Free Reverie (Hollow Hearts Book 1) by Christina Yother Page A

of the bed opposite Isaac and gently laid the cloth across Elizabeth’s forehead. Hetty noticed she was breathing softly and it didn’t look as if she was in any pain. She appeared to be resting peacefully. Hetty knew Isaac wasn’t going to speak. His eyes said all he needed them to say. She quietly left the room and returned to Lottie, leaving Isaac to care for his mother. 

    “Lottie, would you like to sit with me and read book?” she asked when she noticed the glass and plate were empty.
    The young girl nodded her head. Hetty quickly moved into her room and removed the special book from the top of her dresser. She took Lottie’s hand, walked with her to the sofa, and pulled the child into her lap. She felt Lottie snuggle into the crook of her arm and for a moment she breathed in the innocence of this lovely child and quietly prayed her gratitude for this simple act.
    Hetty ran her hand across the worn cover of the book. It had survived so many years at the orphanage by staying hidden under her bed. This book, full of wonderful tales, was one of the only mementos she still possessed from her parents. Her father purchased the book just before she was born and, despite losing his wife days after her birth, he read to her every night until his death. She was grateful the book remained intact, and she could think of no better person to share it with than Lottie.
    She whispered, “This is the book I used to read as a child. It was my favorite.” Hetty opened the cover and softly began reading the tales of Mother Goose. She read rhymes and stories that elicited several smiles from Lottie. As she continued to read she noticed Lottie had closed her eyes and fallen asleep. Hetty carefully closed the book and set it on the small table next to the sofa. She began gently stroking Lottie’s blond curls and felt the child relax even more. I know how she feels , Hetty thought. Sometimes all you want in the world is your mother and it is always the one thing you cannot have. She knew what life was like to grow up without the guidance and gentle love only a mother could give. Lottie was lucky, of course. She did have a wonderful, if not typical, family who cherished her. But missing one’s mother? That never goes away.
    Just as she began to doze off with Lottie still tucked in her lap, the door burst open. Elias walked in with Doc Winters hurrying behind him. He looked at Hetty, mouthed a simple thank you , and headed upstairs. Hetty shifted and laid Lottie down on the sofa. She lifted an old quilt from the corner and wrapped it around the girl who still slept soundly and made her way upstairs to see how she could help.
    Hetty entered the crowded room and immediately noticed that Elizabeth was awake. Isaac and Elias stood off to the side as Doc Winters began his exam. He listened to her heart, checked her reflexes, and asked several questions about how Elizabeth had been feeling recently. Hetty moved to stand beside the brothers, not wanting to be an intrusion on the process. She listened as Elizabeth answered each of the doctor’s questions, surprised to learn that she had been feeling faint for several days leading up to Hetty’s arrival.
    “Why didn’t you tell anyone you weren’t feeling well, Elizabeth?” Doc Winters asked.
    “Doc, you know my boys. They worry too much over me already. I wasn’t going to ask any more of them than I already do. Plus, I knew Hetty would be coming to help. So I figured I’d be fine until she got here and I could rest,” Elizabeth said, giving the much older man that motherly stare few could resist.
    “Well, I have some concerns about your heart, Elizabeth,” Doc said. He went on to explain that he felt her heart was getting weaker and that he wasn’t sure if rest would do much good. There was a new medicine he wanted to try, but it was expensive and he’d have to have it sent from New York. “It might help with some of the weakness and tiredness you’re feeling, but it is