A New Hope (The Second Chance Series Book 2) (2 page)

Elliot sat quietly for a moment, processing what Mrs. Matthews just told him. “Nana, if she didn’t want me back when I was a baby why were you looking for her after Dad died?”

Mrs. Matthews wrapped her arms around him and held him tight for what felt like forever before she spoke again. “Elliot, dear, I was looking for her because I’m dying. Two days before your Dad had his accident I went to my oncologist and was told there was nothing else they could do for me.” Elliot let out a pain filled wail and Karla got up and walked around the table to him.

She sat and wrapped her arms around him and held him tight as Mrs. Matthews continued to speak. “Dr. Peterson, I have advanced stage four Squamous Cell Carcinoma. I was diagnosed a little over a year ago and was undergoing treatment for it. A week before David’s accident I went to my oncologist because I was feeling worse and worse with each passing day. He ran some tests and they came back just before David’s accident. I was told the cancer had spread to my kidneys, liver and intestines, and there was nothing else they could do for me. David insisted on getting a second opinion so I agreed. The day of his accident he was rushing to get the field plowed so he could take me to the doctor. The field was on a slope and the tractor turned over on him.”

Mrs. Matthews started coughing and took a drink of her tea before she continued. “In the three weeks since his accident I have been trying to come up with someone to look after Elliot because I know my time here is almost up. That’s why I tried tracking down Diane. I was hoping she would be willing to take him now that he isn’t a baby anymore and I knew she had Karla with her.”

“Be glad she’s dead, Mrs. Matthews. Elliot will never have to suffer at her hands.” Karla said quietly.

“Captain McGraw told me some of the things she did and I am truly sorry you had to live through that, child. When he told me she was dead and that you had a new home I immediately contacted The Petersons. I was hoping Elliot could find a home with the only family he had left.”

“Elliot,” Andrew said and Elliot looked at him with tear filled eyes. “We have a large home and you are more than welcome to come to Tennessee and live with us.”

“Why would you take me?” Elliot asked in confusion. He didn’t know anyone who would take a total stranger into their home for an extended period of time.

“Well, in just a few months we are going to legally be Karla’s parents.” Leslie told him happily. “Since you are Karla’s brother you are family and family sticks together, no matter what.”

“But you don’t even know me.” Elliot responded.

“True,” Andrew agreed, “but we didn’t know Karla when we took her in either. Karla is our family, you are her family, so that makes you our family too. Leslie and I both strongly believe that family should always stick together.”

Before anyone else could say anything Mrs. Matthews started coughing violently and grabbed her chest. Andrew jumped from his chair and ran around to her just as she started having a seizure and fell from her chair. Andrew caught her before she hit the floor and gently laid her down. When she stopped seizing Andrew felt for a pulse. “Leslie, call 911. Karla and Elliot. can you help me please?”

Leslie pulled out her cell phone as Karla and Elliot kneeled in the floor beside Andrew, “Karla, I need you to tilt her head back and open her mouth. Then look inside and make sure nothing is blocking her air passage. Elliot. I need you to count out loud for me as I do the chest compressions. I’m going to try to get her heart started back. Can you both do that?”

Before he said the last word Karla already had Mrs. Matthews’ head tilted back and her mouth open. “I don’t see anything in her mouth or throat, Andrew.” She murmured to him.

“Good. Elliot start counting now. I need to do five compressions and then a breath. Ready?”

Elliot nodded and Andrew started doing the chest compressions. “One, two, three, four, five, breathe.” Elliot said out loud for everyone to hear.

They kept this up for about eight minutes before the EMT’s arrived and took over for them. Once Mrs. Matthews was loaded into the ambulance Andrew, Leslie, Karla and Elliot loaded into the rental car and headed for the hospital.

“She’s not going to wake up is she?” Elliot asked sadly.

“I don’t know son, I really don’t know, but I promise to do whatever I can to help her.” Andrew answered and was determined to follow through with that promise.

They rode the rest of the way in silence and when they arrived at the hospital they were met in the emergency room waiting area by a tall, thin, gruff looking doctor. “Are you the Petersons?” He asked in a no nonsense tone.

“We are.” Andrew answered quickly.

“I am Dr. Hunter, Mrs. Matthews’ oncologist, I just happened to be here making my rounds when she was brought in.”

Andrew reached out to shake Dr. Hunter’s hand and introduced himself. “Dr. Andrew Peterson. This is my wife Leslie, our daughter Karla and Karla’s brother, Elliot. What can you tell us?”

“Mrs. Matthews has a living will and a DNR so we haven’t hooked her up to life support. Her heart is beating, but just barely, and her oxygen levels are below 50 percent. She’ll be lucky if she makes it through the night.”

“Can I see her?” Elliot asked quickly. “I want to tell her goodbye and let her know I’ll be okay and that I love her.”

“Sure, son. You can all come if you want.” Dr. Hunter said to them.

“We’ll follow you to the room, but I think Elliot needs to go in on his own.” Karla spoke up before anyone else could say anything.

“Karla, can you come in with me?” Elliot asked shyly.

“Of course I can.” She answered and reached for his hand.

They followed Dr. Hunter down the hall and into a curtained room in the back of the ER.

“We’ll be right here when you come out.” Leslie reassured Karla and Elliot.

“I know you will be. You always are.” Karla murmured before pulling the curtain back a little and entering with the brother she had already grown to care for.  

When they entered the room Karla stepped back and allowed Elliot to approach his Nana alone. Once at her side Elliot grabbed her hand and leaned down to whisper in her ear.

“Nana, I don’t know if you can hear me, but I wanted to tell you I love you and I will be okay. Karla is here with me and The Peterson’s are great people. Dr. Peterson tried to help you when you collapsed in the restaurant tonight, but it didn’t work. I love you Nana, you can let go now and know that I will be alright. My big sister will look out for me.”

Silent tears rolled down Karla’s face as Elliot said goodbye to his Nana. When he looked back and motioned for Karla to join him she didn’t hesitate. Once she was beside him he clasped her hand and looked back at Mrs. Matthews. “Nana, Karla is right here beside me. She will help me.”

Karla looked at Mrs. Matthews’ frail form and tears filled her eyes. “Ma’am, I promise you that I will always look after Elliot. In the past year I have learned what family truly means and Elliot is family. He’ll never be alone and will always know love.”

When Karla stopped talking Elliot climbed into the bed with Mrs. Matthews and laid his head on her chest. “I’ll stay with you till the end, Nana. You won’t be alone.”

As soon as the words left his mouth the machines monitoring Mrs. Matthews’ heart and breathing started beeping loudly. Elliot continued to lay there as the nurses unhooked the monitors. He was still laying there, quiet sobs rocking his body, when Andrew and Leslie came in.

“Elliot, it’s time to let her go.” Karla said softly to him as she laid her hand on his back and gently rubbed. “The doctor needs to come in and we need to get out of his way.”

Elliot looked at her with tear stained cheeks and nodded his head. He slowly got off the bed and Karla immediately wrapped him in her arms. They were close to the same size, but feeling his older sister’s arms embracing him was comforting and calming.

After a couple of minutes Elliot let Karla lead him from the room and into the waiting room. They sat in the chairs for what felt like hours before Dr. Hunter came over to talk to them.

“Mrs. Matthews made all of her funeral arrangements when she found out she had cancer and they are on file here. The funeral home she chose has already been contacted and are on their way to get her. You’d have to check with her lawyer for confirmation, but I also believe everything has been paid for too.”

“Do you have her lawyer’s name so I can contact them?” Andrew asked Dr. Hunter.

“Yes, I have that information in her patient file. I’ll look it up and call you in the morning.”

“Dr. Peterson?” Elliot said from beside Andrew. “I know where Nana keeps her papers at home. Her lawyer’s name is in her lock box.”

“I’m sorry, Elliot.” Andrew apologized. “I didn’t even consider that you would know where that information was.”

“It’s okay, sir. I’m just a kid and most people don’t see me as a smart kid, so other than Dad and Nana, people tend to overlook me.”

Andrew was astonished by this information. In just the few hours he had known Elliot he could tell he was a bright young man. He knelt down in front of Elliot. “You are a smart young man. In just the few hours I’ve known you I’ve picked up on that.”

Elliot looked at his shoes for a moment before looking back at Andrew. “I’m dyslexic and because of that I have a difficult time reading and writing. People think I’m stupid because I’m 12 years old and have problems reading a book written for fourth graders.”

“Elliot, a learning disability does not make you stupid. Dyslexia is pretty common and can be easily worked with if the teachers and school administration take the time to put forth an effort. When we get back to Nashville I will hire you a tutor who can teach you how to work around your dyslexia, or I’m sure Karla could help you.”

Elliot was shocked by what Andrew said, but before he could respond Karla put her arm around him and leaned her head down a couple of inches and whispered in his ear. “I will always help you in whatever you need.”

Elliot looked at Karla for a second before he wrapped his arms around her and started crying. “Today should be a really sad day for me, and it is, but you have all made it manageable. Thank you all.”

Andrew wrapped his arms around them both and pulled them close. “You two will always be safe.”

He held them for a minute before he released them and stepped back. “Now let’s go to your house and get the information we need. We can get you a change of clothes and you can come back to the hotel with us. How does that sound?”

“That sounds awesome.” Elliot answered.

Elliot guided them out of the city and to the small town he had called home his entire life. When they pulled into the driveway of the house he’d lived since birth his eyes filled with tears. “I don’t have a key, but Nana kept one hidden under the flower pot on the back porch.”

“Lead the way.” Andrew said as they got out of the car and walked around the house.

“I remember this place.” Karla said in an awe filled voice. “Grams’ and Pops’ house is right across the street.” She added as she pointed to the white house across the street.

“That’s The Robertson’s place now. My best friend, Hank, lives there.”

“I remember Grams coming over here and visiting for hours. When I was little I would come with her. You must be the baby I remember playing with when I was little.” Karla said, lost in memories about her childhood in Texas. About her life before Diane.

“Karla? Are you okay?” Leslie asked, concern lacing her voice.

“I’m alright Leslie. Just got lost in memories for a minute.” Karla responded, then looked away from her childhood home. “Elliot, let’s get that key and the information we need. I need to call Conner, Callie and Rylee. They’re going to be worried if I don’t contact them soon.”

Leslie shook her head at Karla’s attempt at nonchalance. “Okay sweetheart. Let’s get this done and get back to the hotel.”

Elliot looked at Karla for a second before tilting the flower pot and getting the key out from under it. He unlocked the back door and they all walked into a very large kitchen. “I’ll show you where the papers are. The key to her lock box is in Dad’s office.”

Andrew followed Elliot down the hall and into a small office. “Nana’s lock box is over there,” Elliot said as he pointed to a small box on top of the book shelf. “I’ll get the key from Dad’s desk.”

Andrew got the box down and Elliot unlocked it for him. He found the papers they needed, locked the box back and placed it back on the shelf. “Let’s get what you need for tonight and then we’ll come back tomorrow after I talk to the lawyer and figure out what’s going on.”

“Sounds good, sir.” Elliot answered and walked out of the office. Andrew followed him down the hall and into a small bedroom decorated in a western theme. He took out his cell phone and snapped a few pictures of the décor and made a mental note to go online once they got to the hotel and see if he could order some things for Elliot’s room back home.

Elliot quickly packed a small overnight bag and Andrew followed him back to the kitchen. Leslie and Karla were sitting at the table quietly talking when they entered the room. “Are you ready, Elliot?” Leslie asked when they entered the room.

“Yes, ma’am.” Elliot answered and looked around the room. “Nana and I spent a lot of time in this room. This was her favorite place in the house. We used to bake cookies every Saturday night and take them to church on Sunday morning. That’s the one day a week Dad wouldn’t work. We’d go to church then to the café in town for lunch after church was over. On Sunday night Nana would cook supper and invite The Robertson’s over. Hank and I would always help Nana clean up the kitchen after supper. Then we would all sit around the table and play games. I remember the Sunday night before Dad’s accident we played Monopoly for hours. It went on so long the adults finally stopped the game, wrote down exactly what everyone had and said we’d finish the following week. We never finished that game.”

Elliot’s eyes filled with tears at the thought of the unfinished game and Karla walked over to him. “Elliot, do you want to finish that game? I know we can’t replace your Dad and Nana, but two of us can stand in as substitutes for them so you and Hank can finish.”

“Would y’all really do that for me? Can we really stay here until Sunday and finish the game with Hank and his mom and dad?”

“We sure can. Today is Tuesday so that will give us time to get everything settled and meet with Mrs. Matthews’ lawyers before we go home.” Andrew answered.

Elliot dropped his overnight bag and launched himself at Andrew. “Thank you, Dr. Peterson. I am so glad Nana made me meet y’all.”

Karla giggled a little at Elliot’s reaction before she walked over to him and Andrew and touched his shoulder. “Elliot, believe me when I tell you that you won’t find anyone better than Leslie and Andrew. I was almost broken before they found me and now I have the family I always wanted. You just make that family better.”

“Karla, you have given us the family we always wanted too.” Leslie said as she walked to them. “Now let’s get to the hotel so you can call Conner before he convinces his parents that he needs to come here.”

“Who is Conner?” Elliot asked in confusion.

“Conner is my boyfriend. He, his sister Callie and Rylee are my best friends. They worry, a lot, and I need to call them because I wouldn’t put it past them to come here if they think something is wrong.”

Elliot got quiet for a minute before he looked at Karla. “I hope I can find friends like that.”

“You will, Elliot. You’re a likeable boy and you’re kind of adorable with your blue eyes and freckles. Not only will you make friends, but I bet you’ll have a girlfriend or two during the school year.” Karla told him with a wink and a smile. Then she grabbed his hand and led him from the house. Andrew picked up Elliot’s bag, grabbed Leslie’s hand and followed them out the door, pausing long enough to lock up before getting into the rental car and heading back to the city.