Page 79 of Just What She Needed

"Thank you for coming." Rhett gave him the handshake she couldn't earlier. "We appreciate it."

Greg left, and the sisters stood up, gathering up assorted cups and soda cans.

"Okay," Mel sighed. "Let's go."

The room was quiet save for the faint, rhythmic beeps from the machines above Bettina's bed, and the occasional hiss and sigh as the morphine pump did what it could to alleviate her pain. Rhett stared with numb eyes at the blip across the screen measuring her mother's heartbeat while Mel just stared off into space. Lilith was curled up asleep in a chair in the corner, covered with the jacket from Mel's suit. The lights were dimmed, and there was no window in the room, and Rhett had no idea what time it was. The battery of her cell phone, as well as Mel's, had gone dead hours ago, and she didn't want to wake her daughter to use hers. She supposed she could go ask a nurse, but she didn't want to leave her mother's bedside. And besides, what did it matter?

"Rhett?" Bettina's voice was almost inaudible, but it brought Rhett out of her stupor.

"What is it, Mama? Do you need anything?" She gave her mother's hand a gentle squeeze.

"No. Melanie?"

"Right here, Mama." Mel stroked Bettina's cheek with the back of her hand.

"Have to tell you girls something."

Rhett and Mel both protested in soft voices, interrupting each other in their desire to spare their mother any more talking. But Bettina wasn't having it.

"Let me talk. I need y'all to know that it was my fault your daddy never saw y'all again after he left."

Rhett met Mel's shocked gaze across the bed and was sure her expression mirrored her sister's. The last thing either of them expected was their mother to bring up Myles Vandergriff on her deathbed.

"It wasn't your fault," Rhett said. "We don't need to talk about him."

"I do." Even weak, Bettina's voice still held the echo of the command it always had. "Y'all need to know, and I need to tell you."

With a last helpless look at Rhett, Mel leaned close to their mother. "Okay, Mama. We're listening."

"It's just that when Myles brought up moving to Houston, I was so shocked. We were settled in Claiborne. We had the house, Rhett was finally in school, and it was our home. I liked being settled in a place, especially after my own daddy dragged us all over the country when I was coming up. So, I dug in and told Myles no. But he dug in right back and said yes. It was the first time he'd ever done that. And then he left."

"It's okay," Rhett murmured. "We understand."

"No, you don't because I'm not finished. Next thing I know he filed for divorce. I never wanted that. I just wanted him to come to his senses and get back home. So I started making all these demands in the divorce papers to make him change his mind. I said he had to give me the house, and some of his daddy's money, too. He kept agreeing to everything, and I started getting scared. So, then I said that if he left, he could never see you girls again. I didn't want that to really happen. I just said it because I thought it was the one thing that would make him stop this divorce foolishness. But he signed the papers anyway." Bettina moved restlessly in the bed. "I never dreamed he'd do it. That's why he never came back to see y'all, because of what I made them put in those papers."

Mel dashed tears from her cheek. "Mama, that wasn't your fault. Maybe you did make them put it in there, but not because it was something you wanted."

"And you didn't hold a gun to his head to make him sign, either," Rhett put in. "That was his own decision. Come to think of it, what if he had come back to see us in spite of it? What were they gonna do? Cancel the divorce?"

As she spoke, Rhett realized she was doing more than just reassuring and comforting her mother, she was telling the truth. For the first time since learning of her father's death, she let go of the blame she placed on her mother for his absence.

"Well..." Bettina sounded unsure. "No, I don't guess they would've done that."

"No, they wouldn't." Mel kissed her mother's forehead. "It's not your fault."

"Love you girls," Bettina whispered, and closed her eyes. "So proud of you both."

Twenty minutes later Rhett watched the blips on the heart monitor falter, jump, and then flatten out to a straight line.

30

James Bond has a license to kill, rock stars have a license to be outrageous.—Gene Simmons

“You sure you don't want to come with us?" Mel paused in the doorway. "You're welcome to."

Her date, a tall, athletic man whose name Rhett couldn't remember, turned to look back into the condo. "She's right. We have an extra ticket, and we'd love to have you along."

Rhett waved a hand in dismissal. "I appreciate the offer, but I'm not a big Mavericks fan. Y'all go have fun. I'm just going to kick back and relax tonight."