Remember, You Love Me: Little Girl Lost

by Mairsile Leabhair

  The three friends took Aidan’s Mustang and drove through the scenic routes and winding roads of the Ozark Mountains. Their first stop on their way, was Heber Springs, and Vicky delighted in telling Jerry and Aidan all about her teenage days, spent swimming and hanging out with friends there. It was a teen ritual to go to ‘Heber’ for some fun in the sun, and Vicky was a typical teenager, participating in all the usual teen festivities. Aidan delighted in hearing Vicky’s history, having missed that part of her life. She tried to visualize what it would have been like, drinking beer and swimming at Heber with her lover.

  Finally they made their way up US sixty-five to Eureka Springs. An old world Victorian town, full of shops, restaurants, and tourist. Vicky thought she was in heaven with all the different shops to choose from, and Aidan’s heaven was the annual Mustang show, a spring time favorite of Mustang owners throughout the state. The threesome spent most of the day shopping, eating and looking at Mustangs. As the three walked back to Aidan’s car, preparing to leave for the bed and breakfast, a group of soldiers walked over to them, admiring her car.

  One soldier asked, “Boss 429, right?”

  “Yes, I got it right after boot camp,” Aidan proudly explained.

  Another soldier said, “Saweet!”

  Aidan couldn’t help but boast about her baby, “She’s got all her original parts and upholstery. The only thing she’s missing is the spoke rims that originally came with the car.”

  “Have you checked eBay, there’s always stuff on there.”

  “I’ll do that, thanks,” Aidan replied.

  One of the soldiers asked, “Can we hear her?”

  Aidan grinned and pulled out her keychain, then bent over to unlock the car door. When she straightened back up, she was confused by the soldier’s sudden surprised looks. Then, in unison, all four soldiers snapped to attention and saluted her. She didn’t understand at first, and looked behind her, thinking maybe there was an officer nearby. But when Jerry joined them in the salute, she realized, her Congressional Medal of Honor pendant was showing. She had put it on under her t-shirt, for safe keeping, but apparently it had slipped out when she bent over to unlock her car door. The show of respect so moved Aidan, that she snapped to attention, and returned the salute. Then she shook each soldier’s hand, thanking them for their service. The soldiers were proud to accept her handshake, because they considered it to be good luck. And Vicky was so moved by the moment, that she wept openly. She kissed each soldier on the cheek, and thanked them for their service as well. Before she was done, a crowd had gathered around them, applauding and cheering. Old men, long retired from the military, snapped to attention and saluted. Young kids asked what it all meant, and their mothers explained that she was a hero. Now Aidan was embarrassed, and becoming claustrophobic. She quickly stuffed the medal back under her t-shirt, and nonchalantly waved goodbye, as she climbed into the car, and they drove away

  They stopped for dinner at a cozy little restaurant in town, where Vicky exclaimed, “Oh gosh that was so…, so…, patriotic! So wonderful!”

  Aidan laughed, “Yeah that was pretty cool. I had totally forgotten I had it on.”

  “Don’t ever take it off honey, I like knowing it’s there. Where’s your other medal, the one President Trenton gave you?”

  Aidan pulled it out of her jeans pocket and said, “It was in my pocket actually. They were too heavy to wear both of them around my neck. I think when we get back I’ll put them away in a lock box for safe keeping.”

  “Oh no, not this one,” Vicky pointed to the medal in Aidan’s hand, “Keep that one with you, okay, sweetheart?” Vicky was referring to the medal given to Aidan for saving the president’s life, because when Aidan did that, she also saved Vicky’s life.

  “Actually, there’s something special I wanted to do with this one.” Aidan got up and walked around to where Vicky was sitting, and stood behind her. She draped the medal around Vicky’s neck and latched it tight.

  “What are you doing, Aidan?” Vicky was confused by the gesture, but what she couldn’t know was that that this was something Aidan had been thinking of doing, ever since she was awarded the medal.

  “I’m giving it to my hero,” Aidan leaned in and kissed her on the lips, “Thank you for saving my life, baby, in more ways than I could ever explain.

  “No, Aidan. No, this is your medal; you deserve it more than I do.”

  “You took a bullet meant for me, Vicky, I’d say we were equal in that regards. Please, it would mean a lot to me, if you kept it.”

  The same terrorists, who tried to kill the president and blow up the hospital, took Vicky as a hostage when he tried to make his escape. But when he saw Aidan, the one who foiled his plans, he pointed his gun to fire at her, and that’s when Vicky jumped in front of the bullet. Aidan shot and killed the man, but the sight of her lover lying in a pool of her own blood, seared her heart with everlasting pain.

  Vicky thought, God, I love this woman! Then an idea came to her, “How about we put them both in a frame and hang them together, in our new home?”

  “Okay, I’ll agree to that; only if you’ll keep this one until then.”

  Vicky nodded her head and wiped away a tear. Neither of them saw Jerry’s eyes mist over with emotion as well.

  *

  As the two lovers prepared to settle in for the night, Aidan set the alarm on her watch for four A.M. She wanted to be awake and alert in case Vicky has another nightmare. They seem to be coming more in the mornings, though Aidan had to admit, they could happen anytime Vicky goes to sleep. She knew it was no guarantee but it was all she could do to prepare for them, short of staying awake all night.

  But this time, Vicky slept peaceably, with no evidence of the nightmare, which left Aidan tired, but very pleased. The three friends enjoyed another day full of exploration, this time in Hot Springs, home to thoroughbred horse racing, and bathhouse row. By the time they made it back home, they were exhausted. Jerry went to his room as Vicky and Aidan settled in.

  “Look honey, Champaign!” Vicky headed straight to the ice bucket where a bottle of Champaign sat chilling inside it. She looked at the label and said, “Wow, it’s a very expensive bottle too. My mom has one just like it that she’s been saving for when I get married…, to a man,” she laughed, “Guess she’ll never get to open it,” Vicky read the note attached, “Just because, love Joyce. Oh how sweet. What a perfect ending to a perfect day.”

  Aidan volunteered, “That was thoughtful of her. I’ll crack it open if you want?”

  “Absolutely. I’ll get some glasses,” Vicky brought over two plastic cups the hotel provides, and Aidan popped the cork and filled them up.

  “Well the cups aren’t very stylish but they’ll do in a pinch,” Vicky decided.

  Aidan held up her cup and said, “A toast to you, the most gorgeous woman in the room.”

  They each took a sip, though Aidan didn’t really care for Champaign, she much preferred beer. But Vicky loved the drink and would practically gulp down the whole bottle if she thought she could.

  This time Vicky made a toast, “And a toast to you, also the most gorgeous woman in the room.” Both women laughed and sipped their drink. Aidan sat hers down and pulled off her boots, while Vicky took another, bigger sip.

  “This is okay, but a little too sweet for my tastes,” Vicky said as she took another drink.

  “So I guess it’s back to work tomorrow for you, young lady,” Aidan looked at Vicky curiously. It was like watching her in slow motion, and Aidan couldn’t make since of why Vicky suddenly slumped to the bed. “Vicky, what the hell?” Aidan stood up to go to her, but her legs wouldn’t hold her weight. She called to Vicky, and then slumped to the bed, rolling off of it, unto the floor. She lay there, struggling to understand what was happening, when she saw someone crawling out from under the bed. She tried to get up, but her arms were like rubber, and wouldn’t hold her weight.

  Harold Cassidy walked over and knelt beside Aidan, pulling h
er head up by her hair, he said, “Oh good, you’re still awake. Maybe if I hurry, you’ll be able to watch me pleasure Vicky again.”

  The elevator dinged and Samantha stepped off. Holding a piece of scrap paper in her hands, she looked for the room number that Aidan had given her.

  “NO!” Aidan had just enough strength left to pull her gun from its holster, but not enough strength to fire it before Harold took it out of her hand and threw it across the room.

  “Pitiful,” he said and walked over to Vicky. The gun landed by the door, too far for Aidan to grab it, even if she had the strength to. She willed herself up on her knees, the room spinning and her vision blurred, but not so blurred that she couldn’t make out her father climbing on top of Vicky.

  Knocking on the door, Samantha thought she heard a man’s voice inside.

  “Don’t touch her!” Aidan tried to propel herself toward him, but could not fight off the drug any longer, and fell unconscious to the floor instead.

  Harold laughed at her, “You always were a weak child, Aidan. I’m just sorry you’re going to miss this. But you won’t, will you Vicky, honey,” Harold caressed Vicky’s face and leaned over, kissing her unresponsive lips. He tried to put her arms around his neck but they fell limp, back to the bed. It was then that he noticed the engagement ring on Vicky’s left finger. “That’s my ring, damn it!”

  Samantha heard Aidan yell, and then a man’s angry voice, she didn’t wait for someone to answer the door, she rushed in. Startled at first, she realized what the man was about to do, and she screamed, “Get off of her!” Samantha saw the gun lying at her feet, and she quickly picked it up, just as he rushed at her. In her panic she shot wildly at Harold and hit him in the shoulder, causing him to rear back, but fear propelled him toward the door. He ran down the hall just as Jerry rushed out of his room with his knife drawn.

  He saw his friends down, and knew it had to be Aidan’s father, “Where is he?”

  “He ran that way,” Samantha pointed him towards the exit door, and then she turned her attention back to Aidan. She knelt beside her ex-fiancée, fearing she was dead, “Aidan, wake up. Please wake up.”

  “The son-of-a-bitch got away,” Jerry said, catching his breath.

  “Jerry, what’s going on, why won’t they wake up?”

  Jerry rolled Aidan’s limp body over to check for wounds, relieved when he didn’t find any. Samantha positioned Aidan on her lap, wrapping both arms around her, “Wake up Aidan, please wake up, honey.”

  Rushing over to Vicky, Jerry checked her for wounds also, reassured when he didn’t find one. He felt for her pulse, which was strong and steady. Then he noticed that Vicky had dropped her cup of Champaign beside the bed. He picked the cup up and smelled it. He looked at the bottle and smelled it as well. He read the note on the side of the bottle, “I think they’ve been drugged,” he said as he grabbed Vicky’s cell phone off the night stand, and looked for Joyce’s number.

  “Hey Joyce, it’s Jerry, I’m sorry to bother you, but I was wondering if you had sent Vicky and Aidan a bottle of Champaign tonight?”

  Joyce replied, “What, no, why would you think that?”

  “Because there’s a bottle here, with a note from you on it. I think they’ve been drugged, Joyce.”

  Joyce could hear the panic in Jerry’s voice and she knew he was being serious, “Give me details, now!” she demanded.

  “Vicky is on the bed, face up and unresponsive, but her pulse seemed strong and steady. She’s breathing fine; I think she’s just asleep. And Aidan is on the floor, she was face down like she was trying to get to Vicky. She seems to be asleep also.”

  “Smell the Champaign and tell me what it smells like,” Joyce was trying to control her nerves, which were already wound tight, so she could determine the severity of the drug.

  Jerry smelled the bottle again and said, “Its sweet, really sweet smelling.”

  “Champaign isn’t sweet, Jerry. How much is left in the bottle?”

  “More than half, I’d say about eighty percent.”

  “Okay, I think you’re right, they’ve been drugged, but I don’t think they drank enough for it to be lethal. You can put a cold compress on their forehead and neck and that might help. Just make them comfortable until they wake up on their own. If you think for one second they’re in distress, call an ambulance immediately. And Jerry, you call me the minute they wake up, understand?”

  “Roger that,” Jerry hung up and looked at Aidan, sleeping in Samantha’s lap.

  Samantha leaned over and whispered into Aidan’s ear, “I forgive you, Aidan Cassidy. And I will let you go,” She ran her fingers through Aidan’s short, thick hair, caressing those auburn locks just one last time. She had come to see them, to apologize to Vicky. She’s had a change of heart, and although there was still a lot of animosity that she felt for Vicky, she was taking steps to let it go. The first step, was to forgive Aidan.

  “The doc says to just let them sleep it off. She thinks they’ll be fine,” Jerry went into the bathroom and wet two towels, handing one to Samantha who placed it on Aidan’s forehead, before he put the other towel on Vicky.

  Aidan began to stir, trying to wake up, but wasn’t quite able to yet. She mumbled Vicky’s name, causing Samantha to bite her lip. Even though she was telling the truth, she was going to try and move on, it still stung that it was Vicky’s name instead of hers, on Aidan’s lips. “Aidan, come on, honey, wake up.”

  “What…, what happened?” Aidan strained to clear her head, but that only made it spin more.

  “You’ve been drugged, Aidan. Fight it off, honey,” Samantha put the wet towel on the back of Aidan’s neck and she finally opened her eyes and looked up at her.

  “Vicky?” She tried to stand up, very unsteady but determined. Jerry grabbed her before she fell, and walked her over to Vicky. “Is she…, is she, okay?”

  “I think so, Sarge. She’s just sleeping.”

  Aidan’s head cleared enough that she looked at Jerry with terrified eyes, “Did he…, did he rape her again?” Jerry couldn’t answer that, but Samantha could.

  “No, Aidan, I walked in before he could.”

  If Aidan had been fully alert she would have cried with joy, as it was, Jerry sat her on the bed beside Vicky, and she took her hand and rubbed it.

  Jerry asked, “Why isn’t she waking up, Sarge?”

  “She had more of the wine than I did. I don’t like Champaign, but Vicky loves the stuff.”

  Aidan’s head finally cleared enough to look at Samantha and ask, “Are you all right?”

  “Yes, I’m fine, it’s you and Vicky I’m worried about.”

  Bewildered, Aidan asked, “Don’t take this wrong, but what are you doing here?”

  “I was coming to talk to you. I…, um…, wanted to tell you something, but it can wait.”

  “Remind me later, okay, Sam?”

  Samantha nodded her head.

  Aidan got up and began moving Vicky around on the bed. Jerry helped her, and together, they had Vicky situated comfortably. Aidan pulled off Vicky’s shoes, and pulled the blanket up over her. She then gently kissed her on the forehead, combing her hair back from her face. Then Aidan walked over to Samantha, who handed her back her gun.

  “I think this probably belongs to you?” Samantha said.

  Aidan nodded, and took the gun from her hands, “Can you tell me what you saw, when you came in, Sam?”

  “He was sitting on top of her, you were face down on the floor, and there was a gun by the door. I yelled at him and he charged at me. I shot at him. I think I hit him, but he ran off.”

  “But he…, he didn’t rape her?”

  “I don’t think so; he was looking at her ring when I walked in.”

  Aidan hugged her and said, “Oh thank God. Thank you for walking in, Sam, thank you so much.”

  “Is she going to be okay, Aidan?” Although Samantha still had a lot of unresolved feelings for Vicky, she wouldn’t have wished that kind of viole
nce on her worst enemy.

  “Yes, I think so, and again I don’t mean to be rude, but it’s best if you two aren’t in here, when she wakes up.”

  Samantha didn’t understand, but she hoped that someday Aidan might explain it to her.

  As if reading her thoughts, Aidan said, “Sam, I know you probably don’t understand, and you have no reason to do me a favor, but if you would keep this to yourself, I’d appreciate it. The quick explanation is that the man you saw tonight, that was my father trying to rape Vicky…, again. You remember me telling you about him, right? And that I thought he was dead. Well obviously, he’s very much alive, and I need time to capture him, before he hurts Vicky. Please, say you will keep this quiet?”

  Samantha was shocked at first, and it took her a minute to understand what Aidan was saying, “I do remember Aidan, and now that I know, I have a better understanding of a lot of things. I’ll keep your secret and please, if there’s anything I can do to help let me know.”

  “Do you really mean that Sam? I heard from Joyce about your confrontation over your baby. You know Vicky would never do anything to hurt that child, or you for that matter.” Aidan hoped Samantha could come to realize that.

  “I’m starting to believe that, Aidan, just give me some time to sort everything out, okay?”

  “I want to be friends, Sam and I want to help you in any way I can. I mean that.”

  “I guess Dr. Kline was right.”

  “He usually is.” Aidan said with a grinn, and walked Samantha to the door. She kissed her on the forehead and said, “Thank you for saving Vicky. Thank you from the bottom of my heart.”

  Samantha nodded her head, and left the room, followed by Jerry who said, “I’m right next door if you need me, Aidan.”

  “Thanks Jerry.”

  Aidan shut and locked the door. She walked over to the night stand on her side of the bed, and placed the gun in the drawer. Then she climbed into bed beside Vicky. She slid her arm around Vicky’s shoulders and pulled her close. Finally Aidan released the tension that had been building up, and she kissed Vicky’s cheek.