13. Ethan

"Where didyou come up with this?" Lia stands in the barn gazing at my tractor with a rigged-up sled chained on the back.

I can't help but grin with pride at the contraption and I say, "This is 100% Ethel Bedd."

Gran is beside herself, all bundled in a heap of Baabara sweaters and scarves. She claps her hands. "I got to talking with Diego at the Feed 'n Seed about my own berry patch. He hooked me up with a gal from Coxsackie."

Lia blinks and her mouth forms an adorable oh as she shakes with laughter. "I'm sorry. I forgot we had a nearby town called Coxsackie. Please continue, Gran."

Gran nudges Lia with her elbow. "I got old Cranky Pants here to weave in a few upgrades to make the planting easier." Gran points at me. "Let's go, Ethan! We're burning daylight here."

Gran strides out of the barn toward the intended berry patch, leaving Lia gaping at our tractor toboggan. I beckon for her to climb up into the cab with me and she squeezes inside, her curves pressed against my body as I drive us slowly to the front field, all tilled and ready for the matted root plants I've had warming in the pole barn with Gran's guidance. There's not really room in here for two, and Lia has an arm draped around my shoulders. I can just barely feel the weight of her fingertips through my jacket, and I curse the thick material for doing its job, insulating me.

We reach the field and I shut the engine off, helping Lia down from the cab. She changed after lunch into muck boots and jeans. I smile thinking about how at home she looks out here with me. "The way it works is one of us sits on the sled with the box of plants. One of us drives really slow so the sled-rider can shove the plants in the ground. Whoever rides in the back will scoop the soil on top."

Lia shakes her head, laughing, arms extended. "This is incredible."

"I call back seat." Gran eases into the sled, clapping her hands against her thighs as she leans against the stadium seat I lashed to the sled for her lumbar support. "Lia, you're gonna be stickin' ‘em in."

I can't help the whispered, "that's what she said," that slips from my mouth, but when I see the expansive smile on Lia's face I'm glad I made the lewd joke. I wink at her, knowing I shouldn't but caring less and less about shouldn't as I watch her bend over to pick up the box of strawberry plants.

Lia climbs onto the sled, sitting cross-legged, smiling intently, so I hop back up in the tractor and get started. I move as slowly as I can without stalling the engine and look back over my shoulder. Gran howls and hoots as she flings dirt on top of the seedlings. As I till the rows, Lia deftly settles the plants in the ground, tongue sticking out with concentration.

I stare at that moist, pink berry and want to taste her so bad I nearly run over my sister, who appears out of nowhere at the edge of the berry patch.

"You just get weirder and weirder, brother. What on earth is this?"

I cut the engine and Lia waves from the sled. "Come sit! We're planting the strawberries."

Gran pats the sled in between her and Lia, and my human sister rolls her eyes, laughs, and climbs aboard. They give me a thumbs up and I start moving again.

Soon, we've filled a few furrowed rows and the girls are all laughing and chatting like old friends. I make a slow, wide turn and watch them in my mirror, liking how natural this feels. Even though Lia's only been back a little over a month, it feels like she's part of the fabric of our farm.

Before I can decide what to do about that, Lia groans in pain and I cut the engine again. I stare in horror as she clutches her stomach, face ashen. I leap out of the tractor and rush over to her. By the time I make it back to the sled, she's doubled over in agony, shivering. She starts moaning and shaking and Colleen looks up at me, concerned.

I grab a bottle of water from the back of the tractor and offer it to Lia, who slumps onto her side on the sled, still shaking. "What do I do, Lia? How can I help you?"

She claws at her stomach and slaps away the bottle of water. Gran frowns deeply. "I think she needs to go to the hospital, Ethan."

Colleen nods. "You take her, and I'll call Asher and meet you there."

Lia seems really out of it when I scoop her into my arms and take off for the truck at a jog. I never thought I'd feel grateful to have chosen the closest field for this new endeavor, but now I'm glad we're just a few hundred yards from a safe escape. I get Lia hoisted up into the cab and fly into the driver"s seat. I don't hear a peep from her until she grabs my arm.

"You need to pull over. Immediately." Lia is white as a sheet, and I screech to a halt at the side of the road. Before I can ask what's wrong, she flies out of the truck and into a crop of spring oats. I have a hunch she's losing her soup from the back end, and I look around the truck for something I can take her to clean up. I wish I had something soft to make her comfortable, but all I can find are some fast food napkins.

I gather them up and make my way to the edge of McGovern's field. "Lia, I've got some napkins here. I'm going to set them down for you and turn around to give you privacy."

Her voice is muffled and anguished from the grass. "Thank you. Oh god … Ugh." I hesitate before going back to the truck, worried she might collapse. But soon she appears, walking slowly through the grass, tucking her hair behind her ears.

I hand her another bottle of water and she cleans her hands a bit. I don't wait for her to ask for help as I hoist her back into the truck.

Lia rummages in her bag and pulls out some wipes, dabbing at her face and neck. "How far are we from the hospital?"

I glance at the sign as I turn onto the state road with better paving. "Fifteen minutes if I drive fast." I reach over to squeeze her thigh, hoping to comfort her. Her breath comes fast and shallow, and I speed into the parking lot of Climax General Hospital. Lia immediately hustles into the emergency department, where she beelines for the bathroom.

I pause at the triage desk to explain I brought in a woman with Crohn's disease, and she seems to be in terrible pain. The nurse frowns and clicks around on her computer, glancing up when Lia slumps over the desk. "You got your ID, honey? I can see if you're in our system…"

Lia fumbles, looking for her phone, and I reach into the pocket of her coat for her, procuring her device with a wallet attached to the back. "Here's her license and insurance card." I drape an arm around Lia's shoulders, hoping my internal warmth will ease her shivering.

It doesn't take long for us to get set up in a room with a bag of IV fluids pumping into Lia. She sinks into the bed and closes her eyes and when I reach for her hand, she squeezes it, holding me tight as she falls asleep.