diana asked Andy after what felt like an hour of sitting in silence. After all, she’d called Rodney and Becky, Jed’s parents, not Andy. Before Andy could answer, his cell phone rang.
“Hello.”
Diana watched Andy, her hands fisted in the same tight grip as her stomach.
“I’ve got Diana. No, he’s been airlifted to Harborview, in Seattle. He should be there now. They airlifted him from Arlington about an hour ago.” Andy glanced over at Diana, then back at the road. Even with Andy’s dark glasses, she could see the concern that tightened his face. She tried to relax her hands and then stared at the old dingy runners she’d put on this morning, her faded blue jeans with the tear in the knee, and she realized then she was wearing one of her older pink t-shirts splattered with orange, probably from Danny’s carrots. She tried to wipe off the crust stain, then picked at it with her short nails and gave up.
“As soon as we get there, I’ll call you. We’ll track down a doctor, find out what’s going on. Good, good, glad he’s on his way.”
Diana leaned into the plush leather and watched Andy again, listening to the one-sided conversation as he continued to glance at her and then back to the road.
“No, Danny’s with Laura. I had her take him back to our place. She’ll have some help to look after him.”
Diana jerked her head at Andy, wondering what he meant by that. She knew how dedicated a mother Laura was to Gabriel, the baby she’d had when she was sixteen and very much alone in the world.
“Okay, I’ll see you soon.” Andy stuffed his cell phone back in his shirt pocket. He signalled right and moved over a lane, taking the off ramp leaving the freeway. “That was Uncle Rodney. Their flight to Seattle leaves in an hour.”
Diana nodded. She didn’t have the energy to speak as a giant knot twisted up her stomach and her heart. Her eyes burned as if she’d been crying nonstop, but she hadn’t shed a tear.
“We’re almost there, Diana.” Andy reached over and took her hand in his. “Jed’s going to be fine. You know that. He’s a big strong guy, and it takes a lot to bring one of us down--”
Diana pulled her hand away. “He shouldn’t have been up there.”
Diana stared straight ahead but could feel Andy’s eyes on her. “What do you mean?”
“He’s been worried, really worried. He hasn’t been sleeping. I kept asking him what was wrong, but he kept saying everything was fine, always an excuse, as if to protect me. What is it with you Friessen men, needing to do everything yourself, your way? He needed to finish the roof on the barn. We’re scheduled to open our riding center next week. I have five special needs kids booked. Last night I wanted him to hire help, but he nearly bit my head off, said he was almost done. I shouldn’t have pushed so hard for this center. It’s my fault he’s been working so hard. He’s never that careless. I watched from the ground.… I asked him if I could make him a sandwich. I was worried and just wanted him to take a break, to take it easy for a minute, and he stepped onto that ladder and it slid away from the barn just like that, so easy, and he fell backwards. He hit the ground so hard it shook. And he never moved. He said nothing. And I could only watch.” She rattled on and finally gasped.
“Diana, don’t blame yourself. It’s not your fault.”
“Andy, you never answered me about how you knew to come to the hospital.” Diana looked at the floor and beside her. “Oh no, I forgot my purse in my SUV. My cell phone’s there, too.”
“Diana, stop worrying. Listen, Uncle Rodney called me right after he got your message. Laura and I were already in town.”
She had to change the subject, or she thought she’d go insane. “What’s going on with you and Laura, Andy?”
He darted a quick glance at Diana—a glance she was positive was laced with irritation before he quickly masked it. “Everything’s fine with me and Laura. It’s just that she’s so young.”
The way he said it made her wonder if it was regret. “You didn’t have to marry her, Andy. There is a big difference between feeling love and feeling responsibility.”
“Just drop it, Diana. You have my cousin to think of,” he snapped.
The way he said it was like a splash of icy water in her face. “You can be so cruel sometimes, Andy.” She turned away, looking out the window at the bustling city.
“I’m sorry, Diana. I just don’t… I don’t want to burden you with my problems.” He let out a heavy sigh.
“Andy, do me a favor. Distract me, please, because right now my head and my thoughts are going to some pretty dark places where I don’t want to go.” She gasped, and this time her eyes burned with unshed tears and she had to fight to hold them back.
“I felt responsible for Laura when she lived in her car because she couldn’t pay rent, because Mother fired her during one of her temper tantrums. I was supposed to help her find a job, but I got distracted. And you know all this because you were there, Diana, when the sheriff took Gabriel and shoved him in foster care, a home that kept him locked up. I didn’t see any other answer than to marry her. She’s attractive, and sexually--”
“Oh, whoa, way too much detail, Andy. I don’t need to know about your sex life.” Diana felt her face heat when she pictured Andy in bed with Laura.
Andy chuckled, and Diana glanced over at him.
“Andy, don’t break her heart. She doesn’t deserve that, either. By the way, how’s Gabriel?” She watched him closely as he drove.
“He’s doing good, a quiet boy. Had him in for tests to find out why a four-year-old doesn’t talk. I’ve got one of the best pediatricians in the state looking after him. I know Laura was relieved when Doctor Anderson said he was ruling out autism. He suspects it’s some type of auditory processing disorder.”
“Wasn’t Laura told by some guy at a free clinic that he was just delayed?”
“Yeah, well, let’s not go there. I told this pediatrician that and he frowned, shook his head and said most doctors don’t have the skill to differentiate, let alone diagnose, a special needs child. So instead of referring the child to a specialist, they say he’s just delayed. It’s about time, and money, and politics. But Gabriel’s getting help. I hired someone to come and work with him, got him out of daycare permanently. Laura doesn’t need to work, so she can spend time helping Gabriel.” Andy waved his hand in the air as if he’d decided what everyone was to do for Gabriel, including Laura.
“I admire your dedication to a child that’s not yours, Andy. But do you mind if I give you a little advice?” She slid her bum around on the leather seat.
Andy didn’t respond, and she didn’t miss the slight twitch in his cheek.
“She’s vulnerable, innocent, and you’re dictating to her. For God’s sake, you can’t tell her what to do, sleep with her and not give yourself to her. You’re married. You either build a relationship together--”
“Or what, Diana? For God’s sake, open your eyes, woman. Jed does the same thing to you. Weren’t you just saying he’s hiding something from you? In case you’re not seeing it, he’s telling you what to do, as well. You’re a lawyer, Diana. Where’re all your clients? Why aren’t you practicing law?” He didn’t give her a chance to answer. “You’re at home, having Jed’s baby right where he wants you, under his thumb, so he can control you.”
Diana leaned against the door, staring in disbelief at the man beside her. “Andy, you’ve got a mean streak in you, and it comes out when your back’s against the wall. You’ve got it all wrong. I love Jed. He loves me and Danny, and he’d walk barefoot into hell for me, and I know that. You know the difference between how you treat Laura and how Jed is with me?”
Andy pulled into the hospital parking lot and into the first available spot. He turned off the engine and faced Diana.
“Jed respects me.” Diana yanked open her door and slid out, shoving it closed. Andy glanced at her as shuffled beside a gray car in the parking spot beside him.
“I’d walk barefoot through hell for you, too,” he whispered as he yanked open his door and stepped down from his truck.