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“Oh, man.” Isabel whistled again.
“The doctors say the recovery time could be as little as a month or, depending on damage, years. We’re supposed to know more today. I’m waiting for an update.” Eve’s gaze once again darted to her quiet phone.
“Does the housekeeper have any family?”
“That’s the rub. She has a nine-year-old grandson completely dependant on her.”
Isabel blew out a deep sigh and frowned. “I really am sorry. Now I really wish it had just been a man setting you off kilter.”
No point in mentioning that a man very much had something to do with her being off kilter.
“I guess I’ll give you a pass on the mistakes. Do you want to just go home for the day? I mean, before we wind up wasting perfectly good chemicals?”
“I can’t. I really do need to get some work done.”
Isabel shook her head. “Go home. And once we know the housekeeper is going to be all right—because I refuse to accept otherwise—then may I strongly suggest you go find yourself a man? Really.”
“You’re incorrigible.” The running tease brought a smile to Eve’s lips. “Don’t ever change.”
“Deal.” Isabel hopped up from the stool and headed back to her own work.
Standing, Eve picked up the uncooperative phone. Fingers clenched around the device, the cell rang. Jared’s number appeared on the screen. “Hello.”
“Hey, sorry I didn’t get back to you sooner. It’s been a madhouse here.”
“Things that crazy at the hospital?”
“I’m not at the hospital. I finally heard from the doctors. They’re pleased Mary made it through the night.”
Eve sighed. She hadn’t realized that Mary’s condition post surgery had been that precarious.
“They’re going to keep her in an induced coma for her brain to heal and the swelling to dissipate. Initial testing shows some delayed response on her left side, but they assure me not till the swelling decreases and they’re sure there won’t be any more brain bleeds will they know how long her recovery will be.”
“Brain bleeds?”
“Yeah. The doctor prattled on a bunch of words I’m unfamiliar with, but he says the next few days will determine a lot.”
Eve supposed that waiting a few days was better than the alternative if Mary hadn’t survived the night.
“My mother is at the hospital with her now so she’s not alone. Your grandmother is going to spell my mom after lunch. I think the church is signing up people to take turns sitting with her.”
“Good idea. I might pop over too.” Heaven knew she wasn’t doing anyone any good at work. “If you’re not at the hospital then what else has you running crazy?”
“If you mean besides the second-floor a/c crapping out, and blowing a hydraulic line in the middle of unloading a few hundred pounds of feed, I have a heifer struggling with a delivery. I’m waiting on the vet now.”
“Oh, no.”
“Yeah. A lot of times these things work themselves out, but not always. All I can do is all I can do. Blast. Randy is flagging me down. I have to run. I’ll call later.”
She didn’t get a chance to say anything as the line went dead. All she needed was one more thing to worry about. Poor mama cow.
“I know, girl.” Jared ran his hand down the young heifer’s nose. Some days he wished he could just pull the covers over his head and stay in bed. All morning he’d been putting out one fire after the other. One thing was pretty clear, whatever progress Mary made, it wouldn’t be in time to have her home for her grandson’s return from camp.
All of which meant he had some fast thinking to do about caring for Jake.
“Hey there.” The soft voice that wafted across the old barn was an instant balm to his troubled thoughts.
Lifting his attention from the struggling heifer, Eve stood in the doorway, something in her hands. Backlit in sunlight, she looked like an angel straight from heaven.
