Broken Lives (27 page)

I pay for the bag of craft items, and I also
get a few snacks and drinks. This could be a long night for her,
and for us. We walk slowly back to the emergency room. I want to
give them enough time to say what they need to say without Raelynn
there.

When we return, Alec is gone but Bridget
walks up to us. “Thank you, Emma.” I look at her and I can see the
puffiness in her eyes.

“
You’re welcome. Raelynn
wants to make her a get-well card,” I say, but the words get caught
in my throat.

Bridget kneels down and hugs Raelynn. “Your
mother will love the card.” 

“
Thank you, grandma. She is
very sick.” 

“
Yes, Rae, she
is.” 

Bridget stands and cries into her tissue as
she takes her seat beside Sam. I clear off the coffee table and
open all the art supplies and spread them out for Raelynn. Raelynn
sits down and begins cutting at the colored construction paper. I
sit with her and help to keep her occupied. 

Alec and Mason both come through the double
doors, and we all stand. I hold Raelynn’s hand tightly.

“
They have her stabilized
and are moving her to I.C.U. She is still critical; because of her
condition, they will allow us to stay with her,” Alec says, while
talking mostly to Bridget and Sam. 

Mason adds, “All we can do is wait and
pray.” 

Bridget cries softly and Sam holds her
close.

Alec walks over to Raelynn, kneels down to
her, and says, “They are taking your mommy upstairs. We can see her
in just a little bit.” 

“
Ok, daddy, I’m making her a
card to help make her feel better.” 

Alec looks behind her at the scattered art
supplies on the table and smiles weakly. “Raelynn, when we see her,
remember she is very sick. She will be sleeping, and she won’t know
we are there,” he says, and he never looks away from her. 

“
Ok, daddy. I’m gonna just
put her card next to her in the bed, so when she wakes up, she’ll
see it. I‘ll be very quiet so I don’t wake her.” 

My nose tingles and I look away. I blink the
tears away and say a silent prayer. “Come on, Rae, let’s clean up
our art supplies.” While we put everything in the bag, I make sure
Rae is positioned so her back is to Sam and Bridget. I tell Rae to
blow on the card to make sure the glue is dried. I don’t want her
to see how sad her grandparents are. 

Mason walks in and says, “They are taking her
up to I.C.U. now.” 

Alec nods and we all stand.

We go up to the third floor — the walls are
cold and sterile. A coffee maker, a water dispenser, and some
vending machines are in the small waiting room. The wood and green
vinyl chairs and bench seats line the walls.

Mason and Alec stand, and Sam and Bridget get
a cup of coffee. Raelynn and I sit down, and I reach into the bag
and hand her an apple juice and a bag of animal crackers. I look at
the clock; it is 10:37 p.m. The tick tock of the clock is the only
sound in the otherwise quiet room.

“
I’ll be right back.” I look
at Raelynn as she is eating her crackers. 

“
Ok, Emma.” 

I walk over to the T.V. and
change the channel until I find a cartoon;
Doc McStuffins
is the only cartoon on.
I look up at Mason and Alec — they both have stress lines on their
faces. A doctor walks through the doors and talks quietly to Mason,
Alec, Sam, and Bridget. I sit with Rae, and I am grateful the
television is distracting her.

Alec walks over and sits with us. He says to
Rae, “Grandma and Grandpa are going back to be with your mommy
first, then we will go back.” 

“
Is Mason
staying?” 

“
No, he’s going
home. 

“
He’s a good
man.” 

“
I think so, too,” Alec
agrees. 

Raelynn sits there, holding her glittery card
and I want to cry for her. I sit there and remember when I lost
Max. Losing someone is never easy. A child losing a parent would
have to be the hardest loss of all. I think of James losing Max and
the tears cascade down my cheeks. I think back to Max visiting me
in my dreams and how happy I felt when James said Max visits him,
too. My mind drift backs to the last dream and what Max
said. 

“
Em, there is going to be a
time when someone you meet will need your help.”
 

“
Who? I don’t
understand?”
 

“
When the time comes, you
will understand. Em, I love you, always and
forever?”
 

Max must
want me to be there for Raelynn. He knew this was going to
happen. He wants me to help Raelynn to get over her mother’s death.
I can’t help Raelynn. My dreams have been shattered and my life was
broken. How am I supposed to help Raelynn? I’m not strong enough to
do this. 

“
Emma?” 

“
I’m sorry.
What?”

“
We can go back now. Are you
all right?” 

Everyone is standing looking at me. “I’m
fine.”

Alec carries Raelynn down the bright sterile
hall. I follow behind them and focus on the glitter that is falling
from the card Raelynn made. I watch the glitter fall from the card
and sparkle until it hits the floor. Is that what heaven looks
like? All glitter and sparkle? I sure hope so.

I am startled from my thoughts with the sound
of beeping. We turn into a small private room with a single bed.
The beeping sound continues, and I can’t be certain which machine
it is coming from. I stand by the door and watch as Alec and Rae
walk slowly to the bed. Sam and Bridget are sitting on the opposite
side of the bed. They both are crying. I stare at the floor.

I look up and Alec leans over the bed and
uses his hands to brush Molly’s hair away from her face. Raelynn
also kisses her before she lays her glittery card on the bed near
the pillow. 

The nurse brings in a few extra chairs, and
Raelynn and Alec sit nearest to the bed. I sit back and think about
Max said.

“
Em, there is going to be a
time when someone you meet will need your help.”
 

“
Who? I don’t
understand?”
 

“
When the time comes, you
will understand.”
 

How can I help Raelynn heal if her mother
dies? I don’t know how to do that! I barely held myself together
after Max’s death. 

The doctor comes in and asks to speak to the
adults in private.

“
I’ll sit here with
Raelynn,” I whisper. 

“
Are you sure?”
Alec asks.

“
Yes, she’s already asleep.
We’ll stay here; you go and talk to the doctor.” 

“
Thank you. I’ll be back as
soon as I can.” 

Alec gently places Raelynn on my lap. She
snuggles close to me and I hold my breath. I don’t want to wake
her.

“
I’ll be just a few
minutes,” he says, as he strokes Raelynn’s long brown
hair.

I nod and give him a slight smile.

While they are gone, I scoot closer to
Molly’s bed. I feel someone should be near her.

I rock a sleeping Rae side to side. Molly’s
index finger moves and I stop rocking Rae and stare at her hand.
She slightly wiggles four fingers and then her thumb. I lean closer
and look at her face. Is she waking up? Molly blinks a few times
and whispers, “Please, help me.” 

“
Em, there is going to be a
time when someone you meet will need your help.”
 

“
Who? I don’t
understand?”
 

“
When the time comes, you
will understand.”
 

Oh, my God, he was not
talking about Raelynn!
He was talking about
Molly! 

Books by Brenda Kennedy

Broken Lives
is Book Two of the
Freedom
Trilogy.

Book One:
Shattered Dreams
 

Book Two:
Broken Lives

Book Three:
Mending Hearts
 

Other books written by this author
include: 

The
Starting Over
Trilogy 

Book One:
A New Beginning
 

Book Two:
Saving Angel
 

Book Three:
Destined to Love
 

Acknowledgments

My husband, Rex: Thank you for supporting me
and for coming with me on this ride. What a year it has been! I
will always love you.

Carey, John, Derek, Nikki,
Chastidy, Rex, Brittany, Amanda, and Katie: Thank you for reminding
me what is important every single day. I love
you.
 
 

Desmond, Samantha, Autumn,
Evan, Derek, Dayquan, Darius, Draden, Alyssa, Hailey, Lucca,
Tanner, Giovanni, Cain, Lelila, Kylie, DeVonte’, Adrienne, Amaya,
Dominic, Damien, Caden, and Gemma: Thank you for reminding me that
I am somebody; I am your grandma and nothing else matters. I love
you all.
 
 

My sisters and brothers: George, Martha,
Rosa, Carla, and Frank: Thank you for your support. I love
you. 

My other brother,
David:
Without you, I wouldn’t have been
able to publish the first book. Thank you for making my ideas
better and for all you do. Editing, proofreading, polishing,
formatting, ideas, articles and research websites. See, I do pay
attention. Thank you. Thank you for pushing me until I get it
right. Maybe someday, I’ll learn the right place to put the commas.
I love you and truly appreciate you.

Thank you to my P.A.s: Brittany Kennedy and
Amanda Kennedy: Thank you for all your help at book signings, and
with the book swag. I couldn’t have done them without you.

Christina Badder: My P.A., my friend, my…, I
guess I don’t have the perfect title for you yet. I promise, by the
next book, I’ll have something fabulous to call you. Thank you for
taking care of all of my promotional needs. The blog tours, author
spotlights, book cover reveals, give-a-ways, Rafflecopters,
Thunderclap campaigns, ARC’s, and everything that I don’t know that
you do or things I forgot to mention. I hope you know how much I
appreciate your hard work and dedication.

Thank you to my Beta readers: Cathy Stotts,
Lorraine McDonald, Natalie Neck, Nichole Taggart, Kayleigh Deal,
Raelynn Chambers, Dee Knope, Heather Ross-Cicio, Dove King Bailey,
Heather Osborne, Heather Leach Schrader, Heaven Potter, Sherry
Darr, Lou Ann Mohler, Amy Sperry, and Jenni Crawford, Jessica King,
Rhiannon Matthias, and Sherry Gainy. I appreciate you all, more
than you know. I appreciate your honest opinions and reviews. I
love the bond that we have developed and I appreciate that I can
trust you. 

Thank you to ‘Brenda’s Street Talkers,’ for
pimping my books, making teasers and banners, and just for the
support I receive from you every day.

Thank you to Beth Maddox at Cover It Up
Designs for the book cover. I am excited for this cover and for the
last book cover of the trilogy. I love your work and your
vision.

Missy MacKenzie Swain, owner of Noodle Noo
Jewelry/Watches. Thank you for making and crafting my professional
book swag. I love your framed charms, bookmarks, and key chains. To
see Missy’s designs, go to Noodle Noo via Facebook. Thank you, and
I look forward to seeing what else you come up with.

Thank you to all the
bloggers who shared in the author’s spotlight, the blog tour,
and/or cover reveal for
Broken
Lives
. I appreciate you more than you
know.

A very special thank you to my fellow author
friends who help me every day: Diane B. Jones, for your daily
chats; C.M. Hutton, for inspiring me to write; and Arden Aoide, for
teaching me things that I am clueless about. I love each of
you. 

All my family, friends,
internet friends, and the Manatee County Jail nursing and
corrections staff: Thank you all for your support and ideas. I have
used many of your names in
Broken
Lives
. 

My close family and very
close friends: You may recognize many names and places in
Broken Lives.
I had so
much fun incorporating family names and some of my favorite places
into this book. You all have definitely helped inspire many of the
characters in this book.
 
 

To my readers, and fans. Thank you a million
times over for reading and reviewing my books. 

I support Indie Authors. If you read this
book, please take the time to go on the purchasing site and give it
a review. Independent authors count on your reviews to get the word
out about our books. Thank you for taking the time to read our
books and taking the extra time to review them. We all appreciate
it very much.

Disclaimer: People and places in this book
have been used fictitiously and without malice. 

About the Author: First and foremost I am a
wife, mother and grandmother. 

I am also a nurse and a new author. 

I moved to sunny Florida in 2006 and never
looked back. I love fresh squeezed lemonade, crushed ice, teacups,
wineglasses, non-franchise restaurants, ice cream cones, boating,
picnics, cookouts, throwing parties, lace, white wine, mojitos,
strawberry margaritas, white linen tablecloths, fresh flowers, and
Pinterest. I also love to read and write and to spend time with my
family.