“Yes. Is this Nikki?” he asked again, just to make sure.
She gulped. “Yes, it is. What’s wrong?”
She could almost feel it—the enormous sense of dread—and watched as goose pimples filled her arms.
“I’m sorry to be calling you at this dreadful hour of the day, but I’m afraid I have some bad news. It’s your sister, Trish.”
The tears started rolling down Nikki’s face before he even relayed the bad news. “Please tell me she’s okay.”
Mr. Lynch cleared his throat. “She’s been in a serious accident and has severe internal bleeding, so the doctors had to induce a coma to keep her alive.”
He kept explaining things, but Nikki didn’t hear any of them. Her heart felt like it was being squeezed to the point of bursting as the tears streamed down her face.
The last time she’d seen her sister had been at their parents’ funeral and later at the reading of the will. They’d promised to keep in touch, but like the years before that, they’d returned to being distant relatives.
To hear of her demise was a huge blow for Nikki that left her paralyzed.
“Are you there?” She heard Mr. Lynch in the background.
“Y-yes,” she stuttered and cleared her throat. “I’m here. How bad is it?”
“It’s hard to predict, but the doctors say it’s up to her now. You need to come to Camano Island right away. We need to discuss some business.”
“Forget the business,” Nikki fumed. “I need to see my sister.”
“The business has to do with your sister,” Mr. Lynch continued.
“She’s not dead yet!” Nikki cried as her voice got louder.
“I understand, ma’am,” Mr. Lynch said nervously yet with understanding. “If I could have done things any other way, I would have. I don’t like this any more than you do.”
Nikki sighed and dabbed her eyes with a tissue. “I know, I’m sorry. I’ll be there first thing tomorrow.”
“I’ll see you then,” he said and hung up.
It was difficult after that to complete the article, but Nikki struggled through it. It didn’t take Veronica long to figure out something was wrong with her. Nikki told her briefly about what had happened with her sister right before she put in for a couple of days off.
She wasn’t sure how long her trip to Camano Island would be, but she couldn’t think about that. She got the rest of the day off and returned home, but she wasn’t sure which was worse—being at work or being alone in her huge house, wandering aimlessly from room to room as the guilt washed over her.
Since Trish and her parents decided not to give her the baby, she hadn’t spoken to them. She hadn’t returned to Seattle. Then her parents had died, and now Trish. She and Josh had never adopted children, but they’d remained married, if even in a loveless marriage that ended up with him cheating on her for three years and impregnating someone else.
She’d rationalized that it was partly her fault for not being able to have children, and she cursed Trish silently at the time.
The hours ticked by, and before she knew it, it was evening. She thought nothing of it when the doorbell rang, and she dragged herself to the door.
She swung it open, only to see Ava, her best friend of over a decade, donning a big grin and holding up a bottle of wine. “It’s girls’ night!” she yelled, seconds before she noticed Nikki’s tearstained cheeks and sunken eyes. “Uh-oh. What’s wrong, honey?” she asked as her hands fell to her sides.
Nikki walked back into the house as Ava followed her. Her raven-black hair was pulled back at her nape, and it swished across her back as she walked.
“I totally forgot about tonight.” Nikki sighed, then sank into the sofa. She curled her legs under her and pulled the cushion between her legs. “I got a call from Mr. Lynch today. Trish has been in a car accident, and she may not survive,” she said as fresh tears emerged. “Ava, I haven’t seen her in years, and now I may never talk to her again.”
“Oh, honey,” Ava muttered as she reached over and pulled Nikki into her arms. “I’m so sorry. I know you two didn’t get along, but this is awful.”
Nikki sobbed against her friend’s shoulder. “I have to go there tomorrow. I don’t know how long I’ll be gone.”
“Shush! Don’t worry about that now. Your sister needs you. Have you eaten at all today?’
“Not really,” Nikki replied. “I hadn’t thought much about it.”
