Chasing Sunsets (24 page)

“True.” He felt baffled. “She said she’s not into relationships. Something like that.”

“Well . . . maybe you’ll actually have to chase her.” Tyler
grinned. “She might be the only single girl in the world who wouldn’t jump at the chance to date you.”

“She’s definitely on the list.” He replayed the moments with her again in his mind. “I know this. There’s no other girl like her. It’s like nothing could take her down. Like she’ll be celebrating life until she’s a hundred years old.”

Tyler laughed again. “I just hope it doesn’t take you that long to get her to change her mind.”

Marcus rolled down the window and let the warm January air drift through his SUV. “I might just wait that long.” He leaned back and smiled. “If she doesn’t drive me crazy first.”

NOT UNTIL AFTER
Marcus and Tyler left did Mary Catherine realize she hadn’t heard from either her mom or the doctor.
Strange
,
she thought. She dug around on her towel and found her phone.

It was turned off.

That’s weird
,
she thought.
Maybe the battery died.
She held the button at the top of the phone and the screen came to life. After a few seconds she could see for herself. The battery was still full.

So when had she turned it off?

Before she could figure out an answer she watched several messages come through. Two of them were voice mails, one from her mother, one from her cardiologist. Sami was gathering her things, but Mary Catherine needed to check the messages first.

She noted the time of the calls. Her mother’s came in
right as Marcus was being baptized. The doctor’s happened fifteen minutes later, when Marcus had just taken the spot beside her on the towel. She would’ve missed all of that if her phone had been on.

She had no time to worry about it. She played the message from her mom first. Her mother’s voice came on the line and Mary Catherine put her hand over her other ear. She needed to focus, needed to hear every word.

“Honey, call me. Good news.” That was it. All her mother said. The message was the last thing Mary Catherine had expected. She dialed her mother’s number and waited.

“Hello, honey!” Her mom sounded happier than she had in months. “Your father’s doing so much better!”

“What happened?” Mary Catherine felt the sting of tears. Her father wasn’t healthy. She would need to get out to Nashville again soon. Before she could think about a trip to Africa. But for now he was at least out of danger.
Thank You, God . . . thank You.

Her mom was explaining what had happened, how they’d gotten much closer since his illness. And how she’d been spending more time at the hospital with him. “He looked like he’d need heart surgery, and you know your father. With his weight . . . he’s just not a candidate right now.”

“I know.” Mary Catherine felt the burden of her father’s health again. “One day, maybe.”

“Anyway.” Her mother paused only long enough to catch a quick breath. “This new doctor visited us today. A pretty woman. She found a better medication for the IV. It only took an hour and his numbers were so much better.” She sounded deeply relieved. “Makes me wonder if the woman
was an angel. Anyway, just wanted you to know he’s good for now. Your dad asked me to tell you that he misses you. We both do.”

“Miss you, too. Tell Daddy I love him.”

“I will. Love you, too.”

The conversation ended and Mary Catherine stared out at the water, to the place where Marcus had been baptized little more than an hour ago. God was with them. No matter how terribly the week had gone or what evil existed in the world, the Lord was still at work.

He had allowed her divorced parents to find friendship again. And He had sent a doctor to heal her father.

Which meant now she could still do the Last Time In
program with Marcus. Mary Catherine stared at her phone. The other message was from her cardiologist. But suddenly she didn’t want to hear it. The news could wait. She only wanted to live in the moment and remember every amazing thing about the morning and her time with Marcus.

She stood and walked to the edge of the water, her eyes trained on the horizon. The time with Marcus today had been a dream. Better than a dream. He was funny and sensitive and he wanted to take their friendship deeper. To a place where there were no secrets.

Mary Catherine thought about the message waiting for her, the one from the doctor. Her failing health was her greatest secret, the one thing she never wanted to share with Marcus. She didn’t want him feeling sorry for her or trying to convince her she was wrong about her decision to stay single.

Sami came up alongside her. “How’s your dad?”

“He’s great.” She turned and smiled. “Some new doctor
came on the scene today and gave him a different medicine.” She still couldn’t believe the news. “He won’t need surgery after all.”

“So you can stay with the prison program.”

“Yes.” She grew quiet, looking back at the ocean again. “Was it obvious?”

“You and Marcus?” Sami laughed quietly. “Very.” She faced Mary Catherine. “Did you tell him? About your heart?”

“No.” Mary Catherine wanted to run down the beach, far from the reality of her health. “I can’t tell him. I shouldn’t have told you.”

“Why?” Sami sounded hurt. “Don’t say that. I won’t tell anyone. Not even Tyler.” She didn’t say anything for a few seconds. “It’s just . . . with Marcus . . . you told me you didn’t want to date. You might only have ten years. Remember?”

“I still feel that way.” She exhaled and felt the weight of the entire beach on her shoulders. “I tried to tell him.”

“What’d you say?” Sami wasn’t pushing. She was only being a friend.

“I told him relationships weren’t for me. I said it was complicated.”

Sami looked surprised. “He didn’t ask for more of an explanation?”

“He would’ve.” She ignored the hurt inside. “I made him go to the water with me instead.”

“The hand-holding?” A sparkle started in Sami’s eyes and turned into a smile. “It’s okay, Mary Catherine. Why do you have to be so hard on yourself? You don’t know what’s going to happen. You might end up in a rocking chair next to me when
you’re eighty.” She hesitated. “Only God knows the number of your days.”

“True.” She longed for the scenario Sami described, longed for a reason to believe it was possible. “But my heart condition . . . it’s a real thing, Sami. I can’t put that on someone else.”

“Maybe you don’t have to. Just wait it out. Have fun.” She breathed in deep and did a little spin on the sand. Then she angled her face, empathy marking her expression. “Isn’t that what you taught me?”

“Yes.” Mary Catherine smiled. If only it were that easy. “In everything but love.”

“Maybe especially in love.” Sami wasn’t giving up. There was a pleading in her voice. Like she was desperate for Mary Catherine to relax her way of thinking. “You told me to visit my old boyfriend when I was in Florida. And look at Tyler and me now.”

“Sami.” Mary Catherine needed her friend to understand. “I can’t do that to Marcus. Don’t you see? He deserves the sort of love that can live on and on.” She felt tears choking her, making it impossible to speak. She turned to the ocean again and waited.

Sami came up beside her again. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to make you sad. But you’re just friends. You can at least give that much a chance.”

“It’s just . . .” She sniffed, still struggling. “I feel more. And I can’t.”

“Maybe you can.” Sami hesitated. “No one knows the number of their days. I could fall over right here on the sand.”
Her words were gentle this time. “I would never regret loving Tyler. Even if we only had today.”

Mary Catherine nodded. She understood what Sami meant. She really did. It just wasn’t fair to either of them—her or Marcus—to let him think there was a chance. A chance at love and a normal life together. Why let something begin when the ending was already written?

They’d spent enough time talking about it. Mary Catherine smiled at her friend. “Come on. Let’s get back.” She walked slowly to her things and packed them into her bag. “Besides, I’m not sure he even likes me.”

“MC, that’s the most ridiculous thing I ever—”

“Okay, okay.” Mary Catherine laughed and it felt wonderful for the moment to be light again. “Maybe he likes me just a little.”

Sami made an exasperated sound. “You’ll make plans to get your pilot’s license, but you won’t let yourself fall in love.” Sami gathered her board and her bags. “Maybe just think awhile on your priorities. Okay?”

“I have.” She grinned. “Conversation closed. But speaking of priorities, is it your turn to vacuum? Because I think it is.”

They both started giggling and then walked in comfortable silence back to the car. Mary Catherine was grateful for Sami, for a friend who cared and could laugh with her.

The ride home didn’t include a single mention of Marcus. Mary Catherine was relieved. There really was nothing to say, nowhere the topic could go.

Not until they were back at the apartment and Mary Catherine was in her room did she close the door and listen to
the message from her cardiologist. The man’s secretary had simply advised her to return the call. Her test results were in. Mary Catherine waited, her hands trembling. If only she could put off the news, put it aside and forget about it.
Father, I need You . . . I can’t do this without You.
She closed her eyes and waited. After a minute or so a feeling of peace came over her. Peace enough to make the call.

She opened her eyes and tapped the call button.

A receptionist answered. “Dr. Cohen’s office.”

“This is Mary Catherine Clark.” She couldn’t shake the feeling that the news would be bad. “I missed a call from your office earlier.”

“Yes, hold on.” The woman sounded efficient. There was no reading her tone. “The doctor would like to speak to you.”

“That’s fine.” Mary Catherine dropped on the edge of her bed and waited. The seconds felt like days.

“Hello? Mary Catherine?” It was Dr. Cohen. He was in his forties. One of the top cardiologists in Los Angeles.

“Hi. I missed your call earlier.” She paused. “Is it about my test results?”

“Yes.” He sighed. Not a quick sigh. But the kind that doctors tended to do when the information ahead might be difficult.

She closed her eyes again.
Whatever it is, God, You’re in charge. You know the number of my days. I believe that.

“Mary Catherine, I’m afraid the results were worse than we expected. Your valve has deteriorated greatly. But more than that, your heart is further enlarged.” He paused. “I shared your results with a few respected cardiologist friends of mine. One in New York. One in Boston.”

Mary Catherine slid off the edge of her bed to the floor. She brought her legs to her chest and let her forehead rest on her knees. “Okay. Yes?”

“We all came to the same conclusion. Mary Catherine, I’m afraid we’d like to put you on the heart transplant list. The sooner the better.”

A black hole seemed to open up in the spot where she was sitting. Darker and darker, blacker and blacker. She could feel herself falling into it and the whole time she was certain of one awful reality. There was no bottom. She would keep falling for the rest of her days.

Because this was the worst possible news he could’ve told her.

“Mary Catherine? Do you understand, dear?”

“Yes, sir.” Her voice was soft and shaky. “So . . . what’s next? What should I do?”

“We have to have you into the office in the next week or so for a complete checkup. You’ll need more tests and blood work. Then there’ll be a screening exam and some paperwork. All of that before we can get you on the donor list.”

In the black hole where she was falling, Mary Catherine couldn’t catch her breath, couldn’t exhale fully. Like she was drowning in her own bedroom. “You mean . . . you want the surgery soon?”

“It’s never that easy.” He sounded discouraged by the fact. “Your heart and valve can go on for probably another nine months or a year. Even after your appointment it could be months before we get you on the transplant list. It’s a process. Many people never get a donor, Mary Catherine. I need to be honest.”

She still couldn’t believe what he was saying. The transplant she’d expected in the years to come was supposed to be a valve replacement. Not a heart transplant. What about Africa? What about helping with the youth center? How was she supposed to get her pilot’s license if she was waiting for a heart transplant?

“Did you hear me?” The doctor’s words were kind. “I’m so sorry, Mary Catherine. I know this must be a shock to you. Frankly, it was a shock to me. That’s why I sought the other opinions.” He waited a beat. “I’m very, very sorry.”

“It’s okay.” She was still falling, still trying to get a full breath. What about mornings on the beach and swimming with the dolphins?

“I’ll transfer you back to the receptionist. I’d like you to book the appointment as soon as possible.”

“Yes, sir.” Mary Catherine couldn’t lift her head, couldn’t do anything but feel herself falling. What about her brand-new job as a graphic designer at Front Line Studios in Santa Monica? She was supposed to be there next year when their first movie hit theaters.