Black Forest, Denver Cereal Volume 5

by Claudia Hall Christian

  Jacob nodded.

  “And it helps me understand you better,” Jill said. “What’s wrong, Jacob? Just tell me.”

  “Do you miss Trevor?” Jacob asked.

  “Trevor? No.” Surprised, Jill touched the ‘Soul Mates’ tattoo on her wrist. “Why?

  “Delphie said you were being moody because the anniversary is next Saturday,” Jacob said.

  “Oh,” Jill said. “Huh.”

  “Why huh?”

  “She’s wrong,” Jill said. “I haven’t known her to be wrong. I wonder if the babies block her.”

  “She said I should figure it out myself and asked me if I remember what happened last summer.” Jacob repeated what Delphie had said.

  “Oh, that’s a little different,” Jill said.

  “What happened last summer that I should remember?” Jacob asked. “I remembered meeting you at the engagement party, getting injured, Katy’s bee sting, making love for the first time, and…”

  “I think I’m tired because I’m pregnant,” Jill said. “I’m moody because I almost never see my husband any more. I could really use some Jacob time. I know Katy could as well.”

  “And Trevor?” Jacob pressed.

  “There were a lot of things that happened at that party, Jacob,” Jill said.

  “Like what?”

  “You’re really freaked out about this,” Jill smiled at him. “Okay, you tell me. What happened at that party?”

  “Honey was almost killed,” he said.

  “Heather got pregnant with the gorgeous Mac.”

  “Valerie ‘came out’ to her friends and everyone met Mike,” he said.

  “I wore an amazing red velvet dress for Claire Martins,” she said.

  “You were gorgeous,” he said. “You started working for her line. Val’s been modeling the pregnancy line. Will you do that?”

  “I think so but I’m not sure,” Jill said. “What else happened?”

  “Trevor was killed,” he said.

  “By my father,” Jill said. “Yes, that happened. And what else?”

  “I don’t know,” Jacob said. “What else?”

  “My baby Katy was kidnapped with her best friend Paddie,” Jill said. “I just feel like she’s been through so much. She saw Trevor get shot that night too. Then all this crap with the serial killer and evil serpent and…”

  “And?”

  “Trevor’s parents want to spend Saturday with her,” Jill said. “They accept that she’s not Trevor’s child. But Trevor thought she was his child and that’s enough for them. They want to go to the cemetery with her.”

  “And Katy?”

  “Katy wants to spend the day with Paddie like they always do,” Jill said. “She doesn’t like Trevor’s parents or really does not understand why they want to see her. She’s also a little scared, which makes me a little scared.”

  “Scared?”

  “Like are they going to kidnap her? They already tried to get full custody. What if they hold her for ransom? Which they totally would do,” Jill said. “Plus, all of Trevor’s friends are going to be around.”

  “We won’t let her go,” Jacob said.

  “It’s not that easy,” Jill said.

  “Why not? We’re her parents. We have legal custody of her. We don’t want her to go,” Jacob said. “Seems pretty simple.”

  Jill turned away from him to look out the passenger side window. They lapsed into silence. Jill turned on the radio and they shifted to chatting about other things. When they turned off onto the road toward the Brighton Barn, Jacob flicked off the radio.

  “Why don’t we set up a date day?” Jacob asked. “We could ask Colin and Julie if they could take Katy on Saturday. We could go for a hike or whatever. It would give us a chance to really talk.”

  “You don’t have to work this Saturday?” Jill asked.

  “We’re closed this weekend,” Jacob said. “The employees voted to take a Saturday off every eight weeks in the summer. This is the first one.”

  “That’s why Aden wants to go somewhere,” Jill said.

  “It’s his last chance before coming back full time and before things start popping in the late summer,” Jacob pulled up behind MJ and Honey’s van in the circular gravel driveway. “Date day?”

  “Sounds really nice,” Jill said. “But maybe we should plan a date morning. I know Katy’s been missing you too. I’ll ask Julie if Katy can sleep over. And Trevor’s parents?”

  “I don’t see why we have to accommodate them,” Jacob said.

  “It’s not that easy,” Jill started.

  Turning to look at him, she was about to continue when she saw he wasn’t listening. His entire focus was on the barn and the adults, children, and dogs walking toward it.

  “Are you all right?” Jill asked.

  He jerked back to the present and turned to look at her.

  “We need to do this and do it well,” Jacob said. “The creature is not happy his mate is dead and their babies destroyed.”

  Jill took his hand and squeezed it. They got out of the car to face the creature together.

  ~~~~~~~~

  Wednesday evening — 7:40 P.M.

  Ava stood at the end of Seth’s bed. His face was grey in color and partially obscured by the breathing tube. The monitors danced a blue rhythm that meant Seth was stable. But the tight knot in Ava’s stomach whispered another story.

  She went around the bed to hold his hand. Not cold, not warm. It was as if Seth was hanging between life and death.

  Updating Technician Alvin on her protocol, the ICU Chief Doctor had rattled through the results. The surgery had been successful. The younger men were already showing improvement. Seth had stabilized. The dialysis, followed by a course of steroids, was also effective. The patients seemed to be clearing the toxin from their system. He felt confident that the younger men would be awake by tomorrow morning. He agreed with the team from Geneva and they would be ready with pain medication when the men woke up.

  “It comes down to age,” the doctor had said. “Detective O’Malley is in excellent health, in some ways better health than the younger men.

  “But?” Ava asked.

  “He received twice the dose,” the doctor’s callous updating voice never wavered. “And he’s an old guy.”

  The doctor picked up Seth’s chart to review it.

  “And that means exactly?”

  “He has sixty year old organs,” the doctor shrugged. “It’s unlikely he’ll recover fully.”

  Ava must have made a noise because the doctor jerked his head up to look at her. His eyes squinted at her reaction. With a nod, he left her at the end of the bed.

  “He’s an old guy.”

  Hearing the doctor’s voice in her head, she plopped down in a chair and dropped her head into her hands. What had she expected? She was dating a man who was almost three times her age. At some point, she would end up in some hospital by his bedside.

  “He can be a real ass,” a woman’s voice came from the edge of Seth’s bed. Ava looked up to see an ICU nurse. “He doesn’t mean it. Mostly. Or that’s what I tell myself when he acts like that.”

  “The doctor?” Ava asked.

  “You’re not the first family member he’s freaked out,” the nurse said. “Should I call the social worker? You can file a complaint.”

  “I’m too tired to talk to anyone,” Ava said.

  The nurse nodded at her. Ava picked up Seth’s hand again. It seemed warmer. Maybe that was a good thing.

  “I remember you,” the nurse said.

  “You do?” Ava asked

  “You were just over there not too long ago,” the nurse nodded to indicate where her ICU bed had been. “We snuck him in past your father and the cameras.”

  “Seth?” Ava asked.

  “He was really sweet,” the nurse said. “He said he was afraid the darkness would take you. He got in bed with you and held you.”

  “He did?” Ava asked.

  “He stay
ed for about an hour before your father pitched a fit about not being able to see you.” The nurse smiled. “Of course, it’s against regulations for a guest to stay that long but… A couple of us know Detective O’Malley.”

  “Know?” Thinking they were old girlfriends, Ava blushed.

  “He caught the drunken bastard who ran over my nephew,” the nurse said. “Brought peace and justice to my sister and our whole family. A couple of other girls have similar stories.”

  “I’m sorry for your loss,” Ava said.

  “See, I knew if he loved you so much, you must be good people,” the nurse said. “If you want to get in bed with him, I won’t stop you. Just don’t mess with the monitors or tubes.”

  Ava kicked off her Dansko clogs. She went to the end of Seth’s bed and, with the nurse’s help, she climbed in.

  “You have about an hour before our shift change. You should probably get out then,” the nurse said. “I bet love is exactly what he needs right now.”

  ~~~~~~~~

  Wednesday night — 8:40 P.M.

  Mike wiped the dirt off his hands onto his jeans and stood up. He wasn’t sure what he’d expected tonight. He’d certainly heard all about scary creatures and the battle against evil. All kinds of things. He’d even heard about the bright light that emanated from his Valerie with the help of Noelle and Nash. There just was no way anyone could have prepared him for this.

  The action had started the moment they arrived. Jacob yelled that the creature was fighting to escape. Valerie jumped into action. Within moments the women and children locked arms. Intent to support them, he, Jacob, Aden and Sam stood ready to jump in. But those ladies did not need their help. A radiant light burst from his Valerie. As if drawn by a magnet, the light dove into the earth.

  And they fought.

  With Katy in her arms, Jill, supported by Jacob, managed to hold everyone upright. The earth shook and the men fell to the ground. Ash fell from the sky. Shard like rain battered their bare heads and faces. Lightning sprung from no where.

  The brilliant light of Valerie continued to pummel the creature in his cage.

  At one crucial moment, Jill seemed to collapse. Charlie rushed to her side. With Charlie on one side, Teddy behind, and Sissy on the other, they held Jill upright over the jerking, rolling earth.

  The brilliant light of Valerie hung on.

  And then, as if it had never happened, the earth became shockingly still. The sky filled with bright stars. Wet and covered with ash, they looked at each other.

  “Is that it?” Valerie yelled from where she, Nash, Noelle, Honey, Sandy, Rachel, Heather and Mac stood. “Jake! Is that it?”

  “I think that’s it,” Jacob said from somewhere to Mike’s left. Mike helped him to his feet. “Delphie?”

  “He’s dead,” Delphie said.

  “The Shamans are leaving,” Jacob said.

  Honey began to hoot with joy and a general cheer rose up. The kids screamed and jumped up and down. Sam helped Delphie up. Aden rushed to Sandy. Jacob grabbed Jill. And he rushed to Valerie.

  “How are you?” Mike asked.

  “Great!” Valerie beamed. He picked her off the ground and spun her around.

  “You’re amazing.”

  “That was amazing,” Valerie said.

  Mike looked up to see everyone laughing and hugging. He smiled at Valerie.

  “Party at the Castle?” Valerie asked and got general applause in return.

  “What’s the proper celebration after saving the world from evil?” Sam asked.

  “Pizza!” Noelle said.

  “You had pizza last night,” Sandy said.

  “Pizza!” Charlie and Teddy said.

  “Pizza!” Honey said and hugged Sissy.

  “Pizza it is,” Sam said. “I’ll call.”

  “Let’s go home!” Valerie said.

  As if nothing had happened, they got back in their cars. It wasn’t until Mike was sitting in the driver’s seat of his old Bronco that he began to laugh.

  “What’s funny?” Valerie asked.

  “Nothing,” he said. “Everything. What a night!”

  Valerie laughed.

  ~~~~~~~~

  As if it was whispered in his ear, Seth heard very clearly:

  “Don’t leave me O’Malley. I love you.”

  Seth looked at Saul and Silas.

  “Did you hear that?” Seth asked.

  “She’s a total babe, brother,” Saul said. “How do you always manage to get the babes?”

  “She seems so young,” Seth said. “I don’t have any idea what I was thinking.”

  “Oh Seth,” Silas said. “She loves you. Who cares how old she is?”

  “You’re not her father. It’s not your job to make sure she finds an age appropriate mate,” Saul said. “Do you love her?”

  “I gave her Mom’s ring,” Seth said.

  “The one she always wore?” Saul asked. “Wow.”

  “Then who cares?” Silas asked. “When you get here, the only thing that matters is the people you loved and those who loved you back. All that other stuff – money, age, gender, color, whatever – don’t matter. Only love.”

  “How do you always get the babes?” Saul asked. “That girl you met at Eastman was flaming hot. She was my… inspiration for years.”

  Saul blushed to his ears. Silas squealed with laughter. Shaking his head at his brothers, he had to laugh.

  CHAPTER ONE HUNDRED & FIFTY-SIX

  Date night

  Two days later

  Friday morning — 7:40 A.M.

  Denver Health

  Sandy pressed open the door to Seth’s hospital room. He and the other officers were stable. They were moved from the ICU yesterday. Knowing Seth’s wishes, and in full control of his finances, Sandy had arranged for the officers to be moved into their own private rooms.

  The patients remained unconscious, confounding the medical experts. The neuroscientists were meeting today to go over test results. The predictions ranged from dire statements to shrugged shoulders. Sandy sighed and went into the room. She folded the blanket Ava had used last night and set it on a chair.

  “Another hospital room,” Sandy said.

  She set her bag down on the chair and began setting up. She didn’t really understand what the doctors were talking about. She only knew that it was Friday, early morning. Seth needed his hair cut and shave. Leaving Aden with the kids, she’d navigated the morning commute traffic to come to Denver Health.

  “You’re particularly scraggy,” Sandy said. “What is it about being unconscious that makes your hair and beard grows so fast?”

  She plugged in her cup warmer and set a glass jar of his favorite shaving cream on it. She went into the bathroom to wet her badger hair brush.

  “Sandy?” a woman’s voice came from the door. Sandy peeked out of the bathroom. “Here are the towels we have. Will they work?”

  “They’re perfect,” Sandy smiled at the nurse. “I hope it wasn’t too much trouble.”

  “Not at all,” the nurse said. “Will you shave the other officers?”

  “My pleasure,” Sandy smiled. “We’ll see if we can lure them back to the land of the living.”

  “Great idea,” the nurse said.

  Sandy took the towels from the woman and set them on the chair. She wet a few and set them in her spa towel warmer. She took her set of scissors and her portable shaver out of her bag. Using the window ledge, she unrolled her black scissor pouch and grabbed a comb from her bag. As she did most Fridays, Sandy clipped Seth’s hair.

  “Remember when you were shot?” Sandy asked. “Your hair grew like this. Crazy hair. Maybe it seems like more growth because you’re lying down.”

  She looked at Seth’s sleeping face. The breathing tube had been removed but a nasal cannula remained. She worked on the front of his head first.

  “Of course, you’ll be delighted to know that Valerie and the gang have taken down both of those evil creatures,” Sandy said. “I’m kin
d of proud that Rachel and I were involved. Noelle and Nash too. Well, Sissy and Charlie… I guess everyone.”

  Sandy chuckled.

  “They found a state water quality truck outside my salon,” Sandy said. “Ferg says it’s Saint Jude’s get away vehicle. I guess he was wearing a water uniform. I didn’t notice. Anyway, that’s how he got around undetected. Who would look twice at someone out in the open spaces looking at the water? I know. I know. The water is foul out there. Especially along Sand Creek. So, it makes good sense. One thing you can say about Saint Jude, he wasn’t dumb.”

  “But you of all people know that,” Sandy kept her voice bright and cheerful. “Delphie and the Coroner have met with all of the families to let them know. It’s amazing how much peace one man’s death can bring.”

  “The media is hailing you as the crime stopping savoir you always have been,” Sandy chuckled. ”Magic O’Malley rides again. Don’t laugh. You did good, real good. Of course, Ava’s dad is being a jerk but that’s his job. He’s taking a lot of credit for the take down of Saint Jude. I don’t remember him being anywhere near my salon basement, but… to anyone who doesn’t know anything, it kind of looks that way. State Attorney General Aaron Alvin takes over and Saint Jude is apprehended within hours. And as you always say, he does have to get elected.”

  Her sharp scissors clicked quietly. Seth had a thick mane of salt and pepper hair. She rotated his head to the right so that she would work on the other side of his face. Her breasts brushed against his face.

  “Lucky you have that breathing thing in. You might have suffocated,” Sandy said. “I’m still breast feeding Rachel. The postmaster assigned my breasts their own zip code – 80206-H-U-G-E.”

  She leaned back expectantly. Nothing.

  “Well, I thought that was funny. Anyway, Rachel is doing really well. She’s gaining weight and starting to be more attentive. Don’t tell anyone but I think Charlie is her favorite. She always smiles when he’s around. Charlie seems to have really bonded with her too. It’s nice to see.”