Ramsey stopped walking as an incredible thought crossed her mind. No, surely not. Then, yes, it was possible. She turned around and went back into the hospital. She immediately saw Talmus wheeling Herby through the lobby doors. All thoughts of Jackson flew out of her head.
"What's going on," she asked in disbelief. She knew how much Talmus hated Herby. Either he was taking him somewhere to finish him off or she was hallucinating.
Talmus looked embarrassed. Herby, however, looked radiant. He was smiling from ear to ear.
"My son is taking me to his house until I get better," he said.
"Yeah, mom asked me to take care of him," Talmus added.
Ramsey just stood where she was and stared. Some things needed processing visually and mentally before a person could ever even begin to speak on them. The men before her had suffered incredibly and she knew everything about each of their pains. She knew the woman at the heart of them too.
"Mom asked you to take care of dad," she repeated dumbly.
"Yes, Ramsey, she did. Now move. So, I can get home and make him comfortable," Talmus said irritably.
He was not one for drama and he really didn't want Ramsey around right now. He wanted Herby all to himself. He had questions and all kinds of manly things to discuss with him. He already liked him. They had talked for an hour while Herby was waiting to be discharged from the hospital. His dad was a health nut just like him and he couldn't stop staring at him. They had the same face, hands, feet and everything. It was a Genesis and a Revelation. It was like birth and death. It was everything coming full circle and Ramsey had to go. He didn't want her messing things up. Furthermore, from what Herby had told him, she had had a relationship with him for years now.
"Okay," she said and moved to the side. Then she thought about something and got back in the way. Talmus took a deep breath and waited.
"Dad, did Jackson come see you today," she asked.
"He did," Herby said cautiously.
"You told him what I said," she said calmly.
"I might have talked too much. I'm hurting so bad and that pain medicine got me half out of my head. Talmus, let's go. These mosquitoes gone start biting in a minute. I got enough problems as it is."
Herby was eager to get away. He knew he was in serious trouble with Ramsey. He was torn between staying and convincing her that he meant well and screaming for her to move so that he and Talmus could go spend some much-needed and long overdue father and son time together. He was almost blind with the joy of being in the presence of both of his children without animosity and hate shooting from their eyes. Even though he was shot up and in a wheelchair at the hands of his children's mother, it had been decades since he had felt such a wonderful feeling of normalcy.
Ramsey watched as Talmus quickly steered around her and wheeled Herby away before she could let him know what she thought about his cursed meddling in her business. She wanted Jackson and she wanted him badly. There was and could never be any other man to make her feel what she felt last night with Jackson. She trembled when she pictured his lips against her breast and his big hand against her stomach. She could still feel the soreness from his body invading hers. She wanted him and couldn't think about any other man. Everything she had said to her father had been ridiculous and inconceivable. She didn't know how to take it all back now without completely humiliating herself.
#
"Are you sleep, son," Frank Steele, asked outside Jackson's bedroom door.
"Nope," Jackson said. He was lying flat on his back with an erection sticking up towards the sky. His thoughts were fixed solidly and constantly on a brown-skinned woman with thick thighs, wide hips and beautiful breasts. A woman who had given him every reason in the world to avoid women completely and then had thrown him back into the frying pan with sex like nothing he had ever experienced before in his life. He was totally and completely loss where Ramsey was concerned. It wasn't just sex. It was an incredible...... everything. She had been and, after all these years, still was a power and a force in his life for good and bad for both short term and for long term. He flipped onto his stomach and painfully willed life out of his rod. He wasn't sixteen anymore and he had some control, not a lot, but some. He wasn't about to be embarrassed in front of his dad.
The door opened and Frank stepped in.
"I overreacted today. I'm sorry. I made myself look like a fool. Talk to me. Tell me from beginning to end. I need to know what's going on here. We're supposed to be hating that family, but what I saw on your face today when that girl walked into the room was a long ways from hate. So, talk to me."
Jackson turned onto his side, tossed a blanket over his hips, and stared up at his father. When Frank found a chair in the corner of the room and settled into it, Jackson spoke.
"First of all, she's not a girl anymore. That was a full-blooded woman who walked into the room and I'm not a boy. I'm a man. You'll be glad to know that I had sex with her last night and she was a virgin."
"My God, Jackson, have you gone and lost your mind completely? That woman was not a virgin. You haven't forgotten what you did to her all those years ago. Plus, she looks like sex on a stick. Don't tell me she told she hasn't been with a man since you....uh...well since what happened between you two? What's gotten into you? My God!" Frank rubbed his hands across his face. His father had dementia and his son was acting stupid. He was tired and he missed his wife. He felt like taking off his belt and beating Jackson like he had done all those years ago.
"Are you listening, Dad? I had sex with her last night and she was a virgin. I broke the skin and she bled. Please don't make me keep saying this. I shouldn't be talking about this with you or anybody, but it seems to be important to everyone and necessary to clear up this whole mess. Evidently all those years ago, I had only tried to take her virginity, but was unsuccessful. Because she was traumatized by it, she has refrained from getting close to men. Her momma played a bigger part in her aversion than I did. Anyway, she took me home last night after Talmus and I got into a fight and were taken to jail. Oh, it’s a long story. Do you really need to know everything?"
"Yes sir, I do. Even if I wasn't your father and you were just some person off the street telling this crazy story, I would be morbidly fascinated. Yes, tell me everything. A person couldn't even make this stuff up."
Jackson laughed so hard, his sides hurt. He had never seen his father so surprised and practically begging for information. So, he talked to his father for hours. They went over every detail of everything and in the end, Frank Steele, stood up and said, "Well, if I were you, I'd figure out how to marry Ramsey Laughterdale. She looks better than Beyonce and she's yours. I believe in a man keeping what belongs to him."
"She's not mine," Jackson said.
"Oh yes she is. Not only did she give herself to you, but you earned her son. Think about it." Frank left the room after uttering those barbaric words, but Jackson couldn't help but repeat them in his mind and think they had some truth to them.
CHAPTER 17
Pam spent two days making inquiries about her daughter's secret visitor and benefactor and could never get any answers. Whoever the man was, he was covering his tracks carefully. Not knowing was driving Pam insane. If she didn't have such a fear of men and their intentions, she would have thought for a second that maybe this anonymous man had pure motives and was only trying to help Cassandra. She finally gave in and realized she was not going to find out by asking the staff at Cassandra's living facility. She would have to talk to Cassandra herself and see if she could tell her. So, she made her way back to Grenada, Mississippi to see Cassandra.
When she entered the building, the first person she saw was the stick lady. Pam had already decided that there would be no more lies and no more shame in her life. She walked right up to the desk and announced. "I am Cassandra Westwood's mother and I have come to visit with her. "
The stick smiled at her like she had never met her before and asked for her identification. She was then led away by
another woman who was kind and chatty for which Pam was thankful. The woman's chattering settled her nerves. She had no idea how Cassandra would react to her. She had not spoken to her for years. She had practically abandoned her child. Cassandra was a child in a woman's body and did not deserve to be neglected by her family. Pam had been selfish and cowardly. All she needed now was to be brave. Life would do the rest.
She walked through the lounge room doors. People sat around working their fingers frantically. Cassandra was deaf and mute. The facility she lived in was for deaf and mute adults who needed assistance with their daily living skills and moderate supervision. She was dressed in yellow. Her black hair was long and curled along her neck and shoulders attractively. She was very pretty. She saw Pam and incredibly knew who she was instantly. Her face lit up. Pam read her sign language, "Momma! You came back!"
"Yes, I'm here, sweetheart," she signed back.
She stood still while Cassandra wrapped her arms around her and then slowly her arms rose to hug her back in a warm embrace. She closed her eyes and let the miracle of forgiveness and love surround her. Cassandra grabbed her hand and pulled her to sit beside her. She reached for a little yellow purse that matched her dress perfectly. Pam was impressed. Cassandra opened the purse and pulled out two pictures. She laid them on the table and pointed to the first one, which was a fairly recent picture of Talmus. She signed, "How is my brother?"
Pam's heart sped up. Where had she gotten that picture? It was definitely a recent picture. She reached out to look at the other picture. It was a recent picture of Ramsey. No one knew about Cassandra, but her. It was one of her deepest and darkest secrets. Cassandra had no way of knowing she had a brother or a sister. Pam's ears began to ring and she felt incredibly hot. Surely she wasn't about to faint. Then she felt the cool palm of Cassandra's hand against her forehead. Pam's eyes focused on Cassandra and she saw pity in her daughter's eyes. Cassandra lifted her hand and signed, "I know, Momma. Talmus knows. He found me. He has been coming for five years. He brings me money and gifts. He loves me. I love him. I love my brother."
Pam wept. She laid her head in Cassandra's lap and wept until a nurse was called. They fed her and called a chaplain in to console her. She watched Cassandra's hands once she stabilized and let her daughter talk to her and help her. Her kindness, her forgiveness, and the loving words that flowed from her fingers settled her overwrought nerves and gave her the strength to walk to her car and drive the one hour trip back to Southaven, Mississippi, but instead of going home she drove straight to Talmus house.
#
"Have you heard from Ramsey," Maximus asked.
"No, I have not," Jackson said.
"Well, your dad told me you were going to marry her," Maximus said.
"I wish he would stop jumping to conclusions. Was he like that as a kid, granddad?"
"Lord, yes. He doesn't have the brains of a cow. If it wasn't for your mom, you'd be retarded."
Jackson started laughing. He loved to hear his granddad talk about his father. He knew Maximus loved Frank, but they were so different in character that it was comical and it was better to laugh than fight anyway. So, even though they were at odds for the most part, the family could laugh at them because sometimes they were just down right funny.
"I don't think Ramsey and I ever really had a chance. It’s probably for the best," he sighed.
"Maybe so, son. Maybe so," Maximus said.
Jackson wasn't expecting his grandfather to agree with him. He liked Ramsey and talked about her all the time. He had called her several times since being back home to ask what Jackson thought were lame questions. In fact, he could have answered them himself. He wanted to know if she had asked about him, but his pride wouldn't let him ask. He was almost sure that if she had, Maximus would have told him anyway.
"Well, let’s get you dressed, granddad, before the nurse gets here."
Jackson changed the subject. It wasn't doing him any good talking about Ramsey. She probably had already found someone to experiment on. He knew what she was doing. He knew how she was thinking. She thought she could have that passion with any man. But the thought of her with another man made him slightly crazy. So, he stood up and started clearing the breakfast table, while Maximus finished his coffee.
"I want you to shave and do something about yourself too before the nurse gets here, son. You'll scare the poor girl. And get this house cleaned up," Maximus said. His voice was no longer weak. He was stronger and he was back in control of his household. Ramsey really was a good doctor. She had put Maximus on three different medications and within days they had made a huge difference in his stamina and appearance.
"Look, granddad, the girl isn't our guest. She works for you. I'm not going to lay out the red carpet for her," Jackson fussed.
"Okay, suit yourself. She reports to Ramsey. You don't want her going back telling her that the old man's house was filthy and his grandson looked like he hadn't taken a bath or brushed his teeth in days."
Jackson laughed. He remembered years ago when he had been a teenager, depressed, and really not caring how he looked. Maximus had used the same tactics to get him to properly groom himself. Now his eyes lingered on Maximus as he slowly rose from his seat at the table. He shuffled his feet a few times to get himself turned around and then begin shuffling forward to leave the room. He was old and Jackson felt his heart leap in panic at the thought of his grandfather dying.
He walked right up to him and wrapped his arms around him. “I love you, granddad. Thank you for raising me…for helping me.”
He bought his face level to Maximus face and stared him right in the eyeballs. He wanted him to know that he meant every word from the bottom of his heart. Maximus had saved him. He had given him a model to follow. He was a man because of the elderly man he held in his arm.
Maximus put a hand on each of Jackson’s shoulders and stared back at him. Grandson and grandfather stood face to face in a moment in time that would be remembered and shared with the generations that came behind them. It was poignant. It was emotional. It was endearing and unforgettable.
“Thank you, son. You’ve made me proud. I wish I could live long enough to see everything you will do with your life. I won’t though, but I know you will make good decisions. I have always had confidence in you.”
Just like that, the passage of something important and necessary happened between them. Jackson stood taller and felt ready for something. He wasn’t for sure what it was, but he knew that the bases of his strength was being loved and being believed in. It was just as important as the blood flowing through his vein. It gave him life just as the air he breathed did.
They didn’t talk much more as Jackson helped Maximus bathe and get dressed. Jackson obeyed his grandad and got the house clean. He also spent some time cleaning himself up. By noon, they were ready for the nurse. The knock on the door was right on time. Maximus was lying in bed watching television and nodding off at the same time. Jackson left him to go answer the door.
CHAPTER 18
Ramsey had talked herself out of going out to see Maximus five times. Each time, she could hear his weak voice pleading with her to come to him. He was so old and so weak. She begged him to allow her to send a nurse, but he had said he wanted her. He claimed the last nurse he had was an alcoholic and had stolen from him. She had tried to reason with him that Jackson was here now and would never let anything like that happen while he was there.
Then he had told her that Jackson might not be there when the nurse came because he was seeing some woman. That had made Ramsey see colors of fire. Red, orange, and yellow sparks blurred her vision. She decided finally that she would be professional and honest. Professionally, she was obligated to Maximus. Honestly, she needed to see that whore monger, Jackson. She was nowhere near finished with him. It had been days since she had seen him and he still made her burn for it. She wanted him and no one else would ever do while she was in the state she was in, but she was not going to chase in be
hind him and if he could step out with another woman this soon after what they shared, then she had better try to forget him. She would do just that after she saw him this once more. She was woman enough to do it too.
She’d made an unprofessional decision to wear her hip-hugging black slacks, her cleavage-showing silk blouse, musk perfume, and raspberry flavored lip gloss. She turned all her new sexual prowess on and made her way to Maximus house.
Even after the long drive, she was still revved up and ready to wage war. She wanted Jackson and technically he was hers. She’d suffered enough because of him to own him head to feet. If she couldn’t have him, she would most definitely leave her mark on him.
She parked her car close to the front steps, took her sexy time unbuckling her seatbelt and stepped out of her car. She collected her doctor’s bag and keys, tossed her hair over her shoulders, licked her candy-sweet lips and climbed the two steps. She knocked on the door and within seconds none other than the six feet two inches, man-sized dark chocolate phenomenon, called Jackson Steele stood before her. To put it nicely, her lips parted, but in reality her mouth fell open.
Jackson couldn’t believe his eyes. He stared down at one of the most beautiful women he had ever seen. He knew it was Ramsey, but she was different.
“Ramsey,” he whispered.
She felt it. Her name was a caress instead of a sound. It whispered along her skin and sent all her senses into overdrive and she couldn’t think straight. Before she knew it, she was walking into his arms. He instantly lifted her up against his body. Her feet dangled above his. She wrapped her arms around his neck and the kiss began.
The Shocking Truth About Ramsey Page 7