by Dana Taylor
Wade's broken body was carried up on a stretcher. Semi-conscious, he managed to cuss out the medics. As Phil watched Wade being loaded onto an ambulance, he thought, but for the grace of God, there go I. If he'd kept on with the booze, added the haze of drugs, he might be just as whacked-out and destructive.
Reba trembled under his protective arm. "I knew something bad was coming and I couldn't do nothin’ about it. Now Pa's hurt hisself and maybe killed Mr. Bailey. I should have stopped him somehow."
Phil gently turned her to face him. "Listen, kid, take it from someone who's learned the hard way. Your Dad is responsible for his actions, not you. He's going to have to face the consequences. You did your best to alert us when he drove off with Mrs. Bailey. And you led the police up here. If it weren't for you, Mr. Bailey would probably have bled to death."
"I hope to God those doctors can save him." Reba sagged, exhausted from the night's chaos.
"Let's get you home, kid."
Reba nodded. "Mama's going to have the shivering fits when she hears what happened."
A cop, who turned out to be Ginger's cousin, drove Reba and Phil to the ramshackle Finn stronghold. The cousin cop told Reba to expect a thorough visit from the police in the morning.
Reba nodded in full understanding. "Guess me and Mama better clean house tonight." In other words, all traces of drugs would be destroyed.
Phil had himself dropped off at the high school where he found Maddie's purse and clothing. After changing out of his costume, he got in the Camry and took off for Little Rock.
* * *
He reached the hospital around three a.m. and found the ICU wing. As he pushed open the beige doors, Phil's gaze traveled across the units of glass walled rooms. His search ended when he recognized Maddie wearing a hospital gown over her torn Halloween costume. A stranger stood beside her at Randy's bedside holding the patient's hand. Phil approached the doorway.
As he entered the room, Randy's weak voice reached him. "I finally got to play a great dying scene and nobody was there to see it."
"I take it he's going to make it," Phil said.
Maddie's expression registered obvious relief when she saw him. "Phil...thank God."
She looked so wan, so exhausted he immediately opened his arms in invitation, which she accepted. She leaned into him and sighed.
Phil glanced at Randy's reclining figure and the unfamiliar friend. "I heard there was a party going on in here and I didn't want to miss out on the fun."
Maddie pulled away from him and managed a small smile. "Phil, this is Brent Farnsworth. Phil Wilcox."
Brent nodded. "Ah, the celebrity coach. You've been making headlines even in the Little Rock paper."
Phil grunted. "Yeah? Must have been a slow news day. So, how's he doing?"
"He's lost a lot of blood and has shattered bones and tissue. Fortunately the bullet went high and didn't involve the heart or lungs. He's going to be all right."
Randy spoke again. "Get her out of here, Coach. She looks worse than I do. And that outfit hurts my eyes."
Phil looked down at Maddie, noting her bedraggled face and hair. Besides the hospital gown over Morticia's shredded dress, she wore green paper shoes on her bare feet. "He has a point. Let's blow this joint."
Maddie appeared torn between duty and exhaustion. "But..."
"I'll stay here with him," Brent said.
Maddie nodded. "All right. I'll be back in the morning."
As they walked down the hospital corridor Phil asked, "Who was that guy?"
"Brent? I think he's the love of my husband's life."
"You have a very strange marriage. Do you know what I think you need?"
"A bath?"
"An annulment."
* * *
They stopped at a Wal-Mart where Phil purchased toiletries, a nightgown for Maddie, and various other necessities of life. When they arrived at a Best Western motel, Phil considered his options at the check-in desk. He could go for separate rooms, but he didn't want to leave Maddie alone. A king-size bed seemed like a presumption, so he ordered a room with two beds. He also purchased two bags of peanuts and three candy bars out of a vending machine.
Maddie seemed nearly incoherent as he guided her into the room. It smelled of cleaning fluid and fake potpourri. He threw the key on the dresser and noted the faded floral spreads on the beds. At least the joint looked clean. Maddie hovered at the door, seemingly unable to decide what to do next. He led her toward the bathroom door.
"Take a shower, you'll feel better," he said, as he dumped the Wal-Mart bag beside the bathtub.
She nodded numbly and began fumbling with the strings of the hospital gown. He watched it drift to the floor. Seeing the battered dress under it made him angry all over again at what that maniac had put her through.
"Turn around," he ordered.
Obediently, woodenly, she complied. He undid the zipper and then gave her some privacy in the bathroom. He laid back on a fully made bed, hands locked behind his head. What a helluva night. Bedlam and babies.
Maddie emerged from the bathroom with a towel twisted on her head like a turban. Dressed in the soft pink cotton gown he'd purchased, she reminded him of cotton candy.
"Feeling better?" He lifted up on one elbow, chin resting on a palm.
Nodding her head, she said, "Much, but I can't seem to put two thoughts together."
"You need to hit the sack. I'm going to take a shower. Try to go to sleep."
Maddie moved toward the bed and yanked the towel off her wet hair. She threw it on the table in an uncharacteristic gesture of messiness.
"Need the hair dryer?" he asked.
"Please."
He brought her the dryer and brush and stood a moment studying her back as she sat on the bed going through the motions of drying her hair. He wondered if she had any idea how beautiful she looked to him right now, watching the graceful sweep of her arm repeating the fluid motion over and over through her clean hair. Her shapeless gown only allowed a hint of the form beneath and he felt a surge of protectiveness that he'd only previously experienced for Melissa. Never in his life had one woman aroused such a varied range of emotions in him.
These past few weeks since she'd disappeared during their weekend getaway, he'd been so damn mad at her, he'd spent hours pounding out his frustrations into a punching bag. Tonight when he'd lost sight of the truck he'd known real fear. Fear as palpable and terrible as a stab in the heart. Later, pure joy and relief flooded his being when she'd limped into his arms on top of that Ozark mountain. The woman was his personal emotional roller coaster.
When he stepped out of the steamy bathroom a few minutes later clad in good old sweats, the lights were out, but the curtains were opened wide to reveal the waning moon and stars. The outline of her body raised the covers in the bed closest to the window. A feminine scent now filled the air. She lay too quiet to be asleep. He walked around to the space between their beds and pulled back his comforter.
Needing to touch her, he turned and placed a hand on her shoulder. "Good night. Wake me if you want anything."
Her voice came out in a high-pitched squeak. "Okay." Two small, uncontrolled contractions of her shoulders jerked under his fingers.
"Oh, man. Are you crying?"
"No," she said in a sob.
He sat on her bed. As she rolled into a tight ball with her back to him he said, "Come on, I can spot a crying woman a mile away." He stroked her soft, freshly cleaned hair. "What's wrong?"
Maddie turned over and looked up at him, the tears turning into a real downpour. "I'm just so tired and confused. This has been such a crazy night. First, I was angry at that rotten drug dealer and then I was scared by his beastly dog and then I was angry when I couldn't get out of the truck." She scooted back and sat up against the headboard. "And when Wade said he'd taken the quilt that I was so sure you'd taken, I couldn't make sense of it." He handed her a tissue. She dabbed her eyes and then twisted and shredded it as she talked. "Oh Lord, that
's when I fear I must have gone out of my mind, because I hallucinated I saw Grammy and... the man in the moon turned into a jack-o-lantern!"
She leaned into him and whispered as if imparting a terrible secret. "I haven't told anyone about this before, but I've been seeing Grammy for some time. She just pops out of nowhere and gives me a piece of her mind. I've tried to ignore her, but she won't go away. And the truth is, I don't really want her to leave. I'm hanging on to my delusion. Do you think I'm mentally ill? Should I commit myself somewhere?"
Phil smiled. "Well, then I'll be right there with you. And so will Randy. We both saw your Grammy tonight. She showed us where you'd gone."
Her eyes glistened in the blue light. "Really? You mean Grammy is an actual ghost?" She heaved a big sigh. "Oh, what a relief."
"Yeah, we saw some other strange things tonight, too. So, let's just chalk it up to Halloween and not worry too much about being crazy."
He wiped some tears from her cheeks with his thumb. "What else is bothering you?"
She sighed heavily. "It all came back to me–that night last summer, I mean. I'd kind of buried it and made up a fantasy about the baby being a sort of Immaculate Conception." A choked laugh rose from Phil's chest, but she continued on in agitation. "Oh, Phil do you think of me as some kind of a pathetic sex-starved spinster having anonymous intercourse with a total stranger?"
He cupped her face with his hands. "Do you want to know how I remember that night? It was great, like something out of a dream. I was in the arms of a Moon Goddess and I didn't come back to find her because I didn't think reality could live up to the illusion. But I was wrong. You're better than any illusion I could dream up. You're a brave, beautiful, smart woman." Dropping his hands from her face, he leaned back. "But, maybe I should be apologizing for taking advantage of you in a vulnerable moment. Should I have just turned around and left that night, Maddie?"
"No!" She placed her hand on his chest. "I said I remembered it all and I did. It was wonderful. Magical. Moments out of time and space, better than any fantasy I could ever have imagined."
With a small smile on his lips he said, "So, what's the problem?"
"It's just come as such a shock, to discover you're the baby's father. I can't quite put it together in my mind."
He pulled away from her as his old feelings of inadequacy bubbled to the surface. "You're not sure you like the idea, is that it? It's one thing to have a hot night in the moonlight. But finding out an alcoholic, broken-down football player is the father of your baby comes as a nasty surprise."
She sat up indignantly. "I never said such a thing! I never thought such a thing. You really need to do something about your self esteem."
He shot her a heavy-lidded scowl. "Thank you, Dr. Laura."
"Look, I realize I've offended you in some way, but I assure you it's been entirely unintentional."
Phil stood and paced the small room. "Offended me? You've completely pissed me off! First, you leave me itching like a son of a bitch in that damn cabin without a word of explanation. Then the next thing I know you've upped and married another guy. A gay guy at that! Yeah, that's done a lot for my 'self-esteem,' as you put it." He walked to the window and stared out over the blinking skyline. "The thing is, I thought there was something happening between us. Something special. Something real. But you weren't honest with me. You didn't trust me enough to tell me the truth."
He turned and looked at her, his eyes boring into her soul. She sat against the pillows, chewing her quivering lip. Her eyes pooled with fresh tears.
Her voice was barely audible as she helplessly shook her head and wrung her hands. "I'm…I'm…sorry. What do you want me to say? I'm sorry, okay? These past few weeks haven't been easy for me, either. In fact…they've been dreadful!"
She gave in to the dammed tears, turned on her stomach and sunk into the pillows. Feminine weepy noises filled the room.
Phil watched her shoulders contract and jerk. Total female waterworks. How can a guy cope with that?
He ran his fingers through his hair, sighed deeply and groaned, "Oh, shit."
* * *
Five hours later they were back at Randy's bedside, now in a private room. Maddie had urged Brent to go home, freshen up and get something to eat. Brent had given Randy a shave and his color looked much better. She'd been terrified by his deathly pale countenance and bluish lips the night before.
She settled into a chair noting the comfort of the sweats Phil had bought her at Wal-Mart. Maybe the man was onto something. She glanced up at Phil, who looked as out-of-place as a cowboy at a coronation.
"Phil, isn't there something you need to do? Gas up the car? Buy a newspaper? I'd love a decaf latte with extra cream."
Phil raised an eyebrow at Randy. "I think she's trying to get rid of me."
Randy's eyes regained a glimmer of their usual twinkle. "It looks that way."
Phil shrugged. "All right, I'll get lost for a while. Anything else you'd like?"
"A breakfast yogurt with blueberries would be lovely."
He rolled his eyes. "Figures. I'll be back."
Maddie turned to Randy after watching Phil's broad back exit the room. "So, how are you, really?"
"Sore, but mostly glad to be alive. I'll tell you, dear heart, lying in a cave as you bleed to death really causes you to examine your life." His expression turned uncharacteristically serious. "It made me realize I've been a coward in certain areas."
Maddie lifted an eyebrow. "Brent, for instance?"
As they'd been airlifted from the mountain, Randy had been urgent about reaching Brent. In his weakened state, he'd repeated Brent's cell number until Maddie memorized it and promised she'd call when they touched ground. He lost consciousness as soon as she satisfied his request.
Randy nodded and took her hand. "I may be taking a stick of dynamite to my life, but it's something I have to do. I've been running away from who I am for a long time. Keeping so busy, always putting on a clown's face. I'm sick of it."
Maddie smiled in commiseration. "Keeping up a façade can be so tiring, can't it?" She suddenly saw an image of herself decked out in an assistant principal power outfit and realized she and Randy had both been playing out public roles while their true inner selves had been choking. No wonder she occasionally flipped out and he disappeared for days at a time.
Maddie knew that Randy coming completely out of the closet and taking Brent as his partner would seriously jeopardize his teaching position. And she shuddered to think the hell Mother Bailey would raise.
Squeezing his hand, she said, "Sometimes you just have to take a leap of faith and follow your heart."
"Such a wise woman. I'm wondering if you follow your own advice?"
Maddie stared down at their joined hands. "Some things are easier said than done." Her emotions regarding Phil remained a confusing Mulligan stew.
Randy asked, "Have you got a mirror and comb on you? I feel a disheveled mess."
Maddie searched her purse and found the necessary items. She held up the mirror, as Randy could only move one arm.
"Oh, God," Randy said. "Getting shot really plays hell with your complexion. I'm absolutely ashen."
"You're absolutely alive. Brent obviously thought you looked better or he would never have left your side for even a little while. I was quite impressed with him last night. He took charge while I was a blithering idiot."
"Have I told you what he does for a living?" Randy asked, as he neatly parted his hair and combed it into place.
"No. Let me guess. Financial advisor? Undertaker?"
"Close. He's a lawyer."
"Ah."
He dropped the comb in his lap and leaned back again onto the raised bed. "You know, honey bunch, I'm afraid I'm not really husband material after all and it appears you've found your Dream Man. The Coach seemed exceedingly interested in the true paternity of your bambino. In light of all that, I've asked Brent to arrange for an annulment." He lifted a hand and went into a soap opera characte
r. "Now, now, no tears. You know it's for the best. You'll get over me. In time."
Maddie smiled. "Never."
Putting on his Ronald Coleman voice, he said "Tis a far, far better thing I do now than I have ever done before."
"That's too easy. A Tale of Two Cities."
"Well, I've been shot. What do you expect? You come up with one."
And so the soon-to-be former Mr. and Mrs. Randall Bailey played Name That Line until Mr. Bailey's Significant Other returned.
* * *
A clear azure sky domed above them as Phil and Maddie drove back to Beaver Cove. Their conversation had been perfunctory since they'd gotten up. Fatigue still muddled her brain. Phil's bloodshot eyes revealed his exhaustion. They needed to talk—but later. She ate her yogurt and thanked God the morning sickness seemed to be over.
"How are you feeling?" Phil asked, as if he could read her mind.
"Fine."
"Because if you're going to throw up or anything, I wanna know about it. And there's the last rest stop with bathrooms coming up for twenty-five miles. Should I pull over?"
Maddie blinked in amazement. His concern for her comfort surprised her, even delivered in his left-handed fashion. "I'm fine."
"I've been around expectant women before."
"I'm sure you have."
A few miles of road sped under their tires before Phil spoke again. "So, how do you feel about it–the baby, I mean?"
Maddie swallowed. The baby still remained largely her secret. Once the initial excitement had worn off for Randy, he'd gone back to business-as-usual. And even though Phil had guessed, she hadn't gone public with the news. Now, after weeks of wishing for someone to share her private miracle, she didn't know where to begin.
"I'm fine with it."
"Dammit, woman, talk to me!" He flashed her an exasperated glance. "Most women won't shut up and you're sitting there like a by God clam."
"Don't yell at me unless you want me crying like a leaky faucet again. I seem to have an interminable supply of tears these days." She took a deep breath and looked at the scenery whizzing by. "How do I feel about the baby? Thrilled, okay? Thrilled, terrified, and overwhelmed. When I think about being a mother, being completely responsible for another human being, I'm scared. But when I go to the mall and see women with their babies, I tingle with excitement to think I'll have my own child in a few months. I guess you could say I have mixed emotions."