“It is morning,” Jin replied. “I have something to show you.”
“Now?”
“Fuck! The picture’s on my phone and I lost that,” Jin replied. He hadn’t thought straight since waking up in the woods hours ago. Jin heard a rustling sound, creaking and then a flicking noise come from the phone.
“Are you smoking?” Jin asked as he patted the damp washcloth on his face.
“No,” Burke replied, followed by a cough he tried to muffle.
“Anyway,” Jin replied, knowing Burke was lying about smoking in his motel room which was non-smoking. “I found evidence that the fungus is still on Oakwood Island. And it’s worse than I thought.”
“We’ll have to bring that to a lab to run tests.”
“Actually, I didn’t get physical samples. I wanted to but something weird happened and I kinda ran for my life.”
“Look, maybe it’s just really late and I’m really very tired as I don’t sleep well anymore but… did I just hear you say you had to run for your life?”
“Yes, it’s a long story that you probably wouldn’t believe anyways. But the things I saw, you need to see it yourself to believe it.” Jin replied.
“Well, honestly, the only way to have anyone take us seriously is to get samples to Randolf so we can confirm your theories, so we know what we’re dealing with here.”
“Look, about that,” Jin said. “I’m not so sure I want to do that anymore. Not after seeing what I’ve seen.” Removing the washcloth, Jin swung his legs out and sat on the side of the bed. He squinted at the television cable box to read the time as he tried to focus. His eyes still stung but not as much as before which pleased Jin. He didn’t have time to deal with that as there were more pressing matters at hand.
“I’m too tired to ask, but why the fuck not?” Burke replied. Jin could hear the frustration in his voice rising.
“I’ve always had a feeling this was something the government big wigs would love to get their hands on. Make a weapon out of it. But I wasn’t too worried about that until today,” Jin replied. “You didn’t see what I saw.”
“No, I didn’t,” Burke replied with a sigh. “But without evidence, how am I supposed to convince people that this case isn’t over. That the deaths of a lot of the people are still open cases while they look for killers that might not actually exist. I want answers and if this mould shit of yours gets me the edge that I need…” Burke said before Jin cut him off.
“Look. Nobody… and I mean nobody wants to study this more than I do. It’s my life’s work. But I made a promise to myself long ago that if I ever thought this could be turned into some sort of weapon by power hungry people…”
“Let’s resume this conversation in the morning,” Burke said, sounding more tired than when he answered the call.
“Fine,” Jin replied. “Get some sleep.”
“You too,” Burke said with exasperation.
Jin didn’t bother explaining that he had already had a long nap that day. In the woods. He had no idea why he had passed out. But now he had an idea of what had to be done. He simply couldn’t let this flourish. He had a lot of evidence in the files already. He could always collect a few biological samples before he did what he now felt had to be done. He would safely store them away for his own research later on. Nobody needed to know about those. He could study them before letting anyone know about them. It would be better that way, he thought.
“You remember Jin?” Burke asked Shelley as he took a seat at the counter at the Old Mill Restaurant which was starting to fill with the daily regular lunch crowd.
“The plant guy who worked with Danny Nolan?” Shelley asked.
“Yes, the plant guy I had pie with,” Burke added, reaching into his pocket for his cigarettes before remembering that he wouldn’t be able to smoke in the restaurant.
Shelley passed a paper order to the cook before grabbing a cup and coffee pot for Burke. She set the cup down and filled it quickly, spilling a bit of coffee in the process. Shelley was ramping up to lunch rush mode as she grabbed a cloth tucked into her apron and wiped up the spill. She folded the cloth, using a clean section she continued wiping the counter, putting a little extra effort on that stain that would never come out, yet she’d try every time she saw it.
“What about him?” Shelley inquired.
“I was supposed to have breakfast with him this morning,” Burke replied as he sipped hot coffee. “I overslept,” he added. “It’s past eleven and he’s not at the motel.”
“Well he hasn’t been in here today,” Shelley replied with a sharp tone. “You need a menu?” she asked.
“I’ll have the usual,” Burke replied, who meant his everyday order of two eggs, bacon, pan fries and toasts.
“Breakfast special ended at eleven. You sure? It’ll cost extra.”
“Sure, why not,” Burke replied as he drank the rest of his coffee and held up the empty mug to signal Shelley. “And if you do see Jin, tell him to call me.”
“I’ll make you a deal,” Shelley replied as she handed Burke’s order to the cook. “I’ll tell Jin to call you, if you tell Grady to call me… if you see him. Jerk just up and walked out on me about a half hour before you got here.”
“He quit?” Burke inquired.
“He didn’t say a word. Just walked out the front door and kept going.”
“Told you he was an idiot,” Burke replied with a sly grin.
“Well if it makes you feel any better, he didn’t look so good when he came in this morning and he looked even worse when he left.”
“Why would that make me feel better?” Burke asked as he watched Shelley grab a few plates of food and head off in the direction of a table where an elderly couple sat together. The old man seemed to say something to the old woman and then spoke to Shelley as she laid the food before them. Burke noticed the old man kept glancing in his direction.
“I love small towns,” Burke muttered as he reached for his cigarettes again but decided he would wait until after the meal.
Chapter 16
Who Died?
“Hey there,” Miriam said as she greeted her husband in the almost empty waiting room of the Oakwood Island Hospital. He sat in a chair with Patrick sitting at his side, feeling his way through a Braille children’s book. Lily sat two chairs away from Patrick, having a staring contest with one of her partially dismembered Barbie dolls. The naked doll was missing one arm, one leg and part of its hair.
Miriam, in full nurses’ uniform, glanced at Peggy Martin who sat with a wet towel covering her face and an older woman sleeping in a wheel chair in the corner of the otherwise empty room. When she was confident that no one was watching, she leaned in, kissing the still seated Scott on the lips.
As if he could read his wife’s mind, Scott told her exactly what she wanted to know, “The boys are at daycare for a bit while the rest of us take care of a few things.” Scott was referring to the four other children that were not present. “Bradley saw the doc. He says the drops seem to be working but if his eyes are not better in a couple days that he will get him to see a specialist. Samantha’s with the doc now. I think it’s getting infected,” Scott added, referring to the porcupine quill injuries Samantha had gotten while protecting the children.
A nurse walked in and spoke in a soft voice to Peggy Martin, who removed the towel, got up and followed her out of the waiting room.
“She’s an amazing kid, that one,” Miriam said to Scott. “I’m so glad you insisted on taking her in,” she added, referring to when Samantha was seven and very troubled.
“I spent my childhood in that orphanage, around kids like her.” Scott left out the part where Samantha reminded him of his fellow orphan and friend Maggie. “I knew she was smart and also recognized her need for love and stability,” Scott said as if it was nothing special.
Miriam smiled at Sco
tt as she spoke, walking backwards as she did. “I’ll call you later to see how everything went.” She spun around, walked away with quick steps, needing to get back to her duties.
Scott smiled to himself as he watched the woman he loved, even more than his foster children, walk away to get back to her job of helping people. He turned his attention to little Patrick who hid behind his large sunglasses while feeling his way through his book. Scott turned and saw that the chair where Lily had sat was now empty. She wasn’t there. Scott’s heart sunk and panic set in when he glanced about the room and didn’t see her.
“Lily?” he said aloud as he stood and looked to see if she was behind chairs and simply out of sight.
“Come,” he said to Patrick as he scooped up the boy and walked out of the waiting room. He glanced up and down the hallway, watching an old man being wheeled into a room by a bearded, male nurse.
“Lily!” he said in firm yet hushed tone. Down the hall, he saw something that looked familiar on the floor. He walked briskly towards it, still carrying little Patrick in the process. Standing over what he confirmed to be a plastic Barbie doll leg, he knew the little girl had been through here. A feeling of panic rose as Patrick struggled in his arms.
“Down,” Patrick said.
Scott, in his state of growing panic was about to deny the boy’s request until he remembered the bond between the twins. If Patrick wasn’t panicked, Lily was probably fine. It was a crazy idea but it was also tested and true so he would need to trust the boy. But the question is, where the hell is she, he thought?
Patrick searched and found Scott’s hand, grasping it in his.
“There,” the blind little boy said pointing to the elevator as he began walking towards it with his head cocked to the side as if in concentration, as if listening.
A helpless feeling washed over Scott as he followed, letting the boy lead him. Scott wondered if the boy knew what he was leading him towards.
“The elevator?” Scott asked. He couldn’t help but wonder how the blind boy would know this. The bond between these special twins had always been a little abnormal, and sometimes it scared Scott, something he had never told a soul, not even his wife. He was about to scoop up the boy when he paused. Patrick extended his hand and stepped forward until he touched the wall. He felt for the edge of the elevator door, ran his hand up and down, side to side until he found the button and pressed it. Scott stood there befuddled, unsure what to say or do.
When the elevator doors opened, Scott heard the soft muzak inside. The Girl From Ipanema played softly as Patrick pointed inside.
Was it the music? Did Patrick hear the music from the waiting room, wondered Scott, as he stepped inside the elevator with Patrick.
“Two,” Patrick said confidently.
“Are you sure?” Scott asked. The music he could understand as the boy had incredible hearing. But how would Patrick know which floor, Scott wondered as anxiety bubbled inside him.
“Two,” Patrick repeated as he stood waiting, as calm as could be.
Scott reluctantly pressed two and watched as the doors to the elevator closed and the soft muzak played on. The second floor is the Daye Psychiatric Ward, thought Scott. When the doors opened, Scott felt a momentary relief as he saw the plastic arm of a Barbie doll on the floor up the hall. He scooped up Patrick and briskly walked to it. Confounded, he looked about before looking at Patrick who had guided him this far; a feeling of helplessness coming over him as he wondered which way. He stepped forward but stopped as suddenly as he had started. Which way? He walked up the hall and paused at the bend, glancing back the way he’d come, just in case. Down the hall, he saw what he now realized he knew he would see. A lock of hair from the Barbie doll lay on the floor, the trail the little girl had left them. Was it intentional? It was just like the time she had hid in the pantry. A similar trail had led Scott to her then as well. He wondered about this as he marched forward with Patrick still in his arms.
“Lily!” he said softly but firmly.
Patrick cocked his head to the side like he did when listening intensely, he pointed toward a bend in the hallway. Scott looked at the blind boy, wondering if he heard her. He walked to the end of the hall, rounded the bend and saw a confused looking Samantha standing behind Lily. Samantha glanced back at Scott as a tear rolled down her cheek.
“Mommy,” Lily said pointing at the door before her. “Mommy’s dead.”
A visibly shaken Samantha stepped backwards, as if to get away from the little girl.
Scott marched down the hall, handed Patrick to Samantha and pushed open the door before them.
“Miriam?” Scott blurted.
In the room, he saw a disheveled woman with matted brown hair in a hospital gown bound to a bed by restraints often used with difficult patients. She had multiple I.V. lines in her arms. The room was bare of anything, but the necessities required. A simple night table next to the bed contained a box of tissues and a glass of iced water. From his vantage point, Scott could see the bathroom door ajar and the room empty. The only one in the room was the woman in the bed. Scott stepped closer to see the woman’s chest wasn’t moving. She isn’t breathing, thought Scott. He looked back at Lily who stared at the patient in the bed who had a stone blank expression. Scott rushed past Samantha who was brushing away her tears with a bandaged arm as she cradled Patrick, hugging him closely. Scott rushed down the hall and stopped a nurse as she walked past.
“I think she’s dead,” Scott blurted, taking the nurse by surprise.
“Who?” the nurse asked.
“There,” he pointed. “In there,” he added as he led her to the room down the hall.
Samantha took Lily by the hand and gently pulled her away from the doorway, letting the nurse enter the room.
“Mommy’s dead,” Lily repeated to anyone who would listen.
“She’s ok,” Miriam said as she pulled down her pants and sat on the toilet of the public bathroom, her cell phone clutched to her ear.
“I know,” Scott replied as he spoke on his old cell phone. He glanced down the hospital lobby watching Samantha and Bradley who were taking the twins out the front entrance. “But it scared the shit out of me.”
“She’s fine,” Miriam repeated in an effort to calm her husband down. “And to answer your question, the woman who died, that was Norah Jenkins. She used to be a nurse here are the hospital until she lost her mind.”
“So…” Scott started.
“So yes, she was Lily and Patrick’s mother.”
“How would…” Scott began.
“I don’t know. Maybe she overheard someone say something,” Miriam said, referring to Lily knowing that Norah was her birth mother.
“Are you sure?”
“Yes,” Miriam replied. “I don’t need adoption records to confirm it either,” Miriam added as she stood, pulled up her pants, flushed and exited the stall. “She used to work here. And she had her twins here.” Miriam eyed herself in the mirror as she continued speaking to Scott.
“At first, they thought she was having twin girls, but it was discovered that the initial ultrasound had been done with a faulty machine, and so it was not accurate at all. Even Norah thought she was going to have two girls until she gave birth. It was quite a surprise, apparently.”
Miriam heard Scott sigh on the other end of the line. She wouldn’t mention how it annoyed her when he did this, but she quickly brought the focus back on topic.
“Plus with Patrick’s condition, people talk.”
“If it’s such public knowledge, why didn’t I know who Norah Jenkins was?” Scott asked with a sharp tone in his voice.
“I’m sure the orphanage wanted it kept quiet and it was at first, but Patrick being born like he was, it was sure to get someone’s attention at some point,” Miriam said, referring to some of the articles and television coverage that had come and gone.
“That’s certainly true,” Scott replied as he remembered the reporter who begged him to call when the kids started school so he could do a follow up story on Patrick, the boy with no eyes.
“And just so you know, I wasn’t sure the rumors were true which is why I never said anything about it.”
“You should have told me,” Scott replied. “If you knew.”
“I didn’t want it to change the way you looked at them. If you knew their mother was in the psych ward, you might have over thought their eccentricities.”
“I wouldn’t have,” replied Scott who later would think that he answered that too quickly. Perhaps knowing might have made him question some of their strange behaviors. He wouldn’t admit it, but he knew his wife was right for not telling him.
“Anyway, we’ll talk later,” Scott said. “The kids are waiting for me outside.”
“Love you,” Miriam said as she heard the phone go dead. It wasn’t like Scott to end a call without telling her he loved her, thought Miriam. Lily wandering off like that must have really bothered him. Or maybe it was him thinking she had died. Or perhaps it was not knowing about Norah Jenkins. Small communities have many rumor hubs; sometimes coffee shops or restaurants where people gather, sometimes a local pub or bar. Other times the hub can be a workplace like a hospital, which employed a lot of island residents. And you didn’t always know if the rumors were true either.
She pocketed the phone and washed her hands as her mind spun in multiple directions. Yes, she had heard the rumor long ago that Norah was their mother. She had also heard that Patrick and Lily were the results of experiments in genetic manipulations. Another one was that they were twin embryos from a lab that were placed in different mothers to be conceived. There were too many crazy stories of the boy born with no eyes and his twin sister who many said was born with no vocal cords since they had never heard her speak. This she knew wasn’t true even if the little girl was very quiet; there was nothing physically wrong with her. People in small communities talked so what part could one believe for sure, pondered Miriam as she went back to work.
The Awakening Page 13