Page 25 of The Me I Left Behind

The nurse rolled her eyes. “You have any idea how often I hear that?”

“If we could just go over these last instructions?” The other nurse fluttered the papers again.

Maggie turned toward her. “Sure.”

They made quick work of that while Julia chatted with Carol. Maggie couldn’t hear everything that was said, but she could tell Carol was curious why Julia was there.

“I was on my way to Louisville and your mom called, told me what happened, so I stopped here to make sure you were okay.”

Carol grinned. “Oh, wow. That’s so nice of you.”

Maggie caught Julia’s brief glance and knew at once what the look on Julia’s face said.Who is this pleasant child?

“So, as soon as we get the wheelchair,” the nurse said, “Juber can drive around to the front entrance and park under the canopy. We will wheel Carol out.”

Julia stood and nodded. “I’m sure I can find that. I’ll head there now.”

“Great. It shouldn’t be long.”

Carol sighed. “I’m so ready to be home in my bed.”

Julia shot Maggie a quick look of…warning? An immediate sliver of panic shot through her gut. Were she and Julia on the same page? If Max came home tonight, should she—and the kids—even be there?

Five

When they arrived back at the house, Maggie pulled out deli meat, cheese and more, laying everything out on the kitchen island. They made sandwiches, opened a bag of chips, drank diet soda, and made small talk. After a few minutes, and eating only half a sandwich, Carol announced she was going to bed.

“You look exhausted, sweetheart.” Maggie cupped her daughter’s face in her hand. “I’ll go up with you.” She wanted to tuck her into bed and hold her close for a while, waiting for her to go to sleep. She used to do that when Carol was younger and not feeling well. That crazy mama bear instinct had kicked in wildly that afternoon.

She lingered for several minutes after Carol pulled the covers up to her neck, curled slightly onto her side, and gave a contented sigh. Maggie fiddled with a lock of hair flung across her forehead. Then, with a soft kiss on Carol’s cheek, and a sigh of her own, she stood and headed back downstairs.

Julia looked up from her sandwich as she entered the kitchen. “Asleep?”

“Yes. Didn’t take long.”

“She needs it.”

Maggie slid into the chair next to Julia. “I’m not sure of my next move, here.”

Placing what was left of her sandwich on the plate, Julia faced her. “Of course you aren’t. This is not an everyday situation. We need to consider all the angles before making any kind of move.”

“I don’t know how much time we have. You know. If he comes back. I hate to ask you, Julia… You’ve bailed me out of so much, and here I am again. But will you help me? Can we make a plan? I promise I won’t keep doing this.”

Julia studied her, then reached across the island for her hand. “Maggie, we’re friends. More than that, sisters, even. Of course, I will help you. That’s why I’m here. Right?”

“But this is all rather fucked up and—”

“Shut up.” Julia placed a couple of fingers on her lips. “Just stop. We are going to figure this out.”

Maggie met her stare and felt the sting of tears in her eyes. She and Julia had had their share of differences over the years. But she was still there for her. “Thank you,” she murmured.

Julia smiled.

Then, standing, she lifted her plate and napkin from the island and headed for the sink. “We need to listen to that message Max left on your phone earlier. That may give us some direction. You haven’t listened yet, have you?” She began putting away the cold items into the refrigerator.

“No. The phone’s in my purse. I left it in the entry.”

“Go grab it and we’ll listen in here, just in case Max has more devices in his office.”