Matthew's Choice (10 page)

“Hey! You’re rooting for the wrong team,” Matt called out as he climbed to his feet, rubbing his hip. He’d forgotten how Allie played for keeps.

The three walked toward him with Mr. C in the middle, his arms draped across his children’s shoulders. Noah ran ahead of them. Matt’s chest tightened. He could have been a part of this if—

“You tried, Matt,” Clint said, slapping him on the back. “You still play a mean game.”

“You’re not so bad yourself.” Matt picked up his jacket.

“Wow, Uncle Matt. You let a girl sack you.”

The distinctive ringtone he’d assigned to the hospital shrieked from his pocket. He quickly answered. “Hello?”

“Mr. Matthew Jefferies?”

“Yes. Is...is my sister all right?”

“She’s awake and is asking for her son.”

Matt heaved a sigh. Mariah was going to make it. He hadn’t realized how much he’d feared she wouldn’t until now. He was grateful they would have a chance to start fresh. “We’ll be there in ten minutes.”

He pocketed the phone and hugged Noah. “Let’s go see your mom.”

* * *

M
ATT
WAITED
FOR
the ICU doors to open. Noah stood beside him, chewing his thumbnail.

“Why doesn’t Miss Allie come with us?”

“She wants to give us time alone with your mom.”

The boy sighed, and Matt squeezed his shoulder. “Your mom’s going to be okay.”

“What if she’s asleep again?”

“Then we’ll wake her up.” He imagined Noah’s insides were like his own—quivering like jelly. What if Mariah had brain damage? He pushed the thought away as the doors opened, but it persisted down the hall and followed him inside the room. The nurses had elevated Mariah’s head, but she lay with her eyes closed, her face the color of the sheets. Noah hesitated at the foot of the bed, and Matt nudged him forward.

Noah touched her arm. “Mom?”

“Noah?” Her eyes fluttered open.

Matt couldn’t speak as Mariah stretched out her arms, and Noah threw himself into them. “Mom!”

Time seemed suspended as Mariah held her son close, stroking his back. “I’m so sorry, Noah.”

“I shouldn’t have left that night. When I came back, I thought you were...” He took a shuddering breath.

She lifted his chin and wiped the tears from his cheeks. “Honey, what happened wasn’t your fault. You hear me?”

He nodded. “That’s what Uncle Matt said.”

“Matt?” She jerked her head up, and her eyes widened when she saw him.

He tweaked her toe under the sheet. “Hi, sis.”

She sank back onto the bed, her face even paler than before. “How did you know?”

When Matt hesitated, Noah spoke up. “Miss Allie told him. And she kept me from going back to the shelter. I’m staying at her parents’ house.”

Her hand flew to her mouth as tears rimmed her eyes again. “Oh, Noah. What have I done?”

Noah’s eyes widened. “Mom, don’t cry.”

The boy blinked hard and his chin quivered, piercing Matt’s heart. “Mariah, stop crying. You’re scaring your son.”

“I’ve made such a mess of things,” she said through her tears.

Now was not the time to agree with her. He sat on the side of the bed. “We’ll deal with that later. Right now I need your
help. There’s a hearing Tuesday to decide whether Noah goes into state care or not. It’d really help if I had a statement from you, giving me temporary custody.”

She gave them a weak smile and struggled to sit up in the bed. “Why? You don’t have time for him. Let him stay with the Carsons.”

The words stung. Maybe he hadn’t been the best brother. She certainly hadn’t been the best mother. He hesitated. Here was his chance to step out of the picture. To go back to Memphis and his life. His blood pounded through his ears.
Run.

Matt licked his lips. The only family he had was in this room. He shifted his gaze to Noah. The little bugger had dug his way under his skin. “Come on, Mariah. I want to help. Do you want Noah placed in foster care with the state or with me? What if the family he’s placed in decides they want to keep him permanently? Are you up to going through that?”

Mariah sank into the bed and closed her eyes, the lashes black against her pasty skin. Maybe he should leave her alone.

“Bring a paper, and I’ll sign it.”

“I’ll see if Allie can find a computer we can use.”

“Allie is here at the hospital?”

“She’s in the waiting room.”

“Thank her for me. I don’t feel up to seeing anyone else.”

He nodded. “I’ll leave Noah with you while I get this done.” He stopped at the door. “Mariah, everything is going to be okay.”

She gave him a wan smile. “Not sure it’s gonna happen this time, little brother.”

CHAPTER EIGHT

“C
OFFEE
OR
HOT
TEA
?” Allie raised her eyebrows, waiting for Peter’s answer. He had called earlier in the day, saying he didn’t want to wait until their date Friday to see her again. Rather than going out with him, she offered to make sandwiches instead. She’d brought Noah to her house for a couple of hours while her parents went out to eat. Allie thought it was cute that they still had a “date night” every so often, and this one had been planned for a couple of weeks.

She also thought her home would provide less pressure for Noah than a restaurant. For her, too. She had him settled out of earshot in front of the TV with a pad and pencil and a plate of chocolate brownies.

“Are you having coffee?” Peter helped himself to a brownie.

“No, but that doesn’t matter. I have a coffeemaker that makes one cup at a time.”

“Coffee, then. It’ll go with one of these.” He waved the brownie. “Did you make them?”

“Mom did.” Allie ran her fingers over the different labels. Hazelnut, French vanilla, Colombian dark roast, decaf... Peter looked like a dark-roast type of man so she pulled out the bag. “I’d like to be at the hearing tomorrow if possible.”

“Don’t you have school?”

“It’s a teacher workday. I can do most of my paperwork at home in the morning, but I do have appointments with a couple of parents after four to go over their children’s progress reports. What time do you think we’ll be in front of the judge?”

“There were three cases on the docket last Thursday, but I’ll ask if Noah’s case can be heard first. Did you ask Matt where he planned on living if he gets temporary custody?”

Allie shook her head and concentrated on measuring the coffee. The opportunity never showed itself. Matt had been consumed with getting a temporary custody agreement written for Mariah to sign, then they’d been whisked out of ICU and immediately Matt had received a phone call from some client.

She had overheard him say he could do whatever the client needed from Cedar Grove, so apparently he didn’t have to show up at an office each day. Surely Matt realized how important it was for Noah to stay in familiar surroundings right now. She set Peter’s cup of coffee on the table. “Mariah signed a temporary custody agreement last night.”

“Oh?” Peter sipped the coffee. “We’ll see what Judge Stafford says tomorrow. My main concern is the boy. I’m just not convinced he’d be better off with Matt, especially if he plans to yank him out of school and take him to Memphis.”

“Matt won’t do that.” Even as she said the words, Allie knew Matt couldn’t stay in Cedar Grove. The thought of Noah having to change schools, and then change again when Mariah recovered...there had to be another answer.

“I hope you’re right.” He took a bite of the brownie. “Mmm, good. So, is Friday night still looking good for me to take you dancing?”

“Dancing. After New Year’s Eve, are you certain you want to risk your toes again?”

He winked at her. “I knew what I was getting into when we talked about it at breakfast the other morning. And you even agreed to go.”

Feeling slightly embarrassed, she tried to change the subject.

“Let me get you another cup of coffee.” She snatched up his cup and carried it to the coffeemaker.

He followed her. “I’d like to actually finish that first one,” he said as he took the cup from her hands.

“Can’t we just go out to dinner? You danced with me. I’m terrible.”

“Just out of practice, and I know the perfect remedy. Come on, let’s go into the living room.”

She followed him around the wall that separated the kitchen from the rest of the room. Peter set his cup on a table and turned to Noah. “May I change the TV channel? I’d like to dance with Miss Allie. Would that be okay with you?”

Color drained from Noah’s face. “No!” He jumped up, his hands clenched. “Please, don’t!”

“Noah, what’s wrong?” Allie rushed to him.

Noah jerked, and his back arched as his eyes rolled back. She grabbed him before he pitched to the floor. “Call 911. He’s having a seizure.”

* * *

A
LLIE
SHIFTED
THE
hospital pillow under Noah’s head as he slept. The doctor had come and gone, and Peter had left in search of something for them to drink. The door jerked open, and Matt charged into the small cubicle. She raised her finger to her lips, and he skidded to a stop. She led him back into the hallway.

Matt paced in front of her. “What happened?”

“I don’t know. Like I said when I called you, we were at my house. We’d eaten and...suddenly he had a seizure.”

“What did the doctor say?”

She shrugged. “Not much. The EEG showed a normal pattern, but it would since the seizure had passed. He thinks it may be a onetime thing. My personal opinion is that stress has finally caught up with Noah.”

Matt raked his fingers through his hair. “Did anything in particular trigger it?”

She’d replayed the scene in her mind at least twenty times. “Peter asked me to dance. He—”

“What was Peter doing there?”

She narrowed her eyes. “I don’t think that’s any of your business. Anyway, that’s when Noah went into a seizure. Since we’ve been here in E.R., he’s been drowsy so I haven’t questioned him about it.”

Matt stopped pacing at the doorway. He stared toward the bed. “What do we do next?”

“Wait and see if he has another one. Onetime seizures are not uncommon in children. And try to keep his stress level down.” Allie turned as a nurse approached.

“I have your discharge papers,” she said. “Would you like to go over them out here?”

“Please.” After the nurse went over the doctor’s instructions, Allie signed at the bottom of the page. She turned to Matt. “I guess we can take him to Mom and Dad’s now.”

He rocked back on his feet. “Is that all?”

“According to the doctor, Noah should be back to normal tomorrow. Of course, if he has another seizure, tests will have to be run.”

They stepped inside the cubicle and Matt stood over the bed. “He looks okay.... I’m just not used to him being asleep.”

“I know. I hate to wake him.”

The nurse rolled a wheelchair into the room. “Can’t I just carry him?” he said.

Allie looked from Matt to the nurse. “Any reason he can’t do that?”

“Perfectly fine with me.”

When Matt scooped Noah up, the boy curled an arm around his neck and put his head on Matt’s shoulder. Allie followed behind and dialed Peter’s cell number. “We’re ready. We’ll meet you at your car,” she said when he answered.

Now to tell Matt. She caught him before he reached the E.R. doors. “We’ll have to wait for Peter.”

He stopped and turned around. Noah’s arms and legs wrapped around Matt’s body like a monkey. “What? Why?”

“Two reasons, maybe? We won’t fit in your car, and my car isn’t here.”

“Oh. Well, where is he?”

“I’m right behind you,” Peter said from the entrance. “And my car is waiting in the circle.”

Allie scooted to the middle of the backseat and buckled Noah in beside her. When they reached the farm, Peter carried the boy in, and Allie helped her mom get him into pajamas.

“I think I’ll sit here with him a bit.” Ruth tucked the blanket under Noah’s chin and smoothed back his hair. “Such a sweet boy. I’ll hate to see him leave here.”

An ache filled Allie’s chest. Noah had so much potential, and she wanted so badly to help him live up to it. A soft snore escaped his lips. “I wish there was a way he could stay here until Mariah is well.”

Her mom sighed. “So do I, but we both knew this was temporary. Your dad and I are leaving Friday for Georgia to go check on Mom.”

She’d pushed their trip to the back of her mind. “I’ve forgotten how long you’ll be gone.”

“Just a few days, but your grandmother has business we need to tend to that can’t wait. Too bad you can’t come, as well.”

“Maybe next summer.” With her parents gone, Noah’s options slimmed considerably—Matt or the shelter...or another foster family. She hugged her mom. “Enjoy your time with Grams. I better check on Matt and Peter.”

Allie returned to the den in time to overhear Peter ask Matt if he planned to take Noah to Memphis if the judge awarded him custody. Matt stood with his back to her, and she held her breath, waiting for the answer.

“My job is there. I don’t have any choice.”

Peter caught her eye as if to say,
See, I told you he’d take Noah to Memphis.

“No.” Allie shook her head.

Matt winced. “I assumed you realized...”

She rubbed her forehead. Of course she had known, whether she admitted it or not. She had just hoped—what? That Matt would turn his back on everything he’d worked for? Her insides cringed at her naive assumptions.

Peter squeezed her shoulder. “Do you want me to run you home?”

“No. I’ll get Dad to take me.”

“I’ll see you tomorrow.”

“Look,” Matt said when the door closed behind Peter. “I’m sorry, but—”

“Don’t you see, you’re dragging him away from his mom, putting him in a new school. There’s no telling how he might react.”

“Allie, I don’t know what else to do other than take Noah back to Memphis with me.”

“But he just had a grand mal seizure today—what if he has another one?”

“He may never have another one—you said so yourself. But if he does, there are excellent neurologists in Memphis.”

“That’s—”

“Come on, Allie, try to understand. I have contracts waiting on me, a staff meeting first thing Wednesday morning. I can’t stay here past Tuesday.”

“What are you going to do with him? Take him to work with you?”

“No... I talked with Jessica this afternoon, and she’s going to get him enrolled in a very good private school.”

He had it all figured out. Except how it would affect Noah. There had to be another answer.

* * *

M
ATT
WAVED
AT
N
OAH
, who was sitting beside Allie across the aisle in the courtroom. His nephew twisted his hands and barely acknowledged him. Peter stood on the other side of the railing, conferring with the youth court prosecutor. Matt hadn’t expected a prosecutor. Or an actual courtroom. He’d thought it’d be him and Peter, and Noah, maybe Allie, in a judge’s chambers, where the judge would simply look at Mariah’s letter giving Matt temporary custody and sign the custody papers.

The pitcher of water on the judge’s bench only reminded him how dry his mouth was. He should’ve had his attorney show up, or taken up Jessica on her offer to contact their family lawyer. He rubbed his hands on his thighs, glad they were the first case on the docket.

Peter approached him. “You don’t have a lawyer?”

“I didn’t realize I needed one. Mariah signed consent for me to take custody of Noah. What else do I have to do?”

“You’ll have to have a home study, to start with.”

Matt hadn’t thought about that, and it irritated him that Peter knew he hadn’t. He didn’t understand what Allie saw in him. Certainly didn’t understand why she’d had him over for dinner last night. Home study. How would that happen with him living in another state? He was certain Peter would tell him.

“It always helps to have someone who knows what he’s doing at your side.” Peter’s mouth twitched.

His words struck their mark, doing little for Matt’s confidence. “I’ll make it just fine, but thanks for your concern.” Then he lowered his voice. “And don’t get too comfortable at Allie’s place.”

“Excuse me?” Peter shot him a sideways glance. “Don’t you have a girlfriend in Memphis? I don’t think who Allie sees is any of your business.”

Matt clamped his molars so tight pain shot through his jaw. He had no idea why he’d said what he did. That Peter was right only made it worse.

The judge entered from a side door and everyone stood until she took her seat. As he’d expected, their case was called first. The prosecutor laid out the state’s case for Noah remaining in state custody until his mother could resume her responsibilities. When he mentioned Mariah’s drug use, Noah slumped in his chair and looked toward Matt, his eyes pleading for him to do something.

Matt stood. “Excuse me, Your Honor, but I don’t see why this has to be drawn out. I have my sister’s—”

The judge banged her gavel. “Mr....ah—” she looked over the papers on the bench “—Jefferies. We do things in an orderly way in my courtroom, and you are out of order.”

Matt’s face burned. He should’ve gotten a lawyer. “Thought I might save the court some time.”

“You’ll get your turn. Now, please be seated.”

Matt lifted his shoulders in apology at Noah. Noah’s returning smile was more of a wince. When the prosecutor finished, the judge turned to Matt. “All right, Mr. Jefferies, tell me why you think you should have custody of your nephew.”

Matt took a deep breath and slipped into his salesman mode. “Thank you, Your Honor. I’m sorry for being out of order earlier, and that I don’t have an attorney. But it was short notice.” He glanced at his notes. “You have my sister’s letter granting me temporary custody and quite simply, that should be enough. I’m Noah’s uncle, his only blood kin, and kin should be with kin.”

The prosecutor stood. “Your Honor, normally I would agree with that, but Mr. Jefferies has not had a home study performed, and we have a more than adequate children’s shelter here. Mr. Jefferies also plans to withdraw Noah from school here and enroll him in classes in Memphis. We—”

“Uncle Matt can’t do that,” Noah cried. “I can’t leave Mom.”

Matt caught sight of Noah’s white face as the boy tugged at Peter’s arm. Allie leaned over and wrapped Noah in her arms.

The judge banged her gavel. “Order in this courtroom.” She peered at Matt over her half glasses. “Mr. Jefferies. Is this true? Do you plan to move Noah to Memphis?”

“Your Honor, I live and work in Memphis. As much as I’d like to keep Noah here, I have no other choice.”

“What is your occupation?”

“I am the food and beverage director for the Winthrop Corporation.”

“Does that entail working a lot of hours?”