Page 37 of Love in the Wild

Mom looked fine but a little tired. Some of the tightness in Hadley’s chest loosened. Every time something went wrong with her mom’s health, it triggered a massive response from Hadley. Her mom got a hangnail, and Hadley was transported straight back to the day she got the call about her mom’s stroke.

“Hey. How do you feel?” Hadley asked as she sat on the side of her mom’s bed.

“I’m fine,” her mom said slowly.

“She’s really okay. Sorry I worried you,” Cheyenne said.

“What happened?”

“You remember when she bumped her leg on the doorframe a few weeks ago?”

“Yeah.” Of course she remembered. Every detail of her mom’s life took up space in Hadley’s head and never let go. Her mom’s mobility wasn’t great, and bumps and bruises were common occurrences.

Cheyenne pulled back the blanket draped over their mom’s legs. A gauze patch covered most of their mom’s shin, and blood was starting to seep through the cotton.

“She developed a blood clot, and it burst,” Cheyenne said.

Hadley rubbed her temples, trying to recall everything she knew about blood clots. What little she did know wasn’t making the situation clearer. “I was just here an hour ago.”

“They decided to drain it,” Cheyenne said.

“That sounds bad. How bad is that?”

Her mom’s hand reached out and rested on Hadley’s shoulder. “It’s not bad. They’re taking care of it.”

“Are you sure? What are the possible complications? Will you be okay after they do that?”

Cheyenne took Hadley’s hand and squeezed it. “It’ll be okay. The doctor seemed very certain about what it is and what they should do.”

Hadley took a deep breath and nodded. One of the things she loved about this facility was the attentiveness of the doctors and nurses. They’d been so good to her mom ever since she arrived. “Okay. Sorry I freaked out.”

Cheyenne chuckled. “You should have seen me when I got here.”

Their mom let out a chuckle that mirrored Cheyenne’s. “She’s right. But we prayed, and we both feel better about everything now.”

“I prayed too, but maybe I need to do it again,” Hadley said.

Cheyenne looked at their mom with a true smile. If she’d been worried, it was all gone now. “Ava said she’s got everyone at the ranch praying.”

The vices around Hadley’s spine started to loosen. Just knowing they had a group of friends praying for their mom’s condition soothed some of the tension in Hadley’s body.

What would their life be like if they hadn’t ended up in Blackwater? They’d probably still be in Tennessee struggling through every paycheck and terrifying diagnosis. Their mom wouldn’t be cared for like this. Cheyenne wouldn’t be marrying Ridge, and she wouldn’t have met and bonded with her dad.

They wouldn’t have found God and turned over their lives to Him. That was for sure. They’d still be struggling along on their own. The emptiness of that life still haunted Hadley from time to time, and she’d been running at break-neck speed toward God ever since.

There was a knock at the door, and Doctor Estes walked in. His stethoscope draped over his shoulders, and he wore a green plaid button-up with khaki slacks. “Morning.” He stopped at the foot of their mom’s bed. “How are you feeling?”

“Great. My flowers are here.” Their mom gestured to Hadley and Cheyenne.

“How’s your pain? One to ten.”

“Six,” their mom said.

Doctor Estes explained the procedure and recovery. He explained the status of the clot and warning signs he would be watching out for during the draining. The longer the doctor talked, the more at ease Hadley became.

Doctor Estes promised the nurses would be by soon to prep their mom for the procedure, and waved farewell. Cheyenne talked about wedding plans until the nurses came to move their mom to a different room.

When they were the only ones left, Cheyenne sighed. “Whew. It’s been a day.”

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