The Letter Read online

  Mallory points to her beeping IV monitor, the oximeter clamped to her finger, and the oxygen cannula in her nose. “Well, I didn’t plan on cancer wiping out my immune system either. But crap happens. Elijah wants you to be part of his big day. So, you should be there.”

  “I had plans for that wedding,” I pout.

  A ghost of a smile passes over Mallory’s lips. “Believe it or not, so did I. But, like everything else lately, it doesn’t seem to matter what I plan.”

  “Go and tell Heather her cake is beautiful and take lots of pictures of Mindy and Elijah. I know they’ll be a stunning couple. I’ll be fine here. The nurses here are great. Sheila even said she might stop by for old time’s sake if she’s feeling well enough.”

  I start to remove my protective clothing.

  “What are you doing?” Mallory asks with a somewhat panicked expression.

  “I’ll be right back. I forgot something in my glove box.”

  “Can’t it wait?”

  “Not if I’m leaving. I promise, I’ll be right back.”

  “Please tell me it’s not a puppy. I mean, I love our little menagerie. But we can’t handle another animal.”

  I laugh out loud. “No, I swear it is not another animal. Although, Raylene and I responded to a house fire the other day and they were rescuing a hedgehog. The family said they couldn’t take it to the shelter, and they were looking for someone to take it. I was mighty tempted.”

  Mallory pulls the blanket up around her neck. “I know you mean well Rocco, but I think we have our hands full.”

  “I understand, but you have no idea how cute the hedgehog was. If you would've been there, you would’ve been tempted too.”

  “Probably — that’s why it’s a good thing I wasn’t there with you.”

  I touch Mallory’s cheek as I walk by. I miss being able to kiss her, but for now, it’s a risk I just can’t take.

  When I come back in the room and put on new protective clothing, Mallory’s expression is anxious. “What’s wrong?”

  “I thought maybe I upset you,” she admits.

  “No, that’s not it at all. It has more to do with the abrupt change of plans. If things had played out the way we had hoped, we would be over on the beautiful Oregon coast at William Gardner’s beach house celebrating with our friends.”

  Mallory’s shoulders hunch and she appears dejected. “I’m sorry I ruined all that. You really should go. Your friends are like family to you.”

  I reach into my jacket pocket. “No, you misunderstand. That’s not what this conversation is about at all. I just wanted to do this in a more picturesque setting with our friends and family around. But, since I can’t, this will have to do —”

  Mallory’s eyes widen and she scrambles to get out of bed. “Oh no you don’t!” she says as she tries to run toward the cupboard where she stores her purse. “This is not how I planned for this to happen either. I had plans for this weekend too. It’s your birthday.” She tries to balance against her IV pole and reach through the wires as she digs through her purse. Triumphantly, she comes up with a box.

  “Me first,” she demands as she awkwardly balances against the IV pole and kneels in front of me. She opens a ring box. “Rocco Alexander Pierce, when you first suggested being my pretend husband to help me through the most difficult time in my life, I thought you were a little crazy, to be honest. But then I discovered what an amazing man you really are. Second by second, day by day I fell a little more in love with you. Rocco Pierce will you marry me for real? I will love you for better and for worse and obviously in sickness and in health and in times of sadness and in great joy for as long as we both shall live.”

  As many ways as I rehearsed this day in my head, this was not one of them. I help Mallory to her feet as she slides the ring on to my finger. I pull my mask down a little and kiss her on the cheek. “Nariko Yoshida or Mallory Edmondson or whatever you choose to call yourself, I would be honored to be your husband. I love you. I think I have since the day we met.”

  Kneeling down on one knee, I open the ring box and take the ring out. “It seems we often have the same great ideas. Mallory, I have had the best time of my life pretending to be your husband. I would love to make our arrangement permanent. Would you do me the honor of becoming the real Mrs. Pierce?”

  “Any day you choose. Mr. Pierce, I love you,” Mallory exclaims as she reaches down and tries to help me to my feet. I slide the simple silver band on her finger.

  We compare our bands and find them remarkably similar. I raise an eyebrow as I ask, “Gee, I wonder how that happened?”

  We look at each other and simultaneously guess, “Mindy?”

  “I didn’t talk to her about rings, did you?” Mallory insists.

  I shake my head. “Me neither. I actually didn’t talk to anybody.”

  “That’s just spooky,” Mallory says as a shiver goes up her spine.

  “I guess we just chalk this up to another example of how utterly compatible we are.”

  “I suppose so. I’m a little scared to contemplate anything else.”

  “I guess if I’m going to go to the wedding, I should probably get going. Maybe I can catch a ride with Toby.”

  “That’s a great idea. I’ll still be your fiancée when you get back.” Mallory teases. She pretends to blow me a kiss.

  I pretend to catch it. Yet, I regret not being able to pull off some grand gesture people will talk about for years to come.

  Mallory catches my crushed expression.

  She runs her hand down my face. “Trust me, this was perfect. I’ll remember it forever.”

  Mallory whips her head set off when she sees me standing in the doorway and she almost drops her computer. “What are you doing here? Mindy and Elijah are supposed to get married today. The wedding is on the coast!”

  I start to put the protective clothing and mask on and Mallory waves me off. “Guess what? My blood panels are within normal range so the doctor said none of that was necessary unless the person coming to see me is ill. You’re not sick, are you?”

  I shake my head. “No, I feel fine. Actually, I’m better than fine today. The new rules will make things exponentially easier.”

  “That doesn’t explain why you’re here instead of there,” Mallory presses. “What things?”

  Mindy pokes her head around the corner. She is still wearing her veil and her wedding dress.

  “Mindy!” Mallory shrieks. “What are you doing here?” She looks up at the clock. “You are supposed to be walking down the aisle right about now.”

  Mindy waves the rest of the people into Mallory’s room. Fortunately, we are frequent enough flyers around here they’ve learned to give Mallory a large room. Between her family, my family, her coworkers and random neighbors, it’s almost always a full house.

  Mallory watches with wide-eyed astonishment as Justice Gardner, his wife Isabel, Aidan O’Brien and Tara, Jeff and Keira, Tyler and Heather, Elijah’s parents and Tasha and Jude pour into the room. “What’s going on?” Mallory stammers.

  “The paparazzi didn’t listen to Howard’s misdirection this time. So, they swarmed William and Isabel’s place. We couldn’t get a moment’s peace. So, we decided to bring the wedding to you.”

  “You want to have your wedding in my hospital room?” Mallory asks, sounding as flabbergasted as I did when they first ran the idea past me.

  Elijah nods. “Jigger, jig, jig, you were part of the reason I was brave enough to ask Mindy to marry me that night. Jigger, jig, jig, you shouldn’t have to miss our wedding just because your body is busy fighting cancer.”

  I open and close my mouth as if I’m a guppy. “Umm, okay. But we haven’t been friends all that long.” I stammer as I try to absorb it all.

  “Sometimes, it’s not about how long you have been friends with someone, but rather the quality of experiences you’ve shared,” Elijah adds philosophically.

  Heather grins. “Besides, it’s kind of a Girlfriend Posse traditi
on to ditch the paparazzi at weddings. I have to say though, this particular ditching is a thing of beauty. It’ll be awhile before this one is topped.”

  Mindy giggles. “I know. Uncle Aidan and Aunt Tara thought they pulled off the greatest paparazzi fake out ever — but Elijah and I may be the new record holders.”

  Kiera smiles up at Mallory. “So, what do you say? Can we borrow your room to get my daughter married to the love of her life?”

  Mallory’s brows furrow. “Are you sure you want to? There are some beautiful parks around — they would have much better scenery for pictures.”

  Elijah steps up toward the head of Mallory’s bed. “Jigger, jig, jig, that could be true — and pictures are nice. But that’s not what we’re about. Mindy and I both live our lives in the spotlight. People take pictures whether we want them to or not. What we care about is sharing our love story with the people who mean the most to us.”

  “How can I be one of those people? We just met a few months ago.”

  “You believed in me and the power of love when I was a little too nervous to have the faith I needed, jigger, jig, jig. That means the world to us. Mindy and I could have gotten married anywhere — quite literally. But we chose to have our service here so you could be part of it.”

  Mallory picks up a Kleenex from her bedside table and starts dabbing at the corners of her eyes.

  “Darn it! You guys have me crying like a baby over here. When I first moved to Oregon, I was afraid. I was sure I wouldn’t have any friends or family to call my own. With your help, I have laid claim to both.”

  Justice Gardner clears his throat, “Maybe this might be a good time to get started.”

  Mallory’s hands fly up to her head which is now covered in a thin layer of peach fuzz. “Mindy, I can’t be in your wedding pictures like this. I look awful.”

  Mindy looks around at her family and friends. “You know what? It’s been a crazy day. I know you guys must be starving. Why don’t you guys go to Papa and Grummy’s house for a bite to eat while we get everything situated here? Aunt Donda is on her way. She and Jaxson just had to ditch some paparazzi first.”

  Mallory looks at Mindy in confusion. “Donda beats me at pool all the time, but what does she have to do with how awful I look?”

  Mindy giggles. “I forgot, you haven’t been to a kajillion of our weddings around here. But Aunt Donda and my dad are like the go to glam team. Do you have your wig here? My dad can put all sorts of fancy braids in it for you.”

  “I was wearing it when I was admitted. I collapsed at work because I didn’t realize how sick I was. I think I’ll skip the braids, thanks anyway. I could definitely use some makeup though. Unfortunately, I don’t have any with me.”

  Kiera smirks. “I think you underestimate the power of my sister-in-law. She does everyone’s makeup at our shindigs. She’ll have you covered. Don’t worry about it. She’ll be excited to have a new victim to work on.”

  “Should I be scared?” Mallory asks.

  Isabel steps forward. “No, you most definitely should not be scared. It was an unfortunate choice of words. Donda is very talented. I look forward to all the weddings this group has because Donda always makes me feel quite glamorous.”

  Mallory shoots me a panicked gaze. I walk over to her side and hold her hand. Squatting down next to the head of her bed, I whisper, “Are you all right with all of this? I know we kind of dumped it on you suddenly. You don’t have to do it if you don’t feel up to it.”

  Mallory gestures around at all the medical equipment and her hospital gown. “I want to be part of Mindy’s special day. She’s come to mean a lot to me. But I don’t want her to regret the decision to include me.”

  Elijah’s mom shakes her head. “Don’t you worry. They’re not the kind of people to care about that kind of thing, are they Seth?” she confirms with Elijah’s dad. He shakes his head.

  Mindy comes over to the side of the bed. “You know, there was a time in my life when I used to think weddings had to go exactly as planned in order to be perfect. But along the way, I grew up and realized it wasn’t what happened at a wedding that counted; it was who was involved in your life and what they meant to you. It’s not about the pictures, dresses, or the cake.” She looks hastily over her shoulder at Heather. “Sorry, Aunt Heather.”

  Heather just laughs. “It’s okay, Mindy Mouse. I make wedding cakes for a living and I still agree with you.”

  “What I mean is it doesn’t matter if my wedding isn’t at the beach, or in a beautiful church. It matters that the friends I care about are here.”

  “Does that clear things up?” I ask as I wipe a tear from Mallory’s cheek.

  She nods. “Now, get out of here. We’ve got to get beautified for this thing. By the way, bring me back one of Gwendolyn’s lemon scones. I’m starving. I’ve been living on hospital food way too long.”

  I bow as I back away from the bed. “Would you like anything else, my dear fiancée? A latte or chai tea, perhaps?”

  “My grandma makes the best chai tea. Vote for that!” Mindy instructs enthusiastically.

  Mallory chuckles. “Okay, I guess you have your marching orders.”

  When I reenter Mallory’s hospital room, it bears little resemblance to the place I left earlier. Flower blossoms and white Christmas lights are strung around the room. Light acoustic music is playing in the background. My fiancée looks nothing like the frail woman who was lying in the bed before. She is sitting up with Aidan and Tara’s daughter, Maddie, on her lap playing a game on the iPad.

  She blushes when she sees my open perusal. “They were right, Donda is a miracle worker.”

  To me, Mallory is always beautiful, but Donda has highlighted her beautiful eyes and cupid bow lips. Even her wig has been styled to resemble the updos Tasha and Madison are wearing. She looks sophisticated and a little sultry at the same time. My heart skips a beat. I can't believe I'm so lucky. Someday soon, I'll be in Elijah’s shoes.

  Mallory shifts Maddie on her lap and grimaces when the little girl inadvertently catches her IV tubing with her foot. It's a grim reminder that as much as we dress everything up, everything isn't perfect yet.

  “It helps that she had a beautiful canvas to work with.” I respond as I lean down and kiss her on her cheek.

  Jaxson elbows me in the side. “All these years I’ve known you and I had no idea you were such a Romeo.”

  I stand up and wink. “All I needed was the proper inspiration.”

  Justice Gardner clears his throat. “I have done all sorts of ceremonies with this particular group of people. I have to say, this ranks as one of the most unusual. Mindy, you are the one person I expected to have a traditional, by-the-book wedding,” he finishes with a laugh.

  Mindy blushes as she takes Elijah’s hand. “Let’s say my definition of perfect has relaxed a little over the years.”

  Justice Gardner’s eyebrows furrow. “Am I to take that to mean all the beautiful vows we rehearsed the other day are out the window?”

  Mindy stands on her tiptoes and kisses the judge’s cheek. “I’m afraid so, William. We’re stripping it down to the basics.”

  “How basic?” he asks skeptically.

  “Jigger, jig, jig, I just want everyone to know how much I love Mindy and I want her to be my wife,” Elijah says.

  “And I want everyone to know it doesn’t matter what happens in my career, Elijah is the center of my universe until the stars fall from the sky,” Mindy adds. “I will love him forever.”

  Justice Gardner nods. “Did you guys bring rings?”

  Charlie steps forward. “Yeah, they have rings. Guess what? They let me hold them. They said I was responsible enough.”

  The older man looks down at Charlie. “Now would be a good time for you to give the rings to Elijah and your sister.”

  “Now?” Charlie asks, his voice rising to a squeak at the end.

  The judge smiles. “I guess this is called rolling with the punches. Nothing is going accor
ding to plan. Therefore, we’re just making it up as we go along.”

  Charlie grins. “Oh, you mean like when Elijah-n-me make up stories for our books?”

  “Sort of like that, yes,” Justice Gardner answers with a deep chuckle.

  Charlie dutifully hands the rings to his sister and Elijah.

  The judge looks at the groom. “I think you know what to do.”

  Elijah slides the ring on Mindy’s hand. “Jigger, jig, jig, I give you this ring as a symbol of my love and faithfulness. Our love has no beginning and no end, jigger, jig, jig. I will love you until there are no more tomorrows.”

  Mindy takes Elijah’s ring and slides it on his finger. With her other hand, she wipes away tears. “Before I met you, I saw no one in my future. I was certain I would die alone. You are my forever happily ever after. Elijah Fischer, I give you this ring as a symbol of my love and faithfulness. Our love has been destined from the beginning of time and I will love you until time ceases to exist. As our rings say, I will love you until.” Mindy’s hands shake as she holds Elijah’s hands in her own.

  “By the power vested in me as a former officer of the court in the state of Oregon, I pronounce Mindy Jo Whitaker and Elijah Fischer to be husband and wife.” Justice Gardner takes a moment to get a handkerchief out of his pocket and wipe tears from his eyes. “From the moment you came into our lives Mindy, I knew fate had something phenomenal in store for you. I’m glad you found it in this extraordinary young man who is now your husband. This may be the most unusual ceremony I’ve ever officiated, but it might very well be one of my favorites. You may kiss your husband, Mindy Mouse.”

  The room erupts in the sign language equivalent of applause so we don’t disrupt the other patients.

  Mallory leans her head against my arm as she whispers, “I’m so glad you didn’t give up and continued to look for me. You have the coolest friends on the whole planet.”

  Mindy breaks away from Elijah’s surprisingly theatrical kiss and looks over her shoulder at Mallory.

  “I think you’re pretty cool too. Just wait and see what we have in store for your wedding.”