too, though at the time Eliza had often thought her rules excessive. As time passed, however, she recalled happy memories. Laughter as well as tears.
The three girls had made plans to go to college together, to get a large apartment in New Orleans. They’d been united in their desire to leave Maraville and take their chances in the world.
Homesickness grabbed hold of Eliza, surprising her. She suddenly yearned to see April and Jo with a fierceness that startled her. How could they have let the years go by without finding each other? Had April or Jo learned of Maddie’s stroke? Would either of them consider returning to Maraville?
Eliza sat on the sofa for long moments, lost in memories and indecision. But the idea forming in her mind grew stronger the more she thought about it. She had not left town under the best of circumstances. But time healed old wounds. And she owed Maddie.
She could make a quick visit. See Maddie. Reassure herself her former foster mother was going to recover.
Eliza rose and went to the window. The rain continued its assault. The Charles River glittered in the distance, light reflecting from the choppy surface. The asphalt below gleamed beneath the streetlights. The few cars on the road splashed through the puddles, coating the sidewalks with their spray.
She leaned her forehead against the cold pane. She wanted to go back. She wished she could see the other girls, discover what they’d done with their lives. Maybe she could recapture that ephemeral feeling of family she’d had so long ago.
Her fear for Maddie grew. What if she didn’t recover? What if the stroke put an end to the Maddie she knew? Eliza was filled with a sense of impending doom. She had to get to Mississippi. She’d let things go far too long without making a real attempt to reconnect with Maddie and revisit her childhood home. It was too bad it had taken a tragedy to prompt the thought.
Eliza had spent so many years alone. It was one thing to vow to remain aloof, to protect her heart from further bruising, but the reality had led to a solitary existence. She had made a mistake as a teenager and it had left her wary of getting close to anyone—afraid of hurting and of being hurt herself.
Maddie had done her best for her girls. Eliza appreciated her even more now that she was on her own. She couldn’t imagine taking in three young girls and raising them alone as Maddie had done.
Was this the end? Was Maddie alone in the hospital, living her last few days with no one to visit, to talk to her, to love her?
Eliza couldn’t allow that. It was said that you could never go home again. But for her entire childhood, Maddie had given Eliza her best. She was the only mother Eliza remembered. And now she needed Eliza.
What was she waiting for?
She flipped through the city directory and lifted up the phone and punched in the number of an airline.
CHAPTER TWO
ELIZA’S HIGH HEELS CLICKED on the polished linoleum floor the next day as she followed the directions the nurse had given her to the ICU waiting room. She looked neither left nor right, but focused on getting to the end of the corridor.
She tried not to breathe deeply; she didn’t like the smell of disinfectant and sickness and fear. She hoped by this time Maddie was out of immediate danger and on her way to a quick recovery.
Eliza’s dove-gray suit, dark-gray shoes and soft white silk blouse looked out of place among the gaily colored uniforms the nurses wore. It had still been raining in Boston, with the temperature in the low fifties, when she’d decided to wear the wool gabardine suit. How could she have forgotten that here in Mississippi it would be pushing the high eighties, with humidity to match?
She wanted to strip off her panty hose, tear the sleeves from her blouse and drop her suit jacket in some trash can. Then bundle her hair up on top of her head to cool her neck. Instead it was tied back neatly, primly, at the nape with a clip. The last time she’d been in a hospital… It had been for Chelsea. They’d arrived too late. She’d already died. Eliza shivered at the memory, fervently hoping that would not be the case today.
Now as she reached the ICU nursing station, she asked where she would find Maddie Oglethorpe.
“Are you a relative?” the nurse asked.
“Sort of, I was one of her foster children.”
“You’ll have to talk to the doctor to get an updated prognosis.”
“Will I be able to see her?”
“I guess that relationship is close enough to visit. Rules are one person at a time every two hours for a few minutes.” She glanced at her watch. “No one else has been to visit Miss Maddie so you can come with me.”
Eliza followed the nurse, sad to hear no one had come to see Maddie. So glad she’d made the trip. As they walked through the doors into the unit, the nurse took a folder from a rack. Scanning the notations, she glanced at Eliza.
“Dr. Pendarvis will be finishing his rounds in a few minutes. He already checked Miss Maddie earlier. I’m sure he’d be happy to talk with you and answer any questions. There’s been no change in her condition. We’re monitoring her closely. There’s a nurse on duty here at all times.”
As the woman turned to leave, Eliza peered around her, shocked at the frail-looking figure lying so still on the high bed. She was hooked up to tubes, a large machine monitoring her vital signs. It was Maddie. Eliza almost didn’t recognize her.
Her hair was covered by wide strips of gauze holding a bandage over the left side of her head. What few strands escaped lay against the hospital pillow, gray and lifeless in the subdued light. Her determined blue eyes were closed. She seemed shrunken, smaller than Eliza remembered.
Eliza tiptoed closer, her eyes filling with tears at the sight. Until that moment, she hadn’t understood the reality of Maddie’s situation. There really was a distinct possibility she would never wake up.
Eliza couldn’t stand the thought. Her heart ached for the woman who had spent so many years raising three orphans, and was now so alone. Eliza should have contacted her as soon as she had turned eighteen. She should have done more for her over the years. How could she have ignored the woman for so long?
What if she hadn’t subscribed to the paper a couple of years ago? What if she hadn’t written and renewed communication? Would Maddie have died without Eliza ever knowing?
Dashing away the tears, she wanted to reach out and force Maddie to sit up and recognize her. She wanted to ask Maddie to tell her all she’d been doing since they’d last seen each other. She wanted the foster mother she remembered!
Guilt attacked. She should have tried for a closer tie with Maddie. No matter how things had ended with Cade Bennett, Eliza should have made contact with Maddie earlier. Insisted she come visit her in Boston. Or Eliza should have come back to Maraville sooner. How could she have let so many years go by?
The attendant nurse stepped up to the bed, gently laying the back of her hand on Maddie’s cheek while scanning the monitors. She mouthed, “No change.” Then she moved back to her seat a short distance away.
Eliza pulled an empty chair next to the bed and sat. Could Maddie feel her presence? Did she know Eliza had come as soon as she’d learned of her stroke? Would Eliza’s own silent demands
