Crossroads Read online

  “What?” Leslie mumbled, clearly unable to register what the woman needed.

  “Health insurance,” the woman repeated.

  “We don’t have any,” Leslie replied.

  The nurse holding her pushed past the other woman. “Ms. Heyward needs to lie down. I’m taking her to the private lounge, and you can talk to her there, Amy.” The woman nodded and followed.

  Darrin realized that without any insurance, Travis’s hospital stay was going to be Leslie’s total responsibility. With the cost of hospitalization, much more so intensive care and emergency –related services, Leslie could find herself stripped of all assets just in order to see her brother received proper care.

  “Dr. Selig,” he said turning to catch the doctor before he slipped from the room. “I want Travis to have the best possible treatment. It doesn’t matter what it costs – money isn’t a problem, and I don’t want it to be an issue.”

  The doctor looked at him indignantly. “I would never withhold care from a patient because of the financial status of his family.”

  “I wasn’t accusing,” Darrin assured, “I’m just stating the facts. That little boy is very important to us.”

  Selig’s expression softened. ‘I’m sure he is. He’s important to me, as well. Rest assured, I’m doing all that I can. If we feel for even one moment that we’re compromising his care, he’ll be airlifted to the University of Kansas Medical Center in Kansas City.”

  “Thank you,” Darrin said. He hurried out the door, unsure of where they’d taken Leslie. He recognized the woman named Amy and went to speak with her. “Miss?”

  “Yes?” The woman looked up from the same stack of papers that had accompanied her to the consultation room.

  ‘I want to arrange for Travis Heyward’s medical expenses. As Ms. Heyward said, there is no health insurance, but I will personally be responsible for the charges.” He reached into his wallet and pulled out a business card. “Have all the bills sent here, to my home address.”

  Amy took the card and jotted down the information. “Are you a relative?” she inquired, handing him back the card.

  “No,” Darrin replied. “At least not yet.” The statement startled him. Where had that come from? He had no reason to say such a thing, and yet it seemed very, very right. “Look,” he finally said, tearing his thoughts away from the internal questioning, “I don’t want Leslie to know about this. I don’t want anyone to know that I’m taking responsibility for the bills, understand? Especially not Leslie.”

  The woman looked at him suspiciously. “No, I don’t understand.”

  Darrin nodded. “It’s just that she’s a very proud woman. Her business isn’t doing well right now, and I know that money is an issue. If you go telling her that I’ve agreed to take over the payments, she’ll reject it in a minute. Just let it go. Let her believe that she’ll be billed in the future and that everything is acceptable and under control. That way, maybe once everything is said and done, she’ll realize why I did it and accept the help.”

  Amy smiled. “I get the picture. You must be a very good friend to offer such generous help.”

  Darrin frowned, thinking of the real reason he and Leslie had come to know one another. “I don’t know about that,” he murmured. He was suddenly consumed with guilt. None of this would be happening if not for his father’s actions. Would there be no end to the sins revisited upon him?

  TWELVE

  Only a day had passed since they’d found Travis, but Leslie felt as though it were years instead. She’d refused to leave the hospital and, instead, became a resident of the waiting room, along with several other worried parents.

  “Ms. Heyward, why don’t you go downstairs and get something to eat?” the nurse admonished. It was Kelly, the same woman who had calmed her down after Leslie had heard the truth behind Travis’s condition and who had been caring for Travis alongside Dr. Selig. Leslie looked up from her magazine and shook her head.

  “No, I’m fine. I’m not hungry. I just don’t want to leave in case they find out anything more.” Her protests were weak and childlike. But there was no convincing her otherwise. Kelly shrugged and walked back to the nurses’ station.

  “Leslie, you really should get some rest or eat something. You won’t be any good to Travis if they have to put you in the hospital for not taking care of yourself.” Darrin put an arm around her, and she didn’t resist. She was tired. Very tired. But what if Dr. Selig discovered something new? What good would it do to have her asleep or eating?

  “Darrin, I appreciate you being here. Please understand that I don’t want to leave here just so I can feel better. There’s a little boy in one of those rooms who doesn’t have that option, and I am to blame for that.” She quieted upon seeing Dr. Selig in the doorway.

  “Ms. Heyward? We have some new developments that we thought we should alert you to. You were aware of his frostbite, and due to that, we were attempting to warm his body in the appropriate ways. However, it has recently come to our attention that his temperature is drastically rising, and he now has a fever of 102 degrees. His breathing has become quite shallow and labored, and now that he has begun to regain consciousness, it’s apparent that he is experiencing discomfort in his chest as well.”

  “What does all this mean?” Leslie interrupted, panicked.

  “After listening to Travis’s lungs and seeing the X-ray, it has been determined that he is developing pneumonia. We’ve started him on some very powerful IV antibiotics and put him on oxygen. There’s nothing more we can do at the moment. I’ve very sorry, Ms. Heyward. If you’d like to see him for a few moments, you might actually catch him awake. Although, I must advise you not to get your hopes up at this point. Even if he is conscious, he won’t recognize you or make any sense in the things he might say.”

  Leslie was immediately to her feet, with Darrin close behind. They hadn’t let her see Travis at all, and the waiting was driving her insane. Hurrying to keep up with Dr. Selig, Leslie scarcely paid attention to the brightly decorated children’s ward. Travis was in the intensive care unit of pediatrics, and because of this, his room was located just across from the nurses’ station.

  They stopped outside the sliding glass doors of the room. The clipboard outside read HEYWARD, TRAVIS, along with his date of birth. The doctor perused it momentarily, and before opening the door, he turned to Leslie. “Now, you must understand, it is important that you be prepared for his appearance. Travis is a very sick little boy. The frostbite has left patches of red swollen tissue on his face. The patches resemble burns and may remain in place for several weeks. It just depends on how his recovery goes.”

  “His lips are swollen and chapped, and because of the pneumonia he has a bit of a grayish-blue tint around them. You need to be as calm and relaxed as possible. If he sees you upset, that, in turn, could upset him, especially given the fact that he’s already disoriented from the drugs we’re giving him. We just have no way of knowing what he will or won’t comprehend, but we have to do what we can to encourage him. Can you handle this?” he asked, great compassion evident in his voice.

  At her first look at Travis, Leslie gasped, but immediately tried to compose herself. It was worse than the doctor had described. Darrin squeezed her hand reassuringly. Oh, God, Leslie prayed, let me be strong for Travis. She moved to the bedside and watched him stir. His tiny hands and feet were bandaged and elevated. His face was spotted with ugly red blisters on his nose, cheeks, and chin. Kelly checked Travis’s monitors and his IV and offered Leslie a tiny smile as she left the room.

  Leslie wanted to scoop her brother up and hold him close. Instead she gently took hold of his tiny bandaged hand. Poor Travis, she thought. You shouldn’t have to be like this. I should have helped you more. I just didn’t know how.

  The small boy stirred and opened his swollen eyes. He mumbled words that were incoherent and barely audible.

  “What did you say, baby? Tell sissy again,” she whispered.

  “He’
s been muttering something almost constantly since he began regaining consciousness,” Dr. Selig offered. “I’m sure it’s just gibberish.”

  Just then Kelly popped her head back in the room. “Dr. Selig, Dr. Ward wants to speak to you on the telephone.

  “I’ll be right back,” the doctor told Leslie, leaving her and Darrin alone with the beeping monitors and hum of the oxygen unit.

  The five year old, barely able to hold his eyes open, again mumbled a series of words.

  Leslie leaned down. “Tell Sissy again,” she said softly. Travis seemed to struggle for a moment, as if he were fighting the cloudiness that lay between him and full consciousness. He took a breath, and this time the words came clearer. Leslie straightened up as Travis closed his eyes. She felt her heart swell with hope. “Yes, baby, that’s right. You remember that,” she said, stroking his fine blond hair.

  “What did he say?” Darrin asked.

  She smiled. “When I’m afraid, I will trust in You.”

  Darrin smiled. “That’s in the Psalms, isn’t it?”

  “Yes. I told him that verse not long after Mom and Dad died. I told him to use it when he was afraid. I told him that it’s what helps me get through scary times.”

  “Like now?” Darrin questioned. His blue eyes searched her face intensely.

  She warmed under his scrutiny. “Yes. This would be the perfect example.”

  “And do you?” he asked, looking down at Travis, who had closed his eyes again.

  She followed Darrin’s gaze to her brother’s damaged body. “Especially now,” she whispered. “How could I ever make it through otherwise?”

  ❧

  The days seemed to drag by, and every day Leslie clung to the hope that this would be the day the doctor would announce Travis’s marked improvement. She felt the toll on her body and spirit as one day turned into another and then another, but even more, she saw the price it demanded from her aunt. She felt badly that Margie should have to suffer so much. It seemed that her aunt had aged twenty years in the past week and Leslie longed to offer her comfort, but there was simply nothing left to give.

  Leslie was grateful for Darrin’s nightly appearances. She still didn’t know his last name or where he went during the day, but she knew that every evening at six on the dot, he would appear and sit by her side until it was time to go home. She was coming to count on him more and more, and in some ways it scared her at the same time it comforted her. Why was he being so generous with his time?

  She glanced at her watch and smiled. He’d walk through those doors any minute now. A young couple she’d come to recognize entered the waiting room. They were smiling.

  “Good news?” Leslie asked hopefully.

  “Yes,” the mother sighed. “Danny is making wonderful progress. He may even get to go home in another few days. The doctor was particularly worried about his head injury, but the swelling has gone down.”

  “Thank God,” Leslie said, knowing their concern for the eight year old who’d been critically injured in a car accident.

  “You can say that again,” the father replied. “I never found much need for that kind of mumbo jumbo, but I’m a changed man now. God really proved Himself to me over these last few days.”

  Leslie nodded and smiled at the sight of Darrin in the doorway behind them. “God has a way of appearing to us in the strangest ways.”

  “Well, we’re going to get something to eat,” the woman said, gathering up her things. “See you later.”

  Leslie waved as they maneuvered past Darrin. “Well, you’re right on schedule,” she said, finding his handsome face fixed on her.

  “You timing me?”

  She laughed. “They could hand medication out by your appearance. That’s how timely you are. Every night at exactly six o’clock.”

  Darrin ran a hand through his brown hair. “I can’t say that I knew I was exactly that reliable, but I guess I leave the store at the same time every day and it takes exactly fifty-five minutes to fight through traffic and get here.”

  “Get here from where?” Leslie asked, suddenly feeling relaxed enough to pursue the matter.

  “Kansas City,” Darrin answered. “I own an antique store called Elysium.”

  “How fascinating. I would have never pegged you as the type.”

  “Really? Why not?” Darrin asked, taking the chair beside her.

  “I don’t know. I guess I saw you more as a lawyer or an accountant or something like that.” Leslie shrugged. “Don’t ask me why. I guess you just always seemed kind of uptight. Like you had a lot on your mind.”

  Darrin frowned. His brows knit together in a way that Leslie had come to recognize whenever he contemplated something deeply. “I guess I have had a great deal on mind of late. Sorry.”

  “Don’t be. I’m the queen of preoccupation, myself.” She put down the magazine she’d been trying to concentrate on. “So was it a good day at the shop?”

  “Not really,” Darrin said, sounding like he’d just as soon forget it. “How about here? Any news?”

  “Well, nothing to write home about, but I keep hoping and praying.” She stretched her jean-clad legs out in front of her and sighed.

  “When did you eat last?” he asked, sounding genuinely concerned.

  “Um, “ she stared up at the ceiling. “I had some coffee this morning.”

  “Just what I thought. Come on,” Darrin said, getting to his feet. “We’re going to grab some supper.”

  Just then Dr. Selig came into the waiting room. Leslie felt her breath catch, and without giving thought to what she was doing, she reached for Darrin’s hand and held it tight.

  “I have some good news for you, Leslie.” She’d finally gotten him to drop the formal sounding Ms. Heyward. ‘The fever is down, and Travis appears to be responding to the antibiotics.”

  “Thank God,” Leslie said, exhaling the breath she’d been holding.

  “So what happens now?” Darrin asked.

  “We’ll keep up with the antibiotics and continue to monitor him. I’m not counting him out of the woods just yet, but I’d say we’ve turned a real corner here, and we can look forward to a full recovery.”

  Dr. Selig left just as quickly as he’d come, but Leslie hardly noticed. She’d thrown herself into Darrin’s arms, laughing with joy and thanking God for His goodness. It was only after she’d maintained that position for several minutes that it dawned on her as to what she had done. She could feel his strong arms around her. She could smell the sweet, spicy aftershave he wore. She could hear his heart beating rapidly against the place where she rested her head. Pulling back slowly, Leslie allowed her gaze to meet the questioning expression on Darrin’s face.

  “Leslie?” Margie questioned from the doorway.

  Leslie realized that she still clung to Darrin, and without meaning to appear so startled, she jumped back and swallowed hard. “I. . .we. . .” She laughed nervously, noting the two church friends who accompanied Margie. “The doctor brought good news!” Leslie finally declared. “Travis is showing signs of improvement. His fever is down, and he’s definitely responding to the antibiotics.”

  Margie’s face registered instant relief. “Praise the Lord,” she said. Turning to her friends, she made the introductions. “Sylvia, Clare, this is Leslie’s friend, Darrin.” Then smiling at Darrin, Margie added, “Darrin, these are a couple of my dear friends from church. We’ve been praying together every day for Travis’s recovery.”

  “I’m glad to meet you both,” Darrin said, extending his hand. “I’d say the prayers are hitting the mark.”

  The women smiled, instantly charmed by Darrin’s sincerity and broad grin. Leslie watched the exchange, glad that the attention was off her. She felt a strange embarrassment at having her aunt catch her in the arms of a man she hardly knew, yet she couldn’t help but remember how good it felt to be held.

  “I was just trying to talk Leslie into getting some supper,” Darrin said. “Would you ladies care to join us
?”

  Margie shook her head. “We’ve just come from Buffalo Bob’s, where we ate more than our share. In fact, we’ve a nice doggy bag down in Clare’s car if you two are interested.”

  “Sounds okay by me,” Darrin replied. “You want me to go get it, Leslie?”

  “That would be fine,” Leslie answered.

  Clare gave him the keys to her car, along with explicit directions as to where he could find it. “The front passenger lock is kind of temperamental,” she said as he turned to go, “so use the driver’s side door.”

  “Will do,” Darrin said, offering a mock salute.

  When he’d gone, Margie settled back, a frown drawing lines around her mouth. “I wanted to mention something, but not with Darrin around,” she began.

  Leslie instantly became aware of her serious mood. “What is it?”

  Margie glanced at Clare and Sylvia before continuing. “We’ve been praying about this, but I don’t see any other way than to just come out and say it. We’re running out of money, Leslie. There are mortgage payments to be met on the house and rent on the shop, not to mention the utility bills for both places, and the coffee vendor called and said they won’t make another delivery unless you pay in full.”

  Leslie fell back against her chair in defeat. “I have to admit, the shop has been the last thing on my mind.”

  “It has to be reopened, and soon,” Margie said. “I know you feel the need to stay close to Travis, but. . .”

  “But I need to go back to work,” Leslie said matter-of-factly. She looked at her aunt and saw the weariness in her expression. Margie hadn’t been healthy of late. Worry had sent her blood pressure soaring, and the doctor had put her to complete bed rest at one point. Now, here she was concerning herself over the bills, and suddenly, Leslie felt as though the weight of the world had materialized back on her shoulders.

  “Travis is getting better, so it’s not like you don’t know what’s going to happen,” Margie offered. “I think I can manage a few hours at the shop in the morning, so you could still come up here and be with him first thing every day.”