that’s what he’d do. If she needed him to let her go, to help ease her to the other side, he’d do that, too.
* * *
“Mrs. Suede…Emma, wake up.”
The doctor’s voice sounded far away, but the urgent pressure of his fingers on her shoulder roused her. Had she truly fallen asleep sitting on the floor beside the bed? If the tingling in her legs was any indication she’d been at it for some time.
“I must have dozed off for a moment,” she mumbled, but didn’t want to open her eyes, it seemed as if years had passed since she’d last had a solid night’s sleep.
She cracked her eyelids open and glanced around the room. Matt hadn’t returned yet, so not much time would have passed.
“There’s someone asking for you.”
Emma wiggled her toes to chase away the fuzzy feeling in them. If neighbors were calling to offer comfort they’d want something to eat, or maybe some tea, if she could stand to brew another cup.
She glanced up at the doctor’s face to see him smiling.
“Mama.” Lucy’s voice sounded weak, but she spoke!
Emma spun about on her knee.
“Lucy!” She touched the small ashen cheek and smoothed back a tangle of curls from Lucy’s forehead.
A quick glance up at the doctor told her what she wanted to know. His smile, stretching from one side of his face clear to the other, had to mean that Lucy would recover.
“You’re going to be just fine, baby. Are you thirsty?” Lucy nodded, then glanced beside her on the mattress. “Mama, Fluffy and Princess are in the house…right on my bed.”
Emma had to bend her ear low to hear. Lucy’s voice was no more than a whisper, but, praise be, she had despaired of ever hearing it again!
“They’ve been so worried. I suppose they can stay for a while.” She wanted to cry and laugh all at once. Judging by the taste of wet salt on her tongue, she was doing both.
Lucy reached for her pups and was rewarded by a pair of wagging tails. Luckily the dogs recognized that their companion was still weak and didn’t yip and trounce upon her.
“I’ll go get you some tea.”
“I’ll take care of that, Mrs. Suede.” The doctor looped his thumbs into the suspenders sagging from his shoulders and rocked back on his heels. His grin puffed his cheeks into pink circles of happiness. “You go on along and spread the good word to your husband.”
This would be the best news she had ever passed on, but first there was something she wanted to say. Something that she had never said to a child. She bent close to Lucy’s cheek and kissed it.
“I love you, baby. I love you so much.”
“I love you too, Mama.”
“I’ll be right back.” She tucked the blanket about Lucy and noticed with a swell of joy that the doctor had replaced the wet sheet with a nice dry one. “I’m going to go get Papa.”
Lucy’s chest rose and fell beneath her palm. Her gaze looked sleepy but not far away or unfocused, as it had been. She smiled, sighed, then fell promptly asleep.
Mercy, but should she be sleeping already?
“Lucy?” Emma cast a worried glance at Doc Brown, who had returned from the kitchen with the tea.
“Don’t worry,” he said. “It’s a good healthy sleep. She’ll be back to her old self sooner than you think.”
Emma stood up, but had to let her bones settle. Even though she hadn’t been beside the bed for that long the joints felt unnatural and the muscles stiff.
“I’ve got to tell Matt.” She stomped her feet on the floor. Normal feeling flooded back into her toes. The rest of her limbs would take care of themselves in time. She couldn’t wait for the tingling to subside. She had to give Matt the news before he broke with the worry.
“You go along. I’ll be right here in case she wakes up.” The doctor waved her toward the door. “Although I don’t expect it for some time.”
“Thank you.” She flung her arms about his neck. Some words just didn’t say enough.
Emma dashed through the parlor. At the front door she noticed the Sizeloffs, Jesse and Billy sitting on the couch, staring after her. She spun toward them but paused for only a heartbeat.
Down the front steps and across the yard, she ran as if her skirt had wings. Air, fresh with a snap of fall, whizzed past her cheeks. She barely felt the pebbles under her shoes.