Mindy Sue tossed the trash from their breakfast. “You come, too, Cody. This is for both of you. Brooke, bring the baby,” she said gently.
Brooke already cradled the silver vessel in her hand. She hadn’t let it go for longer than it took to get changed and redo her bandages.
Cody didn’t know what the girls had planned, but followed them without comment or questions. At the stairs, he carefully picked Brooke up and carried her down. She didn’t say anything and tried her best not to let on how much everything hurt her, but he saw every wince and felt every time she tensed to ward off the pain.
They stepped out the back door into a small courtyard filled with the students from the dorm. They’d all come out to see Brooke after they’d been told Brooke had been in an accident and lost the baby. They gathered around the fountain. He set Brooke on her feet and stood behind her with his arms loosely wrapped around her waist. His hands clasped over hers, holding their daughter.
The circular fountain had a young girl standing in the center with an umbrella over her head. The water came out of the umbrella top and rained down into the surrounding pool. Everyone held a white rose and a small pink candle.
Mindy Sue took her rose and candle from Julie. They began the process of lighting the strawberry-scented candles everyone held. In all, more than thirty people attended the ceremony. Everyone had come to join Brooke in the informal memorial service.
“Everyone, this is Cody Jansen. He’s the baby’s father.” Everyone stared at Cody standing with Brooke, his arms around her.
“We’re all here to say goodbye to an angel that never got the chance to grace us with her presence.” Mindy Sue swallowed hard. Her eyes glassed over with unshed tears, and she did her best to give Brooke and him sympathy and compassion for their loss.
“Brooke and Cody, there are no words that will make this time easier. Nothing we say or do will bring back your little girl. We’d all like you to know, we love you and are deeply sorry for your loss.
“Brooke, we spent the last six months dreaming with you about a little girl who’d have your brilliant smile and your sweet heart. I can only say, we’re all sorry we never got to meet her. If she was anything like her mom, she was beautiful inside and out.”
Mindy Sue gave Brooke the rose she held and set her candle in the fountain to float on the water. Julie did the same and both she and Mindy Sue stood beside Brooke as everyone came to her and gave her a rose and floated their own candle. Mindy Sue sang “Amazing Grace” and everyone joined in.
By the end of the ceremony, Brooke’s arms were filled with roses and Cody stood with her, holding his daughter for the first time. The cool metal against his skin was startlingly in contrast to the warm little bundle he’d have liked to hold instead.
Completely overwhelmed, Brooke turned with all the roses in her arms and smashed them between her and Cody. She held on to him and buried her face in his chest and cried her heart out as everyone came and gave her a pat on the back and said goodbye.
Maybe this was too much too soon for her, but he understood Mindy Sue and Julie, her best friends, couldn’t let her leavewithout acknowledging the loss and letting Brooke see how much everyone cared.
Cody held her until they were alone with Mindy Sue and Julie. He continued to hold Brooke when he addressed the other two women. “Thank you. I hadn’t thought to…we haven’t had time to…” He felt completely at a loss. He’d never seen such a display of friendship and love. Not like this. Brooke clung to him like she couldn’t stand on her own. He was practically holding her up and thankful the roses had been de-thorned, or he’d have been stuck like a pincushion.
“It’s okay, Cody. We did this for our friend. We did this for your daughter.” Julie brushed her hand down Brooke’s hair. “Brooke, look at the fountain. It’s beautiful, don’t you think? We wanted to do this for you tonight, but you’ll be going home. We didn’t want you to leave without our saying goodbye.”
Brooke managed to turn around in Cody’s arms and look at the little fountain. Lovely, the blue water against the white marble with all those pink candles sparkling, their sweet strawberry scent filling the courtyard. It reminded him of the lip balm Brooke used to always use when she was younger and still did in the summer.
Julie and Mindy Sue gathered the roses from her arms and tucked them into a huge vase. “We’ll take these upstairs. You can get them along with some of your things after you take your test. My brother’s friend works for a moving company. I’ll call him tomorrow. We’ll pack up your things and he’ll bring them to the ranch.”
Cody was touched. “Thank you.”
Julie nodded and gave Brooke a hug. “Be well, my friend. I’ll see you soon, I hope.”
Mindy Sue hugged Brooke and looked over her shoulder at Cody. “I’ll see you guys before you leave. Take care of her.”
“I will. Always.” Cody meant it with his whole heart. “We’ll see you in a couple of weeks at the ranch.” Meeting her gaze pointedly, he hoped Mindy Sue got the message. The next few weeks would be difficult for Brooke. Mindy Sue’s visit would help.
Chapter Ten
Cody escorted Brooke to her class to take her test, even though she was wiped out. She insisted she needed to finish it before she left to keep her grade and graduate with honors. He begrudgingly left her to it and handed in her term paper to her other professor. Then, he went back to her dorm room and packed her suitcases and as much of her stuff as he could fit into his car.
Ready to take her back to the ranch, he called Susanne to let her know an approximate time to expect them.
“Cody, how is she? Are you on your way home?”
“Soon. She’s finishing a test. We should be there by dinner.”
Susanne let out a sigh of relief. “Okay. Good. Um, you should know, Kristi stayed at the house last night, waiting for you to return.”
Kristi had started staying over more frequently after Christmas, but then it tapered off. She’d claim she was tired. That he was up too late working on cases or board stuff andhe didn’t spend time with her anyway. When they were in bed together…the sex lacked the kind of passion he’d gotten a taste of with Brooke. He’d tried harder to coax Kristi to be more…open. Uninhibited. Sometimes she even tried.
You can’t compare her to Brooke. They’re different.
