Page 22 of The Night the Lights Went Out
“Have you met my husband, Daniel?” Heather interrupted, pulling on her arm as Lindi sent her a quick wave before walking away.
“No, I don’t think so.” Merilee turned to see a tall blond man standing next to Heather. He was Ken to her Barbie, as fit and gorgeous and as comfortable in his skin as was his wife. Except he wasn’t. Despite his warm greeting, and the way he really looked at her and said her name, there was something ill at ease in Heather’s husband.
“She’s a Georgia girl, too.” Heather beamed. “That’s how I can tell we’re going to be the best of friends.”
“A Georgia girl,” Daniel repeated, studying her.
Merilee kept smiling, kept breathing. “You have a lovely home.”
He turned his head as if seeing where he was for the first time. As if he weren’t the one responsible for paying for all of it. “Oh, thank you. Yes, Heather’s done a fine job with it, hasn’t she?” It sounded like a real question, as if he was searching for reassurance.
“Yes, she has.” Merilee was trying to think of something else to say when the piercing sound of a child’s shrieking came from outside and seemed to go on and on and on. “That’s Lily,” Merilee said even before the thought fully registered in her brain. But recognizing your child’s sounds of distress was another one of those things that appeared at childbirth, along with the eyes in the back of your head and the sixth sense that enabled mothers to know when something was wrong.
She began running toward the wide bank of French doors covering the entire back side of the house. Groups of people parted as she ran down the different levels of steps, following the shrieks, only half-aware of Daniel following close behind her.
She stopped at the trampoline, recognizing Lily’s blond hair spilling over the side, the slight form of her daughter barely making an indentation on the black surface. A woman she didn’t recognize was kneeling next to Lily, the little girl’s bare foot being carefully manipulated in her hands.
“Lily?” Merilee called out before carefully pulling herself onto the trampoline.
“Mom!” Lily, whose screams had subsided into small whimpers by the time Merilee had arrived, burst into renewed crying. “My foot got stuck in the springs. I think it’s broken, and now I can’t try out for tennis or cheerleading.”
The last part of what Lily said barely registered as Merilee crawled over to her daughter. She felt a heavier presence next to her and saw that Daniel had climbed up with her and was addressing the woman. “Thanks, Martha. What does it look like?”
“It’s been a while since I did any nursing, but I don’t think it’s broken—it’s either a sprain or a really bad twist.”
He knelt by Lily’s foot and took it. “I’ll take over—thanks for your help.”
The woman nodded and gave Merilee a brief smile before heading toward the edge of the trampoline as Merilee moved to Lily’s side and took her hand. The sobs had reverted back to sniffles, although she still looked worried.
“Hi, Lily. I’m Dr. Blackford, Bailey’s dad. I think what we have here is a badly twisted ankle. You’re very lucky because it could have been worse, but it’s not. I’m going to put a compression sleeve on it and an ice pack, but you’ll need to rest it and keep it elevated for the rest of the day and all tomorrow, too. I know you don’t want to hear this, but you should probably go home so you won’t be tempted to use it. Otherwise, you could really make it much worse.”
Colin appeared next to the trampoline with a large dripping ice cream cone in his hand and on most of his face and chin, the black Lab at his side as if they belonged together. “Do I have to go, too?” He lowered the cone and allowed the dog a few licks before licking it himself.
“I don’t want to go home!” Lily began to wail.
Heather appeared, her elegant hands with pink-tipped nails resting on the edge of the trampoline. “You don’t want to miss cheerleading tryouts, Lily, do you? You really should go home and rest your leg so that it gets better quickly and you’re ready by Friday.”
“Mom!” Colin protested. “I don’t want to go!”
Ignoring the children’s protests, Heather said, “Daniel can drive you. I wouldn’t feel right making you take poor Lily home by yourself when I’m sure you’re as shaken up as she is. There. It’s settled. Daniel will drive you all home. I’ll have someone bring your minivan back tomorrow morning.”
A look that was either annoyance or surprise crossed Daniel’s face so quickly that Merilee couldn’t determine which one it was.
“Really, that’s not necessary—,” Merilee began.
Heather interrupted. “We insist. Don’t we, Daniel?” She sent him a pointed look.
“Yes, of course,” he said. “Let me go get the wrap and ice pack, and I’ll carry her out to my car.”
Both children were subdued as Daniel carried Lily to the four-car garage and carefully placed her in the backseat of a large black Mercedes sedan, asking Colin if it would be okay for Lily to rest her foot on his leg. To Merilee’s surprise, he didn’t argue, still despondent over having to leave behind his new best friend, who was standing on the driveway, looking at Colin and wagging its tail.
They pulled out of the garage and down the drive, all of them seemingly lost in their own personal miseries. “This really isn’t necessary,” Merilee said for what seemed like the hundredth time. “Lily’s going to be fine, and I’m perfectly capable of driving.”
“And all of that may be true, but I feel better knowing you all got home safely. We feel responsible because Lily got hurt on our property. This is the least I can do.”
She held up her hands. “Fine. I won’t say anything else about it, but I do hate making you leave the party.”
He let out a soft sigh. “Those parties are more Heather’s thing. Between you and me, I’d rather be at my fishing cabin on Lake Murray. Not a soul around, and the views are spectacular. It’s what I call my piece of heaven here on earth.”
