WHEN CANDACE LEFT WORK ON THURSDAY, SHE still didn’t have a cake lined up for the wedding, but Heath had reminded her that it wasn’t a terrible fiasco. “If nothing else,” he’d said, “I’ll make it. It won’t be as fancy, but—”
She had stopped him midthought and kissed him soundly on the lips. He was almost too good to be true. She certainly wouldn’t let him make the cake, but she loved his perspective.
Seeing Elena just ahead of her on the stairs, she called out, “Elena, hi.”
Elena turned and offered up a wide grin. “Hi, friend.”
Candace caught up with Elena and the two continued down the stairs together. “How’s James?”
Elena frowned. “He could be better, that’s for sure. The antibiotics don’t seem to be doing the trick. Dr. Hamilton’s with him right now. The lab sent the results of the culture, so he’s working on putting together some stronger antibiotics.”
“I’m sorry to hear that. I was hoping…”
“I know. Reverend Whitfield has been praying with them. I know everything will be all right. I expect to see James turn the corner any minute.”
“I hope so.” Candace had stopped by to see him during her afternoon break, but both he and Fern had been sleeping. “And Fern?”
Elena sighed. “I’m worried about her. She won’t leave his side. I tried to talk to her, but she wouldn’t budge. About the best we can do is make her comfortable, so we brought in our comfiest recliner.”
When they reached the parking lot, Candace followed a spontaneous thought and asked Elena if she’d like to go for coffee.
“I’d love to, but I promised Izzy we’d swim.” Elena’s smile widened. “Why don’t you come over and bring the kids. Janet too, if she’d like. We can have that pool party after all.”
“Bless you, Elena. That sounds perfect. I’ll be over as soon as I can get the crew together.”
Janet and the kids were thrilled with the invitation; within half an hour from the time Candace arrived home, they were in the car and headed to Elena’s home.
Janet spent several minutes trying to do laps around the children’s diving, jumping, and splashing and finally gave up and joined them in a game of catch.
Candace and Elena played for a bit and then escaped the madness to return to their deck chairs and iced tea.
“This was a great idea, Elena. Thanks. I needed to play a little.” She went on to tell her about the cancellation of her wedding cake.
Elena looked thoughtful for a moment. “I have an idea.”
“Oh no, you don’t.” Candace could see that can-do spark in her friend’s eyes. “Please don’t offer to make the cake, Elena. I know how busy you are.”
Elena grinned. “Well, that’s not exactly what I had in mind. But I do have an idea. Let me take this responsibility off your shoulders, okay? I’ll find someone to bake your cake.”
Knowing that Elena wouldn’t be responsible for making the cake, Candace relented. “I’m humbled, Elena. You’re actually an amazing friend.”
“My pleasure. You shouldn’t be stressed before your big day. Love and happiness should be your first priorities.”
“Thank you. And just so you know, I have allocated money to pay for the cake, and Lorrie’s sending my deposit back. I’ll be sure to get that money in your hands to pay for whatever cake you choose. I trust your taste implicitly.”
“You’re a smart woman,” Elena quipped.
Candace sighed deeply. “This is amazing. You are taking such a burden from me.”
“That’s exactly as it should be.”
Dark, threatening clouds moved in within seconds and covered the sun. “Looks like Mother Nature wants our pool party to come to an end,” Candace said, and she and Elena began cleaning up the area.
Large drops of rain splattered on the patio. Elena invited them all in. Candace thanked her, but felt it best to take everyone home.
Heath pulled up in his friend’s car just as Candace turned in to the driveway. He waited until she’d opened the garage door before sprinting in to help them unload. In just the few seconds it took him to get inside, rain had soaked his hair and shirt.
“I’m glad you’re here.” Candace handed him a dry towel from her beach bag. “But I thought you were doing something with the guys tonight.”
Heath occasionally hung out with his brother, father, and other friends. Sometimes they watched sports, sometimes they played cards.
“There’s a tornado warning. No way am I going to leave my family alone tonight.”
Her heart swelling with adoration for this man, Candace set the beach bag on the garage floor and kissed him.
He chuckled as she stepped back. “What was that for? Not that I’m complaining.” He pulled her back into the embrace and held her close a bit longer.
She leaned back. “For being the most thoughtful man on the planet.”
This time he lowered his head and whispered against her lips. “Anytime.”
“Where’s Mom?” Candace heard Howie yell.
“Making out with Heath in the garage,” Brooke hollered back.
“You mean kissing and stuff? Gross.”
“I think it’s sweet,” Brooke said.
Arms wrapped around his waist, Candace closed her eyes and rested her head on his chest. “I think it’s sweet too.” She grinned up at him. “But I suppose we’d better go inside and feed the troops.” She took his hand and led him inside.
Elena had been right. Pre-wedding times should be joyous and full of fun. From now on, she would strive to be stress-free.
As if to mock her, a clap of thunder exploded around them.
As Anabelle enjoyed her Friday morning coffee, she wondered if the rain was ever going to end. She imagined everyone in the area felt the same way. In the last twelve hours, they’d had several inches and all the headaches that went with it. She’d awakened several times during the night to the rain battering the roof.
She heard Cam’s footfall on the stairs and got up to pour him a cup of coffee and refresh hers.
“Morning, luv.” He rounded the corner and caught her in a hug before she could make it to the kitchen.
“Good morning, yourself.” She kissed his stubbly cheek and stepped out of his embrace. She paused for a moment to peer at his wound. It, along with his other bruises, was healing well.
He followed her into the kitchen, and while she filled their cups, he stepped over to the window, surveying the land. “Think I’m going to have to start building an ark?”
Anabelle laughed. “I hope not.”
“Did you let Sarge out?”
She nodded and handed him his coffee. “He went, but came right back in. I left him in the mudroom to dry off. By the way, he could use a bath.”
“I’ll take care of it.” He flipped on the television set which was already set to the Weather Channel.
She looked at the clock and took one last sip of her coffee. “I should get moving. I want to stop in and see James before I go to work.”
“Sounds good. Let me know if there’s anything he needs.”
“Elena, Candace, and I are putting our heads together to talk about that. I’m hoping James will have turned the corner.”
He hadn’t, Anabelle learned quickly after she arrived at the hospital. If anything, his condition had worsened overnight. Anabelle spent several minutes trying to comfort Fern and to talk her into going home to rest.
“I totally understand that you want to be here with him. But, Fern, you need to think about yourself. Your MS is acting up big-time, isn’t it?”
“Yes,” she confessed.
“Elena and Candace and I will be on the floor all day. We’ll take care of him. If there’s any change, we’ll call you. Please, Fern, go home. Have Susan or Gideon pick you up. Get some sleep, and come back this afternoon.” Anabelle knew she sounded stern, but sometimes she had to be.
She took Fern’s hand. “Listen to me. James is going to get well. Now, you need to go home and take care of yourself.”
“All right.” Fern gave her a wan smile and lowered her head. “You win this round, but only because I’m so tired and I need to stay strong for the boys.”
“And for James.”
She nodded. “And for James.”
Elena intercepted Anabelle as she left James’s room. “I talked Fern into going home for a while. She’s calling Susan or Gideon to come get her.”
“Good. I hope someone can stay with her.”
Anabelle nodded. “Call me if anything changes.”
“I will.”
Anabelle hurried across the hall to the CCU, praying as she went. Please give Dr. Hamilton wisdom, Lord. Let the antibiotics work. James needs to get well.
Faith, Anabelle, just have faith.
James continued to drift in and out of sleep. He knew he was in the hospital and that he had been very ill. He also knew he had to find his way out of the fog.
He struggled to sit up, but couldn’t seem to move. “I need to go home.” His mind said the words, but his ears heard only groaning. “Fern.”
“Take it easy, James.” He heard a woman say, “It’s all right. Fern is fine. We sent her home to rest.”
Hands pressed against his shoulders. He resisted for a moment and then went limp. “Need to go.”
“James.” He recognized the voice now. Marge Matthews, ICU nurse supervisor. “You’re still very ill. We need you to rest. I’m going to give you something to sedate you.”
“No. Need …”
“Can I help you?” Elena asked.
“He’s more responsive, but the way he’s thrashing around, he’s going to pull out his IV and catheter. We’ll need to sedate him again.”
James tried to sit up and failed. Moisture gathered in his eyes and rolled back into his hair. Why couldn’t they understand? He had to take care of Fern. Had to go home. Had to…
His eyes closed along with his mind as he felt the sedative spread, forcing his body to relax.
“How is he?” Anabelle asked as Elena opened the door to James’s room. Though she didn’t have him as a patient, Elena made frequent checks. She had no doubt that her friend would pull through. She just wished it wasn’t taking so long.
“Better,” Elena reported. “Dr. Hamilton says he’s finally beginning to respond to the antibiotics.”
“Thank God.” Anabelle stepped into the room with her.
“Yes, but it’s coming with a price. He’s been so restless and keeps talking about going home. He’s confused. Earlier he tried to get out of bed. Even in this condition, he’s worried about Fern.”
Anabelle nodded and gripped the bedrail. “Understandable. He knows how much she depends on him.”
Elena stood on the opposite side of the bed. Touching James’s arm, she said, “We’re keeping an eye on you too, James.”
He didn’t respond.
Glancing over at Anabelle, Elena motioned her out of the room. Blinking back tears she said, “It’s so hard to see him like this.”
“For me too.” Her friend’s shoulders lifted and fell in a huge sigh.
After a brief silent moment, the pair decided to head to the cafeteria for lunch.
As they reached the main lobby area, Elena noticed Candace ducking into the chapel. “Did you see that?”
“I did. Is she crying?”
“Looks like it to me. What say we put a hold on lunch and find out what’s wrong.”
“I’m with you.”
Sure enough, Candace was sitting in one of the pews in the back, crying. Elena and Anabelle took seats on either side.
“We saw you duck in here and thought you need a friend,” Elena said and then added, “or two.”
Candace sniffed as she used a tissue to dry her eyes and blow her nose. The tears came right back. “I can’t imagine how tired you two must be of hearing about my wedding drama,” Candace said, obviously forcing a smile. Elena wanted to laugh at her friend, who was always brutally self-aware, even when she needn’t be. “It’s just…I thought losing the cake-baker was bad. This is worse.”
“What happened?” Anabelle wrapped an arm around Candace’s shoulders.
“I was on my way to the cafeteria to meet you when my pastor called. This stupid rainstorm caused some damage at the church. Shingles blew off, and there’s a lot of water damage. We’d arranged to have the ceremony there and the reception after. He said the place is just not fit right now for a wedding. He’d be happy to perform the ceremony, but we have to find somewhere else to have it.” She raised her head, gazing at the cross at the front of the chapel.
Elena thought for a moment. “What about the Cavendish House? Could you rent it out, have the reception at the Heritage Restaurant?”
“I’d love that,” Candace said, “but I had already looked into it. The Cavendish House and the restaurant are expensive. My budget just won’t stretch that far.” She paused for a moment. “I’d ask Heath to contribute some money, but he’s really low on funds too. We even had to put our honeymoon plans on hold.”
“Oh, Candace.” Anabelle shook her head. “You’ve really had your share of troubles. We’ll figure something out together, okay?”
Elena nodded. “I agree with Anabelle. But let’s do it over lunch. I’m starving.”
By the time they’d found a table and sat down, Elena had a perfect solution. “I have an idea.”
“Another one?” Candace said. She and Anabelle looked at each other and laughed. Elena knew they saw her as the “idea girl,” and she was proud of the moniker. She loved finding solutions and implementing them.
“I’m serious. Here goes…” She made a drumroll sound with her fingers on the table. “You can have the wedding and reception at my house. I’ll make the food, and it will cost much less than a caterer.”
“Elena, that’s too much to ask. I love you for offering, but I couldn’t possibly accept. Besides, you already offered to take care of the cake.”
Elena wouldn’t accept no for an answer. She absolutely wanted to do this for her friend. She knew she had taken on a lot of responsibility lately, but this was why the Lord invented free time. She’d just have to eke out as much of it as she could. She looked determinedly at her friends, and took their hands in hers. “It’s settled. You know how much I love to throw parties.”