Hannah's List (Blossom Street #7)(80)

place," Leanne cried, lashing out in her pain.

Muriel sobbed. "I...I agree."

The silence stretched between them. Leanne was afraid

to close her eyes for fear of the appalling images that would

come to life.

"I felt you'd want to know," Muriel said again. "Thank you."

They disconnected, but for a long time Leanne held on

to her cell. She struggled to assimilate this terrible news.

Ever since her divorce, her family and friends had insisted

she should get on with her life. Her counselor, too, had

advised her to focus on the future.

Leanne had done that, or tried to. She'd gotten involved

in the Kids with Cancer program and had organized the

volunteers for the picnic. She'd gone out with friends,

joined a reading group, taken a class on new cancer therapies. She'd dated Michael Everett. Nothing had worked.

Nothing had eased the ache in her heart. She loved Mark.

She'd never stopped loving him. She realized it the Sunday

she'd driven to Yakima; she knew it when she heard he'd

taken a job in Afghanistan.

Now it might be too late to tell him she still cared, still

needed him. She'd followed everyone's advice, did her best

to move on, and to a certain extent she had.

As soon as she returned to the hospital, she went to see

her supervisor.

Janet glanced up from her desk and frowned. "Leanne,

what's wrong?"

"I need a leave of absence as soon as possible," Leanne

said, unable to keep the tremor out of her voice. "What's wrong?" Janet asked again, sounding alarmed. Leanne told her about Muriel's call.

"What will you do? Where will you go?"

Leanne didn't have an answer. "I don't know yet...but

I'm too upset to be any good to anyone here. I need to be where I can get information about Mark, no matter what

it is."

"Where would that be?"

Janet forced her to think logically. "With his parents in

Spokane." She took a deep breath. "They shouldn't be alone." "Then that's where you need to go."

Leanne nodded, grateful that her friend understood. "Go home," Janet said. "Now."

"But my patients--"

Janet removed her glasses and set them aside. "I'll take

over for the rest of the day and I'll arrange your leave. Like

you said, you're too emotional to work right now. I'll call

you once I've talked to HR."

"Thank you," Leanne whispered. Janet had helped her

figure out what to do. Sometime in the next few days,

she'd leave to be with Mark's family. They'd support one

another through this.

Janet stood and hugged her. "Do you have any idea

how long you'll be away?"

"No..."

"I'll be praying for you and Mark and your family." "Thank you."

Leanne didn't remember the drive home or dragging her

suitcase out of the spare-room closet. She'd just finished

packing when she got a call from Janet telling her that the

leave of absence had been arranged.

"Keep us updated," Janet said.

"I will and thank you so much."

Ten minutes later, she let the building super know she'd be away. Then she carried her suitcase outside and thrust

it in the trunk of her car.

Not until she was in the driver's seat did she think to

call her former in-laws to explain her intentions. Shuffling through her purse, she searched for her cell

phone. It wasn't in the side pocket where she normally kept

it. When she finally located it in the bottom of her purse,

she heaved a sigh of relief. Her fear was that, traumatized

as she was, she'd left it at the bus stop.

Holding it gratefully with both hands, she pressed the

button that would redial the number of the last call

received. Brian Lancaster answered on the first ring. "Hello?" He sounded anxious, no doubt worried that

this was the call he'd been dreading.

"It's Leanne."

Brian took an audible breath. "Muriel phoned you?" "Yes." She didn't elaborate. "I'm driving to Spokane.

Can I stay with you and Muriel until...until..." She left

the rest unsaid and held her own breath; she felt as if her

lungs might explode.

"Should you be driving?" he asked. Brian was the practical one in the family. Levelheaded, competent, rational,

and Leanne admired him. Mark was a lot like his father. She released her breath. "Probably not, but I'm coming, anyway."

"Will anything I say stop you?"

"No."

Brian's voice cracked. "I think we all need to be prepared

for the worst. Come. Stay as long as you like. Muriel needs you and, frankly, I don't think I can help her get over the

death of our son...."

Brian had always been strong, the dock everyone had

tied their boats to in the crazy storm that had struck their