“Oh, Erin, it’s so awful. Ever since you’ve been gone, Kane, well he hasn’t been himself—in a terribly foul mood.” Erin swallowed hard and tried to press back the feelings of guilt that assailed her. “And Krista, well, she didn’t fare any better. She…withdrew. You know. You remember what she was l
ike when she first arrived in Seattle….” Erin gasped, and the little lady reassured her. “It wasn’t nearly that bad, you understand, but still she just wasn’t her cheery self. I’m afraid that she’s missed you terribly.”
Erin closed her eyes and leaned her head against the headboard of the bed for support. “She didn’t stop walking, did she?” Erin held her breath.
“Thank goodness—no.” Erin let the air escape from her lungs in a rush. “However, she was distracted, wouldn’t eat, was thoroughly depressed.” Erin felt as if a knife were being slowly twisted in her stomach. How could she have been so heartless as to have left Krista without explaining anything? Mrs. Cavenaugh continued. “And then, late this morning…well, Krista was chasing that little kitten of hers, and it scrambled up the stairs. She tried to follow it but fell. She hit her head on the bottom step.”
“Oh, no,” Erin gasped, the color draining from her face. “Is—is she seriously injured?”
“Well, that’s just it. No one seems to know for sure. She’s still in the hospital for observation, been there all day as far as I know. I think she regained consciousness, but I’m not really certain.” The elderly woman’s voice had begun to quake, and Erin felt herself shiver.
“Mrs. Cavenaugh, where is Krista?”
“Virginia Mason Hospital on First Hill, but you shouldn’t go there. Kane’s there and he specifically instructed me not to tell you.”
Erin stifled the sob that threatened to belie her calm words. “Don’t worry about Kane. I can handle him—I’m leaving as soon as possible. I’ll see you when I get home.”
“Good.”
“Oh, and Mrs. Cavenaugh?”
“Yes?”
“Thanks for calling.”
“I knew that you’d want to know,” came the somber reply.
Erin stripped her things out of the closet and dresser. As hastily as possible she threw them into her case, paid the hotel bill and rented a small boat back to the mainland. It wasn’t easy to find someone who was willing to take her out in the stormy weather, but fortunately she found a young sailor with a sense of adventure who loved to make a quick buck.
The rain washed down in torrents and the small craft rocked and lurched against the rough whitecapped waters of the Sound. Several times the boat rocked so crazily that Erin was sure that they would capsize, but the steady hand of the dark-complexioned young man kept the tiny craft miraculously on course. The wind tore at Erin’s face, pelting it with cold rain, and whipping her long black hair away from her neck. But she continued to watch the shoreline and prayed that Mrs. Cavenaugh had exaggerated Krista’s condition.
“Hey, lady,” her companion called to her over the roar of the boat’s engine and the howl of the wind. “Would you like something to drink? I’ve got a thermos of coffee, or…something stronger, if you like rye whisky.”
Erin shook her head. The thought of something in her already-knotted stomach made her want to gag. “No…thank you. I’m fine.”
“You sure?” he asked, not convinced. The young woman was pale and scared, and deep lines of concern creased her otherwise beautiful face.
“Yes, really,” Erin asserted, and managed a wan smile. The young man lifted his shoulders and turned his attention back to the sea. The remainder of the trip was made in silence. It seemed an eternity before Erin was on solid ground once again.
Virginia Mason Hospital stood out starkly white against a threatening charcoal-gray sky. Inside, the corridors were hushed, and the white walls were only made more severe by the garish splotches of color in the modern-art prints that hung on the walls. The bustling, white-uniformed staff, the mechanical groans of the elevators, and the overall oppressive silence gave Erin a strange sense of impending doom.
Room 538 was easy enough to find, and Erin braced herself to enter the white cubicle just as a portly nurse in a neatly starched uniform approached her.
“Looking for someone?” the nurse asked in a professional voice. There was a calm smile on the broad face that spoke of authority and efficiency. “Can I help you?”
“I hope so. I’m a close friend of Krista Webster. I just found out about the accident today, and I hurried over here as quickly as I could.” The disapproving brown eyes of the nurse studied Erin, and for the first time she realized what she must look like in her rain-drenched clothing and wet hair.
“You’re not a member of the family?”
“No…not exactly.” Erin shook her head.
The nurse placed a friendly hand on Erin’s arm. “I’m sorry, but only family members are allowed to visit Miss Webster. Perhaps you would like to wait in the lobby? There’s a coffee machine and some magazines….”
Erin refused to be brushed off. “Can you at least tell me how she is? Will she be all right? I…I have to know!”
“I understand,” the nurse replied, and Erin felt that those wide, brown eyes and large, kindly face wouldn’t lie. “Krista had a very bad fall and suffered a concussion, but Dr. Sampson is caring for her and the prognosis is very hopeful.”
“But…what does that mean, exactly? Will she recover? Will she be able to walk again?”