Page 14 of One Boiling Summer (Texas Summer #15)

WAITING AND WONDERING

LACEY

The gloomy atmosphere of the waiting room at the clinic stood out in stark contrast to the bright fluorescent lights above.

Despite everything, Mama Goodson sat tall and strong in one of the stiff-backed chairs.

Dawson, Lawson, and Grayson flanked her, all wearing soot-smeared clothes and expressions that swung between exhaustion and tension.

Carson sat beside me, his arm resting loosely around my shoulders, like I might unravel at any second. My body still shook from the inside out.

The scene played on a loop in my head, and I couldn’t shut it off. The image of Hudson running into that burning house haunted me, followed minutes later by him staggering out, dragging another firefighter behind him. Both of them collapsed in the front yard as EMTs rushed to their aid.

Once they were on the gurneys with oxygen masks firmly in place, Mama and I only had enough time to squeeze his hand before they whisked him away in an ambulance.

Now we waited with no updates or information. At least he was alive. But what of his condition? It was the not knowing that drove me crazy. If Mom had ever gone through something like this with Dad, I must not remember it.

Lawson nudged Dawson with his elbow. “How about that dramatic exit? Wouldn’t expect anything less from Hudson. The Showboat.”

“Perfectly timed collapse for effect,” Dawson replied, his voice weary but trying to lighten the mood.

“Classic Goodson style,” Grayson murmured, tightening his hold on Mama’s arms.

She managed a soft chuckle and whispered, “My boys.”

I was grateful for their attempts to fill the silence.

Carson squeezed my shoulder. “You okay?”

I nodded and lied. “I guess.”

Mama reached over and patted my knee. “You’re doing better than most would, honey.”

I stared down at my soot-streaked hands and clothes, recalling the ash everywhere in the yard. “How are you so strong, Mama? I mean… you lost your husband fighting fires. Now Hudson is somewhere in this clinic? I don’t know how you ever let him follow in his father’s footsteps. I couldn’t bear it.”

She looked at me with soft, wise eyes. “There was never a version of him that wasn’t destined to be a firefighter.

He worshipped his daddy. Hudson was a fireman almost every Halloween in grade school.

I can remember he’d wear his little helmet from the costume year around whenever he’d play in the yard, pretending to fight fires with our garden hose. ”

The lump in my throat swelled. I blinked hard, swallowing the wave of emotion clawing its way up.

“When you love someone, baby girl, you don’t get to pick who they are. You accept them. You pray for them. And you love them no matter what they do.”

I smiled weakly, trying to put myself in her shoes. Would I grow to be strong like her someday?

“Want to get some air?” Carson whispered beside me.

I nodded and stood, following him down the hallway until we reached a quiet corner near the vending machines. He bought a pack of candy coated chocolate peanuts and shared a few with me, taking me back years to when we’d share candy all the time.

He faced me between bites, leaning his shoulder against the wall. “Lacey, I apologize I haven’t stopped by to talk to you before now. I wanted to. I definitely didn’t think it would take a fire to bring us together again like this.”

“Same.” I crossed my arms over my chest and tried not to shake.

“Emme’s kept me pretty busy with this wedding coming at us so fast. With Java Co. and all, I lose track of my days.”

“Time flies when you’re a groom about to get married,” I teased, the smile not quite reaching my eyes. “And I’m sorry about all these rumors. I did not come back here to break you up.”

He smiled softly. “It’s okay. I told Emme about our pinkie promise, and I think she told her mom and aunts and things kinda snowballed from there.”

“Small towns,” I chuckled, shaking my head.

“Lacey. I loved you once. You know that, right?” He leaned in, catching my gaze.

I nodded. “I know.”

“But I didn’t take that pinkie promise seriously. Thought we were just kids, saying stuff. I knew the minute we both left town, going our separate ways, you to the city and me to the Army, that we’d grow apart, and we did.”

“Then you came back and started a whole new life here.”

He nodded. “While you stayed away.”

“You have Emme now.”

His smile widened, genuine this time. “I really do love her. She’s the one for me.”

“I’m happy for you. Truly.”

“Thanks.” He exhaled. “I’d like it if you two could become friendly.”

I shrugged. “I’ll try.”

“Now that you’re back, you need to have someone special in your life, too. I could fix you up with some of my friends.”

I looked away, laughing, tears stinging again. He must not have a clue how Hudson feels about me. “It’s the last thing on my mind when I just lost everything. I left New York trying to figure out who I was again. And now… my entire past just went up in flames.”

“No better place to start over than right here.”

“Right. Oh, by the way, I meant to thank you for taking care of Mom’s house for me while I was away. The lawn, the dusting, it was all very nice of you.”

He glanced down at his shoes, then back up with a sheepish look on his face. “Actually. That wasn’t me. I got so busy running Java, I’d let the grass grow tall. Hudson told me one day he’d take care of it. So you have him to thank.”

“Hudson?” My forehead scrunched. Why wouldn’t he just tell me it’d been him?

Carson straightened, seeing something over my shoulder down the hall. “There’s Doc. He must have news. We’d better head back.”

We returned to the waiting room behind him as he stepped in, everyone rising to their feet at once.

“Hudson’s going to be okay,” Anderson announced.

“He has a moderate case of smoke inhalation. His oxygen saturation was low when he came in, but we got him on high-flow oxygen immediately. Lungs are irritated, but no serious damage. No burns. No broken bones. No ego damage either, although the news reports on the TV in his room are calling him a hero, so I suspect that might be inflating as we speak.”

The whole room of people exhaled. I chuckled at the thought of Hudson’s head growing bigger.

“Praise God,” Mama sniffled into a tissue.

“He’ll stay overnight for observation. We’re keeping him on oxygen, and he’s got fluids and corticosteroids to reduce any inflammation in his airways.

I gave him something mild to help him rest, so he’s sleeping now, but he knows you’ve been out here.

He’ll be out of it for the night. I recommend everyone go home and get some rest. It’s late and there’s nothing more you can do here tonight. ”

Everyone began nodding, hugging, relief spreading from face to face. Mama consulted with Anderson in the corner, trying to get more information out of him.

My heart lurched. I just stood there with nowhere to go.

Home?

I didn’t have one.

Tears welled up again before I could stop them, and I turned away, biting my lip.

Mama moved beside me in a heartbeat.

“You’re coming home with me,” she said firmly, not giving me an inch to argue. “I won’t take no for an answer.”

I blinked up at her, speechless.

“Baby girl,” she said, cupping my cheek, “You think we’d let you go through this alone? You’re family.”

“Family?” I whispered.

“Family,” Carson echoed. The other brothers bobbed their heads.

I searched each of them, hopping face to face. For the first time since I’d returned to Poppy Valley, I felt like I belonged.