“He is sick,” Ten affirmed. “His skin was pale, and he had dark circles under his eyes. When I tried to read him, there were a lot of other things on the verge of causing problems.”
“That man never took care of himself. He drank. He smoked. Ate anything he wanted. Now it’s time to pay the piper, and he’s flat broke.” Bertha shook her head.
“That’s about the size of it. Jace offered to step in and cover the cost of Corny’s health and legal troubles.” Ten still couldn’t believe Jace’s willingness to help. Not that their friend would lend a hand, but that he would fork over a quarter of a million dollars to pay back money a man he’d never met had stolen. Then, there was the problem of how much money a good lawyer would cost. The transplant surgery itself would be hugely expensive. It wouldn’t surprise Ten if the total price tag exceeded a million dollars.
“I know. I overheard Cassie and Cole discussing the situation, but they didn’t know I was there.” Bertha sighed.
“Have you spoken to either of your sons?” Ten asked. He could sense Bertha’s pain. All she was concerned with was the safety of her sons where her ex-husband was concerned. She worried after their physical health if they agreed to help Corny, but also their mental health when their father flew the coop once again.
“No. I’m not sure how I want to handle this situation. I needed some advice first. Is Corny really remarried with a baby on the way?”
“We’re not sure if he’s married,” Ronan said. “Cisco went looking for a marriage license but hasn’t found one yet. Corny has a ton of aliases, so it might take a while.”
“Calvin Coolidge,” Everly said.
Ronan wore a stunned look. “What does the former president have to do with Corny?”
“That’s the name he used to marry Martha. They got hitched in Walla Walla. What a funny name for a town!” Everly giggled.
“Who needs Google when we’ve got Everly?” Ten laughed. “Is there anything else you know about this situation?”
“The baby is a girl. Corny’s always wanted a daughter. He dipped his wick from here to Walla Walla but never had any other babies until now.” Everly wore a confused look, as if she didn’t quite understand the message she had delivered.
“Dipped his wick?” Bertha asked on a laugh.
Everly nodded. “He’s proud of his wick. I don’t know what candles have to do with having babies.”
“Anyway,” Ten said, eager to change the subject. Everly had lost enough of her innocence speaking with spirits who’d been horribly abused in life; now wasn’t the time for a birds-and-bees talk. “Let’s get back to Corny’s health. Does he get a kidney?”
“Yes and no.” Everly paused. “No. Yes.Urg! This issofrustrating.”
“What do you mean?” Ten had never seen Everly struggle with her gift in this way. Her answers were always solid and dependable.
“Sometimes he does. Sometimes he doesn’t. I’ve never seen anything like that before. Maybe I didn’t have enough milk today and my gift is wonky.”
Bertha reached out for her granddaughter’s hand. “I don’t think there’s anything wrong with your gift. I think Carson and Cole keep changing their minds.”
“That makes sense,” Everly said with a nod. “There are so many different outcomes and a lot of tears and heartbreak.”
“That’s what Corny’s famous for, leaving a trail of broken hearts in his wake.” Bertha was silent for a few seconds, seemingly lost in her own thoughts. “I know I need to talk to my sons about their father and doing the right thing, but there’s such a big part of me who wants that stupid son of a goat to suffer.”
Ten knew Bertha wanted to addlike I didbut had thought better of it. According to Carson and Cole, Bertha had tried to hide her breast cancer diagnosis from her sons. Since neither of them had come into their psychic gifts at that time, they’d been none the wiser. By the time Bertha finally told her sons what was happening, she’d exhausted all medical intervention. Carson and Cole could only sit and comfort their mother as she died slowly and painfully.
“No, you don’t want him to suffer, Mimi.” Everly offered Bertha a bright smile. “You’re angry because your babies are hurting and you aren’t here to comfort them. You forgave Corny a long time ago. Carson and Cole need you to tell them they should forgive him too. Their hearts hurt so much right now.” Everly set a hand over her own heart. “I haven’t ever felt pain like this before, not even from restless spirits. They’re angry at each other and at Corny.”
“Out of the mouths of babes.” Ronan waggled his eyebrows at Bertha.
“Just because you forgive someone doesn’t mean you have to let them back into your life, Mimi. You told Daddy that once. I shouldn’t have been listening, but I was, and it’s a good thing, too, because now I can give your advice back to you.”
Bertha nodded along with Everly. “I gave Tenny that advice about his own father, and look where that’s gotten us. Ten and David haven’t spoken in months.”
“I’ve been thinking a lot about David today. On the one hand, I’m grateful he didn’t leave our family like Corny did, but on the other, he’s embracing this other child in a way David never did with River. It’s all so confusing.” The last thing Ten wanted to do now was contemplate his own relationship with his father, not with Bertha’s time running short.
“I have faith that David will come to admit his mistakes with River over time, but I don’t think that kind of self-reflection is in Corny’s nature. I want to tell my boys just who their father is, but part of me thinks I should keep that to myself. You’re both right, this is all very confusing.”
“The hardest thing to do is admitting when you’re wrong,” Ronan said. “I don’t think Corny was running away from you and the boys for all of these years. I think he was running away from himself. Jude talked a lot about that when we were in Arizona with Running Eagle. The problem with the plan to leave the reservation was that everywhere Jude went, there he was. I’m sure Corny felt the same way.”
“Look at you, Ronan, being all philosophical on us.” Bertha laughed. The happy sound quickly faded. “Here’s the big question. Would Corny have come home if he were healthy?” Bertha asked.
