It was just after seven when brother and sister hugged alongside Whip’s truck. “Take care, sis,” Tom said. Whip stowed her suitcase in the back of the truck. “Drive carefully,” he said to his assistant, “and you have a safe flight.”
“I’ll try,” she said. “This whole thing is so surreal, I don’t know what to think.”
“Enjoy, is my advice. I hear the jet’s pretty amazing.”
And off they went.
On the forty-five-minute drive to Grenville Airport, Whip said, “Sure was a surprise to get Tom’s call.”
“Surprise that he asked you to drive me, or what’s happened, or where I’m going?”
“All of the above. You never talk about your parents.”
“Not much to say. I’ll have more info when I return.”
“When will that be?”
“I’ll know more when I get there. I’m guessing one or two weeks, during which time I will miss you every minute of every day.”
He smiled. “Not every second?”
“That too, every second!” Bella reached over and stroked his arm.
“I’ll miss you too,” he said. “More than you’ll ever know.
* * *
A car waited at the Naples airport and transported Bella straight to the hospital. When she asked the driver who had ordered the service, he said, “Ms. Jacobi. Her message was: Have my daughter come straight to the hospital. I need her.”
Bella leaned back and closed her eyes. She’d napped several times on the flight east. The seats in Spark’s plane fully reclined, and the attendant, a lovely woman named Janice, had furnished her with a light down comforter. Even after four-plus hours in the lap of luxury, she was still tired. The emotional roller coaster of the past few weeks had been exhausting. Even though she would rather be in Saguaro, maybe a short vacation was just what she needed.
As they pulled into the hospital parking lot, she asked the driver to wait while she sent two texts, one to Tom, the other to Whip, letting them know she’d arrived safely. Now for Mother, she thought, wondering what she’d find inside. The driver brought her suitcase around, and she thanked him. The driver refused a tip, and they parted company. Fortunately, I travel light, she mused as she pulled her small suitcase into hospital lobby.
When she emerged from the elevator on the cardiac floor, she had no difficulty locating her father’s room since her mother’s voice carried all the way down the long hall. When she peeked in the door, the bed was empty, and Angela Jacobi was berating a CNA for the way she was remaking the bed. “And what kind of pillows are these?” she demanded, holding up a thin rubber pillow waiting for its case. “Is this a prison or a hospital?”
Bella shoved her suitcase in a corner and came forward, reading the nametag on the CNA’s chest. “Hey, Mother, let’s let Ramona do her job. Where’s Dad?”
“Oh Bella! Thank God you’re here,” she said, hugging her daughter.
“Why don’t we find something to drink?” She guided her mother out of the room.
There was a lounge just down the hall with vending machines. Mercifully, it was vacant, so she pushed her mother toward a seat. “Sit. I’ll get us some tea.”
Obediently Angela sat, her lime-green golf skirt rumpled, matching floral top askew. A pretty woman, her shoulder length silver hair was stylishly coiffed, albeit a bit ruffled at present. A new look for Mom, Bella thought as she brought the tea and sat beside her on the Naugahyde sofa. “So, what’s going on Mom? Where’s Dad?”
Her mother waved her hand. “Down having some test or other. They say the attack was mild and they gave him meds to thin his blood and dissolve any clots. They’re running blood tests to check for some kinds of heart proteins. Cardiac markers, the doctor said. They want to keep him for two or three days. I can’t believe it,” she said, gazing over at Bella, her eyes wild.
“What happened?”
“He just slumped over at the breakfast table. Didn’t say anything, just landed in his poached eggs."
"Well, it's good that it's mild, right?"
"They won't know the full story till they do more tests. I think they're doing a cardiac CT tomorrow.”
“And how are you holding up?” Bella asked, her arm circling her mother’s shoulders.
“Not well, as you could see with my tantrum at the poor nurse.”
“She’s a CNA and I’m sure she’s heard it all before. You can apologize later. Now, what time did they say Dad would be back?”
“Soon, which is why I called for the bed to be changed. My poor Tommy. He’s so been enjoying his retirement—golf, tennis, new friends, and all.”
“And he still will. Exercise is encouraged after a heart episode. Now let’s go wait in his room. I’m sure Ramona’s got his bed all set.”
Tom Jacobi Senior was wheeled in twenty minutes later. His color was good, but he looked exhausted.
“Hey, Dad,” she said as the gurney passed by.
“Bella! Honey, what are you doing here?” Her father was a robust man with ruddy cheeks and a Leprechaun’s smile. She noticed that his broad shoulders strained the seams of his johnny and made a mental note to ask if they had a larger size later.
“You get settled and then we’ll talk,” she said as the orderlies transferred him from gurney to bed and tucked him in.
After hugging him, Bella sat beside the bed, holding his hand. Her mother had collapsed in a recliner nearby. “I had to come east to check on you. Plus, how could I turn down an invitation to Naples? Tom told me to take lots of pictures.”
“How’d you get here so quickly, baby?”
She smiled. “It pays to know billionaires with private jets. One of Tom’s bosses lent it to me.”
“Ranching must pay good out there.”
“Spark made his money in alternative energy. Still does. Ranching is his hobby with his best friend, Ben Morgan. They own the thoroughbred farm where Tom works and we live. You should see the house they gave him. You’ll have to come visit.”
“So good to see you, sweetie.” He squeezed her hand as he closed his eyes. Bella turned to see why her mother had been so quiet and found her now asleep in her recliner.
* * *
Bella had seen pictures of the Naples house, but still wasn’t prepared for its size or grandeur. Her mother called it French West-Indies style. The home’s three wings surrounded an enormous pool, koi ponds, and lush gardens. The interior’s soaring ceilings and tasteful furnishings, in a palette of whites, beiges, and soft pastels, were awe-inspiring. Bella listened, incredulous, as her mother talked about their decorator. Their Montana home had been comfortable and handsome, but nothing like this palace on the bay.
The two weeks in Naples flew by in a flurry of activity, from getting her father home, arranging for nursing visits, grocery shopping, and driving her mother here and there. One morning toward the end of her stay, Angela announced at breakfast, “I’m taking you shopping this afternoon. Judging by the clothes you brought, you’ve let your wardrobe go.”
Realizing that protest would fall on deaf ears, Bella agreed. “As long as you’ll be okay, Dad?” They hadn’t left him alone since they’d brought him home.
“By all means, go! You girls have fun, and I can enjoy some peace and quiet without any mother hens hovering around.”
Bella lost count of the number of shops and boutiques they visited, but came home at the end of the day with bags of tops, slacks, capris, and a few skirts and dresses. She predicted she’d never wear half of it, but the excursion made her mother happy.”
When it was time to say goodbye, she found herself both wistful about leaving and eager to get home. They’d ordered her a car and she’d booked a commercial flight, which her mother insisted on upgrading to first class. “Got to keep up with your Mr. Spark,” she said.
Bella hugged her dad one last time, then her mother. “It’s been great to see you both,” she said, and meant it. “I hope we can get you out to the Valley sometime soon. You’ll love it. Maybe Mr. Spark would even offer the jet?”
“Once your dad’s on his feet, we’ll make a plan. And of course, we’ll come for your brother’s wedding, whenever that will be,” Angela said, as mother and daughter walked out to the front drive. “Thank you so much for coming, honey. It meant the world to your dad and me.”
Bella glimpsed tears in her mother’s eyes and gave her a last hug. “He’s going to be fine, Mom. You heard the doctors. He’s strong as an ox, his heart too.”
“Oh doctors, what do they know? It was just scary, that’s all. He’s the love of my life and my best friend. I was so afraid I’d lost him.”
“Well, you haven’t, and you have lots of fun times ahead in this beautiful spot.”
Her mother wiped her tears and smiled. “It’s a bit much, I know, but we had lots of fun buying it, fixing it up, and making it our own.”
“Better get going. Commercial flights wait for no one, unlike private jets,” Bella said, giving her mother one last hug.
As the plane took off, Bella found herself crying, already missing her parents, but they were also tears of joy. She was returning home, returning to the love of her life.