Page 18 of Beyond Reach

“Your wrist.” Papa Colm held out his hand.

She sighed and slipped her jacket off. Both of them gasped. Papa Colm examined her wrist, gently prodding it and apologizing when she winced.

“I haven’t worked in emergency medicine for many years, but I would hazard to guess it’s sprained. You need to go to the hospital.”

“I’ll—”

Mrs. Driscoll cut her off. “At least get a bandage from the pharmacy and wrap it. The bandage will provide support and ease some of the pain.”

“Thank you. I will.”

Papa Colm released her hand, and she tucked it into her lap. For some reason, she was feeling weepy again.

“Now,” he said in a low tone. “Shall we discuss the matter of you miscarrying my grandchild?”

Chapter 8

Chanda’s mouth dropped open. It took several minutes for her to pull herself together, enough to comment on what Papa Colm had just said. “Come again?”

“You heard me. You had an accident, which took the lives of your parents. At the same time, you miscarried your child.”

She ground her teeth. “How do you know that?”

“The question is, why doesn’t my son know it?”

Her body threatened to fall off the chair. “You told him?”

“No, I didn’t, and he won’t hear it from me.”

“Well, I haven’t told anyone. So why do you know?”

“Some of my closest friends work at the hospital where you were treated. Make no mistake. We don’t go around violating patients’ rights. I pursued the matter because I worried about you. My friend confided in me, knowing you were Garner’s girlfriend at the time. This person worried about the mental impact of the loss because you were so young.”

Chanda ducked her head, thinking hard. The surge of emotion rocked and reeled inside, and she worked to keep a lid on it.

Mrs. Driscoll spoke up. “You were alone, Chanda. Can you understand the extenuating circumstances of us pushing to learn everything?”

“No, I can’t. It sounds like you just wanted to control Garner’s life, like you control his brothers’ lives.”

“Do we?” Papa Colm raised his eyebrows.

Chanda had no idea if what she claimed was true. Her feelings were hurt that they knew her secret, making her vulnerable. At any time, they might have told Garner, and in her own way, she’d wanted to protect him from the truth.

“Why didn’t you tell him?” Mrs. Driscoll asked.

“What difference did it make? Our baby was gone. There was nothing I could do about that.”

Mrs. Driscoll touched her hand. “You could have mourned the baby together. I know how much it hurts to lose a child. Did you know that my oldest son isn’t the first?”

“You’re kidding?”

“No, my first child was born very ill, and he passed within a few months of his birth.”

“Your situation was worse,” Chanda whispered.

“A sweet baby is a sweet baby, and he’s your whole world.”

Chanda pressed a hand over her mouth, and Mrs. Driscoll slid her chair around the table to wrap an arm across Chanda’s shoulders. Chanda could do nothing but allow the affection and comfort the woman shared. She saw Mrs. Driscoll in a whole new light and liked her more than she had when she first met her.

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