Almost a Family

“I made her a card.”

“I see that. She’ll love it. I know she misses you. But she still has an owie, okay? You’ll have

to be very careful getting up on her bed and stuff.”

“I know.”

Molly stared out the window again, wondering about the thought process of a three-year-old. What did Sara think and understand about what had happened to her mother? Did she even grasp the enormity of the accident? Cracked ribs and a ruptured spleen were nothing to fool with, and neither was a concussion. It had been the better part of a week and this was the first time Kim had been alert enough to see her own daughter. Molly didn’t even know exactly what had happened. All Kim had been able to manage through the medications was a brief phone call asking for help. The weak, thready voice on the line had frightened Molly sufficiently. She’d started making arrangements as soon as her hands had stopped shaking. She had meant to ask as soon as she arrived, but seeing Jason had made her so uncomfortable that she’d tried to keep their conversations to a minimum.

Now her sister was well enough for them to visit, and Molly was glad Kim was recovering nicely despite the seriousness of her injuries. She hadn’t hesitated to come and help, but she only had three weeks off and then she had to be back to work. She thought back to the files she’d brought with her. Land leases and royalty contracts. Even on vacation, she couldn’t afford to slack off a bit. A week after her scheduled return, she’d have her performance review and she’d know if she got her promotion. A promotion that would entitle her to a corner office with her own paralegal and a raise—not to mention a lovely stock option.

She smiled to herself. She never would have had the same opportunity had she stayed in New Brunswick. Moving to Calgary and getting into the corporate legal business had been her smartest move. And she’d never regretted her decision. Much.

Jason pulled into the hospital parking lot, went down the second row and found a space.

“Okay, munchkin. Let’s go see your mama.”

He carried Sara inside and went straight to the information desk, Molly trailing behind.

“I’m looking for Kim Shaeffer’s room number, please.”

The woman behind the desk peered at her computer screen over her glasses, then looked up owlishly. “Who is visiting?”

He smiled his most charming smile, eyes twinkling. “Her daughter and her sister.”

The woman wasn’t fooled. “And you are?”

Without missing a beat, he winked at the woman and answered, “Her husband.”

Molly saw the woman’s lips twitch slightly before she handed him a slip of paper and shooed him on his way.

They crowded into the elevator. Molly knit her brows together and hissed, “That was shameful.”

Jason shrugged, unconcerned as he hit the button for the proper floor. “It’s immediate family only. It’s no big deal.”

Molly stiffened her spine. It shouldn’t bother her that Jason Elliot got a kick out of pretending to be her sister’s husband. It shouldn’t matter that he could still turn on the charm and women simpered. But it did, and she was severely annoyed with herself for letting it affect her. He’d probably done it simply to antagonize her, she thought, and shoved her hands into her coat pockets. After tonight, she was going to avoid him every chance she got. She was here to look after Sara and Kim. That was it. She wasn’t here to take nauseating walks down memory lane with Jason. What would be the point?

The doors slid open and she looked up at Sara, happily ensconced in Jason’s arms, clutching her handmade card in pink mittens. It was a fetching picture, her blondeness next to his dark looks. They stepped out, and Jason led the way to the proper ward.

It smelled like hospital—sickness and antiseptic and yesterday’s meatloaf. All hushed voices and white scrubbed floors and stainless steel.

He checked his paper, then continued down a hallway until he stopped in front of a half-opened white door.

His eyes lost their flippancy as he suggested quietly to Molly, “Why don’t you go in first and make sure it’s okay?”

She nodded and took a step into the room, her heart beating quickly in her chest.

“Hey,” she said softly and smiled a little at the sight of her sister lying silently in the bed.

Kim was wearing a blue hospital gown and an IV was connected to her arm. But her color was much better than Molly had expected.

“Hey, yourself.” Kim attempted a smile, but the bruise on her left cheek held her back, making it more of a grimace. She touched her limp blonde hair with her free hand. “I look a mess. Where’s Sara?”

Molly perched carefully on the edge of the bed. “Outside with Jason. God, sis, you look horrible.” She grinned, but it didn’t cover the worry she felt as she looked down at her sister. “I brought the five-minute repair kit. Are you up to it?”

“Please,” Kim said, and, with a gasp, pushed herself up to a semi-sitting position. Molly rose, went to the end of the bed and pushed a button to change the angle so Kim was sitting more comfortably.

She pulled a small bag out of her purse. With quick, deft strokes, she brushed out her sister’s hair and pulled it up in a perky, cute ponytail. “Why didn’t you tell me Jason was the next door neighbor?”