Chapter Seventeen

Completely exhausted after the home inspection, Ellie trudged up the back steps to the ranch house and opened the door. She stripped off her coat and hung it in its usual place, and was on her way up the stairs when Amanda met her in the hallway.

“Thank god you're home. Martha's got Eddie, my grandparent's will be picking up the girls at school, and I've got to be in Austin by six. I was going to leave you a note, but I didn't know what to say.” Amanda stopped babbling when Ellie grabbed her by the shoulders.

“Calm down and take a breath. What's going on? ”

Amanda shook her head. “I don't have time to explain, you can ask Martha, Charlie or—”

“Hold it. Why are you going to Austin? ”

“To catch a plane.” Amanda started up the stairs. “I've still got to pack, but I don't know how long I'll be gone.”

Ellie followed her. “Where are you flying? ”

“To Oklahoma City. Hubert called about an hour ago. Lex's back is worse, she fell, and Hubert took her to the emergency room.”

“Wait, what? ”

Amanda ignored her and took a suitcase out of the closet. She opened it and began tossing clothes inside, not really paying attention to what she was packing. She went into the bathroom and came back empty-handed. “Damn it. What was I doing? ”

“Sit down for a minute, and I'll help.” Ellie guided her to the rocker beside Eddie's crib. “You're not going to do Lex any good at all if you keep this up.”

“I know, but—”

“Sshh.” Ellie waggled a finger at Amanda. “Now, calmly tell me what's going on, and why you're in such a hurry to get to Oklahoma.”

Amanda exhaled slowly. “Lex reinjured her back the other day, but was too damned stubborn to go to the doctor. She was at Hubert's and her leg gave out, she fell and it scared Hubert so bad that he called an ambulance.”

“Oh, wow. Have you heard anything else? ”

“Not yet.” Amanda stood until Ellie glared at her. She dropped back onto the rocker. “The last I heard was she was in the emergency room, and that was about an hour ago.”

The phone rang, and Amanda jumped up to answer it. “Hello? ” She nodded as the person on the other end of the line spoke. “Really? Okay. Uh-huh. Right. Are you sure? All right. Could you have her call me as soon as possible, please? Thank you.” Amanda hung up the phone and turned to Ellie. “She's okay. Ramona said that they're releasing Lex in a little while, but she has to follow up with her own doctor when she gets back.”

“Who's Ramona? ”

“Oh, sorry. She's Hubert's fiancé e. The emergency room doctor said that he thinks that Lex may have a herniated disc, which would explain why she's in so much pain.” Amanda sat on the edge of the bed. “Ramona also said that she and Hubert will be flying back with Lex, in case she has any more problems.”

Ellie joined Amanda. “That's nice of them. Although I'm glad I'm not there when they tell Lex. She's gonna blow a gasket.”

Amanda laughed. “Probably. But that's too damned bad. They're going to help her and she's going to accept it, whether she wants to or not.” She looked down and spotted the black grease on Ellie's scrub pants. “Is that oil? ”

“Huh? ” Ellie looked down and unsuccessfully tried not to blush. “Oh, yeah.”

“Did you have car trouble? Why didn't you call? ”

Ellie brushed her hands over her face. “Um, no. No car trouble. I had an appointment this morning to meet with the inspector at the new house.”

“Oh.” Amanda nodded. “Found a few problems? ”

“No, he said the house was in very good shape. No mold, all the appliances are in great order, and the AC/furnace unit is only three years old. The garbage disposal needs to be replaced, and the carpet's worn in the master bedroom, but that's about it.”

Amanda looked down at Ellie's leg again. “And? ”

“Oh. The grease. When I got to the house, there was a car parked in the driveway. It belonged to Kyle, who needed a place to work on it.”

“Kyle? One of the neighbors? Did he tell you why he was using your driveway to work on a car? ”

Ellie blushed and looked at the floor. “She said her roommates used the garage, and she didn't want to stop and move the car every time they wanted in or out.”

“She? ” Amanda started to smile. “So, Kyle's a she? ”

Ellie nodded.

“Is she cute? ”

The blush on Ellie's face intensified and she mumbled something.

“What was that? ”

With a heavy sigh, Ellie looked up. “She's kind of butch, I guess. Got really short hair and muscles.”

Amanda's eyebrow rose. “Muscles? Like a weight lifter? ”

“No, not all bulky or anything.” Ellie moved her hands around as she tried to describe Kyle. “She's not much taller than me, but has really nice arms.” Her face turned red again. “Her work pants have to be tailored, the way they fit.”

“Oh? ”

Ellie covered her face with her hands. “Oh, god. Kill me.”

“Come on, Ellie. Give me more details.” Amanda tugged on Ellie's scrub top and pulled her back onto the bed. “So, this Kyle. She's hot? ” She laughed when Ellie rolled over and put a pillow over her face. “Aw, what's the matter? Is Ellie in love? ”

“No! ”

Amanda tugged on the pillow. “Lust, maybe? You did say her pants fit well.”

“Arrrgh! ”

#

All eyes in the room were on the woman in the wheelchair, as she continued to argue with the perturbed man in the lab coat. “I don't need those, I have crutches at home, ” Lex told the doctor.

“Ms. Walters, you don't seem to understand. You have two choices. Either use the crutches, or I will admit you.”

Lex stared at him.

“Oh, for god's sake, ” Hubert growled. He leaned over and whispered into Lex's ear. “Take the damn things so we can get out of here. It's not like he can see if you're using them once we leave.”

“Okay.” Lex took the crutches from the doctor. “Thanks.” She tried to keep her composure as Hubert wheeled her from the room. “Stupid jackass, ” she grumbled.

Hubert pushed her faster, while Lex wrestled with the metal crutches. At the end of the hall they met Ramona, who took the crutches from Lex.

“You poor thing. I've talked Amanda out of coming, but she wants you to call her as soon as possible.”

“Thanks, Ramona. Wait. Amanda knows what happened? ” Lex turned and looked at her brother. “Did you call her? ”

He tried to avoid the question as they went through the emergency room doors. “I'll run get the car.”

Lex grabbed his belt before he got away. “Why did you call Amanda? I bet she's going crazy right now.”

“Come on, Lex. You can't blame me for calling her. You scared us to death, and I had no idea if you had a concussion, or worse.”

“I was stunned, that's all.” Lex started to get out of the chair, but Ramona's hand on her shoulder held her fast. “It's my leg that's bothering me, not my head. I've had enough concussions to know what one feels like.”

Ramona gently squeezed her shoulder. “Not to mention the doctor agreed with you. Since Hubert's going to get the car, why don't you sit tight for a little while longer? You can use my cell phone to call Amanda.”

Hubert handed Lex a plastic bag. “I think all your stuff is in there. Be right back.” He took off before Lex could harass him any more.

“If you think you'll be okay, I'll give you some privacy to make your call.” Ramona patted Lex's arm and followed her fiancé.

After finding her cell phone in the bag, Lex hit the familiar speed dial.

“Hello? ” Amanda answered breathlessly.

Lex couldn't help but smile when she heard her wife's voice. “Hi, sweetheart.”

“Oh, my god, Lex. Are you—”

“Yeah, I'm okay.”

Amanda had to clear her throat before she could continue. “Hubert told me you were knocked out when your head hit the coffee table. He said—”

“No, my head's fine. Just a tiny bump, and I never lost consciousness. I feel kind of stupid, to tell you the truth. When I stood up, my right leg gave out. I started to fall forward, tried to break my fall with the coffee table, and caused it to flip over. I was stunned, but not really hurt. The doctors here verified that, so you really have nothing to worry about. I promise I'm okay.”

“I was going to fly up there, but Ramona talked me out of it. She said that they would fly back with you, to make sure you got home all right.”

Lex rolled her eyes. “I don't need babysitters, Amanda.”

“Honey, please. If you won't do it for yourself, do it for me. Otherwise I'll be out of my mind, worrying about you.”

“You don't play fair.” Lex sighed at the futility of ever trying to win an argument with her wife.

“Please? ”

“All right. But only for you.”

“Thank you.” Amanda's voice was hoarse with emotion. “I love you so much.”

Lex softened her tone as she fought the lump in her throat. “I love you too, sweetheart. See you tomorrow, okay? ” She closed the phone and set it in her lap, wishing she was home with her wife.

#

Amanda pushed the off button on the phone and curled up around the receiver. She was alone in the bedroom, since earlier she had convinced Ellie to get some rest. Ellie had related the rest of her morning, and that she was planning on going back to her old house first thing tomorrow to start packing, so she agreed a nap would be a good idea.

The sound of the back door closing downstairs caused Amanda to sit up and return the handset to the base. She brushed her fingers through her hair and adjusted her clothing, just as footsteps hit the stairs.

“Amanda? ” Martha called. “If you're going to the airport, you'd better get a move on.” She stood at the entrance to the master bedroom and put her hands on her hips. “Did you fall asleep? ”

“No. Come on in.”

Martha joined her on the bed. “You look a little out of it, honey. What's going on? ”

“I just heard from Lex. She's okay. Seems like Hubert panicked and scared us all to death.” Amanda stood and started removing items from the suitcase which was on the bed. “Her leg gave out, caused her to fall, and he thought she had been more seriously hurt.”

“Well, isn't that something.” Martha stood, took the stack of clothes from Amanda's hands and placed them neatly in a dresser drawer. “I think it was easier on all of us when they weren't getting along.”

Amanda chuckled. “Isn't that the truth? Anyway, He and his fiancé e, Ramona, are going to fly back with Lex to make sure she doesn't have any more problems.”

“I bet Lexie just loved that.”

“Oh yeah.” Amanda stopped in the middle of the room and scratched her head. “Damn. Where are we going to put them? We've already cleared out the extra guest room.”

Ellie piped in from the doorway. “They can have my room. I'm going to be staying at my old place until I get everything packed and moved. Since I'm paying cash for the condo and the previous owner wants to get rid of it as soon as possible, I'll be signing the papers next week.”

“What's wrong with the new place? ” Martha asked. After hearing real estate horror stories from Amanda over the years, she knew there must be a catch.

“There's a trio of ‘deviants' living in the adjacent condo, ” Ellie quipped, taking a seat on the rocker.

Amanda laughed at Martha's confused look. “Two gay men and a lesbian, ” she supplied helpfully.

“Oh, for goodness sakes! What in the sam hill is wrong with people nowadays? I've never heard such bull pucky.” Martha couldn't understand what Amanda found so amusing. “Doesn't that upset you? ”

“Are you kidding? One person's bigotry saved Ellie tens of thousands of dollars on a new place to live. I think it's poetic justice.” Amanda shoved the empty suitcase under the bed.

Ellie nodded. “I wish I'd see them at closing. After everything was signed, I was going to put the key on a rainbow keychain. It would have been great to see the look on their face.”

“I swear, you girls, ” Martha sighed. “Well, since you're not traipsing off to Oklahoma, I suppose you'll be wanting little Eddie back.”

“Yes, most definitely. And I need to call my grandparents back, so they'll know what's going on. It's too late to stop them from picking up the girls, but I can run into town and get them.” Amanda starting ticking things off on her fingers. “Not to mention, calling Rodney to see if he can see Lex sometime tomorrow afternoon. And letting my sister know that everything's a go for the house.”

Martha started for the door. “Why don't you let your grandparent's keep the girls tonight? Things are going to be hectic enough around here tomorrow. You know they'll want to start painting their rooms as soon as they can. Give yourself a break. Charlie and I will be in town tomorrow, so we can bring them home that evening.”

“I'll see what Gramma says. I'm sure if she had her way, the girls would spend the entire weekend with them.” She turned to Ellie. “Why don't you go back and try to get more sleep? You still look tired.”

The comment caused Ellie to yawn. “I was going to argue with you, but, ” she shrugged. “Let me know if you need me for anything okay? ” She gave Martha a quick hug on the way out.

“I'm really going to miss that girl when she moves back out, ” Martha lamented.

“Me, too. But I'm glad she won't have to drive so far after working all night. I hated thinking of her on those quiet, country roads.” Amanda took a cleansing breath and straightened her shoulders. “Let's go get my son, before your husband spoils him rotten.”

Martha followed her out of the room. “Don't you know that's a grandparent's job? I think we've done an admirable job of restraining ourselves, so far.”

#

Anna Leigh parked her Cadillac near the front door of the school, arriving far too early, as usual. She picked up the magazine she had brought and mindlessly began leafing through it, her thoughts elsewhere. Amanda's second call had been welcome news, but she still worried about her granddaughter's partner. Lexington Walters always chafed at any physical limitations, and from the way Amanda talked, Lex was in for enforced rest, time-consuming physical therapy, or worse.

A quick call to her grandson-in-law, Rodney, had verified what everyone already suspected. Even without a physical exam, he was somewhat certain that Lex suffered from a herniated disc, which, with proper care, was something she could fully recover from. If they could get Lex to follow instructions. Anna Leigh shook her head. “Mandy's certainly going to have her hands full.” She tossed the magazine on the seat next to her, instead occupying herself with her thoughts.

Her son, Michael, had come over for breakfast, looking far healthier than he had in months. He admitted to her and Jacob that he had ignored the warning signs from his body, afraid that if he slowed down, he'd lose business. It took his heart condition, plus a long talk with his wife, to make Michael realize what was most important in his life. He had spent the entire morning apologizing to his parents for his actions.

The sound of the school bell broke Anna Leigh from her remembrance, as she watched the front doors of the school carefully for her grandchildren. In no time at all, the Walters' girls headed toward the car, huge grins on their faces.

The back door opened, and Melanie was the first to climb in. “Hi, Gramma! I was so excited when my teacher told me you were coming to get us. I love when Mommy picks us up, but I have a lot of fun at your house, and Grandpa is always letting me help him in the shop.” Her constant chattered slowed as her older sister got in beside her. “Penny got put in time out today ‘cause she called Tommy a boogerhead. Is boogerhead a bad word? ”

“Well, dearest, it's not a nice thing to say. And calling someone a name is never right.” Anna Leigh smiled at Lorrie. “How was your day today? ”

“It was okay, I guess. Are we spending the night with you? ”

“You can, if you'd like. Your grandfather and I thought we would go shopping tomorrow in Austin, then perhaps go see a movie. We'd love for you to join us.”

Both girls cheered.

After a moment, Melanie sobered. “Momma comes home tomorrow from her trip. What if we're not there to give her a hello hug? ”

Lorrie wasn't worried. “She'll understand that we're with Gramma and Grandpa. We can give her our hugs when we get home. Right, Gramma? ”

“That's right. Maybe you can find her something special on our trip. How's that sound? ”

“I like that a lot, ” Melanie agreed.

Lorrie nodded. “Me too.”

“Then it's settled. Come on girls, your grandfather was about to make some hot chocolate when I left.”

#

Early evening found Amanda and Charlie in the kitchen playing cards, while Eddie napped in Martha's arms. When the doorbell rang, the three looked at each other in surprise.

Martha held Eddie closer to her, trying not to disturb his sleep. “Are you expecting anyone? ”

“No. I wonder who it could be? ” Amanda asked.

Charlie put his cards face-down on the table and stood. “We're not going to find out by sitting here talking about it, that's for sure.” He headed down the hall, with Amanda and Martha hot on his heels.

Before the doorbell could ring again, Charlie opened the front door. He noticed their adopted son, who was not alone. Beside Ronnie stood a quiet redhead, her eyes taking in the three people on the other side of the doorway. “Ronnie? What are you doing here? ”

“Hey, everyone. I know I should have called first, but—”

Amanda took his hand and tugged. “Of course not. You're family, so you never need to call ahead. Come on in, and bring your friend with you.” She released Ronnie and held out her hand to the silent woman. “Hi, I'm Amanda.”

The younger woman smiled bashfully. “I'm Nora. It's a pleasure to meet you.”

“Let's go into the den, shall we? ” Martha suggested. “We're all going to catch a chill standing in the doorway.”

Once everyone was settled, Amanda brought in a carafe of coffee and passed it around. She sat next to Martha, and watched as Ronnie nervously fiddled with the cowboy hat he held. “Ronnie? Is everything all right? ”

He looked up and grinned. “Oh, yeah. Everything's great, isn't it, Nora? ” He realized his social error. “I'm sorry. Mom, Dad, this is Nora Haden. Nora, my folks, Charlie and Martha Bristol. And you've kinda met Amanda.”

“Pleased to meet you all.” Nora murmured. Her face was pink with embarrassment, and she kept her hands tucked demurely in her lap.

Ronnie placed his hat on one knee. “Where's Lex and the girls? ”

“The girls are with my grandparent's for the night, and Lex is, uh, in Oklahoma until tomorrow.” Amanda answered.

Eddie woke with a squeak and began to fuss. Martha checked his diaper and shook her head. “Nice timing, cutie.” She started to get up, but Amanda took Eddie out of her arms.

“Let me. I'll just run upstairs and get him cleaned up.” She looked at the young couple on the loveseat. “I'll be right back.”

It suddenly occurred to Ronnie what Amanda had in her arms as she left the room. “Mom, what is Amanda doing with a baby? ”

Charlie started laughing, at least until Martha lightly slapped him on the arm. “Son, nothing gets past you, does it? ” At Ronnie's continued confusion, he elaborated, “Lex and Amanda adopted little Eddie about a week or so ago. I guess it slipped our minds to let you know about him.”

“Wow. Well, that's great, ” Ronnie enthused. He noticed the expectant looks on his parent's faces and started to bounce one leg, until Nora covered it with her hand.

“So, how's things at the vet's office? ” Charlie asked, more to fill the silence than anything else.

Ronnie's head bobbed up and down quickly. “Good. Real good. Dr. Hernandez is going on vacation for a couple of weeks starting in January. He said he trusts me to handle anything that might come up.”

“Of course you can. I've always said that about you, ” Martha added with pride. She looked at Ronnie's face carefully. “Did you forget to shave this morning? ”

He brushed at his upper lip. “No. I'm growing a mustache. What's the matter? Don't you like it? ”

Nora patted his leg. “I think it looks nice, honey.”

Martha snorted, but didn't add anything. Her eyebrow rose at the term of endearment the young woman used. “How long have you known each other? ”

Ronnie's face turned bright red. “Um, a while. We met at school.”

“Oh? ” Martha turned her attention to Nora. “Did you study veterinary science, too? ”

“No, ma'am. Architecture. Well, Landscape Architecture and Urban Planning, to be exact.”

“I see. That sounds quite fascinating.”

Nora leaned forward as she nodded, her face animated and her deep brown eyes twinkling. “Oh, yes. I love it. I've recently gotten on with a firm in Austin, and it seems like I'm learning more now than I ever did in school.”

Amanda returned, with a happy and clean Eddie. She sat next to Martha. “Sorry about that. What did I miss? ”

“We were just getting to know Nora, ” Martha shared. “She's a landscape and urban planning architect. Right? ”

Nora beamed. “That's correct, Mrs. Bristol.”

“Oh, please. Just call me Martha.”

“Thank you, ma'am, I mean, Martha.” Nora seemed to be coming out of her shell, at least until Ronnie stood.

“I'd like to make an announcement, ” he said, taking a deep breath and letting it out slowly. “Last night, I asked Nora to marry me, and she said yes.” He pulled Nora up beside him and put his arm around her.

Charlie and Martha both stared at them, not saying a word. Amanda grinned, and Eddie kicked his legs, oblivious to everything.

Ronnie looked at his folks, his smile slowly disappearing. “Um, Mom? Dad? Aren't you going to say anything? ”

Charlie looked at his wife, who still had a stunned expression on her face. “I do believe that's the first time I've ever see Martha speechless.” He stood and embraced the happy couple. “Congratulations, you two. Nora, I hope you know what you're getting into.”

Finally coming out of her trance, Martha clapped her hands. “This is wonderful news! ” She looked Nora up and down. “You're not having to get married, are you? ”

“Mom! ” Ronnie's face turned beet red. “I can't believe you asked that.”

Martha patted his cheek. “That'll teach you to keep such a lovely young woman a secret from me.” She took Nora's left hand and looked carefully at the ring. “Very nice. Have you two set a date? ”

Nora shook her head. “No, ma'am. But I was hoping to maybe have a spring wedding? ” She asked Ronnie, who smiled his consent.

“Anything you want, honey. Just tell me when and where, and I'll be there.” Ronnie kissed her cheek.

Amanda smiled fondly at the display. “Lex is going to be so sorry she missed this.”

Once all the hugs were over, everyone took their seats again. “When will she be home? ” Ronnie asked. “We can always stop back by sometime this weekend, can't we, Nora? ”

“Of course. I don't have to be in Austin until Tuesday.”

Martha had the perfect solution. “Why not come over for lunch on Sunday? I've got a lovely roast I can have ready.”

Ronnie deferred to Nora, who nodded and smiled. “We'd love to. And I can't wait to meet Ronnie's big sister, Lex, who I've heard so much about.” She caressed his reddened cheek. “Aw, it's okay, sweetie. Everyone idolizes their older siblings.”

“I know it goes both ways, ” Amanda shared, which only added to Ronnie's embarrassment. “Don't worry, Ronnie. We won't tell.”

“Thanks, ” he mumbled. In order to take the attention off himself, Ronnie got up and walked over to Amanda. “Can I hold him? ”

She immediately handed Eddie over. “Sure.”

Ronnie studied the baby while he held him close. “What's his name? ”

“Edward Lee Walters. But we call him Eddie.”

“He's cute.” Ronnie shifted Eddie a little until they were both more comfortable. “How come he looks just like Lex? ”

Charlie, Martha and Amanda all laughed at the familiar question. Amanda watched as Ronnie sat beside Nora, and they both fussed over Eddie. “It's kind of a long story, if you're in any hurry to get anywhere.”

“Go on, ” Ronnie encouraged. “We're fine. Aren't we, Nora? ”

“Sure. I'm interested, too.”

Amanda took a deep breath and exhaled. “Okay, well, it goes like this.” She slowly related the tale, leaving nothing out.