Sparring Partners

by Leigh Morgan

  "You can't do that. I won't allow it." Said the doctor in the room.

  The officious tone rankled Irma almost as much Jordon, who was instantly tense and cold, colder than Irma had ever seen him. Jordon was in a state of mind to hurt someone if she didn't do something about it. She raised her hand, painfully, and willed it as it shook to cover Jordon's hand where his was fisted in the bed linens.

  When he looked at her questioningly, she winked at him. Then, she turned her attention to the twelve-year-old doctor in charge of her care. She disliked the man intensely for the way he barked orders at the nurses and the rest of the staff, and for the way he condescended to her. He wasn't God. Not even close. And, it was time he learned that fact.

  "I was not aware that you had anything to say about it, doctor." Irma said, mustering as much contempt as she could for his title. "I believe I can check myself out anytime with, or without, your consent."

  "If you leave this hospital you will die."

  "I'm aware of that. And I'll die if I stay. Isn't that true, doctor?"

  "Not as quickly, or as painfully." He whined.

  "How do you know?"

  Apparently, the good doctor didn't like to be questioned or contradicted, or have the reality of the situation take precedence over his inflated opinion of his own decision making skills. His chin went up, and he got too close to Jordon for Irma's comfort. She could tell from Jordon's demeanor that nothing or no one would stop him from doing what he thought was right, certainly not one over-educated-under-sensed doctor.

  "You are not leaving this hospital in your condition. It's absurd, and I won't have it. If you persist in trying, I'll have you declared incompetent and I'll hold you here under a mental health commitment."

  Irma smiled, looking at Finn and Henry who waited silently but with as much obvious determination just inside the door. The doctor ignored them when he sauntered in earlier, security in tow right outside the door.

  "Finn, darling. Does that camera you're carrying have video?"

  Finn nodded. "Yes it does, Irma."

  "Henry, please call my lawyer. Have him meet us, along with the hospital's general counsel, in my room right now. Oh, and be a dear, won't you, and call Judge Peel at his home? His number is on my phone dear, I know he won't mind being put on speaker phone so the good doctor can plead his case."

  Henry smiled at her, picked up the phone on the table next to her bed, pushing the doctor as he went, and started dialing. "Yes, ma'am."

  Irma looked at Jordon, raising her voice so everyone in the room could hear her. "Do you still have Larry King on speed dial?" She was taking a huge risk, not knowing if Jordon even knew Larry King. The twinkle in his eyes proved he was no slouch at improvisation. With that, she knew he'd be up for this.

  "Number three, right after the White House."

  "Good." Irma watched the blood rise to boiling point on the doctor's face. Heaven help her, this was fun. Not exactly how she wanted to spend her last day, but necessary if she wanted to get home.

  Henry hung up the phone. "Judge Peel has the number and is calling his court reporter in to take testimony. His clerk will put us on speaker as soon as the judge is ready. Hospital counsel is in the building and on his way down."

  "Finn, will you film this? I want Larry to have video for his program." Irma looked at the doctor and blinked twice, hoping she looked as innocent as she was devious. It helped his color when Finn started taping the man.

  "How do you spell your name, doctor? We should make sure that Larry has it, and the name of the hospital, correct before he broadcasts on national television. Don't you agree?"

  The doctor turned to leave at the same time a large man in a navy suit entered. The man grabbed the doctor's arm, pulled him into the room, and smiled at Finn. It was a politician's smile. Then he looked at Irma. Jordon held her hand in silent support.

  "I'm attorney Anderson. Tom Anderson...s..o..n...in case Larry wants to spell my name correctly."

  "I'm sure Mr. King will make every effort, he seems very precise." Irma said.

  "I'm not worried about Mr. King, Mrs. MacDonald, I'm worried about you."

  "I wish to leave. I am declining further treatment. This doctor is making threats about my competency, and frankly, I'm offended by his arrogance."

  "Are you competent?"

  "Are you, attorney Anderson?"

  "I'm not the one dying."

  "Are you certain of that? Really certain? And what if you were the one dying? Would you want to do it here?"

  Attorney Anderson paused for a moment then looked at the doctor, "What basis do you have for saying this woman is incompetent?" It wasn't as much of a question as a demand.

  "Well-"

  The doctor swallowed hard. "It's obvious. She's declining medical attention. In her condition that will kill her. She's not thinking straight."

  "That's your basis?"

  "Yes."

  Attorney Anderson called in the security guard. "If anyone tries to stop Mrs. MacDonald and her family from leaving, arrest them." Since he was looking at the doctor when he said it, Irma was fairly certain she was getting out.

  The phone rang and Attorney Anderson answered it before Henry could. "Yes, judge. She's here. No sir, there's no basis to conduct a competency hearing. She's fully capable of declining treatment. Yes sir, I'll stipulate to the entry of an order to that effect. Thank you, your honor." He hung up.

  "Sign her release paperwork now and get someone in here to unhook her and help her get dressed." Anderson said, as the doctor fled the room. He turned to Irma with kindness in his eyes.

  "You are more than competent, Mrs. MacDonald. Your family can take you home. Immediately. But-"

  He said, waving his finger at her like she was a recalcitrant child. "You will exit these premises in a wheelchair. I don't give a damn what Larry King", he shot Jordon a knowing glance, "or Anderson Cooper might have to say about it."

  Irma didn't reprimand him for swearing, she smiled instead.

  "I'm looking forward to the ride, Mr. Anderson."

  CHAPTER FIFTY-SIX

  ...You've been walking the ocean's edge,

  holding up your robes to keep them dry.

  You must dive naked under and deeper under,

  a thousand times deeper! Love flows down.

  The ground submits to the sky and suffers

  what comes. Tell me, is the earth worse

  for giving in like that? ...

  Rumi,~13th Century

  Reed glanced around at the people milling about the grounds. Some played croquet, some sat sipping champagne and mixed drinks, as they would tea, never worried about how much they were consuming. Some chatted, some strolled the gardens, others were still out on various sized boats, enjoying the late afternoon sun. No one had dressed for dinner yet, although she'd have to take the lead and do so soon, Lily told her that was the way it was done.

  She missed Jordon that morning. He left before she awakened. She asked Thorson, who knew everything and told next to nothing, where he was, but all she got was some quote she couldn't decipher about planting trees and growing them in the heart. Macbeth was never one of her favorite plays, she barely got through it with Cliff notes in college. All she wanted to know now was where Jordon was. All she got from Thorson was Shakespeare.

  The Bennetts, and their entourage, were frustrating and unknowable. Especially Thorson, who she wanted to shake like a naughty leprechaun until he gave up the gold. That never worked, but Reed was willing to bet she'd feel better for having tried.

  Shay found her in the rose garden overlooking the lake. She'd stumbled upon it after going through the hedge maze.

  "Hey, why so glum, chum? You're supposed to be celebrating your marriage." Shay said, taking a seat next to her on the concrete bench.

  Reed spun the diamond ring, Jordon gave her last night, on her finger. "That would be easier to do if the groom was here."

  Shay put his arm around her and pulled her to him. The
y sat there silently for a moment, both lost in thought. The sun hadn't quite set yet, just hovering on the horizon, a big yellow-orange ball of light warming everything in its path, setting the roses on fire, especially the yellow ones which seemed to glow.

  "This really is a beautiful place, especially here, where there's no one drinking champagne by the magnum or twittering about yacht furnishings and who's going to win the cup this year." Reed looked at the lake, sighed heavily, and dropped her head to Shay's shoulder.

  "I'm not sure I belong here. I don't fit in."

  "You're not listening to the trash being spewed out of those silver-spoon mouths are you? Whadda they know? They don't know you. You've got more heart, and more guts, than any ten of them combined. Jordon saw that right off. Why do you think he asked you to marry him?"

  "Well, if I believed the trash, as you call it, he married me to secure his place as head of William's company when William retires." Reed laughed past the tears that threatened to choke her. It hurt her throat, and her voice was deeper when she continued.

  "He had to marry someone quickly. William demanded it if he wanted to keep his job." Reed shrugged. "I was convenient."

  Shay roared with laughter, irritating her. Reed pushed away from him, her eyes narrowing at the genuine amusement in his twinkling eyes and his broad grin.

  "It's true. He married me to keep his job."

  "That part of it may be true." Shay shrugged. "So what if it started out that way?"

  "That's funny to you?"

  Shay's grin lessened into a small smile, but the twinkle in his eyes didn't diminish. She wanted to hit him but she wasn't sure he'd given her enough cause yet.

  "Not particularly, but you thinking anyone would marry you because you're convenient? Now that's damn funny. Nothing about you, Red, is convenient. In fact, you're the least convenient person I've ever met. I'm willing to bet being married to you is anything but convenient. Truth be told, you're a pain in the ass. A loveable pain in the ass, but a pain nonetheless."

  Shay laughed again. Reed pushed him off the bench.

  "There's no way a smart guy like Jordon didn't sense that within ten seconds of meeting you." Shay said.

  "If you don't stop laughing I'm going to stomp on you." Reed said, but there was no real heat in her words. Shay was right, being married to her hadn't been all that convenient for Jordon. It had been more than convenient for her though. In Jordon, she had a partner, a true partner. One who helped with every aspect of Potters Woods, even finding ways for them to move from being insolvent to profitable.

  And, he loved her.

  Reed didn't need Jordon here to know that. He grew like the tap root of an oak in her heart, long and deep, spreading everywhere below the surface. Growing, green, beautiful and magnificently strong above it. Living long after the span of generations of human life.

  Maybe Thorson wasn't so obtuse after all.

  It only took one laughing leprechaun, in warriors clothing, to get her to understand that.

  "Go ahead, Red. Stomp to your heart's content if it'll make you feel better. You've been sounding a lot like a whiny teenager feeling sorry for herself, you might as well act like one." Shay sat up but he didn't get up. Reed saw his muscles tense and knew the second she lifted a leg she'd be rolling in the dirt with him.

  "You're right."

  "What?"

  "I said, you're right." She cocked her head at him and grinned, feeling lighter and stronger than she did seconds ago. "Do you need it in writing?"

  Shay stood up, brushed himself off and sat back down beside her. "Would you? Do it with a Sharpie, I don't want the ink to fade."

  "You're a pain in the ass too, you know."

  "I do. But that's why you love me."

  "I do love you, but that's not why."

  "Must be my sweet Irish charm." He said, brogue flowing from his tongue like warm honey and cream over scones.

  "You see the true me, and, you continue to be my best friend." Reed kissed his cheek.

  Shay didn't respond. Reed couldn't read his face as she pulled away, it was as if he was hiding something from her and then, as quickly as that feeling came, it banished with his ready grin. He threw his arm around her shoulders and led her back through the maze. Back to reality.

  "Shall we go don our finest, and mingle with the rich and shallow?"

  "Lead on, leprechaun king."

  Shay was right, she wasn't convenient. She wasn't rich or particularly beautiful. She wasn't all that charming either, although she had her moments. She was fiercely loyal. She was smarter than her actions of the past few weeks attested to. She was in love with Jordon Bennett, and she was loyal enough to know he had a reason for his absence that was more important than what was happening here. Whatever that reason was, she'd support him.

  If anyone here didn't like that...

  Well then, she'd just have to kick their ass.

  After all, she was a warrior elf, ready to get more than just her feet wet in the ocean. She was ready to jump naked into those waters and dive all the way down. Something told her Jordon had already taken the plunge and was waiting.

  CHAPTER FIFTY-SEVEN

  You may be planning departure, as a human soul

  leaves the world taking almost all its sweetness

  with it. You saddle your horse.

  You must be going. Remember you have friends

  here as faithful as grass and sky...

  Rumi,~13th Century

  Jordon sat on the pier, fishing line in the water with the pole supported by a stand so he wouldn't have to attend to it, Irma in his arms. She weighed almost nothing and was so frail and cold. Despite the lingering sun, he had her wrapped in a wool blanket to ease her shivering. Henry and Finn sat side by side on the bank near them, but not so near as to disturb their privacy, the three deerhounds lay in the grass, heads on their front paws, alert, keeping vigil for Irma. The two over-sized cats, Freya and Loki, curled on the pier near her feet.

  "The sun's going down, Jordon."

  Jordon held her tighter, knowing she wasn't talking about the sun above. "I know."

  "Thank you for getting me out of the hospital."

  Jordon smiled. "Seems to me you got yourself out."

  "Without you, I wouldn't have a place to go or the energy to get there."

  "Don't talk Irma. You'll tire yourself."

  "I'm well past tired, boy, and not above playing the death card." Irma coughed, racking her whole body. She was in terrible pain, but she refused to take the pills nurse Peacock forced into her hands as Jordon wheeled her out of the hospital. Irma said she didn't want to be 'all looped up' when she saw her last sunset.

  Stubborn, stubborn, woman.

  Jordon forced back tears and the sudden thickening in his throat. This was so much harder than he thought it was going to be when he walked into the hospital, both barrels blazing. He didn't want to let her go, this unlikely friend he'd had so little time with. How did she get to him anyway? Loving her and letting her go hurt more than anything he'd felt in a long time.

  People in his life came and went with the wind. Some he missed, some he was sorry to see go, and a few, a precious few, helped define the man he wanted to be. Emily was one of the few, and she left him after having been on earth only a few hours. Irma was another, and she was leaving him now too. He could feel her spirit tugging at her skin to be free, and nothing he did or said could keep it contained, no matter how tightly he held on.

  "You need to promise me something, Jordon."

  "Why? Because you're dying?"

  "Yes. A fact you can't stop or delay by denying it, or by denying me. Now, give me your promise that you'll do what I tell you."

  "I promise."

  "I want to be cremated, and I want my ashes spread on the pond."

  "That's it? That's what you want me to promise?"

  "No. I'm still gearing up for that."

  "Irma you are one crazy old lady."

  "And you love me."r />
  "That I do." Jordon said kissing her forehead.

  The sun was at the horizon now. Irma stared at its soft radiance for a moment before tugging at his shirt. "Then come here so I can whisper it in your ear. I always wanted to whisper in a handsome man's ear. Don't know why I waited this long."

  Jordon bent and listened. When she was done, he straightened and nodded soberly. "You have my promise."

  The smile she gave him was radiant, and the twinkle in her watery green eyes remained as she watched the sun set on this hemisphere only to rise in the next.

  "I love you, too, Jordon. You're a good man."

  She closed her eyes and gave her last breath.

  Jordon bent his head and cried until night purpled the sky and the first star began to shine. The dogs sang, a long howling lament. The cats joined in a sound that managed to hold joy and sadness. Then, Henry came and took Irma from his arms. Jordon didn't want to let her go. He looked at his friend, not even trying to stop the stream of tears flowing down his face.

  "Jordon, you have to let go of her. She's gone now. She's at peace."

  "She's not gone, Henry. Not really."

  "Jordon, let me take her. I'll watch over her until you get back. You've been gone all day, and you need to go back to Reed."

  Hearing his wife's name jolted him out of his pain, reminding him of his promise. He needed to get to her.

  "Take care of her, Henry. Please."

  "You know I will. Take a shower, and change your clothes. I'll have one of my men drive you."

  "I'll drive him." Finn said, reaching for Jordon's hand. He let her guide him toward the house. Her eyes were puffy and red-rimmed.

  "You've been crying." He said.

  "So have you."

  "I'm going to miss her. More than I ever thought I would."

  "She's right you know."

  Jordon looked at Finn, not following.