Page 13 of Ms. Patti
“Momma’s fine, Dad. She’s at Mercy General with a sprained ankle. They’re waiting for x-rays to see if it’s broken.”
“Why didn’t she call? How’d she get hurt?” The gruffness in his dad’s voice didn’t fool Rafe. He knew the man was close to tears, the emotional upheaval of not knowing where his wife might be, whether she was hurt or worse taking its toll. After having his own health issues not that long ago, Rafe worried the stress of his wife being missing might exacerbate his heart issues.
“I’m not sure of all the details. I got a call from the Ferguson’s son. Apparently, he found Momma after she’d hurt her ankle, and took her for medical help.” Rafe deliberately didn’t tell his dad about her blacking out. Better he found that out after they got to the hospital.
“William and Beverly’s boy?”
“Yes. He’s in Shiloh Springs watching over their place while William’s in the hospital. Last I heard they’re getting ready to move him to a rehab facility, to work on getting his strength back.”
“Good. You said Mercy General? I’m gonna head that way—”
“Where are you now? Let me come pick up you and drive you there.”
“I’m in town, close to Edna’s B&B.”
Which meant his dad was at least thirty to forty minutes in the opposite direction from him, and he’d have to backtrack to pick up him.
“Stay where you are, and I’ll pick you up, and we’ll head straight to the hospital.”
“Son, I can drive myself.”
“I know you can, Dad, but I think it’s best we go together. You can be with Momma, and I’ll get a chance to talk with Mr. Ferguson, get a few more details. Plus, there’s no sense in both of us driving to the same place separately.”
His dad sighed. “Fine, I’ll wait here, but you’d best hurry. You momma needs me.” Rafe could almost hear the unspoken “and I need her.”
“I’m on my way.”
Disconnecting the call, Rafe quickly typed a group text to his brothers, letting them know to call off the search, that Momma was safe, and for them to let all the women know so they’d stop worrying. He sent another quick text to Tessa, to let her know he was heading to the hospital.
Within seconds, his phone exploded with text messages, which he ignored. He didn’t have time to spend on the phone answering everyone individually. They’d all get the message soon enough. Smiling, he put the car in gear and made a U-turn, headed back toward town, listening to the pinging as the texts kept coming.
The lightness in his heart was reflected in his smile as he realized once again how much his family loved each other, and especially loved the woman who was their touchstone. Their lynchpin. Everything was going to be alright, because Momma had been found.
CHAPTER SEVEN
Beth placed a hand on her distended stomach, the seatbelt firmly secured beneath her burgeoning belly. Thankfully, Tessa had driven her car today instead of bringing Rafe’s pickup, because there was no way she’d have been able to heft her bulk high enough to get into the cab of the truck. Taking a deep breath, she breathed out slowly through her mouth, barely watching the scenery whiz past the window. Tessa was muttering under her breath, something about the worst possible timing, that she wasn’t ready, and she’d have to call Brody. Beth agreed with the lousy timing part, but calling Brody seemed a little premature.
Fortunately, the pains had stopped once she got into her sister’s car, so maybe it had been false labor and not the real thing back at the church.
She’d had several episodes of Braxton Hicks contractions when she’d been pregnant with Jamie, and she prayed that was the case here. While she couldn’t wait to hold her newborn son in her arms, watch Brody’s face when he became a daddy, today wasn’t the day for it to happen. Not with Ms. Patti missing, and especially not with the renewal celebration scheduled for tomorrow. Everybody had worked so hard to bring the big event into fruition and she’d be darned if she ruined it.
“Junior, do Mommy a favor. Settle down and stay calm. You need to wait a couple more days, okay? Mommy loves you very much, but your timing needs a little work, kiddo.”
“Hang in there, Sis. I’ll get you to the clinic as fast as I can.”
“Tessa, stop worrying. Everything’s going to be fine. I told you, I think it’s false labor. Probably all the stress of getting stuff finished, and the whole not knowing where Ms. Patti is at that’s making me anxious. I haven’t had any pain since we left the church.”
Tessa glanced in her direction, a frown across her face. “Really? Because you keep rubbing your belly. You’ve been doing it almost nonstop since you got in the car.”
“I swear, I’m not in pain. As for rubbing my tummy, I didn’t realize I was doing it, although I’ve caught myself doing it a lot when I talk to Junior. Habit, I guess. Besides, it makes me feel closer to him.”
Tessa blew out a breath, her bangs ruffling against her forehead. “I know I’m being paranoid, but I want everything to go smoothly with this birth. Evan was such a jerk to me when Jamie was born, I felt kind of cheated of the whole being an aunt for the first time experience. With this little one, I know it’s going to be different. Brody is so excited about becoming a dad and he’s being wonderful about the whole thing.”
My ex-husband, Evan, was a big fat jerk. I only wish I’d opened my eyes earlier and realized what a monster he was, instead of being willfully blind. But my ex is out of the picture for good, may he rot in prison. “Tessa, I’m so sorry for the way he treated you.”
“He treated you worse. You had to live with him every day. You are one of the strongest women I’ve ever met, and I’m so proud of you. You didn’t allow him to crush your spirit or your courage, and you reached out with both hands to create a new beginning for yourself and for Jamie. We’ve always been family, but now we’re part of something more. Something bigger and better than I could have ever imagined, and we are loved. It’s a wonderful feeling, isn’t it?” Tessa smiled, her eyes brimming with unshed tears. “I think our parents are looking down and smiling, knowing we both have men in our lives who cherish us.”
Beth reached up and wiped at the tears streaming down her cheeks. “Now look what you’ve done. You made me cry, darn it.”
