Walk Through the Valley Read online

  The woman behind the counter gave her a pitying look that made Cindy’s stomach clench fiercely. “I’m so sorry for what happened,” she whispered.

  Time seemed to stand still. “Is he dead?” Cindy asked, her own voice sounding like she was drawing the syllables out one minute at a time.

  The woman took a deep breath. “No, but he is in the ICU.”

  “You didn’t even have to look him up,” Cindy noticed.

  “Your brother has a lot of fans here,” the woman said. “About a year ago while he was filming one of his shows here he ended up saving a little girl’s life. He was almost drowned in the process. He’s a hero.”

  Cindy felt her stomach clench even more, and she wanted to double over with the pain. She was beginning to sweat, and she felt like she was going to be sick. She hadn’t heard about that incident. Her mom was always bragging about everything Kyle did. Apparently, though, she had been smart enough not to tell Cindy about that one.

  “Which way?” she asked, her voice little more than a raw croak.

  The nurse pointed to one of the hallways. “Halfway down there’s an elevator. Take it to the second floor, and when you get out turn left. You’ll find a check-in desk at the end of that hallway.”

  “Thanks,” Cindy said. She headed toward the elevator, feeling like she was some sort of automaton. She could barely feel her legs, and yet they kept moving, taking her closer and closer to her brother.

  Up on the second floor she found the check-in desk where the woman had said it would be. The man sitting at it gave her a sad smile. “Kyle’s sister?” he asked.

  She nodded, practically too numb to care how he knew that. He handed her a clipboard with a sign-in sheet.

  “Just put your name down, and then I’ll take you to the observation room.”

  She wrote out her name and handed it back to him. Then she followed him through a door after he entered his pin into the keypad next to it.

  Seconds later he was escorting her into a small room that had half a dozen chairs all facing a large window. Through the window she could see into a hospital room, and she could tell that there was someone lying on a bed, surrounded by machines. Standing next to the window were her parents. Her mom’s short brown hair was the same color as Cindy’s. Her dad, who was a good six inches taller than both of them had black hair shot through with silver streaks. They were standing together, shoulders almost touching, unmoving like some statue dedicated to grief and vigilance.

  The nurse left, and Cindy stepped farther into the room. “Hi,” she said.

  Both her parents jumped as though startled. Her dad turned around and strode forward quickly to hug her. “Glad you made it okay,” he said. “We weren’t sure when you were coming.”

  “I came as fast as I could,” she said, realizing that she had never called them to let them know she had gotten a flight.

  Her mom turned slowly and stared at her as if she wasn’t really seeing her. Her blue eyes were awash with tears and her entire face was red and puffy from crying. She nodded at Cindy then turned back to the window.

  When her dad released Cindy she forced herself to walk up to the window and look into the next room even though she didn’t want to.

  Kyle was in the hospital bed. What she could see of his face was chalk white and the rest was covered with bandages. It looked like one leg and both arms were in casts.

  “Can we go in and see him?” she asked.

  “No, this is as close as they’ll let us,” her dad said. “I think they’re afraid that we’ll get in the way if...”

  He didn’t finish his sentence, but she got the implication. If he took a turn for the worse and the doctors and nurses had to rush in. They could also be afraid of exposing him to any germs in the state he was in.

  “What’s wrong with him?” she asked. It had to be more than just a few broken bones.

  “There’s been internal bleeding and there’s some damage to some of his organs. I...I don’t remember which ones,” her dad admitted.

  What stupid stunt had Kyle pulled that ended like this? She had always been terrified that his recklessness would cost him. Would cost all of them.

  “What happened?” she asked.

  “It was a car accident,” her dad said.

  She turned, surprised. “A car accident? Was he doing some exotic car racing adventure or something?”

  Her dad shook his head solemnly. “Nothing like that. He and his girlfriend were driving home from dinner at her parents’ house. They live here. A car ran a red light and plowed into them. The other driver took off.”

  Cindy was stunned. All the crazy stuff her brother had pulled over the years. All the needless risks. And here he was fighting for his life because of a hit-and-run driver. It seemed absurd.

  “His girlfriend, is it Lisa?” she asked. It was still hard to say that name. She was glad her brother had found someone to care about, though, even if she did share the same first name as their dead sister.

  “Yes, Lisa,” her dad said. From the sound of his voice when he said her name she could tell he was having a hard time with it, too.

  “Where is she?”

  “She’s in a different room. She’s pretty banged up, too, but she was riding in the passenger seat and the car...the car was hit on the driver’s side. The doctors think she’ll be okay.”

  “Are her parents here?” Cindy asked.

  “Yes. They’re the ones who called us actually. They’re...nice.”

  “Nice?” Cindy asked, noticing her father’s hesitation.

  “Yes. Odd, but nice.”

  She wanted to ask in what way they were odd. Actually she wanted to talk about anything other than her brother there on the other side of the glass fighting for his life.

  Her dad looked at her. “You haven’t met Lisa yet, have you?”

  “No,” Cindy admitted. “Kyle told me a little about her. He said she was an interior designer, that she was a genius.”

  “He’s right about that. Lots of important people hire her. She’s very sweet, though. She redid our entire living room and dining room area a few months ago. Wouldn’t take a cent for it either.”

  Cindy nodded and turned back to the glass. She should go say hello to Lisa, meet her. She didn’t feel up to it at the moment, though. She said a quick prayer for strength and that Kyle would recover so he could be the one to introduce them.

  Her phone buzzed, and she pulled it out of her purse. Jeremiah had texted her.

  Did you make it safe?

  Yes. At hospital, she texted back. After a moment she added, Will call later.

  Okay.

  She put her phone away, and looked at her parents. How long had they been standing in front of the glass? Being in the observation room for just five minutes was terrifying her. What was it doing to them? There was nothing any of them could do but watch and wait and send dozens of whispered prayers heavenward.

  A half hour dragged by and there was no change. She felt completely helpless in a way she hadn’t in a long time. She was beginning to realize that she was hungry as well. The lunch she and Jeremiah hadn’t managed to have was hours and hours ago. She pressed a hand over her stomach as it growled.

  “I need to get something to eat,” she finally said quietly so as not to startle her parents again.

  Her dad stirred and turned to look at her. “There should be a cafeteria around here somewhere. I’ll go with you.”

  “Okay. Mom?”

  “I’m not hungry,” her mother said without turning away from the glass.

  “We’ll bring her something to eat,” her father said.

  Fifteen minutes later the two of them were sitting down at a table in an isolated corner of the cafeteria. Even though she was starving, the meatloaf on Cindy’s plate looked a lot less appetizing than it had sounded. She made a face as she dunked a bite in ketchup.

  Across from Cindy her father picked up his hamburger and began eating. From the way he was doing it, she do
ubted he was even tasting the food, but rather just going through the motions of eating. Her own nerves were strained to the breaking point, and she couldn’t even begin to imagine what he was feeling.

  Her dad’s eyes shifted to her as he swallowed the bite he’d been chewing. “How are things with the rabbi?” he asked.

  “Okay,” Cindy said, wondering why he was asking.

  “Kyle told us he was an interesting fellow. Intense.”

  “He certainly is intense,” Cindy said with a sigh.

  “This is your first real long-term boyfriend, isn’t it?”

  The question caught her completely off-guard. “He’s not my boyfriend,” she finally managed to sputter.

  Her father frowned. “I thought Kyle said he was.”

  Cindy rolled her eyes. “Kyle’s been trying to get us together since he met Jeremiah a few months ago.”

  “Odd. That’s not the impression he gave. Just as well, I guess, your mother wasn’t too keen on the idea.”

  “What’s wrong with... you know what, never mind,” Cindy said.

  She was suddenly very relieved that she had told Jeremiah not to come. This much awkward neither of them needed.

  Her father continued eating his hamburger, and she managed to choke down some of the meatloaf. Cindy was struggling with what to say to him.

  His phone rang and he snatched it off the table and brought it to his ear. “Hello? Yes. I’ll be right there.”

  He stood up as he disconnected the call. “They’re taking Kyle in for another round of surgery. The bleeding’s gotten worse,” he said.

  Cindy started to stand up and he put a hand on her shoulder. “You need to eat, keep your strength up. There’s nothing you can do right now.”

  “Mom-”

  “I’ll take care of her,” he said.

  Cindy swallowed hard. “Isn’t there something I can do?”

  He nodded. “Actually, I would appreciate it if you’d let Lisa know.”

  “Okay,” Cindy said.

  “She’s in room 214. Finish your dinner first.”

  Cindy watched her father hurry from the room. She shoved the rest of her food in her mouth. She hadn’t wanted to meet Lisa yet, but her father was right, she needed to know what was happening.

  Finished, Cindy tossed her trash and then hurried to the elevator. A minute later she was walking timidly into room 214.

  Her heart was in her throat. She didn’t know what to expect. She wasn’t sure how badly Lisa was injured or what the other woman would know about Kyle’s condition or about Cindy. There were just too many unknowns and it was only adding to her anxiety.

  Lisa was on the hospital bed, partially sitting up. Her red hair was pulled back from a pale face. There was bruising on her face and her right wrist was in a cast. She was talking to two people who were already in the room. Two things struck Cindy nearly simultaneously. Lisa was talking to two police officers and on Lisa’s left hand there was an engagement ring.

  6

  Cindy stared in shock. Lisa wasn’t just her brother’s girlfriend. From the looks of the ring on her finger she was his fiancée. She wondered when that had happened. It had to be recent. Otherwise surely Kyle or their mother would have called. That wasn’t the kind of news Cindy’s mom could keep for half a second.

  “You two got engaged?” she blurt out. Horrified, she looked up and met Lisa’s tear-filled eyes.

  “Last night,” Lisa confirmed in a whispery voice.

  “I’m sorry, miss? You can’t be in here,” one of the officers, a tall man with graying hair said.

  “It’s okay,” Lisa said. “She’s Kyle’s sister.”

  Cindy’s astonishment must have shown on her face, because Lisa went on to tell her, “I recognized you from the pictures I’ve seen.”

  Cindy nodded mutely as her brain seemed to switch gears. Now that the shock of the engagement ring was wearing off she wondered what the two police officers were doing there.

  “You don’t remember anything else about the car that hit you?” the other officer asked.

  “No, it was dark and it came out of nowhere. By the time the car stopped spinning and sliding I didn’t see it anywhere.”

  The tall one muttered something that sounded like “hate drunk tourists,” under his breath.

  Cindy cleared her throat. “I’m very sorry to interrupt and also very sorry to meet you under these circumstances, but my dad wanted me to tell you that Kyle’s going in for another round of surgery. Apparently he’s still bleeding a lot internally.”

  She was shocked that she managed to get through saying that without choking up. On some level she realized that all of this just wasn’t real for her yet. The whole day had been one long, surreal nightmare it seemed.

  Lisa nodded, biting her lip.

  Having delivered her message, Cindy suddenly felt very weak and exhausted. It was as though everything that had happened that day caught up to her all at once. Given that she still hadn’t had time to rest and recover after the chaos of Geanie and Joseph’s wedding, it was probably amazing that she was still standing upright let alone speaking coherently.

  “I guess I should go,” she said uncertainly.

  “No, stay, please,” Lisa said, her eyes entreating.

  Cindy nodded as she realized that she really had nowhere else to be at the moment. Kyle was in surgery, and her father would have his hands full with her mom. It was either sit and wait in a room pretty much by herself or sit and wait here with the woman her brother loved enough to marry.

  There was a chair near the bed and Cindy sat down in it and leaned back slightly. She was exhausted, and she would give anything to just go get a hotel room and get some sleep. She knew she wouldn’t be able to sleep, though. At least not until Kyle was out of surgery.

  Lisa turned to the officers. “Are there any other questions?” she asked.

  “Not at this time,” the taller one said. “We will be in touch, though, and if you think of anything you have our card.”

  She nodded and the two officers left.

  Lisa turned and gave Cindy a weak smile. “Not exactly how I pictured our first meeting,” she said.

  “Me either. Although it is good to finally meet you. Kyle told me a lot about you.”

  “And he talks about you constantly.”

  “He does?” Cindy asked, trying to mask her surprise.

  “Yes. He’s very proud of all the cases you help the police solve. It’s like you’re a real life Nancy Drew, only cooler.”

  Cindy felt her cheeks grow warm at the compliment. “And I hear you’re a genius with interior design.”

  “Did you like what I did with your parents’ place?”

  Cindy sighed. “I haven’t seen it, to be honest.”

  Lisa nodded. “That’s right. I forgot that you don’t ever go home.”

  Cindy winced. Hearing a stranger say it that way made it sound bad. There were lots of reasons she didn’t, but none of them that she wanted to get into right now. “So, your parents live here in town?” she asked, trying to deflect.

  “Just outside of town. I sent them home to get some rest just a little bit ago.”

  “I’m sure they needed it,” Cindy said. She covered a yawn with her hand, and looked closely at Lisa. Aside from the bruises on her face her skin was bone white and there were dark circles under her eyes. “You could probably use some rest, too,” she added.

  Lisa shook her head. “I can’t rest until I know Kyle is going to be okay.”

  “I’m sure he will be,” Cindy said, lying for both their sakes.

  Lisa’s eyes shimmered with tears. “I just keep going over it and over it in my mind, thinking about what I could have done, how I could have stopped it from happening.”

  “My dad told me that you guys were hit when a car ran a red light,” Cindy said. “There’s nothing you can do about that. It was an accident.”

  “I know, but I keep thinking about...everything, you know?” Lisa said. �
��If we had hit that intersection one second sooner or one second later, then we would have spent the day celebrating our engagement. Instead we’re here.”

  “You can’t think like that,” Cindy said, her heart breaking for the other woman. “Counting the seconds won’t help you. I mean, maybe if you’d been a few seconds earlier or later you might have been in an even worse accident.”

  “I don’t know how it could have been worse,” Lisa sniffled as tears started to stream down her face.

  You could have both been killed on impact, Cindy thought but decided not to say it out loud.

  Instead she reached out and grabbed Lisa’s good hand, and gave it a little squeeze. “So, tell me how Kyle proposed,” she said.

  Lisa smiled a little. “Kyle decided about a month ago that he wanted to meet my parents and so he arranged for us to take a quick vacation out here. When I visit I usually just stay with them. I tend to avoid the Vegas strip like the plague. Kyle made all the arrangements, though. I could tell he was going for a romantic gesture and he wouldn’t be talked out of it. So, after a while, I gave up and just went with it.”

  “Sometimes with Kyle that’s all you can do.”

  “I know, right? When he gets something in his head, he just has to see it through,” Lisa said. “Half the time it’s really charming and the other half it’s...”

  “Irritating?” Cindy suggested.

  “Yes, exactly! Anyway, we checked into our hotel two days ago. He had booked us two rooms at the Excalibur. It’s the one that’s shaped like a castle. Anyway, he said he had some work calls to make but he told me he’d meet me in a couple of hours for dinner. Then he called and apologized. He said he was going to be running late, but that he didn’t want me to miss anything. He’d gotten us tickets to the medieval dinner show at the hotel with all the knights on horseback jousting. He said he’d be there just as soon as he could.”

  Lisa paused and cleared her throat. Cindy quickly handed her a cup of water from the bedside tray, and Lisa drank it.

  “Thank you,” she said, handing the cup back.