Page 37 of An Engagement for Erica

HE HAS YOU

“You worked late tonight,” Harmony said when she walked in the door at nine.

“I haven’t been at work the whole day,” she said, kicking her shoes off. “I need a glass of wine. Do you want one?”

“I’ll get it,” her sister said. “Do you want to change? I hate to say it, but you look like hell. I’m nervous if I should give you this. Maybe you’re having a relapse.”

“No,” she said. “It’s not me. I need the wine though.” She plopped on the couch and let out a huff of air, then wiggled her toes. Her sister was rushing back in with the wine while she stretched her arms over her head.

“Tell me what is going on,” Harmony said.

“I just came from the hospital,” she said. “New Haven.”

“Are you okay?” Harmony asked, putting her glass down and rushing over. Erica barely got the first sip before her sister yanked it out of her hand.

“Hey,” she said. “Give it back.”

“Not until you tell me what is going on.”

“Tucker’s grandfather had a hemorrhagic stroke this morning.”

“Aww,” Harmony said, her eyes filling some. “Here, down it and I’ll go get the bottle. You should have let me know.”

She’d only told her sister she’d be late and nothing else.

Since they’d lived together for years with both of them having crazy hours, neither of them would think anything of it.

She took her sister’s advice and downed the glass of wine, then Harmony filled it again.

“Where are you going?” she asked as her sister ran back into the kitchen.

“Food,” she said. “You’ll need it so you don’t get a headache.”

She smiled and then sniffled some. Her sister, who her mother always said was more or less an airhead, was anything but.

“Thank you,” she said when Harmony returned with a bag of pre-cut cheese and a box of crackers, a little baggie of grapes. Perfect. No one said it had to be laid out nice on a plate in her eyes.

Well, her mother would say that.

Tasted the same to her when she popped two grapes in her mouth and chewed.

“So fill me in on what is going on.”

She told her sister about the meeting and then the interruption, Tucker running out of the room and calling her to get their father.

“Were you able to get a hold of Dad?” Harmony asked.

“He was in surgery. I told them who I was and that it was an emergency and if they could pass him the information as I knew other doctors were calling too.”

“Good for you,” Harmony said. “You and that businesslike voice of yours.”

She laughed. “I didn’t start that way but then added it after. I hated throwing names around, but TC Nelay is well known,so once I said who the patient was, they were a bit more cooperative.”

“So you didn’t talk to Dad?” Harmony asked.

“Not then, I didn’t,” she said. “I waited on hold, they sent someone in to deliver the message and Dad said that he was finishing up and would be ready to take TC, but if he wasn’t stable and Dad got held up, someone else might have to step in.”

“That’s better than nothing,” Harmony said.

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