“She’s in the hospital,” Annie says. “But she’s not doing good.”
“Oh my God.” I look up at Alain, who looks panicked.
“What has happened?” he asks.
I cover the receiver with my hand and say, “My grandmother had a stroke. She’s in the hospital.”
Alain puts a hand over his mouth as I turn my attention back to my daughter. “Honey, are you okay?” I ask. “Who’s with you?”
“Mr. Keyes,” she mumbles.
“Gavin?” I ask, confused. “But where’s your dad?”
“Still at work,” she says. “I—I tried to call him. But his assistant said he was in the middle of an important case. She said he’d call me when court was in recess.”
I close my eyes and try to breathe. “I’m so sorry I’m not there with you, honey. I’m coming home as soon as I can. I promise.”
“I tried calling you at your hotel,” Annie says in a small voice. “Where were you?”
I look up at Alain, who has tears in his eyes.
“I have a lot to tell you, Annie,” I say. “I’ll tell you as soon as I get home, okay?”
“Okay,” she says in a small voice.
“Can I talk to Gavin for a minute?”
She doesn’t answer, but I hear a rustling as she passes the phone to him. “Hello?” he says a moment later, and it’s not until I hear his voice that I release a breath I didn’t realize I’d been holding.
“Gavin, what happened?” I ask right away. I know I should begin by thanking him for once again coming to my rescue, but all I can think about is Mamie, and how Annie is coping.
“Hope, your grandmother had a stroke, but they’ve stabilized her,” he says, and his voice is all business, but there’s a gentleness there that soothes me. “She hasn’t regained consciousness, but they’re monitoring her. It’s too soon to tell how much damage there’s been.”
“How . . . what . . . ?” My voice trails off, because I don’t know what I’m trying to ask. I look up at Alain helplessly again. He’s sunk into a chair opposite me and is watching with watery eyes. His gnarled hand is still over his mouth. “How did you know?” I finally ask.
“Annie called,” Gavin explains quickly. “She was at her father’s house. I guess your grandmother’s assisted living place still had your old home number as one of the emergency contacts, so a nurse called there, and Annie answered. She couldn’t reach anyone to take her to the hospital, so she called me.”
“I’m sorry,” I mumble. “I mean, thank you.”
“Hope, don’t be silly,” Gavin says. “I was happy to help Annie out. I’m glad she called. I was just down the street, actually, finishing up a repair job at Joan Namvar’s cottage, so I was able to come get her right away.”
I close my eyes. “Thank you, Gavin. I don’t even know how to thank you enough.”
“It’s fine,” he says dismissively.
“Is she okay?” I ask. “Annie?”
“She’s okay,” he says. “Shaken up, but okay. Don’t worry; I’ll stay with her until your ex gets out of work.”
“Thank you,” I whisper. “I’ll make it up to you, Gavin.”
“Don’t worry,” he repeats.
I take a deep breath. “I’ll be on the next available flight.” I’m not good at accepting favors from people, and I know that the guilt from this one will weigh on me for a long time.
“Hope, are you okay?” Gavin asks.
I blink a few times. No one ever asks me that. “Yeah,” I say, but it’s a lie. “Can I talk to Annie again?”
“Sure,” Gavin says. “Hang in there. See you soon.”
I hear a rustling again, and then Annie’s on the line. “Mom?” she asks.
“Listen, I’m sorry about your dad,” I say. “I’m going to call him right now and make sure that—”
“I’m fine, Mom,” Annie interrupts. “Mr. Keyes is with me.”
I sigh and pinch the bridge of my nose. “I’ll be there as soon as I can, sweetheart,” I say.
“I know,” Annie says.
“I love you, honey.”
There’s a pause. “I know,” Annie says again. But then she adds, “I love you too.”
It’s only then that I begin to cry.