by Jade Powers
It was a Sunday afternoon and Gail had been to her mom’s. Bryce was in his room drawing. His assignment was to create a striped flag by drawing black and white lines, then making it curl in 3D like a real flag. After that, he drew the flag he had created. He was concentrating intensely when Gail unlocked the door to the apartment.
She was just coming from her weekly visit with Jana. Bryce left his drawing to greet Gail. Her face was flushed with excitement.
“Jana is joining an experimental program through the hospital. I told Mom about the progress the tech companies were making, and she talked to the docs. They may be able to give her some degree of sight!” Gail pulled Bryce into a bear hug. Good thing he was a strong man or he would have been squeezed to a toothpick.
“That’s great. When does she start?” Bryce wondered if this would change Gail’s momentum. Her whole point of medical school was to give her sister eyesight. If someone else solved her sister’s problem, maybe Gail would change her major.
“Mom wanted to start next August, a year from now so that Jana would be older, but they said it was now or never. The program starts in a couple weeks. They want to take Jana to a special school that will support not only the surgery, but recovery with training.” Gail did a happy dance, her fingers pointing in the air as she turned in a circle.
Bryce caught her in his arms and twirled with her in circles. Gail squealed with laughter. She tugged on his arm. “Let’s celebrate.”
He followed her into the bedroom, a silly grin on his face. Bryce couldn’t believe his singular luck in a girlfriend like Gail. She was smart and pretty, loyal and dedicated...and that wasn’t the half of it. When she tickled his ribs and tugged on his shorts, Bryce knew she was IT, the end of his search, the beginning of his life.
Bryce caressed Gail’s silky skin. She smelled like candy. When his strokes made her moan, he felt himself harden, his body aching with need. Gail whispered in Bryce’s ear, “I love you.”
He would have answered. He couldn’t. She had taken him inside and his whole body was screaming for release. There weren’t words for the feelings Gail inspired. She was everything. And Bryce would do anything for her.
Chapter 10
IT WAS THE SECOND SUNDAY that Jana was at her new school, and Gail was moping. Bryce cooked waffles for Sunday brunch and nagged Gail into playing cards with him. She finally relented.
Gail had been quiet for the past few days, eating alone and then retreating to her room. It had taken Bryce knocking on her bedroom door and haranguing her into breakfast before she would come and talk to him.
He couldn’t bear to see Gail so sad.
“I know something is wrong. You were so exciting a few weeks ago, and now you’re depressed. You skipped class on Friday, you’re not eating, and you don’t come out of your room. What’s going on?” Bryce didn’t normally notice the difference in their height, but it felt at the moment like he towered over Gail. Usually she stood with confidence and grace. Today, she slouched, her shoulders and head down.
“Mom said that Jana won’t be home for Christmas,” Gail’s eyes held unshed tears.
Bryce swallowed, pressing his lips together and thinking about what to say next. He had wanted to ask Gail to spend Christmas with him and his family in Spokane, but the moment hadn’t quite arrived. His parents were expecting him. Heck, they were counting on both him and Gail, because he told them he wanted to bring her. He just never got around to asking Gail if she wanted to travel cross-country for Christmas, mostly because he knew how much she loved Jana. To pry her away, he thought maybe he’d have to invite Jana, too, but he couldn’t afford the plane ticket for an extra person.
And now the opportunity was here, and he felt like a heel for even wanting to ask. He couldn’t bring himself to do it. Instead, Bryce asked, “So you’re planning to spend Christmas with her at the school?” He hoped his disappointment wasn’t too obvious.
“No. They said it’s an important time in her rehabilitation. No family or friends until at least January seventh. They only let us watch from behind a two-way mirror. They don’t want to break her progress,” Gail said. Her blue eyes were darkened with sorrow, and wide with grief.
“She’s a child. How can they expect her to spend Christmas at school? That makes no sense at all.”
Gail tugged on her t-shirt, rubbing at a spot of waffle batter that had splattered her, having insisted on helping Bryce with the waffles while he turned the bacon. She shrugged, “Mom said she agreed to give Jana over to their care for the duration of the surgery and tests. The doctors said there is a lot of physical therapy to get the eyes and brain adjusted.”
Bryce’s spidey senses were tingling. Something was off here. Hospitals didn’t go out of their way to keep patients from their families. But to say it aloud was wrong. It would scare Gail who was already worried enough. He said, “Would you mind if I asked Lucas or Sven to check into the school? Maybe one of them can find a way around the rules.”
Although Gail’s lips rose a touch at the corners, she didn’t exactly smile when she agreed. Her sadness permeated the room. She said, “I don’t like the idea of Jana being away like this. Would you please?”
“Of course,” Bryce said. He hesitated. It was time to ask, “Would you want to spend Christmas with my family? I promised Dad I’d be home for Christmas. To be honest, I don’t want to go without you.”
“I can’t afford the ticket.”
“Dad already said he’d pay for both of us to come. It’s just a matter of figuring out schedules. I didn’t know if you would want to go because of Jana, but maybe it will help you get through the holidays if Jana isn’t home.”
Gail nodded, “I’ll go. I’ve wanted to meet your parents for a while, and maybe January will come faster if I’m with you.”
GAIL RUBBED HER EYES. For the past hour, words had been swimming past her gaze without sinking into her mind. She had to get better at studying. Visiting Bryce’s parents in a couple of months for Christmas would be a relief. Somehow Jana had become the only common interest Gail had with her Mom. She and her mom were strangers with Jana propping the relationship up. That never was so clear as when Jana was away.
With no Jana at Christmas, the days spent at home would be horribly awkward. Gail might feel just as awkward at Bryce’s house, but at least he would be there.
What bothered her most deeply...what she couldn’t get out of her head, was the sheer panic in Bryce’s eyes when she had told him that Jana couldn’t come home for Christmas. It was almost as if Bryce suspected something sinister and didn’t want to share it with her.
Gail scribbled notes and then shook her head. The notes didn’t even make sense. She stretched her arms over her head and pushed back from the table, padding the short few feet to the sink for a drink of water. Bryce was busy drawing in his room. He’d set up an easel and drawing pad in the corner. When he wasn’t studying marketing or accounting, he was hard at work with his art.
She wanted to corner him for a snuggle on the couch. The responsible half of her brain won the argument and Gail clutched her pen, scribbling harder. She needed to focus. But she couldn’t get Jana out of her thoughts. Or the idea that something was terribly wrong.
She returned to reading. Re-reading. The same paragraph THREE TIMES. That was the problem with internal strife. It completely destroyed all concentration.
Gail grunted in frustration just as Bryce strolled out of his bedroom.
“You okay?” Bryce grabbed the seat across from hers, the reddish highlights in his hair catching light from the ceiling fan chandelier common in dining rooms.
She wasn’t going to ask.
If Jana was in danger, Gail would never forgive herself.
Surely Bryce would tell her.
Not until he was certain.
She had to ask.
“Is Jana in trouble?” The words tumbled out of Gail’s mouth before she could change her mind.
Bryce froze. He opened his mouth. Clo
sed it again. Sucked in a breath.
Gail thought to herself, If he lies to me, I’m dumping him. Please don’t lie, Bryce. Not about this. You know how important Jana is to me.
“Maybe,” Bryce said with a tortured expression that told Gail he would rather have any conversation but this. He took a deep breath, releasing it with a shuddering sigh. He said, “I don’t have anything concrete. No more than you do. It just doesn’t make sense the way this school is hiding Jana from you and your Mom. Hospitals don’t keep family members apart...and it’s Christmas.”
“So you don’t think it all adds up. That’s the real reason you want Lucas and Sven to look into the school?” Gail asked. Her voice was low and reflected the kind of pain that could only come from a sore heart.
Bryce nodded miserably. He said, “No. It doesn’t. I just wonder if you demand Jana be returned to you if the school would do it.”
Gail swallowed. She said, “We already asked what would happen if we wanted her to quit the program. They said she would be released, but any further application to their programs would result in automatic rejection. They said ninety days wasn’t an overly large amount of time and that the result would be a daughter who could see again.”
Shit. Who let their five-year-old daughter out of their sight for three months? Especially a helpless daughter, like Jana.
“Tell me they let your mom see Jana.”
Gail sniffed, tears forming at her eyes. She nodded and swiped an escaped tear before it trailed down her cheek, “They let us see her through a two-way mirror. They said that it was best if family members didn’t interact because it set back the child’s progress. The doctors working with her were kind. Jana even laughed a few times.”
“Did it seem staged?”
Thinking back, Gail shrugged. “I don’t know. I was so shocked that she’d been shaved for the surgery that I didn’t really pay much attention to anything else just then.”
“What was your first impression?”
“I don’t trust the guy who showed us Jana through the window. But the doctors working with her couldn’t have faked that interaction. Jana genuinely loved the woman who cared for her. I’ve seen Jana with care givers faking kindness before, and even if Jana’s not vocal, it’s obvious when she’s not happy.”
Bryce took Gail’s hand. “That’s good news. Maybe we’re just second-guessing something unusual. I’ll still have Lucas check into the company, but if they let you see Jana while she was in the care of school attendants, at least you know she’s safe.”
Gail met Bryce’s gaze. She wondered if his lashes had always been so long, and why she hadn’t noticed before. Gail had never been gazed upon so tenderly. As she experienced this soul-warming exchange, Gail fell in love. No, that wasn’t quite right. She had felt ‘in love’ with Bryce before. Just now, she had fallen ‘in trust’.
There would never be another man like Bryce. Not for Gail. Heart and soul, she belonged to him. And he was hers. She knew this from the way his very eyes claimed her.
“Bryce?” Gail said.
“Hmmm-hmmm?” Bryce asked. He was still watching her and blinked as if to acknowledge that perhaps this strange moment had become a staring contest...or maybe more accurately, a loving contest.
Gail wanted to ask if he felt the same, if he thought that they were soul mates and would spend the rest of their lives together. Instead she said, “Do you think Jana will be okay?”
“She has family that loves her. She’ll be fine.” Bryce said. He leaned over for a kiss. His mouth was warm against hers. Gail’s heart sped at the gentle touch of his lips against hers.
His mouth tasted like lemon drops. His favorite candy to suck on while he drew. He kept a bag near his easel.
“Thanks for everything.” Gail said. What she meant was, Thanks for being my one-and-only. She didn’t want to scare him away...in case she was the only one to feel that way.
Chapter 11
BY NOVEMBER BRYCE THOUGHT his business with Kendall was over and done. It was two days after Thanksgiving when he found out how wrong he was.
He and Gail had spent a nerve-wracking Thanksgiving holiday with her family. Although Jana was in the program, Gail’s extended family, from Grandma to two aunts and uncles all met at her aunt’s house. It was crazy. Bryce would have felt completely lost if not for Gail.
The day after Thanksgiving, he and Gail watched movies and popped popcorn, played cribbage and chess, then went for a walk hand-in-hand. Life didn’t get any better than that.
Saturday was the bad day, the upside-down, everything wrong, can’t believe this happened day. The phone rang twice. Bryce had just talked to his parents on Thanksgiving night, but the caller ID picked up the number of Saint Mary’s hospital. He picked up on the third ring.
His mom was on the phone and crying so hard he couldn’t understand what she was saying.
“Mom, slow down, what is it?”
His mom took a deep breath and even though her voice was shaking she said, “Someone attacked your father last night. We were visiting Nana. It was cold so Tom went to start the car.” Her voice rose to a feverish cry when she said the last few words, “I didn’t even hear it. I didn’t even know what happened. He was unconscious in the driveway and now he’s in the hospital. It doesn’t look good. They hit him in the ribs, face and back of the head. There was a lot of swelling.”
“I’ll call for the next flight out. What room is he in?”
His mom sniffed, “He’s in surgery. They won’t have a room until later. I’m in the surgical waiting room on the fourth floor. I can leave a message for you here when he’s moved.”
Bryce thought of his dad’s kidnapping and realized that the attack might not be an isolated incident. He said, “Mom, call Drake or Sven. Do you have their numbers with you?”
“I’m not going to bother them. Tom doesn’t work there anyway,” his mom said, and over her words, Bryce could hear the hospital intercom paging one of the doctors.
“Okay. Mom, I need to go. I’ll get there as fast as I can.”
Bryce hung up the phone. Gail was just a few feet away, listening. She said, “I heard. Is there anything I can do?”
“Help me get organized? I’ll call Drake or Sven now. No way someone randomly jumped my dad in Spokane. This has to be connected.”
“You can borrow my duffle bag. Do you want me to pack for you?”
Bryce rubbed his cheek, “Yeah. Thanks.”
He called the airlines first. The earliest flight would leave in the morning. He explained everything to Sven. Fifteen minutes later, Sven called back and told him that Lauren would drive him to the airport.
Bryce slept with Gail in her bed that night. It was a twin bed and they slept cuddly close. He was usually the one to turn away, but he needed Gail tonight and wrapped around her, soaking up the love she offered and wishing he knew how his dad was doing. He didn’t sleep much that night.
GAIL’S ALARM CLOCK was set for three. It barely rang and she switched it off. Normally a deep sleeper, this time Bryce pushed off the covers and leapt out of bed. He kissed Gail. “Go back to sleep. You have classes.”
Some things were more important than class. Gail ignored Bryce. While he was in the shower, she made breakfast and gathered last minute items that Bryce would need. She found the University of Miami book with phone numbers for the registrar and scribbled a quick note listing his professors and classes so that Bryce could request an extension.
All too soon Bryce was gone. The sun hadn’t even risen when they hugged and kissed once more while Lauren waited. Then Gail was alone. This time she felt sorry for herself. Something about his room empty of clothes gave her an added feeling of emptiness, as if he might not come back. His easel, artwork, and sleeping bag were the only things left in his room. Somehow when Bryce was there, the room seemed fuller.
Gail went to class, but she couldn’t concentrate. In between classes, she checked for messages, but it was too soon. No one called.
The week was endless.
Gail and Bryce spoke a few times. His dad was doing poorly. Gail felt helpless.
On Friday after class, Gail sat alone in the kitchen with her books spread over the table. She couldn’t stop watching the clock. Usually about this time Bryce would be getting ready for Friday night role playing with the guys. She wondered what he was doing now.
The phone rang. Gail grabbed it on the first ring, thinking it was Bryce.
“Hello?”
On the other end of the phone, someone whispered urgently, a barely audible sound that Gail strained to hear. The whisper said, “Help me.”
“Who is this?” Gail asked.
“It’s Jana. Help me. They want to make me a robot. I don’t want to. Please Gail.” The voice was too much whisper for Gail to know for sure that it really was Jana.
She said, “Jana? What is the name of your favorite teddy bear?”
“Tigger.” Jana whispered.
“Where are you?” Gail asked.
“I’m at the school. Are you...?” Gail heard a voice say, “Jana, come away from that right now. Did she call anyone?” Then someone slammed the phone down and it went dead.
Gail stared at the receiver. Her sister was in trouble. It was still early. Gail called home and told her Mom about Jana calling. “Mom, we need to call the place holding Jana. Right now.”
“I will, but they won’t let her go. If we remove her from the program, they will take away any chance she has of seeing again.”
“If she wants to come home, we should let her. I know it’s a lot of work to have her, but she sounded really upset.”