HIDDEN MICKEY ADVENTURES 5

by Nancy Temple Rodrigue

  “What?”

  “Yeah, his father’s face looked just like yours, Walt.”

  “Maybe I should take over the story. You’re drifting.”

  “I am not, Wolf. I’m telling the backstory. Right, Walt?”

  Walt still looked disapproving. “What do you mean that Wolf beat you?”

  “Well, we were wolves, and you know I’ve had a bit of a temper…”

  “A bit?”

  She shot a look at her husband. “Fine. I had a temper. Anyway, it was just the natural thing to do under the circumstances and Wolf ended up the victor due to his larger size…”

  “Fighting ability…”

  “Don’t interrupt, dear. Anyway, as I was saying, his father was happy to see us again and under friendlier terms. When he found out a year had passed since he had seen us, well, one thing led to another, and we told him we were engaged. So, he insisted on us getting married right then. At least, that’s what I think he said. I’m still rusty on my Lakota.”

  Wolf’s face was a blank mask of pure innocence. “Yeah, that’s what he said.”

  Eyes narrowed, Omah didn’t quite believe him. “The Cooking Woman…”

  “The one stirring the big pot?” Engrossed in the tale and the connection to the scene on the River, Walt had to interrupt for clarification.

  “Yes, that’s the Cooking Woman. She got the women together and hauled me into one of the tipis to get me ready for the wedding.” Omah smiled at the remembrance. The whole camp had been so pleased Wolf had finally found someone. She had been dressed in an off-white, fringed dress, and feathers were arranged in her hair. The entranced look on Wolf’s face when she emerged was also something she would likewise never forget. “You know the rocky outcrop where the Shaman tells his story, Walt? That’s where the ceremony was held. The whole camp stood behind us. I’m not sure what all was said, but Wolf’s father united us in holy matrimony. At least, that’s what I think he did…”

  “Sure thing, honey.” Wolf patted her hand as he winked at Walt. “There’s nothing my father likes better than long, drawn-out ceremonies. Yep, that’s where she promised to love and obey me for the rest of her life.”

  “Obey? That was in there?”

  Wolf put an arm around her shoulders to give her a squeeze. “Yeah, that and a few other things. Hey, don’t look at me like that. Maybe you should have brushed up on your Lakota.”

  Now that the story was over and before they could get into it, Walt stood and yawned. “Well, I’m happy for you both. I think you’ll have a grand time together. So, if we’re all set on the rooms now, I will go to bed. I want to be ready for tomorrow.” Walt headed for the cream-colored door that separated the two rooms. Hand on the golden doorknob, he stopped and turned back. “And, thank you. You have no idea what this means to me.”

  “What do you think he’s doing now? Think he’s asleep?”

  Wolf let out a small chuckle. “As excited as he was, I’d bet any amount he’s standing at the window staring out at the Park.”

  “You’re probably right.” Omah smiled as she looked at the connecting door. “Did you see the look on his face when we pointed out that this suite was called Walt’s Apartment? It hadn’t sunk in how much it looks like his place over the Fire Station back home.”

  “We just have to make sure he doesn’t grab any souvenirs to take back with him. I don’t know what effect that would have on the future.”

  The fond smile had turned into a worried frown. “Wolf? Do you think we did anything wrong by bringing him here? Do you think there’ll be any changes when we take him back?”

  Wolf thought for a few moments before he answered. “I hope not. I went over all of that with him before I agreed to make the trip. Walt said he understood the seriousness. If anything is said or done when he goes back, he could affect this whole future.” He had to shrug his shoulders. “We’ll just have to make sure when this is over.”

  “You told me what happened when you, Lance, and Peter went back to the Haunted Mansion and met the Gracey’s. When you came back to our time, the Mansion was gone.”

  “Yeah, there was that.” Wolf let out a long breath. “We’ll have to rely on our memories, too. Last time, no one else realized anything had changed. We won’t be able to ask Lance or Kimberly. Even though they’re the Guardians, they won’t know any different.”

  “We’re taking a big chance.”

  Wolf glanced over at the closed door. “Yeah, but I think it’s worth it. You didn’t see how dejected he was when I went to get Peter’s quest. He doesn’t know how little time he has left. I’d rather give him a happy memory—albeit a secret one—than let him continue to be depressed.”

  Omah went over for a hug. “I think you’re right. We’ll just deal with whatever we have to later.”

  The ringing of Wolf’s phone ended their discussion for the moment. After glancing at the caller ID, he put it to his ear. “What’s up, Lance?”

  Omah listened in the half of the conversation she could hear.

  “I wasn’t in the Park today… Well, not Disneyland, anyway….Paris…No, Paris, France. Not Paris, Texas.” Wolf smiled over at Omah. Apparently Lance hadn’t expected that. “Yes, I mean France… With Omah… What do you mean how soon can I be home? Why? What’s wrong?” Omah watched as Wolf’s grin faded to a look of concern. “What happened to Catie? Is she all right? What… Yes, I can be there in a couple of minutes. Where are you exactly? I need exacts, Lance, or it won’t work. What’s the date and time… Okay, see you in a few.”

  “What’s wrong? What happened to Catie?”

  Wolf still stared at his phone even though Lance had already ended the call. “I…I don’t know. There’s been some kind of accident. I have to go. I can be back before the morning. I think…” Wolf ran a hand through his hair as he looked at her. “I think I can be back. Can’t I?” Usually the one to stay calm in a crisis, Wolf’s emotions had begun to cause doubts in his abilities. He had heard Beth and Kimberly in the background and they both had been crying.

  Knowing Catie held a soft spot in Wolf’s heart, Omah held his hands in a steady grip, a composed expression on her face. “You can do this, Wolf. But, you can’t let your sentiments get in the way. You won’t end up where you want to.” She spoke slowly and clearly. “Focus on Lance and what he just told you. You can react when you get there.” She could see Wolf’s uneasiness and wondered what he hadn’t told her about the situation. Torn by the desire to go to her friends, she looked over at the suite’s door. “I want to go with you, but I think I’d better stay here in case Walt wanders out during the night.”

  “You have your phone, too, right? If I mess up, I can still find you?”

  “You’ll do fine, Wolf. Go see your friends. They need you.”

  Wolf took a step away from Omah and closed his eyes in concentration. His focus solely on Lance, he took a deep breath.

  Then, in an instant, he was gone.

  Anaheim

  Without a sound and barely a movement of air, Wolf appeared inside the sterile hospital room. An unwelcome feeling of déjà vu swept over him as his mind went back to the similar room that had been Walt’s—a room from which his boss had never emerged.

  With an irritated shake of his head to get rid of that horrible memory, Wolf turned his attention to the small, still person engulfed by white sheets and a labyrinth of tubes and monitors. “Catie.”

  At the sound of the whispered word, Peter jerked up from his position in the chair next to her bed. “Uncle Wolf? Is that you? Oh, Wolf, it’s all my fault.”

  Wolf, unable to tear his eyes away from the ashen, bandaged-covered face, felt Peter hurl himself against his body. His arms instinctively closed around the boy.

  “You’re crushing me.”

  The muffled words filtered through to Wolf’s brain and his arms loosened their grip. “What happened? What do you mean it’s your fault?” Knowing Peter as well as he did, sensing the boy needed to talk, he looked do
wn into the upturned, troubled face. “How could this possibly be your fault?”

  Peter waved a vague hand toward the bed. “Catie…Catie wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t for me. She should have gone to Disneyland with me, not those other guys. But I didn’t want to go to Disneyland any more. I…I pushed her away. She could have been out at the Ranch with us, not with Anne and her brother.”

  “Slow down, Pete. No matter what, this isn’t your fault. You can’t think that way.”

  Peter didn’t seem to hear Wolf. “I didn’t even tell her about that quest you gave me.”

  “Can you tell me what happened? Why is she here? Like that…” Wolf again forced himself to look away from the still, pale face to focus back on Peter.

  “That idiot brother of Anne, Scott, he did this. They were coming back from the Park and he was showing off what his dad’s car could do. It wasn’t even his car!”

  Wolf could tell Peter was on the verge of getting too worked up again. “Slow down, buddy. Take a deep breath. So, Catie was with Anne and Scott. Then what?”

  Angry, Peter shook his head. He had just heard bits and pieces from eaves-dropping on his parents and Uncle Adam and Aunt Beth. They hadn’t wanted him to hear the details. But, he did. “He…he was speeding down Harbor and the light on Lincoln turned yellow. Instead of stopping…”

  “He ran the red light.” Wolf felt his stomach twist into a knot. He knew what was coming.

  Peter’s eyes filled. “Yeah, he ran the light. I guess the other cars were already moving… The police said he was doing sixty when Catie got T-boned.” When Wolf drew in a shocked breath, Peter realized he needed to clarify a point. “Well, the other car hit the back tire on Catie’s side, but it was almost the same thing.” Peter had to swallow before he could tell the rest of what he knew. “The car spun around, smashing her head into the side window.” He swiped at his eyes. “That’s why she’s all bandaged up like a mummy. Her right arm got broke, too.”

  Deeply affected, it took an effort to keep his voice calm for Peter’s sake. “Has she spoken to anyone? Did she come to?”

  A look of confusion swept over the boy’s face. “Come to? Uncle Wolf, she…she’s in a coma.”

  The steady beep, beep, beep of the heart monitor was the only sound in the room. Wolf took Peter in his arms for another hug, one that he felt he needed as much as Peter might.

  “Wolf! I didn’t see you come in.” Kimberly and Lance had softly pushed open the door to Catie’s room. A wave of relief washed over them when they saw Peter in his arms. The boy had claimed sole responsibility for the accident and hadn’t listened to a thing they had said. Perhaps Wolf would be able to help. Peter had sworn he wouldn’t leave her side until she was better.

  With Adam and Beth nowhere in sight, Wolf could tell them, “I came in a different way.” At their nod of understanding, he indicated Catie with a tilt of his chin. He didn’t want to let go of Peter just yet. “I heard some of the story. When did this happen? Where are Adam and Beth?”

  Lance looked over his shoulder at the door. All of their movements seemed stiff and unnatural. “We sent them to the cafeteria for a break. They’ve been here since midnight. Once the kids were brought here to Anaheim Regional Hospital, it took some time to sort out who was who. The accident happened around 10:30 when the kids were on their way home.”

  Kimberly had a hard time pulling her eyes away from the bed. They all have known Catie and her brother Alex practically from birth. To her, the kids were an extension of her own family. “The driver, Scott, is only seventeen. I’m not even sure he was supposed to be driving. The only saving grace, if there is one, is that the car was an older Dodge Charger. The thing was built like a tank. Anne, who was in the back seat, and Scott are pretty banged up, but…not like Catie.” Her voice cracked. “She got the brunt of it.”

  “Where are the boys?” Wolf’s question earned him a blank stare. Under the high emotions and the shock, he wasn’t surprised. “Michael and Andrew? You know, short, have green eyes, brown hair. Live in your house. Make a lot of noise.”

  The moment of humor helped. Lance walked over and put his hand on Peter’s head. “They’re with a sitter. This one refused to stay home.”

  Wolf could tell Lance was proud of his son for wanting to be there for his friend. “I think I’ll go down to the cafeteria and see Adam and Beth.”

  At his words, Peter pulled away from Wolf and silently returned to the chair by Catie’s bedside.

  Alex, Adam, and Beth sat close together at one of the aluminum tables, assorted drinks forgotten in front of them. When someone approached their table, three pairs of haunted eyes looked upward. Hope flickered across their faces and then vanished. Their smile of recognition barely moved the corners of their mouths.

  “Wolf. Thank you for coming.” Adam didn’t seem to know what else to say. His eyes strayed back to a paper cup filled with cold coffee.

  Beth looked like she had aged ten years. The feisty, sarcastic, bubbly personality had been extinguished. “Have you…have you seen Catie?”

  Wolf could only nod and held out a hand. In an abrupt move, Beth sprung from her seat to bury her head in his chest. “I’m so sorry, Beth. I don’t know what to say.”

  “My little girl. That’s my little girl, Wolf.”

  His arms tightened. “I know.” He looked up at Adam. “Pete said she’s in a coma?”

  Adam’s head bobbed once. It seemed to be the extent of movement he was capable of. “Yeah. When her head…” He broke off, his lower lip between his teeth, and looked away. “When her head hit the window, it caused swelling in her brain.” Alex scooted over and leaned against his dad. “The doctors felt a medically-induced coma would be best to let her brain recover. They’re giving her controlled anesthetics. At least…at least she can’t feel the pain from her broken arm and all the cuts.”

  “I heard Scott and Anne…” Wolf was stopped by the intense look that came over Adam.

  Beth saw it, too, and went back to the table. Picking up Adam’s hand, she kissed his knuckles until the furious expression faded from his face. “We’ve talked with their parents. It’s…difficult…for all of us. They’re mortified by what happened. Scott and Anne have, gosh, I don’t know who has what. There are broken arms and legs, cuts on their faces and bodies. Maybe broken ribs, too. I don’t know. This is the first time we’ve left Catie’s room.”

  “Peter seems to be taking it personally.”

  A small, fond grin briefly touched Beth’s lips. “That sweet, silly boy. He hasn’t done much with the twins for almost a year now. You know that.” At Wolf’s nod, she sighed. “Well, nothing that has to do with Disneyland, anyway. We were invited to go camping with them yesterday.” Her eyes filled with tears. “Maybe we should have gone with them and none of this would have happened.”

  Hearing his wife’s distress, Adam came out of his stupor. “We’ll kill ourselves with the ‘what ifs,’ Sweetheart. We can’t do that. We have to be strong, as strong as we can, for Catie.” He squeezed her shoulders. “All right? I love you. Hey!” He jerked back when Beth wiped her nose on his shirt sleeve.

  “I love you, too, Adam.”

  After giving the family their moment, Wolf wondered where Adam’s parents were. As close as the family was, it wasn’t like them not to be there, especially in this time of crisis. “John and Margaret?”

  Adam glanced up from the mess on his sleeve. “Vacation. I called them early once we knew… something. They’ll be here later today.”

  “Mom? I’m going back to Catie’s room.”

  “That’s a good idea, Alex. We’ll all go.” Beth made a move to clear the table. “Maybe you and Peter can tell her a story. The nurses said we should talk to her as much as we can.”

  “I’ll get that. You guys go ahead. I’ll see you a little later.” Wolf watched the family as they left the cafeteria. He needed to check in with Omah to tell her what had happened.

  It was dark in the hospital room when Wo
lf reappeared. The clock on the wall indicated it was 3:15. Expecting it to be only an hour or so later than when he left, he pushed his confusion aside for a moment to check on Catie. There seemed to be less tubes and monitors around her bed. The extra bed that had been brought in for Beth had been removed.

  A loud sniff from the window drew his attention. Outlined by hazy moonlight, Peter leaned against the windowsill, gazing upward at the night sky. After swiping his sleeve across his eyes, he looked back at the stars.

  “Wishing on a star, Peter?”

  Even though Wolf had spoken in a whisper, Peter spun around as if someone had shouted, “Boo!” Eyes wide, his hand clamped over his mouth to keep from yelling out. “Gosh, Uncle Wolf, don’t do that! My heart’s pounding out of my chest.”

  “Sorry.”

  Instinctively they both looked at the bed, but there was no reaction from its sleeping occupant. The steady beep, beep of the monitor remained unchanged.

  “Where’ve you been, Uncle Wolf? We’ve missed you.”

  Wolf felt his mouth fall open and he had to make a conscious effort to close it. Before he answered, he had to recheck the clock. “It was supposed to be just a couple of hours. I seemed to have overshot it somehow.”

  “Hours? Uncle Wolf, you’ve been gone for a week.”

  How’d I mess up again? I was just with Omah. Wasn’t I?I haven’t even taken Walt back into the Park. Wolf ran a hand through his black, silver-tipped hair. “A week? Well, I’ll try to figure that out later. That might explain why Catie looks better.”

  “Yeah, her bruises started to heal up and they said she didn’t need life-support anymore. She’s kinda doing better, but she still hasn’t woken up.” The worried look returned to his face. “She doesn’t move or make any sounds. Shouldn’t she be up by now?”

  Not knowing how to answer the questions that plagued them all, Wolf glanced back at the time and then at the darkness outside the window. He changed the subject. “Are you all taking turns staying with Catie? Is that why you’re here at this hour?” His eyes narrowed when Peter suddenly looked sheepish.