Page 8 of The Me I Left Behind (Tuckaway Bay #4)

No, it wasn’t. Thank God. “Alright. Fine.” She glanced at the phone in her hand. “Oh, I was talking to a friend.”

The officer nodded.

She put the phone to her ear. “Julia. Are you still there? Did you hear? Come to the hospital as soon as you can. Nash General.”

She clicked off the phone, not waiting for her to respond.

“How long do I have to wait?”

Maggie sat on the edge of her chair, muttering to herself, her knees popping up and down as her legs shook. She glanced about the overflowing emergency waiting room—not a pleasant place—crowded with coughing, moaning, and crying people.

She’d rather be anywhere but there.

The officers left her almost as soon as they’d arrived, so she sat alone. Waiting. Julia had called once, and she told her she’d call her back as soon as she had news.

Glancing at the time on her phone, she realized she’d only been there about twenty minutes.

It felt like twenty hours.

She was mad with worry about Carol. Why wouldn’t anyone give her any information?

She’d paced back and forth in front of the nurse’s station until they’d asked her to sit. Apparently, being in their faces would not get her anywhere.

She was also worried about the house. About leaving the office in a mess.

What if Max had contacted the police, and what if they entered the house when no one came to the door, and what if they found the unhinged door and the crowbar and the smashed cameras and the papers and books and shit all over the place?

And what if Max truly was on his way here? He’d kill her for letting Carol take the car and would blame her for Carol getting hurt.

Everything would be her fault. Everything.

But she supposed it was.

It always was.

Her stomach knotted, anxiety balled up underneath her breastbone and pressed on her lungs, constricting her breathing. If she stood, she might pass out.

No, she couldn’t do that. She had to be strong.

Anticipating all the unknowns was useless.

Focus on Carol now, everything else later.

She abruptly stood and glared again toward the sign-in desk and the staff sitting behind it.

A woman in scrubs stepped from behind the counter and into the waiting room. “Mrs. Oliver?”

She’d watched her earlier as she approached from a hallway behind the desk, reviewed some paperwork on a clipboard, then conferred with a nurse staring at a computer screen.

Maggie stepped forward. “Yes? I’m Maggie Oliver.”

“Carol’s mother?” She spoke with a slight accent—one Maggie couldn’t put a finger on.

“Yes.”

“Would you like to see her?”

“Of course! I’ve been waiting. How is she?”

The woman halted slightly and turned toward her. “No one has spoken with you yet?”

Maggie shook her head. “No! No one.”

“I apologize for that. I’m Dr. Kendall.” She pronounced it like “ken-doll” and Maggie almost snickered. “Let’s keep walking and I’ll fill you in.”

Jamaican. She sounds Jamaican.

She and Max had vacationed on the island once when Carol was little.

Maggie strode alongside the fast-walking doctor.

“The accident caused the air bag to deploy, so Carol has suffered some facial trauma—some cuts and bruises, particularly around her eyes. She is complaining of a headache, which is normal given the circumstances, and says her neck hurts, so perhaps there is minor whiplash. We have examined her thoroughly, of course. She’s lucky because air bags can cause a lot of damage, but she was wearing her seatbelt. ”

“And that helped?”

“Oh, yes.”

“Good girl.” Maggie sighed. “I’m glad she wore the seatbelt.”

Dr. “Ken Doll” nodded. “Yes. Apparently, the other car ran the light. Carol was not at fault. But talk to the police about that later.”

“She’s not unconscious or anything. Is she?”

“Oh no. In fact, she’s alert and quite vocal.”

Maggie smiled, imagining she would be. “Are those her only injuries?”

The doctor stopped and turned. “She threw her right arm up before the air bag deployed, so there is a slight sprain. An X-ray showed no fracture. She’ll go home with a sling. Other than the bruises and facial lacerations, she’s fared well.”

“That’s a blessing.”

“Yes.” Dr. Kendall smiled. “We gave her a painkiller earlier and a sedative to relax her a bit, so she may be sleepy when you see her.”

They rounded a corner. Immediately, Maggie heard Carol shouting. “I want to see my mother now!”

Maggie shot Dr. Kendall a look. “I guess the sedative wore off?”

She laughed. “Apparently. Or she needs something stronger.”

Carol yelled again. “They told me she was here. Why hasn’t someone brought her to me yet?”

“Oh, dear.” Maggie sprinted toward the ruckus and burst into the room. “Carol? Sweetheart!”

“Mom!”

“Oh, my poor baby.”

“Mom….” Carol burst into tears, shaking. “It wasn’t my fault. I swear it. I’m so sorry. I wrecked the car, and Dad is going to kill me!”

Maggie angled closer and sat on the edge of the bed. “Let me worry about your dad. Your job is to get better here. I’m just glad you are okay.”

She pulled her closer. Carol sobbed into her chest.

“It’s okay, sweetheart.”

After a minute, she pulled back, sniffling. “Ouch. My neck hurts.”

“I heard that. Your head too? And what about your arm?”

“They gave me pills. I think they are working.”

“Good.”

“I’m glad Chloe and Jason weren’t in the car. That other car hit right behind my seat, where Chloe was sitting.” Her eyes welled up again.

“Sweetheart, they are safe. And now you are, too.”

Dr. Kendall stepped up. “So the shoulder pain has eased up somewhat?”

Carol nodded. “Can I go home?” She bounced a look from the doctor to Maggie and back again to the doctor. “Will you give me pills?”

“Soon. Yes.” The doctor nodded, looking her over. “We’ll talk about all that. You’ll be here for another couple of hours.”

“Can I sleep? I feel sleepy.”

Maggie squeezed her hand. “That’s probably the pain meds.” She looked at Dr. Kendall. “Right?”

“Could be. Let me look at your eyes.” She pulled a penlight from her pocket and leaned closer, shining the light into Carol’s left eye, then the right.

“Your pupils look normal and the neurological tests we did earlier did not show a concussion. I think you’re fine to nap.

The nurses will wake you when they check for vitals, anyway. ”

“Okay.” Carol sat back. Maggie could tell she was getting groggy. Standing, she faced the doctor again. “Thank you.”

“My pleasure. I’ll be in and out, and so will the nursing staff.” She pulled the call button tethered to the bed away from the covers. “Call if you need anything.”

“I will.”

The doctor left. Maggie drifted to a chair in the corner and sat, watching Carol sleep. For a moment, she soaked up the calm atmosphere of the room, focusing on the steady drone of Carol’s heartbeat on the monitor, and her even breathing.

She took a second to close her eyes and take a few deep breaths herself.

“Excuse me. Mrs. Oliver?”

She blinked, focusing on the man standing in the door. “Yes?”

“I’m Officer Daniels.” He glanced at Carol. “Could you step outside for a minute?”

Maggie stood, inhaling deeply again as she did so, then letting out the breath slowly. “Yes. Is this about the accident?” Good God, if not that, then….

“Yes. Just a few details. This way.” He turned, and she followed, giving one last glance at Carol.

He led her to a private nook down the hall. “Would you prefer to sit?”

She shook her head. “No. I’m fine. What do you know about the accident? It wasn’t her fault, was it?”

“No. The other driver ran a light and hit just behind the driver’s seat. Fortunately, neither vehicle was going fast, so the impact was less severe. I’m sure your car is totaled but you’ll need to call your insurance, of course.”

“I will.”

“We took a statement from Carol earlier, on the scene. She was a little upset but speaking coherently enough that we got what we needed. Honestly, she was quite mad at the other driver, and we had to restrain her a little, to keep her from going after the older gentleman.”

“Oh dear. Is he okay?”

“He was a little banged up, too, and slightly confused. We think he wasn’t supposed to be driving. He said he was eighty-two.”

“And Carol wanted to deck him, probably.”

“Called him a senile old motherfucker, if I recall correctly.”

Maggie whooshed out a breath. “Goodness. I apologize. I suppose I should find him and apologize.”

The officer shrugged. “Honestly, he probably won’t remember any of it tomorrow.” He smiled and then tucked his clipboard under his arm. “An accident report will be available at the station by afternoon.”

“Great,” Maggie said. “I’ll take care of that.”

“The details of the other driver will be on the report. You’ll probably need that for insurance.”

“Of course.”

“Well, that’s all I need.” He tipped his head. “I’ll let you get back to your daughter.”

“Thank you.” She watched the officer walk away. “Wait.”

He turned. “Yes?”

“My car?”

“Towed. Honestly not sure where it ended up, but all that may be on the report. I believe Thompson Wrecker Service did the tow. Check with them, too.”

Fine. Great. Will do.

The phone in her purse vibrated. Reaching in to grab it, she noticed the caller— Max?

A nurse walked by and caught her eye, pointing to the sign on the wall.

No cell phones .

She gladly turned the phone off.

By the time Julia came an hour later, hesitantly poking her head inside the partially closed door, Maggie was a mess of nerves. Carol was asleep, and she had fought sleep herself. The few hours she’d dozed in Max’s office earlier were not nearly enough.

Upon seeing Julia, however, she jerked herself alert and stood. “Thank God you’re here. I’m sorry I got you into this mess.”

Julia glanced toward the bed. “Goodness, Maggie. I want to be here. Carol’s sleeping, I see.”

“Yes. We’re waiting for discharge papers. Shouldn’t be long.”

Julia nodded. “How are you?”

“Nervous as a whore in church.” She rubbed her hands up and down her arms. “My skin is crawling.”

Julia reached in for a hug—something she rarely did. “We’ll figure this out.”

“I don’t know what I am doing, Julia. What the fuck did I do last night? Why am I poking the beast?”

“Because the beast is far away, and you took a chance. You also wanted answers, or something.” Julia sighed. “Hell, Mags, I’m sort of proud of you for taking a stand like you did.”

“Even if it’s breaking and entering?”

A smirk rolled across her friend’s face. “Takes guts to do what you did. And as far as being illegal, we’ll manage that. I had time to think while driving.”

A breath burst out of Maggie’s lungs.

Julia glanced again at Carol. “So, is she okay? By the way, I will take you two home.”

“Good, because my car is probably totaled. I don’t even know where it is.”

“Probably impounded somewhere. Well, no worries.” She paused, studying her. “I tried to call. Just got your voice mail.”

Maggie glanced at Carol. “Yeah. I turned it off while in here.” She gave Julia a direct look, pointed to her phone, and mouthed, Max called.

“Ah.” Then she mouthed, Did he leave a message?

Maggie shrugged. I haven’t listened.

“Okay. We’ll catch up later.”

“Definitely.”

A couple of nurses shuffled into the room behind Julia. One went straight to Carol’s bed, and the other to Maggie.

“Mrs. Oliver, I have the discharge instructions. Since we already have your insurance information, we’ll just need to go over these quickly and get your signature. Then, as soon as we do a last vitals check, we can call for a wheelchair and get you both home.”

“Oh, that would be lovely.”

The nurse looked at Julia. “Is this your transportation?”

Laughing, Julia said, “Yes, that’s me. Just call me Juber. That’s short for Julia Uber.”

Maggie chuckled and elbowed her friend. “You’re crazy.”

“Naw, that’s you.”

“Mom? Julia?”

Both women looked at Carol, now fully awake.

“Sweetheart. You’re going home soon.”

Groggy, Carol pushed up a little. “Good. I’m tired of being poked.” She gave the nurse taking her blood pressure a foul look.

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?