Page 10 of The Vineyard Bride

But the final thoughts her mind gave her before unconsciousness were,I knew that we weren’t safe.I knew there was something wrong.

She couldn’t shake this eerie feeling, not even in dreamland, where nightmares shrouded her mind.

**

HOSPITAL VISITING HOURSbegan at ten o’clock the following morning.Heavy with anxiety, Lola and Tommy idled in Tommy’s truck outside the hospital at nine-thirty as the radio spat between stations, unable to hold the tune.

Lola had already reported the news of the potential hit-and-run victim’s identity as Tommy’s Great Aunt Beatrice to her sisters, daughter, and niece.The Sheridan Women group chat was a live wire that morning, kicking out words of encouragement, empathy, and confusion all at once.

SUSAN: The poor woman.

CHRISTINE: What was she doing on the island so soon?Your wedding’s not for another few weeks...

AMANDA: I feel terrible that this happened.

AUDREY: Tell us everything when you meet her!

At ten on the dot, Tommy and Lola reported at the front desk of the hospital and followed a nurse in light blue scrubs to Aunt Beatrice’s bedroom, where she’d been moved after the severity of her injuries had dissipated.Lola and Tommy remained wordless until they stood in the doorway, peering down at a very tiny woman with wrists the size of a child’s and dyed blonde hair that curled wildly around her ears and across her shoulders.Her cheeks and arms were covered in gashes from the glass, and she wore a significant bandage across her upper arm, proof that something in the accident had gotten her good.

Two bright blue eyes peered out from the propped-up pillow.After a moment of quiet surprise, Beatrice called out, “Tommy!Is that really you?”

Tommy leaped for the seat at her bedside, drawing both hands forward to take her tender one in his.“Aunt Beatrice.”He staggered through his words, incapable of making much sense.“What are you, I mean.What are you doing here?”

Beatrice’s smile was secretive and genuine, the sort of thing she didn’t show everyone.“I came for your wedding, of course.”

“But Aunt Beatrice, the wedding isn’t for another few weeks,” Tommy protested.

Beatrice cast her eyes to the glittering white sheets.For a split second, Lola thought that maybe the woman was losing her mind.Maybe she’d lost track of the date of the wedding.Maybe the loss of Tommy’s mother, her niece, had devastated her so much that she’d lost her memories, which was what had happened to Lola’s Aunt Willa.

“It’s terribly embarrassing,” Beatrice began tentatively.

“You can tell us anything,” Lola offered hurriedly.“We’re family.”

Beatrice nodded contemplatively, placing her white teeth across her lower lip.“I’ve given my life to my naturopathy practice up in Boston.A few months ago, I parted ways with my long-time partner and closed the practice.In the wake of that closure, I haven’t known quite what to do with myself.So, I applied to work as a naturopathy doctor at the Katama Lodge here on Martha’s Vineyard.I’m so excited at the prospect of living out my last few decades just a little ways away from the both of you.”

Lola, who adored the Katama Lodge and Wellness Spa and the very kind Remington-Grimson-Potter women who worked there, pressed a hand over her heart at the idea.

“I didn’t want to tell you that I had this interview,” Beatrice continued sheepishly.“I have this idea that if you say what you want too loudly to other people, you’ll curse yourself and make it not come true.I guess I’m a tad superstitious.”

“Oh, Aunt Beatrice.You would be fantastic at the Katama Lodge.”Tommy’s voice was tender, like an adoring father.

“Yes, well.The interview is slated for tomorrow!”Beatrice explained.“I don’t suppose I’m in any shape to go talk to Janine Grimson about my current health beliefs.Not with a million slashes across my arms and legs.”

Lola bristled, surprised again at the contrast between this woman’s injuries and the brightness of her personality.

“What happened exactly?”Lola asked finally.

“Gosh, I don’t know.The accident is a blur for me,” Beatrice continued.“I remember I was driving out on State Road.And after that, it’s a blank.”She snapped her fingers to illustrate how quickly it had gone.

“We’re pretty sure that my niece and her boyfriend were involved in the crash, as well,” Lola explained timidly.“And they reported that the person responsible for the accident drove away from the scene of the crash.”

Beatrice’s lips formed a round O.She eyed Tommy, incredulous, as her fourth finger twitched against her leg.“Some people just don’t know how to live in the world, do they?”

Tommy shook his head and dropped his eyes to the ground as though he was too heavy with guilt to deal with it.

“Well, whatever it is they’re going through right now, I wouldn’t wish it on my worst enemy,” Beatrice sounded after that.“The guilt of running away from an accident!Can you imagine?”

Lola couldn’t help but smile.What a surprising thing to say; what a beautiful perspective.Beatrice deserved to be back out in the world, ready to pass on the intricate details of her naturopathy degree and to heal the souls of Martha’s Vineyard, one guest after another.As soon as she got out of that bed, that is.

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