Lights on the Far Horizon Trilogy

by Stone, Sailor

  At the hospital Jess was able to find Kinsey in the emergency room and she learned that the doctor would have to stitch a gash on her head closed but otherwise she was fine. It was a gash that Kinsey had received with no idea as to how it had happened. Jess was so thankful that she began praying her thanks to God over and over in her head as she listened to Kinsey tell her what happened as they waited for the doctor to come with his suture kit to close the wound.

  It was a terrible story that sounded like it had a great ending: Tanner had miraculously saved two children from certain death and also himself as well. At least Kinsey hoped he was okay – she’d overheard the medics saying Tanner was breathing but that he might have burns on his back. They would be bringing him by helicopter to the burn unit of the hospital. After Kinsey got her stitches she was going to go and see him.

  Only that hospital didn’t have a burn unit or a helicopter pad. Tanner had been airlifted to a hospital far away from South Beach and it was late in the night when Kinsey, Jess and Dale had figured it out and left to find him.

  From there things only got worse. They finally got to the hospital where the medical helicopter had brought Tanner and they even found the nurse that had helped wheel him in. He wouldn’t check in the nurse said, even though he had a bruise on his cheek where he’d probably received a concussion and he had burns on his back as well. He gave them no information as to who he was and he insisted that he was okay.

  The nurse said she’d never seen a patient so set on leaving. He kept saying he had to get back to find a girl he’d met. He said she was waiting for him and he had to get back. He said this over and over to the nurse. He told her he had found the girl of his dreams and he had to go find her and tell her he was okay. They tried to make him stay but when he was left alone in a pre-op room for a moment he grabbed a pair of doctor’s surgical pants and a shirt and put them on and left. They never saw him again.

  Kinsey was elated at the nurse’s words. She was sad that he wasn’t in the hospital and had refused medical care, but happy that he was looking for her. They left and returned to the hotel, certain they would find him.

  They never did. They searched all day but he was nowhere to be found. Kinsey didn’t even know his last name and when she asked Dale he said couldn’t remember. He wasn’t even sure Tanner had told him his last name. Mr. Barksley had no idea as to his name either. It soon became apparent that finding a man without knowing his last name was difficult at best.

  They stayed in South Beach for an extra day searching but finally Mr. Bark told the girls that they would have to go to L.A. for their art gallery display. Kinsey was beside herself but she did as Mr. Bark told them to do. She and Jess always did what he commanded. Mr. Bark promised to stay behind with Dale, who had another week of work in South Beach, and they would search for him. When they found him they would contact Kinsey and get them together again.

  They never found him and as the days turned to weeks and the weeks to months and finally the months to years Kinsey kept searching for Tanner, never loosing hope, but growing sadder with each passing day.

  The waitress came and put a Westbrook IPA beer and an order of fried Calamari on the bar before Jessica. She began to eat and drink, still thinking about her friend. She knew that if she herself lost Dale she would be crushed both in spirit and body. She knew Kinsey had only known Tanner for a few hours but Jess had seen the love for him shining out of her eyes like a warm light. Jess had seen Tanner’s love for Kinsey also and when the nurse had said he’d left because he had to find Kinsey it made no sense to her why they had been unable to locate him. Something was strange, but worse, it was so sad to be a part of it and Jessica knew, that while Kinsey was elated for her marriage to Dale, she would also be overwhelmed by the thought of what should have been for her and Tanner as well. Jess knew that Kinsey, though smiling on the outside, would be the saddest maid of honor that Charleston – the city of weddings – had ever known. Jess felt tears in her eyes for her friend as she paid her tab and made her way to the gate where Kinsey’s plane would arrive and its passengers would disembark.

  Jess felt her heart beat faster as she saw her friend coming through the arrival gate and she ran to meet her. They embraced and Kinsey told Jess, after they had begun walking to the luggage pick-up, that she felt so happy for Jessica and Dale.

  On the ride back into town, Jessica asked how Kinsey was doing with getting over Tanner.

  “I’m trying. I went on a date two weeks ago. It was fun, I even like the guy, but romantically I’m not even close. He kissed me at the door to my apartment and I know this is so not fair to him or me, but I felt like I was betraying, not only myself, but Tanner as well,” Kinsey answered, looking over at Jess with the eyes of a sad puppy dog.

  “It will come back with time,” Jess answered, though in the depths of her heart she wanted Kinsey to stay faithful to her love for Tanner. It was odd, it felt like an emotion that had been placed inside her from some outside source, like God was telling her to stay strong for her friend. “You know,” she found herself saying, and it was the last thing she wanted to do to Kinsey – that being giving her a false hope – but she went on, “I thought I saw Tanner getting in a car the other day. I ran to see him but the car drove away. I hate telling you that, but Kinsey, I think he’s still out in this world looking for you. It’s like the heavens are holding their breath, waiting for the two of you to embrace again.”

  When Jess looked away from the road and to her friend she saw that Kinsey had tears in her eyes and so she continued, “I was hoping last year that you would move on and start your life again but as my wedding day has gotten closer, I’ve been praying, not just for Dale and myself but for all of my family and friends, you mostly, and I think you need to keep your chin up and your eyes open. He’s out there Kins.”

  When Kinsey began to openly sob Jessica put her hand out to her friend and when Kinsey put her hand to hers, she squeezed it tight, not letting go until they pulled up in front of her new carriage house apartment.

  The next day, Jessica sent Kinsey to the dress shop to make sure her dress still fit after her visit and fitting over the Thanksgiving holiday. She told her to meet her at her new art gallery on Queens Street in downtown Charleston when she was finished. Then Jessica left to go the gallery herself and get some work in on a new painting she was finishing up to put on sale.

  Jess could walk to work from her new home and on this morning she did it for the first time. As she walked along the shaded streets of the Holy City she thought back to when, many years before, she and Kinsey had stayed with Ms. Lester for the summer. Jess knew from her art associates that Ms. Lester was not in good health, that she was living in a nursing home, but she wanted to go by and see the old house where they had stayed with her. She wasn’t sure which street it was on but she let her instincts guide her, and then, when she felt the pulling of her own heart to take a left and walk down a small one-way street she did and when she came out from between the high houses that lined the road and onto another road she found herself looking at the home itself. Ms. Lester’s old house stood high, well maintained, and still dominating the street, just as Jess remembered it seven years before.

  Jess stepped out onto the street and into the bright sun and examined the home. After a moment of reflection she decided that she’d like to paint it and she made plans to come back that evening, when the sun was setting and the light was right, and take a few photos of it and to study the house and find the best angle from which to begin her painting. She turned to finish her walk to work when a car, a white Mercedes, pulled up to the front of the house and parked. Nice car, Jessica thought, as she stepped back into the shadows of the one-way street and began her trek to her new gallery. Along the way it occurred to her that she had seen that white Mercedes before. Just a client’s car that had parked in front of her shop she figured as she finally arrived at her gallery and stepped up to the front door, key in hand, to open it.

  Jessica
had a busy day and between working to get her new gallery up to speed and also preparing for her wedding, she almost forgot to walk by Ms. Lester’s old house again and take photos of it for her new painting, but she did remember – and she was so glad that she did.

  As the sun set and filled the street with light, Jessica began taking photos of the fine home. She walked about it, looking at all the angles from which to paint it. She wanted to make sure and get the steeple of the church in the background for she realized it was the steeple to the Catholic Church in which she and Dale would be married. It felt right to her heart to get that in the painting.

  She took her photos, found a private spot where she could later set up her easel and canvas to paint the home, and, as the sun set behind her, she stepped away and began her walk home. As she went to cross the street she had to wait for cars to ride past her. The last car was the white Mercedes that she’d seen earlier that morning and something in the back of her mind, like an old faded memory, made her turn and watch it as it parked in front of Ms. Lester’s old home. Jessica had a good angle on the car and she waited as its driver turned off the car, opened his door and stepped into the street.

  As he stepped away from his car and made for the door to his home Jessica almost went to her knees. She dropped her camera and some deep part of her brain recorded it making a bad crunch sound as it hit the asphalt road. She didn’t care. Jessica strengthened herself, absent mindedly picked up her broken camera, and ran for the door of the home.

  She bounded up the five steps to the door as it was closing, the owner not seeing her running up behind him as he shut it. She didn’t think but let her instincts lead her instead. She began ringing the doorbell, over and over, and it made an old and weak sound of distress as it seemed almost to break under the persistent jabbing of her finger. Jessica didn’t care about that either.

  Jess heard footsteps behind the door and then it opened. “Do you remember me?” she said to the man that she remembered to be her friend’s long lost love. It was him, thank God it was him, it was Tanner and he was beautiful to see again. After all these years he was standing in front of her and Jessica resolved herself not to let him from her sight until she had him in front of Kinsey once and for all.

  “Do you remember me?” she asked again.

  The man just stood there with his lips slightly parted. He’d cut his hair shorter, otherwise this was Tanner. It had to be, Jess thought, as she waited for him to answer.

  She almost cried out in happiness when he turned white with excited shock and exclaimed, “Are you her friend? Are you, Jessica?”

  She nodded and found herself in his arms. He began crying and she felt his tears going through her shirt. He pressed into her for a long time and then he pulled back, looked at Jessica, and asked, “Is she okay? I was thinking she may have died or been hurt or something. I’ve been looking for her for four years. Please tell me she’s okay,” he wiped tears from his eyes. “I’m not even sure you have good news. I’m so scared right now. Please tell me she’s okay.”

  Jessica looked at him, not believing what he was saying, how incredibly like Kinsey he sounded in his fear and love and concern for her, and then she felt like she’d better answer him before he had a heart attack or a stroke. “She’s in good health. Not happy. Not happy since you left her but she’s in good health.” She’s spent all these days, all these years, looking for you.”

  “Left her?” He stepped back, his mouth agape, “I never would. I’ve been searching the world for her. I had a rough week after the hotel fire. I was lost and hurt and I got taken away. I would never leave her. Please don’t say that,” Tanner looked at Jessica, his eyes pleading for understanding.

  “Can I come in?” she asked, “Let’s figure this out. Tell me what happened and let’s do something. I don’t think Kinsey is ever going to do well if she can’t find you and it looks to me like you are just the same. Let’s figure something out. Tell me everything that happened to you.”

  Tanner nodded and reached out and took Jessica by the hand. “Follow me. You tell me how she is and I will tell you about my last four years. I’ve changed. I hope for the better. I’ve been sad, lonely even, but I felt God in my heart telling me to change. I don’t think I was able to appreciate the gift that he was giving me when I met Kinsey.”

  He led Jessica into a small living room, the parlor, as Ms. Lester had called it, and Jessica realized that her same furniture was still in the room.

  “Would you like something? Something to drink? Before we get started, I mean,” he asked her as she sat on the edge of a couch.

  “Do you have any whiskey? I’m suddenly feeling like I need something as strong as I can bear,” she laughed and when Tanner joined in, his teeth beautiful and his smile, just as she remembered, perfect in its form along the contours of his face, she knew that things would be okay. Okay for her and incredibly good for Tanner and Kinsey.

  “How about beer? I’m not much for hard liquor. I don’t have any in the house,” he said, “I’ll go to the frig and be right back.”

  Jess laughed, “I was kidding about the whiskey. A beer is great.” She watched him walk from the room. He may have been suffering for his lost love, but like Kinsey, Jessica thought, he sure managed to stay in great looking shape. She couldn’t wait to get them together. She had to listen to what happened to Tanner and make sure he hadn’t done anything to hurt Kinsey in his not finding her these last years but in her heart she knew that happier days were in store for her friend. Then, as Tanner walked back into the room, carrying two beers, she had an idea. A wonderful idea.

  9

  Tanner’s Story

  Tanner handed Jess an opened beer and then he sat in the chair opposite her, he took a drink from his own beer, and began to speak.

  “I went out of my head that night. I’d met the woman that I had been waiting all my life to meet and fate had yanked her away from me, or I should say, snatched me away from her.

  I could hear her calling to me as the medics examined me after they had pulled me from the pool. I was in a deep fog but I could hear her voice and it became my only desire to go to her. But they determined that my burns were bad enough to have me helicoptered out to a burn unit in a hospital that wasn’t the same as the one where they took Kinsey. I had suffered a concussion from hitting the water in the pool when we jumped and I was knocked out. My mind wasn’t working right and I ran from the hospital. I had to find Kinsey. But, like I just said, I was out of my head and things didn’t work out for me that night. I found myself being arrested,” Tanner took a long drink from his beer, “This is a very relaxing beer. Don’t let me keep drinking these tonight.” He smiled at Jessica.

  “You might need to relax,” Jess said and she smiled along with Tanner. “Let me say something before you get too deep in your story, Tanner. I want you to take a deep breath and answer this. Do you want to be with Kinsey again? I mean with all of your heart, your very soul?”

  Tanner stood and went to a small, almost ancient looking fireplace and put his hand on the mantle. With his back to Jessica he said, “Finding her has been my only purpose these last few years. It’s changed me and I’ve grown. I’ve realized that this life is a battle to overcome ourselves, to overcome evil, and to fight the good fight. I’m in this house because of my search for Kinsey.”

  Jessica’s eyebrows went up high on her forehead with his last statement. In the back of her mind she had been wondering how he came to be in the very house where she and Kinsey had stayed for a summer seven long years before.

  He continued, “I want to do what I haven’t been able to do, something I was born to do, and that’s sweep Kinsey off of her feet and carry her into the great sunset of life, like in the fairy tales – only I mean to do it for real,” Tanner turned and Jess could see deep in his eyes that he was telling her the truth.

  “Then you have to trust me,” she said, “I have an idea, but first you have to tell me everything that happened to you. Leave
nothing out. And smile, be happy, and let’s do something for Kinsey. You want to sweep her off of her feet? Then let me help you.”

  Tanner locked eyes with her and nodded. “I have to trust you. Seeing you is the answer to many prayers, but now I don’t know what to do. I’m about to jump from my skin I want to go and see her so bad. Right now!” he exclaimed.

  “Just sit. Let’s go through what happened. It will be good for you to get it off of your chest. I imagine, it you’re anything like Kinsey, that you’ve had a lonely four years.”

  Tanner sat and began to speak, his eyes went away as he looked back in time, remembering, and Jessica made sure to stay out of his way and do nothing but listen to him.

  “I found myself in medical clothing. My clothes had been burned in the fire then they were soaked with water from my jump into the pool. I stole a pair of pants and shirt from a bin in the hospital and I ran from the hospital. I had but one thought and that was to get back to the hotel and find Kinsey. Only I was messed up in a bad way. My concussion left me confused and unsure of myself. When I could make a decision it was always the wrong decision.

  I made my way to a highway, I had no idea where I was, and I stuck out my thumb for a ride and I was picked up by an SUV full of people in their early twenties, but they were high as kites and looking for some excitement. When I told them where I wanted to go and about the fire in the hotel they became excited to go see the fire for themselves.

  I was in a lot of pain and my head was spinning. My back had been slathered with ointments by the medics for the chopper ride to the hospital but it was still screaming for medical attention. I wish I could have seen the burns on my back and I may have decided to stay in the hospital but I didn’t and not being able to see my burns let me assume, even though I was in bad shape, that I was okay and that I only had to fight through the pain. But I have to say that the pain of a burn can be overwhelming. I’ve been trying to deal with those pains ever since. They’re on my back and I can’t get to them, so when they hurt I have to just grin and bear it. My burns kept me focused though. They reminded me that I’m not with Kinsey and they prodded me into continuing my search for her.