Second Chance Pass (Virgin River #5)(84)

“Hmm,” John said. “You might’ve given us the couple of minutes we needed to save her life.”

Jack called Brie to tell her Mel was out of surgery, then he stood at the recovery-room doors without moving for another two hours until he was allowed in. A unit of blood dangled above her, but her skin was still pasty white, her eyes dark and sunken, her lips so dry they appeared cracked. She looked so tiny, it was scary. He bent over her, slipping an arm under her shoulders, lifting her a bit. He pressed his lips against her forehead and her eyes opened weakly. “Jack,” she whispered.

“Aw, Mel, you scared me just terrible,” he said.

“There won’t be any more babies, Jack,” she said.

“We have all we need. Two perfect, healthy kids.”

“I know you were going to try to sneak one more by me…”

“I wasn’t going to,” he said. “I promised you time to enjoy your kids. I have more with you and them than I ever thought I’d have.”

“Well,” she said, a weak laugh escaping her. “As long as you’re within reach, I’m destined to never have a period.”

This was so like her, to joke around with him when she’d nearly died. “Close your eyes and rest, Mel. I’ll stay with you. I won’t leave you.”

“I want to be with my children,” she whispered, her eyes closing.

“Pretty soon, Mel. Shh. Pretty soon I’ll take you home.”

He held her like that, stooped over her bed rail, for another hour. The nurse tried to urge him away to check her bleeding, but he wasn’t inclined to go. John came up to the three of them and said to the nurse, “I got it.” He pulled the curtains around the bed. “They don’t understand about you,” John said to Jack. “I guess if you can deliver your own children, you’re all checked out on peri-pads.”

“All checked out,” Jack said, dropping another kiss on her brow. “You going to stay all day?” he asked John.

“I haven’t figured out how I’m getting back to Grace Valley yet. Plus, I want to run in another unit of blood. I’ll stick around for that at least.”

“You aren’t hanging around because she’s in any danger, are you?”

“Nope. I’m hanging around to keep you from being thrown out.” He lifted the sheet and as he gently pulled apart her legs, she roused briefly. “Good,” John said. “Looking much better.”

“Better,” Jack told Mel.

“You should think about getting back to your kids,” John suggested. “Once I figure out the transportation, I can take you.”

“Not until she’s fully conscious and knows why I’m not here. Preacher would come for me. We’ll work that out,” Jack said.

“I’m going to turn her over to Larson, and he’s going to keep her a few days,” John said.

“You have to get her a breast pump. You know how she is about nursing. And Emma’s the last one—you know how she is.”

“She’ll get a pump, don’t worry.”

Another hour passed, Mel rousing from time to time, Jack holding her all the while. John came in again and said, “We’re going to take her to her room now, and there’s someone out in the hall to see you. Meet us upstairs—306.”

“Okay,” Jack said, gently lowering Mel’s shoulders to the bed. “I’ll be with you in a minute, baby. You’re going to your room now.”

When Jack walked through the swinging doors there stood Doc, leaning heavily on his cane, looking both frazzled and exhausted, as if he’d aged years in a few hours. Doc had driven all the way over that mountain pass to get here. It would’ve taken hours. Jack stepped up to him and put out a hand. “It was close,” he said.

Doc shook his head. “Thank God. We can’t do without her now.”

“No,” Jack said. “We can’t.”

“When can I see her?”

“Come with me, Doc. We’ll go up to her room.”

“John says she’s going to be all right now,” Doc said.

“Yup. We have her back. No more babies, though.”

“How do you think she’s going to feel about that?”

Jack was remembering how pissy she’d been when she found out she was pregnant with Emma. Then how, later, she’d said, I sure love carrying around a little piece of you. “She’s going to be fine. We have each other. We have David and Emma, two more than we thought we’d get. Did Brie call you?”

“Uh-huh. The whole town is standing by.” When they got to her room, Mel was slightly elevated in the bed, taking a sip of water through a straw. Doc seemed to be limping a little more than usual as he entered the room. He went straight to her and did something he’d never done before. He leaned over the bed and kissed her on the forehead. “You’re a lot of trouble, Melinda. I knew from the start you would be.”

“I keep you young,” she said tiredly.

“You do, at that. But I think you’re wearing Jack down.”

Taking care of the Sheridans was a family and community affair. Brie and Mel’s sister Joey took care of the babies so Jack could go to the hospital; Paige and Preacher made sure there was food ready for every evening meal. At the end of the day, Mike came to the house to be with his wife and wait for Jack to come home with his daily report. Jack got up very early to make that long drive over the mountains to Redding, stayed all day and came back to Virgin River late, after dark.