by J A Fielding
“What? Then how do you know that it’s her?” Rita asked.
“Well, the lady who brought her in says she kept on calling her Rita. It is a long shot but....” Rita put her hand up.
“I want to see her,” she said with finality. “I want to see her right now,” she said again. Cameron nodded.
“Our medics are checking her out. She will be here in a minute,” he said as two people, a Caucasian man and an African American woman walked towards them. “Perfect timing, guys. This is the woman who brought Lydia in. She’s Desiree Young and this is her boyfriend, Taylor Ericson,” he said.
“Nice to meet you. I hope she didn’t stress you out,” Rita said. Desiree shook her head.
“She was cool. We wanted to send her here on a bus but she wouldn’t hear of it. So we just drove down here,” she said.
“Well, thank you,” Rita said before giving Desiree a hug. “This is my boyfriend Dave, my best friend Natasha and her husband Mitchell,” she said when she pulled away. Mitchell and Natasha smiled at each other when she introduced Dave as her boyfriend.
“Nice to meet you,” Natasha said with a smile.
“Yes, we could never thank you enough,” Mitchell said warmly.
“So, do you mind if I ask, how exactly was she acting?” Dave asked.
“Apart from the obvious memory loss, there were also some times when she had difficulty in communication and her judgment was also a bit off sometimes,” Desiree said.
“Yeah, she also had a hard time focusing and paying attention to the most minor details,” Taylor said. Rita shook her head.
“I’m sorry. I don’t understand,” she said. “What do you mean she could not pay attention to detail?” she asked.
“We stayed with her for four days and she almost burned the house down three times when making us dinner. She would just get started and then forget that she was cooking,” Taylor explained. Dave rubbed Rita’s back.
“Babe, they just gave all the symptoms of dementia,” he said in a low voice.
“But I don’t know anyone in our family who has dementia. At least the side of the family I know about,” she said.
“Well, it is a possibility that the side of the family you don’t know about may have a history of dementia. But don’t worry. I’ll make sure she gets all the tests needed to confirm everything before we make any conclusions,” Dave said with a smile.
“Yeah, Dave’s a doctor. I’m sure by now you have realized,” Mitchell said with a smile.
“Yeah, we noticed,” Desiree said smiling.
“Oh my God, Mama,” Rita said in a whisper as a medic holding Lydia’s arm walked towards them . “You’re okay,” she said as she hugged a confused Lydia.
“Rita, who is this woman? What is going on?” Lydia asked, looking at Desiree. Rita pulled away and looked at her.
“Mama, it’s me. It’s Rita,” she said, looking at Lydia.
“Rita?” Lydia asked again, still looking at Desiree.
“It’s okay,” Desiree said, walking towards Lydia. “See this lady, her name is Rita too, and you are her mother,” she said with a smile.
“I had twins and named them the same?” Lydia asked, looking confused.
“No, it’s...Ericson, help me,” Desiree said. Taylor took a step forward and then took Lydia’s hand in his.
“Come on, Lydia. Why don’t we go down to the vending machine and see if they have those chips you like,” he said as the two of them walked off. Desiree looked at Rita, who was now fighting the tears that were threatening to roll down her cheeks.
“I’m so sorry,” she said looking at Rita.
“It’s fine. You were there for her when I wasn’t,” Rita said, smiling sadly. “Do you know what she was doing there? How she got there?” she asked. Desiree nodded.
“Well, her memory comes back in flashes. She said something about meeting Zack. Does that mean anything to you?” she asked. Rita nodded as a tear rolled down her cheek.
“The name on my birth certificate, my father’s name is Zachary Albert. Maybe they reconnected. Maybe she was going to see him or something,” she said as she brushed off a tear.
“I’ll make a call to the hospital to get everything set up,” Dave said as he walked away. Rita walked to a nearby couch and sat down, and Natasha followed.
“I never had a mom. I grew up in foster care and seeing someone’s mother like this...it’s hard,” Desiree said as she and Mitchell looked at Natasha, who was now holding a sobbing Rita in her arms.
“I know. I can’t imagine this being easy on anyone,” Mitchell said.
“But for us, the glass is half full. I mean, when she was not almost burning down the house, Lydia was quite a delight. Only we called her Meg. We had no idea what her name was or even the first letter of her name,” Desiree said. Mitchell laughed.
“You guys are just the best,” he said as Dave walked up to them
“I have an MMSE test scheduled for her beginning tomorrow. She has to be admitted today, though,” Dave said. Mitchell looked at him and shook his head.
“MMSE?” he asked.
“Sorry. Sometimes I forget I am not at the hospital all the time. MMSE is a mini mental state exam. The test will determine her concentration span, short and long term memory and ability to understand instructions. It’s pretty standard,” he explained. “After that, then we’ll have the CT and MRI and see how it goes,” he added. Mitchell nodded.
“I’m just glad she is back. Rita can breathe again...but she is going to need all the help she can get,” Mitchell said.
“Well, she is not alone. She has me and you guys,” Dave said. “And a new family,” he added as he looked at Desiree.
“So, it’s official. You guys are back together?” Mitchell asked. Dave smiled and nodded.
“What? You had let that gorgeous woman go?” Desiree asked.
“It was just a misunderstanding,” Dave said quickly. Desiree laughed. “I would never let her go,” he added.
“And did you...?” Mitchell asked. Dave shook his head.
“There is too much going on right now. I’ll let it rest for a while,” he said with a smile as Taylor and Lydia walked back over to them. Natasha and Rita walked towards them and then Cameron followed.
“So, what is going to happen now?” Cameron asked. Dave looked at Rita and smiled.
“I have made arrangements for the necessary tests to be made. We can get her admitted to the hospital tonight,” he said. Rita looked at Natasha and then at Desiree and brushed off a tear. She looked at Taylor who was still walking towards them with her mother and then nodded.
“Do it,” she said in a whisper before walking away. Dave looked at her and then at the group.
“I better go after her,” he said before following her outside. Cameron went out after them, probably to discuss how Lydia would get to the hospital.
“I guess Taylor and I had better get started. It’s a long drive back,” Desiree said. Natasha shook her head.
“Are you kidding? You leave now, you’ll probably get there at two in the morning,” she said.
“Well, yeah, but...”
“Stay the night,” Natasha said cutting her short as she looked at Mitchell who was nodding. “You can stay at our place if you’d like. We have more than enough room,” she said, smiling.
“So, what do you say?” Mitchell asked just as Taylor and Lydia approached them.
“Ericson, it looks like we will be heading back home tomorrow because these two won’t take no for an answer,” Desiree said with a smile.
“Okay,” Taylor said smiling. “I was about to suggest to you we get a motel because I am beat but their offer sounds better,” he said.
The six of them, Natasha, Mitchell, Taylor, Lydia, Desiree and Cameron waited until Dave had calmed Rita down. After that, Dave, Cameron and Rita took Lydia to hospital as the two couples drove to Eric’s and Estelle’s to pick up Alexis. Mitchell advised Taylor to leave his car at the station where he
would pick it the next morning, to make the transit to Estelle’s and then back to his place easier. Once they were home, Natasha and Mitchell made dinner and when they sat down, they realized that their new friends were two of the best people they had ever met.
“You know the last time we met people, it was on our honeymoon,” Natasha said after putting Alexis down to sleep.
“Yeah, the two of us lead a crazy lifestyle. She is lucky she got time off after having Alexis,” Mitchell said.
“Time off? I would have swapped places with you if you would have asked me,” Natasha said.
“Actually, maternity leave is not really a leave, per se,” Desiree said as she looked at Mitchell.
“Of course you would take her side. But Taylor, you are on my side, right?” Mitchell asked. Taylor shook his head.
“I’m sorry, man. I’m with the ladies on this one,” he said.
“Oh come on,” Mitchell said.
“No seriously, babies are a twenty-four-seven commitment. They are usually crying, puking or pooping or sometimes all three. And not forgetting the fact that they sleep for two seconds before screaming for four hours in the night,” Taylor said.
“Man after my own heart,” Natasha said, laughing.
“You talk like you’ve been through this. Do you have any kids?” Mitchell asked. Desiree looked at Taylor and smiled.
“Oh no,” Desiree said.
“The answer should be not yet,” Taylor said with a smile.
“Oh, that is so sweet. How long have you guys been together?” Natasha asked.
“A year and a half,” Desiree said.
“Have you thought of making an honest man out of him yet?” Mitchell asked.
“Mitchell, honey. You are prying,” Natasha said.
“No, it’s okay. But I would also love to hear the answer to that,” Taylor said. Desiree smiled and nodded.
“Yes, I will make an honest man out of him one day. Just not yet,” she said with a smile. Taylor took her hand in his and smiled.
“I don’t think I would have heard that if it weren’t for you,” he said. Natasha looked at the time and gasped.
“I had no idea it was this late. We should probably leave you guys alone. Mitch and I have a long day tomorrow,” Natasha said.
“Yeah, we probably should,” Mitchell said with a smile.
“Thanks again for letting us stay here tonight,” Desiree said with a smile.
“Oh, we owe you,” Natasha replied. “Well, the guest bedroom is down the hall to your right. You guys can bum here, watch TV or even get something to eat if you’re hungry,” she added. She smiled at Desiree and Taylor as Mitchell stood up.
“We’ll see you guys in the morning,” he said as the two of them walked towards their bedroom.
“That was a long day,” he said as Natasha took off her earrings.
“Long but interesting. I am too tired to even shower,” she said.
“You and me both,” he said as he watched her take off her top. He looked on as she took off her skirt and then tossed her dirty clothes in the laundry basket.
“What?” she asked when she turned around. Mitchell shook his head and smiled.
“Nothing. Nothing at all,” he said with a smile. “Just looking at my beautiful wife,” he said as he stood up. He walked over to her and held her close before he gave her a long kiss. She smiled as she pulled away from him.
“What was that for?” she asked. He smiled and undid the clasp of her bra.
“Oh, that’s what it was for,” she said as she looked into his eyes. “I thought you were just as tired as I am,” she said.
“There is a bunch of golf clubs in this house. The day I claim to be too tired to make love to you, I want you to beat me to death with all of them,” he said as he backed her up towards the bed.
“Oh sweetie, I might just do that,” she said.
“I would not blame you,” he said as he kissed her. Natasha suddenly laughed.
“I’m sorry,” she said looking at him
“What is it?” he asked looking down at her.
“Normally what you just said would turn someone off but for some reason I am still kissing you,” she said.
“That’s what makes us so perfect for each other,” he said, smiling down at her. Natasha brought her hand up and ran his fingers through his thick hair.
“I guess we are, aren’t we?” she said as he brought his head down to kiss her again. She shivered when she felt his hand on one of her breasts. She suddenly grasped the tails of his shirt and pulled them apart, sending his shirt buttons flying all over the floor.
“Thank God I can afford my wardrobe because you are one woman who makes Marks & Spencer very happy,” he said before kissing her again. She pushed his shirt off his shoulders and then flipped him over. She undid his belt buckle as she straddled him before climbing off his crotch to pull his pants off. She then took off her own panties before climbing back on him and letting his cock slide inside her. He exhaled loudly and held her waist as she began working herself on him, rocking her hips back and forth in a slow motion. Mitchell pulled her down so that she could rest her head on his shoulder as he began thrusting into her. Mitchell and Natasha made love long into the night, throwing all caution to the wind about getting up early the next day.
As they made love and allowed themselves to get lost in their own world, what the two did not know was that down the hall, their guests were also doing the same.
Chapter 5
“I will not even ask,” Natasha said as she walked into Rita’s gallery. Rita looked up and smiled when she saw her.
“What are you doing here?” Rita asked, standing up.
“Well, I just went back to work and on my first day I closed a major deal. So, I was so happy about it, I decided to give myself a personal day off,” Natasha said as she walked towards Rita. The two hugged briefly before Rita looked over at her assistant.
“Keep an eye on things. I won’t be long,” she said before leading Rita to a room in the back.
“So, how’s Lydia doing? Is the treatment working?” Natasha asked as she sat down. Rita took a long deep breath as she poured two cups of coffee. She had transformed the room into her own little haven where she could get away from everything. She had a coffee maker set up, a table and a couch that sometimes (well, most of the time) doubled up as a bed. Rita sat down on the couch next to Natasha and smiled sadly.
“The first few days are usually the hardest. It will be at least another ten days before they allow me to even see her,” she said.
“Well, the important thing is that she is getting the help that she needs,” Natasha said with a smile.
“I know. But I just don’t get what would have driven her to substance abuse after all these years,” Rita said.
“Well, these things happen honey. Maybe she had a major stressor that pushed her to the edge,” Natasha said as she took a sip. Rita nodded.
“Thank God those guys from Seattle got to her in time,” she said. She then looked at Natasha and frowned. “I never really understood how they got to her in the first place,” she said, shaking her head.
“Well, like you, I believe she was there to meet up with...” her words trailed off when she realized what she was about to say. The subject of Rita’s biological father had always been a sensitive topic and Natasha more than anyone knew this. Rita smiled.
“It’s okay. You can say it. Don’t take my word for it, but I am a hundred percent sure that she was there to meet my dad,” she said, smiling sadly.
“Well, yeah, that, and when the Alzheimer’s got out of control, she happened to be at the store, probably buying something. Desiree, that’s the woman she mistook for you, must have walked up to her at the exact opportune moment,” Natasha said. She placed her hand on Rita’s and smiled. “She is in the best care facility,” she added. Rita shrugged.
“Care facility my ass. She is at a hospital,” she said.
“Well, she needs to ge
t treatment and then she will be in the best care facility,” Natasha said, smiling. Rita looked at her best friend and smiled at her.
“I know you have absolutely no idea as far as this situation is concerned but I am happy that you’re trying,” she said.
“Well, what are friends for?” Natasha asked before taking another sip.
“I’ll need to go home...to my mama’s and pack a bag for her. Will you come with me?” Rita asked. Natasha nodded.
“Sure. When?” she asked. Rita looked at her watch and smiled.
“You know what? Now’s as good time as any,” she said as she took Natasha’s cup from her. Natasha frowned.
“Hey, I wasn’t done with that,” she whined.
“There’s plenty of coffee at my mother’s house,” Rita said as she put her cup down and pulled Natasha to her feet.
“Okay fine. Easy on the Christian Louboutins,” Natasha said as the two practically ran out of the room and back into the gallery.
“Hey guys, I have to step out. Will you be okay in the meantime?” Rita asked.
“Go right ahead,” one of her two workers said.
“Yeah, Rita. They have practically been running this place on their own for the last three weeks,” Natasha said as they walked out. “It’s midday. I have to pick up Alexis from daycare in exactly three hours. So keep that in mind,” she said as they got into her car.
“Sure. We are just taking a few clothes, some of her favorite books and DVDs,” Rita said as she buckled in. The drive to Lydia’s place was short and almost quiet. There was not much to talk about anyway. Natasha could see that Rita was still unsettled about her mother and Rita knew that the last thing Natasha needed was to have to listen to her whine about her mother. For Natasha, the one thing she really wanted to ask was whether Dave had popped the question but the fact that she had not mentioned anything was a clear message to her that Dave had decided to wait it out.
“This place is a dump,” Natasha said when Rita opened the door. “No offense though,” she said quickly as she looked at Rita.
“None taken. I mean look at this place,” Rita said as she walked around the living room. There were dirty dishes on the table, the couch cushions were not as neat as they usually were and the throw pillows looked to have lived up to their name, thrown around the room. “I’m afraid to go to any other room of the house,” she said as she picked up one pillow.