Halfway to Christmas Read online

  “I’m not starving myself, if that’s what you think.” Abby stared down at the floor.

  Melissa ground her teeth together.

  “That’s good to hear,” Nyah said. “Is this the first you’ve felt like this, minus the fainting, or has it happened before?” She glanced at Melissa, who shook her head.

  As far as she knew, this was the first.

  “It’s been going on for a month or so now, but…”

  “A month?” Melissa rubbed the back of her neck. “You’ve been feeling like this for that long and haven’t said anything?”

  “Can you describe how you’ve been feeling?” Nyah’s voice was very calm, the complete opposite to everything Melissa felt at the moment.

  Her daughter was sick. She must be. Yet she’d said nothing…nothing…to her about it.

  To make matters worse, she’d never even realized.

  Abby breathed in deeply and squared her shoulders. She reminded Melissa so much of her father right then.

  “I get shaky sometimes and it’s like I’m in a…brain fog. Sometimes my eyes…wiggle. Does that make sense? It feels like they won’t focus on anything, as if they’re in hyperdrive or something,” Abby explained.

  Melissa watched Nyah make notes and she wondered what she was writing.

  “Do you notice if these symptoms disappear when you’ve eaten or do they happen close to a meal?”

  Abby shook her head. “No, it’s more like if I skip a meal or wait too long. I try to snack. Dad said that it was healthy to snack during the day on veggies and stuff, so I try but…” She looked to Melissa. “I swear I’m eating. I swear.”

  “I believe you. I watched you eat half the cake you made the other night when you thought I was reading,” she teased lightly.

  “Cake.” Nyah sighed. “Do you know how long it’s been since I’ve had a decent cake that wasn’t flat or full of eggshells? Baking has never been one of my talents.” Nyah gave Abby a big smile and Melissa found herself slightly thankful that Nyah didn’t seem to be blowing this out of proportion.

  “Here’s what we’re going to do. Are you ready?” Nyah waited till Abby nodded. “I’d like to do some bloodwork and a sugar glucose test. As well, for the next week, I’d like you to keep a food journal. Basically, list what you eat and how you feel throughout the day. For instance,” Nyah sat down in the empty chair off to the side, “write down your breakfast and then note if you get a headache or feel tired, or your hands shake a little. Note the time and if you can, how long it lasts for.”

  “What will that do?” Melissa asked.

  “A few things. We’ll be able to see if maybe she’s reacting to something she’s eating, as well as take note if it’s her sugar levels, which I suspect it might be. Your body can only handle so many skipped meals before it starts trying to protect itself and if it’s a drop in sugar levels, what her body is doing is crashing. It’s called hypoglycemia.”

  Melissa swallowed hard.

  “Is that like diabetes?” Abby asked, the horror in her voice loud and clear.

  Nyah shook her head. “Almost the opposite. It means your body doesn’t have enough sugar to use as fuel. The solution is to eat. Crackers and cheese, fruit, nuts, a protein shake, smoothie…that kind of thing.”

  While Nyah filled out a form, Melissa wrote a note on her phone to look into hypoglycemia and find out what it was all about. This was the first she’d ever heard of it.

  She took the form for the bloodwork and sugar test from Nyah and helped Abby off the exam bed.

  “In the meantime, you need to be eating, every three to four hours, okay? And I don’t mean filling up on cookies tonight at the festival either.” Nyah winked. “If the dizziness and shaking doesn’t go away even after eating, come back in, but let’s try this first.” Nyah patted Abby’s back as they went to leave the room.

  Melissa turned. “So she’s fine, right?” she asked. “Or should I take her up to the hospital to have one of the ER doctors look at her?”

  Nyah glanced at her watch. “Considering I’m headed there in an hour, you’d be wasting your time. But if you want a second opinion, I can mention it to Dr. Jordan if you want. I’ll see if he can fit her in before his shift ends tomorrow.”

  Melissa looked Nyah in the eyes. “It’s not that I don’t trust you—it’s just…”

  “You’re protecting your daughter. I get it.” Nyah nodded. “Why don’t you take her in for her bloodwork tomorrow? She’ll need to fast and she’ll be at the hospital for a few hours since they need to monitor her through a few tests. I’ll have Dr. Jordan look over her results and if I’m off-base, then I can hand you off to him. You can trust him. He’s good.”

  The words Nyah didn’t say rang loud and clear. Melissa’s distrust hadn’t gone unnoticed.

  * * *

  Melissa decided to wait until Wade was home to tell him about their daughter’s fainting spell.

  Probably not the wisest decision on her part.

  “You okay, Abs?” His massive arms were wrapped around Abby and he kissed the top of her head. “Why haven’t you said anything?”

  From the glares he’d continued to throw Melissa’s way, she knew he was upset.

  “I’m okay, Dad.”

  Melissa felt helpless as she stood there and watched her daughter take comfort in her father’s arms.

  “Does the school have my number too? I’d like to be called if something like this happens again.” His lips thinned in an angry line.

  “Probably not, but we can get you on there,” Melissa said quietly. Just one of the many ways she needed to make Wade a part of Abby’s life officially.

  “Mom didn’t want to bother you. Honestly, I’m okay.” Abby stepped back, breaking his hold, and stood between them, as if a referee.

  “I can take you to the hospital tomorrow.” Wade looked Melissa in the eye as if to make sure she heard him.

  This…this wasn’t easy. The joint parenting after having to do it alone for so long was…an adjustment to say the least. It wasn’t as if she didn’t want to, as if she didn’t appreciate her husband stepping up and wanting to be a real partner in all of this…but it was hard to let go.

  “You can’t miss work,” she reminded him.

  “The Tree Festival starts tonight.”

  As if she needed to be reminded. She groaned.

  “Correct me if I’m wrong but it’s going to be a madhouse for you tomorrow with reprints and the newspaper and everything else,” he pointed out.

  He was right. It was. Which meant there was no way she could take hours away from the shop.

  “We can wait till next week,” Abby suggested.

  Both Melissa and Wade shook their head. “Not happening, love,” Wade said. “I don’t like hearing you haven’t been feeling well and not telling us. We’ll get this figured out. Besides, Nyah said she thinks it’s something simple like sugar levels, right? There were a few guys in prison who had that. Working in the kitchen meant I took care of their meal trays and made sure they came in for snacks.”

  “So you’ll take me then, Dad?” Abby munched on some crackers and cheese Abby had prepared after they came home.

  “No doubt we’ll run into my boss tonight. I’ll make up the time if I need to, don’t you worry.”

  “Whoa,” Melissa jumped in. “I’m not sure if we should go tonight. Maybe Abby should take it easy for the night. We can watch movies or something instead.” As much as she would hate to miss the opening night of the festival, there was no way she was going if Abby wasn’t feeling up to par.

  “I’m fine, Mom. Promise. Please, can we go? Please? This is Dad’s first one in a long time. Our first one as a family,” Abby begged.

  “Your mom’s right, kiddo. If you’re not feeling well, it’s not worth it. We can go tomorrow or the next day. You’re more important.”

  Melissa mouthed, Thank you.

  “What will it take for you to trust that I’m okay?” Abby asked.

  Mel
issa looked to Wade. He apparently knew more about this than she did.

  “How about you finish up the cheese and crackers then have a bit of a nap? You look tired. I’ll make some homemade soup to warm our bones before we go out. If you’re still feeling tired or have a headache, then we’ll try again another night, okay?”

  Abby rolled her eyes, grabbed her plate of food and began to eat.

  Thirty minutes later when Melissa had gone up to check on her, Abby was fast asleep, curled up beneath a cozy blanket.

  “I remember a few of the guys always needed to sleep after they had an attack.” Wade was in the kitchen, chopping up vegetables, when Melissa told him about Abby.

  “An attack?” She didn’t like the sound of that.

  “Headaches, shakiness, that kind of thing. Some guys spaced out completely, too, or couldn’t get the right words out. Everyone reacts different but the one thing I remember is they all needed to sleep after. Sucked when it meant someone else had to pick up their slack.” Wade finished chopping up the carrot and then set the knife down.

  “You really should have called me, Mel.”

  “You’re right, I should have. I’m sorry, it’s just…”

  “You’ve been doing this for so long by yourself. I know. But you’re not alone anymore.” He reached out for her and she stepped into his embrace. “I’m sorry you were alone for so long,” he whispered as he held her.

  “Be patient with me, okay?” The adjustment period to Wade being home was a lot harder than she thought it would be.

  “Remember what you said to me the first day I got back?”

  Melissa nodded. “One day at a time. As long as we do it as a family, we’ll figure it out.”

  “Exactly. As a family. You won’t be alone anymore, I promise.” He tilted her face up for a kiss.

  “Gross.”

  Abby had her eyes covered.

  “That wasn’t a long nap.” Melissa stifled a grin as Wade kissed her again.

  “Seriously?” Abby groaned. “Do you have to do that in public?”

  Wade chuckled. “You think this is in public? Wait till tonight when we’re at the festival. I plan on smooching with your mother all night under the mistletoe.”

  Abby’s eyes widened with delight. “So we’re going? Sweet! Is the soup ready?”

  By the time they made it to the festival grounds, the park was packed. Cups of hot chocolate were being handed out while the school band played carols in the music pavilion off to the side.

  “How come you’re not up there playing?” Wade asked.

  Abby snickered. “Have you heard me play the trumpet? Mr. Alexander says I need a few more years of practice before I’m ready for my debut.”

  “Is that so? Have you tried other instruments? What about the flute or…”

  “The guitar? That would be cool, right?” Abby couldn’t seem to contain her excitement while Melissa groaned.

  “Who knows, maybe Santa will bring one.”

  “Really, Dad?” The look Abby gave her father had Melissa laughing.

  “Yeah, like really, Dad?” Melissa nudged him in the side. Santa? Seriously? He thought their teenage daughter still believed in Santa?

  “Sorry.” Wade held his hands up in mock surrender. “Get with the times, right?”

  Abby rolled her eyes before she took off after one of her friends up ahead.

  Melissa linked her arm through Wade’s as they followed along but at a more leisurely pace. She watched as Wade took it all in—from the displays and lights to friendly hellos from friends who stopped them along the way. When they eventually stopped by a fire pit to warm their hands, Wade handed her his coat, which she gladly put on. It was colder out than she’d thought.

  “Where’s Abby?” She’d kept her eye out for her daughter but lost sight of her over half an hour ago.

  Wade nodded toward the large tree in the center of the park. “She’s in a group over there. I’ve been keeping my eye on her.”

  “Aren’t you cold?” She buried her hands into the oversized pockets on Wade’s coat.

  “I did suggest the extra sweater, if you remember.” His own hands were buried in his oversized pullover. “How about I go get us another warm drink? Stay here and keep warm.”

  While he was gone, the phone in the pocket of his jacket buzzed. She was going to ignore it but…curiosity got the better of her. She shouldn’t look…she knew that…and yet she couldn’t help herself. It was probably one of the guys from the body shop and she could keep them on the line until he got back.

  And then she saw Nyah’s name on the display screen.

  For one brief second, she considered answering it, demanding to know why Nyah would be calling her husband.

  The temptation was there but she didn’t give in to it.

  She hit the Ignore button.

  Why was Nyah calling Wade? And why was her name and number programed in her husband’s phone?

  “What’s with the frown?” Wade returned with two cups of hot chocolate.

  She sipped on hers while she debated whether to tell him about the call.

  In the end, she decided not to. If it was important enough, the woman would leave a message for Wade to listen to later. For now, this was her time with her husband and she wasn’t going to allow that woman to interfere.

  Tonight was about remaking memories, building their relationship and focusing on the future.

  “It’s almost time for the lights to come on.” Wade couldn’t contain his grin. “Do you know how many times I thought about this? The simple act of the lights turning on, the sounds everyone makes the moment it happens. I would imagine us standing over there,” he pointed toward the pavilion where the band continued to play, “and you’d snuggle in close as we stood there.”

  “By the pavilion?” Of all the places for them to stand, why there?

  “I also imagined our daughter playing in the band.” He shrugged.

  Melissa reached for his hand and led him over to where he’d indicated. Abby stood with her group of friends, just off in the distance but headed their way.

  “It’s almost time.” Abby reached for Melissa’s cup and went to take a sip but stopped as Melissa’s brow rose. “Okay, okay. I’ll go get my own.”

  With Wade’s arm around her, Melissa snuggled in close as they watched everyone gather round the tree. The phone in her pocket buzzed, which Wade must have felt.

  “Did someone call?” he asked.

  Melissa just shrugged but he didn’t notice.

  As he listened to the message, the arm around her shoulders slipped and he stepped away from her.

  “What’s wrong?”

  “It’s Charlie. Nyah…” He struggled with the words. “She found him unconscious.” Wade closed his eyes. “I need…I need to be with him.” His voice was hoarse, as if he were close to tears.

  “Now?”

  He nodded. “Nyah says there’s not much time. I…I can’t…he shouldn’t be alone, Mel. I just…I can’t.”

  Before she could even say a word, Wade turned and walked away, headed toward the north section of the park. She ran after him.

  “Wade, stop.” She grabbed his arm and pulled. “Where are you going?”

  “To Charlie’s. It’s not far, a few blocks maybe. I can’t let him die. Not alone.” His voice broke.

  “I’ll come with you.”

  Wade shook his head. “No.”

  “I want to.” For whatever reason, he remained adamant about keeping that part of his life from her.

  “I said no.”

  Melissa took a step back at the harshness of his voice.

  “I mean it, Melissa.”

  She took another step back as she stared into his hollow gaze. Who was this man in front of her?

  “When will you be home? Abby is—”

  “Tell her I’m sorry,” he interrupted. “I’ll explain when I get home, okay? I don’t know when that will be.” He turned and walked away from her.

&nb
sp; Melissa watched him walk away until he was too far for her to see in the dark anymore. By the time she turned, the tree was lit and her daughter stood there, all alone.

  “Where’s Dad?”

  “He got a call and had to run. He’ll meet us at home.”

  “Who called?”

  Melissa swallowed past the lump in her throat. “No one important.”

  She lied.

  She pasted a smile on her face and pulled her daughter into a tight side hug. “I’m in the mood for some gingerbread cookies. Think they’ll have them out yet?”

  Tradition was to save the best homemade gingerbread anyone in Halfway had ever tasted until after the tree was lit.

  Apparently she wasn’t the only one lying today. Wade promised she wouldn’t be alone again, and yet, here she was.

  So much for making new memories.

  Chapter 6

  NIKKI

  Just as it had been the year before and every year Nikki could remember from when she was a kid, the town square was lit up like a magical winter wonderland. The Tree Festival had always been her favorite, which was saying something because Halfway was known for having a festival for every possible occasion, and they were all amazing. But the Tree Festival had always held a special place in Nikki’s heart. She’d missed it when she’d been gone.

  You don’t have to miss it anymore. She smiled at the thought and warmth filled her. Oh, how things had changed in only one short year.

  “You look happy.” Parker squeezed her hand a little tighter.

  She leaned over and kissed him on the cheek. “I am happy.” She was about to pull away when he wrapped his arms around her and spun her.

  “Good.” Parker kissed her thoroughly. “All I ever want is for you to be happy and if I can be the one to do that for you, well…that makes me happy, too.”

  Nikki swatted her fiancé on the shoulder. “You know you’re the only one who could make me this happy.”

  It was true. From the moment Parker came into her life, she’d been ridiculously happy. Not that it had all been sugar and sunshine. It hadn’t. They’d definitely had their share of bumps along the road, but there was no doubt in her mind that now that Parker was part of her life, and they were all going to be a family, everything would be okay.