Mending Hearts Read online

  Mending Hearts

  Book Three of The Freedom Trilogy

  By Brenda Kennedy

  ****

  SMASHWORDS EDITION

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  ***

  Dedicated to:

  Chad Michael Kennedy

  3-8-81 to 3-27-02

  I would also like to dedicate this series to the men and women in our military. Thank you.

  ***

  Chapter One: To Live or Die

  Emma

  How can I help Raelynn heal from her mother’s death? I don’t know how to do that! I barely held myself together after Max’s death.

  The doctor comes in and asks to speak to the adults in private.

  “I’ll sit here with Raelynn,” I whisper.

  “Are you sure?”

  “Yes, she’s already asleep. We’ll stay here, you go and talk to the doctor.”

  “Thank you, I’ll be back as soon as I can.”

  Alec gently places Raelynn on my lap. She snuggles close to me, and I hold my breath. I don’t want to wake her.

  “I’ll be just a few minutes,” he says, as he strokes Raelynn’s long brown hair.

  I nod and give him a slight smile.

  While they are gone, I scoot closer to Molly’s bed. I feel someone should be near her.

  I rock a sleeping Rae side to side. Molly’s index finger moves and I stop rocking Rae and stare at her hand. She slightly wiggles four fingers and then her thumb. I lean closer and look at her face. Is she waking up? Molly blinks a few times and whispers, “Please, help me.”

  “Em, there is going to be a time when someone you meet will need your help.”

  “Who? I don’t understand?”

  “When the time comes, you will understand.”

  Oh, my God, Max was not talking about Raelynn! He was talking about Molly!

  I lean closer to Molly and just stare at her. Maybe I imagined her asking for help. She lies still and doesn’t move. Raelynn is still sitting on my lap as I try to calm my racing heart. I hold Molly’s hand and will her to move her hand, her finger, anything, for me.

  I stare at her and she doesn’t blink. Her right index finger moves slightly. “Please, help me,” she rasps, and I get cold chills.

  I push the nurses’ call light that is beside Molly’s bed. I know the doctor is talking to Alec and Molly’s parents, but someone needs to come in and check on Molly. The nurse, the doctor, Alec, Sam, and Bridget all come into the room at the same time.

  “Is everything all right?” the nurse asks as she checks Molly’s vital signs on the monitor. Molly’s eyes are closed and she appears to be sleeping.

  “S-s-she moved her right hand and asked for help,” I stutter. I stand up and walk away from the bed.

  Alec walks over to me and the doctor joins the nurse on the other side of the bed. “Molly woke up and asked for help?” Alec asks, as he takes Raelynn from my arms.

  “She moved her fingers and blinked a few times before she said, ‘Please, help me.’”

  Alec looks at me with concern. “Are you sure she asked for help?”

  I nod as I watch the nurse and the doctor evaluate Molly. Sam and Bridget stand and watch as the doctor shines his flashlight into their daughter’s eyes. Molly doesn’t move, she doesn’t blink, and she doesn’t speak.

  “I’m sorry, there is no change in her condition. It could have been a reflex. We’ll continue to monitor her.” The doctor nods at Alec, Sam, and then Bridget before he and the nurse walk out of the room.

  “I’m sorry, it sounded like she was asking me for help,” I say loud enough for Sam and Bridget to hear me.

  “It’s all right, Emma,” Sam says, as he takes a seat beside his wife near Molly.

  Alec leads me to a chair and places Raelynn on my lap. He goes over to Molly’s bed and holds her hand. He watches her closely as he speaks softly to her. I watch as he raises one of her eyelids and then the other. He stands over her bed and moves her hair away from her face, before joining Raelynn and me.

  “I’m sorry,” I whisper. “It sounded like she was asking me to help her.”

  He takes Raelynn from my lap and gives me a slight smile. “You have no reason to be sorry.” He sits beside me and watches Molly and the monitors.

  “What did the doctor want to talk to you about?” I whisper.

  Alec looks at me and says, “He wanted to know if we knew the man who was with Molly tonight. He didn’t have any identification on him when they brought him in.”

  “I see. Is he here alone?” I ask.

  “He must be. I think he is in the room next door.”

  I think about him being here alone and it saddens me. “I need to use the powder room. I’ll be back in a few minutes.”

  “I’ll walk with you,” Alec says, as he begins to stand.

  “No, stay here in case there is a change in Molly’s condition.”

  “Emma, they won’t let you in to see him.”

  I look at him and wonder how he knows I was heading into his room. “I know, I need to use the powder room,” I lie. I stand and walk out of the room and around the corner, before he can say anything. When I hear beeping, I walk in the direction of the sound. I peek into the sterile room and see a man lying motionless in the bed. He looks to be in worse condition than Molly, if that’s even possible.

  I stand there and look around to see if any medical staff are nearby. After several seconds of not seeing anyone, I decide to walk into his room. He is lying still with several machines and tubes nearby. I slowly and quietly walk closer to him. He has an IV in one hand and has tubes coming from his nose. He is on oxygen. I stand near his bed and just look at him. He is a tall but thin man. I touch his hand; he feels cold. He is covered with an all-white hospital blanket. Lowering my head, I say a prayer that God will give him another chance. I pray that they find his family soon and that he will soon be surrounded by loved ones. Before I leave his room, I get an extra blanket and cover him up. I pull the blanket up to his chin, the way that I like it.

  I turn around to leave and I jump when I see Alec standing in the doorway watching me.

  “Did you get lost?” he asks as he leans against the door frame.

  “Yes, silly me, I thought the restroom was in here.” I walk past him without looking at him.

  “Turn right, it’s down the hall on the left,” he says as I scurry past him.

  “Thank you.” I stay in the restroom longer than I need to. Alec is probably waiting for me on the other side of the door so he can see why I was in that man’s room.

  When I am done I walk out of the restroom. Sure enough, Alec is leaning against the wall waiting for me. He doesn’t say anything and neither do I. I take his hand and we walk down the hallway to Molly’s room. I stop outside of the man’s room and look in. The doctor and a nurse are standing at his bedside.

  Alec looks in the room, then looks down at me. “All we can do is pray for him.”

  I nod and squeeze his hand.

  We sit at Molly’s bedside waiting for a change, any change, in her condition. The detectives come in; they want to talk with Molly’s parents. Anytime there is an overdose, they need to investigate it to see if it was accidental or intentional, not to mention investigating to find out anything about the illegal drugs that were used.

  “Alec, would you mind sitting in the interview wi
th us?” Sam asks.

  “Emma, would you mind?” Alec asks me.

  “No, of course not. I’ll sit here with Rae.”

  They leave the room and I sit with Molly as I hold a sleeping Raelynn on my lap. I stare at Molly and will her to wake up. I pray that God gives her another chance and the strength to fight. I also pray that God helps her friend. I watch Molly, the machines, and the clock.

  Alec, Sam, and Bridget come back into the room and take their seats. Bridget cries and Sam hugs her. I look at the floor. I can’t stand to see her so sad. Alec takes Raelynn from me and holds her close to him.

  “Is everything all right?” I know it’s not, but I don’t know how else to ask what the detectives said.

  Alec looks at me sadly and says, “The detectives said they got Molly’s toxicology report back and she overdosed on several different kinds of pills.” He rearranges Raelynn on his lap and adds, “They said she had pain pills and anti-anxiety drugs, along with alcohol in her system.”

  “Oh, Alec. I am so sorry.”

  “Me, too. They were also asking about the guy she came in with. They are having a hard time identifying him.” He looks over at Molly, and says, “Maybe they’ll have better luck after they get his fingerprints.”

  “I hope so. I hate thinking about him being alone.”

  “Me, too, but there isn’t anything we can do about that.”

  Alec

  Throughout the night Molly has several seizures. They medicated her with IV Valium and Dilantin. They also gave her Narcan to counter-react the drugs that she overdosed on.

  After several hours the doctor informs us that Molly is stable, so Emma, Rae, and I leave to pick up James and go home. Sam and Bridget continue to stay at the hospital and wait for Molly to regain consciousness.

  We walk into my parents’ house and James is awake and sitting at the breakfast table. He smiles when he sees us. Emma walks over and hugs him and sits down beside him. Mom and Dad have breakfast and coffee already made when we get there.

  “Thanks, mom,” I say, taking two cups of coffee from her. I walk over and hand Emma her cup and ruffle James’ hair. Raelynn is sitting on the other side of James, filling her plate with hash browns, sausage, eggs, and pancakes. I smile and walk back over to the island where my mom is standing.

  “Is there any news on Molly?” she whispers.

  “No change; she is still unconscious but stable.”

  “Oh, that poor girl,” my mother says and shakes her head. “How are Sam and Bridget doing?”

  “Exhausted; they are still there with her.”

  “John and I will go up and see Molly in a bit. Maybe they can leave and go home and shower and eat or just rest.”

  “I know they will appreciate that, mom. Thank you.”

  “It looks like Emma is waiting for you to eat. Go eat and we’ll talk later.”

  After breakfast I get a call from Sam.

  “Alec here.”

  “It’s Sam. I hate to bother you.”

  “It’s no bother, what’s up? Is she awake?” I ask.

  “No, there’s no change. The detectives just left. They said the hotel that Molly was staying at called and they need someone to pick up her things. Is it too much to ask…?”

  I interrupt him and say, “No problem, what hotel is it?”

  I write down the information that I need and tell him, “I’ll get over there soon.”

  “Thank you, Alec. You’re a good man. I’ll call the hotel to let them know that you’re coming.”

  “You’re welcome and I’ll be in touch.”

  After breakfast, Emma and I take the kids home and I quickly shower before I have to leave to clear out the room Molly was staying in at the Comfort Inn.

  “Do you want me to go with you?” Emma asks.

  “No, Baby, stay here and take a bubble bath. I shouldn’t be long.”

  She kisses me before I leave.

  I pull up at the address Sam gave me and look around. I walk inside the run-down lobby of the hotel and explain who I am and what I am doing here. I also explain that Molly’s father called and spoke to them about me coming.

  “Here is the key to room 120.”

  I take the key from the clerk. “Ok, thank you. I shouldn’t be longer than an hour.”

  “That’s fine, but don’t forget about the car.”

  I look up at her. “Car? What car?”

  She nods outside at the only other car in the parking lot. “You’ll need to take the car with you or we’ll have to tow it.”

  “Ok, I’ll take the car with me when I leave.”

  I walk across the empty parking lot and slowly open the door to Molly’s hotel room. I turn on the light and leave the curtains pulled shut. I don’t want people to peek in as they walk by. I’m not sure what they’ll see and I’m not sure what I’ll find in here.

  Walking through the small space, right away I see some blood on the bed sheet. I remove the blanket, sheets, and pillow cases and place them in a pile on the floor. I walk into the bathroom and see some hygiene items in the shower and spread out on the counter. Placing everything inside a Walmart bag on the counter, I bring it out and set it on the empty bed. I look in the drawers of the dresser and pull out the neatly folded clothes. I am surprised the clothes are folded. This is something I didn’t expect to see. Looking around I also see some price tags sitting on the dresser. Why would Molly be buying new clothes? Drug addicts don’t really care about new or clean clothes. Maybe she was trying to get help. If she wanted help, then why did she overdose?

  I empty the dresser drawers and notice some of the clothing are men’s. Inside the folded clothing is a stuffed rabbit. I pick it up and hold it. I don’t recognize it as belonging to Raelynn. I place it on the bed next to the clothing it was with.

  Car keys are lying on the table nearest the bed along with a few empty bottles of pain meds prescribed to Molly. I walk outside and unlock the car door to Molly’s car. It’s an older, red Toyota Camry in pretty good condition. She always did like Camrys. The passenger seat is all the way back, so I am guessing that her friend was usually the passenger. Looking around the car, I don’t see anything out of place. I look in the glove box and see the title is registered to Molly Collins. The date on the title is a few days after I gave her the money from the house.

  Molly’s purse is lying on the backseat. When I pick it up, a business card falls out of it. It has the name Adam McDaniel on it. The card has no picture, but an address and phone number are listed on it. I tuck it in my pocket and look around the car. When I don’t see anything else in the car, I get out of the car and look in the trunk. Nothing but a spare tire.

  While I walk back in the room, I call my dad to see if he can come and pick up the vehicle. I place Molly and her friend’s property neatly in the backseat of her car and wait outside for my dad to arrive. I also text Sam to tell him I’m having Molly’s car taken to their place and everything from the hotel is in the backseat of the car.

  The bell over the door rings, alerting the clerk that someone is entering.

  “That didn’t take long,” she says, smiling. She is an older woman with graying hair.

  “No, it didn’t. Thank you for your help.”

  “Anytime.”

  “Is there a balance that I owe you for the room?” I ask.

  I wait for her to type something in the computer. “It looks like the room was paid up until the end of the month. We owe you a refund for the unused days.”

  I lay the plastic keycard down and ask, “You issue refunds here?”

  “Not normally, but in this situation, we will. It’ll be a check, I hope that’s all right?”

  “Yes, that’s fine. Thank you.”

  “May I leave the car keys here? Molly’s ex-father-in-law, John Collins, will be here to get the car shortly. Molly’s parents are still at the hospital.”

  “Yes, that’s no problem,” she says, reaching for the car keys.

  “Thank you.”<
br />
  As I leave the hotel lobby, I fold the check up and place it in the glove compartment in Molly’s car. It’s made out to “Molly Collins.” I remove the business card I took from Molly’s purse and look at the address. My dad will pick up Molly’s car soon and I drive towards that direction on the business card.

  I pull into the parking lot of a church and put my car in park. There is a large sign that reads “Southern Baptist Church” and under those words appear “Addicts Anonymous meeting, every Tuesday and Thursday 6:00 to 7:00 p.m., everyone is welcome.”

  I lock up the car and see that the back door of the church is propped open. I walk into the room, which is empty. The lights are on, and the room looks like a small chapel. The pews, a podium, a small table, and some folding chairs are the only things in the room. I walk further into the room before someone comes out of the side door.

  “Hi, I’m sorry, but you missed church and you are too early for the Addicts Anonymous meeting.”

  I look over at a nice-looking, blond-haired man. “I’m sorry, the door was left open.”

  “Although the church is closed, we do leave the chapel doors open for the locals through the day.”

  “Really?” I ask.

  “Yes, we keep the adjoining doors leading to the main church locked. But we leave the smaller chapel opened. This church understands sometimes you just need a place to go.”

  I walk over to him with my hand extended. “Hi, I’m Alec Collins.”

  Shaking my hand he says, “Hi, Alec. I’m Deacon Adam McDaniel. Is there something I can help you with?”

  “A deacon?” I ask, not wanting to sound rude.

  “Yes, my father is the pastor of the church.”

  I pull the business card from my pocket and ask, “Do you know a Molly Collins?”

  “Yes, I missed Molly at our last meeting. How is she?”

  “The last meeting? May I ask, what meeting?” I ask.

  “The Addicts Anonymous meetings. She has been coming to the classes, but she didn’t make it to the last meeting.”

  I want to say something, but my mind is trying to process the fact that Molly was trying to get help.

  “Alec, would you like to sit down?”