by Marian Stack
Stunned by the request, and the fact that Susan was willing to allow this woman to do anything that would prevent their company from being sued she responded, “Yes, of course.”
“Now if you, or Miss Dove or your company requires anything and I mean anything, please do not hesitate to use either of these two phone numbers. This one here is my work number and this one here is my private number. You are more than welcome to use both. Now if anything changes with these two numbers I or my assistant will contact you. And as for your worry about being sued, perish the thought. This trip was life changing for me.” And with her hand extended she took the bewildered woman’s hand in hers and squeezed very gently and stated, “please say goodbye to Miss Dove for me. She was resting and I didn’t want to disturb her, thank-you and good-bye.” And then gathering as much strength as she could produce she turned and walked out the door, leaving Susan motionless in the bed staring between the empty room and the two phone numbers that were now permanently written on her leg cast.
Chapter Thirteen - Guest of Honour
Standing next to the bed with the pizza box in her hand, Turtle could barely get the non-answerable questions out of her mouth fast enough, “What do you mean she left? She bought pizza. She came all this way. What happened?” And then allowing for the dead silent moments to pass, “We didn’t get a chance to talk.” Seconds pass. “But then I guess we did talk…because she’s gone.” Her voice trailed off as she stood motionless showing the world what a broken hearted person looked like.
“How wonderful… pizza for breakfast.” Sky had entered the room and walked right into the intensity of the one-side conversation. “What?” she questioned as she first looked at Susan and then at Turtle with her hand caressing a slice as it travelled towards a wide open mouth.
“Well… at least we are not getting sued.” Turtle spoke to her friend with her normal easy tone of voice. And then offered her business partner a slight smile and moved her somewhat rested body to settle into the chair resuming their family bond over a morning pizza and,
“Well don’t you think it’s about time for you to tell me exactly what happened on the mountain and the nine days in the wilderness, with, I might add, a very fine looking woman.” Susan questioned as she reached over to grab a slice.
“Did something happen? That’s a silly question, of course something happened.” Sky answered her friends’ query, surprised that the question was asked.
“Sky, I understand that my question may sound like a silly question but if you take a look at Tee’s face my question will be answered.” Susan’s words were expressed with genteel love.
Although Turtle heard the friendly questioning and the following statements she had sent her mind in another direction as she stared at the two phone numbers that seemed to dance around Susan’s leg with the energy of animated stick figures moving about as if she had just consumed a hallucinogenic drug.
“Earth to Turtle, come in Turtle.” Sky jokingly spoke as she reached over to touch Turtle’s arm to bring her back to the moment.
“What…yes I would like another slice, drowning one’s pain in pizza seems to be the best cure around here.” She sarcastically laughed as she reached for another slice. Sadly though she was unable to remain in the friendly bantering conversation that her two girlfriends were having and sent her mind back into the what if’s. She pondered with many of the phrases, Beauty and the Beast, she’s out of your league, wrong side of the tracks, what are the odds? And so on.
Without noticing her own body language both of her friends caught a very absentminded person sitting with her slice of pizza in her left hand staring off into the distance with the other hand fingertips slowly floating over her lips as if she was attempting to recreate a feeling or sensation of remembering.
“I know that look, ‘Miss, I don’t need anyone in my life,’ girl, now spill it. What the hell happened out there? And don’t you dare leave any of the sorted details out.” Susan spoke with tenderness in her demanding voice.
“Yay, what the hell happened?” Suddenly Sky wanted to know too.
Not wanting to let all the details escape her private thoughts until she was sure what her thoughts entailed she merely stated, “Susan I did my job. I remained professional, and did exactly what you would have done. I got the guest back to safety. Trust me, I heard your words of experience in my thoughts every day, and they helped me immensely.”
“And that’s all! Are you really going to sit there with a slice of pizza in your hand that was brought by one of the most influential business people in the country and all you are going…leaving the remainder of her scolding words to fade off into the rooms atmosphere because suddenly all eyes and ears were directed to Dr. Donna Carter as she unexpectedly entered the room, much to the chagrin of her first patient.
“So finding two patients in a three bedroom hospital isn’t as hard as one would think.” Donna jested as she walked deeper into the room, inspecting the pizza box by lifting the closed lid, which included interjecting herself into the conversation. “So who wants to go home in a couple of days?” Donna questioned looking directly towards Turtle who had remained seated the entire time.
Home, the word seem to get stuck in Turtle’s throat as it seemed that was another part of her life that had taken a back seat to her heart. Then immediately she turned to her friend Sky and nervously asked, “My family home and the business cabin, are they…?” She abruptly stood as she fired out her questions.
A little afraid to answer the notable sensitive question. “Tee… I don’t know. With the mountain the way…”she stammered out “and everything that was happening I never got a chance to…” the horrified look on her face completed her thoughts which allowed Turtle to ask another question. “Does anyone know if we can move about our mountain yet or is the military still in charge? And yes I want to go home, but not in a couple of days.”
No one had any answers regarding her home but it appeared that all military and government personal had suddenly begun to leave which concluded that they had their mountain back.
Standing in the front entrance lobby to the medical center Turtle leaned in for a good bye hug from her friend Donna, who had tried in vain to encourage Turtle to remain at the only local B&B in town, just for a few more days so she could keep a closer eye on her improving condition, regarding the medical required protocol for concussions. “No thanks Donna, I completely understand your reasoning for me hanging around town but I need to go and inspect my homestead. I’ll tell you what, let me go home and survey any damages and then give you a call, that’s of course if there is a working phone. I also need to get to Carterville and get my wolf pup Rain from Margo and Stella and introduce her to her new rehab home that I’m positive Sally is in the processes of setting up, and then I will give you a shout in a day or two…”
“Oh wait just a second, you will need to call me as soon as you get home, and then again from Carterville and then again in the morning, or you are to remain here, Doctors’ orders.” Donna refused to back down or back away from her very stubborn patient, and as the two women stared at each other waiting for the other to weaken the volunteer sitting behind the reception desk called out to Turtle to, “Excuse me Tee, there is a call for you from the law offices of Foster in Rynthorp. Would you like to take it here or back in the room you were just in?” The elderly woman questioned.
Notably baffled, Turtle could only stare at the woman with her mouth slightly opened and her body frozen in mid movement.
“Well…” the impatient woman voiced as she held up the receiver.
“I guess… here will do.” Turtle spoke as she warily reached for the receiver, showing signs of apprehension as she reached out to accept the receiver only to have her hand faltered a little fearful to touch as it might chomp her hand off. Then with very precise movements she carefully placed the receiver on her ear and whispered out, “Hello.” It was clear by her expression that the surprise call was both bewildering and pleasu
rable. “Yes, thank-you I will try to make it. Dress casual, got it, this Saturday at nine-thirty. Yes thank-you and good bye.” As Turtle stood staring at the receiver, the elder woman noticed that Turtle seemed petrified with disbelief, so she leaned upwards and forwards to retrieve the portion of her phone answering system she needed to complete her shift.
Completely baffled by the call, Turtle silently left the building without so much as an additional goodbye or conversation regarding the call, leaving both Donna and the receptionist to look at each other in a perplexing stare.
With Donna hot on her heals, “Hey you, our conversation wasn’t over. I need you to call and keep in touch, and who was that on the phone? You seem to be a little out of it. Are you feeling dizzy? I think you need to come back into the center so that I can give you another once over.” She stated as she looked into her friends bewildered eyes.
Immediately noticing a blank look on her face, Donna was able to guide her dismayed friend back into the building without any resistance, and in doing so Turtle began to talk about not telling Susan about her disrespect towards her rules about fraternizing with customers, especially during overnight excursions with paying guests.
“And so the party is a welcome home for you and Miss Foster, right?” Donna softly spoke after she heard the entire story from a very confused young lady.
“So what do you think, should I go or just let this story end.” Turtle asked as she continued to sit on the lounge chair with her one leg positioned over the arm of the chair with both her arms hugging the accompanied pillow.
“Do you love her? Because it sounds like she loves you. And to hell with the fiancée because not only does she sound like a bitch, but of course that summary is only based on a one sided outlook, but to me the most important part of this is, she, being Miss Foster confessed her love to you first. So in all truth she was the one that broke up her own relationship not you.”
“But that’s just it, Donna, they aren’t broken up. The party is at the Foster estate and…” she was unable to finish her proof because Donna interjected with, “Aha, that’s my point, it’s the Foster Family estate not their home yet.” She laughed at her own need to be a part of this Sherlock Homes deduction.
“Would you come with me?” Turtle asked ensuring that her voice sounded soft and needy.
As Turtle remained seated in the lounge chair, Donna swiftly moved towards her patient and with both hands she grabbed the tops of a knee, leaned in allowing their faces to almost touch and proclaimed, “Sorry kiddo this mess is all yours, but she does sound like a keeper, and that’s just what you will have to do, keep her or lock her up. Do you really think a rich city girl is going to live on this mountain? Besides I have a date of my own on Saturday night. Why don’t you ask Sky, you do know she has the hot’s for you.”
“WHAT? Sky has the hot’s for me? Oh Good God, that’s all I need right now, more complications in my life. That, by the way was perfectly normal and happy just eleven days ago.” Allowing her rarely used over the top loud voice to slowly lighten as she completed her sentence, because she knew that until she spoke to Blair and to hear the words ‘this is over’… would not be over.
“Ok, I get it. But my next trip has to be home, if I even have one.” Turtle’s voice had trailed off with anticipation that her home would be intact, because she knew that her father had built where he did believing that if a disaster did strike the placement of their home would be safe.
The sun had just begun to set as Turtle finally drove her jeep onto the family property after conducting the transfer of the wolf pup from the noticeable upset loving couple, Chief Margo and Mayor Stella, as they talked about keeping the wolf pup as their own but then relented understanding the need for the wolf to remain wild and then transferring her to Sally’s rehab center, that took a great deal more time than Tee would have wanted, and then much to her disbelief she was greeted by a sight that brought her to instant tears. Everything was not as it was when she departed. Her parent’s home for all intents and purposes survived, but sadly the business cabin did not.
The separation of where the home was built with the river that flowed passed and between the cabins clearly took extra water at what appeared to have been at a very dangerous speed, which literally destroyed the business cabin by completely removing it from its foundation blocks without leaving any debris or evidence that the cabin ever existed.
As she slowly walked through the slow moving river that had changed so dramatically in size in some areas but oddly seemed smaller in others, then as she stepped up the slight embankment she stood in utter disbelief, unable to control her tears as she stared at the void, that once housed a beautiful hand built log cabin that contained years of memories. Memories that she could always instinctively feel, touch and smell every time she entered, was now gone forever.
As she stood and stared at the void she unintentionally lowered her body onto the ground in her usual cross legged fashion and just stared at the place where her business cabin once stood.
“Oh Daddy, your dream is gone.” She cried out as she tilted her head upwards towards the heavens allowing her sadness to consume her entire soul.
As she sat in completed silence she allowed her mind to wonder back to her childhood and the fun she always had in this very spot and the unspoken love she always felt standing on this earth she so cherished.
The leftover empty feelings from the intensity of the past three weeks had definitely left a mark on her soul that she was sure would take many more days of intense contemplation to bring her back to the way she was before.
Then as memories do, her mind directly sped back to the conversation she started with Blair about being from different worlds and how a catastrophic event can bring those together that would normally never have met. Well she was smart enough to understand that change is constant and one must adapt to that change, and for Turtle that seemed to be her challenge at this point. Try to go back to her life before the disaster even though every aspect of her life had now completely changed forever.
Completely unaware of the time she had sat trying to convince her emotions that she was where she was supposed to be she stood up feeling a little bit better controlled and feeling calmer she wiped her tears away with the back of her hand, and announced to the missing cabin. “We can rebuild.” Then turned and walked to her home feeling now that tears were no longer required as she had her family home and she was home.
Saturday evening 9:30 sharp
Tee’s nineteen ninety-six four wheel drive jeep pulled up to the front gate of the Foster family estate at exactly nine thirty. As she inched the nose of the jeep closer to the gate a voice from the hidden intercom system surprised her to the point that she laughed a little, and then became a little annoyed after she heard the instructions. “All service vehicles are to enter through the back gate.”
Unsure as to what or where to talk into she stuck her head out the open door-less style jeep and yelled out, “But I’m a guest. I was asked to come to a welcome home party. Look see…”she dangled a bottle of wine out the window. But sadly all she heard was the robotic voice repeat the message, “All service vehicles are to enter through the back gate.”
Tired from the six hour drive and clearly not able to change the mind of the messenger she reversed her jeep and proceeded to drive around the estate looking for the back gate. After driving several times around the perimeter of the estate, clearly unsuccessful in finding another way in, she decided to park her vehicle and after a little bit of reflection she decided to scale the eight foot masonry stone wall that was coated with thick vegetation.
Believing this was her only choice, she proceeded by first tucking the bottle of wine into the backside of her comfortably baggy jeans, and then with one good jump she was able to grab onto some of the thicker branches and hike herself up onto the wall with relative ease.
It was only when she was firmly in the grasp of the wall did she realize that the vegetation was of the host
ile variety. The wall was covered with old growth rose bushes with thorns the size of large carpenter nails. With each pull or stretch of her arms and legs she was being torn apart by the angry plant. Noticing the humour but caught in her attempt to become a stealthy invited guest she carried on, and after a million scratches and a few good tears in her old thin jeans she reached the top of the wall.
It was only after she secured her full weight on both her elbows on the ledge of the wall and allowed her head to fully be extended over the remaining branches was she able to visually devour the wealth of the property. And as she digested the view, “Wow” seemed to be the only word that could express her thoughts. Nevertheless filled with dogged determination she proceed to complete her decent onto the plush lawns that clearly had been meticulously manicured for decades.
“I feel like I’m back trying to survive another catastrophe.” She laughed aloud at her own thought.
Without care, she proceeded to walk across the lawn attempting to locate from the view, any door that may look inviting to an intruder. Yet again being totally out of her element she didn’t realize that with wealth of this magnitude comes an equally impressive security team. And it was only after she entered through a set of beautiful stain glass French doors into an unoccupied room did that realization become abundantly clear.
“Stop right where you are and place your hands above your head.” The command was both clear and intimidating.
Knowing she was not a threat she instead decided to ignore the hands above her head part and turned around.
She immediately realized that that decision was instantaneously incorrect as she found her body being tossed to the ground with a knee on her back, with the bottle of homemade blackberry wine being pressed against her back bone.
“I’m a guest. I was invited by Blair Foster to come to her party.” Turtle whispered out her message completely in shock as to her rapid and somewhat painful relocation.