by Simon Archer
We walked off Isamu’s private jet just after nine o’clock at night. Macy was waiting for us when we made it to the tiny terminal. We’d landed at Elko Regional Airport, which was so small it only had one small building from which the entire operation was run.
“Welcome home!” Macy said. Ellie ran to hug her with Kennedi right behind her. I strolled up to the trio, and Macy looked my arm over. “Looks like you’ve had quite the adventure,” she joked.
“Yes, one I’d opt not to repeat,” I replied. “At least not some parts.” I wasn’t sure how much Macy knew about what had happened, so I looked at Ellie. If anyone would’ve communicated with those back home, it would’ve been her.
“I messaged home immediately once Kennedi and I were at the hospital,” Ellie said. “I knew Charlie would get a digital message first, so I notified him to begin. He promised to let Theo and Bev know.” Macy cringed a little.
“What?” I asked Macy.
“Theo and Bev weren’t fans of being the last to know,” she said. “They understood once we told them you weren’t in a place where a phone call was most convenient.”
“We didn’t have much to tell initially,” Ellie started. “Kennedi and I only knew where he was going. I’ll smooth things over with Bev when we get home,” Ellie shrugged her shoulders.
“They wanted to be here, but it really would’ve been too late for them by the time they got you home.” Macy took hold of the luggage cart that we had with us and began to push it as we headed for the door out of the airport. Our bags had been offloaded and brought to us at the gate on the cart, so there was no need to stop at the baggage claim.
“I’m glad they’ll be able to stay home and rest,” I told Macy. “I am surprised Krysta isn’t with you, though.”
“She had a late modification appointment at the store. The gentleman’s CG really connected with her, so they requested that she be the one to perform the procedure,” Macy explained.
“Between her work at VGS and her learning the books for everyone we know, she is one motivated CG,” I said. Krysta was going to love the turn our business was going to take. It would give her a much broader range of business needs to fulfill.
“How is Belavi holding up?” Kennedi asked the question she knew Ellie was dying to ask. Macy smiled at Ellie.
“It’s running smoothly,” Macy said. “Bev said Ellie had prepped to be gone so well that it was almost like she never left!” The girls started laughing. That sounded exactly like Ellie.
We walked out of the terminal doors and into the arrivals pick up area. The Lindy’s black town car was waiting at the curb. Kevin, the young man who Charlie was grooming to move up in his hospitality business, was behind the wheel. He got out and helped Macy put our luggage in the back of the car while Kennedi, Ellie, and I slipped in the back seat. Macy climbed in the front with Kevin, and we began the short ride home.
“Kevin,” I said. “How was Charlie’s trip home?” I, of course, hadn't heard from Charlie since the girls and I had gone straight to the mountain from the hotel when Charlie left.
“His travels were uneventful,” Kevin answered. “He is worried about you, however. He told me to tell you that if you wanted to go play a game of mountain misery, you could’ve done it here at home so he could help.” Kevin smiled mischievously into the rearview mirror.
“I’ll have to apologize for my misjudgment of locale,” I told Kevin. The kid had a good sense of humor and was quick to make people feel at ease. I could see why the Lindys liked him so much. I sat back in my seat and felt both girls’ tail wrap around my shoulders.
“It’ll be good to get home,” Ellie whispered.
“It has been a long time since I’ve wanted to get back to something so badly,” I said.
Macy turned around in her seat and said, “I was going to postpone your materials deliveries for the house-raising party, but Charlie suggested against it. He said you’d probably go through with the house raising even if you were in a full-body cast.” I had completely lost track of the days and hadn’t thought about the house raising that was scheduled for tomorrow.
“There’s no need to reschedule, Macy,” I told her. “My arm will still be in a cast next week, the same as it will be tomorrow. Might as well get the show on the road.”
“How about this,” Macy started. “I will delay the deliveries until mid-morning. That will give you a chance to catch up with Theo and Bev, and plenty of time to get up and around. Sound good?”
“That would be perfect, Macy,” I said. “Thank you.” There was a soft ding, and Macy pulled out her phone. After a few seconds, she turned back to me.
“That was Krysta. She went to Cora’s after her mod appointment and is going to stay there since it is so late,” Macy reported.
“Why is she texting you and not me?” It didn’t seem like Krysta to send second-hand messages. Macy texted her back, and a moment later, there was another ding.
“She is getting an ‘undeliverable’ message from your phone, she says,” Macy told me. I pulled my phone out of my pocket. Nothing happened when I tapped the screen to activate it.
“It must be dead,” I said. “That makes more sense now, though.”
Macy turned and faced forward again. We were only five minutes from Theo and Bev’s house, and I was looking forward to sleeping in my own bed. I had eaten when I’d woken up on the plane, about two hours before we landed, so I wasn’t hungry but did feel like I could sleep again. Needing extended amounts of sleep had always been the most annoying thing about being injured. When we pulled into Theo’s drive, Kevin parked the car directly in front of the barn. Macy helped Kennedi, and Ellie, unload the bags and get them into the loft before hugging both of them.
“I’ll see all of you tomorrow,” Macy said as she climbed back in the car. “Ten o’clock.”
“See ya, Macy.” I waved at her and headed into the barn. Getting up the loft ladder proved to be slightly more difficult than I thought it would be, but I made it eventually. Kennedi helped me get my shirt off while Ellie unpacked our bags in record time. She caught me watching her.
“No need to have this leftover on tomorrow’s to-do list,” Ellie said and winked at me.
“True,” I replied as I stood up to remove my pants. Kennedi threw them onto the nearby, tattered, lounger, and pulled the comforter back on the bed. I slid under the cover and adjusted my pillow until I found a comfortable position. I left the comforter pulled down below my chest because I knew Kennedi would wait until I was asleep and then lick my chest wound again. I could barely feel the laceration as it was, and I had no doubt that by morning, it would be nothing but a faint, pink line.
“Sleep well,” Kennedi whispered as she gently crawled over me to the other side of the bed, and laid her head on the pillow next to mine. “Ellie is going to stay out here tonight so that she doesn’t wake Theo and Bev by sneaking into the house,” Kennedi informed me.
“That makes perfect sense,” I told her. Ellie walked over to the cot where Krysta normally slept and laid down on it. Kennedi reached across me and turned off the lamp that sat on the bedside table next to me.
The darkness flooded into the loft like a thick blanket, and in mere moments, I was asleep again.
25
I felt like a different human when I woke up the next morning. The clock on the bedside table said it was six-thirty when I opened my eyes. I lifted my head off the pillow and looked around. Kennedi and Ellie were both gone, as was typical. The girls were always up and at it the moment they heard Theo or Bev moving around in the house. I propped myself up on my good arm and took notice of how I was feeling.
The residual brain-fog I had been feeling was gone now. The aching in my casted arm was there but was significantly less severe. It was almost just a mere annoyance at that point. My chest felt completely normal, and when I looked down at it, I could see it had indeed finished healing. There was a light pink line of scar tissue that would eventually go away, but that was the
only evidence that I’d been sliced to the bone by a rock.
I sat all the way up and folded the comforter back. I swung my legs over the side of the bed and slowly stood up. I’d learned my lesson in the past about jumping out of bed too quickly after being injured. I’d nicknamed the practice ‘the Invincibility Hop’ and quickly found that doing so greatly increased my chances of ending up on the floor.
So, letting caution take over, I eased up and across the room. Kennedi had put fresh clothes in a bag for me. I slipped on the clothes I had on the night before and threw the bag strap over my shoulder before beginning the awkward climb down the loft ladder. When I reached the bottom, I looked around. I hadn’t taken any time to think about the day when I wasn’t living in that dimly lit barn, but right then, the thought occurred to me and was accompanied by a wave of nostalgia. However, the nostalgia was followed up by a bolt of excitement at the realization that my house would become tangible today. I smiled to myself as I exited the barn and crossed the drive to the house.
When I walked into the entryway of the house, I was instantly met with the aroma of frying bacon and cinnamon rolls. To that day, I still hadn’t been to any restaurant that could serve a rival breakfast menu. I went down the hall and stopped at the kitchen doorway, which was just off to the right. Kennedi, Bev, and Ellie were buzzing around, putting food on serving platters and getting place settings ready for the table. I stood there silently for a good two minutes before they noticed my presence. Bev was the first to see me.
“Clark!” she hollered. She hurried over, threw her arms around me, and squeezed. Bev was a short woman, so I stood there with my arms pinned at my sides. It was a good thing I had a cast on, or I would’ve been in a significant amount of pain from the pressure of that hug. She took a step back and looked me up and down.
“Why in the hell did you feel it necessary to travel to the other side of the world just to tear yourself up?” she scolded. She was normally a very calm woman, so her outburst was a surprise.
“Well, you know,” I started, trying not to laugh because she looked dead serious, “I figured it was well worth it to test out Japanese emergency medical response times. I was just doing their med industry a favor by providing data.” I held a straight face until she started to grin. She whacked me on my good arm.
“Keep joking, Mister,” she said. “You’re lucky you came back at all from what I hear!” She was right, I was lucky.
“Lucky that I had the two most wonderful CGs in the world there with me,” I said. I looked up and Kennedi and Ellie. They were leaning against a counter, watching Bev and I. “I wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t for them.” I winked at the girls. Bev looked me over one more time then turned to go back to prepping breakfast.
“I guess you can thank me then, too,” Bev joked. “If I hadn’t let Ellie ditch out on Belavi for a few days, who knows where you’d be!” Bev smiled at Ellie.
“Yeah, Clark,” Ellie said dramatically. “Thank Bev!” All four of us started laughing. Just then, Theo walked into the kitchen behind me. He slapped me on the back.
“Good to see you in one piece, my boy,” he said. “If you think trying to leave a limb in Japan is going to get you out of helping get your house upright, you’re sorely mistaken.”
“Well, damn it!” I feigned disappointment. Theo laughed, slapped me on the back again, and walked back out of the kitchen. I realized I was never going to live this injury down.
“Hey, smart ass, go sit down,” Bev instructed. “Breakfast is coming out in just a minute.”
“Yes, ma’am,” I replied. I dramatically saluted Bev and headed down the hall to the dining room. Theo was already seated in his chair at the head of the table. He leaned back in his seat as I sat in mine.
“Aside from your hospital stay, how did the trip go?” Theo said. “I heard a little from Charlie but not a lot. He had a workload and a half when he got back, and we haven’t had time to catch up much.”
“I dare say it was a game-changer,” I started. “We met with Isamu Sato and have a verbal agreement with him for his company to supply our modification devices. We are also in talks with him about the creation of alternative nano-glass products.”
“How long before his contract with Omnicorp expires?” Theo was a stickler for details.
“Thirty days,” I told him. Theo started nodding slowly.
“Did you and Charlie discuss building new CGs any further?” Theo’s expression was blank. He liked to keep his opinions to himself so as not to influence others’ decisions. If he felt strongly about something, he would let it be known, but otherwise, he wasn’t a meddler.
“We did,” I told him. “It just doesn’t make sense for us to build new CGs when there are so many out there already that aren’t homed. We came up with an alternative plan to rebuild and repair existing CGs.”
Theo grinned. “Be prepared for Leah to come up with a program through her foundation for part of that.” He chuckled.
I had an idea that I knew what he was getting at. The moment Charlie and I had agreed that rebuilding would be our course of action, I could just hear Leah’s voice in my head, asking to be the designer of a CG resale and adoption program.
“I’m sure we will hear an earful of ideas from her tomorrow night at dinner,” I said.
“I’m glad you made it back semi-safely. Bonfire tonight, yes?” Theo said as he sat up. Expressing emotion wasn’t his strong suit, so he’d managed to slip it in, sandwiched by talk of dinner plans. I appreciated him, but I ignored the comment because doing the opposite would’ve made him uncomfortable.
“Yes! A fire will be needed,” Ellie said loudly as she entered the room. She was carrying two serving platters loaded down with frosted cinnamon rolls that were still steaming from the oven. Kennedi followed her with a huge plate of bacon. The last one to walk in was Bev. She had a coffee pot, and a carafe of creamer, in her hands. Once the girls, and Bev, set everything down, they all took their seats. Everyone waited for Theo to reach out and pick up a cinnamon roll before beginning to serve themselves.
I took my time eating my breakfast while I observed the people I was lucky enough to be dining with. The cinnamon rolls turned out to be a messy but incredible experience. I slathered mine with butter and waited for it to melt before digging in. They had a crisp crust and were soft inside, and the frosting wasn’t too sweet. They were most certainly something to be savored. When paired with the maple-pepper bacon Bev had fried up, a new favorite breakfast was born. The girls told of the events on Mount Kita, and Bev and Theo listened intently. They would wince every so often when the painful parts were explained. After they’d heard the whole tale, Theo looked at me.
“You saved Isamu Sato’s son?” he said. He sounded shocked.
“You are just as shocked as I was when he told me who he was.” I shrugged my shoulders.
“I would imagine that’s a pretty big win in your book, as far as Isamu is concerned,” Bev added.
“It may be, it may not,” I replied. “I personally don’t think it should have any impact on our business dealings with Isamu, but everyone is different.”
“Only time will tell,” Theo said. Kennedi’s ears turned forward.
“Time can’t talk, Theo,” she informed him, matter-of-factly. The entire table, save Kennedi, started laughing. However, she’d come to recognize the response. “What did I say?”
I controlled my laughter and told her, “It is an expression that simply means we have to wait to find out.” Her eyes went blank for a moment while she cataloged the expression so as not to mistake it again. She was absolutely adorable when she popped up with literal retorts to cliche sayings. It really made one realize how much we speak in phrases that really don’t make much logical sense.
By the time we finished eating, and the girls had cleaned up the breakfast dishes, it was nearing eight-thirty. I went into the bathroom and hopped in the shower. I’d had Kennedi wrap my cast in plastic wrap to keep the water out of it.
I found that showering one-handed takes twice as long. When I was dried off and dressed, I put my dirty laundry in the bag I’d brought with me and went to the living room. Theo was in his favorite lounger, reading the construction plans for the house.
“Still look sound?” I commented as I walked through the living room, headed towards the exit.
“Lookin’ good,” Theo responded.
“I’m going to drop my clothes back in the barn and then head out there a little early,” I told Theo. “Macy has arranged for the materials to be delivered at ten, so I figure people will start showing up a little bit before that.” Aside from the girls, Theo, Bev, and myself, we were expecting the Lindys, Macy, Kevin, Krysta, Abe and Gretchen, and his friend Trevor to show up. Sally said she wasn’t sure if she could make it, but said she’d try.
“Yeah, I’ll go out with you,” Theo said. “It’ll be a good idea to have a plan for where to have the materials laid out when they deliver them.”
“We’re on the same page,” I said. “I’ll be back in five.”
“I’ll meet you outside,” Theo replied, folding the plans. I walked out of the room and down the hall. I stopped at the kitchen to let the girls know that Theo and I would be leaving.
“We’ll be there by ten,” Bev informed me. “We are making lunch for everyone.”
“That is why I love you ladies,” I joked. “Always looking ahead!”
“Always looking out for y’all’s stomachs to keep you from getting cranky is more like it!” Ellie shot out.
“Ha!” Bev shouted, pointing at Ellie. “You said it, Ellie!” Another round of laughter floated through the kitchen.
“Aren’t you guys just making it Comedy Central in here!” I rolled my eyes and turned to leave. I wasn’t sure if they would even get the classic comedy show reference. I made it to the front door and could still hear them laughing. It put a smile on my face that lasted all the way to the loft and back.
When I returned, Theo was standing on the porch, waiting for me. He walked down the porch stairs and went to his truck when he saw me. As I opened the door to my 4Runner, my phone rang. I had made sure it was charged overnight so that I wouldn’t miss any more messages.