Do you take this rebel - By Sherryl Woods Page 0,37
Jake said, shooting a defiant look at Cassie.
“I made arrangements for you to stay next door.”
“Well, I’m not going to.”
“Let him come,” her mother said. “He’ll just worry if he stays here with Mildred, and he’ll be company for you.”
Cassie finally relented. “Okay, give me two seconds to change and we’ll head on up to Laramie to the hospital.”
The screen door banged open just then. “She’s not going to Laramie,” Cole said. “I’ve made arrangements for her to go to University Hospital down in Denver. The doctor there has consulted with her doctor. Her records were sent to him yesterday once your mother okayed it.”
Cassie’s mouth dropped open. “What right did you have to do that?” Cassie demanded finally. She looked at her mother. “You knew about this?”
“I knew it was a possibility,” Edna said.
Cole regarded Cassie evenly. “I told you at the beginning that I was going to see that she had the best care possible. We’re going to Denver. I’ve got my plane all fueled up.”
Jake’s eyes widened, oblivious to anything except Cole’s announcement. “We’re going in a real plane? One of those ones I saw at the airport on the way into town?”
Cole grinned at his enthusiasm. “That’s right. If you’re good, I’ll even let you take the controls for a minute.”
“Over my dead body,” Cassie said at once.
Before that could erupt into a full-fledged battle, her mother said quietly, “I think if Cole’s gone to all this trouble, then we should do as he says. We’re certainly not going to drive all that way.”
Cassie stared at her. “Mom, you’ve always sworn you would never set foot in an airplane.”
“This is different.”
“How?”
“I’m sure Cole knows what he’s doing.”
“He just told a nine-year-old he could operate the controls,” Cassie pointed out.
“It’s not as if I’m going to nod off and take a nap while Jake flies us to Denver,” Cole said mildly. “And I know you want your mother to have the very best chance she can have. The surgeon in Denver comes highly recommended.”
“Why didn’t you say anything about this before?” Cassie asked.
“Because he didn’t have an opening in his schedule until yesterday. The minute he called me, I spoke to your mother and made the arrangements.”
Cassie felt as if the entire situation, already terrifying enough, was spinning wildly out of control. It wasn’t just that the four of them would be stuck in close quarters in that tiny plane, it was the fact that Cole clearly intended to be right by her side all through her mother’s surgery. On the one hand the gesture was both generous and kind. On the other, it would inevitably tighten the bond between them. Worse, it would keep him and his son in close proximity for hours, if not days.
In the end, though, Cassie knew she had no choice. The only thing that mattered was getting her mother the finest treatment available. And while the doctor in Laramie was surely good, the one in Denver would have greater experience and perhaps a more experienced support staff, as well.
Swallowing her pride—and her fear—she finally nodded. “Let’s go, then.”
In the plane Cole was true to his word. He allowed the awestruck Jake to take over the controls, if only for a few minutes. It was an experience Cassie knew her son would never forget. By the time they landed in Denver, his case of hero worship was stronger than ever.
They checked her mother into the hospital, then saw her settled into the private room Cole had arranged. When the surgeon came in to speak to her, Cassie was impressed with his warmth, his reassurances and his detailed explanations about what her mother could expect in the morning. In his early fifties, he was clearly both experienced and compassionate. For the first time since she had learned of her mother’s diagnosis, Cassie could see hope in her mother’s eyes.
“He seemed like a nice man,” her mother said, following the surgeon with her gaze as he left the room.
“We couldn’t have found a better doctor,” Cole said.
“Nice-looking, too,” Cassie teased her mother. “No wonder there’s a little color in your cheeks.”
“Stop with that,” her mother said, clearly flustered. The pink in her cheeks deepened. “All I care about is how good he is with that scalpel of his.”
A few minutes later a nurse came in. “We’re going to give your mother a little something to help her relax and get a good night’s sleep.”
“Then you all might as well run along,” Edna said. “I’m