Shattered Identity

by Sandra Robbins

  “Scott, can you hear me?”

  Scott groaned. “Hi, Arnold. I’m hanging in there. What about the other guy?”

  Arnold opened his medical bag and pulled out a stethoscope. “Don’t worry about him. My partner’s taking care of him.”

  Scott tried to push up to get a look at Fleming, but he sank back to the floor. “He’s a suspected murderer. When you get him to the health center, I want him cuffed to the bed.”

  Arnold stuck the ends of the stethoscope in his ears and wrapped a blood pressure cuff around Scott’s arm. “You got it, buddy. Now relax and let me take care of you. Doc Hunter is waiting for us at the health center.”

  Scott stared up into the face of the man who’d answered many calls with him since he’d come to Ocracoke. Arnold had become a friend like so many others on the island. When Scott had arrived on the ferry a year ago, he’d had no idea how his life was about to change. Now he had friends, a family and a woman who’d said she loved him. God had brought him a long way since the day a lamb had saved his life, and he would spend the rest of his days thanking Him for all the blessings he’d received.

  His gaze drifted past Arnold, and he saw Lisa talking on his cell phone. Her eyes met his, and she mouthed the same words she’d said to him minutes ago. He breathed a prayer of thanks that God had watched over them tonight.

  Scott relaxed as he hovered on the brink of unconsciousness. He tried to spot Lisa again, but his eyelids drooped. He could rest now. She was safe. He smiled and closed his eyes.

  SEVENTEEN

  Lisa paced the waiting room floor of the health center. Scott was unconscious when they’d arrived in the ambulance, and she hadn’t seen him since they had taken him into one of the exam rooms. She wanted to be with him, but Doc Hunter had given her strict orders to stay put until he called her back.

  The front door flew open. Kate, Betsy and Emma charged into the room. Tears ran down Kate’s face. “Where is he?”

  “Doc Hunter’s with him. He won’t let anybody come back there.”

  Betsy strode toward the door that closed off the hallway where the exam rooms were. “I want to see him.”

  Lisa grabbed her arm. “Doc said he’d come out as soon as he knew anything.”

  Emma burst into tears. “Is Scott going to die?”

  Betsy hurried back to her little sister, wrapped her arms around her and led her to the couch. She sat down and gathered the child closer to her. “He’s not going to die, Emma.”

  Betsy’s eyes pleaded with Lisa to reassure her. Lisa blinked back her tears and smiled at Emma. “We have to believe he’s going to be all right, Emma.”

  The door banged open, and Brock charged into the room. He rushed to Kate, who began sobbing again and collapsed against him. Brock held his shaking wife in his arms. “What happened?”

  Lisa took a deep breath. “Why don’t we sit down, and I’ll tell you.”

  When she had finished her story, she dissolved into tears. “I’m so sorry. I should have listened to Scott and been more careful about looking for my father. It almost cost me my life, and Scott may die.”

  Emma bolted up from the couch, her fists clenched at her side. “I thought you said Scott wasn’t going to die.”

  Betsy pulled her down beside her. “We need to pray for Scott. Can you sit here and do that?” Emma nodded and buried her face in Betsy’s lap.

  The door from the hallway to the exam rooms opened, and Doc Hunter walked into the waiting area. They were all on their feet before he’d taken two steps. Doc pushed his glasses up on his nose and slipped his hands into the pockets of the white lab coat he wore.

  Lisa tried to speak, but her vocal cords felt frozen. Kate grasped Brock’s hand and stared at the doctor. “How is he?”

  A somber expression covered Doc Hunter’s face. “That’s one tough brother you’ve got. He’s made it fine so far, but we need to get him to a hospital. We’re going to transport him by helicopter. I’ve already notified the hospital, and they’ll be ready to take him to surgery when he arrives.”

  “When is he leaving?” Betsy asked.

  “The helicopter is on its way. It should be here in a few minutes.”

  Lisa stepped forward. “May we see him before he leaves?”

  Doc Hunter chuckled. “I don’t want to risk the wrath of four women plus the chief deputy on Ocracoke, so I’ll let you see him for just a minute.”

  Brock cleared his throat. “We’ve been so concerned about Scott, I haven’t asked about Travis. How is he?”

  “We’re airlifting him, too. So if you have official business with him, you’d better do it now.”

  Brock nodded and turned to Kate. “I’ll check on Travis and then be in to see Scott.”

  Lisa followed Scott’s sisters, who hurried down the hallway behind Doc Hunter. When they came to a room at the end of the hallway, he opened the door and stepped back for them to enter. Kate rushed to one side of Scott’s bed, and Betsy and Emma to the other. Lisa entered the room and stood at the foot of the bed.

  Scott’s face appeared paler than it had before they’d left the lighthouse. She gripped the foot railing of the bed and pursed her lips. It was her fault he was hurt. Please, God, let him live. I’ll do anything to make it up to him for nearly getting him killed.

  Kate bent over Scott and smoothed his hair back on his forehead. “Scott, can you hear me?”

  He opened his eyes and stared up at her, then turned toward Betsy and Emma. “Hey, Emma. How did the chipmunk movie turn out?”

  Emma burst into tears again. “I—I d-didn’t finish watching it. W-we’ll watch it together when you come home.”

  He tried to smile, but his lips trembled. “You’ve got a deal.” He blinked and frowned. “Where’s Lisa?”

  “I’m right here, Scott.” She stepped from the foot of the bed to stand beside Kate.

  He took a deep breath and lifted his hand. She wrapped both her hands around his. “Have you told them yet?” he asked.

  Kate frowned. “Don’t exert yourself, Scott. Lisa told us everything that happened.”

  Lisa smiled down at him. “I haven’t told them the most important thing that happened at the lighthouse.”

  Betsy glanced from one to the other. “Then tell us.”

  Scott’s gaze drifted over his sisters and came back to rest on her. “I think I fell in love with Lisa the day I walked into the Ocracoke Island Sheriff’s Office and saw her sitting at her desk. It’s taken me a while to come to the point that I could believe I’m really worthy of her. But I love her with all my heart, and she says she loves me, too.”

  A stunned silence filled the room. Lisa glanced at each of Scott’s sisters. Shock and disbelief lined their faces. Tears filled Lisa’s eyes. “I love Scott more than I can tell you, and I want to spend the rest of my life making it up to him for almost getting him killed.”

  Scott moved his head sideways on the pillow. “You can’t blame yourself for what happened with Travis tonight. But I have to admit I like what you said about spending the rest of your life with me.” He looked at Emma and winked. “I believe we’ve got us another recruit for the chipmunk fan club.”

  Emma’s eyes grew wide. “Really?”

  Scott tried to raise his head. Pain flickered on his face, and he fell back against the pillow with a groan.

  Lisa bent over him. “Don’t try to talk now. Wait until later.”

  A wobbly smile pulled at his mouth. “I have something to say now. Kate, Betsy and Emma, I want you all to witness this moment.” He squeezed Lisa’s hand. “Lisa Wade, I love you so very much. Will you marry me?”

  Lisa bent over until their noses almost touched. “Scott Michaels, it would be an honor.”

  She leaned forward, and their
lips touched in a kiss that sent her heart soaring.

  When she pulled away, he smiled. “I’ve wanted to do that for a long time.”

  “We’ve got a lifetime to catch up,” she whispered.

  Applause rippled through the room, and she straightened. Kate put her arm around Lisa and hugged her. “Oh, Lisa. You’ve been my best friend for so long that I feel like we’re already sisters. Now it’s going to be official.”

  Doc Hunter stepped into the room and stopped at the foot of the bed. “What’s the clapping about?”

  “I just got engaged,” Scott said.

  Doc chuckled. “Good, but the wedding is going to have to wait until we get you taken care of. The helicopter’s here. We’re transporting you and Travis on the same one. Say your goodbyes so we can load you.”

  Lisa clasped Scott’s hand tighter. “Can I go with him?”

  Doc frowned, and Lisa waited for him to tell her no. Instead he studied Scott and her for a moment before he exhaled and nodded. “Why not? We can always squeeze one more passenger in. I’ll tell the pilot you’re on special assignment with the sheriff’s office to watch over an officer.”

  Minutes later, she followed Scott’s gurney as the EMTs pushed it toward the helicopter. She turned and looked back at Scott’s family gathered at the edge of the landing area. Kate waved and cupped her hands around her mouth. “We’ll be over on the first ferry in the morning, and we’ll bring you some clothes.”

  “Thanks,” Lisa yelled back.

  Her graze drifted over Kate and Brock, Betsy and Emma, who waved and threw kisses toward the helicopter. Their search for a lost brother had ended in a united happy family. But her search had uncovered a brother whose only desire was to see her dead.

  The thought pierced her heart for a moment until she looked back at the family who would also soon be hers. God had taught her a great lesson today. Sometimes the things we desire aren’t what is best for us. In His love for us, though, He places great blessings around us that we can’t see because we’re too busy looking in the wrong places.

  God had opened her eyes to what He wanted for her, and she wasn’t going to dwell on the past anymore. She turned and waved to her soon-to-be family and climbed into the helicopter next to Scott.

  Six weeks later Lisa pulled her new car to a stop in the parking lot of the Green Hills Nursing and Rehabilitation Center in Durham. She switched the motor off and slid her hand across the car seat. Scott wrapped his fingers around hers.

  She smiled and glanced at the redbrick building where her father lived. For a long time she’d dreamed of the day they would meet. Now that it was here, all she could think about was how thankful she was to have Scott beside her. For two weeks after the shooting she, Kate and Betsy had taken turns sitting by his bedside. Finally, his doctors had declared him out of danger and allowed him to return home.

  He smiled, and she offered up another quick prayer of thanks for his recovery. “What is it?” he asked.

  “I’m just so happy you’re well.”

  He chuckled and squeezed her hand. “I had to get better. I was about to suffocate with all the women in my family standing over me all the time.” His smile faded, and he glanced at the nursing center. “Are you sure you want to do this?”

  “Yes. I want to see my father. He won’t know me, but that doesn’t matter. Now that the DNA results are back, I know for sure Miles Fleming is my father.”

  Scott reached for her hand. “I just don’t want you to be hurt.”

  “After everything’s that happened, I don’t think anything else concerning my father could hurt me. I can’t judge him for choosing his son over my mother and me. He may have suffered from that decision more than I can ever know.”

  Scott pulled her hand to his mouth and kissed her fingers. “You’ve told me you’ve forgiven him, but what about Travis? How do you feel about him?”

  She sighed and stared out the windshield. “I think about how different it was with your sisters. They wanted to find you and searched until they did. My brother passed me on the streets of Ocracoke all the time and knew who I was. He only cared about the money. I’m glad he survived to face the charges against him.”

  “Me, too. The evidence against him for Jeff’s murder is strong. The bullets from the gun he shot me with match those that killed Jeff, and there’s his confession to you. Plus there’s the matter of your mother’s murder, Wayne’s death and Travis’s suspected involvement in that park ranger’s boating accident. His money won’t keep him from going to prison for the rest of his life.”

  Lisa shook her head. “No, it won’t. The sad thing is, though, that he was filled with hate for no reason. I wouldn’t have tried to get any of his money.”

  “What’s going to happen with Fleming Enterprises now?”

  She shrugged. “I have no idea. Travis’s lawyers didn’t waste any time letting me know that since I had never been recognized as a legitimate heir, I had no claim to any of the company’s holdings.” She grinned at him. “With my father incapable of claiming me now, I guess you won’t get a rich wife after all. I need a husband to support me.”

  He put his hand on the back of her head, pulled her close and covered her lips with his. When he released her, he smiled. “I can’t think of anything I’d like better.”

  Lisa caressed his cheek and turned to stare at the nursing center. She took a deep breath. “If you’re not up to walking that far, I’ll go in alone.”

  “I’m fine, Lisa. I want to be with you when you see your father.”

  They climbed from the car and walked hand in hand into the building. A receptionist sat at a desk behind a window in the reception area. She glanced up and smiled. “May I help you?”

  “I called earlier about visiting Miles Fleming. Can you tell me what room he’s in?” Lisa asked.

  The woman ran her finger down a list of names and glanced up. “He’s in 318, straight down the hallway. I told his nurse he was going to have company today, so you can check with her at the nurses’ station in the hallway. Her name is Mrs. Wagner.”

  Lisa’s heart hammered as she and Scott approached the nurses’ station halfway down the hall. A woman wearing a name tag that identified her as Lora Wagner, RN, glanced up from studying a chart when they stopped. “May I help you?”

  “We’re here to see Miles Fleming. Can you tell me how he is today?”

  The woman laid the chart on the desk and smiled. “He’s been more responsive today than any other one lately. I’m glad you’re here to visit on a good day. I must say I’m surprised, though.”

  Lisa frowned. “Why?”

  “I don’t remember him having another visitor in all the time he’s been here. His son calls every once in a while, but he doesn’t visit.”

  Lisa glanced at Scott. “That doesn’t surprise me,” he said.

  Nurse Wagner stepped out from behind the desk. “I’ll show you to his room.”

  Panic filled Lisa at the thought of seeing her father, and she turned to Scott. “I’m glad you’re with me.”

  “I’ll always be with you.” He took her hand and led her forward.

  Her father sat in a chair next to the single window in the room. He didn’t resemble the man she’d seen striding down the streets of Ocracoke Village when she was growing up. This person bore no resemblance to that athletic individual.

  A wizened old man with white hair clutched at the blanket covering his lap. Nurse Wagner touched his arm. “Mr. Fleming, you have visitors.” He turned from staring out the window and looked at the nurse. She backed away. “If you need me, push the call button beside the bed.”

  Lisa waited until the nurse had left before she stepped forward and knelt beside his chair. She took one of his hands in hers and stroked the wrinkled skin. “I wanted to see yo
u,” she whispered.

  He didn’t respond for a moment, but then he looked down at her. His forehead wrinkled, and he tilted his head to one side. His lips trembled, and he lifted his other hand from his lap and touched her cheek. “Roxanne?” The hoarse sound ground from his throat.

  Lisa shook her head. “No, I’m not Roxanne. I’m her daughter…Lisa.”

  “Lisa?” His eyebrows arched, and he sank back in his chair. His mouth curled into a smile. “Lisa is a pretty girl.”

  The words tumbled from his mouth in the same singsong voice that had haunted her dreams for years. She was right. Someone had crooned those words to her when she was a little girl, and it had been Miles Fleming, her father.

  “Oh, Scott,” she cried. “He remembers me.” Even as she said it, the momentary return of reason vanished and once again Miles Fleming retreated into the recesses of his mind. Lisa leaned over and kissed his cheek. “I’m glad I came today, and I’ll be back to see you again. Maybe next time I can tell you about my new life. All you have to do is listen.”

  She pushed to her feet, and Scott put his arm around her. “Are you ready to go?”

  “Yes.”

  Neither spoke until they stopped on the front porch of the facility. Scott took her by the shoulders and turned her to face him. “Are you sure you’re all right?”

  As Lisa reached up to touch his cheek, the diamond ring on her left hand sparkled in the sunlight and reminded her how blessed she was. Scott was different from the other men she’d known. All of them had either abandoned or betrayed her and left her scared to trust again. But God had healed the wounds of the past and given her a wonderful man to love. Now a whole new life awaited her.

  She wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled his head down until their lips almost touched. “I’ve never been better in my life.”

  * * * * *