Page 6 of Buried Dreams

“She is not fine,” the doctor corrects me. “I’m Dr. Cardinal, but you can call me Oliver. I’ve been telling her for years that she’s burning the candle at both ends.” He looks at me and then through the window. “If you weren’t on the phone with her, we would have lost her.” His voice trails off. “She needs to be off her feet for at least six weeks.”

“You think you’ll stop her from doing things for six weeks?” I ask, trying not to laugh.

“I’m hoping you can help me with that,” he says, and I want to ask him so many questions, but his phone buzzes. “We are going to run tests today, and depending on the results, she could be here for a week. I have to go, but I’ll see you later.”

“Oh, I’ll see you all right,” I assure him, watching him walk away. Instead of leaving, I walk back into the room and go to my mother and bend to kiss her cheek. “I love you, Momma,” I say softly, but for once, she doesn’t answer me.

I walk out with my head hanging, spotting Mrs. Gregory waiting for me. She holds her arms open for me, and I give her a hug. “I don’t know how to thank you,” I say. “If you weren’t there…”

“Hush yourself,” she scolds, letting me go. “I’m going to go home and get some sleep and come back later.”

I nod at her as we walk out together, but she goes one way while I go the other. I get into my car and head down Main Street. My eyes roam down the empty street as I park and let myself into the little bakery store my mother used to work at and then bought from the old owner when he retired.

I turn the lights on and head to the fridge to take the big bowl out. I ignore the burning of my eyes as I start doing all the things I need to do. I’m taking the last batch of donuts out of the oil when I hear the bells for the front door jingle. I look over, seeing it’s just after seven. Wiping my hands, I walk out of the back, seeing a brown box on the counter.

“Hi,” the woman says, smiling at me.

“Hey,” I greet her as I walk over and look into the box to see there are cellophane-wrapped cakes.

“Are you okay?” she asks with worry in her voice, and I can’t even imagine how I feel.

“You must be Harmony, the girl who bakes the cakes,” I say, totally ignoring the question of if I’m okay. I’m not okay, but I know if I stop, I’ll collapse in a puddle in the middle of the floor.

“I am.” She nods at me.

“I’m Everleigh,” I introduce myself, “Ms. Maddie’s daughter.” Saying my mother’s name breaks me a little as I blink away the tears that are threatening to come back. “She had a heart attack last night.” Harmony’s hand goes to her mouth to stop the gasp. “Luckily, I was on the phone with her when it happened, and I was able to get her neighbor to help her, so the ambulance got there in time.”

“Oh my.” Her own tears now run down her cheeks. “Is she okay?”

“She was resting this morning when I left the hospital,” I say. “Doctor says she needs to stay off her feet and rest.” I exhale, trying to control my breathing and making sure I don’t sob. “But she’s stubborn, and unless I’m going to stay here and watch her—” I shake my head. “So now, here I am for the next little while.” I decided it as soon as I saw her lying in that bed.

“Is there anything I can do to help?” she asks, and I just shake my head. “I have another one in the truck.” She points at the box on the counter before turning and walking out of the store. When I look up, my eyes go to the mechanic shop smack in the middle of the block, facing Main Street. You can’t miss it once you get to the intersection. You either have to turn right or left or drive right into it. My chest contracts as I look over at the windows. Seeing a couple of men arriving, I scan to see if I’m able to see him.

The door opens again, forcing my eyes to go back to see Harmony place another box on the counter. “Do you have my number?” she asks. “If you want to take my number down, let me know if you need anything.”

I pull my phone out of my back pocket when she gives me her number, and I text her.

561-277-6498: It’s Everleigh.

“That’s my number in case you need to get in touch with me about the deliveries,” I say as she does something on her phone.

“Do you know when they are discharging her from the hospital?” she asks, and I take a big inhale, thinking back at the scene that happened this morning.

“I might have to get cuffs and cuff her to the bed,” I mumble. “From what the doctor said, depending on the results of her tests today, it could be up to five days.”

“I’ll let you get back to work,” she says as the door opens, and I see a couple of customers come in. “I’ll see you tomorrow.”

I smile at her. “I’ll be here,” I confirm. My eyes go to the mechanic shop, wishing like hell I wasn’t here in the town where I lost two of my best friends and the man I thought I would love for the rest of my life. A man I thought I would marry and have children with. A man who shattered my heart, and it’s never, ever been the same since. I don’t think it ever will be. “For however long I need to be here.”

Chapter Three

BROCK

The chimes start ringing, and I absentmindedly throw my hand on the side table and hit the phone. My eyes open, and I wince at the bright sunlight coming into the room. It was a long-ass night, and for whatever reason, I couldn’t fall asleep for anything. I tossed and turned from when I got into bed at nine o’clock until the last time I checked the clock, which was after three in the morning. My chest was all tight, the nervousness was all over me, and I had no idea why. I’m going to be hurting today. I rub my face with my hands before tossing the covers off me.

Getting out of bed and shuffling my feet toward the bathroom, I shut the door before walking over to the toilet. Something I started doing when Saige turned six, two years ago, and she had more questions about why “my thing” was big in the morning. When she’s here with me, I make sure the door is closed. I grab a pair of shorts before I walk over to the sink and turn on the cold water. Cupping my hands under it, I bend at the waist to splash water on my face. The coldness isn’t fucking doing anything to wake me up. I grab a towel and dab it on my face before I walk out and hear the alarm again.

Picking up my phone, I see I have ten minutes before I have to get Saige up and ready for school. I walk out of my bedroom and into the kitchen, then go around the island and straight to the coffee machine. Pressing the button on top of it to start it, I go over to the drawer beside the stove and grab a pan. The smell of coffee fills the room as I open the stainless-steel fridge, remove two eggs from the tray, then open the drawer on the bottom and grab the bag of frozen sausage patties. I put it all on the counter beside the stove before pulling open the cabinet and grabbing a mug. I take a sip and then make my way over to the other side of the house to wake up Saige.

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