A Fine Mess

by Kristy K. James

  Annie had always called it their own little piece of the Everglades, what with all of the channels and green stuff growing out of the water. Half the time she wouldn’t have been surprised to see an alligator floating around. Fortunately it was far too cold up north for them to survive. At least she hoped so, given the occasional news reports about people setting exotic reptiles loose.

  “I’m sure. I love it up there and I really don’t want to have to have this be the first season I haven’t gone up in my whole life.”

  “Just please take your cell phone. Have you cleared it with your doctors?”

  “Yes, Mommy. I spoke to Dr. Harmon yesterday while you were at the store. Okay?”

  “I suppose it’ll have to be,” Annie said with a grin. “Just be sure that you and Dad behave yourselves.”

  “We’ve been married thirty-two years, sweetheart. We’re way past the point of behaving ourselves.”

  “And that’s more information than I need to know. Go ahead and finish your lunch. I’ll go put the rest in the fridge so Dad can have a snack when he gets home.”

  ~~~~

  “What are you looking so glum about?” Ian asked Thursday morning as they sat eating breakfast.

  “What?”

  “You look like you’ve lost your best friend.”

  “Oh. No. It’s just that with Mom and Dad heading up north today, I’m kind of at loose ends. I’ve never not done something during the day.”

  “Hmm. So you think you’ll be bored?”

  “Well, maybe not bored. Not exactly. I guess I’ve just gotten used to taking care of Mom, and now I have a couple of days free.” She grinned at him. “Maybe I’m turning into a workaholic.”

  “Well we can’t have that, can we?” he said, realizing that here was a golden opportunity to put some of Max’s advice into practice.

  “Want me to come and help at the office then?” she asked hopefully.

  “Nope. Everything is set. In fact I don’t I even need to go in again until we open up for business Monday morning. So it looks like we’re both at loose ends.”

  “I’m surprised.”

  “Why?”

  “I don’t know. I just figured you’d be nervous and spend every second you could there.”

  “Not me. I’ve been in the business too long to be nervous. Or overly excited. It’ll work out fine.”

  “You’re sure?”

  “I am. In fact, I already have a few clients that are taking their business to my office.”

  “Ones from your dad’s office?”

  “I’m afraid so. When they found out I was going they insisted on moving with me.”

  “I’ll bet that made your dad mad.”

  “That‘s one way to put it,” he said with a shrug. “But to get back to the subject of the two of us being free for the next four days, what do you say we take off, too?”

  “Take off for where?”

  “I’ve got a cabin cruiser on Lake Michigan. We could do some cruising and visit a few tourist spots.”

  “I didn’t know you had a boat,” she exclaimed, seemingly pleased at the idea. “But I’m sure if you have a chance to get away, you don’t want me tagging along.”

  “Of course I do. Aren’t we the deliriously happy McCann’s?”

  “I guess we are.”

  “Then go pack a bag. Make sure you bring warm clothes because it’ll be pretty chilly on the lake.”

  ~~~~

  A quick call to her parents cell phone to let them know where they’d be and they were off for the two hour drive to Muskegon. Just like that.

  Annie was almost beside herself. An entire four days when she didn’t have to worry about anything. Well, not much anyway. Her mom was feeling better. Jack was in the backseat, his head hanging out of the half-opened window. Ian was beside her humming along with a tune on a country music radio station.

  She kept a Michigan map handy to keep track of their progress so that she didn’t have to keep asking her husband how much longer it would be before they arrived.

  He’d said he had a cabin cruiser, and she kept trying to picture one in her mind. The only watercraft she’d been on consisted of a pontoon and a paddle boat up north. This sounded a whole lot fancier than either of those!

  “How will we eat?” she asked suddenly.

  “We’ll pick up some groceries. There’s a kitchen below deck.”

  “Wow. That’s impressive. Will we sleep there, too?”

  “Yes, Ma’am. You can have the bedroom. I’ll sleep on the sofa. It folds into a bed.”

  “Then maybe I should have that. Surely the captain is entitled to the best sleeping quarters.”

  “No. The captain’s wife is getting it on this trip. The fold out is pretty comfortable, too.”

  “Where will we sail to?”

  “Where would you like to sail to?”

  “Is Mackinaw City too far?”

  “Hmm.” He figured it was slightly less than two-hundred and fifty miles and the boat could easily do thirty miles an hour. A little quick math had him saying, “We could probably do that. Depending on how rough the water is, it might take ten or twelve hours to get there.”

  “Oh. That’s too long then.”

  “Too long for what? Do you have a date?”

  “Ian. That’s a long way up there. I didn’t realize how far it was by water. Driving only takes four hours or so.”

  “So. We’d planned on spending the next few days out there anyway. Would you like to head up there? Because we can if you want. We could spend all day up there tomorrow and head back Saturday morning.”

  “Are you sure you want to travel that far?” He could see she really didn’t want to put him out so he reached across the car for her hand.

  “Annie, I want to take you wherever you want to go, okay? I like it up there as well as anywhere else.”

  “Okay then. Let’s do it!”

  ~~~~

  While Annie told him she had never experienced any problems at Tubbs Lake, cruising on Lake Michigan was a different story. Probably because the water was so choppy. Ian actually had to dock in Ludington to get her something for sea sickness. It was a full thirty minutes before her nausea had gone and they could be on their way again. And then she seemed to enjoy herself immensely.

  He kept the boat fairly close to the shoreline so that she could admire the beaches, fancy summer houses and the occasional lighthouse. It was actually more of a pleasure than he’d have believed possible to watch her exclaim enthusiastically over everything.

  When they neared the Manitou Islands she was about beside herself. While she’d seen Mackinaw Island from mainland, she‘d never actually been there. So seeing any island at this distance was definitely more of an up close and personal experience.

  “Oh, look! I see the bridge!” Annie squealed, pointing ahead in the distance.

  At nearly ten o‘clock at night, it was lit up like a Christmas tree, pretty lights reflecting on the Straights of Mackinac below.

  Ian didn’t know a whole lot of history on the bridge. Just that it opened in late 1957, was the longest suspension bridge in the world at five miles long, and it joined Mackinaw City to Michigan’s Upper Peninsula.

  He also knew that he was glad they were in the boat. Much as he hated to admit it, driving across the bridge kind of creeped him out. It wasn’t that he was afraid of heights like his wife was, it was just that driving over roadway that he could see through wasn’t something he thought he could ever get used to.

  As they neared the marina he'd docked in during previous visits, he slowed the boat to a crawl, then eased into the slip he’d arranged to rent earlier in the day.

  “So, would you like to go out and see what we can scrounge up for a meal, or just cook something here?”

  “Here is fine. The quicker we eat, the quicker we can get some sleep and go out exploring tomorrow!”

  ~~~~

  Annie was feeling quite jubilant when they walked into the house Su
nday afternoon. It had been a stupendous weekend, visiting a couple of the restaurants it turned out they both loved, and seeing all the sights. Including The Grand Hotel and the Wings of Mackinac butterfly conservatory on Mackinaw Island.

  The return trip had been at a leisurely pace, taking all of Saturday and most of Sunday morning.

  And now Annie felt refreshed. She was almost ashamed to admit it, but she’d hardly thought about her parents the entire time they were gone.

  “Now I think we need a vacation from the vacation,” Ian groaned, bringing in the last of their supplies dumping them on the kitchen floor.

  “Not me,” Annie said cheerfully, bending down to retrieve the duffle with their dirty clothes and towels. “I feel great! Thank you, Ian. I didn’t realize how much I needed a break.”

  “What can I say?” he said flippantly. “You’re married to a very sensitive and intuitive man.”

  “I probably shouldn’t agree, but I will. Thanks again for such a lovely weekend.” She reached up and kissed his cheek on her way to the laundry room, grinning at his look of surprise.

  “You’re welcome, Annie,” came the almost shy response.

  Annie smiled again as she sorted the clothes and started the first load. He really was a sweetheart. First he’d come to the rescue for her father. Then he turned out to be the perfect son-in-law. And even though theirs was an extremely odd arrangement, he still treated her like she mattered.

  And he’d never once brought up the reason they were together.

  She wandered back out to the kitchen, quietly watching him empty the cooler, putting things into the refrigerator.

  This man who’d nearly had a coronary at the thought of groceries actually taking up shelf space in his kitchen at the apartment was turning into a fairly domesticated guy.

  “Need some help?” she asked.

  “No, I’ve got it, thanks.”

  “Okay. I’ll take this upstairs then.” ‘This’ being a smaller duffle filled with their toothbrushes, shampoos and the like. “Think about what sounds good for supper and I’ll get it started when I come back down.”

  “What I’d really like is another fish dinner from The Embers,” he told her, grinning over his shoulder.

  “Shall we buzz back up there then?”

  “I’ve got a better idea. Let’s just move up and then we can have it any time we want.”

  “Sure. We’d both weigh five hundred pounds in six months!”

  “I guess we’d better stay here then.”

  “I suppose we should,” she sighed, feigning disappointment, then heading down the hall. “I’ll be right back.”

  ~~~~

  “Who was that?” Annie asked, returning to the kitchen. Ian placed the phone in its cradle and turned to face her, forcing a smile on his face.

  “Your dad. He’s on his way over.”

  “They’re back already? I figured they wouldn’t get back until tonight.” She was opening the fridge. “Hmm. Did you decide what you want for supped yet? I think I’m going to have to thaw something out in the microwave.”

  “I think we ought to have some subs delivered after your dad goes home.”

  “We could do that,” she agreed quickly.

  “A little tired, too, are we?”

  “Maybe. I was feeling terrific until I got to the top of the stairs and then I thought, wouldn’t a nap feel good right about now? But then I realized that it’s almost three o’clock and if I want to sleep tonight, I should resist that temptation.”

  “Good choice.”

  “So why is Dad coming over?”

  “He said he wants to talk to us.” He watched Annie mull that information over and knew the moment she realized that she might not like the topic.

  “Did he tell you what he wanted to talk about?” she asked hesitantly.

  “No.”

  “He didn’t say anything?”

  “Just that it was important.” He debated over whether to tell her the rest of what Paul had said and decided that she had the right to prepare herself. “He said he had some bad news.”

  “Is it Mom? Did she-die?” She wrapped her arms tightly around her waist and Ian couldn’t stand it, crossing to her and pulling her against his chest. She was shaking.

  “I don’t think she died. He didn’t sound like anything that bad had happened. Stop thinking the worst. Just wait until he gets here. It might just be about the property up north or something like that.”

  “Maybe. What if it’s not?”

  “Then we’ll figure out a way to deal with it.” The doorbell sounded. “Come on. Let’s go let him in and see what’s going on.”

  “I’d rather run away,” she said in a small voice. Ian kissed the top of her head. “The Annie I know doesn’t run away. Come on.”

  Hand in hand they walked to the foyer and opened the door. Paul looked tired, he noted, even though he smiled at them both.

  “Did you have a nice trip?” he asked as they walked to the living room.

  “We sure did,” Ian told him, waiting for Annie to sit on the sofa before joining her. Paul chose the chair across the room.

  “What’s wrong, Dad?” Annie said, cutting through the chit chat.

  “You told her?”

  “I thought she should have a little warning that this might not be pleasant,” he said, defending his decision.

  “Good.” He closed his eyes and took a deep breath before looking at them both. “Your mother didn’t have a treatment Saturday because, after talking with the doctor last Saturday, there didn’t seem to be much point in continuing them. She didn‘t have a treatment then, either.”

  Knowing what was coming, Ian slipped an arm around her shoulders and pulled her close.

  “What do you mean, ‘no point?’” she whispered, clutching the front of Ian’s tee shirt in her fist.

  “The cancer has spread. There are more tumors in her lungs and one in her brain now. To continue with the chemo would be to just make her last months miserable.”

  “No. No, that can’t be,” Annie said, burying her face in Ian’s shoulder. “She’s feeling better-”

  “Only because the drugs are working out of her system.”

  “So they’re not going to do anything?” Ian asked, feeling a lump lodge in his throat, even as tears burned his eyes.

  “She’ll keep taking the vitamins and herbs, and we could still see a miracle. But if not, the only other thing is to keep her comfortable and as pain free as possible.”

  “How long?” Annie demanded, choking on a sob.

  “Maybe six months.” At that she did start to cry, heart wrenching sobs that broke Ian's heart. “I know this is a terrible time, what with the opening tomorrow, but-”

  “Why didn’t she say something?” Annie asked, her voice muffled from where it was pressed against Ian’s shoulder.

  “Because she wanted to come to terms with it before you found out. She wanted to be able to be strong for you, Honey.” Annie cried harder at that.

  “There isn’t anything they can do?” Ian asked. This couldn’t be happening. Not to that sweet woman.

  “The only treatment left is one that is so harsh that it would probably kill her quicker. And the odds of it working are so slim that it’s not worth trying. Maybe she only has six months, but this way they won’t be spent throwing up a hundred times a day. Maddie said she’d rather have a little quality time with us than to spend it half out of her mind.

  “We’ll all keep praying, that’s for sure. Maybe God will give us a miracle. If not, we need to do this the way she wants it done, Annie. She wants these last holidays-” For the first time since he’d arrived, Paul choked up for a moment. Bringing his fist to his mouth and closing his eyes, he breathed slowly until he could continue.

  “She wants these last holidays to be really special. And she wants to start planning that reception you talked about. She thinks February fourteenth would be perfect.”

  “Then February fourteenth it is,�
� Ian said softly, tears streaming from his eyes. “Whatever she wants, right, Annie?”

  All she could do was nod her head.

  Chapter 11

  By the end of the first week in November, Annie came down with a brutal cold. She didn’t want to have to spend any days away from her mother, but recognized that, unless she wanted to be responsible to making her even sicker than she already was, she had no choice. So she was very relieved when Pastor Caldwell arranged for some of the ladies from the church to fill in for her so she could stay home.

  Where she swallowed vitamin C and garlic tablets like they were candy. Still, the cold wasn’t pleasant. She developed a fever, got the chills, coughed incessantly, and finally lost her voice.

  “That’s it,” Ian declared, the morning of the fourth day. “I’m taking you to the doctors.”

  “I’ll be fine,” she croaked, turning over on her bed so she faced away from him.

  “You are not fine. And if you think I’m going to sit here and watch this turn into pneumonia, think again. I’ve already called the doctor and let your dad know I won’t be in until after lunch. So you can get dressed or I’ll take you in your pajamas. It’s your choice.”

  ~~~~

  Dressed in jeans and a sweater, bundled up in her parka, Annie leaned against the door of the car trying to ignore her husband.

  “Wow. You’re quite the little crab when you’re sick, aren’t you?” he teased, wheeling into a parking spot at the medical complex. “Are you going to be this friendly to the doctor, too? Because I’d hate to think I’m the only who gets to have all the fun.”

  “Nobody made you stay home,” she muttered when he opened her door.

  “True enough. I guess someone might say that I brought it on myself.”

  “Just call me 'Someone.'”

  “Here's a heads up for you. I don’t get sick very often, and when I do, I’m a model patient, so I’ll make your life easier than you’re making mine.”

  It wasn’t bad enough that he had to see her looking like Rudolph, and sounding like a frog, but Annie found it wholly annoying that he was so cheerful about it. Granted he wasn’t being cheerful because she was sick, but it aggravated her nevertheless.