“Hey.” I wrap my arm around her waist and pull her closer until she’s leaning against me. “I’ll share my fries with you.” Then I kiss the top of her pretty head.
When she looks up at me, her eyes are sparkling. She’s fighting the urge to cry, and it makes me want to wrap her up tight and hold her forever. Since I can’t do that right this second, I do the next best thing. I lean down and kiss her lips softly. “He’s going to be okay, Isabelle.”
She nods and looks toward the grilling station. It’s our turn to order, so I do the honors, ordering a chicken sandwich and fries for Grace as well in the hopes she’ll eat something.
“Do you want to eat here or go back up to the waiting area?”
“Let’s eat down here.”
We find a table off in a corner, near a window overlooking a pretty courtyard. Taking a burger one in hand, I take a giant bite. “Mm, good.” I nod as I talk with my mouth full. And it is good. I haven’t eaten for hours. I toss a couple of fries into my mouth as I watch Isabelle prepare her grilled chicken. She’s taken off the top of the bun, removed the lettuce and tomato and added yellow mustard to the top. Then she replaces the tomato and lettuce and holds it up to eat. “What?” she asks, looking over at me.
“You’re not eating the top of the bun?”
“Carbs.” She shakes her head. “Carbs bad.”
I reach over and snag her discarded carbs. I place it on top of my bun and bite down. “Carbs good.”
I look over at her and smile. I’ve made her laugh again, and it makes me feel warm all over.
Isabelle eats less than half of her food and she’s done. I’m pretty stuffed myself, but when she offers me the rest of her sandwich, I take it and eat it. What? Don’t judge. It could be hours before I’ll get food again. I need to stockpile.
On the way back to the elevators, Isabelle asks, “Are you going to call and check on Andi?”
Leave it to Isabelle to think about Andi after all of this shit that happened today. “I’ve been texting Mom and Andi. I’ve given Mom updates, so she knows we’re going to be here for some time. She’s got things covered.”
“Oh.” Isabelle stops in midstep. “You should head home. You’ve got the farm—”
“Hal’s got things under control. I’ve talked to him too.” Hal is my right hand, well, farmhand. He was a friend of my father’s, having worked with him for years. He knows what needs to be done almost better than me.
“Oh.” She takes another step then stops. “Do you think I need to call Ben?”
“I’m sure he’s worried about your dad. You could update him.”
Isabelle steps away from the elevator to a spot around the corner. I follow her and wait. I watch her press a few buttons on her phone and place it to her ear and listen as she talks. “Ben, it’s Isabelle.” She tells him what’s happened with Bruce so far. “Can you call in some extra seasonal help for the time being?” she asks him. “We need to get those crops in as soon as possible. It’s supposed to rain this weekend, so the more you can get done the better.” She pauses, listening to Ben. “Mm-hmm. Yeah. If you call Jim Davis, he’ll come over and help with the cattle until I can get there.” She listens again. “Yeah, I’ll send you his number.” Before she ends the call, she adds, “Oh, and there’s supposed to be a feed delivery tomorrow, early. Can you be sure you’re there?” She nods as she listens to Ben. “Great. Thanks, Ben.”
I’m sincerely in awe of this woman.
After she hangs up, she looks up at me. “That should take care of things for a day or two.”
“It should.” I take her hand and move back to the elevators.
While we wait, Isabelle says, “But long-term, I’m going to need to be more involved. He won’t be able to do much.”
It’s not a question––at least not one for me. She seems to be talking aloud.
“I may need to take a leave from school. Isaac won’t be able to help. He’s moving to San Diego in the next month.”
“That’s true. I could help.”
She shakes her head. “You’ve got enough on your plate.”
And she doesn’t?
“Babe, there are a hundred farmers in and around Honeywell who’ll pitch in to help your dad. It’s what we do. When someone needs helps, we help. Hell, they’re probably working on a way to get the harvest done for Bruce right this second.” And that’s no lie. We farmers have each other’s backs. No matter what.
“Yes.” She squeezes my hand. “I know. But, after the harvest, there’s still a lot to do with the cattle.”
Back in the ICU, Isabelle is able to coax her mom out of Bruce’s room so she can eat something. In the waiting area, I sit with Grace as she plays with her food and Isabelle sits with her dad. “Are you okay, Grace?”
