The next morning, Penny called Valerie after she dropped off Justine at school to say she would be in at ten. Valerie didn’t question why she would be late, which meant the Oakfield gossip network was working overtime. She didn’t care. She was more worried about Dani. Someone’s heart didn’t stop like that without something serious going on.
The heavy Friday morning traffic didn’t help her nerves one bit either. Every driver seemed grumpy, cutting each other off and laying on their horns. Maybe it was the overcast sky. The cold front had a solid grip on northern Illinois.
Or maybe it was her conversations with her own husband and Dani’s brother last night that colored her mood. Wila had called Penny while she’d driven home to say the ER doctor decided to admit Dani, and she would text Penny and Francine the room number once she had it.
Penny called Marty to let him know what was going on with his sister. Once she said Wila was at the hospital with Dani, he calmed down a bit. While Penny insisted that Marty tell Mark the truth about his mother, she rather suspected he wouldn’t.
When she arrived home and told Gene about the evening’s events, he’d surprised her by agreeing with Francine. According to his professional opinion, Penny was finally letting go of the trauma of Justine’s cancer, and he thought it was a good thing. For some reason, Gene psychoanalyzing her like one of his patients pissed her off.
And she wasn’t exactly sure why it made her angry.
Penny pulled into the visitors’ lot of the hospital as the clouds started spitting rain. She reached the automatic door as the sprinkles turned into a deluge. The odor of antiseptic made her stomach twitch thanks to all the sleepless days and nights she spent in the children’s hospital in Chicago. It was a good thing she’d forgone breakfast this morning. She headed straight for the elevators and nodded politely to the elderly ladies manning the information desk as she passed.
The lobby area became crowded as people waited for a car. One of the four finally reached the first floor. Penny resisted the urge to shove through the mass of bodies. Somehow, she managed to squeeze herself inside. Of course, the damn thing had to stop at every floor.
The elevator finally reached the CCU floor. The nurse looked up from her screen when Penny stepped out of the car. Once again, she exchanged nods with the nurse as she headed down the right hallway.
She knocked on the half-open door before she stuck her head around the edge. Dani looked normal and healthy except for all the wires and lines attached to various places on her body. Wila, on the other hand, appeared exhausted.
“Damn, girl, have you been up here all night?” Penny said.
“We both have,” Dani grumbled.
“At least, one of us got some sleep.” Wila scrubbed her face. An ashy hue covered her dark skin, a sure sign she was stressed out, too.
“What’s the word on Dani’s condition?” Penny asked.
“You know I’m laying right here,” Dani snapped.
Wila chuckled. “You want to explain?”
Dani’s mouth opened, then closed with a snap of her teeth.
“That’s what I thought,” Wila teased before she faced Penny. “In layman’s terms, the staff has no fucking clue of what happened last night. Within two hours after arriving here last night, her vitals were all back to normal. They’ve been running tests most of the night.”
“Her heart?” Penny asked.
Wila waved at the EKG machine. “Like I said, rock steady for the last eight hours. They’ve done an x-ray on her head and chest plus an ultrasound and a CT scan on her heart.”
“And they’re going to run a stress test some time this morning,” Dani added.
“So they’re not releasing you any time soon?” Penny grimaced.
“No,” Dani and Wila said at the same time.
Penny eyed Wila. “Go home and get some rest. I’ll stay with her for a while.”
Wila pulled on her jacket and slung her purse strap over her shoulder before she gave Dani’s unencumbered hand a squeeze. “Text me after the stress test.”
“You just want to make sure I survive the damn test,” Dani grumbled some more.
“Damn straight.” Wila grinned.
Dani stuck her tongue out at Wila. The paramedic slipped out of the room with a laugh and a wave of her fingers.
Penny slid off her own jacket and hung it and her shoulder bag on the back of the visitor chair Wila had vacated. She plopped on the set. “Joking aside, how are you doing?”
Dani grimaced. “I feel fine.” She stared at Penny, her huge brown eyes glimmering with tears. “Please tell me Wila was exaggerating about me passing out.”
“I wish I could, sweetie.” Penny took Dani’s left hand in both of hers. “You scared the crap out of all of us last night.”
Dani snorted. “I’m sure Francine is worried it’s something contagious.”
“Actually, she put something together that has been bothering me, too.” Penny hesitated. She didn’t want to worry Dani unnecessarily. “Have you noticed anything weird about me?”
Dani’s mouth twisted. “I didn’t want to say anything…”
When she didn’t say anything else, Penny prompted, “But?”
“You didn’t freak out about Justine vomiting all over your van.” Dani played with a fold of her hospital blanket.
Penny swallowed hard. “Have I been that bad?”
“Girl, none of us blame you.” Dani squeezed Penny’s left hand. “I’d be a wreck if Mark developed cancer. But Justine’s okay now. Gene’s more than willing to cover his share of parenting. You are just having a hard time letting go of things. Believe me, I did something similar after Heath’s accident. You pulled me out of the worst of my grief.”
Tears stung Penny’s eyes. She always viewed herself as the strong one of the group. Had she been lying to herself all this time.
“But I’m not grieving.” She waved her right hand, but her left hand kept a tight grasp on Dani’s left hand. “Justine’s alive. She’s healthy.” She rolled her eyes. “She’s definitely going through puberty. How can I be grieving?”
Dani chuckled. “You can grieve over things other than a loved one’s death. Face it, Justine’s illness changed yours and Gene’s life plans. And the afternoon we met, you’re the one who told me grief has its own damn pace no matter what anyone else says.”
“I really hate it when you throw my own words back in my face,” Penny mock growled.
Dani cocked her head. “Doesn’t make them any less true.”
* * *
Dani’s words still swirled through Penny’s brain as she drove back to Java’s Palace. Maybe she was guilty of holding on too tight to Justine. Dani would definitely understand from the child’s point of view. Her dad Chuck charged onto the CCU floor a couple of hours after Penny’s arrival and immediately raised holy hell over the fact the medical staff didn’t know what was wrong with his baby girl. Hell, Dani turned forty this year, and Chuck still tried to control her life.
She pulled into the coffee shop’s parking. A little guilt seeped in at leaving Valerie and the girls alone for the morning rush. Maybe letting them go home early would assuage some of her feelings.
Penny parked and locked her minivan. Her stomach warped when she spotted Courtney’s gold SUV. What the hell did she want now? Or had she found what Penny had written with caramel on yesterday’s coffee?
She’d have to suck it up if Courtney wanted to bitch. Why the hell did she keep coming here other than to harass the staff and throw her weight around?
Penny entered the café. Matt was in the closest corner working on his latest novel, his half-eaten bagel forgotten with his rapid fire typing. Mrs. Langston’s knitting club was across the dining room, their needles flashing as they gossiped and sipped their drinks.
And of course, Courtney complained loudly to Valerie. Penny’s vision blurred, a warning signal a migraine was about to start. Damn, she hadn’t had a stress migraine since she left her corporate job with a certain restaurant chain whose name she swore she’d never say again.
“What’s your problem this time, Courtney?” she barked. Her voice was loud enough to interrupt both Matt’s keystrokes and the knitting club’s clicking needles. Penny could feel her customers staring at her, but she didn’t care.
Courtney sniffed contemptuously. “I wanted to see your face when you learned you were about to lose your precious coffee shop.”
Penny cocked her head. “What are you talking about? Did you lie to the health inspector?”
“I didn’t have to,” Courtney said primly. “The land Java’s Palace is sitting on is about to be sold.”
“My landlord has to give me thirty days’ notice.” Not to mention, Penny had the right of first refusal if Mr. Ross decided to sell the land. She’d been putting every extra dime and nickel away in order to buy the parcel. Mr. Ross said he was willing to subdivide the property, but her long-term plan involved purchasing the entire strip mall where Java’s Palace was located. But she wasn’t going to give the bitch any more ammunition.
“Then maybe you should call him.” Courtney’s saccharine smile was enough for Penny to want to deck her. “Have a nice day!” She sauntered out of the shop.
Matt approached with his cup, obviously needing a refill. “What was that all about?”
“Would you believe crazy parents in a kids’ soccer league?” Penny forced a laugh. Her brain was pounding behind her eyeballs.
Valerie reached the pot with Jamaican Blue Mountain. She held out her hand for his cup and frowned when her fingers touched his. “You feeling okay, Matt?”
“No.” He had a yellowish cast to his skin, and he rubbed his stomach. “I was okay until a second ago. Now, I feel like—” An alarmed expression spread across his face before he whirled away. Vomit sprayed across the tiled floor.
“Matt!” Pain exploded in Penny’s head. She dropped to her knees. “Valerie, call, call…”
Penny fell into the blackness with a symphony of puking in the background.
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