The Last Word (A Books by the Bay Mystery)

I see him?”
    Olivia had little skill when it came to bedside manner. Trusting her instinct, she laid a hand on Kim’s arm and promised to do anything she could to help. As she spoke, she spied an African American woman wearing a scrub top covered with pink and purple hearts. She was standing quietly near the window, the afternoon light casting a white corona around her head, giving her an angelic appearance. She walked around the bed and introduced herself to Olivia as Dru Ann Love. Her name and the heart design on her shirt were certainly comforting, but it was the woman’s sense of calm that inspired confidence.
    “Mrs. Hudson asked for me to explain things after you arrived. I don’t have much time, but I’ll explain as quickly and succinctly as I can,” Nurse Love stated plainly and looked at Kim. “Your son was born with a congenital heart defect. It’s called atrial septal defect. In layman’s terms, it basically means that there’s a hole in his heart.”
    Kim made a whimpering sound, and Olivia stroked her arm, her gaze never leaving Nurse Love’s warm brown eyes.
    “In a normal heart,” the nurse continued, “blood that is low in oxygen passes through the right ventricle and into the lungs where it receives oxygen. These two chambers of the heart are separated by a thin wall called the atrial septum. Because your nephew has a hole in his atrial septum, the oxygen-rich blood is mixing with the oxygen-poor blood, and the lungs are receiving an increased amount of blood. Basically, they’re getting too much blood.”
    “And this doesn’t show up in utero?” Olivia asked.
    Nurse Love shook her head. “Not always. Sometimes pediatricians discover the condition when they hear a heart murmur and sometimes the stress of labor makes it obvious, but the bottom line is that your nephew requires a pediatric cardiologist and we don’t have one at this hospital. As we speak, he’s being prepped for transport to Pitt Memorial in Greenville. They have an excellent pediatric cardiology department there.”
    Kim tried to sit up in bed. Wincing in pain, she cried, “I have to be with him!”
    Olivia didn’t need a medical degree to know that her sister-in-law wasn’t going anywhere. The last thing she wanted to do was volunteer to take her place. To sit in an ambulance with a newborn infant stuck full of wires and tubes and requiring emergency surgery was Olivia’s idea of hell. The truth was that Olivia Limoges was afraid of babies. She’d never held one in her life. Children were disconcerting enough, but a baby was the epitome of helpless fragility. Still, she couldn’t ignore the agony on Kim’s face, and she’d promised her brother that she’d do anything to help.
    “There, there,” Nurse Love tried to soothe Kim. “I’ll be with him every second of the drive and for the surgery too. We’ve already made a connection. I just came from his room. He’s quite a handsome little man.”
    Kim collapsed against the pillow. “But he needs one of his parents. I’m stuck here and Hudson has to look after Caitlyn.” She shot Olivia an apologetic look. “She likes you, but I’ve never left her with anyone before. I don’t think she’d handle it too good.”
    The nurse came forward with a clipboard and a pen. The family’s arrangements were secondary to the health of her tiny patient. “I need you to sign some consent forms, Mrs. Salter. Or would you prefer I let your husband handle this so you can rest? We need to be on our way now.”
    Kim glanced at the pile of forms and blanched. “I don’t even know if our insurance will cover the surgery.”
    “Trust me, you’re covered.” Olivia took the clipboard from Nurse Love’s hands. “I’ll take these to Hudson, explain what’s happening, and then drive to Greenville.”
    There, she’d spoken the words and there was no rescinding the offer now, no matter how uncomfortable it made her.
    When Kim’s eyes filled with fresh tears, Olivia knew that she’d done the right thing. This woman was her sister by marriage, and her half brother waited in silent anguish on the other side of the hospital. Her young niece was confused and frightened and they had no one else to turn to. They needed her.
    Olivia felt a warmth spread through her chest. These people needed her. They were her family. In that moment, she believed she’d have gone to any length for them but knew there was no time to express how this realization made her feel. Instead,