Page 6 of Family Secrets

Chapter Three

“Yes, Mr. Parker, three-thirty and I swear not to tell Mr. Steadman what time you’re coming.” Elizabeth assured the gentleman on the phone, holding back the words she wanted to shout at him, chastising him for the petty rivalry between the two farmers. Instead, she kept her eyes glued to the handful of red lights flashing on the base, more farmers waiting to schedule their delivery.

Elizabeth went to work for the County Co-op the minute she turned fifteen and received her worker's permit from the state of Kansas. It wasn’t the ideal place to work but growing up poor left her with limited options. Her boss, Mr. Cullison, promoted her to the accounting department the day after she graduated high school. He encouraged her interest in numbers, helping her pick out classes at the community college and secure enough funding to pay her tuition. Last semester, however, the largest of her grants was cut due to cutbacks, so she began working as much as possible to keep a roof over her and her granny’s head and afford the last stretch in getting her degree.

Ending the call and pressing the button for the next, Elizabeth chanced a glance at the desk opposite her to find Karen typing away on her cell phone, smacking on a piece of gum like a cow chewing its cud, ignoring the work she was hired to do.

“Good morning, Bishop County Co-op, this is Elizabeth how can I help you?” Anger raged in her belly, as answering the phones was primarily Karen’s job. While she was willing to help, she wasn’t going to do her job for her. Trouble was, Elizabeth hated confrontation, and as much as she would love to snap her fingers to gain Karen’s attention, it was easier to remain silent and answer the phone. Maybe this was the real reason Jonah stayed with her, knowing she would accept most anything he did and allow the pseudo-relationship to continue. As Elizabeth ended the final waiting call, the door to the office opened, the devil himself standing inside the door.

Jonah hadn’t been this nervous since Sheriff Laramie almost caught him and his buddy Grayson skinny-dipping in the Co-op pond when they were seventeen. His father would have skinned him alive for using his bolt cutters to open the fence and made him pay for the repairs. Money was something Jonah never developed the ability to hold onto, which is why he needed to fix things with Elizabeth. While he didn’t particularly care for her, she did provide a place to crash when Karen or one of the other girls he visited tossed him out.

“Hey, Baby.” Jonah cooed, using the voice he’d mastered to gain entry to more than a few pairs of panties. Moving across the room, he laid the flowers he found in the dumpster behind the grocery store on Elizabeth’s desk, resting his body against the wood, leaning over in her direction. “These are for you.”

Elizabeth looked from the wilting petals to the cavalier grin on Jonah’s lips. While she appreciated the gift, she suspected the reason behind it was anything other than kindness. “I’m allergic to daisies,” she reminded Jonah, pushing the bouquet across her desk with a pencil, catching an eye roll from Karen as she twisted a new bracelet around her wrist.

The frustration from this morning reared its ugly head, no doubt this new piece of jewelry was the reason Jonah needed money for gas. Elizabeth held her gaze on the sparkling diamonds, ignoring Jonah's half-hearted excuse at being a bad boyfriend and promises to do better. She saw red as a ringing phone in the room went unanswered while Karen traced the bracelet with her index finger, their gazes locked in challenge as Elizabeth stood from her chair, a lifetime of cruel pranks and jaded words whispered loud enough for her to hear fueled the sharp words poised on Elizabeth’s tongue ready to meet their intended target.

Not one to back down from anything, Karen lowered her arms, rising to her full height. She hated Elizabeth Smith with every fiber in her being, despised the way Jonah called her name when he came hard inside her. Karen would have moved on, but she was stupid in love with the asshole, and she knew he was in love with her too, he’d told her so when he gave her the bracelet.

Stepping around her desk, Karen was about to stake her claim on Jonah when the door to their boss’s door opened and Mr. Cullison dipped his head through.

“Elizabeth, that was the fire department on the phone. Rose found your granny unconscious, they think it’s a stroke. They have her in the back of an ambulance on the way to the hospital.”

All thoughts of confrontation vanished in an instant, her mind blank as the shock of the news blanketed over her. Granny was all she had, not always in the best of health, but she took care of herself, went to the doctor once a year and didn’t smoke or drink excessively. They grew their own vegetables, and limited the amount of sweets, mostly due to the lack of money, but they both looked after themselves.

“I have to go,” Elizabeth spoke to no one in particular, searching the area around her for what she didn’t know.

“Let me drive—"

“No,” Elizabeth held up her hand, stopping the offer before Jonah could finish his sentence. She needed to get to the hospital, make sure Granny was okay, she would deal with this miserable individual later.

Opening her bottom drawer to retrieve her purse, she caught sight of the trap she’d set to capture Jonah’s sticky hands, a fake container Rose made up for her. She briefly considered covering it, but that would take time, seconds she didn’t feel like wasting.

Sliding the strap of her purse on her shoulder, Elizabeth pushed passed Karen, stopping short at the corner of her boss’s door.

“I’ll call you later, Mr. Cullison. Let you know if I’m coming back today.”

* * *

Grady Memorial Hospitalwas a step above an Urgent Care, but far from a major hospital. They delivered babies, managed a few surgeries, but anything serious was sent to Wichita.

Elizabeth spent the half-hour drive silently praying for her granny to be okay, chastising herself for being a horrible Catholic in leaving her rosary on the top of her dresser.

Sliding her car into park, Elizabeth laid her forehead against the top of her steering wheel, closing her eyes tight. “It’s nothing.” She began, picturing her rosary in her right hand. “The doctor will run some tests and we’ll be home before supper.”

Grabbing her purse from the passenger seat, she exited the car and headed for the entrance as an ambulance from another county pulled away. The overwhelming smell of disinfectant hit her in the face as the glass doors separated and the sound of ringing phones and a voice overhead asking for someone to call an extension. Elizabeth stood inside the door, searching the room for a nurse when her eyes landed on a desk against the far wall, large letters hung overhead reading registration.

“Excuse me?” Elizabeth called, even before reaching the desk, gaining the attention of the elderly woman sitting behind the counter. “My grandmother was brought here by ambulance.”

The woman looked up through thick glasses, closing what looked to be a romance novel by the half-naked man on the cover.

“What’s your grandma’s name, sweetie?”

“Beatrice, Beatrice Smith.”

Elizabeth’s voice cracked with emotion, earning a saddened smile from the receptionist, who plugged away on her keyboard before turning to the phone on the desk, lifting the receiver to her ear.

“Sandy, I have…” The receptionist lowered the receiver slightly, her eyes shifting to Elizabeth. “Your name, please?”

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