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Doc Rayburn was standing beside Mary on a gurney and the EMTs were about to wheel her out the door. Jared’s first thought was if they weren’t care flighting her, then she couldn’t be too serious. Only the oxygen mask gave him pause. “How is she, doc?”
The older man who had been caring for their family since before he was born sighed. “We’ll run some tests at the hospital, but she’s still unconscious.”
“That’s not good, is it?” He didn’t need a medical degree to know the longer you were out the more serious the prognosis.
“Depends.” Doc pressed his lips tightly together then laid a hand on his forearm. “I gave your mother a light sedative. She’s pretty shook up. You check on her and I’ll let you know as soon as we have more info on Mary.”
He bobbed his head and hurrying after the gurney in the front doorway, took hold of Mary’s chilled hand. “Don’t you worry about Jake. I’ll take care of him till you get back. But you’d better hurry and get well fast. I don’t want to make my own bed.”
The doc chuckled as the EMTs carried her the rest of the way to the truck. “If she heard you, that should get her up.” He patted Jared on the back. “I’m going to head to the hospital myself. I’ll let you know when we know more.”
“Thanks.” Jared extended his hand to shake the doc’s and then let his gaze follow the ambulance down the driveway. Standing frozen in place, his mind fixated on Mary’s pale face. He’d been concerned by the frantic tone in his mother’s voice, but seeing their beloved housekeeper so fragile and pasty and out cold, he understood where the fear had come from. He simply couldn’t imagine their home without Mary around.
“Your mom is in the parlor with my grandparents.” The slight touch on his arm reminded him he wasn’t alone. “Do you want us to leave?”
“No!” The single word came out more harshly than he’d intended. “No. Thank you. I think… Mom would appreciate the company.”
Eve’s head tipped up and down slowly, but her expression seemed almost as lost as he felt.
“And so would I.” They’d only spent a few days together, but if he’d learned one thing in all his years of bachelorhood, it was that hiding behind bravado got him nowhere. Fast.
Eve pushed up on her tippy toes and kissed him on the cheek. “I’ll stay as long as you need me.” Patting his arm again, she turned and walked to the parlor while he resisted the urge to lift his hand and touch his cheek where her lips had been.
“She’s feeling better.” The Governor sat beside his wife.
His mom was on the other side of Lila Baron. “She looked so still.”
“It will be all right. Doc Rayburn is wonderful.” Lila patted his mother’s hand. “You’ll see.”
Eve looked from the three people on the large sofa over her shoulder toward the hall. A slight frown descended over her brows. “Doesn’t Mary have a grandson?”
“Oh.” His mother gasped. “What are we going to tell little Jake?”
“Nothing yet.” Jared walked to the bar and poured his mom more water. “He’s at camp till the end of the week. By then I’m sure Mary will be fine.” At least he hoped so. Mary was the only family the little boy had.
His mom nodded. “You’re right. Thank heavens this was camp week. I can’t imagine how scared that poor little boy would have been if he’d found his Grammy on the floor like that. I’m not blaming God for Mary’s fall, but you know he’s got a hand in protecting everyone.”
All heads in the room bobbed in agreement. Jared looked at his watch, wondering how long before he’d have any news.
“I put in a call to the chief of staff at the hospital. The second they know anything, we’ll know.” The Governor seemed to be reading his mind. “If you want to head over and see to it that all is well, we’ll stay here with your mother.”
“No.” His mom shook her head. “I’m feeling rather sleepy. The pills the doctor gave me must be kicking in. I’ll just go home before I fall asleep.”
“Nonsense.” Ms. Lila patted her hand again. “The Governor and I will take you home. Explain to your husband what’s happened.”
The second his mother nodded her approval, he knew just how shook up she’d been. Like Ms Lila, under normal circumstances his mom was a force to be reckoned with. Right now, for the first time, he realized she wasn’t getting any younger. “I’ll head to the hospital. See what I can find out.”
“That will be good,” his mom muttered, the sedative kicking in more heavily.
The Governor walked up to him. “Don’t worry about her. Keep us posted. And Jared…”
“Yes?”
“Anything you need, anything at all, you know how to find us.”
Jared nodded. “Thanks. Appreciate it.” The Barons and Golds had been neighbors since before he was born. Living in ranch country wasn’t the same as the suburbs. When a motor vehicle was needed to get from ranch to ranch, there were no pick-up games of stickball in the street, or running back and forth to the homes of all the kids on the block. There were no blocks in ranch country. Even though growing up he’d hardly ever visited the Barons, that didn’t change the fact that neighbors could always be counted on in a pinch. His grandfather spoke highly of Ms. Lila’s father. No one in this ranching community had cared for a military man taking over Lila’s family ranch, but as the years passed, the Governor won over every last person within a hundred-mile radius, including the Gold family. Once Jared had been put in charge of Golden Creek and gotten to know the Governor, rancher to rancher, he understood exactly why the man was revered.
“Do you want company?” Eve followed behind everyone.
