Agon (24 page)

“
Mercy General. She’s in
surgery now, but I had to assure her I’d call you before she’d let
them take her in.” Sounded like Rose, stubborn to a fault. “Do you
need someone to pick you up?”

“
Actually, I need more
than that. I don’t know where my sister has been for the past eight
years. We never were very close.” She pulled off the highway and
sat there wiping at the tears. “Is she really dying? I mean, she’s
pulled crap like this before. Having someone call me to tell me she
was grave only to find her healthy as an ox when I got there. Tell
me this is like that. I won’t be mad. I swear I won’t. I’ll just
give her whatever it is she wants and leave again.”

“
I’m sorry, Miss McGee.
This is the real deal.” He told her what city and state her sister
was in and asked her if she wanted him to pick her up at the
airport. She told him no, that she’d rent a car. After she hung up,
Dusty called her assistant.

“
I’m going away for a few
days. There’s some family problems I have to take care of.” Denise
Bush laughed. “I’m serious. My sister has had an
accident.”

“
How bad? And don’t worry
about a thing. I’ll take care of it. Will you need for me to set
some things up for you? Hotel, car rental while there?” Dusty loved
this woman because of all she was. “I’m calling in a few favors now
to get you whatever you need. Wait, it might help if I knew where
you needed this done.”

After she explained where she was
going, she hung up. It wasn’t until she was at the airport that she
realized she might not make it in time to see her. That had been so
long ago that Dusty wasn’t sure she’d ever feel as if she wasn’t in
a dream. A nightmare, she supposed.

“
Miss McGee?” She looked
up at the man who was smiling down at her. “It’s time for you to
see her again. I’ve looked for Kip, but he said that he…he is
coming now.”

Dusty followed the man, a male nurse,
down the hall again. She had no idea why it was so far away from
the intensive care unit, but it seemed miles since she’d gotten up.
When they were outside the door, he turned to look at
her.

“
She will not be with us
much longer. If you can, I would suggest you say your goodbyes
now.” She nodded and looked down the hall as Kip came toward her.
“I will allow you both in together this time. Please…you can stay
as long as you wish.”

Kip took her hand, and she squeezed it
tightly. As they entered the room, the machines keeping her sister
alive were eerily quiet. She looked at the form on the bed, having
just yesterday stopped thinking of the broken body as her sister
any longer. When the officer had told her she was bad, he’d not
even been close to what had happened to her.

“
Mom?” Kip moved to the
bed and held his mother’s hand. She stayed back, giving him all the
time he needed. She tried to think of the last time she’d spoken to
her sister, and all she could remember, like every other time, was
that they’d fought. As they did all the time. When Kip looked at
her, she realized that he had said something.

“
She’s going to die.”
Dusty nodded and moved toward him. “What the heck am I going to do
now? I have nothing. They won’t let me…I called a lawyer, and he
said that I wouldn’t be able to stay in my house any longer, that I
wasn’t old enough.”

“
You’re coming with me.
She, your mom, made arrangements for me to take care of you if
anything should—”

“
I’m not going with you. I
don’t even like you. And neither did my mom. Why the heck would she
say something like that? You’re a liar. I’m not going anywhere with
you. Mom will get better, you’ll see.”

Her heart, already so tender she
wasn’t sure if it was beating or not, shattered. He started
sobbing, and she wanted to go to him and even took a step toward
him when the machine near Rose’s head started screaming at them.
She was shoved out of the way as two nurses came into the room, but
neither of them made a move toward her sister. It had been
predetermined that Rose was too far gone for them to try to
resuscitate.

Dusty stepped into the hall when the
doctor pronounced her deceased. She could hear Kip in the room
screaming at them to wake her up, but Dusty had to get away. She
was moving to the front doors when a man stepped in front of
her.

“
You will survive this.”
She shook her head and tried to step around him, but he moved with
her. “Look at me, Dusty. You will survive this. And you will be
stronger for it.”

“
Stronger? I’ve never been
strong in my life. My sister is dead, and her son hates me. And as
of twenty seconds ago, he’s my responsibility. I don’t know what to
do with a kid. I can’t even keep myself straight without an
assistant.” She realized she was screaming at him and took a deep
breath. “I’m going home now. If he doesn’t want me, I guess there
isn’t a damn thing I can do to make him.”

“
Simply love
him.”

She looked up when she realized she
was sobbing again and the man was gone. She stood there for several
minutes before she moved out of the building and into the fresh
air.

She had to get arrangements made. Call
people and make sure her nephew was going to be well. Dusty wasn’t
sure what happened now, but she didn’t want him any more than he
did her. Sitting there for a few more minutes, Dusty knew two
things. She was more alone than she’d ever been, and as of right
now, she was as depressed as she ever would be again. Standing, she
entered the hospital. The sooner she was finished with this, the
quicker she could get moving again.

About the Author

Kathi Barton, author of the
bestselling series Force of Nature, lives in Nashport, Ohio with
her husband Paul. In addition to writing full time Kathi likes to
spend time with her eight grandkids, three children and three
children-in-laws. She writes to relax and have fun.
 

Her muse, a cross between
Jimmy Stewart and Hugh Jackman brings them to life for her readers
in a way that has them coming back time and again for more. Her
favorite genre is paranormal romance with a great deal of spice.
You can visit Kathi on line and drop her an email if you’d like.
She loves hearing from her fans.
[email protected]
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Follow Kathi on her
blog:
http://kathisbartonauthor.blogspot.com/