Saturday morning, Emma was surprised to see Colton accompanying Rosie. He brought Emma a large bouquet of flowers and seemed almost embarrassed when Emma fussed over them.
“They’re so beautiful.” She drew the flowers to her face and breathed in. “Oh, and they smell so sweet.”
The collection of roses and other blossoms reminded Emma of times when Tommy had brought her flowers. The memory was bittersweet.
“Are you better now?” Rosie asked, coming to kiss Emma’s cheek.
“Much better. I made them stop giving me so much medicine for the pain. I don’t like feeling so strange, and that medicine left me confused. I told them I didn’t want to take it unless things got really bad. The doctor told me I should begin feeling better and better.”
Rosie nodded and smiled. “You will, because I’ve prayed for you.”
“I’m glad you did, Rose. I think when I get out of here, I need to do a bunch of that myself.”
Colton cleared his throat and glanced toward the door.The conversation appeared to be making him uncomfortable. Emma took pity on him.
“What did you learn about the woman ... at the wedding?” She found it difficult to speak of what Stella Mikkelson had done.
“She’s dead,” Colton replied matter-of-factly.
Emma put her hand to her heart. “What? Dead? How?”
“She hanged herself. That same night.”
Emma could hardly believe it. “How could that happen?” The woman had tried to turn the gun on herself in the church. It shouldn’t be such a surprise that she’d find a way to end her life, but still, it was shocking. After all, she was carrying a life within her. Tommy’s child. A baby innocent of all wrongdoing.
“The jailer said he’d checked on her at bedtime, and she had asked for a Bible. When he came to wake her for breakfast, she was gone.”
“How terrible.” Emma hated what Stella had done, but somehow she couldn’t bring herself to hate the woman. Instead, she felt great pity and sadness.
Colton stepped to the edge of Emma’s bed. “I know this might seem awfully soon to discuss, but have you decided where you’ll go after the doctor releases you?”
“Emma’s going to live with us.” Rosie spoke as though the matter were settled.
“I haven’t really thought about anything except Tommy and what happened.”
“We’re burying him this afternoon at Trinity Cemetery. I felt we might as well proceed. Forgive me for not asking you first. You were in so much pain, and the doctor said you most likely wouldn’t be out until next week. Even then he felt you’d be too weak to attend a funeral.”
“There’s nothing to forgive. Thank you for managing everything. I know Tommy would have wanted it that way.”
She looked toward the window and thought again of the Mikkelson woman. Had her family come to claim her and her unborn child? What would they do? Suicide was not at all an acceptable means of death. Was there a special cemetery for such people?
“We’ll bury him by our parents and Aunt Clementine. There’s a large plot of land for any of the family who needs it.” Colton looked down at her. “I’m so glad we won’t be needing another space for you.”
Emma drew in a long breath. “It could have been very different. Of course, that woman didn’t aim her gun at me. I don’t know why.”
“You did nothing wrong. You were as much a victim as she was,” Colton declared. “Tommy was the one at fault.”
Emma tried to move, but she was too weak. “Colton, could you help me to sit up? I’d hate to call the nurse.”
“Of course.”
Emma handed Rosie the flowers, and Colton moved in to put his hands under each of her arms. “I hope I’m doing this right.”
He lifted her and helped her settle back once again. Emma ignored the pain and gave him a nod of approval once he stepped back. “Thank you. That’s better.”
Rosie started to hand her back the flowers, but Emma waved her off. “I think you should probably take them home with you. I can come and see them there later. The nurse wouldn’t approve of them being here in the room.”
“I wasn’t thinking. Sorry.” Colton glanced around the room. “Seems pretty sterile and stark.”
