“Rachel,” Joanna said quietly. “You are a wonderful young lady. I’m very proud of you. You and Roy have always been true friends to my son. Please watch out for him after I’m gone. Remind him to have fun.”
“I will,” Rachel promised. She smiled down at Joanna McCoy, glad to see her visibly relax as she looked up at her. “Sam’s not here but I have something for him. Will you give it to him for me?”
Joanna nodded and watched as Rachel shrugged the denim backpack off her shoulders, unzipped it, and pulled a box wrapped in shiny blue paper. She handed it to Sam’s mother and watched as she folded back the satin sheets, placed it beside her on the bed, and covered it carefully so that no part of it could be seen. Rachel looked at her in confusion.
“I’ll surprise him with it when he comes home. I have some other things to give him, too,” Joanna promised, almost talking to herself. “But there’s something I want you to have.”
Rachel looked down at her in surprise. “I don’t want anything, Mrs. McCoy,” she said quickly. “I just want you to get better.”
“Well, that’s just not going to happen,” Joanna McCoy stated strongly. “There’s no use pretending that it will. When I’m gone I don’t want you to leave school to come back for my funeral. Edwin will be sure to make it a tasteless social opportunity for the rich and famous. I don’t want you to be anywhere near it. I want you to say a prayer for me, remember me with fondness, and love my son.”
Rachel looked at her with tears in her eyes. Joanna’s own crystal blue eyes were bright with tears that threatened to spill forward. Joanna had no idea how easy it was for Rachel to promise to love Sam. She made a conscious effort to steady her breathing and take control of the pounding of her heart.
“Rachel, you are the daughter that I never had. I know you care about my son even though you try to hide it. You will love him and take care of him. You will show him that a marriage could be more than social opportunity and a means of control. You will give him a home, not a house, that is filled with laughter, love and, God willing, children.”
Rachel leaned forward to hug Sam’s mother. “I would love to promise that, Mrs. McCoy,” she whispered against her neck. “But Sam doesn’t think of me in that way. I’m just Roy’s cousin who is a pest and has hung around with them both for years.”
“Give it time,” Joanna whispered, kissing her cheek lightly. “He’ll realize someday just what a jewel you are.”
Rachel sat up and wiped the tears from her eyes. She looked down at Joanna McCoy and watched as the woman reached up to unfasten the long gold chain from around her neck. It was a chain that she had always worn.
“I want you to have this,” Joanna told her. She unclasped it with some difficulty then pulled the chain from her body, shaking with the effort. Rachel saw that at the bottom of the beautiful gold chain hung a single, ice blue stone. “My father gave this to me when I turned sixteen years old. He said it matched my eyes.” She took a tired breath and closed her eyes briefly, smiling to herself at the happy memory. “He also told me that it held his love and all the luck that he wished for me.”
Rachel watched as Joanna slowly opened her eyes, clasped the chain closed, and reached up to loop it over Rachel’s head. She took the pendant and dropped it into the neck of Rachel’s shirt. When it was safely tucked inside, she held Rachel’s hand in hers.
“Now it’s yours. And it holds my love for you and all the luck I wish for you. This is between you and me. I don’t want Edwin to know that you have it. It’s my blessing to give to you and no one else has a right to take it away.” She held Rachel’s hand tightly then released her grip as exhaustion overcame her. “I’ll tell Sam that I gave it to you.”
“Mrs. McCoy, I don’t know what to say,” Rachel began.
“Don’t say anything,” Joanna stopped her. “Someday my son will see what’s been in front of him since he was eleven years old. Don’t give up on him, Rachel. He needs your support and your love. His father doesn’t have it in him to provide that for him. I thought he did at one time, but I was wrong.” She smiled up at Rachel but the sadness in her eyes was evident.
“I’d better let you get some rest,” Rachel told her with concern. “I’ll come by again tomorrow.” She began to stand up when Joanna McCoy reached out to grab her hand with surprising strength.
“Rachel, wait,” she pleaded quietly.
Rachel sat down slowly and waited patiently while Mrs. McCoy struggled to regain her breath. “Take your time, Mrs. McCoy,” she told her quietly, placing her hand over the older woman’s as it gripped hers tightly. “I won’t leave until you’re ready.”
Joanna nodded, closing her eyes tiredly. When she opened them again, her eyes were clear and they looked directly into Rachel’s eyes.
“Rachel, I’ve been sick for a very long time,” she began quietly. “I have no doubt in my mind that there is only one way that this will end.” She gripped Rachel’s hand tightly. “I know that my husband is looking forward to my death. It will be much easier to run his company without me being the majority shareholder. I’ve made sure that all of my shares will be put in Sam’s name. He won’t have to be a part of the business if he doesn’t want to be, but he will be able to profit from it.”
“I’m sure Sam will do whatever you want him to do, Mrs. McCoy,” Rachel said quietly.
“I want Sam to stay as far away from Edwin and his business as possible,” Joanna said firmly. “He needs to go back and finish school. He needs to do what will make him happy.”
“You should probably tell him that,” Rachel suggested. “If I know Sam, he’ll try to look out for your interests and not go back to school.”
“I think so, too,” Joanna said quietly. “But you can’t let that happen, honey. With me gone, there will be no one to watch out for Sam. Please make sure that Sam gets away from his father’s control. Tell Sam he mustn’t get caught up in Edwin’s life. He has to be strong for me. He can’t let his sadness paralyze him. He has to finish school. He has to achieve his dreams. You must help him. Tell Roy and Kay Monroe that I need them to look out for my boy. Jarod will always be there for him, too. Please, Rachel. Help Sam. Tell him not to give up his dreams.”
Rachel nodded, her eyes filling with tears as she looked down at the frail woman. “I’ll tell him, I promise.” She waited for Joanna’s nod and was glad to see her smile and lean back into the softness of the bed, relaxing visibly.
“Thank you.”
Rachel smiled then leaned forward to kiss her cheek lightly. “I love you,” she whispered to the woman who had been so kind and loving to her.
“I love you, Rachel,” Joanna McCoy whispered against Rachel’s cheek. “Remember what I told you. Don’t give up on my son. You keep on loving him.”
“I will,” Rachel promised, standing and retrieving her crutches. She watched as Joanna McCoy sunk tiredly into her pillow and closed her eyes. She had a smile on her face, and she finally looked peaceful and happy.
Rachel made her way out of the room and slowly walked through the house. Jarod met her at the main door and smiled at her.
“Good luck in college, Miss Rachel,” he told her formally.
Rachel reached out and hugged him, kissing his cheek lightly before letting him go. “You take care, Jarod,” she told him through her tears. She couldn’t resist. She had to hug him good-bye. Reaching up, she wrapped her right arm around Jarod’s waist and hugged him tightly. She felt the return of her hug and smiled at Jarod’s honest affection. She loved him dearly.
Jarod cleared his throat awkwardly as Rachel released him then smiled down at her. “You, too, Miss Rachel,” he told her, bowing slightly and holding the door open for her departure.
Rachel made her way to her car, tossed her crutches into the back seat of the old heap that had seen better days, and carefully eased herself inside it. After she was settled behind the steering wheel, she took one last look at the McCoy estate. Although it was a beautiful house, it was cold and offsetting. Jarod, Joanna McCoy, and Sam didn’t really belong in that house. But it did match Edwin McCoy perfectly. She started the car and carefully eased it down the long driveway entrance of the estate toward the main road. As she drove the twenty minutes home, she thought about Joanna McCoy. What a wonderful woman she was. How kind she was. How loving. And how sad.
* * * *
Sam drove up the long driveway to his father’s home two hours later. The sun was already setting and the Colorado sky had turned shades of lavender and pink. He knew his mother would love the sunset. He parked his car and carefully eased himself out of it, reaching in to retrieve the small bouquet of pink and red carnations that he knew was his mother’s favorite flower. He tucked them into the safety of his sling, shut the car door, and made his way to the entrance of the house.
Jarod opened the door to greet him before he even reached it. The look on his face showed the fatigue that the older man was feeling.
“Jarod, please get some rest,” he told him gently. “I’ll be with my mother for the rest of the evening.”
Jarod nodded, pleased that Joanna’s son was home. “Miss Rachel visited with Miss Joanna this afternoon, Master Samuel,” he told him quietly.
Sam stopped walking toward his mother’s room and faced Jarod smiling. “I’m glad,” he said finally.
“Good night, sir,” Jarod told him, bowing formally.
“Good night, Jarod,” Sam said quietly. “Thank you for everything.”
Jarod’s nod of his head was almost undetectable but Sam saw it. He watched as the man who had given him fatherly guidance and love throughout his life walked away slowly and headed toward his room. Sam was concerned that Jarod’s steps seemed to be slower these days.
Sadly, Sam turned to walk toward his mother’s bedroom. He opened the door slowly in case she was resting. Stepping inside quietly, he carefully closed the door behind him. As he made his way toward her bed he saw that she was awake and looking out the windows that graced the wall to the left of her bed.
“What a beautiful sky,” she barely whispered, almost to herself.
“I knew you would like it,” he told her as he sat down beside her on the bed. “These are for you.” He took the small bouquet of carnations and placed them in the filled water glass that sat on the bedside table.
Joanna turned to look at the flowers and then returned her gaze to her son. How kind and caring he was. He had always been that way. Despite him being only twenty-five years old, he was more mature than most men she knew. Her face radiated with love as she gazed up at him. She smiled and reached out to touch his hand gently.
“Thank you, honey,” she told him, her voice a little stronger from her recent nap. “You always knew that I liked carnations better than roses.”
“How’re you feeling, Mom?” he asked her, running the pad of his thumb across her knuckles as he held her hand gently.
“A little tired,” she admitted. “But I had such a nice day. I had a business meeting early this morning. Jarod had lunch with me and stayed with me until Rachel came to visit this afternoon. Now you’re here and the sky is beautiful. What more can I ask for?”
As she smiled up at him, Sam felt a squeeze around his heart. “Mom,” he began hesitantly.
“Don’t worry, Sam,” she stopped him. “You and I both know how we feel about each other. We will never regret not having said something to each other. I am so proud of you, and I love you more than life itself. You always knew that. Always remember it.”
Sam looked at her and smiled. She was right. Nothing had to be said.
“I love you, Mom,” he said finally.
She smiled and squeezed his hand. He saw her reach under her sheets and pull out a wrapped box with effort. He reached out to help her and she let go of it thankfully as his strength took the burden of the weight of the package.
“This is for you from Rachel,” she told him. “Open it. I want to be nosy.”
She smiled up at him as he tore the paper off the box. Inside it was an envelope attached to another wrapped box. He opened the envelope and read the note quickly. He smiled and looked at his mother.
“Dear Sam, I’m giving this action figure to you so you’ll never forget to do what you’re meant to do. Stay strong and go for your dreams. Love, Rachel.” His voice was clear and strong as he read the note to his mother. He put the note aside then lifted the package, smiling with excitement at the unexpected gift.
He opened the package and grinned as he looked down at the action figure. He felt a rush of emotion and his grip tightened on the item as he looked through the clear plastic cover to the character encased within. He got a little choked up when he realized who it was. When he looked up at his mother, he could see that she was confused.
“It’s an action figure from
Star Trek
,” he explained, smiling. “The character’s name is Dr. McCoy.”
Joanna smiled and touched his hand gently. “You listen to her, honey. She’s a smart girl.” She squeezed Sam’s hand and closed her eyes for a moment. She was so incredibly tired.
“Mom, are you okay?” he asked her quietly.
She nodded but didn’t open her eyes. She needed to rest for a minute. Sam sat patiently beside her, holding her hand and allowing her to take as much time as she needed to rest. She fell asleep briefly, and he realized with alarm how quickly her strength was waning. He watched her silently for a moment then stood with as little noise as possible. He was about to leave when she awoke with a start.