Chapter Ten

When did the doctor say you could come home?” Bob leaned forward in the plastic chair they had hauled into Frank’s hospital room, his hands jostling and his knees nervously jogging.

Charlotte pressed back her smile at the sight. Bob hated coming to the hospital. Reminded him of his own vulnerability, she thought.

“They figure by the end of the week. Friday, maybe Saturday,” Frank said, adjusting the oxygen prongs in his nose. Although today was Wednesday, five days after the surgery, Frank was still not off his oxygen. The doctor had assured them yesterday the oxygen was a temporary blip, but it seemed he probably was going home on it.

“I can tell you I’m looking forward to sleeping in my own bed and eating Hannah’s cooking again,” Frank said. He glanced at Hannah and smiled.

Charlotte couldn’t blame him for his eagerness to get home. Each day she visited him he looked paler and paler. It was as if the hospital stay was taking a lot out of him rather than helping him. Charlotte glanced over at Hannah, but her friend stood at the bedside looking down at her hands instead of at her husband.

“And the oxygen?” Charlotte asked.

“Not a problem,” Hannah said with a flash of her old self. “The doctor gave me all the instructions. Said it wasn’t difficult. He said Frank could stay on it at home until they wean him off.”

Charlotte wished she could share Hannah’s cavalier attitude, but maybe weaning someone off oxygen actually wasn’t that difficult.

“It will be fine,” Hannah said with a reassuring tone. Charlotte had to admit she was relieved to see the old Hannah back.

“Did he tell you what needs to be done?” she asked.

“He gave me a pamphlet.” Frank reached over to pull a paper off the bedside table, but Hannah took it from him.

“It’s nothing onerous. Just basic maintenance.”

“Taking care of the oxygen will definitely be an adjustment.” Charlotte chose her words carefully, not wanting to make Hannah uncomfortable.

“He said it was only temporary,” Hannah said. She looked over at Charlotte. “You don’t need to worry about me. It will all be fine.”

Frank drew in enough breath to ask Bob a question about the crops and Bob assured him that the neighboring farmers were pitching in to pick up the slack on the Carters’ farm. Soon the men were engaged in conversation about rainfall, spraying mixtures, and irrigation problems.

Charlotte glanced at Hannah, now smiling down at Frank. The past few days she’d started to see more of the old Hannah, and today it seemed Hannah was back to her old, capable self. Yet Charlotte couldn’t help wonder at the change in her friend. As if it were forced.

“How are you feeling today, Frank?” Charlotte asked.

“Kind of melancholy,” he said, turning his head back to Charlotte. “This heart attack has been a real eye-opener for me.” With his other hand he fiddled with the sheet covering his chest. “I … uh … know I haven’t always done what I should. Haven’t been as involved in things as I should. I have some regrets.”

“What are you talking about?” Bob looked taken aback. “What could you possibly have regrets about?”

Frank released a light laugh. “I’ve had time during the past few days to think about my life. And what I’ve done with it.” He looked away, as if ashamed. “I feel like I spent my time on the wrong things. Trying to get my farm going. Trying to make sure everything went the way I wanted it to. Now, after coming so close to death, I wish I had spent time on the things that mattered.”

Bob frowned. “You have. Your farm is successful, and you’ve done well.”

“From a farmer’s point of view.” Frank pleated the sheet between his fingers, looking away from Hannah. “I think I should have spent more time with friends and family. Should have spent more time praying.” Frank let the sentence drift off and followed it with another sigh. “I regret not taking more time for relationships.”

Charlotte wondered if she would feel the same if she had come as close to death as Frank had. She glanced at Bob, who sat hunched over, tapping his fingers together and frowning. Was he wondering the same thing she was?

“We don’t need to talk about that now,” Hannah said, stroking Frank’s hand. “You’re here, and you’ve got lots of life ahead of you.”

Bob made a show of looking at his watch. “I guess we should be moving along. I’ve got to get some parts yet.”

“You and I can stay awhile, Hannah, if you want. Bob can pick us up later.”

But Hannah bent over and picked up her purse. “I should get going as well. I have a few errands to run before the stores close.”

“What errands? Maybe Bob can pick up what you need,” Charlotte suggested.

Hannah shook her head. “I, uh, need to get some grocery shopping done.”

What could she possibly need at the grocery store? She was staying at their place.

Hannah was already slipping her worn purse over her shoulder and bending over to kiss Frank.

“Then I guess this is good-bye,” Charlotte said. She gave Frank a smile. “We’ll be praying for you.”

“Thanks so much, and thanks for coming.” Frank lifted his hand in a wave. Charlotte followed Bob out of the room, giving Hannah a chance to speak to Frank alone.

Bob and Charlotte walked down the hall in silence. A frown creased Bob’s face, his hands shoved in the pockets of his jacket. She wondered what he was thinking.

They had only reached the end of the hallway when Hannah caught up to them.

“That was quick,” Charlotte said.

“He was tired and needed to rest.” Hannah dug into her purse and pulled out a piece of paper. “I’d like to get to the grocery store now, if that’s OK.”

Charlotte frowned. “What do you need?”

Hannah sighed and then straightened her shoulders. “I’ve stayed at your place long enough,” she said. “I need to go back home and get things ready for Frank.”

“But, Hannah, you’re just starting to feel better.”

“Which is exactly why I should be moving back home. I know I’m welcome to stay as long as I want, but I need to start standing on my own two feet.”

“You know you’re welcome to stay.” Charlotte hesitated, not sure she wanted her friend to be alone. “Are you sure this is what you want?”

“I know what I need,” she said firmly. “And it’s what you need. You have enough going on in your household.”

Charlotte wasn’t going to deny that, but she still felt uneasy about letting Hannah go back to her empty house.

“OK, if you’re absolutely sure.”

“I am.” Hannah gave her a quick smile and then turned around and strode briskly down the hall, as if taking charge of her life once again.

Yet as she and Bob followed, Charlotte couldn’t stop a niggling sense of unease.

Something seemed off with her friend. But Charlotte doubted she would find out what that something was until Hannah was ready to tell her.

“ARE YOU STILL hanging around here?”

Uncle Bill’s voice boomed from the doorway of the file room, and Sam jumped.

“Yeah. I’ve just got to finish this filing, and then I’m going home.” He had decided to stay late tonight since Mrs. Pictou had been watching him like a hawk the past two days. As if she were waiting for Bill Stevenson’s nephew to mess up.

And of course he had made a few mistakes. He gave her a letter that was supposed to go to Lena, Uncle Bill’s secretary, even though Mrs. Pictou’s name appeared clearly on the letter. He didn’t know how he was supposed to have figured that one out. Then Lena gave him a file and he put it in the wrong place; then when she needed it again, he spent most of the morning looking for it.

“I know you’ve only just started, but how are you enjoying the work so far?” Uncle Bill asked.

Sam wasn’t sure what to say. He thought it would be more dramatic. Like on the television shows with trips to the courthouse and people arguing and important errands to run.

“I’m learning lots,” he said. Which was partly true. Learning how to make coffee and learning how a filing system in a lawyer’s office works. “Moving files around isn’t as big a deal as moving irrigation pipes—and it’s a whole lot easier.”

“Don’t downplay the importance of an orderly filing system,” Uncle Bill said with a frown that made Sam realize his little joke wasn’t appreciated.

“Of course.” What else could he say?

“How are things on the farm?” Uncle Bill asked, folding his arms over his chest, like he was settling in for a chat.

So now, Sam guessed, he was going to be Uncle Bill instead of his boss.

Sam hoped he wasn’t going to talk long. He had things to do and places to go.

He’d been trying to contact Arielle all day to make plans for tonight, but she wasn’t answering her cell phone so he left messages and figured he’d stop by her house after work. He knew she was working at Jenny’s tonight but maybe he could meet her late.

“Good, I guess,” Sam said. “Grandma hasn’t been around much. She’s been driving Mrs. Carter back and forth to the hospital to visit with Mr. Carter.”

“Is Frank still in the hospital?” Uncle Bill asked.

“Yep, as far as I know.” Sam tried hard not to look down at the papers he still had to file. Most of the secretarial staff had gone home already, and he really hoped to catch Arielle.

“I hope he’s home soon.” Uncle Bill glanced at his watch. “Well, I better get going. I promised Anna I would be home on time for a change. I just thought I’d stop by. Mrs. Pictou told me you had a few mishaps this morning.”

“I just put a file in the wrong place. No big deal.” Why was she on his case so bad?

Uncle Bill shook his head. “There’s no just in this office, Sam. We need to be able to find things immediately. Time is always of the essence in a law firm. Cases have been won and lost on the ability to retrieve information quickly.”

Sam wanted to protest, but he also wanted to keep the job; the money was good. “I understand,” he said. “I’m sorry.”

“Good. I’m glad we had this little chat.” Uncle Bill tapped the file he held against his leg. “I know there’s a lot to learn. I’m sure you’ll catch on.”

Annoyance tightened his head. It was like Uncle Bill and Mrs. Pictou were waiting for him to mess up.

Don’t get smart, he could almost hear Uncle Pete say. So he just nodded and kept his mouth shut.

“Just thought I’d pass that on. You have a good evening.” Uncle Bill set the file in the basket and strode away.

Sam sighed. He really thought this job would be more interesting and important when he took it. He thought he might be visiting the court, delivering files, listening in on important cases. But in reality he was just a file clerk and coffee person.

He stayed a bit longer, just to make sure he’d gotten everything right, and when he was satisfied, he left.

On his way home, he tried calling Arielle again on his cell phone, but his call went right to her voice mail. He tried her home number but got the answering machine. He made a quick decision and turned down the road to her house. She was supposed to be his girlfriend, but they hadn’t seen each other all week. Sure, they had both started new jobs, but that was no reason to be avoiding each other. As he pulled up, he was surprised to see her old truck parked in the driveway.

If she’s home, why isn’t she answering the telephone? Sam wondered.

He knocked on the door. Then again. Finally the door opened, and Arielle answered. Her hair was all messy, and she wore a robe over pajamas. Her eyes were all red.

“Sam. Hey.” She sounded funny.

“Are you OK? I thought you were at work,” he said, pulling open the door.

“Yeah. I left a little early.” She yawned.

“You sure you’re okay? You look kind of sick.”

“Thanks—I think,” she said with a little laugh. “No, I was just lying down.”

“Oh.” Sam felt puzzled. “I tried to call you.”

“I turned my phone off. I didn’t sleep well last night. In fact, I didn’t sleep at all.”

“Why not?”

Arielle pulled her bathrobe closer and then shrugged. “I guess I just have a lot on my mind. What with college and all.”

“You’re not going to college for over a month,” he said, hoping to reassure her. “You don’t need to start stressing already.”

Arielle gave him a quick smile. “No. I suppose not. I tend to worry, that’s all.”

He stroked her shoulder. Then he reached up to tuck her hair behind her ear, but she pulled away. “I’m getting worried about you. You’ve seemed distant.”

“Just tired and stressed.” Arielle stifled a yawn.

“OK, I get the hint. I’m leaving now. I just thought I’d stop by …” He didn’t know what else to say. He didn’t want to make her feel guilty by telling her he’d hoped to go out with her tonight. Unless she’d already checked her messages and already knew.

“Thanks, Sam. That was sweet.” She looked up, gave him a quick smile, and then took a step away.

“I’ll … uh … let you get back to bed then.” Sam wanted to give her a hug, but the way she was acting, he figured she’d just pull away again. “Take care. I’ll call you tomorrow. Maybe we can make some plans for the weekend.”

“The weekend. Sure. We’ll see.”

He took a chance and gave her a quick kiss and then closed the door. But as he got into his car, he looked over at the house. Arielle stood at the living room window, watching him. She wasn’t smiling.

As he drove away, he sighed. Things were off between them. They’d been through that before when they broke up awhile back, but he thought they’d been on pretty solid footing lately.

He shook off the feeling. Guess he was free tonight. Maybe Jake was too.

Jake was locking the door of the video store when Sam pulled up.

“Hey, man, what’s up?” Jake asked as he dropped the keys into his pocket.

“Just wondering if you wanted to split a pizza with me. Arielle’s sick, and I don’t feel like going home.”

“Why don’t you come with me? I’m meeting Kelsey at a cottage her parents own on the lake. I was just heading out to pick up some pizza too. You could totally hang with us.”

“If that’s OK.”

“It’d be cool to spend some time together.” Jake spun the keys around his finger. “Why don’t you follow me?”

“Paul coming?”

“Nah. He’s got some army thing he has to go to. But it will still be fun.”

“Yeah. Sure. Sounds good.” At least the day wasn’t going to be a total loss. He phoned home, got the answering machine, and left a message saying he wasn’t coming home for supper.

Ten minutes later he was following Jake up a winding road. He caught the occasional glimpse of cottages and houses through breaks in the thick trees. He’d never been up this road before. Jake’s taillights flashed, and then his car turned into a paved driveway. Sam was glad he was following his buddy. He never would have found the place himself.

Jake pulled up behind a couple of cars and a bright, red pickup truck that reminded Sam of his dad’s. Looked like some other people were here already.

He got out of the car, looking around. Some cottage, he thought, looking over the two-story wooden structure perched on a hill surrounded by trees. It was built in an A-frame style, and the entire front of the building, overlooking the lake, was one expanse of glass. A deck extended from the lower floor, and a couple of kids were leaning on its railing, laughing and chatting.

From inside the house, music pounded out a techno beat. It didn’t seem like Mr. and Mrs. Vance, Kelsey’s parents, were here.

“Hey, Jake,” Kelsey called out, leaning way over the railing, her wet hair hanging down. “Is that Sam you got there?”

“Yeah. I figured we needed some help demolishing all the pizza you ordered,” Jake answered as he opened the back door of his car. “You must be expecting all of Bedford to come?”

“Nope,” Kelsey replied. “Just you and your buddies.”

Jake handed Sam four large pizza boxes, the bottoms warm and greasy from the pizza inside. “Take these up to the house, and you’ll be the most popular guy here. I’ll get the pop and chips.”

Sam laughed as he headed up the gravel path to the house. He recognized a couple of the guys hanging out on the deck. He’d had Wilson in his chem class and Artie in his English class. Wilson was always good for a laugh and always had a joke or two in class. Aunt Dana didn’t care for him, but Sam thought he was OK.

The other guy standing with Artie and Wilson was unfamiliar.

“Sam, my man,” Wilson called out above the music. “Great to see you here. Thanks for the pizza.” He grabbed the boxes and then glanced around, looking puzzled. “What are the rest of you going to eat?”

“Very funny,” Kelsey yelled back from inside the kitchen. “Bring them into the kitchen, and we’ll divvy them up.”

“Hey, Kels. Can we turn the stereo down?” Jake said, raising his voice to be heard above the music.

“Yeah. Sorry. We were outside and couldn’t hear it.”

Jake dropped a kiss on Kelsey’s head. “Gotta watch that, girl. Don’t want the neighbors complaining.”

“Those neighbors complain about every little thing,” Kelsey said with a shrug.

“Maybe we can give them a big thing to complain about,” Wilson said with a grin. “Make it worth their while.”

Artie and the unfamiliar guy laughed about this, but Sam just smiled. He felt funny being in this place with Kelsey’s parents gone, but hey, he didn’t want to ruin the party.

“How long are your parents gone for?” Wilson asked, flipping open the top of the pizza box.

“Me and my sis have this place to ourselves for two wonderful weeks while Mom and Dad are driving cross-country to California,” Kelsey said with a laugh, spreading her arms wide.

Wilson pulled a large triangle of pizza out of the box and took a bite. “So we can hang here until then?” he mumbled around a mouthful of pizza.

“No. You can’t. Not unless you’re invited,” Kelsey said, wagging a playful finger at him.

“Who else did you ask?” Jake asked, craning his head to look out the window as he dropped another box on the table.

Kelsey looked out the window as well and groaned. “Oh, that’s just my sister’s boyfriend and some of his buddies.”

More people filed in, more food arrived, and the noise level increased.

An hour later Sam was feeling better. One of the girls he had just met was flirting with him, which seemed weird, but at the same time made him feel less annoyed about Arielle putting him off.

Later, he turned down an opportunity to go swimming, figuring he had better head home. He was still plenty early for his curfew, but he didn’t want to push things too hard.

“You sure you gotta go?” Wilson asked, flinging an arm over his shoulder. “We’re just starting to have fun.”

“Yeah. I’ve got to help on the farm tomorrow,” Sam said.

“That’s cool,” Wilson said, seeming to mean it. “I wish I lived on a farm. I get tired of living in town. You got horses?”

“Yeah.”

“Wow. Lucky guy.” Wilson slapped him on the back. “We’ll be hanging out here a lot so you’ll have to come again.”

“Of course he’ll come,” Kelsey called out. “He’s Jake’s best buddy.”

“Now he’s ours too.” Artie raised his can of pop as if toasting Sam. “You better show up, Sam. I’ve got to redeem myself. Never been beat at my own card game.”

Sam laughed, a sense of well-being washing over him. “Yeah. Sure. I’ll hang out again.”

He drove home, whistling all the way and thinking that things had turned out OK after all.