“Oh, thank God,” Kate whispered.
“She’s in recovery waking from anesthesia. The good news is we did not have to remove the tube,” Dr. Sabine continued, her voice warm. “She still has both fallopian tubes, and she’s entirely able to conceive and carry a child in the future, though we’ll monitor her next pregnancy closely. Someone will come get you when she’s awake.”
Eli closed his eyes and nodded, still reeling from the fact that there wouldn’t be a baby, but overwhelmed with gratitude that Meredith was okay.
“We caught it just in time,” Dr. Sabine added. “You got her here fast. That made the difference.”
“Thank you,” Kate added, her voice hoarse. “Thank you so much.”
Dr. Sabine nodded and walked away, leaving the door swinging slowly behind her as Eli dropped into his seat because he wasn’t sure his legs could hold him.
Kate didn’t sit down right away. She stood there, arms folded, staring at the empty hallway.
Then, she sank into the seat beside Eli and let out a breath that sounded like a sob.
“Well,” she said. “I think…I might’ve just witnessed my first answered prayer.”
Eli smiled. “It’s a powerful moment.”
She dropped back and put her glasses on, quiet and deep in thought. Then she turned to him and took his hand. “You’re a good man, Eli Lawson.”
He met her gaze. “Is there a ‘but’ at the end of that?” he asked, feeling his body tense again. “Like, ‘But I can’t love someone who prays?’”
She laughed softly. “No but. You’re a good man. And someone I love very much told me I’d be a fool to give up a man because he’s too good.”
He regarded her, affection filling his heart. “I’m not…too good. I’m not even a little good. I just live by a book that has never steered me wrong.”
She nodded slowly. “I’m starting to see that.”
He reached to her and folded her in an embrace. “All I ask is that you keep an open mind and heart.”
She kissed his cheek. “My mind is open. And my heart? Belongs to you.”
Charlene came in, walking briskly across the waiting room. “Mr. and Mrs. Lawson? You can go see Meredith now.”
They shared a look and a smile and a secret. They weren’t Mr. and Mrs. Lawson, but Eli knew that God answered prayers and performed miracles. Nothing was impossible, right?
Maggie had never been one to command a room—at least not with storytelling. But here she was, shattering her own personal rule against airing dirty family laundry.
A late, casual dinner on the deck ended with Maggie regaling two virtual strangers with the history of this property. She told the story of how she was able to secretly keep it as part of a plea deal for her husband, and how Artie Wylie and Roger Lawson worked hand in hand with the FBI to take down a crime ring.
Gary and Sally Danes sat rapt, listening intently and fascinated by it all.
These were the same two people Maggie had intended to intimidate right out the door. But something in her heart didn’t feel intimidating today, which was probably a sign of the End Times. Or perhaps it was proof that ten days on the road and a renewed friendship with Jo Ellen really had changed Magnolia Lawson.
Meredith’s brush with death didn’t help, either, and like everyone else, Maggie was keeping one eye on the door, anxious for her granddaughter to be brought home from her terrible ordeal at the hospital.
During the many hours since they’d left, the couple had become quite comfortable. Tessa, Vivien, and Jo came back from the boat ride, all concerned for Meredith. And even baby Atlas had been alert and adorable all day, clearly well cared for by his doting father.
They’d had an informal dinner on the deck, and the sun had set as Maggie wrapped up her story.
“Sadly, Roger passed away from a heart attack in prison, just weeks before he would have been set free to live a safe and normal life,” she concluded, getting the expected reaction of shock and sadness.
There were stunned expressions all around—Jonah, Tessa, Jo Ellen, and Vivien—but not because the story surprised them. They’d all lived through it. Surely, they were astonished that she, the great lover of secrets, had shared a big one.
“My husband made mistakes,” Maggie added softly. “But in the end, he did the right thing and so did your former professor, Artie.”
Sally smiled. “I’m not surprised.”
