The Prodigy Slave, Book Three: The Ultimate Grand Finale (Revised Edition 2020)

by Londyn Skye

  Both ladies looked at one another and then looked at James again. “No sa’, I’m sorry. We ain’t seen nobody like that ’round here,” one of the nurses replied.

  James felt his heart sink. He nodded his head. “Thank you anyway.” He picked up his jacket and headed out the door.

  “Mista’,” James suddenly heard from behind him just as he stepped out onto the dirt path. He stopped and turned around to find a tall, thin, fair-skinned Negro woman with light brown hair and eyes standing there. She looked like she could have been Lily’s older sister in some ways. She was standing in the doorway of the hospital, staring at James. She nervously glanced behind her before speaking again. “Did you say your name was James?”

  “I did.”

  “Come with me.” The woman led him to a tiny little cottage not too far from the hospital. Once he was inside, she peeked her head outside to be sure that nobody saw them enter before she closed and locked the door. She then turned around and looked at James. “I’m Ava.”

  James nodded. “Nice to meet you, ma’am.”

  “Forgive my two nurses for bein’ unwillin’ to tell you anything in there. We’re a part of the unda’ground railroad system. I’ve trained ’em not to whispa’ a word to any outsida’s about anyone, no matta’ how trustworthy they may seem. Actually, unda’ normal circumstances, I wouldn’t tell some strange white man anything eitha’. But I’m confident that I can trust you.”

  “Why the immediate confidence?” James asked.

  “Your last name is Adams, isn’t it?”

  “Yes ma’am. How did you know that?”

  “C’mon and have a seat.” Ava led him to a tiny kitchen table. He sat down while she poured herself a cup of coffee. “Would you like a cup?” she offered.

  James nodded. “Thank you.”

  Ava walked over with both of their cups and sat down across from him. “I heard you mention a doctor named Gideon.”

  James’s heart started to pick up pace. “Yes, do you know him?”

  Ava nodded. “I met him years ago on a mission trip. We got to be decent friends. You’re right. I did get supplies from him sometimes like you mentioned. Ova’ the years, he’d bring me medications, equipment, or anything else he could spare that he felt my little hospital could use. He’d write me once or twice a year and let me know when we could meet. We always chatted while exchangin’ goods. I still rememba’ the year he came up here and told me that he’d finally had a son … little Brandon,” Ava smiled. “He was so thrilled. He just went on and on about him. I’s so happy for ’em. He deserved it. He’d always been such a kind and carin’ man. I rememba’ thinkin’ his son was lucky to have a fatha’ like him. I assume that’s the Gideon you’re speakin’ of, right?”

  “That’s definitely him. If you’ve pulled me aside like this then I can only assume Gideon was here back in April,” James stated.

  Ava nodded, looking down at her coffee cup. She sighed. “He’s still here.”

  James perked up. “Where?!”

  Ava finally looked up at him. “The cemetery.”

  The revelation sent a shockwave racing down James’s spine and his heart plummeted into the pit of his stomach. “God no,” he whispered, lowering his head.

  “Gideon indeed rolled in here back in April in a panic. He ’bout near scared the life outta me and my nurses. His right arm was covered in blood. Come to find out, he had a bullet wound in his shoulda’. He was weak and pale as a ghost when we helped him down outta his wagon. I can tell he tried to treat his wound on his own. It was already stitched, but it was red, swollen, and badly infected by the time he got here.”

  “Did he say who shot ’em?”

  “No. I neva’ could get a clear answa’ from him. He just kept on mumblin’, ‘I tried, but they weren’t there. You gotta help ’er.’ Ova’ and ova’ again, that’s all he kept sayin’. I neva’ figured out who they were.”

  James quickly concluded that “they” had to have been Harrison and Samuel, Lily’s security bandit. As dedicated to Lily as Samuel was, James knew he would never abandon his post intentionally. That fact left him convinced that there was a major mishap at the trade-off spot. “Gideon didn’t mention why or where he was shot eitha’?”

  “No. Not a thing about it. The way Gideon was ramblin’ and mumblin’, I thought maybe he was hallucinatin’ anyway. He was in such bad shape, I’s more concerned about helpin’ him than bombardin’ him with questions. But no matta’ how I tried to tend to his needs, he just kept on insistin’ that we needed to help her. ‘Where is she?’ I finally asked ’em. ‘In the wagon,’ I heard ’em slur. I went outside, looked in the back of his wagon, and sho’nuff, I found some poor girl lyin’ back there.” Ava shook her head. “I nearly broke out in tears when I saw her battered body.” Ava looked up and saw the anguish on James’s face. “That’s who you’re here lookin’ for, right?”

  James nodded and swallowed hard, petrified to ask his next question. “Wh-what happened to them afta’ that?”

  “Ironically, the day Gideon came here, I’s hostin’ a small dinna’ to thank all ‘a the volunteers for helpin’ to keep this place up and runnin’. Afta’ I had Gideon stable, I went and fixed him a plate too, hopin’ he’d eat. Before I handed him the food, I sat on the bed next to ’em, wantin’ to say thank you to him for everything he’d eva’ done to help my little clinic ova’ the years. I tried to wake him, but he didn’t move. Just that quick, he was already gone. Infection had already made its way into his bloodstream. He died ‘a sepsis.” Ava became slightly emotional. “My good friend died right there in front ‘a me.” She exhaled to ward off her tears. “I went outside the next mornin’ searchin’ through his wagon to see if I could find an address for his next ‘a kin. I opened up a satchel and pulled out a tiny shoebox. I opened it up and my heart ’bout near jumped outta my chest. It startled me so bad, I slammed it back shut and pushed it away.”

  Already knowing what, or rather who, she had discovered, James felt his heart suddenly start crashing against his ribcage.

  “I had to let my heart and mind settle before I could open the lid again. I just couldn’t believe I’s lookin’ at a perfectly preserved, beautiful baby, lyin’ there all bundled up like she was sleepin’. My mind was racin’ to put the pieces togetha’. It answa’d why the girl Gideon brought here was bleedin’. Figured she’d just given birth not long before. The way Gideon rolled in here in a panic with a bullet wound, it made me wonda’ if he was the fatha’. It seemed to make logical sense. It wasn’t until the next mornin’ that I realized how wrong I was.”

  “Why do you say that?”

  “Lily? That’s her name, right?”

  James nodded.

  “Well, Lily finally woke up. One of her eyes was just barely able to peek through the swellin’. She was thoroughly confused by where she was. She was moanin’ in pain. Almost seemed she was betta’ off comatose. At least she wasn’t writhin’ in agony. I gave her some morphine and she settled back into sleep for a while. She woke up again at midnight confused and cryin’ out for who I now realize is you. Ova’ and ova’ again, she was hollerin’ for you to help ’er.”

  James blew out a hard breath to fight off his tears.

  “The panic she was in and the way she was screamin’ your name made it seem like she had just woken up from a nightmare. Me and the nurses ran ova’ to settle her down. It took us nearly five minutes to get ’er calm. We put some pillows behind ’er to prop her upright, so she could lie back and catch ’er breath more easily. The very moment she relaxed, she went to embrace her stomach with ’er hands, just as any expectant motha’ instinctively does. Somethin’ told me to stop ’er … but I didn’t. The second she touched ’er belly and realized her baby wasn’t there…” Ava shook her head and looked up at James. “I’ve worked here for two decades. I’ve dealt with the beaten, the brutalized, and the broken, but I ain’t neva’ heard a woman holla’ like that in all ‘a my life.” Ava placed her hand over
her heart and inhaled sharply. “It still makes me lose my breath just to think about the way it crippled Lily to know she was no longa’ with child.”

  James’s tears finally pelted the kitchen table.

  “When we got Lily halfway settled, she just kept rockin’ back and forth for hours, sayin’ she thought it was a nightmare. Poor girl just couldn’t handle the fact that her nightmare was real, and that ’er baby really was dead. Afta’ hours of babblin’ about that nightmare, she had cried herself into a trance. She turned and laid on ’er side, starin’ into nothin’. I sat down on the bed beside her in the mornin’ and asked ’er if she wanted somethin’ to eat. She wouldn’t even look at me. ‘Where’s my baby? I wanna see my baby,’ was all she whispered. It was like she needed to see the baby to prove it really wasn’t a dream. I done learned ova’ the years that I ain’t the one to be makin’ the decision about whetha’ or not a motha’ sees her dead baby. Some wanna see ‘em, some don’t. They all have their reasons and it ain’t for me to judge or try to change their minds. I just grant their wishes.

  “So, I went on downstairs to the morgue and brought that tiny little box upstairs. I neva’ know what kinda reaction I’ma get from a motha’, but I always sit next to ’em for comfort. I put the box in Lily’s hands and let ’er open it when she was ready. It took ’er a moment, but she found the strength to do it. To my astonishment, Lily didn’t make a sound or shed a tear when she saw that little face. With all the outbursts she’d already had, I guess I’d prepared myself for her to have anotha’. But she was totally silent as she gazed at that little face. It was like she was awestruck by how beautiful her daughta’ was. She wouldn’t even blink. She finally reached inside and caressed her little cheek. Then she pulled back the little blanket and took a peek. ‘Rose,’ she said as her tears started to fall again.

  “In all my years of doin’ this, I neva’ can predict what a motha’ will do with her deceased infant. But, to my amazement, Lily wrapped the baby back tight in her blanket, picked ’er up, kissed ’er on the cheek and then cradled her in her arms for the longest time. Still, she didn’t holla’ the way I expected she would. As best she could through her swollen eyes, she just quietly gazed at that baby in awe. To this day, I wonda’ what was goin’ through her mind that kept ’er so calm. Then just as unexpectedly as Lily had picked ’er up, she laid Rose back in that tiny box. Still, she was calm. But when I closed the lid…” Ava shook her head again. “She cried out like somebody had just set ’er soul on fire. I had a nurse come ova’ and take the baby back to the morgue, and I sat there just tryna comfort Lily back to silence.

  “While I’s comfortin’ her, she just kept sayin’, ‘James’ll neva’ forgive me for losin’ her. He wanted ’er so bad. He ain’t eva’ gonna forgive me. James’ll neva’ forgive me.’ Ova’ and ova’ again, that’s all she’d say. It’s the reason I could neva’ forget your name. She sat there for hours, rockin’ back and forth, repeatin’ that same phrase. She thought that was the reason she was here alone. She was convinced you’d abandoned her here … for losin’ your baby. She swore you’d neva’ forgive ’er for such a thing.”

  James suddenly jumped up from his seat, turned his back, rested his hands on the counter, and hung his head low to hide another strong surge of tears.

  “When I heard you say your name earlier and describe who you’s lookin’ for, it instantly took me back to that god-awful night. Just by the passion in your voice and the desolate look on your face when I saw you talkin’ to my nurses, I knew beyond a shadow of a doubt you were the James that Lily was talkin’ about.”

  James just stood there quietly with his back still turned, fighting to make his tears cease.

  “Did you already know that Rose had passed away?” Ava asked after a moment.

  James nodded and finally sat back down, his bloodshot eyes directed at the table. “She died in my arms,” he said, shamelessly letting his tears fall in front of Ava. “Ova’ eight years trainin’ and workin’ in the field as a doctor and I couldn’t even save my own little baby,” he sobbed, sounding as anguished as any man could. “I’m the one who doesn’t deserve to be forgiven … not Lily.”

  “I knew you probably felt that way.” Ava got up and pulled a trunk out of her closet. “I found this trunk in the back of Gideon’s wagon. I didn’t mean to be intrusive. I’s only lookin’ through it to see if I could find Gideon’s home address. Instead, I found lots of things with your first and last name on ’em. I also found these.” She handed James the picture of him and Lily dancing together, as well as one of the many letters he had written her. “That picture happened to be folded up inside that letta’. The moment I saw you in the clinic tonight, this picture instantly flashed in my mind. It’s hard to tell with your beard now, but I figured this was you.”

  “It is,” James responded, staring at the treasured portrait.

  “I couldn’t help but read the letta’ afta’ I saw that beautiful drawin’,” Ava confessed. “Your words to Lily were just as beautiful. Brought me to tears, actually. Afta’ readin’ about how much you loved Lily, I knew there was no way you’d be the sort ‘a man that would abandon her or refuse to forgive ’er for losin’ that little baby. I didn’t believe that for a minute. I tried to convince Lily of that too. I read that letta’ to ’er to remind her of your love, but she was too far gone emotionally to listen to any of it. She just wasn’t in ’er right mind anymore.”

  “Thank you for tryin’,” James whispered, tracing his finger down Lily’s face in the picture. “Do you know where Lily is now?” he hesitantly asked, after collecting himself emotionally.

  Ava sighed. “There was a raid on this place not long afta’ Lily got here. A bunch ‘a buffoons rode in here on horses, dressed in white robes, lookin’ like a bunch ‘a damn ghosts, firin’ pistols, and hootin’ and hollerin’. They snatched up every single patient in the clinic. Every last one of ’em! They snatched Lily up ’fore she could even get outta bed. They even went door to door in the town and took whoeva’ couldn’t run fast enough to get away. I’ve heard that’s what them ghostly lookin’ cowards do. They find vulnerable communities like this and round up Negroes like cattle. They ain’t askin’ to see no papers eitha’. They don’t give a damn whetha’ anybody’s really a slave or not. Hell, they know most ‘a these folks can’t read or write, and we damn sure can’t prove nothin’ in no court ‘a law anyway. So, if you’re a Negro, you’ll always be a piece ‘a profitable property in their evil eyes.”

  James felt his internal beast starting to awaken after hearing the description of the invaders. “Do you have any idea where these cowards might be takin’ folks afta’ these sort ‘a raids?”

  “I heard they bypass the auctions and sell ’em straight to black market wholesalers or plantations at low prices. They make pure profit that way.”

  “Any particular plantations, cities, or wholesalers that you may have heard gossip about?”

  “Naw, not in particular. I assume they ain’t goin’ far, though. It’d be hard to wrangle that many folks ova’ a long distance without causin’ a scene.”

  “Good point.”

  “I’m sorry I couldn’t be more of a help to ya’.”

  “You’ve been more of a help than you’ll eva’ know, Ava,” James said as he got up to leave.

  Ava got up to walk James out. She stopped near the doorway. “Listen, James, I just wanna warn ya’. Lily wasn’t in no good shape when she left here. I swear that woman went mad afta’ we took that baby away. Before then she was gettin’ betta’. She was still mighty bruised and swollen everywhere, but ’er feva’ was down and she was conscious, obviously. Afta’ seein’ the baby, though, she wouldn’t eat, she wouldn’t drink, she got weak, feva’ was back up, and she was slippin’ in and outta consciousness again. It’s like as soon as she knew her baby was dead, she didn’t wanna live no mo’ … like she was slowly tryna kill ’erself. She was frail when she left here. Her eyes were sunk in. You could even see �
��er ribs. Those men that rode in here stealin’ folks only want healthy slaves. The things they’ll do to the ones they can’t make a profit on…” Ava shook her head. “I don’t even wanna speak of.”

  “Thank you for your honesty.”

  “She may not have been in the best shape, but I can say for certain that yo’ Lily was alive when she left here, if that’s any consolation to you.”

  “It is. Trust me. It definitely is. Had you told me she was buried next to Gideon, you’d’ve been buryin’ me there tonight too.”

  Ava nodded her head. “Speakin’ of Gideon, I wrote a letta’ to his clinic to try to notify his next of kin. It was the only address I knew, but the letta’ was returned to me. I didn’t know what else to do, so I went on and buried ’em here for the time bein’. If you could somehow let his family know where he is, I’d be grateful.”

  “I sure will.”

  “The nurses and I built a casket for yo’ little girl and buried her next to Gideon too. The cemetery is about a quarta’ mile north ‘a here. She’s up on a hill, unda’neath an oak tree. ‘Precious little Rose’ is engraved on the tombstone, along with a picture of a single rose.”

  The tears in James’s eyes were fresh again over the kindness of this stranger. “My God, Ava, you have a sort of angelic warmth in your heart that’s truly rare in this cold, heartless world. I can’t thank you enough for givin’ my little girl a temporary place to rest in peace.”

  Ava blushed. “You’re very welcome. It’s the least I could do for that innocent little baby,” she smiled.