Take Two (28 page)

“It hurts.” Molly stuck her lip out, her little chest still convulsing from the sobs.

They hurried into a room, and a doctor made a quick decision that Molly needed a spoonful of liquid acetaminophen for her
pain and an X ray. Kelly walked with her to the room, but she had to stand back with the technician during the actual picture-taking.
Her absence only made Molly cry harder, and in the distant places of her mind Kelly had a random thought. What was Chase doing
right now? Sitting in some meeting at some major studio, wasn’t that it? He would have no idea that his family was in the
middle of a crisis.

She waited until the X ray was finished and she and Molly were alone in the examining room before she took the receiver off
the wall and dialed Chase’s cell. It rang two times, three, and after the fourth it went to his voicemail. Kelly waited for
the beep. “Chase, it’s me.” She sounded exhausted and still a little panicky. “Molly fell off her bike and maybe broke her
arm. Call me, okay? We’re at the hospital.”

The diagnosis didn’t take long. By then, the emergency room doctor had stabilized Molly’s arm in a loose splint, and she’d
fallen asleep, exhausted from the pain and the sobbing. The doctor pulled up a chair opposite Kelly and checked the chart
he was holding. “Molly has a severe fracture in her forearm. It’s quite bad, actually. With something like this, there’s really
only one way to set it, and that’s through surgery.”

Surgery?
Kelly felt her heartbeat pick up speed again. Molly needed surgery? With Chase gone? The black spots danced into view again
and she tried to remember Laurie’s advice.
Exhale. Force yourself to exhale. Please, God … get me through this.

I am with you, daughter … through even this I am with you.

The answer rang clear in her heart even over the sound of the doctor’s voice. Kelly blinked and tried to focus. God was with
her. She could do this.

The doctor explained that with breaks like this, the sooner they could set it the better. “I’ve called in an expert pediatric
orthopedist. He can operate this afternoon.” He studied her. “Can your husband be here by then?”

“No.” She felt sick again. “He won’t be here until late tomorrow. He’s in LA.”

“I see.” The doctor looked concerned. “Do you think you’ll be okay? I’d like someone to be here with you.”

He must’ve heard about her near-fainting episode in the waiting room. She racked her brain, thinking about what to tell him.
Laurie was staying with Macy, and she would do so as long as Kelly needed her. Then she remembered. Lisa, of course. Lisa
was home this week and she would come in a heartbeat. “I … I have someone.”

“Very well, then.”

She nodded, fighting the panic that breathed terrifying possibilities into her heart and mind. The doctor excused himself,
and again Kelly took the phone from the wall. Her first call was to Laurie, who was more than willing to look after Macy.
“I’ll be here as long as you need me,” she said. “And I’ll keep praying.”

Next Kelly called Lisa, who promised to be there in twenty minutes.

Finally she tried Chase again. This time he answered on the third ring, his voice quiet and on edge. “What is it Kelly? Is
this an emergency?” He obviously hadn’t checked his messages. “We’re almost finished.”

For a single instant, Kelly wanted to hang up, tell him never mind. That certainly whatever was happening with the studio
was bound to be more important than life back home. But instead she swallowed every sarcastic thought she might’ve voiced
and in a tone almost devoid of emotion said only, “Molly broke her arm. We’re at the hospital.” She sighed. “She needs surgery
in the next few hours to set it.”

“What?” The alarm in Chase’s voice brought with it some sense of satisfaction. “How serious is it?” He was still whispering.

“Serious, Chase. She needs surgery.”

He released a frustrated sound. “Let me call you after the meeting. It’s almost over.”

Kelly felt the room tilt. Was he really saying he’d call her back? When his daughter was lying in a hospital facing surgery?
She was furious with him. “Fine.” She hung up without saying good-bye and did her best not to slam the phone back onto its
place on the wall.

She stood and paced to the door and back again. No wonder she’d been eating everything in sight. How else was she supposed
to cope with the stress, the feeling Chase had abandoned them in a quest that had evolved over the last few months? Now his
days in LA seemed less about changing the world and more about chasing fame and money. Anything to keep Brandon Paul attached
to the next picture.

Molly moaned and rolled a little on the hospital bed. The doctor said he’d give her something to sleep if she woke up. He
didn’t want her moving around very much until after the surgery; she could do further damage to her arm. For now, though,
Kelly wanted something to help
herself
calm down. When she was sure Molly wasn’t going to wake up, she took a couple of one-dollar bills from her wallet. Walking
quietly so Molly wouldn’t hear, she left the room and went to the nurse’s station. “My daughter’s alone in there. I’ll be
right back.”

“I’ll check her in a moment.” The nurse pointed to a monitor. “I can see her from here; don’t worry.”

Kelly nodded and headed out into the hall. When she reached the lobby, she turned away from the front doors and kept walking
until she saw the vending machine. She stopped and stared at the food inside. Snickers … Reese’s Pieces … Rolos … two oversized
chocolate-chip cookies. Her hands shook as she slid the first dollar into the slot. She wanted every bit of comfort she could
get, and she positioned her finger over the letter and number corresponding to the Snickers. She could start there. But just
as she was about to push, she felt a physical force holding her back.

She gasped and turned around, expecting to see someone standing there, stopping her from making the purchase. But she was
completely alone. She blinked and stared at the machine full of junk. What had stopped her from pushing the button, and how
come she was shaking so hard? Then in a rush she remembered her quick prayer, the one she’d silently uttered while trying
not to faint an hour ago. What had she said? That she couldn’t do this anymore, and that she was ready to stop, right? Wasn’t
that it? She’d even begged God to help her be finished with the craziness.

And now … now something or someone had stopped her.

She lowered her hand and stared at the Snickers bar. She didn’t need candy; she needed a Savior, a strength that went beyond
herself. Not tomorrow morning or some other day, but here. Now.

She stepped back from the machine and then, at the last second, she pushed a button and heard the clank of quarters as they
fell into the change dish. All four quarters. She swept them into her hand and without hesitation dropped them, one at a time,
into the next machine — the one that held only bottled water.

She took her bottle and walked as quickly as she could back to Molly’s room. Whatever had happened back there, she couldn’t
stop to analyze it. Whether the hand of God had held her back, or whether she’d subconsciously stopped herself, she wasn’t
sure. The only thing she knew was this: God had answered her prayer. Her marriage was on the rocks, and her little girl was
about to have surgery. They owed tens of thousands of dollars because of
The Last Letter
and they’d yet to see more than the slightest bit of repayment for the funds they’d invested. But now, as she headed back
to Molly’s side, she had reason to smile because she had found the one thing she desperately needed, the thing she’d lost
sight of these last few months.

Her determination to live.

T
HE MEETING WITH THE STUDIO WAS
over, and Chase stood out front of a restaurant across the street, frantic to get hold of Kelly. He tried her cell phone
a dozen times before finally calling the three hospitals in the area. On the third try he found her — sitting with Molly in
her room. A male nurse patched him through.

“Hello?” Kelly sounded angry, but less tired.

“Honey, it’s me.” His relief was an almost physical force across the phone lines. He hoped Kelly could tell how badly he wanted
to talk to her. “I’ve been calling you for fifteen minutes.”

“We can’t use cell phones.” She kept her eyes on Molly.

He started to say that he hadn’t even known which hospital they were at, but he stopped himself. None of that mattered now.
“So what happened? Start at the beginning.”

In a monotone Kelly explained the bike accident. “It could’ve been a lot worse.”

“Where’s Macy?” Chase raked his fingers through his hair and leaned against the car. Keith was already inside, waiting for
him.

“Laurie’s with her, and Lisa is on her way here.”

“Good.” He racked his brain. They had come out of the meeting and gone directly to the restaurant. Kendall was on the phone
with her father, and Keith had called Lisa. Chase was sitting outside on a patio chair where he’d been since he first started
trying to reach Kelly. “They’re sure she needs surgery?”

“The break’s terrible, Chase. One of the worst the doctor’s seen.”

Pain sliced through Chase’s gut. His little Molly suffering such a bad injury when he wasn’t home to help her? The meeting
had gone brilliantly, but Chase knew better than to say so now. He asked how Molly was doing, and what the time frame was.
“I can be home tomorrow evening.”

“Tomorrow?” Her single laugh sounded desperate. “What, Chase? What’s so important that you can’t get in your car and drive
home now?”

He hesitated in disbelief. “I have more meetings, Kel. What do you want me to do, race home and then turn around and come
back here?”

“Whatever.” She didn’t sound like she had the strength to fight him. “We’ll be here until Sunday morning.”

“I’ll come straight there as soon as I’m in town.”

“Okay.” She didn’t sound intentionally mean, just indifferent.

He settled into the white wrought iron chair. “Kelly, what’s with you?”

“What’s with
you
? Your daughter’s had a terrible accident and you can’t take my call? Are you serious?”

“I’m sorry. I was wrong. It’s just … we were almost finished working out the details of an actual theatrical release with
The Last Letter
, and I didn’t want to miss anything.”

She took a long breath. “Look, I don’t want to fight. We’ll talk when you get here tomorrow.”

She left him no room for further conversation. He felt his shoulders sink a few inches and he slumped over his knees, trying
to focus. “If you talk to her before the surgery, will you tell her I’m praying for her?”

“Of course.” She was terse and businesslike, as if she couldn’t wait to get off the phone and tend to more important matters.

“I love you.” He covered his free ear with his hand so he could hear the nuances of her voice, her mood. “I’m sorry I wasn’t
there.”

“It’s okay. We’re used to it.” She paused, maybe regretting her sarcasm. “See you tomorrow.”

The phone went dead before Chase could question her again about her mood. Only then did he realize that she hadn’t asked about
the theatrical deal. It was what they’d been praying for with
The Last Letter
, and now they had it. But Kelly hadn’t even noted it. He clicked his phone off and slid it back in the pocket of his jacket.
Then hung his head for a full minute trying to figure out his wife. When he’d been home lately, he’d tried not to look too
deeply at the way Kelly was treating him. She probably wasn’t happy with him. At least that’s what he had come to believe.
But at least she made an effort when he was home.

But now … now there was no question she was angry. It had come through loud and clear over the phone lines. Angry at what?
That’s what he wanted to know. Angry because he and Keith were following the dream God had placed in their hearts? Upset because
he was gone so often? He clenched his teeth and pulled himself into a straight position again. Didn’t she know this was the
hardest part? One day soon they could move to LA and this phase would be something from the past. But they couldn’t blame
each other along the way.

He remembered the time during the filming last fall when she’d come to the set and spent a couple nights with him. She believed
in him back then, but since Thanksgiving things had changed with her. Was it depression? Had she allowed herself to get so
out of control that she couldn’t feel anything but misery?

He was about to pray for her, to beg God to mend things between them so that tomorrow he could hold her hands and help her
know how he felt about her, that he would do anything to help her. But the sound of the café door stopped him before he had
the chance. “Chase?” It was Kendall.

He sighed and put on the familiar mask, the one that he wore around their new partner so she wouldn’t think for a minute that
Chase’s home life was anything but ideal. He flashed her a concerned smile. “Hey, sorry. It took forever to reach her.”

“How’s Molly?” Kendall had come outside by herself. Keith was still inside the restaurant.

“She needs surgery for sure. I guess Macy jumped in front of her. Molly didn’t want to hit her with the bicycle, so she took
the fall instead.”

“Ahh, sweet girl.” Kendall took the seat next to Chase. “Anything we can do?”

“Pray.” It was what he and Kelly should’ve done. “I guess the operation’s pretty straightforward. They’ve called in a specialist,
but still … It’s scary stuff.”

“Definitely. Plus she doesn’t have the best daddy in the world there to help her through it.”

Chase tried not to register the compliment. He and Kendall had only been working closely together for three months or so,
and already a pattern was starting to develop. With Kelly, he could do nothing right, and with Kendall … With Kendall he could
do no wrong. He stared at the ground near his feet. “If I were that great, I guess I’d be there.”

“Hey.” Her voice was soft, a caress whether she intended it to be or not. “Don’t beat yourself up. The reason you’re here
is because you care about your family’s future. Not just your financial future and the welfare of your wife and girls.” She
waited until he looked up. “You care about the next generation of kids. That’s why you want to make these movies, remember?
So in the big picture, you’re the best dad of all.”