Here With Me (17 page)

Chapter Twenty-Two

“I was so worried, Mom,” Mallory said, clutching her mother’s hand. “I’m glad you’re okay.”

It was late and everyone else had gone home.  It was the first chance Mallory had alone with her mom since she opened her eyes. 

“Me too, honey,” her mother said slowly.  Although Dr. Shaver said there wouldn’t be any severe long term damage from the stroke, she still had a long road ahead of her.  As with many stroke victims, one side of her body seemed to be affected the most, and it was more sluggish than her other half.  The left side of her face was slightly droopy and her words came out long and slow.  Mallory knew that with rehabilitation and hard work, she might be able to make a full recovery and this would only be temporary.  She prayed soon her mother would return to the fiery, feisty Claire Leyton she’d always been.

“I was so scared,” Mallory said, kissing the back of her mother’s hand.

“I’m sorry I scared you.”

“Don’t apologize for anything, Mom.  I’m just glad you’re okay.”

“I’m hardly okay,” her mother said, trying to laugh.

“Well, you’re on your way to being okay, but you will be.  It’s going to take some time, but I’ll be here every step of the way and you’re going to be as good as new before we know it.”

“I hope I don’t have to wear this neck brace for too long.  The damn thing’s annoying.”

Mallory just
laughed, grateful her mother’s sense of humor seemed to be intact.

“We got really lucky with your neck.  It could’ve been so much worse.”

“I must’ve had a guardian angel with me,” her mother said with a lopsided grin.

“That angel definitely wasn’t me,” Mallory said softly as her eyes grew warm again. 

“What’s wrong, Mal?”

Mallory sighed and looked down at her mother.

“I just want you to know how sorry I am.”

“What do you have to be sorry for?  You didn’t push me down the stairs, did you?  I hardly remember anything,” her mother laughed.

“No.  I didn’t push you down the stairs,” Mallory smiled in return.

“Then why do you look so glum?”

“Because I wasn’t there to help you like I should’ve been.”

“Don’t be ridiculous!  You know I hate the way you hover over me. Even if you had been there, I’m sure I would’ve shooed you away and I’d have fallen down the stairs anyway.”

“Still, I’m sorry for just taking off like that.  I didn’t even tell anyone where I was going.”

“I’m sorry,
but I’m not following you.  Like I said, my recent memory isn’t at its best.”

“You don’t remember when I left Friday night?”

“No, I don’t.”

Mallory sighed again, wondering if she should tell her mom.  She was certain Paige would fill her in, so she might as well be the one to refresh her memory.

“Ryan and I went away for the weekend.  I didn’t tell anyone where I was going or when I’d be back. I just left and I forgot my phone.  I had no idea what had happened to you till we got home on Sunday.  It was wrong and it was irresponsible.”

“Don’t be so hard on yourself.  You can’t be with me all the time and I don’t want you to.  I don’t need a babysitter.”

“Well, it doesn’t matter now anyway because I’ve taken care of the situation.”

“What do you
mean, you’ve taken care of the situation?”

“I broke up with Ryan.  I need to focus on my responsibilities here and he was too much of a distraction.”

“So you and that Ryan guy, you’re done?” her mother asked and Mallory couldn’t tell if she was smiling or not.             

“We are.  He went back to work the other day and I’m sure he’ll be leaving Kennebunkport soon now that summer’s winding down.  It just made sense to end it now.”

Her mother was quiet for a few moments and Mallory could tell she was thinking.

“I think i
t was the smart thing to do,” her mother agreed, which only made the pit in her stomach deeper.  Part of her had hoped she would tell Mallory she was being ridiculous, but she knew there was no way her mom would say that.  She wanted Ryan out of the picture to make room for Cole.

“Yeah, I know,” Mallory agreed half-heartedly.  Even though she’d told herself it was what needed to be done, she’d yet to convince herself complet
ely.

“You might not think it was the right thing to do now, but I really think in the long run you’ll
see you made the right choice.”

Mallory just nodded.  She didn’t want to talk about it anymore, but she had to be gentle with her mom.

“Enough about that.  It’s all good now and we can focus on you.  That’s what matters.”

“I love you, Mallory Jane,” her mom said squeezing her hand.

“I love you, too, Mom.”

   
“Thank you for helping me get Mom settled,” Mallory said to Cole as they walked towards the car.  It’d been a week since she woke up from the stroke.  They’d spent the day getting her mother situated at the rehabilitation center she’d be staying at until the doctors thought she was well enough to go home. 

“No need to thank me,” Cole said, openin
g the door to his car before driving back to her house.

“You were my savior in there.  I really can’t take one more snarky remark or glare from Paige.”

“Just ignore her.  Hopefully she’ll be gone soon and then life will return to normal.”

“That
day can’t come soon enough.  But seriously, Cole, you have really done way more than you needed to.”

“I wish you’d stop saying that.  I told you I came back to Kennebunkport for the summer to spend some time with you.  Granted, this is not the way I wanted to spend that time, but I’m still grateful for the chance I have to help you and your family.” He reached over and squeezed her hand before returning it to the steering wheel. 

“Well, we’re very grateful.  I’m very grateful.  I forgot how much I miss hanging out with you.”

“I never forgot.” Cole took his eyes off the road briefly to look at her and smile.

He pulled into her driveway a moment later.  When they walked inside, they could hear Paige moving around upstairs.  While Paige had been slightly less hostile towards Mallory once they realized their mother would be okay, Mallory knew her sister still blamed her for the whole situation.

Mallory and Cole walked into the kitchen to grab some iced tea and when they walked back into the living room, Paige was there, holding her suitcase.

“Going somewhere?” Cole asked.  He’d been just as icy towards Paige as Paige had been to Mallory all week.

“Actually, yes,” Paige said curtly, looking between the two of them. “I need to get back to Justin and the kids and my job.”

“So, you’re just heading back to Connecticut then, leaving Mallory to take care of everything as usual,” Cole chided.

“Cole,” Mallory said, placing her hand on his arm to stop him.

“I don’t know what business this is of yours, Cole, but I have a life.  A life in Connecticut that I have to get back to.”

“When will you be coming back?” Mallory asked.

“I’ll try to come back in a couple of weeks.  I know the kids want to see their grandma.”

“They all of a sudden want to see Mom?  Until Mom’s accident, you hadn’t been home in a year.”

“Don’t judge me, Mallory.”

“You’ve been judging me since you got here,” Mallory returned.

“I was trying to knock some since into you.  Thank God I did and you got rid of that Ryan guy,” Paige said with a huff.

“Alright, Paige.
  I’ll take care of everything here.  I’ll see you when you come back…whenever that is,” Mallory said, ignoring the Ryan comment. 

“Goodbye, Mallory.  Cole,” she said with a nod and then walked out to the car.  She didn’t say anything until she saw Paige pull out of the driveway.

“I can’t say I’m sorry to see her go,” Mallory said, sitting on the couch and kicking her feet up on the coffee table.

“Same here.
  Paige is even more of a bitch than I remember.”

“I should be offended. She is my sister after all, but I’m not. 
Ya know, when she first got here, she hurt me with everything she said to me.  The way she blamed me for everything, but the longer she was here, I realized I’m glad she’s not here to help.”

“I couldn’t agree with you more.  Your mom is lucky to have a daughter like you.”

“Thanks, Cole,” she said, smiling over at him.

The doorbell rang just then and both of them turned to the front door.  Mallory got up to open it.  Part of her prayed it was Ryan and the other part of her feared it was Ryan.  If she saw him, she knew she wouldn’t be able to say goodbye again.  She was relieved to see Kenna standing there when she opened it. 

“How are you doing, Mal?” Kenna said barging in, wrapping her arms around her. “I’m so sorry I couldn’t get here sooner.” Kenna had been in New York working with an artist she’d met at her art show.  They’d talked a little on the phone, but it was the first she’d seen of her friend since her mother’s accident.

“I’m fine, Kenna,” Mallory said as she pulled away.

“How’s your mom doing?”

“She’s doing okay.  We moved her into the rehab center today.”

“How long will she be there?”

“We’re not sure. 
A few weeks, maybe a month.  It all depends.”

“I am so relieved.  It killed me not to be here.”

“Don’t worry about it.  You needed to focus on your art, which I’m so glad you did.  Plus, I had Cole to help out, so I was fine.”

Kenna’s
head whipped to the couch, where she saw Cole.

“I thought that was your car out there,” Kenna said and Cole nodded. “So you’ve been with Mallory this whole time?” Cole nodded again and Kenna turned back to Mallory. “What about Ryan.  Where’s he?”

Mallory sighed.  During their limited conversations, she hadn’t mentioned the fact that Ryan and her had broken up.

“Ryan and I aren’t together anymore.”

“What?” Kenna exclaimed, sitting down on the chair. “When the hell did this happen?”

“Let’s talk about this later,” Mallory said
.

“No way!  We’re talking about this now!”

Mallory turned to Cole and as if on cue, he stood up and began walking towards the door.

“I’ll leave you two to catch up.  Mal, I’ll see you tomorrow.  Let me know if you need anything,” he said, leaning down and hugging her.

“I will.  Thanks again for everything.”

Kenna waited for Cole to shut the door and the inquisition began.

“Now, you sit down and tell me what happened.”

Mallory did as she was told and returned to the couch.

“First of all, Kenna, calm down.”

“I’m perfectly calm.  I just want to know what the hell happened.  I know I’ve been out of the loop, but I think this kind of news deserved a phone call or something. I am your best friend, after all!”

“So much has
happened these past couple of weeks and to be honest, I didn’t really want to talk about it.”

“Alright.
  I can understand that, but I’m here now and I wanna know what happened.  I thought things were going good between you two.”

“It was.  It was amazing.  We actually went away together the weekend of my mom’s accident.”

“A romantic getaway? Yet another noteworthy tidbit you kept from me. Do tell.”  Kenna leaned forward wanting the scoop.

“We went to Newport and stayed at this absolutely amazing
inn.”

“An amazing inn
?  Did something amazing happen at this amazing inn?” Kenna grinned and the blush that spread across Mallory’s face gave her away. “Mallory Jane Leyton, you hussie!”

“Kenna,” Mallory said, glaring at her friend.

“Oh, lighten up.  I think that’s fabulous.  Was it good?” she pried.

“I am not going there with you!” Mallory laughed. “But it was,” she said with a quiet grin
, really allowing her mind to drift to thoughts of Ryan for the first time since she broke up with him.

“So why the hell did you break up with him then?” Kenna exclaimed.

“It’s complicated.  You wouldn’t get it.”             

“Try me.”

She paused for a moment and then relented.

“After Newport, we went up to New Hampshire and ate at this great pancake house and then went hiking at Franconia Notch.  It was wonderful, until we got home and my sister was here.”

“Seriously?  Paige, the bitch, was here?”

“Yes.  Imagine my surprise when I get home to find my sister here, ready to rip me a new one.  I’d forgotten my phone so she hadn’t been able to get a hold of me.  And yes, I understand her being upset over that, but she just laid into me about how Mom falling down the stairs was my fault.  After a while, I realized she was right.  I’d been so wrapped up and distracted by Ryan that I hadn’t been here to help my mom.
  I didn’t even have the decency to tell anyone I was gone.  I tell myself it was because I was too wrapped up in the excitement of going away with Ryan, but deep down I know I was just trying to stick it to everyone.”

“And that’s why you broke up with him?” Kenna asked flatly, her face deflating into disbelief. 

“It’s more than that.  Everyone was right.  This thing between me and Ryan could never have lasted past the summer.  I was too involved and nothing could come of it.  I was so into him that I forgot about everything else.”

“But that’s the beauty of being young and in love and stupid.  You get wrapped up and forget everything else.  That’s the way it’s supposed to be.”

“Maybe for everyone else, but not for me.  It was because I was off with him that my mom got hurt so badly.”

“You’re freaking kidding me, right?”

“No, I’m not.”

“That is the lamest thing I’ve heard.  Like seriously, ever.”

“Kenna…”

“Don’t Kenna me.  You are being absolutely ridiculous.  I can’t believe you let your bitch sister get into your head like that.  She doesn’t give two shits about your mom and she has the nerve to chastise you for one little weekend away?”

“I should’ve been here.  My mom counts on me.”

“That may be, but you’re entitled to a life.  There’s nothing wrong with you going away for a couple of days.  It doesn’t matter that you were off with Ryan.  It still would’ve happened.  Nothing you could do could have stopped it and I can’t believe you broke up with Ryan over this.  I’m seriously dumbfounded.”

“Like I said, you don’t get it.”

“I do get it.  You’re playing the martyr instead of standing up for yourself.  It’s not your
freakin’ fault, Mallory and I can’t believe you’d give up on a great guy because of what happened.  Ya know, I was doubtful of Ryan and Nate at first.  And I was right about Nate.  He’s a loser, but I like Ryan.  He’s good for you.  You’re different around him and it’s a good different.”

“It’s hard to understand, but deep down I know it’s the right thing to do, even if it’s hard right now.  My mom even said it was the smart thing to do.”

“Of course she’s gonna say that!  She wants you with Cole.  She’s gotta be ecstatic to have Ryan out of the picture, as is Cole, I’m sure.  I take it he’s been awfully attentive in Ryan’s absence.”

“It’s not like that, Kenna.  Cole is one of my best friends.  He’s been nothing but supportive.”

“Oh, I’m sure he has been.  The poor broken hearted damsel in distress, the attentive ex-boyfriend…it’s straight out of a bad romance.  He’s just waiting for the right moment of vulnerability to make his move.”

Mallory burst out laughing.

“Now
you’re
being ridiculous.  I don’t question Cole’s motives at all.  He knows where we stand.”

“Yeah, right,” Kenna said doubtfully. “He’s never given up on you.  I knew I should’ve come back the second I heard about this.  Maybe I could’ve talked some sense into you and stopped you from making one of the biggest mistakes of your life.”

“The biggest mistake of my life would’ve been to keep on pretending that Ryan and I even had a chance for a future.  Once the summer is over, he’ll be gone and we’d have been done anyway.”

“Who says?  Are you a fortune teller now?  You can tell the future?”

“Don’t be dumb.”

“I’m just saying you need to take a chance for once in your life.”

“Seriously, Kenna, I’m sorry you don’t agree with my decision, but it’s my life and I’m perfectly content with what I’ve decided to do.”

“Keep telling yourself that.”

Mallory sighed.  She couldn’t keep listening to Kenna.  Up until now, everyone had agreed with her decision.  Kenna was the first voice of opposition she was encountering and it was hard to hear her words. 

“I don’t want to fight with you, Kenna.  I hear what you’re saying, but would you please try and respect my decision.  I’m already having a hard enough time with it.  I miss him and hearing you
say all this stuff is making it really hard not to call him and beg him to take me back.”

Kenna walked over and jo
ined Mallory on the couch, hugging her friend tightly.

“Maybe you should listen to your gut.  If you want to call him, call him.”

“Please, Kenna.  I’m asking you to drop it.  Please.”

Kenna held her friend’s gaze for a moment, but then blinked and nodded.

“I just want you to be happy, Mal.”

“I know you do, and I appreciate everything you said, but please, just let me deal with this the way I want to.”

“Whatever you say, my friend.”