She slipped two one-dollar bills into the machine and pressed the button. The small can of orange juice dropped into the tray at the bottom of the machine and Andrea fished it out. “Should we add ice before we pour it in a glass?”
“Rose said he needs to ingest two drops. The more we water it down, the less he’ll swallow, unless he drinks it all.”
“We’ll skip the ice,” Andrea decided.
The women made their way over to the coffee station. Gloria pulled a Styrofoam coffee cup from the stack and Andrea dumped the container of orange juice into the cup.
Next, Gloria unscrewed the cap on the potion, tipped the vial to the side and carefully squirted two drops of Rose’s potion into the cup. She grabbed a stir stick and swirled it around.
“Here goes nothing.” Andrea led the way and Gloria followed behind, holding the cup in her hand, careful not to slosh the contents over the sides of the cup.
When they reached Brian’s room, he was sitting up in bed, watching television. He smiled and set the remote next to him when they entered the room. “The doctor will be by in another hour or so to let me know if they’re going to spring me from this joint.”
“That’s wonderful.” Andrea tiptoed to the side and Gloria stepped closer to the bed. A flicker of recognition flashed across Brian’s face. “I…” he snapped his fingers. “You’re…”
“Yes…” Gloria leaned forward.
“Ugh! It’s on the tip of my tongue. The nosy lady, Ginger!”
Andrea giggled.
Gloria frowned and shook her head.
“Here, I brought you some orange juice.” Andrea held out the cup.
Brian stared at the cup she was holding. “Do I like orange juice?”
“You love orange juice,” Andrea replied.
Brian took the cup from her and put it to his lips before wrinkling his nose. “This smells funny.” He took a small sip and held it out. “Yuck. I think the orange juice expired. Here. Taste it.”
Andrea took the cup, a deer-in-the-headlights look on her face. She lifted the cup and pretended to sip. “I…don’t taste anything wrong with it.”
Brian frowned. “What about the nasty smell?”
Right then, the nurse entered the room, followed by the doctor.
Gloria’s heart sank. The mission had been a failure! Andrea, cup in hand, shuffled out the door and hovered in the hall.
Gloria followed her out. “Maybe we should just tell him…”
“Tell him what?” Andrea interrupted. “That we’re giving him some voodoo potion a woman he doesn’t even know made for him in hopes he’ll remember? He’s already suspicious since he can’t remember any of us.”
“There has to be another way.” She began to pace back and forth.
Gloria took the cup from Andrea’s hand and studied it thoughtfully.
The doctor, accompanied by the nurse, emerged from his room. “He wasn’t very happy about that,” the nurse murmured to the doctor as they walked past.
“They must be keeping him another night,” Andrea whispered.
It was bad news for Brian, but good news for Andrea and Gloria. Perhaps they would have another opportunity to try to get him to drink Rose’s potion.
“There you are!” Andrea spun around and came face to face with Joan and Peter Sellers. “I’m sorry if we’re late.”
“Oh no. You’re fine,” Andrea assured them.
While Andrea chatted, Gloria looked around for a place to dispose of the tainted orange juice. She hurried over to a nearby drinking fountain and dumped the contents down the drain, rinsed the cup and tossed it in the nearby trashcan.
“…and if you don’t mind. We ran into the doctor a moment ago. Brian will have to stay one more night. They’re going to release him tomorrow morning. I’m sure he’s less than thrilled,” Joan Sellers told Andrea.
“We’ll spend the rest of the day with him, but wondered, if it isn’t too much to ask, if you could take one more night shift,” Peter Sellers said. “My sister, who lives in Detroit, is driving over to see us and she’ll be here a little later.”
“Of course,” Andrea said. “I don’t mind at all.” She stepped into Brian’s room to tell him she would return later that evening and then made her way back to the hall to say good-bye to Brian’s parents. She wasn’t smiling. “He asked me why I keep hanging around. He said he appreciated it and everything, but he looked at me like he thought I was crazy.” A lone tear trickled down Andrea’s cheek. “I hope he remembers me soon.”
“He will, Andrea. Don’t worry.” Brian’s mom put her arms around Andrea and held her close. “Give him time dear. He’ll remember.”
Andrea dabbed at the corner of her eye while Gloria slipped her arm through her young friend’s arm, and the two of them headed out of the hospital and to the SUV.
Andrea’s truck was parked close to the entrance and not far from Gloria’s SUV. “I can take my truck home so you don’t have to drive back later.”
“Okay.” Gloria gazed back at the hospital. “There has to be some way to get Brian to down two drops of the potion. Let me think about it. I’ll call you later.” She gave Andrea a quick hug and then headed to her vehicle. She clicked the key FOB and opened the driver’s side door.
Gloria waited for Andrea to drive out of the parking lot before backing out of her parking space. She had completely forgotten to ask Andrea if Brian had been running an ad for help at the hardware store and made a mental note to ask her later.
She followed Andrea as far as Main Street in Belhaven. While Andrea continued past the stop sign toward home, Gloria pulled into a parking space in front of the restaurant and climbed out of the car.
The lunch crunch had ended and she could see Dot and Rose standing near the cash register. Rose rushed over when Gloria stepped inside. “Well? Did it work?”
“Nope. We mixed it with some orange juice. Brian took one whiff of the juice, thought it had expired and refused to drink it.”
Rose’s face fell. “I need to work on improving the smell. It has always been my downfall.”
Johnnie, Rose’s husband, walked over. “Two visits in one day, Gloria. What’s the occasion?”
Gloria gave Rose a quick glance and Rose shook her head.
“I-uh. Was just giving Rose…and Dot an update on our friend, Brian.”
“Terrible tragedy.” Johnnie shook his head. “I wouldn’t expect such a violent robbery in a town like Belhaven. What’s this world coming to?”
Dot strolled over. “Any news on Brian?”
“No change. Nothing is jogging his memory.” Gloria gave Dot a meaningful stare. “They’re going to release him from the hospital tomorrow morning. Andrea is heading back over there this evening.”
“I think we should visit him this evening,” Rose blurted out. “Why, perhaps one of us can jog his memory.”
“He has never even met you.” Johnnie shifted his gaze and stared at his wife. “You’re not thinking of giving that poor boy your hocus pocus potion…”
Rose clasped her hands and batted her eyes. “Me? Why Johnnie, you know I gave up on my potions when Sadie Benson took too much and had that unfortunate reaction.”
Gloria leaned forward, curious to hear about Sadie. “What happened to Sadie?”
Johnnie tipped back his head and laughed. “Sadie was our neighbor back in Georgia. She was startin’ to show signs of dementia. Rose, here, talked Sadie into trying her memory potion. Next thing I know, poor Sadie thinks she’s an exotic dancer. Why, we couldn’t get her to keep her clothes on! The woman was ninety-five years old!”
Gloria turned to Rose, a horrified expression on her face. “You’re kidding.”
“I had to tweak the potion, plus she took way too much. It was her fault. She recovered,” Rose finished lamely.
Johnnie made his way to the back and Gloria waited until he was out of earshot. “I don’t know about this Rose. What if we’re able to get Brian to take the concoction and nothing happens
? Or worse yet, he thinks he’s a stripper?” Vision of Brian running up and down the hospital corridors naked as a jaybird flashed through Gloria’s mind.
The nurses would be thrilled, but Andrea? Not so much. She might never forgive them!
“I promise. I have the levels just right,” Rose assured her. “If we can get him to take a couple drops, he’ll be back to his old self, he will remember everything and most important, he’ll remember his beloved bride-to-be.”
Rose’s declaration tugged at Gloria’s softer side and she caved. “Okay, but if this goes bad, I’ll never forgive myself…or you.” She gave Rose a pointed stare.
“I promise,” Rose replied in a small voice. “Cross my heart.” She made an “x” across her chest.
“I’m still not convinced,” Dot said. “How many times have you tried this potion and how many times has there been a problem?” Dot was determined to pin Rose down.
“Well.” Rose clasped her hands and began twisting her fingers. “There was Uncle Delmore.”
“Who thought he was a chicken,” Gloria said.
“Then there was Melody, Mel, Johnnie’s sister,” Rose said.
“Who talked nonstop for days,” Dot said.
“And…then there was Sadie,” Rose finished.
“Who thought she was a twenty-five year old stripper,” Gloria said. “Have you had one single person who took the potion and didn’t have an adverse side effect?”
“Me,” Rose said. “I took it once and nothing happened.”
Dot groaned and rolled her eyes. “That you’re aware of!”
Rose waved her hands. “Well! All side effects aside, this stuff works,” she insisted. “And I have an idea on how we can get your friend, Brian, to take it. What time is Andrea supposed to head back to the hospital?”
Gloria phoned Andrea on the way home to tell her Rose had another idea on how to get Brian to take her special potion. Andrea answered on the first ring, her voice muffled. “Hang on. I’m going outside.”
Gloria could hear rustling in the background, as if Andrea were on the move. “I’m glad Rose has an idea, but Houston, we have a problem!”
Chapter 13
“What…kind of problem?” Gloria asked. Perhaps they were releasing Brian from the hospital after all.
“It’s Alice. She’s fit to be tied, going on and on about Rose’s special memory brew. She’s upset because we didn’t consult her first. Whew! She blew up like a nuclear bomb, ranting and raving, using Spanish words I don’t know and probably don’t want to know.”
Andrea went on. “She has finally calmed down but she’s in the kitchen, mumbling under her breath and brewing a batch of something that smells to the high heavens.”
“Worse than Rose’s mix?” Gloria couldn’t imagine anything smelling worse than Rose’s concoction.
“Well, it depends on what you mean by worse. Let’s just say it’s burning my eyes. She’s insisting that she go with me to the hospital and that her special potion will work and Brian’s memory will come flooding back as soon as he takes a sip.”
All things being equal, Alice did have a better track record for her special mixtures working accurately. She remembered the special salsa Alice had given her and how it had worked on Paul.
Gloria turned into her drive, parked the SUV in front of the garage and shut the engine off. “What are we going to do?”
She had already told Rose she could come and there was no way she was going to tell Alice that she couldn’t. It was apparent Alice thought Rose was invading her “turf.” Gloria hadn’t considered how Alice might be upset over Rose’s attempt to help.
“I say we let them both come to the hospital. I already asked Alice how she planned to get Brian to try her spicy concoction and she told me she was gonna march right in his room and tell him she was never going to fix his favorite spicy fish tacos again if he didn’t.”
“Did you point out to Alice that Brian doesn’t remember her, either?” Gloria asked.
“I tried, truly I did, but once Alice gets her mind set on something, there’s no changing it. She’s going and there’s no stopping her.”
Gloria attempted to reassure Andrea it would be fine, how Rose would have to understand Alice was like family and Brian held a special place in her heart.
As she hung up the phone, she wondered if any of the other girls would like to make the trek to the hospital under the guise of “visiting” Brian. She had a feeling it would be most, if not all, of them. It promised to be an exciting evening…
Gloria wandered into the house, and dropped the keys on the hook near the door and her purse on the chair. Mally made her way across the kitchen and plopped down in front of her. Not blinking. Gloria knew the look all too well. “Let me guess. You want to go out.” It was turning out to be a beautiful day…a beautiful day for a nice long walk. “You want to go back to the creek?”
Gloria had only been back there once this year. Spring was slow in coming and the fields, which had been wet and mucky, were a mess. Finally, they were starting to dry out.
Mally scrambled to her feet and thumped her tail against the kitchen door.
“I’ll take that as a yes.” Gloria changed from her flats to her barn boots, grabbed a light jacket and they headed outside with Mally racing ahead.
Paul hadn’t accompanied Gloria to the woods and creek, although she had invited him. She had a sneaky suspicion he felt he would be intruding on her “alone” time, which she appreciated, and perhaps he was right.
Her walks with Mally were a time to reflect, to ponder life’s problems, which usually involved some sort of mystery.
Gloria skirted the edge of the garden and made her way between the farm fields. It was too early to tell what crops the farmers had planted.
A stiff gust of cool air barreled through the field and Gloria shivered as she slipped her jacket on, pulling it tight.
She picked up the pace and when she reached the edge of the field and the tree line, the wind died down.
Mally and Gloria stepped into the woods, zigzagging back and forth around the trees as they made their way to the creek.
Mally trotted to the edge, lowered her head and drank from the cool, clear water. Gloria settled in on a fallen tree, “her” tree. It had been there for years and it was the perfect spot to take a break and mull over the recent developments.
On the one hand, the girls could just let Mother Nature run its course. The doctor had said there was a good chance Brian would completely recover his memory. Still, there was no guarantee.
On the other hand, if Alice…or Rose’s special potion actually worked, it could help move things along. Andrea seemed anxious for Brian to remember her, not that Gloria could blame her, especially with the ex-girlfriend hanging around.
There was also the upcoming engagement party. Would they have to postpone it? How could Andrea move forward with wedding plans if the soon-to-be-groom had no idea who she was?
Mally frolicked in the frigid water and then trotted over to Gloria.
“You’re all wet.” Gloria frowned.
It was as if Mally understood Gloria’s comment and proceeded to do the “doggy shake,” pelting her with droplets of cold water.
Gloria jerked her head and squeezed her eyes shut. “Mally!” She abruptly stood and wiped the water off her face with the back of her hand. “We better head back. I have to find out if Mary Beth sent the quote to fix Annabelle.” She also wanted to do a little research to find out if Brian had placed an ad in the paper for help at the hardware store. So far, they had no leads and no suspects in the robbery.
Gloria was chomping at the bit to track down the robber. Until they uncovered the criminal, no one was safe!
Mally galloped ahead and Gloria followed behind, slowly retracing her steps. She caught up to her beloved pooch near the edge of the garden. Ever since Gloria had told her she had to stay out of the garden, Mally seemed drawn to it even more. She was a good dog and had obeyed Gloria’s o
rders, although Gloria knew she didn’t want to.
When she reached the porch, she found a note tucked in the door. Gloria unfolded the note and stared at the piece of paper. Without her reading glasses, she couldn’t make hide nor hair of what it said.
Gloria opened the door and waited for Mally to dash past before she followed her in and closed the door behind them. She reached into her purse, pulled out her glasses and slipped them on.
“Hi Mom. The boys and I were out running errands, drove by and thought we would stop. I guess you’re not home since Annabelle isn’t here. Sorry we missed you. Call me later. Love you.”
Gloria folded the note. “Shoot Mally! We missed Jill and the boys!” Gloria hadn’t seen her grandsons for several weeks, although that would change soon since summer vacation was right around the corner. “We should see if the boys want to come spend the night.”
She started for the house phone and then stopped in her tracks. It wasn’t just her anymore. She would have to check with Paul to make sure he hadn’t made plans for them and if he was okay with the boys spending the night. They could be a little rambunctious.
Gloria decided to postpone the call and instead headed to her desk in the dining room. First things first, she opened her email and spotted one from Mary Beth. “Here goes nothing.” Gloria sucked in a breath and clicked on the quote Mary Beth had sent.
Gus had warned Gloria that Annabelle needed major repairs. She blew air through thinned lips as she scanned the quote. Gloria had no idea it would cost over three thousand dollars for the repairs. She couldn’t make heads or tails of the mumbo jumbo and closed the email. Paul would have to look at it later, but Gloria knew what was coming.
He would tell her to retire Annabelle and buy a newer vehicle. Gloria shifted her gaze and stared out the front window. It would be nice to have a newer, dependable vehicle, although Annabelle had been dependable!
Gloria was leaning toward repairing Annabelle despite the hefty repair bill, but again, now that she was married, it would have to be a joint decision.
She pushed the worries over Annabelle to the side and finished reading her emails, which were mostly junk. There was one from her son, Ben, in Texas. He had invited Gloria, and Paul, to visit them in Houston since they wouldn’t be able to squeeze in a visit to Michigan during the summer.
Forget Me Knot (Garden Girls Christian Cozy Mystery Series Book 13) Page 7