The Girl Who Came Back

“Dr. Pendarvis will be finishing his rounds in a few minutes. He already checked Miss Maddie earlier. I’m sure he’d be happy to talk with you and answer any questions. There’s been no change in her condition. We’re monitoring her closely. There’s a nurse on duty here at all times.”

As the woman turned to leave, Eliza peered around her, shocked at the frail-looking figure lying so still on the high bed. She was hooked up to tubes, a large machine monitoring her vital signs. It was Maddie. Eliza almost didn’t recognize her.

Her hair was covered by wide strips of gauze holding a bandage over the left side of her head. What few strands escaped lay against the hospital pillow, gray and lifeless in the subdued light. Her determined blue eyes were closed. She seemed shrunken, smaller than Eliza remembered.

Eliza tiptoed closer, her eyes filling with tears at the sight. Until that moment, she hadn’t understood the reality of Maddie’s situation. There really was a distinct possibility she would never wake up.

Eliza couldn’t stand the thought. Her heart ached for the woman who had spent so many years raising three orphans, and was now so alone. Eliza should have contacted her as soon as she had turned eighteen. She should have done more for her over the years. How could she have ignored the woman for so long?

What if she hadn’t subscribed to the paper a couple of years ago? What if she hadn’t written and renewed communication? Would Maddie have died without Eliza ever knowing?

Dashing away the tears, she wanted to reach out and force Maddie to sit up and recognize her. She wanted to ask Maddie to tell her all she’d been doing since they’d last seen each other. She wanted the foster mother she remembered!

Guilt attacked. She should have tried for a closer tie with Maddie. No matter how things had ended with Cade Bennett, Eliza should have made contact with Maddie earlier. Insisted she come visit her in Boston. Or Eliza should have come back to Maraville sooner. How could she have let so many years go by?

The attendant nurse stepped up to the bed, gently laying the back of her hand on Maddie’s cheek while scanning the monitors. She mouthed, “No change.” Then she moved back to her seat a short distance away.

Eliza pulled an empty chair next to the bed and sat. Could Maddie feel her presence? Did she know Eliza had come as soon as she’d learned of her stroke? Would Eliza’s own silent demands for her to wake up penetrate somehow and trigger an awareness?

She knew what loss felt like, and hated it. The death of her mother when Eliza was four had shaken her world. It had been shaken again that terrible day Cade’s sister had died and April, Jo and Eliza had been separated.

When she’d moved to Boston with her new foster family, Eliza had given up hope of returning to her childhood home. After so many years in Boston, she felt as if her life was centered there now. She’d made friends, established a place of her own. She was even planning to marry a seventh-generation Bostonian.

Eliza thought back to the previous night. Although she’d booked her flight to New Orleans, the nearest large airport to Maraville, as soon as she’d decided to make the trip, she’d waited until just before leaving before calling Stephen.

He had not been happy with her plans.

“What do you mean you’re going to Mississippi? You said nothing about this last night.”

“I only found out after we spoke. It was too late to call you after that. I’ll just be gone a few days. But I have to see Maddie. She could be dying.”

“What about your job? I thought you couldn’t get time off this weekend.”

She was surprised at his reaction. Visiting someone who was gravely ill didn’t compare with going to a weekend house party.

“It’s not exactly a social occasion. Maddie had a stroke. She’s in her sixties, which isn’t young. I need to see her.”

Stephen had been annoyed she hadn’t consulted him earlier, and for that she felt guilty. Didn’t she often have the same complaint about him?

At the end of the conversation he’d eased up and had even offered to drive her to Logan Airport.

“I’ll take the T,” she’d said. She was used to taking public transportation. No sense in disrupting his day. “Shall I call you once I know what’s going on?” she’d asked.

“Of course. And I want to know when you’ll be returning so I can meet your flight. Maybe you’ll be back by the weekend.” He’d sounded hopeful.

“You never know,” she had said, irritated he was still focused on his mother’s house party. Maddie was the person who had raised Eliza. They weren’t as close as they might have been, but Eliza owed her a great deal. Going to see Maddie when she was so ill was the least Eliza could do. Stephen should understand that.

Eliza sat lost in thought now as she watched Maddie’s chest slowly rise and fall. She felt so helpless. Surely there was something she could do.

Endless minutes slipped by. The left side of Maddie’s face was badly bruised. The nurse had told Eliza that Maddie had hit her head when she’d fallen after suffering the stroke. One hand was bandaged, lying lifelessly on top of the light bedcover. Tubes hung from multiple IVs connected to Maddie’s arm.

“Ms. Shaw?”

Eliza looked up at the doctor who approached. He appeared to be in his mid-fifties and his warm, intelligent eyes inspired confidence.

“Yes?”

“I’m Dr. Pendarvis. Are you a relative of Maddie’s?”

“I was one of her foster girls years ago. I just found out last night she’d had a stroke. Can you tell me about her condition?”

He gave her a brief rundown. Eliza let the medical terms swirl around her. When he finished, she asked for the bottom line.

“Basically, I can’t guarantee anything. Her age is against her, of course. But she’s in pretty good health considering everything. It’s up to Maddie.”

“So we wait and hope?” she asked.

He nodded. “A prayer or two would be helpful. We’re doing all we can. She’s on blood thinners, and we’ve relieved the pressure on the brain caused by the fall. She’s also on antibiotics, and we’re keeping her hydrated and nourished. The rest is up to her.”

“The longer she’s unconscious, the worse her chances, right?” Eliza asked. She dreaded confirmation of her fears, but needed to know the facts.

“Usually. But we think she was found very soon after the stroke. We administered the drugs immediately. Those first six hours are crucial, so we’re hopeful. Sometimes people wake up and it’s as if they took nothing more than a long nap.”

“Is there anything I can do?”

The doctor studied her for a moment. “Try talking to her. Coma patients often respond to familiar voices. If you notice any change, any agitation, notify one of the nurses at once.”

Eliza nodded. “Thank you.”

When he left, she drew her chair closer to the bed.

“Hi, Maddie. It’s me, Eliza. It’s been a long time. I bet you’re surprised I’m here. I read about your accident last night and I came right away. Wake up so we can visit, can you?”

Eliza swallowed. This was harder than she’d expected.

“Wake up, please. I want to tell you all my news. Since I wrote last, I’ve become engaged. His name is Stephen Cabot. He’s a Yankee, but you’d still like him.”

Eliza didn’t know if Maddie would or not. The woman had had some odd notions. Eliza and the other girls had laughed at her old-fashioned ideas. But Maddie had always been fair. She’d give any Yankee the benefit of the doubt.

“I’m sorry I wasn’t better about keeping in touch. Wake up so we can tell each other all we’ve been doing lately.”

Ten minutes later, Eliza was talked out. Discouraged at the lack of response, she brushed her lips against Maddie’s pale cheek. “I’m going now. They let me stay longer than I was supposed to. But I’ll be back soon. Wake up, Maddie, please.”

She patted her hand, lying so lifeless on the sheet, then turned, blinking back tears. She’d hoped the sound of her voice would work a miracle. She should have known there were no miracles left, especially in Maraville.

ELIZA WENT TO THE HOSPITAL cafeteria in a small building adjacent to the main facility. It was only early afternoon in Maraville. She was hungry, yet she wanted to stay nearby in case Maddie woke. The nurse had told her she could return in a couple of hours.

After buying a large latte and bagel with cream cheese, she went to an empty table and sat down. She took her cell phone out of her purse and punched in Stephen’s number at work.