Happy Campers
Book III of the Commitment Series
Published by Badger Bliss Books
Copyright 2014 Karen D. Badger
BADGER BLISS BOOKS
I dedicate this book to my older brother, Steve Dusablon, who we lost to cancer at the age of 58. Steve had a very dry wit and would have very much appreciated the humor in this book. In fact, he is credited with at least one of the scenes that happened on a camping trip to Cape May, NJ many moons ago (i.e., ‘tent poles’). Steve was a gentle soul with an immense capacity to love. He was taken from us way too soon. I will miss you forever, Bro. Say hi to Boonie for us all and don’t let him drop the F-bomb too often in front of the Big Guy, okay? I love you, Stevie! Your sister, Karen (who can still grow a better mustache than you! LOL!).
ALSO WRITTEN BY KAREN D. BADGER AND
AVAILABLE FROM BADGER BLISS BOOKS:
ON A WING AND A PRAYER
YESTERDAY ONCE MORE
IN A FAMILY WAY
UNCHAINED MEMORIES
THE BLUE FEATHER
www.karendbadger.wix.com/badgerblissbooks
Happy Campers
Book III of the Commitment Series
A BADGER BLISS BOOK
by
Karen D. Badger
This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only and may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient or encourage them to download their own copy from their favorite authorized retailer If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return to your favorite ebook retailer and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.
This is a work of fiction. All characters, locales and events are either products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously.
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission from the publisher, save for brief quotations used in critical articles or reviews.
Cover Photo by Kacie L. Badger
Cover design by Ann Phillips
A Badger Bliss Book
Published by Badger Bliss Books
Georgia, VT 05468
www.karendbadger.wix.com/badgerblissbooks
Print Book ISBN: 978-1501021855 (available in print from most retailers)
First edition, September, 2014
Acknowledgements
To my beta readers who helped to make this book as good as it could be: Mom, Kacie, Donna, and Barb. You guys rock! To my editor, Day Peterson for not pulling any punches or sugarcoating the edits. Every edit is a learning experience for me, so I appreciate your inputs. I hope to work with you again on future books. To Emily Reed of Blue Feather Books for believing in me and for continuing to support my writing. To my wife, B for unscrewing me from the ceiling every time I disagreed with an edit, and for her unwavering support and advice during the writing of this book. Finally, to my sons, Heath and Dane, their ladies, Kacie and Daisy, and to our grandkids, Kyren, Ari and Ellie for providing so much of the fodder that fueled this story.
Table of Contents
Prologue
Chapter 1: Lazy Days
Chapter 2: Pillow Talk
Chapter 3: You Can Choose Your Friends, But…
Chapter 4: The Attack of the Killer Ennui
Chapter 5: Timing is Everything
Chapter 6: If the Mountain Won’t Come to Mohammed...
Chapter 7: Is This What a Sardine Feels Like?
Chapter 8: The Midnight Ride of Billie Revere
Chapter 9: Directionally Challenged
Chapter 10: Flirting with Disaster
Chapter 11: She Has Many Skills
Chapter 12: Help Me Make It Through the Night
Chapter 13: Your Sword In My Service
Chapter 14: Out of the Mouths of Babes
Chapter 15: It’ll Hurt You in the End (Literally)…
Chapter 16: The Naked Truth
Chapter 17: Ghouls Just Wanna Have Fun
Chapter 18: Blazing Saddles
Chapter 19: Once Bitten, Twice Shy
Chapter 20: Laughter is the Best Medicine
Chapter 21: Sunshine on My Shoulder Makes Me Happy?
Chapter 22: A Face Only a Mother Could Love
Chapter 23: The Seven Rear Itch
Chapter 24: True Grit
Chapter 25: War and Peace
Chapter 26: Bear With Me
Chapter 27: You Can Lead a Horse to Water, But You Can’t Make It Cook
Chapter 28: Come On, Baby, Light My Fire
Chapter 29: Texas Chainsaw Massacre
Chapter 30: Barfing in the Briar
Chapter 31: Whipped Pussy
Chapter 32: Hello Kitty
Chapter 33: Woof—Woof Woof—Who Let the Dogs Out?
Chapter 34: Drown My Sorrows
Chapter 35: Happy Trails to You
Chapter 36: Here She Comes… Miss America
Chapter 37: Enough is Enough is Enough
Chapter 38: If It Weren’t For Bad Luck, We’d Have No Luck At All
Epilogue: Déjà Vu—Not!
About the Author
Prologue
Billie and Cat sat side by side in stiff, faux-leather chairs. Cat thumbed through a fashion magazine while Billie looked around impatiently.
“I wonder what’s taking so long. We’re the only ones in the waiting room,” Billie said.
Cat laid the magazine in her lap. “Are you nervous, love?”
“Not especially. Why do you ask?”
“Because your leg is jiggling up and down.”
Billie massaged her thigh. “Force of habit, I guess.”
Their attention was drawn by a door opening on the other side of the room. “Ms. Charland, the doctor will see you now,” the receptionist said.
Billie stood and offered her hand to Cat, who remained seated.
“Are you sure you don’t want to talk to her alone?” Cat asked.
“I’m sure,” Billie said. “After all, this is our life we’re going to be talking about here, not just mine.”
Cat slipped her hand into Billie’s and accompanied her into the doctor’s office. Doctor Connor was on the phone when they entered.
She motioned for them to sit in the two chairs in front of her desk. “All right, then. Call the front desk, and they’ll schedule an appointment for you. Okay. I’ll see you soon. Bye.” Doctor Connor hung up the phone and turned to Billie and Cat. “I’m sorry, ladies. Please make yourselves comfortable. Can I offer you something to drink?”
“No, I’m good,” Billie said.
Cat nodded. “Me, too.”
Doctor Connor sat back in her chair. “Okay. So let me see… it’s been about a month since your last appointment,” she said as she paged through Billie’s file. “How have things been going?”
Cat motioned for Billie to speak first.
“Things have been good,” Billie said.
“Then why is your leg bouncing up and down?” Doctor Connor asked.
“See,” Cat said.
Billie lowered her chin to her chest and rubbed her forehead. She sighed deeply.
Cat placed her hand on Billie’s shoulder. “Are you okay?”
Billie wiped a tear from the corner of her eye. “I’m okay. It’s just that I can’t shake this feeling.”
“What feeling is that, Billie? Can you describe it to me?” Doctor Connor asked.
“I have this overwhelming sense that things are out of control in my life.”
“Really? After the emotional roller coaster we’ve lived through over the last several months, I thought things wer
e finally settling down,” Cat said.
Billie took Cat’s hand in her own. “They are, love, but not a day goes by that I don’t have this anxious feeling in my chest when I think back over the events of the past year¯brain surgery, the months of recovery during which I had no sense of self or belonging. Cat, I didn’t remember you or the girls when I came to after surgery. Do you have any idea how terrifying it was to be told I was married with children and not remember any of it?”
“The anxious feeling, Billie, tell me about it,” Doctor Connor requested.
“It’s always there, under the surface, but sometimes when I dwell on what happened, my heart skips in my chest and I get a sick feeling in my stomach.”
“Does it happen only when you’re remembering the past year?”
“Most often, yes. I don’t have any control over when it happens. I can be sitting behind my desk at work, and suddenly it hits me.”
“How has work been lately?”
“I’m a lawyer, Doctor Connor. Things can get pretty intense, depending on the nature of the case I’m working on.”
“Billie, you never told me your heart was skipping,” Cat said. “I’m a doctor, love; you need to tell me these things. If that’s the case, we should be monitoring your blood pressure and providing treatment as necessary.”
Billie nodded. “Why is this happening, Doctor Connor?”
“It’s a form of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, or PTSD. You’ve been through a lot over the past year, both of you. How is the memory recall coming along?”
“Much better than it was right after the surgery. I never felt so lost and alone as I did for those few months, despite the fact that I was surrounded by people who loved me. It was frustrating not to remember. That’s all behind us now.”
“We certainly don’t want to dwell on the past, but it’s important for all of us to understand where you are in your recovery,” Doctor Connor said. “Are you still having recall moments? Are there details of your past that are still missing?”
“Occasionally I experience the beginnings of a recall, and then it flits away just beyond my grasp. That’s pretty frustrating, but it’s happening less and less these days,” Billie said.
Doctor Connor leaned forward. “We’ve done an exercise before, actively recalling the timeline of your life, starting with the last memory you had before the injury. It allows us to gauge how much more you remember since the last time we talked, and it may trigger a memory that’s been tucked away in your brain. Do you want to give it a try again today?”
Billie glanced at Cat, who nodded her head enthusiastically.
“Go ahead, Billie. I’ll fill in the blanks if you need me to,” Cat said.
“Okay. Let’s see… Seth just turned eleven, so that means we met a little more than five years ago. You joined the aerobics class I was teaching and proceeded to fall flat on your face during the first class.”
“Of course you would recall my most embarrassing moment! Feel free to forget that one again, okay?” Cat said.
“Not a chance,” Billie teased.
“Obviously, Cat’s clumsiness didn’t scare you away, Billie. Just how did your relationship develop from there?” Doctor Connor asked.
“I began giving her personal one-on-one aerobics lessons, and it wasn’t long before I found myself falling in love with her.” Billie turned to Cat. “It was then I found out you were keeping a secret from me.”
“Tara,” Cat said.
“Yes, Tara. I never dreamed you had a four-year-old daughter.”
“Not fair,” Cat said. “You didn’t tell me about Seth right away, either. Imagine my surprise when you escorted me to his hospital bed where he had been lying in a coma for six months.”
“I had no choice but to take you to see him. You were accusing me of cheating on you.”
“Do you blame me? You were disappearing every evening and wouldn’t tell me where you were going. I never dreamed you were visiting your son in the hospital.”
Billie picked up Cat’s hand and kissed the back of it. “I was worried Seth’s condition would overwhelm you. I should have trusted you more.”
“Yes, you should have, but that’s water under the bridge now.”
“How is she doing so far, Cat?” Doctor Connor asked.
“Pretty good,” Cat said.
Doctor Connor looked at Billie. “Go on, please.”
“All right. So as soon as you learned about Seth and his condition, you took right over, just like you always do.” Billie grinned evilly.
“Hey, what’s that supposed to mean?” Cat objected.
“I’m not complaining. If you hadn’t jumped in, God knows what might have happened with Seth. Anyway, you contacted your dad, who, as luck would have it, is a neurosurgeon. To make a long story short, he was instrumental in bringing Seth back to us. Not long after that, we decided to move in together.” She frowned.
“Billie, are you struggling with a memory?” Doctor Connor asked.
Billie shook her head. “Yes, I am, but not with a recall. I’m remembering what happened not long after Cat and I moved in together.”
Cat squeezed Billie’s hand. “The rape?”
“Yes. I’ll never forget rushing home after your frantic phone call and finding my ex-husband had assaulted you. I wanted to kill him, Cat.”
Cat rested her palm on Billie’s cheek. “I know. At least he went to jail for his crime.”
“That must have been a very trying time for you,” Doctor Connor observed.
Billie’s eyes filled with tears. “You don’t know the half of it.
Cat was withdrawn for such a long time. The only thing good that came from that event was Skylar, our beautiful baby girl. She looks just like Cat, you know.”
Cat smiled at Billie. “Yes, but she’s her mommy’s girl.”
Billie looked sheepish. “I guess I do kind of spoil her.”
“You spoil all three of the kids, you big softy,” Cat said.
“Anyway,” Billie continued, “we bought a house together not long after Sky was born.”
Doctor Connor tapped her pen on her notepad. “I imagine it was hard to live in the same apartment where the rape occurred. Buying a house was undoubtedly a good move.”
“It was the best decision we ever made, at least I thought it was at the time. I remember how hard it was in the new house at first. The neighbors didn’t take kindly to lesbians living in their back yards. It wasn’t until Jen and Fred’s house caught fire one night, in the middle of winter, no less, that the neighbors came around.”
“Do you remember what you did that night, Billie?” Cat asked.
“I did what anyone else would have done, Cat. I would never have been able to live with myself if I hadn’t gone into that house to get Fred, Karissa, and Stevie out. As it was, Stevie almost died of smoke inhalation.”
“But he didn’t, and now we have the most amazing lifelong friends in Jen and Fred,” Cat said.
Billie grinned. “They’re more than just friends, they’re family.”
Cat bumped Billie’s shoulder with her own. “I love the relationship we have with them, especially Jen.”
“I’m glad they’re our friends. I can’t imagine life without them.”
“Neither can I.” Billie wiped a nostalgic tear from her eye. “I digress. Where was I?”
Doctor Connor glanced at her notepad. “House fire.”
“Right.” Billie’s gaze became distant.
“Another bad memory, Billie?” Doctor Connor asked softly.
“Yeah.” Billie rubbed her forehead. “A couple of months after the Swenson’s house burned, we learned my ex-husband bought himself an early release from jail. The man is a lunatic. While I was at work, he broke into the house and took Cat and the kids hostage.”
“He held them hostage?” Doctor Connor asked. “Why?”
“Because he thought he had something to gain. He wanted money, pure and simple, and he didn’t care if he had
to hurt his son and daughter to get it.”
The doctor jotted a note. “And what happened next?”
“I snuck into the house through a basement window and managed to get into the kitchen, where I introduced his head to the food processor, but not before he managed to get a shot off. It lodged in the front part of my brain.”
“It all happened right in front of me,” Cat said. “My medical training kicked in and, between myself and the paramedics, we were able to keep her stable.” She looked at Billie. “We almost lost you, love. I would not have been able to bear that.”
“It’s amazing how much the two of you have been through in your relationship,” Doctor Connor observed.
“You’re telling me!” Cat replied. “Sometimes I think we’re cursed. Bad stuff happens to us all the time.”
“There’s a school of thought out there that people bring on their own bad luck,” the doctor said.
“Like karma or bad juju?” Cat asked.
“Kind of, but we can save that discussion for another time. Please continue, Billie.”
“Okay. So, what’s next… Oh yeah. The next summer, we decided to get married. Who would have guessed that we’d have to fight City Hall to do it?”
“Billie, I was so proud of you. You established your reputation as a civil rights lawyer with that trial.”
“I couldn’t have done it without you.”
“You couldn’t have done it without Art’s help. He and Marge have become good friends.”
“Yes, they have. He was also a big help when we went through the adoption proceedings for Seth and Tara.” Billie rubbed her forehead again.
Cat touched her arm. “Billie, are you okay?”
“Just a little headachy, that’s all.”
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