Page 98 of A Beach House Beginning

“We’d better get her into her bed. She’ll be postictal for a while.”

“What’s that?” Jace asked.

Christa didn’t want to take time to answer him, but Ellen did it for her. “It’s a postseizure state. Almost semiconscious. Seizures exhaust the system, and Hope usually sleeps for a long time after she has one.”

He seemed overwhelmed by the information, but he nodded. “I’ll carry her into her bed.”

Before Christa could object, he scooped Hope into his arms without effort and carried her through the doorway to her bedroom.

“I can handle things from here,” Christa said. After a moment, he nodded and slipped out of the room, and she quickly changed Hope into a nightgown, administered her evening meds through her G-tube and checked her vital signs.

When she returned to the family room, she found Ellen and Jace sitting together on the couch. His eyes were dark, haunted.

“It’s absolutely not your fault, my dear,” Ellen said in her serene voice, patting his hand. She spied Christa. “Tell him, sweetheart. Jace isn’t to blame, is he?”

She was so angry at the world, at fate, athim. Though she knew it was harsh of her, she couldn’t bring herself to answer, and her silence was condemnation enough.

Ellen frowned at her but said nothing. If possible, Jace looked even more upset.

“I should go.”

“Yes. You should.”

His mouth tightened, and this time Ellen narrowed her gaze. She opened her mouth, but Christa cut off her reprimand before she could utter it.

“I’ll walk you out,” she said to Jace in a much gentler voice.

He rose and said goodbye to Ellen, then followed Christa outside. The evening had cooled considerably, typical for spring in the high desert valleys, and she shivered and crossed her arms over her chest.

“You really think the seizure is my fault?”

As much as she would have liked to confirm it, her conscience wouldn’t let her, especially when she heard how upset he sounded.

“Maybe a little bit but not completely. Like Ellen said, Hope sometimes has seizures for no reason at all.” She paused. “You push her harder than my mother or I do. I’m not sure that’s a bad thing. She’s made great progress these last few weeks, in large part because of you.”

“That’s something, I guess.”

“Yes.”

A cold breeze blew down out of the mountains and she shivered. “When are you leaving Sage Flats?” she finally asked.

Great. More guilt to add to his plate. Jace let out a breath, playing for time. “Why do you ask?”

“I just wondered. You’ve already been here nearly a month. That’s some kind of a record for you, isn’t it?”

He grimaced. Yeah, it was. About three weeks longer than he usually stayed. “I didn’t realize I had a time limit for staying at my own ranch.”

“You don’t. Of course you don’t.”

He sighed, not sure why he was suddenly so reluctant to tell her he had already made the decision to leave. He owed her honesty if nothing else.

“I’m due in Texas in a few days to meet with my business manager to look over some investments.”

She nodded, and he had the distinct impression she wasn’t at all surprised. Was he sending out some kind of one-boot-out-the-door vibe?

“Are you coming back to Sage Flats?”

“I haven’t figured that out yet. I’m sure I’ll be back eventually.”

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