now.”
Joanne hurried forward and Ginger went to follow, but the nurse blocked her. “Just his wife, please.”
Ginger looked as if she’d argue, but Joanne gave her a small smile, and said, “It’s okay. I’ll be all right.”
Ginger nodded, and Joanne hurried from the room with the nurse as if she was afraid the woman would change her mind.
“Okay, Doc,” Ginger said. “Tell us what you know.”
“He’s no longer my patient,” Doc said. “It’s up to his surgeon, Dr. Graber, to tell Joanne what his status is.”
Maggie nodded while Ginger’s frown deepened.
“What I can tell you is that he’s got his youth and good health going for him,” Doc said. “But the blow to his head was severe. Now all we can do is wait until he wakes up to see what we’re dealing with.”
Maggie and Ginger exchanged glances, and Maggie knew Ginger was thinking the same thing that she was: This was going to be very hard on Joanne, and they were going to have to watch her round the clock to be sure she took care of herself and the baby.
When Joanne returned from the recovery room, she was visibly upset. Maggie and Ginger tried to talk her into going home to rest, but she was having none of it. Michael was being moved up to the ICU on the fifth floor, so she planned to move to the waiting room up there and visit Michael as much as she could.
Without having to discuss it, Maggie and Ginger made the move with her. When Joanne went into the ICU to see Michael settled, Ginger went to call Roger and her boys, and when she returned Maggie took a stroll down the hallway and called Laura to see how she was holding up.
“My Sister’s Closet,” Laura answered the shop phone. “May I help you?”
“Hi, sweetie,” Maggie said. Her voice was gentle. She knew that Laura must have still been processing the news about Diane.
“Hi, Mom,” Laura said. “How is Michael? Is he going to be all right? People have been calling the shop all afternoon.”
“He’s holding his own. He’s out of surgery, but we have to wait until he wakes up to see how he is,” Maggie said. She tried to keep her voice optimistic. “How are things at the shop?”
“Not terribly busy,” Laura said. “We had a couple of returns and I made a few sales, but I have to say, my heart is really not in it. I can’t stop thinking about Diane and I—”
Laura broke down and cried, and Maggie wished she could be there to wrap her in her arms and comfort her. She knew that Laura hadn’t known Diane long, but still they’d seemed to hit if off so naturally. It had to be an awful shock.
“You know it’s fine if you close the shop, honey,” Maggie said.
“I know, but I’m afraid it will be worse if I go home and have nothing to do, and I don’t want to freak Josh out by bursting into tears every few minutes,” Laura said. She made a loud sniffle, and Maggie knew exactly what she meant. In times of disaster, Maggie liked to be busy, too.
“Have you talked to Sam? Does he know what happened?” Laura asked when she’d calmed down. “Were they robbed?”
“No one knows as yet,” Maggie said. She knew it wasn’t looking as if that were the case, and she knew her daughter would keep it to herself, but Maggie didn’t even want to put it out there as yet.
“Well the local businesspeople are all getting very twitchy. In fact, Summer Phillips has hired Tyler Fawkes to patrol her shop,” Laura said. “She even put him in a rent-a-cop uniform and everything.”
Maggie rolled her eyes. Of course Summer had. If ever there was a person who brought attention to herself through someone else’s tragedy, it was Summer.
“Tyler’s even packing,” Laura said.
“Packing what?”
“He’s armed,” Laura said.
“With a gun?” Maggie squawked.
“A Taser,” Laura said.
“Oh, good grief,” Maggie said. “I don’t know who is dumber, Summer or Tyler. I swear they are a match made in heaven.”
“Are you talking about us?” a voice asked
Joanne hurried forward and Ginger went to follow, but the nurse blocked her. “Just his wife, please.”
Ginger looked as if she’d argue, but Joanne gave her a small smile, and said, “It’s okay. I’ll be all right.”
Ginger nodded, and Joanne hurried from the room with the nurse as if she was afraid the woman would change her mind.
“Okay, Doc,” Ginger said. “Tell us what you know.”
“He’s no longer my patient,” Doc said. “It’s up to his surgeon, Dr. Graber, to tell Joanne what his status is.”
Maggie nodded while Ginger’s frown deepened.
“What I can tell you is that he’s got his youth and good health going for him,” Doc said. “But the blow to his head was severe. Now all we can do is wait until he wakes up to see what we’re dealing with.”
Maggie and Ginger exchanged glances, and Maggie knew Ginger was thinking the same thing that she was: This was going to be very hard on Joanne, and they were going to have to watch her round the clock to be sure she took care of herself and the baby.
When Joanne returned from the recovery room, she was visibly upset. Maggie and Ginger tried to talk her into going home to rest, but she was having none of it. Michael was being moved up to the ICU on the fifth floor, so she planned to move to the waiting room up there and visit Michael as much as she could.
Without having to discuss it, Maggie and Ginger made the move with her. When Joanne went into the ICU to see Michael settled, Ginger went to call Roger and her boys, and when she returned Maggie took a stroll down the hallway and called Laura to see how she was holding up.
“My Sister’s Closet,” Laura answered the shop phone. “May I help you?”
“Hi, sweetie,” Maggie said. Her voice was gentle. She knew that Laura must have still been processing the news about Diane.
“Hi, Mom,” Laura said. “How is Michael? Is he going to be all right? People have been calling the shop all afternoon.”
“He’s holding his own. He’s out of surgery, but we have to wait until he wakes up to see how he is,” Maggie said. She tried to keep her voice optimistic. “How are things at the shop?”
“Not terribly busy,” Laura said. “We had a couple of returns and I made a few sales, but I have to say, my heart is really not in it. I can’t stop thinking about Diane and I—”
Laura broke down and cried, and Maggie wished she could be there to wrap her in her arms and comfort her. She knew that Laura hadn’t known Diane long, but still they’d seemed to hit if off so naturally. It had to be an awful shock.
“You know it’s fine if you close the shop, honey,” Maggie said.
“I know, but I’m afraid it will be worse if I go home and have nothing to do, and I don’t want to freak Josh out by bursting into tears every few minutes,” Laura said. She made a loud sniffle, and Maggie knew exactly what she meant. In times of disaster, Maggie liked to be busy, too.
“Have you talked to Sam? Does he know what happened?” Laura asked when she’d calmed down. “Were they robbed?”
“No one knows as yet,” Maggie said. She knew it wasn’t looking as if that were the case, and she knew her daughter would keep it to herself, but Maggie didn’t even want to put it out there as yet.
“Well the local businesspeople are all getting very twitchy. In fact, Summer Phillips has hired Tyler Fawkes to patrol her shop,” Laura said. “She even put him in a rent-a-cop uniform and everything.”
Maggie rolled her eyes. Of course Summer had. If ever there was a person who brought attention to herself through someone else’s tragedy, it was Summer.
“Tyler’s even packing,” Laura said.
“Packing what?”
“He’s armed,” Laura said.
“With a gun?” Maggie squawked.
“A Taser,” Laura said.
“Oh, good grief,” Maggie said. “I don’t know who is dumber, Summer or Tyler. I swear they are a match made in heaven.”
“Are you talking about us?” a voice asked
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