Heart's Cry

by Rita Peterson

  “What was her occupation?”

  “Paralegal.”

  ~

  Clyde reached for more wood with his free hand and tossed it on the fire. “Do you have any other family in Seattle?”

  “Unfortunately, no. All my family on my mom’s side still live in New Zealand. My mom immigrated on her own to the United States when she was eighteen. I was born in Seattle. As for my dad’s family, I don’t know much about them.” She pulled her stick away from the open flames so her marshmallow wouldn’t burn.

  Clyde wrapped his free arm around Lily Ann’s shoulder. “I know how you feel. My dad’s family is large and scattered all over the US. I’ve hardly met any of them. As for my mom’s side, I’ve met a few uncles and aunts, but most are abroad somewhere. Both sets of grandparents have passed away.” He threw a couple more pieces of wood on the fire. “Like you, my parents were my best friends.”

  “For me the hospital staff and patients became my family.”

  “Yeah, same here. The military is one large extended family. When I left—” Clyde’s mind flooded back with flashbacks of his brothers and sisters critically injured, begging for him to save them. He pushed back the painful memories. “And now I have my extended family at the hospital, many of whom I’ve worked with for over ten years.”

  “Are you okay?”

  “Yeah, you never lose the haunting images of war.”

  “Oh, Clyde—” She reached over to hug him.

  “I’m fine. You have any siblings?” He blew on his smoking marshmallow.

  “None, unfortunately.”

  “Me neither.”

  Clyde moved in quick to catch her willow stick from falling into the flames, “You’re going to have an extra-crispy charcoal-flavored marshmallow that way,” he teased.

  “What was that?” Lily Ann pointed to a fuzzy brown critter with a fluffy tail. “It’s so cute.”

  Clyde was shocked. “That’s a squirrel. Haven’t you seen squirrels before?”

  “In books, but I didn’t get out much as a kid or an adult. My life was spent studying, and well…I live and breathe work.”

  Clyde realized how much Lily Ann needed this outing. “Maybe you should share your marshmallow with it?”

  “No way. It’s all mine,” she smirked.

  “There are plenty of squirrels around here that would love a sticky treat.” Clyde stuffed another golden roasted marshmallow in his mouth.

  “Maybe I can share a little bit of mine.” She tore a piece off and threw it at the squirrel. “Look at him. The marshmallow is stuck to his hands.”

  “See, you made his day.” Clyde witnessed her face light up as she watched the squirrel nibble at the gooey marshmallow.

  “Nature is so peaceful. I understand now why you would come here to clear your head.”

  Clyde nodded and removed his marshmallow from the fire. “In about thirty minutes, we should head back. Otherwise it will be dark before we return. How about supper at my place tonight?”

  “Sounds lovely.”

  Clyde removed Lily Ann’s marshmallow from her stick and shoved it in her mouth. He enjoyed watching her laugh and cover her lips, trying hard to hide the sticky mess around her face. He leaned into her and kissed her marshmallow cheek. “You are the best thing that has happened to me.”

  ~

  Lily Ann saw the cabin ahead and couldn’t wait for a hearty meal to satisfy her growling stomach. As the musher team came to a halt, she enjoyed observing Clyde and Henry load the team into the back of Henry’s truck. The men worked in unison, reminding her of times she and her mother painted together.

  Clyde tossed his winter boots and hung his camouflage jacket on the brass hook. He picked up Lily Ann’s winter gear and did the same. “Relax in the kitchen while I reheat our hot chocolate. Maybe this time we can drink it together.” He made his way to the fireplace and began crumbling pieces of flyer paper into the woodstove. He added some split kindling out of a bin and lit the fire.

  Four laid on his dog mat with his tongue hanging out. He tilted his head and licked his droopy lips. Clyde knelt down with a bowl of raw meat and cooked veggies. “That a boy. You deserve such a meal.”

  Lily Ann reached for her cell phone on the kitchen table, which was blinking blue. She swiped the home screen to discover she missed eight text messages. Her finger hit the message icon, and in horror, she realized all the messages were from Mindy. A surge of anger flooded through her veins. Her hand gripped the cell phone, and the room spun out of control around her. Clyde became a blur as she lost her balance.

  ~

  Clyde entered the kitchen to reheat the hot chocolate and place the salmon in the oven when he noticed Lily Ann’s state. “Lily Ann!” He dashed toward her in time to catch her from falling off her chair. He cradled her limp body and laid her down on the couch, elevating her legs on the couch’s armrest. Clyde felt her forehead. Normal temperature. He reached for a fleece blanket that was draped over the couch and covered her motionless body.

  Clyde touched her wrist and measured her heart rate, then stroked her head, softly repeating her name. Within a few minutes, she moaned.

  Lily Ann lifted her hand to cover her eyes from the bright light. “What happened?”

  “Good question. One minute you were checking your cell. The next minute I raced from the stove to catch you before you landed on the floor.” Clyde held Lily Ann’s hand. “You passed out. Have you ever done that before?”

  “No.” She tried to sit up. “Maybe my blood-sugar level dropped all of a sudden when it mixed with the awful text messages.”

  “We had a lot of sugar today, not at all the best. I do have a wholesome meal that needs to go into the oven.” Clyde slowly pulled Lily Ann into a sitting position. “What awful text messages did you receive to cause you such anxiety?” He sat on the couch beside her and stroked Lily Ann’s back as she leaned forward with her head on her hands.

  “Boy, you must think I’m a piece of work. My life is so messed up.”

  “Take it easy. Don’t forget that everything can be resolved. And if you need help to straighten something out, I’m here for you.”

  Lily Ann tilted her head and stared at Clyde. “How do you remain so calm? Nothing seems to faze you.”

  “I’ll answer you in a moment. Let me first slip the salmon and veggies in the oven.” Clyde made his way to the kitchen and quickly drizzled olive oil and fresh lemon juice over the fish. He placed it into a deep pan and surrounded the salmon with fresh green beans. From the spice cabinet, he reached for some dried tarragon leaves, crushed the leaves over the beans, and sprinkled some salt and pepper on top. “In the oven you go.” He opened the oven door and slid the pan in. Clyde poured water into two glasses. He grabbed a box of crackers and sliced cheese to help stabilize Lily Ann’s blood sugar. “Here, this may help.”

  Lily Ann sipped and smiled. She leaned back into the couch munching on a cracker.

  “Now to answer your question.” He sat next to her and gulped down his water. “I stay calm because the military has drilled that behavior in my head. And on top of that, there is my faith.”

  Lily Ann placed her cup on the coffee table. “I hear you speak of God off and on. My parents never really believed in anything, so I haven’t put much thought into it.”

  “I understand.” Clyde paused and thought about how he should proceed. “Listen, Lil. You’re under a lot of stress. Something is going on.”

  She shook her head and sighed. “Well, you should know the whole story why I transferred here in the first place.” Lily Ann felt much better with more food and water in her body. “To make a long story short, as I really don’t want to be talking about this all night, there is a woman by the name of Mindy. She runs the hospitals in Seattle. But unlike Jared who is kind and sympathetic, Mindy is controlling, manipulative, and downright mean.” Lily Ann’s face tightened at the name.

  “So these texts. They are from Mindy?” Clyde could see Lily Ann’s tension
increase. He reached for her hand and began to rub her fingers.

  “Yes.” She took a deep breath. “Mindy wants me back in Seattle immediately. She’s furious that I made the news with the Kangaroo Babies-n-Teens program and she despises me for performing the surgery on Zara.”

  “That doesn’t make sense.”

  “I know. In Seattle, she wanted me gone because I was heading up a research project working with addicts and their babies. The project made headline news and my name was mentioned instead of Mindy’s. She is jealous of me because she expects every discovery or breakthrough to go under her name.”

  “Really?”

  “Yes. Mindy told me she would file a lawsuit against me if I didn’t take a transfer to Alaska. She told me I needed to spend less time being a doctor and more time away from the hospital.” Lily Ann shook her head. “Basically, she wanted me gone. And because she has the power to terminate my license, I took the transfer.”

  “I see.”

  “I didn’t want to come here at all. I left behind my one and only friend, my mom. I’ve lived my entire life in Seattle. Now I met you and I don’t want to go back. But I miss her—”

  “Let me see the text messages.” Clyde stretched over the couch and managed to reach her cell with his fingertips. He passed the cell to Lily Ann.

  Lily Ann opened Mindy’s text messages. “Here they are.”

  Clyde silently read them. “She is the devil.” He placed her cell down on the coffee table and embraced Lily Ann. “This is awful. She’s verbally threatening and abusing you. Mindy needs to be reported.”

  “I tried that years ago.”

  “Well, you let me handle this. I will take it to the necessary authorities. Don’t answer her anymore. You don’t have to worry about a thing. I will make sure she stops ruling your life.” Clyde felt her head rest on his shoulders. “I’m here for you, Lil. Let’s forget Mindy and continue on with our evening. The salmon smells ready.”

  Lily Ann lifted her head.

  Clyde wiped away a tear trickling down her face. “God had this all planned out. The past events that you and I endured have brought both of us together. He has a plan for us; we need to let it unfold.”

  Lily Ann tucked her hair behind her ears. “If God has something to do with us coming together, then maybe I should pay more attention to Him.”

  “He has everything to do with us. I’ll tell you more over supper.” Clyde stood and pulled Lily Ann gently off the couch. “Tomorrow, why don’t we set up a couple of GoPros and send a video to your mom of us dogsledding? I can pick you up at ten in the morning and we can drive to my dad’s place and race the dogs.”

  “Oh, she would love that. My mom wants nothing more than to meet you.”

  Chapter 8

  Lily Ann removed her winter jacket in exchange for the jacket Clyde had borrowed from Henry. “You must use these GoPros a lot to have jackets modified to hold them?” She tried to adjust the oversized jacket the best she could.

  “Yeah, my dad and I use the action camera all the time. He uses them on his races and records some cool footage. A few years ago, he had these two jackets custom-made to house a GoPro in the top left insulated breast pocket. That way the cameras wouldn’t freeze up as quickly.” Clyde slipped his GoPro into his jacket pocket.

  “Please thank your dad for letting me use his jacket and camera.” She slid the GoPro into the breast pocket of her jacket. “So why don’t we wait till we arrive at your dad’s place to put the jackets on and set up the cameras?” She turned down the heat in the truck.

  “I figured we should stop at Safeway first and record us shopping together for the fun of it. That way we can make a video of us doing something normal and then swing the footage to something crazy fun, dogsledding.” Clyde pulled out of Miss Patty’s driveway and headed towards Safeway. “I checked the weather forecast and they are predicting a storm to roll in by this evening. Safeway will be a quick stop and then we need to hurry out to my dad’s place.”

  “This must be some storm coming in?”

  “Yeah, a storm like they’re predicting will shut down roads and bring the city to a standstill. You won’t even see past your mitt.”

  “Really?”

  “Yes, really. I hope Jared is ready for all the emergencies that will be coming in. I told him my pager is in the snowbank.” Clyde pulled into Safeway’s parking lot, “Look at that. A parking stall open for us near the entrance.” He parked his pickup and stared out the window. “Look at those clouds. My gut says the storm will be here soon.”

  “Maybe but look over there. The sun is out. Nothing in the sky says a big storm. I just want to have some fun today. No heart-to-heart chats, no crying; just loads of fun.” She hopped out of the truck and turned on her GoPro.

  “Let’s.” Clyde swallowed hard and scrutinized the sky. He fiddled with his GoPro while mumbling to himself. “The sky is changing—”

  “What did you say?”

  “I’m concerned about the weather.” Clyde zipped his pocket shut. “We have about two hours or a little less on the battery. I have extra-charged batteries in the truck. We should be fine here since we’re only going to be about twenty minutes.” He turned on his GoPro and decided to forget the weather and have fun. “Is your GoPro on, Lil?”

  “Yup.”

  He gazed at Lily Ann. “Lynne, your daughter is the most amazing woman around and I’m madly in love with her.”

  Lily Ann blushed. “Mom, meet Clyde, the handsome doctor who has swept me off my feet.” She giggled. “I miss you so much. This video is for you.”

  Clyde held Lily Ann’s hand as they entered Safeway. “My Lil, what’s your favorite fruit?”

  It was almost impossible to keep a straight face with Clyde acting like this. “Kiwi.” Lily Ann turned to film Clyde choosing the best kiwi to buy. “And what’s your favorite fruit, handsome?”

  “Oranges, hands down.” He reached for two and placed them in a shopping basket. “Okay, let’s head to the other side of the store and you can pick out your favorite cheese.”

  “Smoked cheddar, any day.” Lily Ann thought Clyde had lost his mind. What was he up to?

  “Mine is Havarti.” Clyde passed the shopping basket to Lily Ann. “I forgot the peanut butter. Wait here and pick out your favorite yogurt. I’ll be back in a flash.”

  “Clyde, what is all this?”

  “A surprise. Pick out the yogurt.” Clyde dashed away.

  Lily Ann stood in front of a large selection. Blueberry? No, vanilla. There are so many yummy kinds. She grabbed Peach Passion Delight from the cooler.

  Bang.

  Lily Ann tossed her shopping basket to the floor and instantly crouched, grasping the cooler side rails for support.

  Bang.

  She gasped. Her heart pounded out of control. Shrill screaming came from the other end of the store.

  Bang.

  Fear flooded Lily Ann’s clammy body. Clyde, where are you?

  Sudden chaos emerged from every aisle. Shoppers darted this way and that. A few shoppers shrieked for a doctor. Lily Ann pulled herself together and sprang up. Her adrenalin kicked into high gear. She dashed across the store towards the fruit and vegetable stands. “I’m a doctor.”

  Lily Ann was not prepared for what she saw. She froze. Her jaw dropped. Clyde was twisting a husky man’s arm to release the rifle he held. The weapon slid under the onion stand. The gun man suddenly spun toward Clyde, flipping him to the floor. But Clyde sprang up and slammed the gunman’s head into a display of sweet potatoes. Clyde crushed the man’s skull to the floor again and again.

  Lily Ann bounced back to reality with more urgent screams for a doctor. She glanced outside through the entrance automatic doors and saw nothing but white. Her body did a one-hundred-eighty and darted to a circle of shoppers kneeling on the floor. She shoved her way through the crowd yelling, “I’m a doctor. Give me room.” Lily Ann fell to her knees over a young woman shot in the chest. Fatal wounds.

&
nbsp; “Miss, my name is Dr. Lily Ann MacBride, I’m here to help you.” She immediately tore off her jacket, slipped off her sweater, and placed it on the victim’s chest with steady compression to control the bleeding. “Everyone, calm down and listen.”

  The shoppers and employees froze around her.

  “Has 9-1-1 been called?”

  Many terrified voices responded, “Yes.”

  “Where are they? Where on earth are the paramedics?” She didn’t wait for an answer when she realized the young woman was pregnant.

  Clyde hollered at Lily Ann, “I’m here to help.” He removed his blood-sprayed jacket.

  “She’s been shot three times, pregnant,” she said over her shoulder. “Miss, stay with me.”

  The woman wheezed and coughed up blood. “Save…baby.”

  “How many weeks along?”

  “Thirty-seven.”

  “Medical issues?”

  The woman gripped Lily Ann’s arm. “I’m dying,” she gasped for air. “Baby’s yours.”

  Lily Ann’s eyes opened wide, “But—”

  “Baby…needs mom…please.”

  “Oh my goodness, yes.” Lily Ann placed more pressure on her wound.

  “Take…cell.” The victim spat up more blood. “In…pocket.”

  “Got it.”

  The pregnant woman’s bleeding increased. “There’s a letter…Facebook.”

  “Who did this?”

  “Share it…with my—” The woman fell silent.

  Clyde checked for a pulse. None.

  Lily Ann shouted at the top of her lungs, “Where’s the ambulance?”

  Clyde touched Lily Ann’s shoulder, “The storm.”

  One of the bystanders yelled, “I’m on the phone with 9-1-1 and they say all ambulances and emergency crews are stuck in traffic.”

  “What the heck?” Lily Ann spurred herself into lifesaving action.

  Clyde’s eyes darted around. “Everyone with shawls and sweaters or anything like that, we need them. We’re going to perform a C-section to save the baby.” He reached into his pant pocket and pulled out a pocketknife. “Here, Lily Ann, you can do this.”