All in all, he was beginning to wonder if Deidre Morris, with her honey-colored hair and candid blue eyes, wasnt just a little too good to be true.
He suspected a show of candor on his part would win her sympathy. I dont know if I should bring it up, but I hope...well, I hope it doesnt bother you that I seem to be taking your late husbands position in the firm.
Jase didnt think he imagined a hesitation before she spoke.
Not at all. I know the firm needed another person. Trey Alters been overworked, especially during the times when court is in session and the judge is unavailable.
That last bit sounded a tad formal. He should have asked the judge what his current relationship was with his daughter-in-law. If they were in a state of open warfare, hed have to step cautiously.
Hed been wondering if he should mention her husband or play dumb. But anyone might let it slip that theyd been in law school together. Better play it safe.
I was sorry to hear about Franks death. I noticed it in the alumni newsletter. Guess I should have sent a card, but...well, you wouldnt have known who I was.
She turned in the seat to look at him. Were you a friend of Franks? So that had caught her attention.
A classmate. I was working too hard to have much time to socialize. But he was a nice guy.
Yes, he was. She didnt sound overtly mournful, but it had been about a year, and she was probably used to dealing with condolences by now. When you see our son, Kevin, I think youll notice the resemblance. She was smiling now, maybe at the thought of the kid. At least, I always thought he looked like Frank, although Frank didnt agree.
Frank thought he looked like you, did he?
He claimed Kev was Pennsylvania Dutch through and through. Thats my side of the family, the Wagners. Youll have to get used to all the German-sounding names in an area like this, especially with the number of Amish we have.
She was talking more easily now. Hed made some progress, despite the fact that they were pulling up to the house already. Shed feel as if she owed him a favor, and that would make it easier to pursue an acquaintanceship that the judge seemed to feel would pay off.
Jase drove past his own driveway and turned into hers. Ill drop you right at the house. No point in walking across the lawn in the dark.
You dont need... Deidre stopped, staring.
He followed the direction of her gaze, and his nerves went on alert. The front door of her house stood open. That couldnt be normal.
Deidre grabbed for the door handle, and his hand shot across to arrest the movement.
Stay here. Call the police. Ill check it out. He slid out of the car, not looking back to see if shed obeyed him. Something was wrong, and there was a defenseless child in that house.
It took him seconds to reach the porch. Deidre was right behind him, and he didnt waste his breath telling her to stay back. They hit the doorway at the same time, and he grabbed her arm, stopping her from plunging inside.
His gut clenched. A woman lay on the area rug in front of a sofa, blood from a head wound soaking into the fibers. Dixie, he supposed. The child
Deidre gave an anguished cry that sounded barely human. She yanked free of his restraining hand, running toward the stairway at the back of the room. Then he saw what she had. That small bundle on the bottom step, tangled in a blanket, had to be her son.
* * *
DEIDRE STUMBLED TO her knees next to Kevin, reaching for him. Some rational part of her mind shouted for her to be careful, not to move him suddenly.
She had to hold himhad to know he was breathing. Sliding her arms around him, she managed to cradle him against her. His lips were slightly parted, and a gentle breath moved against her cheek. Relief flooded through her.
Please, God. Please, God, let him be all right...
Deidres fingers found a fluttering pulse. But he was pale...so pale that the faint blue shadows under his eyes looked like bruises.
Kevin, baby, can you hear me?
Nothing, but she could see the vein pulsing at his temple.
Someone knelt beside her, and she realized it was Jason. Careful. Dont move him.
No. His head...
Jason bent over her son, seeming to trace the swelling behind Kevins ear with his gaze. EMTs are on the way. Theyll be here soon. Two ambulances, I told them.
Dixie... She hadnt been able to take her eyes off Kevin long enough to look. And now, when she tried, Jasons solid body blocked her view.
Head injury, he said briefly. It looks...bad.
Deidres sluggish wits started to move again at that moment. Kevin must have fallen, but Dixie... How could she have gotten a head injury sitting on the sofa?
What...what happened to her? Ridiculous to think that he would know any more than she did.
Someone hit her. She couldnt have done that much damage falling.
Amazing that he could sound so calm. Dixie had been attacked. How could that be true? That meant that someone had come into her house and done this.
Jason had turned, surveying the room. Looking for evidence? Deidre cradled Kevin closer, trying to control the trembling that had seized her. She had to be strong. She had to be there for Kevin. She couldnt fall apart now. Frank was gone, and she was all Kevin had.
Jasons hand came down on her shoulder, his firm grip steadying her. Itll be all right.
He didnt sound as if he believed the words. She didnt. How could anything be all right again when the unthinkable had happened?
Sirens wailed. Jason stood up. Ill go signal them. Hold on.
Deidre managed to nod. Shed hold on because she had to. She couldnt lose Kevin.
In what seemed a moment, her small living room was filled with people. Theyd obviously called out both of Echo Fallss paramedic teams. One surrounded Dixie while the other moved swiftly into place around Kevin.
Youll need to move back just a little. It was a female voice. Im just going to slide your arms out from under him, okay? You dont need to worry. Joe has him.
She must have made some sound as hands pulled her away, because the woman patted her. Just ease back a bit. You can put your hand on his foot, okay? That way hell know youre still here.
Her throat was too tight to allow for speech. All she could do was close her fingers around Kevs bare foot, sticking out of the blanket. The superhero pajamas hed insisted on wearing were getting too small for him. She should get him a new pair. Clinging to the thought was holding her to normalcy for a moment. She held on to a world in which the biggest threat to a small boy was outgrowing his favorite pjs.
The paramedics talked to each other in low tones, and then the woman put her arm around Deidre. Were going to transport Kevin to the hospital in the ambulance. You can ride with him, okay?
Deidre nodded, unable to think beyond the moment and the clasp of her hand around Kevins foot. Voices murmured in the background, people giving orders, asking questions, making arrangements. All she could do was move when they told her to, watch Kevin being lifted onto a stretcher and maintain a tenuous hold on the feeling that assured her he was still alive.
As they made their way toward the door, someone moved in front of her. A police officer, saying something she couldnt take in, focused as she was on Kevin. Then Jason was deflecting him, drawing him away.
As they made their way toward the door, someone moved in front of her. A police officer, saying something she couldnt take in, focused as she was on Kevin. Then Jason was deflecting him, drawing him away.
I was with Mrs. Morris. Ill answer your questions.
Good, because she wasnt going to stop, wasnt going to let anything or anyone separate her from her son.
Lights flashed in the dark outside, turning the trees odd colors. Someone helped her into the back of the ambulance. She slid to a position as close to Kevin as she could get, all her attention focused on him, shutting out everything else. The paramedics murmured to each other, but her mind couldnt seem to sort out the words.
They slid out of the driveway, making the turn toward town and the hospital. The siren wailed, and they sped along. People would be looking out windows, wondering who and what.
Kneeling in the ambulance next to Kevin, Deidre was barely aware of the journey until they came to a smooth stop. She glanced up to see the lights of the emergency room, and then they blurred in a flow of smooth, controlled activity as the doors opened and the ER staff moved to join the paramedics. Kevin was so smallthere hardly seemed to be enough space for everyone to work on him.
In seconds they were out on the pavement. As Deidre followed the gurney carrying Kevin inside, another ambulance wailed into the drive behind her. Dixie. She breathed a silent prayer. But Dixie of all people would understand that she had to stay with Kevin.
* * *
HALF AN HOUR LATER, she stood alone in the small room set aside for families waiting for news of their loved ones. With its neutral-toned upholstered furniture and muted landscape prints, it had been designed to convey a balance between hope and comfort. She should knowshed been on the hospital auxiliary committee that decorated it. A discreet plaque on the wall informed anyone who noticed that the lounge had been given through the generosity of Franklin and Sylvia Morris.
She clenched her hands, trying not to give way to fear, to panic. The door opened, and her breath caught. But it wasnt one of the doctors. It was Judith Yoder, her neighbor, her friend. Deidres control broke, and she stumbled into Judiths outstretched arms.
Hush, hush. Judith patted her as if Deidre were one of her children. Dont cry. You must be strong for Kevin. You can be, I know. Let the gut Lord help you.
Judiths Amish faith might seem simple to an outsider, but it was bedrock strong and would carry her through anything. It seemed to bolster Deidres own faltering strength.
Deidre choked back a sob and straightened. She managed to nod. How did you know?
Eli saw the flashing lights from the bedroom window. He could tell it was at your house.
She knew it hadnt been as simple as that. Eli, being a volunteer firefighter, had probably run to the phone shanty to call dispatch and find out what had happened. Then hed have called an Englisch neighbor to drive Judith to the hospital. But nothing would be too much trouble for either of them when a friend needed help.
Judith sat beside her on the sofa, clasping her hands as Deidre spilled out everything that had happened in a probably incoherent stream.
They took Kevin for tests. I heard someone say to have an operating room ready. I havent heard anything about Dixie. I dont know whats happening. That was the worst thingnot knowing.
When someone said a woman had been seriously hurt, I thought it was you. Judiths previously calm voice trembled.
Deidre closed her eyes for an instant, seeing Dixie lying on the rug in her living room. If Id been home... She struggled for breath. Dixie was only there because she was doing something kind for me.
Judiths grasp of her hands tightened. Ach, Deidre, you must not start blaming yourself. This is the fault of the person who did it, no one else.
She tried to accept the words, but guilt dug claws into her heart. She hadnt been there. Kevin had been in danger, and she hadnt been there.
Judith seemed to understand all the things she didnt saythe fear, the panic just barely under control. She talked, a soft murmur of words that flowed around Deidre in a comforting stream even when she didnt fully listen.
The door opened and closed as others began to arrivethe judge, gray-faced and controlled, demanding answers no one had; the minister, looking young and uncertain; even Jason, who surely realized he didnt need to be here at all but seemed unwilling to leave.
Deidre roused herself to speak to Jason. Thank you for your help. Im sure youd prefer to go home.
It was her father-in-law who answered. Ive asked Jason to stay, for a time, at least. He can deal with the police and any reporters who show up. His tone implied that any reporter unwise enough to attempt to speak to them wouldnt have a job for long.
One of the aides carried in a tray with coffee and tea. Deidre shook her head, but Judith insisted on fixing her a mug of hot tea with plenty of sugar.
It will make you feel better. Drink it up, now.
It was easier to obey than to argue. And Judith was right. The hot liquid eased the tight muscles in her throat and warmed her cold hands.
The judge paced. Jason leaned against the wall, solid and apparently immovable. After what seemed an eternity, Kevins pediatrician, Elizabeth Donnelly, came in, accompanied by a tired-looking older man.
Deidre. Liz came quickly to clasp her hands. Kevins in good hands, and it looks hopeful. This is Dr. Jamison, who worked on Kevin from the moment he came in, and he can explain whats happening...
Is the boy going to recover? Is he awake? Does he know what happened? Judge Franklin rushed into speech, demanding the attention of everyone in the room.
As Dr. Donnelly said, it looks hopeful. The older doctor seemed unfazed by the rapid-fire questions. Kevin has what I would consider a fairly severe head injury, but nothing that we feel requires surgery at the moment. Were monitoring him closely, and we plan to keep him in a medically induced coma for a day or two to help minimize any damage. If the brain should swell, we might need to go in to alleviate the pressure, but if not, we could see a fairly rapid recovery.
Deidres thoughts had hung up on one word. Damage. Do you meanWill Kevin have brain damage?
Liz squeezed her hand. We just dont know yet. The next twenty-four hours will tell us a lot. Hang in there.
Thank you. The words were automatic. Can I see him?
The two doctors exchanged looks. For a few minutes, at least, Liz said.
Im coming, as well. The judge grasped Deidres arm, and she thought it was the first time in a year that hed voluntarily touched her.
She glanced at him, and then looked away. The pain in his face made it indecent to stare.
They followed the doctors down the hallway, and it seemed to Deidre that she was moving as awkwardly as a robot. She had to concentrate on putting one foot in front of the other, and she longed for Franks presence beside her. But Frank was gone, and he had never seemed so far away.
Then a door opened, and she saw her son. Despite the machines and wires that formed a mechanical cocoon around his bed, Kevin looked as if he were sleeping, his head turned slightly to one side as it always was in slumber. She slipped forward, able to move now that she could see him.