Endless Love (Santa’s Secret Helpers #5) - Leeanna Morgan Page 0,42
about your cats. Mila offered to look after them while you’re here.”
Shelley breathed a sigh of relief. “That would be wonderful. I forgot about them until I was sitting upstairs with Dad.”
After leaving a gentle kiss on Bailey’s cheek, Steven walked across to the elevators.
A minute later, Shelley was staring at the reflection of someone she hardly recognized. “Why didn’t John or Dad say something?”
Bailey opened a packet of face wipes. “They would have been more worried about Mom. It’s just as well you’ve got me for a sister.”
Shelley took one of the tissues and started scrubbing the black lines of mascara off her face. She knew she was lucky to have Bailey and Sam for sisters. Without them, nothing would be the same.
And now, with their mom’s life hanging in the balance, they needed each other more than ever.
Chapter 12
By the time Sam and Caleb arrived, everyone was waiting in the family room for Elena’s doctor. After they’d spoken to the specialist, two members of their family would be able to visit her.
Shelley checked her watch. “When was the doctor supposed to be here?”
“I’m not sure,” Bailey said.
Tired of sitting still, Shelley paced back and forth across the carpet tiles. “We’ve been waiting a long time.”
Sam frowned. “He’s probably helping another patient.”
Shelley crossed her arms in front of her chest. She started to say something, then stopped. “I sound like a spoiled child. Sorry. I’m just worried about Mom.”
Bailey sent Shelley a reassuring smile. “It’s okay. We’re all feeling on edge.”
John was scrolling through the community Facebook posts on his phone. “Mabel sent me a message. She wants to let everyone know how your Mom is. What should I tell her?”
Bailey looked at Shelley and Sam. “We don’t know very much at the moment.”
“Whatever we say will be posted to Facebook.” Sam held their dad’s hand. “Maybe we could say that Mom’s in the hospital having some tests done. Would that be okay, Dad?”
“I don’t mind. Not many people in Sapphire Bay know your mom. They probably won’t know who Mabel is talking about.”
“They’ll know,” Steven said from beside the window overlooking the parking lot. “One of the things about living in a small town is that everyone knows everyone else.”
The doors to the family room swung open and everyone stared at the man and woman who entered the room.
Shelley’s shoulders slumped forward. They were part of another family waiting for news about their dad. She needed to do something. Otherwise, she’d wear a hole in the carpet. “Would anyone like a cup of coffee?”
John put down the magazine he’d been flipping through. “I’ll go with you.”
“I’ll have a coffee,” Bailey said. “What about you, Dad?”
“No, thanks.”
Sam held up her bottle of water. “I’m okay.”
“Same here,” Caleb said. “But I’ll come for a walk.”
Shelley was pleased to have company. After waiting in the family room for nearly two hours, everyone was getting even more worried about Elena.
As they turned into the corridor where the kitchen was located, Caleb sighed. “It feels good to be out of the waiting room. Thanks for finding the hotel, John. We were lucky to get three rooms.”
“Another family was checking out of the rooms when I called. We need to let the receptionist know how long we’ll be staying when we go back tonight.”
Shelley’s eyes widened. “What about our honeymoon? Mom might still be in the hospital in three days. I can’t go to Florida knowing she isn’t well.”
John wrapped his arm around her shoulders. “Don’t worry. I’ll call the airline and ask them to give us a credit on our airfares.”
“And my friend will be okay with you canceling at the last moment,” Caleb added. “He has plenty of other people lined up to stay in his apartment.”
Shelley held John’s hand. “I’m sorry we can’t go.”
“It doesn’t matter. Your mom’s more important.”
Caleb looked down at his cell phone. “Sam just texted me. The cardiologist has arrived.”
They turned around and hurried back to the family room.
When John opened the doors, Doctor Bloomfield was talking to Ted.
Shelley saw the tears in her dad’s eyes and a lump lodged in her throat.
“It’s good news,” Bailey said quickly. “There’s only a small amount of damage to Mom’s heart.”
Shelley sank into the nearest chair. “Are you sure?”
Doctor Bloomfield nodded. “We still have to do more tests over the next few days, but we’re very optimistic about what we’ve seen so far. Elena will have a long road to recovery but, if she does the exercises we’ll show her,