“This is a nice surprise to hear from you so soon.”
“I wish I could say it was just a pleasant call, Shane, but I’m afraid I have some bad news.”
There was a moment of silence, then, “You do?”
“On my way home, I stopped in at the hair salon and found Mary on the floor. She’s been taken to the hospital.”
She heard him suck in a breath, then, “Is she okay?”
“I’m not sure. She wasn’t responsive. She’s alive, but… I’m just not sure.”
“Okay, thanks for letting me know. I’m heading there now. I’ll call you when I know something.”
Muttering a quick thanks, Andie hung up. Despite her worry over Mary, talking to Shane had made her feel better. Hearing the sound of his voice had soothed her wrangled nerves. He calmed her.
And after their walk on the beach tonight, she’d felt like she was getting a second chance with him and was so grateful, so happy, she’d wanted to share the news with Mary and Jules. Not everyone got a second chance.
Only now this had happened with Mary…
Should she go to the hospital? Shane had said he would update her, and Jules was there too. If Mary was in the ICU, they probably wouldn’t even let Andie in. The ICU was strictly family only.
Andie decided she would wait at home. She glanced around, making sure everything was picked up before she left, and her gaze fell on Mary’s phone. That was when she remembered there was still one member of Mary’s family who didn’t know she was in the hospital.
Her daughter.
Andie grabbed the phone. Surprised to find it wasn’t locked, she clicked to view her contacts. It was easy to find Carolyn’s information.
She hesitated only for a second then dialed. Carolyn might not care about Mary’s condition, but at least she could know about it. Andie knew she had to try. This might be Mary’s only opportunity for a second chance.
Chapter Thirty-Four
Andie woke with a start and scrambled for her phone. Her eyes opened in bare slits, the lids feeling like sandpaper after spending a fitful night worrying about Mary. She peered at the screen. There was a text from Shane. Mary was in surgery.
A few hours after the ambulance had taken her to the hospital last night, he had called to tell her Mary was stable and going through a battery of tests. There was no sense in her rushing down to visit. But now she was in surgery?
Shane’s brief text gave only a room number—one that could be temporary. He hadn’t said what type of surgery, and Andie’s thoughts were suddenly filled with visions of Mary lying still and lifeless on a table, while surgeons worked fitfully over her to correct her heart.
A feeling of dread descended, and she tossed the covers aside. She wasn’t sure if she’d be able to see Mary, but she would be there to support Shane and Jules.
After a quick shower, she dressed and then hurried to the hospital, her only stop one for coffees and doughnuts. If her memory served, hospital food wasn’t very appealing. She remembered how grateful she’d been when someone had brought her good coffee from the coffee shop while she’d been at her father’s bedside when he’d been hospitalized.
As she walked down the hall toward the room number Shane had texted, Andie had a terrifying thought. Her steps slowed. Had Mary even survived the operation? Tentatively, she pushed open the heavy door and peeked into the room then nearly dropped the coffees on the floor.
Mary was there, and she looked perfectly fine, sitting up in bed as chipper as a squirrel, talking to a woman Andie had never met. She smiled when she saw Andie.
“Oh, Andie, come in! I want to thank you for finding me and calling the ambulance.”
“I’m just glad I did.” Andie stepped farther into the room toward Mary’s bed, her gaze drifting from her friend to the woman at her bedside.
Mary smiled and patted the woman’s hand. “This is my daughter, Carolyn.”
To Carolyn, she said, “Andie lives across the street from the hair salon. She’s the one who found me last night and saved my life.”
Recognition dawned in the other woman’s eyes.
“So you’re the one who called me?” She looked at her mother then back at Andie, her eyes moist. “I can’t thank you enough. If you hadn’t called, I might not have come, and, well…”
Her voice cracked, and she drew in a breath. Her lips trembled, and her eyes closed for a second, but she quickly opened them again to look at her mother. She even managed a little smile. “I’ve wasted a lot of time over stupid grudges, so I appreciate your call, as I am grateful to have a chance to correct that.”
