Texas Lullaby (Texas Montgomery Mavericks Book 7) (2 page)

This woman, his Lydia, was in full doctor mode, barking out orders, expecting others to do what she said. Since her brother-in-law had died, he had to assume the accident had been quite catastrophic. He worried about Meredith’s condition. He suspected Lydia of having the same fears.

Caroline stepped over to the side and began dialing numbers.

Jason’s brother-in-law, Mitch, gripped Jason’s shoulder. “Whatever Olivia and I can do, just ask.”

Jason nodded. “I know. Thanks.”

It didn’t take long before Caroline handed her phone to Lydia. The conversation between Lydia and the hospital was one-sided, but Jason didn’t need to hear both sides to know that what Lydia was being told was not good. He didn’t understand many of the medical terms he heard, but the stricken expression on Lydia’s face said more than words.

She clicked off the phone and looked at him. “I have to go.”

Jason nodded. “Okay. When?”

“Now. I’m not sure Meredith will make it through the night.”

“I’m so sorry, honey.”

“I know. Me too.” For the first time since she’d gotten the news, a large tear rolled down her cheek. “I think I’m going to lose my sister.” Her whispered statement almost brought him to his knees. If this were any of his family…

He pulled her into a tight embrace and ran his hands up and down her back. “What can I do?”

“Get me to Gainesville as fast as possible.”

“No problem.” Stepping back, he searched for the one person who could get them there the fastest. “Mitch,” he called.

Mitch nodded and hurried over.

“Lydia and her folks need to get to Gainesville ASAP.”

Mitch nodded. “I’ll notify the airport to get my plane ready to fly. It’s only a four-seater, so—”

“No problem,” Jason said. “I’ll stay here, take care of a few things and then drive up as soon as I can.”

Lydia groaned. “The wedding.” She looked at Jason, sorrow pulling deep creases in her face. “I’m sorry, Jason, but there’s just no way.”

“I know. It doesn’t matter.” But it did. Disappointment punched him in the gut, not that he would begin to show it. Of course they couldn’t get married while her sister, and maybe her nieces and nephew, fought for their lives. She would always associate her wedding date with one of the worst days of her life, not the kind of memory he wanted for her.

“Yeah, it does matter, but this is why I love you so much,” Lydia said. “You get it.”

“Get your parents. You all should change into something more comfortable than what you’re wearing. Five minutes won’t make a difference,” he added when she tried to object to taking time to change clothes. “You may be there a few days.”

“You’re right. You’re right. I can’t think right now.”

“I’ll drive you home to change.” He kissed her and then waved his mom over. “Mom.”

Jackie said something to Larry Henson and then walked quickly to where Jason and Lydia stood. “What can I do, honey?”

“I’m going to take Lydia home to change and grab an overnight bag. Mitch is getting his plane ready to go so he can fly them up there tonight.”

“Good idea.”

“Can you and Dad help the Hensons get into something more comfortable for travel? Oh and maybe an overnight bag for them? Lydia and I should be back here in about fifteen minutes. I can pick them up and drive them to the airport.”

“Of course.”

Jason stopped her as she turned to leave. “And, Mom, we need to notify as many people as we can that there won’t be a wedding tomorrow.”

Jackie Montgomery didn’t waste time asking questions about the cancelation of the wedding. She nodded and hurried off.

The silence on the drive to Lydia’s house was broken only by her irregular breathing and quiet sobs. Once there, Jason stood in the living room and waited for her to change clothes. In under five minutes, she was back out dressed in scrubs and carrying a duffle bag.

“Ready. Let’s go.”

“How did you do that?”

“The duffle bag? Already packed. It’s my emergency bag for when I’m called to the hospital and have to be there overnight.”

Her parents were standing in the hotel drive with his parents when he pulled up. After loading them into the car, he hugged his mother.

“Thanks, Mom.”

“Of course, honey. With all the Montgomerys working tonight, we’ll get everyone notified about the postponement.”

He noticed her wording. Postponement, not cancelation. He hoped that’s what it was.

* * * * *

The tires of Mitch’s plane kissed the tarmac and then settled down. The small plane taxied to the hangers and Mitch cut the engines.

“Stay here,” he ordered before jumping out.

Lydia knew nothing about flying except to buckle in, so she didn’t know what Mitch was doing outside. She heard doors opening and closing and she assumed he was getting her duffle bag out. Her parents hadn’t wanted to pack anything. Their only concern had been getting to their youngest daughter.

She jumped when her door opened.

“The car Jason ordered for you is here. Let me help you guys out.”

The car’s driver was loading her bag into the trunk. She helped her parents exit the plane and into the car. She turned and hugged Mitch before she followed her parents into the limo.

“Thank you.”

“Not a problem. You call us and let us know what’s going on. We’ll all be praying for your family,” Mitch said and hugged her tightly. “Get going.”

She had decided that wearing her doctor persona might get her and her parents access where simply being the sister might not. She strode into the hospital lobby with the brashness of a general leading an attack, her shell-shocked parents following in her wake.

“I’m Dr. Henson. Where is Meredith Hardy?” she demanded at the information desk.

The older woman, who must have been used to demanding doctors, nodded. “Hold on a sec, Doc. Let me look.” The information volunteer scrolled through a list of names on her computer screen and then said, “Ah. Here she is. ICU. Do you know your way?”

“No. Directions please.” Lydia had never snapped orders at staff like this before, but she feared that loosening the tight control she had on her emotions would send her spiraling into a crying jag.

“Certainly, Doctor, although it’s quite past visiting hours.”

“Do I look like I’m here for a visit?” Lydia shot back.

“No, ma’am. Down the hall behind me. Take a left.”

Lydia gave a short nod and headed in the indicated direction. “They’re with me,” she said over her shoulder, gesturing for her parents to follow.

She’d expected an argument at the nurses’ station about seeing her sister, but they seemed to be expecting her.

A nurse sitting at the station rose. “Dr. Henson. The front desk let me know you’d made it. I’m Kelly, Mrs. Hardy’s nurse.”

“Excellent. Fill me in.”

“Multiple broken bones and contusions. Bleeding into her brain. Ruptured spleen and left kidney. She went straight to surgery upon arrival. Both organs were damaged beyond repair and have been removed. We were able to get her abdominal bleed under control. However, her blood pressure has remained erratic. She’s unconscious and unresponsive to stimuli. Right now, it’s her head trauma that has us concerned. It was fairly severe. Would you like to see her?”

Lydia nodded and then looked at her pale-faced parents standing in the door to the unit. She turned her gaze back to the nurse. “Do you know anything about the children that were in the accident with her?”

The nurse nodded. “Three little miracles, if you ask me.”

“What do you mean?”

“They are fine. I think one of the girls has a small cut on her cheek that required stitches, but other than that, and being scared and shook up, they are fine.”

“They’re here?”

“Yes. Social services were called since they were unattended minors.”

“Can you get someone to take Mr. and Mrs. Henson to see their grandchildren while I assess Meredith’s condition? I’d like to be able to prepare her parents before they see her.”

“I’ll see to it.”

Lydia entered her sister’s room, pretty sure the staff realized that she was there more in a family capacity than physician. She appreciated their allowing her access to her sister and the records.

Meredith lay on white sheets, the color a marked contrast from her gray tones. A ventilator manually pushed air into her lungs, the rhythmic swoosh of the machine blending in with the beeps and tweets from the other mechanical devices keeping her alive. Multiple bags of IV fluids dripped into different veins on Meredith’s body. An empty blood bag hung off one of the IV hooks.

For a couple of minutes, Lydia stood frozen in place, observing her sister. Meredith’s arms were fully extended, her hands rotated toward her body. Decerebrate posturing. She’d seen it before, a sign that the outcome would probably be fatal. The nurse had been correct. The damage to Meredith’s neurological system was serious.

As she gazed down on her sister, the medical tenet about doctors not treating family members had never seemed more pertinent. Lydia gasped in a small, hiccupping breath and stepped to Meredith’s bedside.

“Hey, sis. You’re not supposed to be here.” She touched Meredith’s hand. Cold. Rigid. Lifeless. “Mom and Dad are here,” she said. “We need you, sis. Your kids need you.”

There was no response, and really, she didn’t expect one. She and her parents would have to say their goodbyes, because Lydia knew Meredith was not coming back.

A code was called over the loud speaker, and nurses in the area jumped into action. Lydia looked around but saw nothing in the ICU that would suggest a patient in immediate distress. Her gaze caught that of a nurse on the phone who was nodding while speaking. As soon as she disconnected the call, the nurse came into the room.

“Dr. Henson.”

“Yes?”

“It’s your father. He collapsed and has been moved to the emergency department.”

All the thoughts in Lydia’s head fled as she tried to process this new information. “What happened?”

“I’m not sure. But your mother has asked for you.”

“I don’t know where I’m going. Can someone direct me?”

Lydia hurried back to the lobby, took a right turn and followed the arrows to the emergency room. She found her father resting on a hospital stretcher, an oxygen mask over his nose and mouth, a bag of IV fluid flowing into a vein.

“What the hell happened?” Lydia asked.

Her mother twisted her fingers. “I don’t know. One minute we were standing there looking at the babies and the next he grabbed his chest and collapsed on the floor.”

It could be something as simple as an anxiety reaction to something as serious as a heart attack. Even as she had this thought, a lab tech entered.

“Need to draw some blood,” he said.

Lydia stepped back to allow the tech room to work. Seven tubes of blood later, the tech left. There wasn’t much Lydia could do right now, not for her sister or her father, and she hated her sense of powerlessness.

She was torn. Should she stay here with her father or head back upstairs to her sister? And what about her nieces and nephew? She needed to check on them too.

She desperately wanted to find a corner where she could let everything go and cry.

She desperately wanted Jason here. Everything was better when they were together.

“How are the children?” she asked her mother. The question served two purposes. First, she was worried about the kids, and second, the question would refocus her mother’s attention.

“The children?” her mother said with a glazed expression. “Oh, they’re fine. They were asleep when we were there.” Ida’s expression changed to one of panic. “Oh, Lydia. What are we going to do if Meredith dies?”

Wasn’t that the million-dollar question.

Chapter Two

The next four hours would go in Lydia’s memory book as pure, total hell. Her father had had a mild heart attack. Three of his heart vessels needed stents and he was adamant that he wouldn’t have surgery done right away. He insisted on seeing his own doctor in Florida first. Nothing Lydia, her mother nor any doctor told him could sway him off his hard stance.

Meredith’s condition continued to worsen, so Lydia got her mother up to the ICU for a short visit. Whether that was a good idea or not, Lydia wasn’t sure. But since she knew Meredith would not recover, she felt her mother deserved to have one last chance to talk to her youngest daughter.

The children woke up crying for their momma and daddy. Their wails of fear and despair ripped at Lydia’s heart like tiger claws, leaving gapping wounds she feared would never heal.

When she was ready to drown in the storm of all her family problems, Jason, Travis and Caroline found her sitting in pediatrics rocking baby Levi back to sleep. The rocking was soothing to her and the baby, but seeing three pillars of support walking in was as if she’d been tossed a lifebuoy during a raging storm. She clutched Jason’s arm when he neared.

“You’re here,” she said.

“Of course I am. I’ll always be here. I’m sorry it took so long to get to you. There was an issue with Mitch’s plane when he got back, so we drove.” He pulled her up out of the rocker and held her and the baby tightly against him. Her eyes shuttered closed in relief.

“What can we do?” Travis whispered.

“I don’t know where to begin.” She filled them in on Meredith’s rapidly failing condition, her father’s heart event and refusal for immediate surgery, and the abject terror her nieces were going through. If there was anything fortunate tonight, it was that her nephew, Levi, was too young to understand more than dirty diapers and empty tummies. The entire time she spoke, she continued to sway with Levi.

“Do you want me to check on your sister?” Caroline asked. “Make sure nothing has been missed?”

Caroline had a much stronger background in emergency medicine than Lydia. Before marrying Travis and settling in Whispering Springs, Caroline had been much in demand as a contract physician for trauma centers.

“Would you?” Lydia asked. “I’ve read her chart, but I can’t think of anything they’ve missed or that should have been done that wasn’t, but trauma is more your expertise than mine.”

“Of course.” Caroline gave Travis a peck on his lips. “You can’t go with me to ICU. Make sure your phone is on and I’ll catch up with you later.” After getting directions, Caroline headed off toward ICU.

“Travis, can you check on my parents? I need to look in on Ellery and Annie. I can’t let them wake up again and be so scared. If you can talk my dad into surgery, I’d be in your debt.”

“Sure. Where do I need to go?”

Lydia gave him directions to her father’s room and he headed out.

Once he was gone, that left her alone with Jason. “Thank you for coming.”

“You don’t have to thank me. I wanted to be with you. I hate it took so long.”

“Doesn’t matter. You’re here now.” She carried the sleeping seven-month-old to the crib and lowered him into it. He wiggled a little at the sudden loss of her body heat but didn’t wake. Lydia was thankful for the small favor.

For a couple of minutes, she held on to the crib rail and watched him sleep.

“He’s a good-looking kid,” Jason noted.

“Yeah. I can’t believe how much he’s grown.”

His broad hand covered the back of her neck and he began to massage the muscles here.

“What did you do about the wedding?”

“Postponed. With all the Montgomerys working the phones, it didn’t take long for the notification to spread. Lots of well-wishes for you and your family.”

Glancing over at him, she smiled. “I know you told them, but make sure your family really knows how much we appreciate their help.” A hiccup rattled her and then, because there was no way to stop them, a volley of tears overflowed her eyes and trickled down her cheeks.

“Oh, babe. I wish I could do something.” Jason slid his hand off her neck and down her back in comforting strokes.

“Meredith isn’t going to make it,” she whispered. “I haven’t said that out loud, but I know it. I can’t find a way to tell my parents. Mom is so frantic over Dad that I don’t think she realizes how bad Meredith is. In her mind, Meredith is hurt but she’ll be okay. She won’t, Jason.”

“Dr. Henson?”

She and Jason turned toward the voice. A pediatric nurse stood in the doorway. “I’m sorry, Dr. Henson. ICU called. You’re needed there.”

Jason took her hand and squeezed. “Come on,” he said. “I’ll go with you.”

When they arrived at the ICU, they found Caroline, Travis and both her parents waiting for them. Her father looked up at her from his wheelchair, his ashen face a reminder that he still faced his own medical challenges. Her mother clung to Travis’s arm, his strength most likely the only thing keeping her upright.

“What’s going on?” Lydia asked.

Caroline put her arm through Lydia’s. “Meredith’s doctor is here. He wants to talk to the family.”

Lydia had had talks like these before, only it had always been her delivering the bad news rather than being on the receiving end.

She nodded. “Where are we meeting him?”

Meredith’s nurse walked up. “Come with me. We have a family room for you.”

Lydia took her mother’s arm while Jason pushed her father’s wheelchair into a small conference room. She braced herself and then realized it wasn’t her she was worried about bracing. It was her parents. This was not going to be easy.

Her mother had already started crying. So had her dad.

Dr. Harrington entered and sat. “Dr. Henson. Mr. and Mrs. Henson. Mr. Montgomery. It’s times like these that make being a physician hard.” He sighed. “I’m sorry, but Mrs. Hardy died about five minutes ago. It was too sudden for us to gather you to say your goodbyes.”

Ida Henson gasped and slumped against Lydia. “No. No. Not my baby.”

Larry Henson sobbed into an already soaked handkerchief.

“She never regained consciousness. Take some comfort in the fact she felt no pain.”

Hot, salty tears leaked into the corners of Lydia’s mouth. She could taste them on her tongue. An odd realization came over her. She’d delivered death notifications to families before, but she’d never thought about what came next.

Jim had been an only child with no living parents. Wherever Meredith was buried, he should be with her.

And the children. Years ago, when the twins were born, Meredith had made Lydia swear to take the kids if anything happened to her and Jim. Lydia had agreed, but then both women had laughed at the ravings of a new mother. And now Lydia was faced with the prospect of raising three small children.

Her parents were in their mid-seventies, long past the age of being able to keep up with toddlers. Plus, her father’s heart event tonight clearly signaled that she couldn’t look to them for help.

And then there was her fiancé, the man who’d been adamant about not wanting the responsibility of raising children.

She was on her own.

Suddenly overwhelmed with the enormity of the task facing her, she slumped in her chair and allowed the tears to flow.

* * * * *

How Lydia was able to hold it together for the forty-eight hours after her sister’s death was a question she would probably ask herself for the rest of her life. Because she was the only family member who could realistically take the children, and because of the prior agreement with her sister, they were released into her care.

Since she and the children would be living in Whispering Springs, she persuaded her parents to bury Meredith and Jim there so that the children would be able to visit the graves as needed to understand the concept of death. Jason’s parents immediately volunteered to arrange for the burial sites at Greenwood Cemetery, right outside the city limits of Whispering Springs.

Caroline sweet-talked Larry Henson into having one of the stents done in Dallas. She and Travis drove Lydia’s parents down to Baylor and got Larry checked into the hospital there. And while Lydia was relieved her father was getting the stent he needed, she also felt a modicum of relief at having one less problem to deal with.

The children were almost more than she could handle. Ellery and Annie, the three-year-old twins, cried almost non-stop on Sunday while they were in the hotel waiting for Meredith and Jim’s bodies to be released. Levi was a dream baby. He ate and slept, unconcerned by the chaos going on around him.

Jason was the lynchpin that held them all together. He rented a van to get them home. He brought food when they were hungry. Bought clothes for the kids to wear. Held Lydia at night when she could take no more.

However, the guilt of leaning so heavily on Jason ate at her. It wasn’t fair. The man was putting up a good front, but he had minced no words in expressing his disinterest in parenting. She would have to find a way to do this without him. However, for now, she would take whatever help she could get from wherever it came.

Monday, the bodies were released for burial. Eternal Rest Funeral Home arrived to transport them back to Whispering Springs. As they were packing up the hotel room, Lydia’s cell rang.

“Dr. Henson,” she answered.

“Is this Lydia Henson?” a female voice asked.

“Yes.”

“I’m trying to reach Meredith or Jim Hardy. Your number was given as an emergency contact.”

The emotional stab came in hard and fast, gutting her so quickly it made her drop to the edge of the bed.

“Who is this?” she asked.

“Naomi. We have Jasper here for boarding. The Hardys usually pick him up first thing on Monday morning, but we’re getting concerned since we haven’t heard from them. Do you have another contact number for them?”

“Jasper? Who is Jasper?”

At the mention of Jasper, Ellery and Annie began jumping around the room shouting, “Jasper. We’re going to go get Jasper.”

Lydia put her finger to her lips, which did little to slow down the two girls.

“Their dog,” the woman on the phone replied.

“Meredith and Jim had a dog?”

“Yes. A golden retriever. Now about reaching the Hardys? Can you help?”

“Hold on a second.” Lydia stood. “Jason, I need to step outside for a minute to finish this call.”

“No problem,” he said, tucking both girls under his arms to swing them. “I’ve got this.” The two girls giggled and shouted as he tossed one and then the other onto the bed.

The hotel room door snicked closed behind her.

“Meredith and Jim were…” she paused to swallow against the lump growing in her throat. “Meredith and Jim were killed this weekend in a car accident.” A flood of tears gathered again in her eyes.

“Oh my God. I am so sorry for your loss.”

She sniffed. “Thank you.”

“I hate to ask, but what do you want to do about Jasper? We can keep him until you pick him up.”

A dog. The last thing she needed was a dog. She opened her mouth to ask if it was possible to find him a new home, but the sounds of Ellery and Annie laughing echoed in her mind. They’d already lost so much. How could she take away their pet too? Maybe having Jasper with them might help a little. It certainly couldn’t hurt.

She sighed. A dog and three kids.

“Can you hold on to him until I can get there?”

“Of course.”

“Thank you. We’ll head up there today.” Besides, they had to go to the house and get clothes for the kids.

The house. How would she be able to take care of cleaning out the house and selling it? Once again, she was swamped by a tidal wave of all the responsibilities she’d just inherited. Her stomach threatened to return her minimal breakfast of toast and coffee.

“Today or tomorrow. No hurry,” the woman was saying. “Again, I am so sorry for your loss.”

Lydia leaned against the door to their suite, running the various options of getting to Wichita and back to Whispering Springs. She didn’t see any way possible to do everything they needed to do and get home in one day.

The door behind her opened, sending her stumbling backwards. Jason caught her before she fell.

“Sorry about that,” he said. “You about ready to head home?”

She sighed heavily. “I have to go to Wichita first.”

“What? Why?”

“Seems there’s a dog I have to pick up.”

“Ah. Jasper by any chance? The girls have been talking about brushes and toys ever since you mentioned that name.”

She nodded. “Look, would you mind terribly if I took the van? We can rent you another car to get you home. As long as I’m headed to Kansas, I might as well pick up clothes for the kids.”

“Hell, yes, I’d mind.” The remark snapped like a flag in a heavy wind.

“I just, well, you’ve been awesome, but these are my problems, not yours.”

His eyebrow shot up. “Problems?”

“No, no. That’s not what I meant.” She rubbed at the headache forming at her temples. “I don’t know what I’m saying. I’m just a little overwhelmed at the moment.”

The twins shoved their way between Lydia and Jason.

“Are we getting Jasper?” Annie asked.

“I love Jasper,” Ellery said.

“Jasper. Jasper,” Annie said, jumping up and down.

Lydia caught Jason’s gaze and saw his determination. She wouldn’t be driving to Wichita alone.

They decided that taking the girls to the house to pack might be too traumatic. Instead, they checked in to a hotel and Jason volunteered to babysit while Lydia did what she needed to do. The girls thought staying in a hotel was grand fun, especially since there was a pool.

The house was so quiet with only the sound of a ticking grandfather clock to break the silence. The sense of loss and grief swamping her was like nothing she’d ever experienced. She went to the master bedroom and sat on Meredith’s bed. The room and everything in it smelled like her sister.

She put her head on Meredith’s pillow and wept.

* * * * *

With Annie and Ellery dancing with excitement around his knees, Jason paid for a couple of new swimsuits and two sets of arm floaties. Even though the girls told him they knew how to swim, he did know better than to trust a couple of three-year-olds for accurate information.