Page 15 of Last Wish Wedding

Kelsey sat in the dimming light of late afternoon spring, mulling the advice from her attorney. Having Noah spend additional time on his own with the Prescotts didn’t sit well. She didn’t trust them, didn’t know them at all. And with this attempt to obtain custody, it just made her more uncertain.

The sound of the waves below, and the breeze in the pines beside her cottage anchored her. Noah would be home soon, full of stories about his day, completely unaware that strangers were trying to claim him as their property.

She pressed her hands to her mouth, holding back a sob. The Prescotts’ power scared her especially now, when she finally felt like they were building a real life here on the island. It hadn’t been easy, but she’d done it, and done it all on her own. Noah was a great kid, and dammit she was a good mother.

In her time as a nurse, she’d seen unfit parents who loved their kids but just couldn’t pull their lives together. She wasn’t one of them. She’d be damned if someone tried to say she was.

The tears came then, hot and silent, falling onto the smooth surface of her kitchen table while the clock ticked steadily onward.

The jarring ring of her phone cut through the darkness. Kelsey’s heart leaped as she fumbled for it, mind immediately going to Amy.

“Hello?” Her voice was thick with sleep.

“Kelsey?” Ruth’s usually steady voice wavered. “I’m sorry to wake you, but I’m over at Mr. Costigan’s. He’s had an episode. His breathing’s labored, and he’s refusing transport to the hospital. I can’t get him comfortable. He’s asking for you specifically.”

Kelsey sat up, already reaching for clothes. Ruth would never call her in the middle of the night if she could handle the situation on her own. “What are his vitals?”

“O2 sats are at 89, BP’s elevated. He’s on and off confused, agitated. I’ve never seen him like this.” In the short time Kesley had worked with Ruth, she’d never heard such a tremor in Ruth’s voice.

“I’m calling the family too, but—”

“I’m coming.” Kelsey was already pulling on scrubs. “Give me fifteen minutes.”

She hung up and reached for her phone again to call Amy, then remembered—her sister was at a conference in Boston. Reality crashed in. No babysitter. No choice.

“Noah.” She gently shook her son’s shoulder. “Honey, wake up. We need to go.”

“Mm?” Noah blinked in confusion as she helped him into a sweatshirt. “Where’re we going?”

“One of my patients needs help.” She grabbed his blanket and pillow. “You can sleep in the car.”

The drive up the coast was a blur of yellow lines and concern. Noah dozed in the back seat as Kelsey ran through possible scenarios in her head. Ruth wouldn’t have called without good reason.

Headlights appeared in her rearview mirror, gaining quickly. Another car followed her turn onto the long drive to the Costigan cottage, gravel crunching under tires.

Ruth’s silhouette appeared in the doorway as Kelsey parked. She was reaching for her medical bag when the other car’s door slammed.

“Kelsey?” A familiar voice called out.

Kelsey froze, one hand on Noah’s car door. “Mac?” They hadn’t spoken since the dinner.

He was hurrying toward the house, looking nothing like the man she’d last seen. The pieces clicked into place as she struggled with Noah’s seatbelt.

“Mr. Costigan is your father?”

“Grandfather. Here.” Mac reached past her, gently gathering the sleeping Noah into his arms. “Let me take him. You go on in.”

“But—”

“Trust me.” His eyes met hers in the dim light. “I’ve got him. Go help my grandfather.”

Noah stirred slightly, then settled against Mac’s shoulder as if it was the most natural thing in the world. Kelsey hesitated for a split second, then grabbed her bag and rushed for the door.

Kelsey burst through the door, listening to Ruth’s rapid-fire report as she assessed Mr. Costigan.

“Onset about an hour ago, nitro didn’t touch it. Oxygen’s helping some, but…”

“Mr. Costigan?” Kelsey knelt beside the recliner where the elderly man sat, his skin ashen, struggling for each breath. She pressed her stethoscope to his chest and was greeted by telltale crackles. “Can you tell me what you’re feeling?”