Coal Black Blues (20 page)

Caroline recalled how battered his hands had been when he walked out of the mine, oozing blood from multiple cuts and scraped raw in places. Beneath the gauze, they must be bruised and painful. “You saved them,” she said. “You’re a hero.”

His features contorted with emotion. “Don’t call me that, honey. I did what I had to, nothing more.”

She had no words to refute it or offer comfort. Caroline bowed and kissed the bare skin above the bandages. “I love you.”

He rewarded her with a faint smile. “I love you, honey. You’re all I thought about down there. I wanted to get out of there for you. I knew I had to live.”

“Did you have any problems because of the PTSD?” She’d wondered and now asked.

“A little, not much,” he said. “I wasn’t any more freaked out than any of the rest, less than some. It was a different situation. When the explosion first happened, I got confused for a couple of minutes, but it didn’t last long.”

Tears streamed down her cheeks, but she kept her voice steady. “I thought I might lose you, Neil, and I couldn’t bear the idea. So I held onto hope even when I thought it was impossible and I waited.”

Neil freed his hands and brushed away her tears with the edge of his thumb. “I knew you would, Carrie. Are you hungry?”

“I am, a little.”

“I’m starving. Let’s see if somebody won’t bring me some food.”

They brought him beef broth and a little gelatin. He complained but ate it. Afterward, a staff doctor checked him. He told them the same as what Rob had shared, but when Neil asked when he could go home, the doctor cocked his head. “That depends on how quickly your lungs clear. I understand you recently had pneumonia and before I can release you, I’d want to be sure you won’t relapse. We did a series of chest X-rays and once the congestion clears, if it does, your lungs should look fairly good for a coal miner.”

“Do I have black lung?”

The doctor shook his head. “Not that I’m aware, no. You do have COPD, but that’s manageable. I’ll prescribe an inhaler and medications to prevent it from growing worse. I would suggest you retire from mining, if at all possible, however, because your lungs show minimal damage. At this stage, it’s not severe, but if you stay in the mines, you probably know the prognosis.”

Neil nodded. “Yeah, I do. I’m changing careers, already have a new job.”

Behind the doctor’s back, Caroline smiled.

“Excellent,” the doctor said. “Do you have any questions?”

“I have two. Will I be home in time for Christmas, and when do I get real food?”

The doctor laughed. “Barring any unforeseen complications, you should be out of here by the end of the week at the latest so yes, you will be, and I’ll instruct the staff to put you on a regular diet.”

By noon, Neil had been shaved and bathed while Caroline had been asked to step out of the room. She’d eaten in the cafeteria downstairs, nourishing food that satisfied and returned to find Neil devouring a plate of beef and noodles. His tray included a hot roll, a salad, hot coffee and a dish of chocolate pudding.

“That looks good,” she said, as she settled into the chair.

“It’ll do for now,” Neil replied between bites. “I’d rather be eating your cooking at home.”

Happiness bubbled up within Caroline, light as champagne bubbles. Afternoon sunlight streamed into the room and made it bright. “You will, sugar,” she said. “And I’ll cook anything you want.”

He grinned, so handsome she left her seat to come kiss him but not before he said, “I’ll hold to you that, Carrie.”

She maneuvered between the tray, the bed, and his plate to kiss him full on the mouth. He tasted of chocolate pudding. She savored the kiss and kept it slow. Neil had other notions, though. He caught her head between his hands and kissed her with heat, a promise of another kind. The warmth poured from his mouth to hers and through her body, a powerful living force that could never be denied.

Her Neil, the one she’d fallen in love with as a teenager and the man she had known lived beneath the surface, had returned. He lived and for now, no matter what the future might hold, it filled her heart with quiet joy.

Chapter Twenty-Two

Neil, dressed in blue jeans and a brand new, flannel plaid shirt Caroline had bought him, objected when the nurse brought a wheelchair to take him to the front entrance.

“I’ll walk,” he told her.

The nurse smiled. “I’m sorry, but it’s the rule. All patients being discharged are required to use a wheelchair.”

He snorted and then sighed. “All right, then. Let’s get it over with.”

Caroline laughed and leaned down to kiss him. He caught her head and cupped it gently with one hand. Then he intensified the kiss and she gloried in the burst of passion. Mindful of their audience, though, Caroline broke free. “I can tell you’re feeling much better.”

She knew he was. The terrible paleness of those first few days had gone and his normal color had returned. His hands remained badly bruised, yellow, purple, and black in large patches. A few angry cuts remained, but the gauze bandages were gone. Neil recovered his strength with speed and his lungs had cleared enough to be released from the hospital. His spirits had been good, more cheerful than Caroline had seen him consistently since her return. She carried the bag with his other clothes and few possessions.

“Did you bring a coat?” the nurse asked as they got underway. “It’s cold outside, spitting snow.”

“No, I didn’t. I can go buy one, I guess.”

Caroline hitched her purse higher on her shoulder and would have set out to find a department store to purchase a winter coat, but Neil grasped her wrist. “It’s not necessary, honey. I’ll be in the car most of the time and I won’t freeze. Let’s get out of here.”

Her footsteps echoed on the tile as they made their way to the elevator. Bright holiday decorations festooned some of the walls and poinsettias made each nurses’ station festive. “Where’s Will? I thought he and Rob were going to be here this morning.”

“Will’s going to the memorial service,” Neil said. “And so am I if we’re not late. It’s at Blessed Shepherd Church at ten.”

In the elevator, she leaned against the wall and quirked her lips together. “I thought we’d go straight home so you could get settled. The doctor said you needed a few more days of bed rest.”

Neil shook his head. “Carrie, I ain’t going to bed. I’ll take it easy, I promise, but I need to be at the memorial service. They already had most of the funerals. It won’t be long. After we stop at the store for a few minutes and meet up with Rob, then we can head home. Tomorrow’s Christmas Eve, right?”

“Yes.” Caroline had bought groceries for their Christmas dinner and ingredients to do some traditional holiday baking on one of her trips back and forth to Charleston. She had put a wreath on the front door and hung a few strings of colored lights on the wall, but there was no tree and this late, she accepted the fact that there wouldn’t be. “Today’s Saturday.”

“A week since,” he said.

“That’s right.” The nurse assisted Neil into the car, but Caroline strapped his seat belt in place. “Thank you,” she told the woman.

The older woman smiled. “You’re welcome both of you. Neil’s been a pleasure. I wish we had more like him.” Her eyes lit on Neil with admiration and Caroline hid a smile.

With two days until Christmas, traffic proved to be heavy on all the routes but especially on I-77. More vehicles streamed into Charleston, probably for last-minute shopping, than left the city but Caroline sighed. It would take a little longer than usual to get home, especially with light snow falling.

Neil glanced at the digital clock on the dashboard. “We’ve got time to make the service,” he said.

“Are you sure you want to go? It’s going to be crowded.”

He sent a serious look her direction. “I need to be there, honey. I know all of them and their families. I’d think you’d want to be there for Jack.”

Her teenage clerk had lost his father. Caroline hadn’t forgotten, but she’d been overwhelmed with details. Once she knew Neil would be all right, she’d commuted between the store and hospital daily. “I do,” she replied. “All right, then. Will’s going to be there?”

“Yeah, he’s coming, but his wife and kids are staying home. He promised to keep seats for us if he can.”

“And Rob’s meeting us at the store? Why?”

Neil grinned. “Ask me no questions, honey, and I’ll tell you no lies.”

His lighthearted mood brought her spirits up and Caroline hoped his good mood would survive the memorial service. “All right,” she said. “I won’t ask.”

By the time they reached the Blessed Shepherd Church, the largest in Coaltown, located at the opposite end of the main thoroughfare from the store, the snow flurries had become snow showers. White coated the pavement with a thin veneer and dusted everything else. Across the road, the light covering of snow drifted over the graves, including her Uncle Jim’s. The last time Caroline had set foot in the church had been the day of his funeral, the day Neil came back into her life. A number of people stood near the main entrance, stamping their feet against the cold.

Her heart sank. “The church must be full.”

“Will said he’d save us seats.”

The last thing Neil needed to do was stand for an hour in the snow without a coat. “I hope so.”

They approached the church and as they did, the crowd made way for them to pass. Caroline recognized many of the faces, but they all knew Neil. As he walked ahead of her, most spoke to him and quite a few shook his hand. She winced, knowing it must hurt, but Neil didn’t complain. A few of the mine, miners like him, hugged him, and Caroline realized some were the men trapped with him. From the open affection and the respect shown, they knew how he’d dug out the air shaft. Neil may not want to be called a hero, but he was. Watching, Caroline saw not just the man she’d known most of her life and loved almost as long, but a different Neil, a man who earned respect, someone who could be counted on in all situations. He must have been an excellent soldier, too, she thought, and pride in him waxed stronger than ever before.

Will met them at the church door. “Come on, I’ve got three seats in a pew. It’s almost time to get started.”

Caroline trailed behind the two men as they moved through the standing room only crowds and slid into a pew beside Neil. Moments later, Miss Trimble opened the service with her poignant accapella performance of
Amazing Grace.
Several local ministers offered prayers and quoted Scriptures meant to comfort. Listening, Caroline hoped the words helped the grieving hearts, but she knew if Neil had been among the dead, nothing would have salved the hurt. At the end, they stood and joined in singing
Power In The Blood
, Neil’s rich baritone drowning out her low alto voice.

As the closing prayer began, Neil swayed a little. Caroline leaned over to whisper into his ear, “Are you okay?”

He gave his head a slight shake. “I’m a little light-headed,” he said. “It’s hot in here and my hands really hurt.”

Although he spoke almost as low as she had, Will heard him. He met Caroline’s gaze and nodded. “Let’s go.”

From her seat on the end of a pew, Caroline stepped into the aisle and let Neil step out. Will took the lead and she followed with Neil between them. Most heads were bowed as the preacher asked a final blessing, but no one blocked their way. Outside, the snow fell thick and fast, covering everything at a rapid pace. Caroline huddled in her coat as Will made sure Neil climbed into the passenger seat.

“I’m heading home,” Will told them. “I’m ready to get warm and watch Penelope bake cookies. Y’all better head for the house, too, but unless it snows a foot, we’ll see you on Christmas.”

“I’m planning on it,” Caroline said. Will nodded and waved as he hurried through the snow to his truck.

Neil shivered beside her. “We gotta stop at the store first to meet Rob.”

She sighed. “I forgot about that. You’d better make it quick or he might miss his flight.”

“It won’t take long.”

“It better not. You’re cold and you should have gone straight home from the hospital.”

He waved one hand to protest and she noticed it appeared a little swollen. “I’ll be all right, Carrie. Let’s go.”

She intended to make the stop at the store brief, but when she pulled into the parking lot, she found it full. Caroline chalked it up to a last-minute rush for milk, bread and other items before the snow got any worse, but when they walked inside, she remembered why.

Earl Williams, dressed as Santa Claus, sat in a cleared space between the cash register and the backroom on a large recliner draped with a faux fur throw. He had a bucket of candy canes on his left, a little girl dressed in a red velvet jumper with matching hair bow on his broad lap and a line of waiting kids stretching to the back of the store, then halfway up the other aisle.

“Santa’s here but where’s Rob?” she said.

Neil gestured with his head. “Over there, behind the register.”

With surprising speed, considering he’d been released from the hospital a few hours earlier, Neil made his way to his brother while Caroline followed. Mattie, the clerk on duty, stopped her.

“Alexander said to tell you he’ll be in at noon,” she said. “I’m working for him. He had to go to town, and then he was going to the memorial.”

Caroline nodded. “I know. We just came from there. So, the shifts are covered for today?”

Mattie nodded. “Yes. Bertha said she’ll work no matter how much it snows because she lives less than two blocks away.”

“Okay. If it keeps snowing, though, just close up and whoever’s here can go home,” Caroline said. “But wait until all the kids get to tell Santa what they want for Christmas.”

Watching the children approach Earl brought back memories of coming to the store as a child. Someone else had played Santa Claus, she thought, but she couldn’t remember the man’s name. Caroline flashed back to sitting on the man’s lap while Neil waited for her, his eyes the same beautiful gray as now. She might have been seven and Neil nine. Then, she’d asked for a Baby Tender Love doll. She received it, too, on Christmas morning tucked under the tree. Now all she wanted was Neil and a life here, where she belonged.

She glanced up and saw him watching her with a quiet smile. Then he moved over beside her. “Let’s go home,” he said. “I’m ready if you are. Rob’s fixing to leave.”

“Sure,” Caroline said. She turned toward Rob. “Have a safe trip. I’m glad you came and merry Christmas.”

Rob hugged her. “Happy holidays to you, too, Caroline. Take care of my brother, you hear?”

“I do and I will.”

“Brother, I love you,” Rob told Neil. “Everything’s there.”

“I owe you for this one.”

Neil’s brother shook his head. “No, you don’t. You’re my brother and I’m happy to do anything you need. Call me, sometimes, all right?”

“I will,” Neil promised. He embraced his brother and the three made their way outside.

Caroline waited until Rob pulled out onto the road and followed. Beneath her tires, the road seemed slick and she mentioned it to Neil. “I hope Rob doesn’t have any trouble.”

“The interstate should be all right,” he said. “And I imagine they’ll keep the road to the airport clean. Snow’s supposed to stop soon so his flight shouldn’t be delayed.”

She peered through the windshield at the whirling snowflakes. “It’s pretty,” she said. “It’s perfect Christmas weather. We didn’t get to have a tree after all, but we’ll have a white Christmas.”

“Looks like it.”

“Are your hands swollen again?”

Neil shrugged. “Maybe a little, but it’ll be all right. Let’s just go home, Carrie.”

He sounded weary and she smiled. “We’ll be there in a few minutes.”

At the house, Caroline parked and handed Neil the keys. “Go ahead and get inside. I’ll get the bag from the hospital and your meds. Then I’ll be right behind you.”

“Okay but hurry.”

“I will.”

As Neil trudged into the house, her mind focused on details. The fire she’d left banked in the woodstove had probably gone out by now and if not, it would still need tending. Neil was due for a couple of the medications he’d been prescribed and they hadn’t had anything since breakfast. Caroline traded her ideas of a home-cooked meal for something easy, maybe canned soup and a grilled cheese sandwich. Right now, she wanted some hot tea and to spend the afternoon in quiet company with Neil.

The wreath she’d placed on the front door cheered her as she entered and the warmth from the woodstove embraced her but neither stopped her. The fragrant aroma of fresh cedar filled her nose and for a moment Caroline thought she imagined it but then she saw the tree. The tall, well-formed red cedar tree stood in the corner beside the kitchen doorway, as real as Christmas, as lovely as a dream. Neil stood beside the wood stove and grinned.

“Do you like it, Carrie?”

“I love it. You did this, but how?”

His grinned widened. “Will cut it down for me day before yesterday, nailed the boards to trunk for a makeshift stand and brought it over to the porch. Rob came over this morning and brought it inside. He also put more wood on the fire so the house wouldn’t be cold when we got here. I know you bought groceries, but I had him pick up frozen lasagna and some breadsticks so you wouldn’t have to cook tonight. You can decorate it instead.”