The words were a sucker punch Wade didn’t see coming. He stood abruptly, then sat down, then stood again and began pacing from one side end of the table to the other.
“
Oh, my God. I didn’t know. I swear I didn’t know.”
Justin gut knotted. The words were an echo of his only days earlier. “Believe me, I understand.”
Wade moved down the table from one son to the next, touching a shoulder then a head - reading the varying expressions of shock on their faces. When he got to Suzy she reached for his hand and he grasped it like a drowning man reaching for a rope.
Justin got up, took the envelope from the sideboard and dumped all of the pictures he’d brought with him onto the table.
“
Her name is Callie. She’s fourteen years old and the light of my life. She’s too weak from the disease to withstand the months of dialysis ahead of her as she waits to move up on the transplant list. She needs a kidney, and soon, or she will die.”
Wade sat back down, staring in disbelief at the little blond girl who had his eyes. He went from photo to photo, lingering on the ones with Deborah and the child, but it was the photo Justin had on his phone, the one with Callie holding the bear, surrounded by her angels that signed the deal.
“
I used to drink. I hope I’m still healthy enough to do this, but I’ll gladly be tested,” Wade said.
Justin shuddered. The relief was so great he couldn’t speak.
Hank was staring at the picture of Callie in her soccer gear.
“
I’m way healthier than Dad. I’ll do it.”
“
I’ll test, too,” Ben said.
Paul and Tommy looked at each other, then at their dad. “We will, too,” they echoed.
Tears were running down Suzy’s face. “And I volunteer to hold down the fort until you all get back.”
“
There are no words to express what I’m feeling,” Justin said. “Grateful doesn’t cover it.”
“
Does she know about you?” Wade asked.
“
Not yet. It was hard enough telling her that her beloved Nana was dead, let alone how it had happened. She cried for hours then woke up more concerned about her new sister, the daughter I didn’t know I had. Her name is Poppy, and right now she pretty much hates my guts. In her eyes, I walked out on her mother, and got her father killed, even though she knows I helped the cops get to the truth. Callie is afraid her new sister hates both of us and she’s probably right.”
“
Are you going to tell Callie about us?”
“
Yes. Like you said, secrets destroy. There have been too many secrets in my life already. We need to start from a clean slate.”
Hank punched Ben. “We’re finally going to get that little sister we always wanted.”
Paul and Tommy looked a little more anxious. “Is she going to live with us?”
“
Of course, not,” Wade said. “Mr. Caulfield is still her father. I missed that right by not being the one who raised her. That’s what being a father is about. But maybe we can be extended family, if she likes us, and Mr. Caulfield doesn’t mind.”
Justin sighed. “I suspect she’s going to adore all of you, and I will gladly share her with the world to save her life.”
A look passed between Wade and Justin, and then the man extended his hand.
Justin took it.
“
You don’t know how much I have dreaded this meeting,” he said. “I was afraid you’d resent a resurrection of the past. Afraid you’d be the kind of man who’d ultimately use her for the family money she will one day inherit. But I can honestly say, from one father to another, it’s been a pleasure to meet you.”
“
Same here,” Wade said. “Tell us where to go to get tested and we’ll be there tomorrow.”
“
Thank you, thank you so much, and for the record, Deborah’s parents were fools,” Justin said.
Wade shrugged. “No. I was the one in the wrong. I was married. I had no right to do what I did, but sometimes the heart wants what the heart should not have.”
Justin took a pen from his pocket and began writing info on the envelope. “I’ll call Callie’s doctor on the way home and tell him to expect you at Saint Anne’s tomorrow. This is his name and the name and address of the hospital. I’m also going to give him your contact info. His office can tell you exactly where to go. As soon as you’ve finished, I’ll find you and walk you to Callie’s room.”
Wade shook his head. “Oh my God.”
Hank frowned. “What’s wrong, Dad. Are you sorry? Are you changing your mind?”
Wade grinned. “Hell no, son. I’m just a little nervous. With you four, I had nine months to get used to the idea that you were coming. Less than twenty-four hours is pretty daunting.”
“
It’ll be okay,” Justin said. “I’ll make sure this doesn’t scare her. She’ll need to understand that nothing will change between us, and that your family will be an addition, not a change in residence.”
After another hour of trading information, Justin headed back to Caulfield, leaving not only pictures, but a piece of his heart behind. This was terrifying, bringing people into his world who Callie might come to love more than him. But it was a price gladly paid knowing she now had a chance to grow up and grow old.
Chapter Twenty-Three
Justin drove home on a high. He called Don Langley, Callie’s doctor, and gave him the news about locating new family members. There was no need going into details. When Langley got the results back and saw the matching markers in the DNA, he’d figure it out on his own.
By the time he reached Caulfield, he was exhausted. More than six hours on the road, and the second most stressful day of his life had wiped him out. He wanted to go home, but didn’t know if he could face being there.
He pulled in to a gas station on the outskirts of the city, refueled, then pulled away from the pump before he stopped to use the phone. His housekeeper answered on the second ring.
“
Lillian, this is Justin.”
“
Oh, Mr. Caulfield, it’s good to hear your voice. I don’t know what to say except that I’m so sorry.”
“
I know, Lillian. I am, too. Has the library been cleaned?”
“
Yes sir, the restoration company left just after three this afternoon. Are you coming home now?”
“
Yes, Lillian. I believe I am.”
“
I’ll make dinner.”
“
Something light. I’m just so very tired.”
“
Yes sir. I’m sorry.”
He hung up, then folded his arms across the steering wheel and rested his head. The last few days had been about restitution and today was another step in that direction. He had guilt – so much guilt. There’s been a time when he felt pride in being a Caulfield. Now it was a name he was going to have to learn to live down. The last thing still weighing on his mind was telling Callie.
“
God help me,” he prayed, then started the car and drove away.
****
Edison Funeral Home wasn’t the only funeral home in the city, but for whatever reason, tonight it was a hotbed of business. It had never occurred to Poppy how many people might die in any given week in Caulfield, but in a city of more than 50,000 people and with the surrounding countryside in the same need, she supposed it could be a good number.
John was outside talking to his boss in Atlanta. She knew he was antsy about getting back before he lost his job. At least now that they were able to bury their dad, there would be nothing left to cause another delay.
She wasn’t looking forward to living alone, but she had it better than most girls her age. Thanks to her family, she had a home free and clear and a job to go back to.
She looked up as the door opened, only to see another group of grieving family members enter. She quickly looked away. Even though she didn’t know them, within these walls they were all part of a very sad club.
The door opened again. This time it was John. From the expression on his face, he seemed satisfied. He crossed the foyer and slid onto the sofa beside her.
“
Do they have Dad ready yet?”
She shook her head.
He gave her knee a quick pat. “We picked out casket at noon when we dropped off the clothes. Epperson told us to come back around five, but we’ve been here more than three hours. It can’t be much longer.”
She leaned over and whispered in his ear. “There are a lot of people here tonight. It’s so sad. I never thought about how many people lose loved ones every day. Maybe we should come back tomorrow.”
“
We can if you want to. Oh, hey, here comes Truman now.”
Normally Truman Epperson was calm and collected, but not tonight, and it showed. His hair was a little messy and his tie was slightly askew. They’d kept bringing in bodies all afternoon and then another one just an hour ago. At the present, there were five bodies on the premises and he’d had a startling moment of his own back in the mortuary when he realized Jessup Sadler’s body was under a sheet on one work table and Amelia Caulfield and Oral Newton were on tables nearby.
The irony that God had dealt his own brand of justice in this case was blatantly apparent, but he hadn’t bothered to mention it to anyone else. When he entered the foyer, he approached John and Poppy with his usual grace.
“
John. Poppy. I’m so sorry for the delay. As you can see it’s been a difficult night for several families. Please follow me. Unfortunately, dear Poppy, you know the routine. If there’s anything about your father that you want changed, you have only to ask.”
John had already seen his dad, but this would be her first time.
“
You okay, Poppy?”
She was tight-lipped and pale, but her gaze was steady.
“
I’m not okay, but I’m ready.”
They followed Truman into the viewing room. He shut the door behind them and led the way to the casket.
“
This is a fine casket,” Truman said. “I like the inlay of wood here, don’t you? It’s a nice, masculine touch.” He brushed a non-existent speck from the lapel of Jessup’s sport coat then straightened the collar on his shirt. “I’ll give you a few minutes before I come back,” he said, then quietly left the room.
Poppy stared down into the casket, afraid she would see the trauma her father had suffered, but to her relief, he appeared to be sleeping.
She felt empty. She wanted him to wake up and tell her he still loved her no matter what, but it wasn’t going to happen. She would have to live the rest of her life without hearing him say it was okay that she wasn’t his. She needed to cry, but the tears wouldn’t come, which added another layer of sadness to what was left of her world. She gripped the edges of the casket then couldn’t bring herself to touch him.
“
Daddy, it’s me, Poppy. We know what happened. We know everything. I’m so sorry. You’ll always be my daddy, no matter what anybody says.”
John eyes were burning and there was a pain in his chest the size of his fist. His dad had been such a vital part of his life that he couldn’t imagine it without him. But it was Poppy that had him worried. He kept watching her, afraid that she would freak.
After a few moments of silence, John put his arm around her shoulder.
“
I know this sound weird, but I’m actually relieved. This is a far better image to have in my head than the one from the morgue.”
Poppy felt numb. “Are you okay with how he looks?”
He nodded. “He has his wedding band and I had Truman put the pictures from his wallet into his jacket pocket. I figured if he carried them all that time when he was alive, that he’d want to take them with him.”
“
Are they there?” Poppy asked.
John slid a finger inside the pocket and felt the edges of the photos.
“
Yeah, they’re there.”
“
I don’t want anything changed.”
“
Neither do I,” John said. “So do you want to stay or-“
“
No. I’m just so tired. I want to go home.”
“
Then home it is.” He paused to lay a hand on Jessup’s chest. “Be seein’ you, Dad.”
When they walked out Truman was waiting. “Do you approve?”
“
Yes, he looks good, and that’s a relief,” John said.
Truman was pleased. “I understand. Should any of your friends ask, he is ready for viewing. I’ll see you day after tomorrow at the church.”
They walked away, silently grateful to be leaving a place of such despair.
****
Poppy got the bathroom first and finished her bath, then went into her bedroom and dug some flannel pajamas out of storage. The wind had come up about an hour ago, making the house harder to hold heat. The days were already getting chilly and the nights were downright cold. The furnace was churning out heat to the rooms, giving the house a warm, cozy feel.
Pastor Harvard had asked her about her daddy’s eulogy and what songs they wanted sung at the service, but she was drawing a blank. She couldn’t quit thinking about the funeral home. Jessup had been alone in the morgue, and now he was alone in that viewing room. Maybe they should have stayed.
She was still struggling with her decision to come home when the phone suddenly rang. She glanced up at the clock. It was a little after 9:00 p.m. It rang again and she thought about letting it go to voice mail, but whoever it was, she’d eventually have to return the call so she picked up.