Prodigal Son: A Novel by Danielle Steel

Author:Danielle Steel [Steel, Danielle]
Language: eng
Format: epub, mobi
ISBN: 9780804179621
Publisher: Random House Publishing Group
Published: 2015-02-23T16:00:00+00:00

Chapter 13

Peter didn’t go into town again for a few days, and when he did, he stopped at the diner for lunch and saw Vi. She was a kindly, motherly presence in his life, and insisted he have a slice of fresh apple pie. It was delicious. She was busy and didn’t have time to chat, and after lunch Peter stopped at the hardware store to pick up some things. He was replacing all the old screens before the summer. The house was looking better every day, and he wanted to finish all his little projects before the boys arrived. When he saw Walt, he was about to tell him about the irate man who had showed up at the lake, when Walt stopped him in his tracks with what he said.

“I’m sorry to hear about your sister-in-law,” he said, looking sad. Everybody had loved Maggie since she was a child. Peter’s blood ran cold at the words. If something had happened to her, surely Michael would have called him. He was suddenly terrified that she’d died, and she had looked so well the last time he saw her, on the new medication Michael had started her on.

“What do you mean?” Peter asked tersely, ready to grab Walt by the throat and choke it out of him. Peter stood looking tense as he waited for Walt to explain.

“I hear she’s in the hospital, real bad. Pneumonia. She went in last night.” It was a small town, and everyone knew what went on. Vi must not have heard it yet or she would have said something to him at lunch and she hadn’t. And Peter knew just how serious pneumonia would be for Maggie. He literally ran out of the hardware store and called Michael from his truck. But the call went straight to voicemail. He drove to St. Mary’s Hospital instead to see what was going on. And when he checked at the desk, they told him she was there. She was in a private room as a courtesy to Michael. And Peter went straight upstairs. Michael was sitting next to her bed, and Maggie had an oxygen mask on her face and her eyes were closed.

“What happened?” Peter asked him in a hoarse whisper. His brother looked devastated. Her face was gray, and she was either unconscious or asleep. It reminded Peter instantly of when he’d visited her after her skating accident and she was in a coma. She looked almost as bad as that now.

“She had a reaction to the medication we tried,” Michael said in a whisper. “It paralyzed her breathing system. She did great on it for a few days. And now this.” Peter looked grim as he listened, and his brother looked worse than his wife. Peter reached out and squeezed his shoulder and sat with him for a long time. Michael checked her vital signs regularly. The head nurse stuck her head in the door, but she knew Michael was with Maggie, so she left immediately.

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