by Rey, Solomon
“I think we’re going to need some more seeds,” Olivia said continuing to giggle.
Hearing her laughter was the greatest sound to Richard. It warmed his heart.
“Dad.”
“Yeah?”
“I love you,”
When your child says out of the blue without prompting−I love you. It hits you hard. Harder than you’d ever expect. That a person can touch your heart so deeply with a mere three words is utterly amazing.
“I love you too,” he replied, hugging her tightly, then kissing her on the cheek.
The memories burned…
Derek held onto Richard, as tight as he could, never wanting to let go, feeling as though he would fall into a cold dark abyss, never to hit bottom. The memories of Olivia bombarded his thoughts. What would he do without her? Nothing would be the same. The image of her smiling face passed through his mind, something he would never experience again. How could he go on? He knew he’d go on, but with only half a heart. Half a soul. She had become a part of him—the best part of him and now she was gone.
Every tear that fell was a memory of her. His life would never be the same, it would always lack the luster she provided. She was an exceptional friend accepting him the way he was, never trying to change him into someone he wasn’t.
They shared each other’s secrets, hopes and dreams, things they’d never tell another. He would hold on to those memories and cherish them forever.
Donna’s heart felt as though someone were trying to rip it out. How do you move on from this, she thought. Why! She screamed in her head. Why damn it! She hoped God could hear her. She couldn’t understand how he could take such a sweet and loving angel away. She would never understand, crying as she mourned Olivia.
She couldn’t help think of Richard and Derek and how this was going to affect them. Knowing this was going to hit them hard, she commited herself to do whatever was necessary to help them through the pain, regardless of her own needs. Who would be there for her? It didn’t matter—she would take care of the ones she loved that were still here. She loved Olivia and would feel the loss very deeply, but she needed to get a hold of the situation. Things had to be taken care of.
Donna eased away from Richard, looking at him, as his tears cascaded down from blank eyes that stared off into nothingness.
She wiped her tears, slowly rising, as she turned to see Olivia’s lifeless body. She moved closer, smelling the mixture of sweat and blood, which permeated the air surrounding her. Donna placed her hand on top of Olivia’s head, feeling her sandy blonde hair, which was partly matted down with her blood. She leaned in close to her ear and whispered, “You’re the daughter I’ve always wanted…I’ll miss you so much,” pausing for a second, she gently kissed her cheek.
Olivia’s body arched up, her head tilted back, as she inhaled deeply.
Donna jumped back, losing her balance, she fell to the ground next to Richard and Derek, which brought them out of their stupor. They stared at her, curious as to what happened.
Donna sat on her butt, gazing back at them with her eyes open wide and mouth gaping, as she pointed toward Olivia.
“What’s wrong?” Richard asked.
“Olivia,” she said in amazement. She wanted to say more, but she seemed to have lost the ability to speak.
Richard and Derek scrambled to their feet, both wiping their eyes at the same time. Donna leaped up and stood next to them, gawking at Olivia in amazement. She was breathing, but still unconscious.
“YES!!” Derek exclaimed, as he danced around, grabbing his mom and hugging her. He had never been so happy and relieved in his life. Donna laughed with tears she couldn’t control. She hugged Derek tightly. She went to Richard and hugged him, kissing him on the cheek.
Richard was elated, but he was still a doctor and a scientist, wanting to maintain his composure, because there were things that needed to be done. Grabbing the clipboard, he checked the time, logged it down. He held her wrist—pulse strong.
Donna and Derek stood by powerless to do anything, watching Richard do his doctor thing, but the anticipation was killing them. They couldn’t stand the torture anymore.
“Richard,” she said complaintively, “How is she?”
“Yeah, is she going to be alright?” Derek asked anxiously.
He turned toward mother and son, smiling, “At the moment, she seems to be doing well. Her pulse is very strong, which is a good sign, but it’s too early to tell if she’s out of the woods. As you know, Chromosome ‘S’ has never been given to a human, so I need to keep a vigilant watch over her. I need to be prepared for the unexpected.”
“Is there anything we can do?” Donna asked.
“Yeah, can we help?” Derek said with a smile that wouldn’t disappear.
“No…,” he paused for a second, “Actually…yes…I could use your assistance.”
“Name it!” Donna said enthusiastically.
“I’m going to need your help with hygiene: bathing and dressing her.”
“No problem. I can do that,” Donna answered.
“What can I do?”
He didn’t want to leave Derek out. Derek would be hurt if left out and Richard knew it, so he needed to come up with something, anything for him to do. “First, I need you to help me bring a bed down here, then I’ll need you to be my assistant,” Richard said making the job seem much more important than it really was. Derek would be his go-fer. A job he knew Derek would tackle with enthusiasm.
“Once the bed is moved down, Olivia bathed and I get things situated, we’re going to run by my house and gather some clothes, necessities—then we’re coming back. I have a feeling we’re going to be staying a while.” Donna said.
This was good news to Richard.
“I wanted to ask but−“
“Richard,” she said reaching for his hand,
“I’ll always be here for you and Olivia…”
“Hey! What about me?” Derek joked, as she turned to him.
“You too,” she said, turning back to Richard, “We’re not going anywhere.” She said gazing into his eyes.
Richard tore himself from her gaze, “Derek, you can sleep in Olivia’s room, Donna you can sleep in my bed.”
Donna’s eyes almost popped out of her head. “Wwwhhaaat?” She asked slowly with a smile on her face.
“I did not see that coming at all,” Derek laughed,
“This is not good for me, I’m at a very impressionable age,” he joked.
Richard was confused, which morphed into embarrassment, “What…no, no…that’s not what I meant,” Richard was clearly blushing, “I meant, you can sleep in my bed, because I’ll be sleeping down here.”
“I knew what you meant, but you’re adorable when you blush.” she said teasingly.
“Yuck!” Derek commented.
“Derek, let’s get the bed out of one of the extra bedrooms. Donna, if you wouldn’t mind grabbing some linens.”
Derek followed him upstairs. They moved the spare bed into the lab. The mattress was large enough for father and daughter to share.
Donna bathed Olivia, dressing her appropriately, while the guys waited patiently upstairs. When Olivia was clean and dressed, they moved her to the bed. Richard inserted an I.V. He attached the leads to monitor her heart and respiration.
He took a sample of blood; labeling the vial with date and time. He would continue to do this hourly; following her progress.
* * *
Donna and Derek left to gather their things, stopping off at Safeway, across the street from Fred Meyer to pick up some groceries.
“I got the cart,” Derek said. Hard to believe that less than two hours ago, he was crying his eyes out.
“What do we need to get for dinner?”
“Hamburgers and Mac n Cheese,” he quickly answered without hesitation.
“Sounds good,” she said.
“Mom, is Olivia going to be alright?” He asked, seriously.
“I really don’
t know, Honey. We’ll have to see.”
“You saw the changes in Minnie, will it be the same for her?” He asked with genuine concern.
“As Richard said, humans and mice are totally different. We may not see any changes at all,” she said, not believing what she was saying. She was trying to convince herself as much as Derek.
Would Olivia be changed and would it be obvious. The teenage years are tough enough as it is, but to be different in any way can be almost cruel, she thought. The truth is, kids can be critical and sadistic toward anyone whom they deem to be inferior.
“The main thing is, no matter what changes may occur, it will be a tough time for her, you need to be there for her, to be the friend you’ve always been. It could get difficult for you.”
“What do you mean?”
“Sometimes it’s easier to run, than to be strong and stand by someone who needs you.”
“Mom, you don’t need to tell me that,” he said.
“I know Honey, but sometimes we forget what’s the right thing to do. There’s a saying, ‘if you ever wonder who really loves you, there’s two ways to find out; end up in the hospital or go to jail.”
“What does that mean?”
“Well, most people we think actually love us, are only fair-weather friends−meaning; they’re only around when times are good, but turn their backs on you when you really need them.”
“I wouldn’t be like that,” Derek said defensively.
“Our choices define who we are and life is filled with an unlimited amount. Turn left, turn right, take a promotion…I could go on, because it’s endless. Are you following?”
“Yeah.”
“At some point in time, you might have to make a difficult choice, and the decision you make could alter your life or someone else’s or both. The decision you make, as long as it’s one not made for selfish reasons, will most likely be the right one, but unfortunately, emotions can distract your way of thinking, causing you to choose poorly. So, you can say confidently that you wouldn’t be like that, but you won’t know till you’re in the situation.”
“But what does that have to do with turning your back on someone?”
“The other day I was having a conversation with a man, who was passing through and he told me the saddest story. It turns out he was accused of a crime and his family turned their backs on him.”
“Really? How could they do that? Was he a mean guy?”
“No, he told me he had a great relationship with his kids,…Oh, in fact, three months before he was arrested his oldest daughter told him that he was ‘an awesome Dad’.”
“Wow! That’s sad. I don’t understand how a family could do that.”
“Sometimes it’s easier to believe the worst in a person, then to have faith and believe the best,” she said, “He told me, he was in jail with some pretty good guys, but some were disgusting human beings. They were so bad, he couldn’t understand how anyone could love them and yet they received mail and visits. One day, he asked one of the degenerates what their loved ones said when they got arrested. The family told the degenerate, ‘whether you did it or not, it’s irrelevant, we’re family, we love you and we’re here for you.’ The man I spoke with was shocked, he couldn’t fathom what was wrong with his family’s character.”
“That’s so sad. I can tell you this, I would never turn my back on anyone I loved or my friends.”
“I hope not, Honey, but I haven’t told you the saddest part.”
“There’s more?”
“Yeah, This man loved his kids so much and the way he talked about them was so…real. I could tell he loved them as much as Richard loves Olivia or I love you. Anyway, after the man had been in jail for almost eighteen months, his oldest daughter visited him. He was so happy to see her. She told him, ‘I love you Dad but I don’t believe you and I don’t want to have a relationship with you. She left, never to see or hear from her again. He was devastated. His eyes were full of tears, as he told me his story.”
“Oh my God! How can you be so cold to someone you love?”
“I know,” she said, “If you truly love someone, Love is not conditional. Well…I’ve said enough. It’s too depressing and we’ve been through enough today.”
“I agree.”
She put her arm over his shoulders and nudged him with her hip. He pushed back.
CHAPTER XV
Donna and Derek arrived back at Richard’s, the SUV loaded with groceries and their personal items. They unloaded the groceries first, putting them away in an orderly fashion. When most of the groceries were put away, she dispatched Derek to remove their things, placing them in their respective rooms.
Derek took his things into Olivia’s purple and yellow room. While Donna went to Richard’s, loading all her clothes into the two bottom drawers of his beautiful cherry wood armoire.
There was plenty of space in the bathroom for all her necessities, make-up, hair dryer and straightener. She was happy to be there, she only wished the reasons were different. She returned to Richard’s room, as Derek came in.
“Are you going to be okay in Olivia’s room?” Donna asked stripping the bed of its sheets.
“Yeah, but it might take a while to get used to the posters of One Direction and the Twilight movies. Yuck!” He said with a chuckle.
She started putting fresh sheets on, “I think you’ll survive,” she said, “Do me a favor, take those sheets to the laundry room, then we’ll go down together and see how the patient is doing.”
“Okay,” he said cheerfully, “But hurry!”
Donna was done in a few minutes and joined Derek. They walked down the stairs, stopping at the keypad. He typed in the code, unlocking the door. They entered to find Richard fast asleep next to his baby girl with her hand in his. She seemed to be breathing fine,’ her color had returned—possibly a few shades darker than Donna remembered.
Derek watched his friend sleep, thankful to God for not taking her.
Donna decided to let him sleep, while she and Derek went to fix dinner. She’d wake him when it was ready. She walked to his side, covered him with a blanket that lay on the counter. She desperately wanted to kiss him. When Olivia died, she felt so much pain and sorrow. The pain and anguish he had experienced must have been so much more then she felt, yet he maintained control, she thought, he was amazing.
Mother and son returned to the kitchen to start dinner.
“Olivia looks pretty good,” Derek said.
“She does, but don’t get excited. We have no idea what will happen.”
“I know. I know,” he said, humoring her, “I’m just saying.”
“I just don’t want you to be disappointed,” she explained, as she changed the subject, “Did she seem darker?”
He thought about the question before answering, “No, but I wasn’t paying attention. Remember, she was in the sun today.”
“Yeah, I guess so.”
* * *
Dinner was ready in thirty minutes. They brought it down to Richard, who was just waking up.
“Oh…you guys are back,” Richard said, as he yawned.
“We’ve been back! Mom, covered you with the blanket.”
“You should have waken me up,” he said.
“It’s best you sleep when you can. You have no idea what the next few days will be like,”
Donna cautioned.
“You’re right, you never can tell,” he agreed.
“So, how’s she doing?” Derek asked.
“She’s out of the woods! Her pulse and respiration are normal.” he said, plus Dr. Death was nowhere to be seen.
“I have one question,” Derek asked.
“What is it?” Richard asked.
“What was she doing in the woods?” He said, as both adults stared at him, “I’m just playing,” they continued to stare at him, “Sorry.”
“You need to work on your timing. It’s a little off,” Richard said smiling at him.
The heavenly aroma of th
e hamburger caught his attention,
“That looks so good and smells even better,” Richard said.
“Well, grab a seat and dig in,” Donna said.
The three sat down to dine. His mouth was watering as he took his first bite. He pulled his chair next to Donna, “Thanks for this,” he said to Donna, turning to Derek, “Let me guess, you made the Mac and cheese?”
“Yup,” Derek said, taking a bite.
“Well, it’s really good,” Richard said.
“You did a good job, Honey,” Donna agreed.
“Is it as good as Olivia’s?” Derek asked. He and Olivia competed constantly with their Mac n Cheese, Olivia usually won but never gloated.
Richard was considering his question seriously.
“I—doubt—it!”
Derek almost choked on his food, as Donna dropped her burger. Richard jumped up, knocking his chair to the ground, rushing over to Olivia’s side. She looked up at him, forcing a half smile.
“I’m sorry,” she said weakly.
“Sorry? Sorry for what?” he asked, smiling at her, as she thanked God for the miracle.
“For being stupid.”
“We’ll talk about that later. Right now you need to get better,” Richard said. He wasn’t ready to tell her about Chromosome ‘S’.
Derek ran to her, smiling from ear to ear. Donna was on his heels.
“Hi,” he said tearing up, which caused Donna to become emotional, “I was scared you weren’t going to…,” he turned away to keep from crying.
“Hi, Honey,” Donna said, as she tenderly brushed her cheek with her fingers, “You gave us such a fright.” The idea of losing her again, brought tears to her eyes.
Olivia looked at the three of them, unsure of the extent of her injuries. She was sure they were over reacting, as parents often do. But why is Derek acting that way? She thought, I don’t know, but I could so eat a Hot Pocket, “I’m—hungry,” she said softly.