Heart of the Woods

by Grant C. Holland

  The emotion welled up inside until it erupted in angry comments. Levi said, “No, I’m not okay. I can’t stand this. I hate the hospital. It feels like everything is under the brightest spotlight possible. It makes my head hurt. Grandma is dying, and there’s not a damned thing I can do. This isn’t like those shows where everybody gathers around the bed and says a quiet goodbye.” Levi leaned forward in the upholstered chair with his elbows on his knees and his head in his hands.

  Brandon reached out and rubbed Levi’s back. He whispered, “I understand. It’s horrible. It’s one of the worst things that can happen, but Grandma Daley is tough. They said it was a good sign that she was still with us and fighting when we got here.”

  “I should have made her move to town when I got here three years ago. It would have been a 30-minute ride to the hospital, and Gabe could have been at her side in five minutes if we lived in Arrowhead Falls. It was stupid to let her stay out there in the woods. It shouldn’t take hours to get emergency help.”

  “Did you make that decision?”

  Levi raked his fingers through his hair. “No, I didn’t. In fact, we had a big family argument about it. That’s the last time I ever heard Grandma raise her voice. Then she cried. She cried about Grandpa. She said it wasn’t easy to move to the woods, but she was in love. When they got married, she decided to commit her life to him, and she was stubborn. Nothing could change her mind.”

  Brandon squeezed Eli’s shoulder. “So you’re mad at yourself for not knocking her out and dragging her to your canoe so you could get her out of the woods?”

  Levi looked up with tears in his eyes. “I’m not that bad, am I?”

  “You’re incredibly sweet, and you have a heart five times bigger than everybody else’s.”

  “I don’t know if I would say that. You didn’t know me when I was in high school. I was pretty angry all the time. I hated over half the kids in my class. I just didn’t show it.”

  Brandon gripped Levi’s opposite shoulder and pulled him closer. “And that’s gone now?”

  “Not completely, but it has changed a lot. You make me smile, and I do love the woods. I understand wanting to live there. I do. Sitting on the dock in the morning when the sun comes up is the best feeling in the world.”

  Brandon said, “It gets in your blood. The first time I came up here I thought it would be like traipsing around in the park down in the Twin Cities. I was blown away. There’s no comparison. I feel so small when I’m in the canoe, and that’s a good thing. I don’t need to be so full of myself.”

  They heard a murmur of voices coming down the hall. As the sounds grew louder, Brandon and Levi could make out the words. “I tell you, nuts and things flavored like nuts aren’t supposed to be green. I’ve seen pistachios in the grocery store, and they aren’t that mint green color like the ice cream. It’s unnatural.”

  Brandon rubbed Levi’s back and whispered, “I think our distraction is on the way.”

  Elle answered Gabe’s observation asking, “Do you like hot dogs?”

  “Of course I do. It would be un-American not to like hot dogs.”

  “Do you think that’s their natural color? And who knows what’s in a hot dog anyway. It doesn’t come from an animal looking like that.”

  They came around the corner and peered into the waiting room. Brandon and Levi both stood and reached out for hugs.

  As Gabe held Levi tight, he said, “Aw, it’s been a rough day, hasn’t it? This all sucks. I’m sorry.”

  As Brandon hugged Elle, he said, “She’s in the emergency room, and the doctor said he would come and talk to Levi whenever they know any details. We’re keeping our fingers crossed.”

  Elle said, “I’ve been thinking good thoughts all the way from Arrowhead Falls. This is the worst time of all. It’s the time that you have to sit and wait. You should be able to press a button and fast-forward through this part.”

  Gabe pulled a chair across the room to sit near Levi. He asked, “So how did the two of you end up living in the woods anyway? That’s a pretty ballsy move for an old woman.”

  “I guess my grandfather was sort of an off-the-grid pioneer. My whole family thought he was crazy, except for Grandma. They sent me up here after he died to convince her to come back to St. Louis.”

  Gabe scratched his head. “I guess that plan didn’t work out. What’s down there anyway? These woods are like nature’s grandest temple. Every day they’re like that. Your whole family should have come north instead of trying to send her back down there.”

  Elle nodded. “I wouldn’t want to be anywhere else. That’s the only good thing Zack ever did. He brought me up here, and I found the best friends I’ve ever known. I guess in the long run it was worth dealing with his crap.”

  Brandon smiled and wrapped his arm around Elle’s waist. “Yeah, I can’t imagine Arrowhead Falls without you.”

  Gabe said, “It would mean more of me. You can’t handle more of me.”

  “Like I was saying…life works in mysterious ways.”

  Levi laughed softly, and they all smiled. He said, “The three of you are such good friends. I’m a little jealous. I missed that by being out there in the woods.”

  Brandon said, “Well, let’s look forward. You know us now, and I’m not about to let you go.”

  “I hope not.”

  They heard new footsteps heading down the hall, and a few seconds later a young doctor appeared. He was slim with a full, dense beard. His thin lips were set in a sharp, serious expression. “Which one of you is Levi Daley?”

  Levi didn’t want to identify himself. If he did, that would mean he had to hear whatever news the doctor had to share, and he was not smiling. Levi glanced around at each of his friends and said, “I’m Levi. My grandma is the one who’s sick.”

  The doctor stepped up close to Levi. He said, “I’m Dr. Parker. Are these other relatives?”

  “They are all my friends.”

  “Would you like them to hear the news, too? We can go speak in private one-on-one.”

  “No, I want them to hear. I think I’ll need my friends to know, too, when I find out what’s going on.”

  The doctor said the news wasn’t good. Grandma Daley suffered a severe stroke. She suffered paralysis over most of the left side of her body. He said she was having difficulty communicating, and they gave her a very light sedative to ease some of her anxiety. He said, “We’ll do our best to keep her off drugs. They can make her recovery slower and more difficult.”

  Levi asked, “Will she get back to normal? That’s all I want to know.”

  “That’s the hardest question. Much of it depends on her. We don’t know the full extent of damage from the stroke yet. We’ll need to keep her in the hospital for several days at the least to observe.”

  As the doctor walked away, Elle whispered, “He doesn’t know where you live, does he?”

  “They haven’t asked me. We have a mailing address in Iron Crossing, so that’s what I gave them. Grandma has bank accounts and Medicare, and they are all based in towns around us. They wouldn’t know where we live unless I tell them.”

  Elle asked, “Will your parents come up here to see her?”

  “Oh, damn! I haven’t told anyone in the family. I guess I have to do that, don’t I? My parents send me newsie letters every few months, and that’s how we communicate. They don’t know I have a cell phone now.”

  Brandon said to Gabe and Elle, “Why don’t we leave Levi alone for a few minutes, and he can call his parents and any other relatives.”

  Levi said, “Please, don’t be gone long.”

  Brandon leaned in close and kissed Levi. “We won’t be, and I’m one call away. You know that. We’ll be down in the basement getting coffee.”

  Gabe grumbled, “I bet the hospital coffee doesn’t hold a candle to the Lost Loon.”

  Levi called his parents, and his mother answered. He was startled at first hearing her voice. He hadn’t spoken with his Mom or Dad since he cal
led them on Christmas Day from an ancient pay phone outside the door of the one bar in Iron Crossing. He remembered shivering in his boots and parka while they gently tried again to convince him to bring Grandma Daley home to Missouri.

  Levi’s Mom asked, “Do you think we should come up? We wouldn’t want to make anything more difficult. I don’t think we’re your grandmother’s favorite people.”

  Levi knew that his sigh could be heard through the phone. If his family were like every other family that he knew, his parents would already be on a plane to Ely without a formal invitation. He knew that they weren’t the same. After all, they’d never seen the cabin on Lone Cedar Lake. With another heavy sigh, Levi said, “Maybe you should stay home unless things get worse. I’ll let you know.”

  19

  Brandon

  Brandon almost had to drag Levi from the hospital to get him to spend the night where he could sleep in a bed. “The doctors told you that nothing significant is likely to change. They’ll call if anything does. It’s less than a half hour drive to the hospital. She’s in good hands. You need some rest.”

  “Okay, I’ll go with you to your place, and if nothing has changed in the morning, I need to go out to the cabin. I can’t leave it alone like that for too long.”

  Brandon’s brow wrinkled in confusion. “Why would you go back out there by yourself? There’s no reason to go out there. You’re staying with me while Grandma Daley is in the hospital. You need to keep your strength up and take care of yourself.”

  “I’ll go with you tonight, but tomorrow…”

  Levi didn’t finish his words. His voice trailed off leaving the sentence open-ended. Brandon saw the exhaustion in the dark circles under Levi’s eyes. He decided not to push the issue any further. Instead, he wrapped an arm around Levi’s shoulders and slowly led him to the parking lot.

  It was already after dark. Brandon looked up at the sky only to see it full of clouds. It was impossible to see any stars at all. Levi looked up, too. He said, “It’s like they’ve all gone into hiding because she left the woods.”

  As they entered Brandon’s cabin, he said, “Drop your stuff and get ready for bed. We’ll go right away. You need some sleep. Let me know if you need anything.”

  “Okay, I’ll sleep right here on the couch. Will that work?”

  Brandon sighed. “No, that won’t work. You’re sleeping with me unless you don’t want to. This is the worst time to be alone. That’s the way I feel.”

  “I’m too tired to…you know, and I don’t want to be in the way.”

  Brandon shook his head. “I’m too tired to ‘you know,’ too, and I want to sleep, but I want you by my side.”

  Levi said, “Thank you.” He found his way to Brandon’s bedroom stopping by the bathroom on the way. As he started to undress, he said, “I don’t have anything to wear to bed.”

  Brandon tried to avoid speaking in a mocking tone, but he thought it was a dumb comment. He said, “I guess that means you’ll have to sleep naked. I’ll do that, too, so you won’t feel so bad.”

  “Oh, now you’re making fun of me. I’m so damned tired.” Levi stripped off the rest of his clothes and slid between the sheets. Brandon climbed in bed at his side lying flat on his back.

  Levi rolled up close. Brandon asked, “Are you okay? Can you sleep? I know sometimes it’s hard for people at a time like this.”

  “I think so, but I’m scared. I knew something like this was coming sooner or later. I know I knew that it was. She’s had a lot of bad days this year, but Grandma is more than a grandmother to me, does that make sense?”

  “The two of you have lived alone away from the rest of the world for three years. That makes perfect sense. It’s not the same as my grandparents who I see maybe three or four times a year. It has to be completely different.”

  Levi moved closer and rested his head on Brandon’s chest. “Yeah, that’s how she was before. Now, she’s more like a parent than my parents are. She’s a friend, too. She knows more about me than anybody else in the world. I’m scared that’s all going away.”

  Brandon ran his fingers through Levi’s hair. “It’s all going to be okay. You need sleep, and I do, too. Everything looks better in the morning. It always does.”

  Brandon slept like a log. He was startled at first to find Levi in his bed first thing in the morning. Levi lay on his side turned toward the edge of the bed curled partway into a fetal position. Brandon scooted up close and spooned his body around Levi’s. He hoped that the body contact would chase some of the demons away.

  Levi woke up with a start and tried to push Brandon away until he realized where he was. “Oh, wow, I had horrible dreams. The cabin was burning down, and the woods was going to go with it. I was out in the lake trying to paddle away from the fire.”

  Only half awake himself, Brandon held tighter. “It’s okay. I’m here. You’re safe.”

  Levi broke free from Brandon’s arms and suddenly pushed himself up to a sitting position. He asked, “Have we gotten any calls from the hospital? Where’s my phone? Have you checked yours? We were asleep for a long time.”

  “Your phone is on the nightstand there, and mine is here on my side.” Brandon rolled to the opposite edge of the bed and picked up his phone. “It’s only 6:30 a.m. I’m sure nothing has changed, and it’s too early for visiting hours.”

  “Can we ride over to the hospital first thing? If everything is okay, then I can get back out to the cabin in good time. I’m sure Grandma would want me to do that. I need to make sure everything is okay.”

  Brandon rubbed at his eyes. “What’s so important about getting back to the cabin? It’s not like you’re in the middle of a city with people ready to break in. It’s not like you might have left the oven on. What’s up with checking the cabin, Levi?”

  “I just need to go. Where’re my clothes.” Levi gazed around the room. “Oh, there they are. Yeah, let’s get dressed.”

  “Wow, you are jumpy this morning.”

  “I’m sorry. I don’t want to cause any problems. That’s a good reason to go back to the cabin, too.”

  Brandon shook his head to try and make sure he was awake. He slid across the bed and wrapped his arms around Levi. “Something’s up, and it’s not all about Grandma Daley. You aren’t yourself. What’s the deal out there on the lake? There are all sorts of rumors about it from Gabe’s crazy ideas about the Wendigo to people who think the whole area is riddled with ghosts. What gives, Levi?”

  Levi breathed deeply. “Can I wait and show you? Can you come with me to the cabin after we go to the hospital? I think it will make the most sense if I show you.”

  “Okay, but now I’m even more worried. You aren’t running some big drug lab, are you?”

  Levi laughed. It was good to see him smile. He’d been intensely serious since his grandmother was stricken. “Okay, it’s about the art. I’ll show you. Okay?”

  “Okay. If you stole the Mona Lisa, and you’re hiding it in the cabin out there, you’re on your own.”

  Brandon and Levi weren’t sure how much Grandma Daley understood when they stopped in at the hospital. It looked like she recognized Levi. She mumbled something they couldn’t understand, blinked her eyes, and reached out when she saw him.

  When Brandon said, “Good morning, Mrs. Daley,” she turned her head slightly in his direction, but there was no sign of recognition.

  She looked back at Levi, and later he said she smiled, but Brandon didn’t catch it. After the first reaction to Levi, he thought that her expressions were almost lifeless. She lay back against the bed and moved her fingers on the right hand in a random pattern.

  Levi said, “I hate to ask this, but can you wait outside for a few minutes? I’d like a little bit of time alone with Grandma.”

  “Oh, of course. I’ll go get some coffee, and then I’ll be in the waiting room.”

  When Levi joined Brandon in the waiting room, his demeanor was calmer than it had been all morning. Brandon asked, “What hap
pened in there. You almost look happy.”

  Levi said, “I feel better. I told her about you and that we were going to the cabin together, and she was okay with it. I told her she would be okay, and I said that we would be back tonight. We have to make the trip quick, but we’re both good with the paddles. It won’t be hard to get back to the hospital this evening.”

  Brandon laughed. “I’m glad you’re not giving us any pressure at all, Levi.”

  “I need one thing from you before we leave the hospital.”

  “A cup of coffee?”

  “No, this.” Levi wrapped his arms around Brandon and tried to avoid spilling the cup of coffee in Brandon’s hand.” He leaned in close, and they kissed. “Mmm, that was good. I need those regularly if we’re going to be together.”

  “You won’t find me complaining.”

  20

  Levi

  The shed wasn’t huge inside, but the riches packed inside the small space shocked Brandon into silence. Paintings hung on the walls from floor to ceiling, and the remaining canvases rested on the floor against each other perhaps ten deep along three of the four walls of the interior space. Most extraordinary to Brandon was the size of the canvases. He didn’t think any of them were less than six feet wide, and most were larger.

  “Levi, there are more great paintings here than a lot of museums own. How did they get here? Where did Grandma Daley get the oversized canvases and even more important, how do you protect these? There’s nothing anything like climate control out here. I don’t know anything about art, but I assume they need that.”

  Levi nodded. “Yeah, that’s a problem, but every winter, we nail up boards around the outside of the shed, and we stay out of the space until the temperatures warm again in the spring. Grandma always worries that the freezing temperatures will damage the paint, but so far we’ve been lucky. I think there are a few paintings here the paint cracked and started to flake off, but most of them are fine.”