Coffin of Hope

Chapter Four

Mal set his phone down. Josh had just told him that Marcy was awake and coming back to America. He had no idea what to feel. There was anger, there was satisfaction, there was anger...

He hoped he didn't crawl all over her as soon as she stepped in the door. That would be bad but he had a lot of anger and hurt pent up because of her. He had to let it out. Right?

He decided to call his mom. "Hey, Mom."

"Mal?" Jeanette sounded like her old self.

"Hey."

"Hi. Have you seen the twins again?"

"No but I will. Today actually."

"Really? So soon? That's a good thing, right?"

"Yeah. But they won't be the only people I'll be seeing. Marcy will be there."

Jeanette screamed.

He yanked on his ear. "Mom?"

She stopped screaming. "Oh my goodness! How?!"

"I didn't tell you but she was in a coma and she woke up-"

"Coma?!" Jeanette screeched.

"And she woke up." He stressed. "Anyway, they've been traveling most of the day but they'll be in, in a few hours."

"It's morning."

He checked his phone and remembered he was five hours ahead. "Yeah. I'm sorry. It's late morning for me."

She huffed. "We want to see her. I told your father about it and he seems so much better. Marcus and Judy seem happy. I haven't told the rest of the kids. We don't know where Marc is and your sisters were all busy."

She didn't have to say anything about Mike (another sore spot in their family). "Maybe she'll come back and visit?"

She made an odd popping sound on a gasp. "Really? Do you think so?"

"I can ask." He made up his mind to.

"Oh thank you, Mal." She started weeping. "Maybe you can come with her?"

"I don't know, Mom." That was asking a lot of him.

"Please? Just think about it."

"I'll think about it." He waited a beat. "So you're going to work today?"

OF

Greg stopped the car in front of a house on a hill.

"Where are you going?" Marcy asked as he unbuckled his seatbelt.

"Inside. I need to get another credit card for the hotel." Greg lied with ease. "Come inside."

"No thank you." She refused.

"I know you have to use the bathroom. You haven't gone since I signed you out of the hospital."

She frowned. She really did have to go and she couldn't hold it. "Really quickly."

"You can go straight to the bathroom then we can meet at the door. It shouldn't take me but a moment."

She eyed his easy smile suspiciously but her bladder was telling her to trust him. So she got out.

He followed, texting on his phone.

They went up the long steps to the front door and he unlocked it, going inside. "Bathroom's down this hall."

"Thank-" Marcy stopped after turning from shutting the door. "You..."