Page 76 of The Art of Loving Lacy
Sheila turned to face her. Her eyes were wet and puffy, and her slim, upturned nose was pink from crying. Her hair was a long, tangled mess. Her shirt had come untucked from her shorts and hung awkwardly from one side.
Lacy embraced her. “I’m so sorry,” she said through her own tears.
“Where are the kids?” Sheila managed. She clutched a handful of tissues in her trembling hands.
“Dane’s with them.”
Sheila nodded. “He’s okay?”
“Yeah, seems to be. What did they say about Rob?”
Fresh sobs ripped from her chest. “He…They said if he wakes up soon, then he’ll have less of a chance of any deficits.”
Deficits. He was going to quit today, and now he might have deficits.“If…? Do they think…?” Lacy wiped the tears that streamed down her cheeks.
“I don’t know. They don’t know. Dane thought a nine-foot shark whacked his head and knocked him unconscious. A freaking shark.” Sheila covered her face. “This is why…” Sobs swallowed her voice.
A shark. This is real. This could happen to Dane. Or worse.
“What am I going to do? I can’t live without Rob. The kids need him. What if he doesn’t wake up?” Sheila stood and touched Rob’s cheek. “He’s my life.”
Lacy reached for Sheila again.
Sheila didn’t collapse in to her this time. She grabbed Lacy by the shoulders. Her dark eyes were filled with fear and venom. Her thin lips turned down at the edge in an angry frown. “Lacy, this could be you and Dane. This is what I was so afraid of.”
No. I don’t want to hear it. Please stop. Stopstopstop.
“Honey, I know you love him, but think about it. This is real, Lacy. Real.”
“I’m sorry, Sheila. I’m so sorry,” Lacy said, and they fell into each other’s arms and held on tight. “What can I do? Who should I call? We can stay with the kids for as long as you need us to.”
“I called my parents. They’re on their way. I know Dane’s going to feel guilty, and the doctor said he saved Rob’s life. Please tell him thank you for me. Please tell him that I don’t blame him. I know Dane, and he’ll blame himself.” Sheila took Rob’s hand in hers again.
“I will.”
“What did you tell the kids?” Sheila asked.
“Nothing. I didn’t know what you wanted me to tell them. They’re so sweet, and they are very worried. Do you want me to sit with Rob while you go see them?” Lacy asked.
“Should I? I don’t want to leave him.” Sheila looked from Rob to Lacy and back again.
Her eyes widened, and Lacy knew she wanted her to give her the answer. “I don’t know. I’m not a mom, but I think they’d want to know you’re okay and hear something about their dad.”
“What if it upsets them more, and then I have to leave them again?” she asked.
“I wish I had the answers.” Lacy reached for her arm, just to reassure her that she wasn’t alone in all of this. “I can tell them whatever you want if you’d rather.”
“No, I should do it. Will you stay with Rob? I want him to know someone’s here with him.” Sheila stood and moved toward the door. “I’ll only be a few minutes.”
“Of course.”
As she sat alone in the room with Rob, the machine beeped in a constant eerie cadence—a gruesome reminder of Rob’s condition. Lacy crossed to the other side of the bed and noticed the bandages covering the left side of his face.A nine-foot shark whacked his head.She reached for her thigh and wondered if his cheek looked the same beneath the bandage. A flash of pain ran through her leg as she remembered being grazed by the shark.
She thought of the pride she’d seen in his eyes when he looked at Charlie and the love she’d seen for Sheila and Katie. He had been so vital last night. Now his skin had lost its sheen. It looked pasty, like it had lost all of its elasticity.How can that happen overnight?Anger stirred deep in her belly.A shark whacked his head.
This was a choice.Nobody forced him to dive. He chose this lifestyle. Dane chose this lifestyle.For all these years, Rob has done what he loves doing with little regard for what it does to the people who love him.She could replaceRobwithDane. With little regard for what it does to the people who love him.Her hands began to shake.Would you give up your career for me?Why hadn’t she seen his answer for what it was?Come on, Lace.He’d said it like she was asking a silly question. It wasn’t a silly question.And now. Now?She looked at Rob and felt a thread of longing for the man he had been the day before.
Sheila returned to the room, and Lacy’s whole body was shaking.
