Hometown Proposal Page 5

  Elise took in the scene with a pinprick of dread. She was proud of her parents’ generosity but worried that her mother’s hospitality would mean more association with Seth. As she tried to squash the self-absorbed thought, she caught movement out of the corner of her eye. Looking in that direction, she spied Bill Daubenmire, an orthopedic surgeon, who was a member of their church.

  Still dressed in his scrubs, the tall, dark-haired doctor approached them. Her heart racing, she gripped the arms of her chair in order to keep from rocketing out of it and demanding answers from him. She tried to read his expression, but it told her nothing.

  “Dr. Daubenmire.” Ray motioned toward Maggie. “This is Seth Finley’s mother, Maggie.”

  Still holding Olivia, Maggie shook the doctor’s hand. “Doctor, what can you tell me about Seth?”

  The doctor’s expression brightened, and a slight smile curved his mouth. “Mrs. Finley, Seth’s in recovery, and his prognosis is guardedly optimistic.”

  Maggie patted Olivia’s back. “When can I see him?”

  “Soon. I’ll have one of the nurses let you know when he’s out of recovery.” Dr. Daubenmire motioned down the hallway. “He’ll be in ICU for at least forty-eight hours, then, hopefully, we can move him to a regular room.”

  “Do you know how long he’ll be in the hospital?” Maggie asked.

  “Since he’s a relatively young man, I expect him to recover fairly fast, but I don’t want to make any predictions at this point.” Dr. Daubenmire looked over the group, then back at Maggie. “If you’d like, I can tell you exactly what we did today during surgery.”

  Maggie nodded. “Please. I would appreciate that.”

  “Okay.” Dr. Daubenmire nodded. “We can talk while we head toward the ICU.”

  “I’ll take Olivia for you.” Barbara held out her arms for the little girl.

  “Thank you.” Maggie hugged Olivia. “Grandma’s going to leave you with Miss Barbara for a few minutes, okay?”

  “’Kay.” Olivia bobbed her little head.

  “I’ll be back very soon.” Maggie placed Olivia in Barbara’s open arms, then waved as she left with Dr. Daubenmire.

  Elise marveled at the way her mother had been able to befriend Olivia in such a short time. Elise could see her mother growing attached to the child already. That attachment didn’t have to involve Elise, but she feared it would.

  Elise looked down and saw the white-knuckled grip she still had on the arm of the chair. Releasing a slow breath, she loosened her hold and eased back in the chair. Seth was going to be okay.

  While the conflicting emotions battled in Elise’s heart and mind, she tried to put the whole thing into perspective. Only a day ago she’d raged against the idea of seeing Seth. She’d wanted nothing to do with him. Now she wanted nothing more than to see him. How was that possible?

  Machines, tubes and wires surrounded Seth as he lay on the hospital bed, thankful to be alive. He could move his fingers and his toes. He wasn’t sure about the rest of his body parts, but the fingers and toes gave him hope for the rest.

  The nurses told him he was doing fine, but the pain medication was making him a little groggy. He had a vague memory of the doctor telling him about the surgery to mend his broken leg and other injuries. Events surrounding the accident flitted in and out of his mind. He couldn’t seem to focus on any of them. He mostly remembered Ray Keller encouraging him and praying while the rescue team worked to extract him from the wreckage. He closed his eyes and thanked God for sparing his life for Olivia’s sake. He wanted to live for that little girl. “Seth.”

  At the sound of the soft female voice, Seth opened his eyes. His mother stood beside his bed. “Hi, Mom.”

  Tears shimmering in her eyes, she stared at him. “How are you?”

  “Alive.”

  “Thank the Lord for that.” She reached for his hand and squeezed it. “I can’t believe this happened to you. I caught a plane as soon as I got the call.”

  “Where’s Olivia?”

  “She’s out in the waiting area with the Kellers.”

  “Why didn’t you bring her to see me?”

  Maggie waved a hand toward the bed. “I didn’t want her to see you like this.”

  “Do I look that bad?”

  “What do you think?”

  “I don’t have any idea how I look.” Seth slowly shook his head.

  “Well, you look like you’ve been in a terrible accident. Besides, I don’t think Olivia would understand all the tubes and wires.” Maggie patted his arm. “I wouldn’t want to scare her.”

  Closing his eyes, Seth nodded his head. “I suppose you’re right.”

  “I’m hoping she can see you when you are transferred to a regular room.”

  Seth opened his eyes. “Did the doctor say when that would be?”

  “He hoped forty-eight hours. Didn’t he tell you?”

  “Maybe. I’ve been very groggy. It hurts to think.”

  “Don’t think.” Maggie patted his arm again. “Would you like to see Elise?”

  “She’s here?”

  Maggie nodded. “She’s out in the waiting room with her family.”

  Seth let that information drift through his fuzzy brain. Despite Elise’s less than enthusiastic reception at her parents’ house, she was here. Could that possibly mean she cared for him, at least a little? “Does she want to see me?”

  “She’s here, isn’t she? If she didn’t want to see you, I doubt she’d be here.”

  Seth tried to smile. “I don’t want to scare her.”

  “I think she’s old enough to handle seeing your injuries.” Maggie returned his smile. “It’s good to see you still have your sense of humor.”

  “Don’t make her come to see me if she doesn’t want to.”

  “I don’t think you have to worry about that.”

  “Are you sure?” Seth wanted to believe his mother, but he kept remembering Elise’s reaction at dinner the previous evening.

  “You know I wasn’t for this move, but after seeing the caring way people have reacted to your accident, I realize I was wrong.” Maggie gave Seth’s hand another squeeze. “The doctor said we had to limit our visitation time, so I’ll go get Elise.”

  Seth watched his mother leave, then closed his eyes.

  When he blinked his eyes open a little while later, Seth wondered whether he was dreaming or whether the woman staring out the window as she sat on the nearby chair was just a painkiller-induced mirage.

  He squeezed his eyes shut, then opened them. She was still there. “Elise?”

  She turned and looked at him. “Seth, you’re awake.”

  “Yeah.” He tried to smile, but even that simple motion brought discomfort. “How long have you been here?”

  She stood but didn’t come closer to the bed. Her shoulders rigid, she appeared ill at ease. “A few minutes. Your mom said I could see you.”

  “I must’ve drifted off. It’s hard to keep my eyes open.” He wondered how bad he looked. Was that why she appeared so uncomfortable, or did being with him make her uncomfortable?

  “I didn’t want to disturb you.” Elise took a step closer to the bed.

  Seth closed his eyes for a moment and pushed away his earlier negative thoughts. He let Elise’s presence fill him with hope. God did answer prayers, but Seth knew he still needed to practice caution. Elise had always been a compassionate person. That was part of what had drawn him to her. And it was part of why he’d lost her. She couldn’t tolerate the way he’d treated Olivia’s mother. True, he’d felt justified at the time. He’d been surprised when Sophie had first contacted him, telling him that their last time together before their breakup had resulted in pregnancy, but he’d been willing to take responsibility. Clearly there was no room in his life for a baby just then, but he could help financially and figure out a way to be a part of his child’s life.

  He’d been thrown when Sophie had insisted that money was all he’d need to provide. But then he’d le
arned that she’d found a new boyfriend and had told him that he was the baby’s father. Furious at the way she’d tried to use him, Seth had cut off all communication with Sophie, until that day in Key West. It wasn’t until he became a Christian that Seth realized how badly he’d behaved then, and how he’d let his anger push him to act so disdainfully in dismissing Sophie and Olivia. Now he had to pray that Elise would believe he’d changed.

  “Thanks for coming.”

  “I can’t stay long.” She took another step closer. “You were in surgery a long time. Nearly four hours. Dad told us how they had to cut you out of the car.” Elise swallowed hard.

  Seth wished he knew what she was thinking, but maybe he didn’t want to know. “Your dad helped me hang on. I don’t remember much except your dad praying.”

  “I’m so sorry you had this accident, but I’m glad he could help.” Elise crossed her arms over her midsection, appearing ill at ease again.

  “Did you see Olivia?”

  Elise nodded. “She’s with your mom now, but she was asking for you.”

  “I wish I could see her, but it probably wouldn’t be a very good idea right now.” Seth’s heart swelled with love for his little girl. He wondered whether Elise could ever share that feeling.

  “I think you’re right. You’re kind of banged up.”

  Seth smiled wryly. “Thanks.”

  Elise hunched her shoulders. “I didn’t mean to insult you.”

  Seth couldn’t help laughing even though it hurt. “No insult taken.”

  “Guess I’d better leave, so you can get some rest.” She turned to go.

  Seth tried to sit up, but he barely had the strength. He didn’t want her to go. If only she would stay. If only she could care for him again. “Elise…”

  Stopping, she turned back. “I hope you recover soon. I’ll be praying for you.”

  He watched her walk away without a backward glance.

  Shutting his eyes, Seth sagged back against the pillow. The sound of Elise’s heels clicking on the tile floor still echoed in his head. Each click had pounded home her goodbye. She hadn’t said one word about seeing him again. The accident may not have killed him, but it had certainly killed his plans to win back Elise’s heart. Unless she was willing to visit him, he had no chance to see her when he was stuck in a hospital bed.

  In the days that followed, Elise used work and school to avoid visiting Seth again. She was a coward and couldn’t bring herself to go into the ICU.

  Elise slammed her book closed and walked to the window that overlooked the front yard. As she took in the sunny day, her mother’s car pulled to a stop at the curb in front of the house.

  Elise watched as her mother, Maggie and Olivia got out of the car and came up the walk toward the front door. Elise’s stomach churned. Why couldn’t they have waited fifteen minutes to show up? Juliane would’ve been home by then and could greet the company. Elise had to answer the door instead of remaining upstairs out of sight.

  The doorbell rang before Elise reached the bottom of the stairs. She took a deep breath and pasted a smile on her face as she opened the door.

  “Hi, dear. Having a good day?” Without waiting for an answer, Barbara marched into the living room, then motioned for Maggie and Olivia to join her.

  “I’ve been studying. I have a big paper to write for one of my classes.” Elise turned to Maggie. “How’s Seth?”

  “Doing better. They moved him out of ICU and into a regular room today.”

  “That’s good to hear.”

  “We took Olivia to see him for the first time.” Maggie glanced down at her granddaughter.

  “Hi, ’Lise.” Olivia reached out and pulled on Elise’s pant leg. “Daddy hurt.”

  “I know.” Elise hunkered down next to Olivia. “I’ve been praying for your daddy. I’m glad he’s getting better.”

  Barbara tapped Elise’s shoulder. “We came over to find out whether you’d be able to watch Olivia on Friday while Seth’s belongings are unloaded from the moving van. Since you don’t have class on Friday, I thought you could help.”

  Standing, Elise saw a test in her mother’s request. Now Elise knew why her mother had stopped by rather than calling. With Maggie and Olivia standing there, how could Elise refuse to watch the little girl? She felt the pressure to comply, drawing her back into Seth’s life. “I should be able to do that.”

  Maggie’s expression was painted with relief. “Thank you. Thank you. Having you watch her will make the move so much easier.”

  “I’m glad to help.” Even as Elise said it she realized she meant it. Despite everything, she wanted to help.

  “Wonderful!” Barbara clasped her hands. “That’ll work for this week. I’m working on a plan for us to watch Olivia once Maggie returns home.”

  “When will that be?” Elise took in the conversation with growing dread. What was her mother thinking? Fearing the direction in which this conversation appeared to be heading, Elise wished she could somehow send her mother a mental message.

  “Unless Seth takes a turn for the worse, which is unlikely now, I have to be back to work on Monday.”

  “We’ll take care of Olivia, won’t we?” Barbara turned to Elise.

  Before Elise could formulate her reply, Maggie eyed Elise. “Could we talk?”

  Swallowing hard, Elise wasn’t sure what to think of Maggie’s question. Did it have to do with watching Olivia or something else? “Sure.”

  Barbara took Olivia’s hand. “While you two talk, Olivia and I’ll see about finding something to entertain us.”

  Elise watched her mother and Olivia disappear down the hallway toward Juliane’s office. Did her mother know what Maggie intended to say? Was that why her mother was leaving—to give them some privacy? “What did you want to talk about?”

  Maggie licked her lips, then took a deep breath. “I know you and Seth didn’t part on the best of terms, but he wants to make things right between you.”

  Elise didn’t know how to take Maggie’s statement. How did Seth want to make things right?

  Maggie didn’t wait for Elise to respond. “Please give Seth a chance to talk with you.”

  “Today?”

  “I know he’d like that.”

  “Is he up to it? He was pretty groggy when I saw him the last time.”

  “He asked for you.”

  Elise didn’t know how to react. Mixed feelings about Seth charged into her thoughts. Part of her wanted to find an excuse not to see him, but the other part knew she had to give him a chance. The pressure to deal with him was coming at her from all quarters, and she couldn’t make excuses to avoid him any longer. Besides, maybe Juliane was right. Maybe this was what she needed to finally put the whole mess behind her. “I’ll try my best to find time to see him.”

  Maggie touched Elise’s arm. “I understand this can’t be easy, so I appreciate it.”

  Elise couldn’t fault Maggie’s concern for her son, and she seemed to understand any reticence Elise might feel about the visit. “Thanks for understanding.”

  Olivia ran back into the room as she waved a piece of paper over her head. “Gramma, see my picture?”

  “Very nice.” Smiling, Maggie patted Olivia on the top of the head. “Tell me about your drawing.”

  “That’s Daddy.” Olivia held up her coloring sheet higher so Elise could see.

  “That’s very colorful.” Elise glanced at the paper covered with a swirl of scribbles that looked nothing like a human, but the jumble of lines must have said “Daddy” to Olivia.

  “You take it.” Smiling, Olivia held up the paper.

  “Thanks.” Reaching it, Elise noticed for the first time how Olivia’s little smile reminded her of Seth’s—the smile that used to make her heart trip. A gamut of emotions inundated her as she held the crisp paper.

  Barbara glanced at Elise. “You should put Olivia’s drawing on your refrigerator.”

  Elise smiled at her mother. “Okay.”

  As Elis
e entered the kitchen, Juliane walked in from the garage. Elise slapped the picture on the refrigerator with a magnet advertising Keller’s Variety, the family department store. “Hi, Juliane. We have company.”

  “So I see.” Juliane plunked her purse and satchel on the kitchen table. “You don’t seem very happy about it.”

  Elise nodded toward the living room. “I’ll fill you in after they leave.”

  “Okay.” Juliane headed into the living room.

  Elise followed Juliane and stood off to the side as Juliane greeted their mother, Maggie and Olivia. After a few minutes of conversation that included filling in Juliane about the plans for watching Olivia, the visitors left.

  After the door closed, Juliane turned to Elise. “I see what has you a little unhappy.”

  “The plans for watching Olivia are only part of it.” Shaking her head, Elise sighed. “Seth’s mother asked me to visit with him because he wants to talk with me. Something about making things right between us.”

  Juliane nodded and gave Elise a knowing look. “I’m in complete agreement. It’s time to deal with Seth. Get the talk over with, and after that, if you want to keep your distance, at least you’ve gotten the discussion out of the way.”

  Elise didn’t want to admit that her sister was right, but she was. “Okay. I might as well get it over with. I’m going to go up to the hospital after we eat supper. Will you go with me?”

  “How are you going to talk to him if I’m there?”

  “I just need your support when we first get there.”

  “You mean, after we’re there for a few minutes I can make my excuses and leave?”

  “Yeah. That’s kind of what I had in mind.” Elise made her way into the kitchen to start cooking supper. While she worked, she tried to figure out what she was going to say to Seth. One thing topped the list. Why did he now have custody of Olivia?

  Chapter Five

  Elise hoped the beauty of the setting sun that painted the sky in red and gold was a good sign for this visit with Seth. Taking a deep breath in an effort to calm her herself, she walked into the hospital, holding the door open for Juliane.