Lottery (11 page)

Baileigh’s face lit up. “Can I pick them out?”

“Sure.” He lifted her up and set his daughter on the floor. “Go on upstairs and pick out something beautiful to wear to the hospital, okay?”

He watched her scamper out of the kitchen and then heard her going up the stairs. Justin stood, walked to the kitchen sink, and looked down at the breakfast dishes. He would never ask
Jenee what she did during the day again. If there weren’t dishes to do, there was laundry. When he wasn’t picking up toys, he was bathing Baileigh, or mopping the floor. On top of everything else, he had to fix three meals a day, plus make sure Baileigh was at her dance lessons on time.

Justin hadn’t had much sleep since Jenee had told him about the operation. He felt helpless that he couldn’t do something to change the situation. Even though his wife had only been in the hospital for couple of days, he missed her laugh, and the way her eyes lit up whenever he walked in the back door after a long day at work.

He thought about his friend Randy who’d lost his own wife to breast cancer a little over a year ago. Justin pinched the corners of his eyes with his thumb and forefinger. Randy’s wife had only been twenty-seven.
Twenty-seven
. Four years older than Jenee. Justin remembered how full of life Randy’s wife was, but four months after she was diagnosed, Randy and their two young children had buried a wife and mother. How the hell did anyone get through losing a spouse?

He put his hands down on either side of the sink and gazed out the window. His mind floated through a flurry of memories—the first time he’d held Jenee’s hand; their first kiss; the moment Justin had first laid eyes on their daughter. A chill went down his spine when he suddenly realized that if Jenee hadn’t gone to the doctor when she had, he would only a few short years of memories of their life together.

He bowed his head. “Thank you, God,” he whispered, his eyes clouding with tears. “Thank you for not taking my wife from me.”

He couldn’t protect his wife from cancer or a life-threatening disease. Justin could only try and make her happy for as long he or Jenee lived.

Jenee rested her back against the slightly elevated hospital bed. Even though her body ached, the pain didn’t ravage her as it had when she first came out of the anesthesia. She felt sad and empty, as if there was a dark cloud looming above her. But the nurse had told her it wasn’t unusual to be depressed after a major operation.

She relaxed her head back into the pillow and turned toward the window. It was raining. The weather matched how she felt inside; cloudy with precipitation in the form of the tears that she shed privately.

Justin didn’t need to see her cry. She could tell by how quiet he was that he was upset. Oh, they’d had their knockdown, drag-out spats, disagreeing about everything from spending money to how to raise Baileigh. She remembered the time she’d screamed at him for leaving his dishes in the sink. Justin had stormed out the door, the tires on his truck squealing when he peeled out of the driveway. Jenee had paced all night, wondering if her husband was with someone else—someone who would appreciate him more than she did. But when he came home the next morning and apologized, and then told her he’d stayed in a motel alone, Jenee had never felt so relieved.

Justin was the one steady, constant person in her life she could count on. He’d been the one who comforted Jenee when her father died, who’d held her hand and rubbed her back when she was in labor with Baileigh, and brought her flowers for no reason.

“You doing okay?” Jenee looked up and saw a young nurse with round hazel eyes and a warm smile marching toward her. “I’m Katie and I’ll be your nurse today,” she added as she smoothed out the bed sheets.

“I could use a pain pill when you have time,” Jenee said

“You have a nice husband.” Katie nodded at the large bouquet of flowers Justin had brought into the room yesterday. “He’s so concerned about you.”

Jenee smiled. “He’s a keeper.”

“Need anything else?

“You have anything I can read? Just to take my mind off of myself?”

“When you’re the patient, you’re allowed to think about yourself.” Katie said. “I can bring in some magazines.”

Jenee winced when she tried to sit up. “That would be great. I don’t think my husband and daughter are coming until after lunch, and I’m not crazy about watching television shows that are about to reveal who the father of a child is.”

Katie laughed. “I’m with you on that one. I’ll be right back with a pill and some magazines.” She stopped at the door and turned around. “You know what? I just finished a book that is so good I couldn’t put it down. It’s called
The Breeders
. It’s a sequel. I’m just starting the second in the series called
The Believers
. Would you like to read the one I just finished?”

“I’d like that.”

Katie nodded. “Coming right up.”

Jenee scrunched down in the bed. Her mom had come in earlier and brought chocolate glazed donuts, which were Jenee’s favorite. But she hadn’t been able to eat much because of the nausea. After the pain pill started to work, she’d order some chicken noodle soup.

“Here ya go.” Katie waltzed back into the room. She placed the book and magazines on the bedside table and put her hand over the book. “Wait until you get to the part where … oh, sheesh, I don’t want to give away too much.” She giggled and handed Jenee a small cup with a pain pill inside. Katie picked up Jenee’s water glass from the bed tray and handed it to her.

“Thanks.” Jenee washed the medicine down with water.

“Call me if you need anything.” The nurse tucked her shoulder-length hair behind her ears.

Jenee decided to start the book after Justin left this afternoon and picked up the
Good Housekeeping
magazine. She spotted a recipe for a pot roast she thought Justin might like and wanted to remember to write it down before she left.

When her eyes started to grow heavy, Jenee closed the magazine and picked up the next one on the stack. She actually subscribed to
Parent’s
magazine as it gave her creative ideas of things to do with Baileigh, but hadn’t had time to read the latest issue.

She thumbed through the pages until she reached the advertisement section. The words ADOPTION AGENCIES caught her eye, especially one ad in particular.

SEARCHING FOR THE RIGHT COUPLE TO ADOPT A CHILD FROM CHINA. ALL EXPENSES PAID INCLUDING ADOPTION FEES.

What? This didn’t sound right. Someone was willing to pay all the fees to adopt a child from China?

She read on. If interested, fill out the form at
www.adoptachild.net
. Was this a hoax? Maybe someone was trying to get names, like for an insurance agency or a multi-level marketing venture.

The pill had already started to take the edge off. She rummaged through the top drawer in the bedside table and found a pen and note pad. After she wrote down the information from the ad and the website address, she tore off the sheet and put it beside her water glass. Jenee folded the top of the page that the ad was on and closed the magazine.

“
There’s no such thing as a free anything
.” She heard her father’s words. He’d been gone a little more than a year and Jenee still missed him.

No longer able to keep her eyes open, Jenee drew in a breath and relaxed into the pillow. It wasn’t long before she was in a deep sleep and dreamt the same dream she’d had for weeks.

A dense fog filled the room. She noticed a child. The toddler’s back to her, the only thing she could see was thick, dark hair. When she heard children laughing, Jenee looked around.

Where was she? She turned in slow motion, trying to see through the thick haze. She noticed a few people holding children—babies were sitting in high chairs—teenagers were chatting around a long rectangular table.

Someone took her hand and she looked up and saw Justin.

“Mrs. Rager?” She heard, but couldn’t find the person who said it. “Have you made up your mind?”

Her eyes popped open. Her heart beating rapidly, she noticed the sheet underneath her was wet with perspiration. Panicked, Jenee glanced around the room, forgetting where she was.

“Mommy!”

She looked up and saw Baileigh running toward her, carrying a bouquet of daisies in her arms.

“Are these for me?” Jenee asked groggily, trying to bring herself out of the dream and back into reality.

“Uh, huh. They’re pretty like you.” Unlike her usual outgoing personality, Baileigh seemed timid today. It had to be overwhelming for a three-year-old to see her mommy in a hospital bed. Hospitals were scary for adults, let alone for children. Whenever Baileigh saw a nurse and a doctor, she either get a shot or had her ears checked.

Jenee patted the mattress beside her. “Wanna come up here and sit with me?”

Baileigh turned around and looked at Justin. “Can I, Daddy?”

“Sure.” He lifted her up and placed her beside Jenee.

“Your tummy better now, Mommy?” Baileigh asked sweetly.

Jenee wrapped an arm around her and brought her close. “Good as new.”

Justin pulled a chair up next to Jenee’s bed. “Doc said you can come home tomorrow.”

Jenee let out a sigh. “I’m ready.”

“I made a bed on the couch so you won’t have to take the stairs.” He leaned forward, resting his hands on his knees.

She shook her head. “Nope. Can’t get rid of me. I’m sleeping with you, big guy.”

“Then I’ll sleep in the living room. No stairs or lifting for six weeks,” he said adamantly.

“I miss you guys.” Jenee grimaced when she leaned in closer to Baileigh. She looked at Justin. “I turned the page on an ad in
Parent’s
magazine that I want you to look at. It’s in the back.” She nodded at the magazines on the table.

Justin picked it up and flipped through the pages.

“It’s in the middle of the right hand page.”

Justin studied the page for a few seconds. “The free adoption ad?” Frowning, he closed the magazine and put it back on the table.

“Won’t hurt to check it out.”

He scratched his head. “First of all, it’s a little early to be talking about this, don’t you think?”

She raised an eyebrow. “And second of all?”

“Second of all, just like your dad used to say, there’s no such thing as anything being free.” Justin nodded at Baileigh, signaling they shouldn’t talk about this in front of their daughter. “I just don’t want you to get your hopes up.”

“My protector.”

“Always.”

Jenee’s mind went back to the dream.
Mrs. Rager, have you made up your mind?

itting in the cushy first-class seats of a Boeing 777, Caleb held up his glass and nodded at the flight attendant. “I’ll take a refill, thank you.” The attractive female filled his glass with champagne and then glanced at Ling.

Ling waved a hand. “Oh, no, thanks. I’m fine.” She buckled her seatbelt. “I can’t believe we’re on our way to China. You have no idea how many times I’ve dreamed about this.”

Wearing a silk turquoise blouse that complemented her creamy complexion, ‘perfect’ wasn’t a strong enough word to describe his wife.

Caleb leaned back in his seat. The more he tried to forget about McKenzie Price, the more he envisioned his hands squeezing her neck … harder … harder … her eyes bulging … her mouth …
no
… God damn it, that wasn’t him. It was Weber who’d killed her. He drew in a deep breath, trying to calm himself.