Page 63 of We Redeemed the Rain

The rodeo filtered through my mind. I’d done very little resting and relaxing. Between helping Tag and fretting over music, I'd barely had the chance to breathe. Today was Tuesday. I’d had one night of decent sleep under my belt. I couldn’t explain my weekend to Peter—he would worry himself sick if he knew I’d spent the weekend sleeping in the same semi with a strange man. Peter had no idea Scribbs existed, and I was not about to launch into that explanation right now.

So I said, “Yeah! It’s been…good!”

“Is the ranch nicer than I remember? The only thing I can recall about that place is the leeches.”

I cackled a laugh. “Theleeches.I’d forgotten about them!”

“Yeah, I’d steer clear of the pond if I were you.”

“Thanks for the reminder.” I squished the phone against my shoulder, opened the fridge, and pulled out mayonnaise and turkey. “The ranch is the way I remember it—old fashioned. But I like it here!”

He only grunted a response to let me know he was still present.

“How’re the renovations going?”

“Not bad. Sarah and I got the last room painted and are putting in furniture now.”

“Does that mean you're basically done?”

“Just about.”

“And with plenty of time to spare! Now, you can just focus on getting married.”

“Yeah.”

I frowned to myself. Our conversation felt oddly…stilted? Peter and I were close. Awkward, hesitant conversations didn’t exist between us. He seemed distracted.

“So what’s up? Why did you call me?”

His pause ticked my heart rate up.

“Peter?”

A loud sigh sounded through the phone. “Look, I didn’t want to call you about this…”

The words flung me back into the fears of my childhood. My voice felt strangely hollow, distant from myself. “About what?”

“Mom and Dad said you would be upset if I didn’t call and tell you. I knew that, but I asked the family not to say anything because I don’t want you to change what you’re doing or rush home or anything.”

Warmth pricked behind my eyes, sibling intuition kicking in.

No. Not his health. Please not his health.

“I—I had a seizure late Saturday night.”

Breath rushed from my lungs, my chest tightening. I couldn’t respond.

“I collapsed in the bathroom right after showering. Sarah was with me, thank goodness. I would’ve choked if she wasn’t. At the ER, they did a CT scan and an EEG but neither of them showed any abnormalities. We’re just waiting for the results of the MRI, and I'm scheduled to follow up with a neurologist soon.”

Why? Why is this happening?

I closed my eyes against the mental image his description conjured up. Sarah had to be terrified.

“No abnormalities is a good thing, right?”

“Maybe. The biggest concern is a brain tumor…the tests thus far look hopeful, but of course, that’s still lingering in the back of our minds as we wait to get an all-clear.”

The blood froze in my veins. I couldn’t allow myself to entertain the thought of Peter having another invasive surgery. I swallowed down my emotions, forcing myself to respond. “Was the seizure—a big one?”

---