A Scarlet Cord (39 page)

Before her emotions could bring her full circle to gratitude again, she became aware of the medical personnel working around her.

A husky, bearded man put a hand on her arm. “Ma’am, we’d like to check her out. Make sure we haven’t missed any broken bones or internal injuries.”

She let the man take Jerica from her embrace. The little girl whimpered a little, but Melanie gave her a reassuring smile. “It’s okay, punkin. I’ll be right here.”

“Wait, Mommy. Where did Joel go?” She craned her neck to look around the paramedic’s bulky figure.

“He … it’s okay, Jerica. They … Someone just needed to talk to him. You need to let this man check you out, okay.”

“Tell Joel not to leave, okay?”

Melanie bit her bottom lip. “It’ll be okay, Jerica.”

Matthew helped Melanie to her feet. She leaned against his strong frame, watching as the technicians did an initial check of Jerica. Melanie was vaguely aware that the various law enforcement agencies manning the command center were working hard to keep the media at bay. Melanie heard her name and the shouted questions that followed, and she saw an occasional camera flash, but for the most part the officers’ efforts seemed to be successful. She was thankful. She was in no mood to answer any questions.

The paramedic who had taken Jerica from her arms turned to her now. “It looks like your little girl is fine, Mrs. LaSalle, but we strongly recommend transporting her to a hospital to be checked over by a physician. We probably ought to start an IV on her, too. She was out there for an awful long time without anything to eat or drink.”

Melanie looked to Matthew who was nodding his agreement. “Yes,” she said. “Of course. May I ride with her?”

“Of course.”

The ambulance personnel placed Jerica on a gurney and slid her into the vehicle. Melanie climbed up behind them and took a seat on the narrow bench the technician indicated. Jerica was quiet as he checked her vital signs, and she barely flinched when he inserted a needle to start the IV.

As the ambulance rolled past what was left of the temporary command center, Melanie glanced out the window. She saw Matthew standing by himself to one side, his face still reflecting the grim potential their situation had carried. Small contingents of volunteer searchers waved and smiled as the emergency vehicle headed out of the park.

They neared the exit, and Melanie’s heart lurched as she caught sight of Joel. He was standing beside Sergeant Riordan’s patrol car, deep in conversation with the police officer. With one hand on Jerica’s shoulder, Melanie turned in her seat to peer from the window as the ambulance pulled onto the highway. Joel faded from sight, and she took a shuddering breath. How she longed for a chance to express her gratitude to Joel. Just to speak with him once more. She’d been able to tell him thank you when he came down from the trail, but the words were so very inadequate. There was so much that had been left unsaid between them.

She hoped Matthew would seek Joel out before he left and express their thanks for what he had done today.

As the vehicle sped along the parkway, the drone of the engine settled into a constant purr, and Jerica was lulled to sleep. Now the frightening memories of the last few hours rolled over Melanie in full force. She reached for Jerica’s hand and ran a finger over the inside of her tiny wrist, desperately needing the assurance of the pulse that fluttered there.

From the jump seat at Jerica’s head, the paramedic gave Melanie a reassuring nod. “She’s doing just fine.” He turned his attention to regulating the IV and checking the little girl’s blood pressure again.

Closing her eyes, Melanie leaned her head against the side of the ambulance and shut out everything around her.

Oh, thank you, Father. How can I ever thank you enough for restoring my daughter to me? And thank you, Lord … for using Joel. Now Jerica will always know how much Joel cared for her. Thank you for ending it this way
. Her eyes filled with tears. She pressed her fingers against her eyelids, but the tears seeped out anyway. She’d shed far too many tears over the past hours … and weeks, and months. It was time to let go. Time to relinquish everything. Her daughter. Her future. Her very life.

And Joel
.

I give up, Lord. I’ve been trying to figure out this puzzle for so long. I’ve tried so hard to make the pieces fit the way I want them to fit and I … I can’t do it. I realize now that you never intended me to do it. Forgive me for trying to fix things on my own. Oh, Father, I’ve been searching for so long, trying to find what I lost. Trying to find peace. But I realize now that I’ve been looking in the wrong places. Only you can give me the things I’ve been searching for. And … Father, you’ve been there all along … waiting patiently for me to come to my senses. Forgive me, Lord. Forgive me. I give it all up. I put it all in your hands
.

Her breath came easier, and a sweet peace settled over her like a cool sheet on a warm summer night. She could not renounce her love for Joel Ellington. Having been so newly in his presence, she felt her love more strongly than ever. But now she surrendered her right to have him in her life. Surrendered willingly and gratefully. It was far too heavy a burden to carry by herself.

Thirty-Four

The hospital bed dwarfed Jerica. Melanie smoothed the blankets around her slight form again and watched her daughter’s face closely. The little girl was engrossed in an old Andy Griffith rerun and seemed oblivious to all that had happened in the last twelve hours.

Melanie released a breath of pent-up stress. Movement in the hallway caught her eye, and she looked up to see Matthew standing just outside the door. In his hands he clutched a bouquet of colorful balloons and a plush stuffed animal.

Jerica’s view was blocked by the curtain drawn between her bed and the empty bed nearest the door. Being careful not to bump the IV needle that was taped in place on the back of her small hand, Melanie patted her daughter’s black-and-blue arm. “I’ll be right back, sweetie.”

She went to give Matthew a hug.

“How is she?” her brother whispered.

“She seems to be doing great. She has some pretty good bruises, and she’s tired, but she ate like a little pig at supper. I don’t think they really needed to admit her.”

“Maybe not, but you know you would have worried about her all night if we’d taken her home.”

She nodded. “That’s probably true. I guess it’s good to have her here overnight at least. Come on in. She’s awake. She’ll be thrilled to see you. And she’ll love the balloons. That was so sweet of you,
Matt.” Melanie looked up and read the message on the largest Mylar balloon: Y
OU
A
RE
S
PECIAL
.

Melanie led the way into Jerica’s room, but with a teasing twinkle in his eye, Matt put a finger to his lips and tiptoed to Jerica’s bedside. Hiding behind the curtain, he stuck the balloon bouquet around the barrier where Jerica would see it.

Jerica started, then squealed, “Joel? Daddy!”

Where she stood at the end of Jerica’s bed, Melanie froze. She watched Matthew’s shoulders slump and his smile fade. She pasted a smile on her own face and—trying to ignore Jerica’s comment—drew Matthew quickly into Jerica’s line of vision. “It’s Uncle Matt, Jer. Look what he brought for you!”

Jerica’s countenance fell. “Oh … hi, Uncle Matt.”

Melanie grabbed the stuffed animal from Matt’s hands and thrust it into Jerica’s lap, desperate to turn the child’s thoughts another direction. “Look, sweetie. Uncle Matt brought you a little”—she picked up the toy again and inspected it—“it’s an otter, isn’t it? Or is it a seal? Isn’t he darling?”

Jerica took the plush toy and hugged it to her face with her right hand, but Melanie didn’t miss the slight crane of her daughter’s neck toward the curtain.

Matthew gave Melanie a sidewise glance, and she forced another smile.

“How are you feeling, baby doll?” Matt asked his niece, moving to the end of the bed.

“Good. I wanna go home. Where’s Brock and Jace?”

“Aunt Karly stayed home with them—and baby Parker.” He looked at his watch and winked at her. “It’s past their bedtime. What are you doing up so late anyway?”

“Uncle Matt,” Jerica huffed, throwing him a long-suffering look, “I’m in the hospital. I been sleeping forever.”

Matt laughed and reached out to tweak her toes through the thin hospital blanket.

Jerica yelped, but quickly turned serious. “Do you know when Joel’s coming to see me?” she asked. Her question was pointedly directed at Matt.

Melanie pressed two fingers hard against her temple, suddenly aware that her head was throbbing. Jerica had asked about Joel half a dozen times since they’d admitted her to the hospital. After all Jerica had been through, how would they explain Joel’s absence to her? No, how would
she
explain? It wasn’t fair to drag Matthew into this.

She stepped in to rescue Matt. “Jerica … honey … I’m not sure if we’ll … see Joel again. We are so glad he found you, and I told him thank you … back at the park. I’m sure he knows how happy you are that he found you.”

“I found
him
, Mommy. I found him for
you
.”

“Oh, sweetie. I know you were trying to help, but you need to let Mommy take care of this. I don’t know what’s going to happen, but … this is between Mommy and Joel. Mommy is fine now. I … I don’t want you to worry about it—about me—anymore, okay?”

Jerica shook her head solemnly, her eyes seeming far too old for her innocent face.

“I’d probably better get going,” Matthew said now, obviously uncomfortable with this conversation. He squeezed Jerica’s toes again. “I’ll see you at our house tomorrow, okay, squirt?”

“Okay. Bye.”

“What do you tell Uncle Matt, Jerica?” Melanie reminded in a stage whisper.

“Oh! Thank you for the cool stuff. I like it.”

“You’re very welcome, honey.” Matt started for the door.

“I’ll be right back, Jer,” Melanie told her. “I’m going to walk Uncle Matt to the elevator.”

“Okay.” Jerica nodded, then turned her attention to the remote control. She jabbed at one of the buttons, and Barney Fife’s grating voice crescendoed to fill the room.

“Thanks for coming, Matt,” Melanie said as they walked down the long corridor toward the main elevators.

“Sure. She … looks good.”

“Yes.”

They walked in silence, but at the elevators, Matt turned to Melanie with an expression she couldn’t quite read.

“What is it?”

He hung his head for a long moment, then looked up to meet her gaze. “There’s something I need to tell you, Melanie.”

“What?”

“You have to promise you won’t get upset.”

“What is it, Matt?” The hallway grew uncomfortably warm.

He took a deep breath and let it out slowly. “They took Joel in for questioning today … from the park.”

She wanted to be angry. She wanted to weep and rail. But she couldn’t fight anymore. She had deep regrets. She still had a million questions. But underneath it all, the peace she’d found during the ride in the ambulance buoyed her.

Laying a hand on her brother’s arm, she willed her voice to remain steady. “Thank you for telling me. I … I’m sorry about this morning, Matt. This whole thing”—she inclined her head toward the hallway that led to Jerica’s room—“was my fault. I … I know I just need to let it go. But Matt … would you let me know what happens?”

He stroked a hand down her arm. “I will, Mel.”

“I don’t know what I’m going to tell Jerica,” she said. “She keeps asking about him. I don’t know what’s going to happen to Joel, but I’d like … to talk to him.”

“Let’s wait and see what develops, okay?”

She nodded. “I won’t do anything stupid,” she said, sensing that he needed the reassurance.

He nodded with a slight smile. “I know, Mel. I trust you.” The bell sounded, and the elevator slid silently open. “See you in the morning.”

She stood alone in front of the doors for several minutes after they closed. Then she went back down the corridor to face her daughter’s questions.

Matthew Mason leaned over the rocking chair to kiss his wife, then stroked the soft down on his newborn son’s head. “You need anything?” he asked.

Karly shifted the baby on her lap and reached for Matt’s hand. “I’m fine. You look exhausted.”

He sighed. “Yes, I guess I am.” He lifted her hand to his mouth and kissed her knuckles one by one. In the soft light from the nursery lamp, Karly looked lovely. “I’m glad this day is over.”

“Me, too. Do you think this will finally put some closure on things for Melanie?”

He thought for a minute, then sighed. “She seemed to be taking things well at the hospital tonight. I’m more worried about Jerica now. Mel said she keeps asking about Joel.”

“Maybe Melanie should talk to him, Matt … and Jerica, too.”

“I thought about that. You don’t think it would just stir things up more?”

“I think they need to say good-bye to Joel. Both of them. Especially if there’s a chance that he’ll end up in jail.”

He let go of her hand and rubbed his face. Maybe Karly was right. He hadn’t been able to get any information from the Bergen County authorities yet, but he’d left a message on Tim Bradford’s answering machine.