Finding Will Hennie

by Joy Redmond

  “I know,” Will said with a heavy sigh.

  Within the hour, Rose was waiting on the front porch with Will. When they saw Dr. Sellers pull up the driveway, Will said, “Wow! A Cadillac! You’re going to be traveling in style.” He felt his face redden, but he hid his anger. He picked up the bag and aided Rose down the steps.

  When Dr. Sellers stopped the car, Will opened the passenger door, hoisted the bag over the front seat and dropped it into the floorboard of the back seat. Then he aided Rose into the front seat.

  Rose tilted her head and Will kissed her lips. He looked over at Dr. Sellers. “You take good care of my gal and our baby.” He kissed Rose, again.

  “She’s in good hands,” Dr. Sellers said, as he started the engine.

  Rose smiled and blew a kiss as Dr. Sellers drove down the circular driveway.

  Will stood and waved until the car was out of sight. “God, please watch over Rose and our baby. Bring them home safe and sound. I can’t live without them.” Tears welled and he said softly, “I love you, Rose.”

  For the rest of the day, Will wasn’t sure if it was him going through all the steps of taking care of things or if he was being pushed and pulled by an unseen force. At six o’clock, he opened the door for business. He took the money, made change, and wrote down the amount, hoping it would balance at the end of the night. Between customers, he ran into the dance area and mixed drinks. He didn’t have a spare moment to run upstairs, but he knew all the men who come in, and he felt that Sudie was safe.

  At eight o’clock he heard the phone ringing. He ran as fast as he could down the hallway, reached into his pant pocket, pulled out the key, unlocked the door, and raced toward the phone. “Hello, Rose?”

  “Yes, it’s me, Will. How are things going?”

  “Everything is under control. What about you and the baby or babies.”

  “Will, there is no baby,” Rose said in a stoic tone.

  Will pulled out the desk chair and dropped into it. “W-what do you mean, no baby? Did you get an abortion? Is that why you refused to let me go with you?” A wave of nausea swept over him, and his rage built to a fever pitch. “Rose, I’ll never forgive you! How could you do this to me? How could you kill our baby?” He was yelling so loudly, Sudie came running into the room.

  Will held up his hand as his signal for her not to come any closer.

  Sudie left the room.

  “Will, if you’ll calm down, I’ll explain things.”

  Will opened his mouth, but no words came out.

  “Will? Are you still there?”

  Will wasn’t sure it was him talking when he heard a raspy voice say, “I’m here.”

  “I didn’t have an abortion. There never was a baby. I have a tumor. I have to have surgery.”

  Will grabbed the trash can and threw up. He wiped his mouth on his sleeve and he heard Rose sobbing. More tears rolled down his face as she continued. “The specialist in St. Louis wants to do the surgery, but if I let him do it, that’s means I’ll be gone for a good two weeks.”

  “Two weeks!” Will cried.

  “I’m not going to let him do it. I know you’d go crazy if I was gone for that long. So, Dr. Sellers is going to set me up with a new surgeon in Cape Girardeau. He says he’s a good doctor and I’ll be in good hands. I’m coming home tonight. I should be there by midnight, barring no troubles.”

  Though his sobs, Will managed to say, “I’m so sorry, Rose. I’m just so—” He lay his head on the desk and there was no way he could control his tears.

  “Will, I’m sorry, too. I had come to terms with being a mother and I’m devastated by all this. I need you to be strong for me. Please!”

  Will wiped his eyes. “I’ll be strong, Rose. You just knocked me off my feet. You come on home and the minute you’re in my arms, I’ll be fine.”

  “I’m anxious to get back home to you so you can hold me. When I’m in your arms, all is well in my world. We’ll get through this together. Okay?”

  “Yes, we will. I’m sorry I wimped out there for a minute. I love you, Rose.”

  “I know, Will.” Rose hung up.

  Will was broken-hearted and mad as hell at the same time. “A lethal combination,” he mumbled through clinched teeth. He went back into the parlor. “Sudie, is anybody upstairs?”

  “If I’m downstairs, I’m saying no. Duh.”

  “Good. Get everybody out of the dance area, don’t take any more johns, I don’t care who they are, and as soon as everybody is out of here, the doors will be locked. Do it! Now!”

  “Have you lost your mind? Rose will have our scalps.”

  “Just do it, Sudie. I’ll tell you why when the house is clear.”

  “Okay.” Sudie started toward the dance area.

  Will yelled, “Bring back a bottle of whiskey!”

  Soon the house was empty and the money had been locked in the strong box, and the box was locked in Rose’s desk drawer.

  Sudie was sitting on the lounge chair when Will came back into the parlor. “Did you get the whiskey?”

  Sudie held up a bottle. “Got it. Do you want a shot glass?”

  “Nope. Just the bottle. Come on, we’re going to wait on the front porch until Rose gets here.”

  Sudie followed Will. They pulled two rockers, side by side. Will unscrewed the top and turned up the bottle, then handed it to Sudie. Sudie turned it up.

  “I have no idea what’s going on, Will. Are you in any mood to tell me? I’ve never seen you in this state.”

  Will told Sudie what Rose had told him.

  “Sweet Jesus!” Sudie said, and turned up the bottle, taking a long, hard swig. “I can’t believe we’re not getting a baby. Poor Rose. She’s facing surgery. What kind of tumor is it?”

  “How many kinds of tumors are there? She just said tumor.”

  “Oh,” Sudie said.

  “What’s that ‘oh’ supposed to mean? Explain tumors to me. I don’t know anything about what women have.”

  “Tumors aren’t a woman thing. Men have tumors, too. Some are—never mind.”

  “Some are what?” Will asked, his words slurring a bit.

  Sudie quickly said, “Some are bigger than others.”

  “Well from the looks of her, it’s a big one. What difference does size make?”

  “I ain’t no doctor,” Sudie said, her words slurring. “Ya gotta wait for Doc to explain things. Ya want I should get us another bottle? Ain’t much left in this one.” Sudie swung the bottle between two fingers.

  “Yeah. Get another one. If Rose isn’t home by the time it’s empty, then get another one.”

  Will looked at his watch. “It’s almost one o’clock. I know that damn Cadillac has at least one-hundred and fifty horses under that hood. They should be here by now!”

  Just as Will finished his sentence, he saw car lights headed up the driveway. He jumped out of the rocker, stumbled down the steps and staggered to the car. He opened the door just as Dr. Sellers turned off the engine. “Rose!” he cried, and tried to scoop her into his arms.

  Rose pulled back. “Will Hennie, you smell like a brewery!”

  Will laughed. “Er, well, I might have had a nip or two. I needed something to take the edge off my nerves.”

  Suide staggered up to the car. “It weren’t all his fault. I kinda helped out a bit.”

  Rose said, “Dear Lord, you’re both drunk!”

  “I’ll carry you up the steps,” Will said.

  “Oh, I don’t think so. You take one arm and Sudie can take the other and Doc can bring in my bag. I’m heavily sedated. Just get me to my bed.”

  Dr. Sellers set the bag on the floor just inside the front door. “I’ll call when I get things arranged,” he called out as Will and Sudie led Rose down the hallway.

  “Thank you,” Rose said over her shoulder.

  Will and Sudie bounced off the walls as they led Rose to the bedroom.

  “Will, get this dress off me. It’s so tight I can’t breathe. Sudie,
turn the covers back for me and please turn on the fan. I’m hot as hell. Then dump my naked butt into bed.”

  When Rose was settled into bed, Sudie said, “I’ll leave you two be. If you need anything during the night, just whistle. I’ll come running.” She closed the door behind her.

  Will undressed and slid into bed. He pulled Rose close and buried his face in her sweet smelling hair. He couldn’t hold back his tears.

  “Don’t take on so, honey. I’ll get the surgery done, then I’ll be good as new.”

  “I know you will. I’ll take good care of you while you get well. When are you going to have surgery?”

  “As soon as possible. I just don’t know how soon possible is—or how possible soon is—oh, shit. I’m so sedated I can’t think straight. I just need to sleep. Everything is gonna be okey-dokey.” She patted Will’s face.

  Soon they were both in a sound sleep.

  Monday morning Dr. Sellers called. Rose was scheduled for surgery the next day. She was supposed to check herself into the hospital as soon as she could get there, so she could to be prepped for early morning surgery.

  Will said, “Don’t even try to tell me that I’m not coming this time!”

  “I wouldn’t dare. Let’s get dressed and get on the way. Sudie, there’s no point in you coming with us today. But if you don’t mind, I’d like for you to be with Will tomorrow when I’m in the surgical room. He’s going to need some strength.”

  Will said, “I’m spending the night with her, but I’ll be up bright and early and I’ll come for you. Be ready. Don’t lie in that bed until nine.”

  “I’ll be ready, Will. I’ll be there, Rose. Wild horses couldn’t keep me away. I’ll lock this place up tighter than Fort Knox.” Sudie kissed Rose’s cheek.

  Will drove to the hospital in a daze. The thought of surgery scared him, and he knew Rose was also scared, but he had to be strong for her.

  Rose checked herself into the hospital, then she and Will went down the hallway, then turned left and went down another hall to the surgical ward. When they entered the ward, a head nurse stood up from behind a small desk. “Rose McGraw?”

  “Yes,” Rose answered.

  “Follow me. I’ll show you to your room.”

  Rose and Will followed her to room 23. The nurse pointed to a hospital gown on the foot of the bed. “Get undressed, put on the gown, and somebody from the lab will be here shortly to do some blood work. Then I’ll be back to give you an enema. You can have a light lunch, then nothing by mouth until after surgery.” Nurse left the room.

  Will thought the nurse sounded like a drill sergeant. “She’s a sweet one, huh?”

  “She’s just doing her job. Now, when she comes back to give me that damn enema, you can go out to the waiting room. And don’t you dare come back for at least an hour. You might want to grab a bite to eat in the cafeteria. ”

  “Yes, your majesty,” Will said, jokingly.

  The day seemed to be two days long before it was time for Rose to take a sleeping pill for the night.

  Will pulled a chair up to the bed, lay his head on the bedside, held Rose’s hand and finally drifted into sleep. Suddenly, he was holding two beautiful baby girls. One in each arm. They had dark brown eyes and dark hair. His body jerked and he raised his head. “Rose, we’ve got twins!”

  Rose opened her eyes. “What?”

  Will shook his head. “I’m sorry. I was dreaming. I don’t even know what I said. But I need to go get Sudie. We’ll be back and wait with you before they take you to surgery.”

  “Be sure to bring a thermos of coffee. You and Sudie are going to need it. And if you don’t mind, save a little for me. When I wake up, the first thing I want is a cup of coffee that only Sudie knows how to make. No offense, but hers is better than yours.”

  Will kissed her lips and promised he’d bring her some of Sudie’s good coffee.

  Sudie was ready when Will got home. As if she had read their minds, she had fixed two thermos bottles of coffee. “Let’s get the show on the road,” she said.

  They arrived back at the hospital just as Rose was being rolled down the hallway. They ran to her and the orderlies gave them time to kiss her. Then they headed for the waiting room.

  Four hours later, Dr. Mathews came into the waiting room. Will and Sudie jumped from their chairs before the doctor could walk across the floor.

  “Everything went fine. I got everything out. She’ll be in recovery for an hour then she’ll be brought to her room.”

  “What do you mean, you got everything out? Was there more than one tumor?” Will asked.

  “I removed the tumor, then I did a complete hysterectomy. The tumor was attached to an ovary.”

  Will’s heart sank to his knees. We’ll never have those two little girls. “Thank you, Dr. Matthews,” he managed to say, but he wanted to slug the doctor.

  Finally, Rose was brought to her room. Will was on one side of her bed and Sudie was on the other. They both fed her ice chips, but Rose had lost her desire for coffee.

  A week later, Rose was released from the hospital. As Will drove up the driveway, she said, “There is no place like home! Every time I see this house it takes my breath away just like the first time I saw it.”

  “Me, too,” Will said. “That’s a day I’ll never forget. I came here with a beautiful woman who let me share this beautiful home with her. Almost ten years now. But it seems like only a week ago.”

  Sudie was waiting as Will led Rose up the steps. “Welcome home, my two darlings. I’ve got a feast prepared for you. I know how horrible that hospital food is. And I made a special pot of coffee for the only mother I’ve ever known.”

  “Thanks, Sudie. I could eat a sow and seven pigs. The thought of real coffee makes me want to dance a jig. But I better not. I sure don’t want to rip any stitches.”

  “I’ll get you to the bedroom, then we’ll fix a tray and bring it to you, your majesty,” Will said, laughing.

  Soon, Rose was propped in bed, and Sudie brought in a tray full of Rose’s favorite dishes. The tray was lined with a fancy cloth, embroidered by Ceil. Will cut a rose and put it in a single rose vase. It was in the center of the tray.

  “That’s what I call room service,” Rose said.

  Will sat on the bedside and watched her eat. She finished off every bite and drank two cups of coffee. “That should have me healed and kicking in no time,” Rose said.

  “I’m so glad to see your hardy appetite is back. Good girl,” he said. Then he kissed her sweet lips and took the tray back to the kitchen.

  Six weeks later, Rose was up and doing and back to her old self.

  They were sitting at the breakfast table when Sudie said, “Rose, is it time to open for business again? I’ve been waiting to hear you start yelling about losing money.”

  Rose smiled. “Sudie, we won’t be opening up for business ever again. I was waiting for the right time to tell you, and since you brought it up, I guess it’s the right time. I have retired. I’ve got enough money to last me for the rest of my days. I’ve invested well, I’ve saved, and I have no desire to open my door for anybody but my girls, should they decided to come for a visit. Which reminds me, I have to get some letters off to them.”

  “You’re not going to open for business ever? Are you serious, Rose? Or, are you still under the influence of pain tonic?” Sudie asked.

  “I’m as serious as a train wreck. If you’ll stay here with us I’ll pay you a nice salary to keep house, cook, do laundry, and chase the rabbits out of my flower beds. But I’ll understand if you want—”

  Before Rose finished her sentence, Sudie said, “I want to stay right here. This is home. I’m tired of being a working girl. I’ve been tired of it for several years. I’d rather be a maid than a hooker. Oops, sorry. I mean a lady of the evening.”

  They all laughed.

  For the next three months Rose wanted to go to town three days a week and get a banana split at Woolworths. Will drove, and Rose and Sudie
talked and giggled like school girls.

  Will had never been happier. Rose was by his side all day and lay in his arms all night. Life couldn’t get any better.

  Chapter Twenty-Seven

  A month later, Rose tired easily. She was pale and she didn’t have an appetite. She didn’t care about going to town. And some days she didn’t get out of bed.

  Will insisted that she let him call Dr. Sellers, but Rose flatly refused. “A doctor won’t do me any good, Will. I thought they got all the cancer but they didn’t. There’s nothing more that can be done. I’ll just let nature take its course.”

  “Cancer!” Will screamed. “What are you talking about? They removed a tumor and you said you’d be fine.”

  “I thought I would be. I didn’t tell you I had ovarian cancer because I was sure it was gone, and I saw no reason to alarm you or Sudie.”

  Will doubled up his fist and put it through the wall. “You lied to me!”

  “No, I didn’t lie. I just didn’t tell the whole truth. I—”

  Will ran out of the room, through the house and out the back door. He opened the shed and ransacked it until he found the ax. He’d chopped many a Christmas tree with it and he was going to chop down every tree in the woods.

  For three hours, Will chopped trees until he fell to the ground, exhausted.

  Each day, Rose became weaker and she was in unbearable pain. Dr. Sellers came out to the house twice a week and brought a bottle of pain tonic. He told Will to give it to her as often as she wanted and as much as she wanted. “If you run out before I make it back, just give me a call. I’ll have another bottle here as fast as I can drive.”

  Will did all he could to make Rose comfortable. He spoon fed her chicken broth and he kept the Frigidaire full of popsicles. Rose wanted orange popsicles several times a day. When she could stay awake, she wanted Will to tell her about his childhood again. Then she wanted him to tell her about their lives together. She was having a hard time remembering the past.

  Will talked until Rose fell asleep.

  Every day, Rose grew weaker and slept more. When she roused, she begged for the pain tonic. Will held the bottle to her lips and she drank.