'I know you've been trying to connect with me for a while now,' she said quietly. 'It's not about Madeline.'
'It's not,' her mother insisted, fresh tears trickling down her cheeks. 'It's about all of us. You always talk about your sister being perfect. She was never that. None of us are. I love you both, so much. I want us to be a family.'
Lori swallowed. 'I want that, too, Mom.'
'Really?'
She nodded.
Her mother brushed away her tears, then glanced around the crowded waiting area. They had a small corner to themselves and the Buchanans talked to each other, as if to give them privacy.
'I like your young man,' her mother said. 'Oh, dear. That's a horribly old expression my grandmother would have used.'
'I know what you mean,' Lori told her with a grin. 'And I agree. He's very special.'
'You should hang on to him.'
'I plan to.'
They hugged. Her mother's embrace was unfamiliar, but Lori was determined it wouldn't stay that way. Family was too important for them not to connect. All of them getting along would be a great incentive for Madeline to recover even more quickly.
Elissa inched toward them. 'Are you two okay?' she asked. 'Can I get you anything? Penny was thinking of serving lunch.' She looked at her watch. 'Make that a late breakfast. There's tons of food. I made pie, which now that I think about it is weird, but Walker loves my pies.' She stopped. 'Sorry. I'm babbling. I don't know what to say.'
Lori hadn't spent much time with Elissa, but in that second, she found she really liked her a lot.
'You don't have to say anything. Just you taking the time to be here means a lot. Mom and I appreciate the support.' Lori thought for a second. 'You know what? I'd love a slice of pie.'
Her mother stared at her. 'It's barely nine in the morning.'
'I know, and I want pie.'
Her mother smiled. 'I guess I do, too. Is there whipped cream?'
Elissa laughed. 'I'm sure Penny brought some. She thought of everything.'
'Your daughter is great,' Lori said as Elissa sliced pie. 'Really well behaved. At her age I would have been bouncing off the walls.'
'She's always been easy,' Elissa told Lori. 'It helps that she's hanging out with Walker. She says he's the handsome prince in our lives.'
Lori saw the little girl cuddled next to the tall former marine. They seemed lost in their own world. Then Walker looked up and smiled at Elissa. Lori felt the residual heat and despite her worry, smiled. Talk about a couple in love.
SOMEHOW WORD GOT OUT that there was a party going on in the waiting room. Several nurses and orderlies joined them. Lori watched Reid's family embrace her mother, keeping her close, talking to her, distracting her.
Lori rested her head on Reid's shoulder as she curled up next to him on one of the sofas. The minutes crawled by. She could think about something else for a second or two, but then her mind returned to the operating room as she wondered what was happening. How many more hours until they knew the surgery was a success? How much longer after that until Madeline was out of the woods. If she could-
The doctor walked into the waiting room. He was tall, still dressed in scrubs. There were stains on the front of his shirt.
Lori was on her feet in an instant. An initial burst of joy was followed by confusion. It was too soon. The surgery was supposed to take all day.
And then she knew. She didn't even have to look into the doctor's eyes to see the pain there.
The room disappeared into a buzzing blur. There was only the sound of her heartbeat and the doctor's drawn face.
'I'm sorry,' he murmured, his voice thick with pain and frustration. 'It was her heart. A complication we didn't expect.'
He kept on talking and talking, but Lori didn't hear anything else. She didn't have to. Her perfect sister was gone.
CHAPTER TWENTY
LORI DIDN'T REMEMBER anything about leaving the hospital or driving home, but suddenly she found herself standing in the middle of her living room. Reid was next to her, his arm around her waist. He guided her to the sofa and urged her to sit, but she resisted.
She couldn't think, couldn't move, could barely breathe. It was as if her life force had drained away. She ached, but the pain was so all-encompassing that she wasn't even close to tears. It was as if crying were too meager a reaction to what had happened.
The sentence played over and over in her mind, like a song lyric she couldn't escape. With each repetition, her body tightened, as if preparing to be hit. She ached from the inside out and knew nothing would ever be the same.
Madeline was gone. Her funny, beautiful, perfect sister hadn't survived the very surgery that was supposed to save her life.
'What can I get you?' Reid asked.
She shook her head, unable to answer him. Speaking seemed impossible.
The front door opened again and Walker and Cal came in, her mother supported between them. Evie had aged a lifetime in the past hour. Lines pulled her face into a mask of grief.
Lori crossed to her and hugged her close. Her mother's thin arms embraced her.
'I can't believe it,' her mother said quietly, her voice thick with grief. 'I won't believe it. She can't be gone. She can't.'
Lori agreed, but she couldn't defy the truth. It nestled inside of her, a dark, heavy creature that stole her breath. She was cold and shaken and knew there were a thousand things she had to be doing. Only she couldn't think of a single one.
The rest of Reid's family walked into the house. They were quiet and uncomfortable, staying at the fringes of the room. Lori knew she should say something- thank them or give them permission to leave.
Before she could force herself to react, Reid put his arms around her and her mother.
'We'll take care of everything,' he said. 'Just hang on to each other. That's all you have to do.'
Lori nodded.
She led her mother to the sofa where the older woman collapsed. Dani crouched at her feet and took her hands.
'Can I get you a cup of tea?' she asked. 'Or coffee?'
'Tea would be nice,' Lori's mother said.
'I'll get it.' Dani rose. 'Lori?'
Lori shook her head.
Reid settled Lori next to her mother. Both women were pale with loss. He'd never seen such a stark expression in Lori's eyes. Her pain was so powerful, it was practically alive.
'Is there a doctor?' he asked. 'Someone who can prescribe something for you and your mom?'
'What? I don't know.' Lori shook her head and started to stand up. 'I don't…'
'My purse,' her mother said. 'I have medication in there. The doctor's name.'
