“You wouldn’t. Your mother would be humiliated if this comes out.”
“Try me.” Jewell didn’t blink. “And Mom won’t be humiliated; she’ll be in Treepoint.”
Instead of moving to the bank of elevators, her father turned toward the door. “She isn’t worth fighting over. She’s been deadweight for years.”
Jewell restrained herself from pummeling him to the ground. She hadn’t been lying; he wasn’t worth spending one second in jail over.
Reassured that her mother wouldn’t be confronted by her father, she went to the elevators. As she got off the elevator, the aide gave her a worried frown.
“You’ll have to wait until your brother comes out. Her nurse will throw both of you out if she catches you.”
Stunned, Jewell stopped. “My brother?”
“Yes, he just went in.”
“Thanks. I’ll get him to come out.”
Confused as to who was with her mom, she sped down the hallway. Walking into the room, Jewell saw Greer Porter about to shake her mother’s hand.
“I’m sorry I missed seeing Jewell. It’s nice to meet you.”
Jewell managed to catch Greer’s wrist. “No, Greer.” Jewell jerked Greer’s hand away from her mother.
“Mom, I’m just going outside to speak to my friend. Call out if you need anything.”
Her mother groggily stared at them before closing her eyes.
Tugging on Greer’s hand, she pulled him out into the hallway, despite him trying to pull away from her touch.
“What are you doing here?” she hissed, releasing him.
Greer shoved his hands into the pockets of his loose jeans. “No need to get so touchy. I just stopped by to say hey.” Greer arrogantly puffed his chest out, as if he was offended.
“You just stopped by to say hey when Treepoint is seven hours away?” Dumbfounded by his brazen lie, Jewell narrowed her eyes on him.
“I get bored sometimes and go out for a long drive.”
She placed her hands on her hips. “How did you know I was here?”
Greer pressed his lips together, refusing to answer.
“You want me to call your wife and ask her?”
“Don’t do that. She thinks I’m working.”
“Then talk.”
Greer went mute again. Jewell was afraid she knew what he was doing here.
“Greer …” Jewell gentled her tone. “Your family doesn’t owe me anything for saving Ema.”
“We have to pay you back. You saved the life of one of my family. The scales are uneven until another Porter balances them.”
“What scales?”
“Don’t worry about it none. Move away, and I’ll balance them. You can keep your momma without giving up one of your kidneys.”
“You going to donate one of your kidneys to my mom?”
Greer blanched. “No! Kind of attached to all my body parts, especially my kidney. Mine won’t help her much, anyway. I have to run to the bathroom to take a piss anytime I drink a cup of coffee … Now, Tate, he has good, strong kidneys …”
The man was worsening the headache she had been suffering all day.
“I don’t understand. You want to volunteer Tate to give his kidney without his permission?”
“We’d ask. Matter of fact, why don’t you go downstairs and call him? I’ll keep your mom company until you come back.”
Jewell pushed him back when Greer tried to go back into her mother’s room, noticing how he sucked his chest in to avoid her touch.
“Greer, my mother doesn’t need Tate’s or your kidney. I’m going to donate mine.”
“Whew … That’s a relief. You might have had a hard time convincing Tate to give up one of his.”
Her headache increased.
“Why don’t you go to that hotel room you rented and catch some sleep? I’ll be glad to sit with your mom a spell.”
Jewell had had enough. “Greer, I think I know what you’re attempting to do.” Jewell started to reach out to touch the man then pulled back when Greer flinched away. Her suspicions confirmed, she slowly reached out to touch a lock of his white hair. “Your family already paid me back.” Dropping her hand to her pocket, she took out the star that Logan had whittled for her. “I might have saved Ema, but Logan gave me my son back. I thought I had lost him forever when he died, yet Logan brought him back to me.” Jewell gripped the polished wood in her hand. “That’s a debt I will never to be able to repay. I’m the one who owes your family.”
Greer searched her eyes. “You win.” He shrugged.
“You’re going to leave?” she asked doubtfully. Greer seemed to be giving up too easily.
“Yep. Don’t believe me; you can walk me to my truck.”
“I will.” Poking her head around the corner of her mother’s room, she told her that she would be right back.
She walked alongside Greer as he complained how much gas his truck used, and Jewell wished she had remained with her mother.
As they walked out the hospital door, Jewell turned to Greer to ask where he had parked when she saw him heading over to the water fountain instead of the parking lot.