HICB ch.11 wc1678

HICB ch.11 wc1678

Jayda kept up a constant stream of chatter as she was transferred from the elevator to the front door of the hospital. Mark had found an aide willing to help carry her belongings as he transferred from the wheelchair to the pickup seat. She argued with the staff that she could get up into the pickup seat by herself, even though she almost collapsed to the concrete driveway when she tried to stand.

“Ooops! I guess I’m not quite as strong yet as I thought. Thank the Lord I wasn’t holding little Mark Lee at the time.”

One of the nurses standing behind her replied, “That’s why we have those rules, Ma’am. Too many falls. Too many lawsuits.”

“I reckon that’s right. I’ll behave from now on.”

As the nurse opened the door to the backseat of the pickup, Jayda said, “Wait! I want to hold him in my lap.”

“No, Ma’am, all babies and small children ride in the back seat, facing the rear of the truck That’s an absolute rule. A law, even. Little Mark Lee rides in the back in his new car seat. Mom, you ride in the front seat next to Dad.”

Jayda blushed, and climbed up into the cab’s front seat, with the assistance of one of the nurses. Mark was busy loading her belongings into the pickup. He pretended not to hear what was being said, but a slight smile appeared on his face.

When everyone and everything was in the pickup and the doors were closed, Mark turned to Jayda and asked, “Do you need anything else from town while we’re here?  Any formula, diapers, or anything else?”

“No, the hospital sent a gift package with enough of all the supplies we should need for about a week. That was so generous of them! Everyone has been so kind to me, but especially you, Mark. How can I ever repay you? You even paid my bill, which must have been in the thousands! I don’t even know how much it was! Thank you so much, Mark. I promise I’ll repay you someday, as soon as I can.” Jayda put her head in her hands and sobbed. “I just feel so useless.”

Mark put his hand on her shoulder and squeezed gently.  “Jayda, Sweetheart---I know how difficult this must all be for you. But sometimes God answers our prayers with the people around us. You were praying for someone to save you, weren’t you? And I’ll bet you were worrying about how you’d feed and diaper Mark Lee. Right? Ok, well, maybe it’s not me and the staff at the hospital that deserve the most thanks. Maybe it’s God you should be thanking. It’s great to have your thanks, here and now, and the staff enjoyed having you with them for that short time, too. Didn’t they give you a warm good-bye when you left? Well, they get paid to take care of you, and I think they really enjoyed having you, because you are so grateful. We can buy a box of chocolates or a fruit basket and have it delivered next week. Or maybe you can deliver it yourself when you are stronger. Ok?”

Jayda smiled and nodded. “That sounds like a great idea.”

“All right then, let’s get little man home. I’ll bet he’d like to have a long nap, away from all the hustle and bustle of this hospital. We can pick out a nice card, and I’ll get a fruit basket made up for the hospital staff and next week we’ll deliver it.”

“Let’s go home, Mark,” she answered, her tears full of unshed tears.

“We’re outa here, Babe.”

Mark revved the engine and put the pickup in gear.

The nurses watching from the hospital door grinned at each other and hugged each other.

One nurse said to the other, “You know, it’s days like this that make me glad I’m a nurse. That was so romantic. She’s one lucky lady.”

“She certainly is. Lucky to be alive after being in that ditch in a tornado, for Pete’s sake! Lucky her baby was born so perfect without any prenatal care, and lucky she has that handsome young man to take care of her. I heard a rumor that he’s wanting to marry her. Isn’t that sweet? She says he’s not even the father. How rare is that? A handsome stranger rescues her from the jaws of death and then wants to marry her. That there is fairytale stuff!”

 

As they drove by the spot where Jayda’s car left ruts in the ditch, she shuddered and quickly looked away. She turned to Mark and asked, “You said there wasn’t any damage to my car, then? How can that be, when it was buried so deeply in that mud?

“I didn’t see any damage, but then it was covered in mud and debris. I’ll check again, when I wash all that mud off.  It ran fine, and I drove it to your house without any issues. You’ve kept it running pretty well?”

“I have them check the oil and other fluids at least once a month, and I really don’t drive it all that often. Just to town to get groceries and sometimes to mail a package for my business.”

“Oh, really? You have a business? What kind of business?”

Jayda laughed. “It’s really more of a hobby. I don’t make much from it. I sell costume jewelry online. It sells for only five dollars per piece, but it’s really pretty and people eat it up.”

“Cool. I’ll have to see it sometime. Do you have any men’s jewelry? I’m not a pretty boy, but I’ve seen some men wearing like a gold chain around their neck, or a bracelet made of braided cord. Do you have that kind of thing?”

Jayda smiled. “I sure do. And it does look very nice on men. I know some men feel threatened by things like that. I think that comes from their own insecurity. But I do sell quite a bit of men’s jewelry. When I get settled, I want to cook up a special supper for you to thank you for everything. You can look at the pieces I do have, and I can text you the link to my website, where you can look at more. It’s fun to shop for just that right piece.” Jayda’s face became quite animated when she talked about her business. She’s gorgeous, even without makeup.

As they pulled into her driveway, Jayda looked around anxiously.

“What’s wrong? Is there something not the way you left it?”

“No, I guess not. For a moment, I thought it looked like someone had been here. Tracks in the gravel. But then I remembered you had been here while I was in the hospital. So, everything’s cool.” She gave a tremulous smile, then busied herself gathering up her bags and purse.

“I don’t think Brad has been here lately, if that’s what you’re worried about. I’ve checked on your house every day and kept it locked up tight. Let’s get you settled in and I’ll check around the buildings again to make sure. Ok? Jayda?” he paused.  “Everything is going to be ok. Relax. Enjoy your son. I’m just a hop and a skip down the road, and if I get a call from you that you are in trouble, I can be here in about five minutes. Ok?” He touched her arm, then caressed her face.

“I’m here for you, Jayda. Let’s get this little man into his own bed so he can relax. Are you hungry or thirsty? I can fix something for you to eat. I know there are cold soft drinks in the fridge, ‘cause I put them there to cool. You like Dr. Pepper, don’t you? I stocked your fridge with cold drinks, fruit drinks, and a six pack of beer. There’s also fixings for salads, some meats, and vegetables. I saw some chips and dips in the refrigerator too.”

“Wow, Mark. You haven’t left anything for me to do; have you also cleaned and straightened my house? Made my bed, done my laundry?” Jayda joked.

Mark blushed and dropped his head.

“Well, uhhh---actually---yesss, I did do all of that too.”

Jayda stared at him, her mouth open in shock. Her eyes were like saucers. Saucers that were threatening to overflow with tears.

“Mark, what happened to our backing up and slowing down. I didn’t mean for you to take over all of my life!” Then realizing she had been rude, she covered her mouth with her hand and stared at him with a horrified expression.

“Oh Mark, I’m so sorry! That was incredibly rude of me! Please forgive me!” The tears that had been close to falling before ran unheeded down her face.

Mark had looked guiltily at her, then his expression turned to sorrow. He knew he was supposed to back off, but he just couldn’t. He was having too much fun playing the hero, and he just cared too much for her and her son to back away. But if she really didn’t want him---he opened his door and hurriedly came around to her side of the truck. Opening the door, he helped her down and gently made sure she could stand without falling, then retrieved the baby carrier and assisted both of them to the house. He set the carrier down on the porch stoop while he fished out the house keys and opened the door.

He assisted them inside and settled them down on the sofa, then retrieved her belongings and all the baby’s and put them on the kitchen counter.

“Ummm, I’d better get back to my place. It’s hot and the cattle will need water. I’ll check on you later.” He gave her one last look, turned, and left. A moment later, she heard his pickup start and then heard him leaving quickly down the road. He was gone, and he hadn’t even said he forgave her.