The Strawberry Hearts Diner(51)

“You have to go to church on Sunday, promise to never drive the truck for two idiot boys who are bein’ crazy, and—” Vicky stopped midsentence when Ryder nodded toward the newcomer in the doorway. She stood up and filled her lungs with air. Her hands broke out in sweat, and her pulse slowed to a snail’s pace.

“Went fine,” the doctor said. “She’s a real strong woman, and I don’t see any reason why she can’t go home tomorrow. If you can keep her tied down for a few days, it would be great. Maybe let her do a little at the diner for an hour or two starting Monday. And now the other good news. There wasn’t an actual heart attack, but what we call heralding pains. The next pain might have been a big one, so we got it in time. The pacemaker should fix things. Just make sure she follows the directions that we’ll send home with her, which includes calling in once a month.”

“Yes!” Shane said so loud that they all jumped.

“Any questions?” the doctor asked.

“When can we see her?” Emily stood up.

“Half an hour or so. A volunteer will come and get you to go into the recovery room to see her. She should be in her own room in an hour,” the doctor said. “She’s going to be fine. Just be sure she follows up with regular visits to her cardiologist. If you think of anything else, feel free to ask the nurse. I’ll be around later this evening to check on her.”

“Thank you,” Vicky said and sank back down into her chair. Shane and Ryder both had their phones out and were texting so fast their thumbs were blurs. No doubt they’d tell Woody and Leonard and a couple of the ladies at the church, and the news would spread like wildfire.

“See, Mama, I told you she was a tough old bird.” Emily’s voice cracked.

“Prayers answered,” Jancy whispered.

“Amen,” Ryder said as he put his phone away.

“W-Woody says he’ll spread the news. I’m going to the cafeteria and getting all of us coffee and doughnuts,” Shane said. “Jancy, w-will you go w-with m-me and help carry?”

“Glad to,” she answered.



Jancy had never prayed so hard or worried so much as she had in the past hour. She’d spent precious few hours of her life in a hospital waiting room. Her grandmother died at home, her mother simply dropped right in the kitchen while she was making dinner, and she hadn’t been there when the cancer finally claimed the last hours of her father’s life. Not her choice but his after that last fight they’d had over him moving again.

“Roots,” Shane said as they headed down the hallway toward the cafeteria.

“What?” she asked.

“Wh-what you said back there about prayers answered. If you didn’t care, you wouldn’t pray for Nettie. That’s the first sign of roots, Jancy.”

“Maybe so.” She smiled. “But I’ve seen huge trees dug up by the roots and transplanted.”

“Yep, but those trees never ate one of Nettie’s strawberry tarts, did they?” He slung an arm loosely around her shoulders. “I like the w-way we fit together, Jancy. I always felt like a big dummy around other girls. You m-make me feel like I’m special.”

“Shane, you are very, very special, and just for the record, I’ve never felt like a dandelion in a bed of pretty pansies when I’m with you. You make me feel like . . .” She hesitated, looking for the right word.

He stopped in the hallway. “I know, darlin’. I know. The feelin’ is m-mutual. Like I said, roots.”

He bought four cups of coffee and half a dozen frosted doughnuts with sprinkles, and they made the trip back to the waiting room. Vicky took a cup of coffee, though she shook her head at the doughnut.

“Did you have supper?” Emily asked.

“I had an apple and two cupcakes. I promise I’ll get a burger or something later,” she said. “Got a text from Andy, and he said he’d wait to eat if I wanted to get out of the room for a little while.”

“A date?” Emily took a doughnut from the bag and bit into it. “Sprinkles. I love you, Shane.”

“I’m a lovable guy.” He grinned.

“And he knows how much you like sprinkles,” Ryder said.

How could Vicky not see the electricity between them? Jancy wondered. Must be worrying over Nettie that put the veil over her eyes, or else she didn’t want to admit what was right in front of her.

A sweet little lady with slightly purple hair that kinked all over her head left the volunteer desk and asked if they were Henrietta Fields’s family. “If you’d like to follow me, I’ll take you to her, but only two at a time. The rest of you can wait in her room. Same one she was in before.”

Vicky stood up quickly, and Emily followed her.

“No food or drinks,” the lady said.

Vicky trashed her coffee cup, and Emily handed hers off to Ryder after she’d stuffed the last of the doughnut into her mouth. They disappeared out into the hallway.

“We’ve got a few minutes. Might as well finish our doughnuts here. Nettie might not be able to have food for a little while, and we wouldn’t want to have to fight her for them,” Ryder said.

“Henrietta?” Jancy frowned.

“You better not ever call her that. She hates it. I think it’s got something to do with her ex-husband. He m-might have called her by her real name when he was angry,” Shane said.