The Caine Plantation: The Next Quilt is Red

by Karine Green

  He would need to work with the gun shop owner to some oversight on policies on Tully's deliveries, such as ammo not being delivered with the weapons. Perhaps after this incident Tully would be more receptive to accepting help from him, instead of constantly accusing him of being The Man trying to take away his guns.

  He glanced over Kathy's article. He decided to type his comment on her tablet rather than try to talk again. He was getting tired already, "This is your bio, and your findings on Dark Lady. Wow, the media really likes you, what a puff-piece. Par for course for the property owners of the Caine Plantation." He smiled.

  "They were hounding me, terrible. I figured the best way to distract them was with the evidence clearing Dark Lady of murdering Marissa, and exposing Percy Caine for the horrible land-pirate he was. They ate it up, especially with the historical connection to Lauren and Carrie's plot. They simply forgot to ask me questions about you. I also figured you would want to speak for your own jurisdiction."

  He smiled, and typed, "I trust you, but thank you, for respecting that."

  Yet another doctor came in a few minutes later and went over Jason's injuries and blood loss. He examined Jason head to toe, asking all sorts of annoying questions. After a few minutes, he ordered a dinner tray for Jason; rice pudding and Jell-O.

  "When do you think I can be released?" he typed.

  The doctor very successfully stifled a laugh, only the corners of his mouth momentarily upturned. "Let's attack that question in a few days, or perhaps a week."

  ****

  Jason was stronger every day. The following Monday morning. He was holding down food and moving around on his own. Pain was still a factor, but he said it was less every day.

  "It'll be tender for a while. Do not over do it." The doctor said.

  Jason seemed agitated. "I've known Alan Saline for 25 years, worked with him for 18 years, and was his boss for 10 of those years. I have got to, at least, go visit his grave, talk to his wife, and make sure all the benefits kicked in like they were supposed to for an in-line of duty death," Jason said, almost pleading.

  The doctor nodded. "I understand. Mitchell, your medic friend is going to assist you getting home. Don't push it though, overdoing it will put you right back in here. I am very leery about letting you go, especially with your two hour drive home, and back if something goes wrong. So...I am counting on that to keep you from acting foolish. I define foolish as trying to go back to work before you are medically cleared to do so."

  "I'll keep him in check, and I am sure I can get Sheriff Rainer to help Jason with benefits verifications for his officers," Kathy said smiling, holding up some new pajamas for him to go home in.

  The doctor smiled at her, "The paramedics said you were capable of handling yourself. Keep him on a leash," he said, and then turned back to Jason, "I'll leave your wife to help you get dressed. The rest of your family is in the hallway."

  Kathy nodded as the doctor left. She helped Jason get dressed.

  "Ha! Men's medium, fits like a glove." He was surprised. He usually wore a large.

  "You haven't eaten real food in at least two weeks," Kathy said smiling. He had lost at least twenty pounds, possibly more. "Luckily for you, I bought you an array of fashionable pajamas, from this decade. Don't worry, no cowboys or dinosaurs."

  "Don't burst my bubble," he said smiling, "Hand me the cane."

  "I don't think so," she said, grabbing the wheelchair. He frowned, but didn't offer an argument as she set the cane in next to him. She texted Mike and Mitchell that it was time to pull the car around. The doctor gave Jason an injection of morphine for the ride, so he slept the entire way home.

  They arrived home to find the plantation under the guard of two State Troopers, who would remain to be their guards until the danger had passed. There was also a team that Kathy's father had hired. They were literally camped out at the edge of the bayou keeping an eye on the front and back of the house from tree stands. Jason's first instinct was to complain, but given what he and Kathy had been through over the last month, he just accepted the security precautions.

  Mike and Mitchell helped Jason into bed, and went downstairs with his parents.

  Kathy lay next to him on top of the covers. "How are you feeling?"

  "I don't know...still tired, I hate morphine...If we are going to live here, this room needs an update. The paint looks better though." He hated feeling so groggy and scattered. He would honestly rather hurt a little bit, than have his mind fogged.

  "Yes, I have already been able to order some of the upgrades. The bathroom is plumbed, and almost ready for the next step. Believe it, or not. We'll get there step by step."

  "Yeah, getting shot on TV will make a luxury bathroom appear in your house."

  "Jason, everyone was terrified for you. And, it was two bathrooms. Phil's crew came back to do it. It will be done by this weekend. I asked them about the Dark Lady, but they said they haven't seen her. Perhaps she's gone, now that justice is known. Everyone knew she was trying to save people, so they were no longer afraid of her."

  He put his hands over her lower abdomen, "Are you sure you are alright?" He was relieved to feel that her abdomen felt firm. She wasn’t showing, but he could feel the difference. It wasn't all for nothing, the baby and Kathy were fine.

  She nodded, smiling. "I have been checked head to toe, little tike is none the worse for wear."

  He leaned over and kissed her, and then winced. "Make love to me."

  "No way! You were only released under my promise that you would get bed rest."

  "You can have me in the bed." He smiled, teasing her, but the fact was that he was way too tired for that. He was already wanting to fall asleep.

  She got up, "Sleep, let the morphine wear off. I am going downstairs to talk to your parents. Sarah and Mike are bringing dinner for us later." She kissed his forehead and left the room after tucking him in.

  "Thanks Mom," he said flatly.

  "Shall I get your cowboy p.j.s"

  "Yield. I'll rest."

  "If you are feeling better later, we can do something about those urges."

  He smiled, nodded, and fell to sleep.

  ****

  Over the next week everything was a blur. Both bathrooms were, thankfully, done. She could finally take a proper luxurious bath! Her parents could at least pee in the luxury they were used to. Jason was becoming stir-crazy, but so far the physical limitations kept him in check. He was napping now, after complaining about still getting tired easily, but ultimately he was feeling a bit better every day.

  She enjoyed the last few minutes of her bath before getting out. She dried off, and put on a sun-dress. Her parents were arriving in two hours. They would be a bit stunned to see her in a dress. The last time they had seen her in one had been her prom.

  She brushed her hair out, hoping her father didn't start badgering her, again, about not finishing her Master's Degree in Accounting. Honestly, it was all she could do to finish her Bachelors. The idea of signing up for more had been revolting. Then for some reason, she still did not fully understand, she hired into the police department. She could have gone on to finish up a law degree, but she didn't. What had prompted her to go into law enforcement? It was so far away from everything she knew.

  Her father had been furious with her. Calling her education, a stupid waste of money. She walked out that day, and bought her own apartment, thankfully before he cut her trust fund off. It didn't matter. She made her own money, and her career was her own. Her father couldn't control it. She went six months without speaking to him after that. Finally, her mother had called her. She talked her into coming to a party at their home. Her father tried to introduce her to a jerk. To keep the new found peace in the family, she had gone out with him twice. The second date he had grabbed her arm, and tried to jerk her around.

  She smiled and thought of her brother-in-law, Mike, how would he put it if he were telling the story? I kicked his ass, but good.

  The jerk left
Kathy. Although Kathy had argued that having one's ass kicked out of a place, did not constitute one 'leaving'. The jerk also withdrew his sizable trust fund from her father's institution. Her father had been even more furious with her than he had been when she became a police officer, because now she cost him even more money. She had screamed at him, that she wasn't a punching bag for his snobby clients!

  That was fifteen years ago, she had not spoken to him for more than ten minutes since then. In fact, neither of them had called her about their visit. It was their butler, Zachary who forwarded their itinerary for the trip to visit her. They would fly in, have a limo-service bring them to the house, and would stay in the guest room, if they deemed it comfortable enough.

  She glanced in the guest room, and smiled with pride. It had been an easy renovation for her. It looked fabulous. Kathy had chosen items that looked like things the Caine's would have put in there, or more importantly, Dark Lady would have put there. Jason's mother had given her a purple quilt for the bed, but would make a replica of the one at the museum for her. The room was inviting and luxurious, no matter what era it was visited in. She had a poster made of a sketch artist's drawing of Dark Lady, based on Phil's description of her and Louise's family drawing. She had it framed and hung so it was the first thing one saw when entering. The lower half of the frame featured a brief of Dark Lady's story.

  Between James, Sandy the curator, and the Mathews' family begging, Kathy had agreed to put the room on the Black History Month tour this season instead of next. This would help with the hit the town was taking on its small tourist business. Next year, she would start restoration on the attic for the following year's Black History Month.

  She was now six chapters into her book, and already had a publisher for it. She planned to devote more time to it after Carrie was caught. They re-scheduled the reception until they could hold it without worry of Carrie showing up and doing her worst, which she had already demonstrated was pretty damn bad.

  She held her dress tight against her abdomen. She would most certainly be visibly pregnant at the reception.

  She smirked as she thought of her rocky relationship with her parents. "Dark Lady, my parents are coming to visit, please be patient with them," she said, just in case Dark Lady was still there. No books fell open with creepy messages. They had seen no sign of Dark Lady at all. "I hope you can finally find peace." She looked at the portrait on the wall.

  Jason's alarm went off. Kathy scrambled into their bedroom, and shut it off. "What was that doing on, at this time of day?"

  "I wanted to make sure I had time to get ready for your parents to arrive," he said, sounding like he needed another hour of sleep, at least. She tried to convince him to rest, but he wouldn't have it, so she helped him get ready. It was a good thing he did get up when he did, because it took that long for him to get going.

  "This is really getting old," he complained.

  "You're getting better every day. Doc said six to eight weeks for the minimum. You have only been home a week."

  "I would rather use the six to eight weeks leave when the baby is born."

  "No whining," she said, helping him up. "And you know full well, it isn't using leave because it's in-line of duty. The paternity leave is entirely different."

  He frowned and nodded. "I suppose. I just hate being down. I have never been down like this."

  "I know, I wish there more I could do."

  They went down to the living room. They had about ten minutes before her parents arrived.

  "Which room should we put the baby in?" she asked, figuring that she would distract him by changing the subject to his favorite topic.

  "The front room, like ours?" Jason shrugged.

  Kathy leaned into him as she sat down. She smiled, "It was Percy Caine's room, so it is designed to be the room of the young master of house."

  "I like the idea of a son."

  "You like the idea of a baby you can be an awesome father to." She kissed his cheek, trying not to lean in too hard.

  "You seem stiff, I am not going to break if you kiss me, you know."

  She smiled, and kissed him deeply, he winced. She backed off. "That is why I am stiff about it. I don't want to hurt you."

  "I'll live." He ran his hand up her thigh under her dress and kissed her cleavage, but again winced.

  "We have guests coming. Maybe tonight, if you aren't hurting too bad, we can figure something out." She didn't want him to think she didn't want him physically. She missed his touch, but he was still weak.

  He nodded, and sat up, wincing again, but trying to hide it. "You seem more nervous than I am about your parents coming."

  She shrugged, "A bit. My father screamed at me in the phone about being barefoot and knocked up by a hick cop the minute I arrived here." She held up and wiggled her barefoot, and winking at Jason. "I should have taken some Southern drawl lessons from Mike. My dad would have a stroke right here."

  "Mike does lay it on a bit thick." Jason smiled and nodded. "Ah, if your dad treats you like that in front of me, he won't have to worry about what Dark Lady does to him. I am capable, both mentally and physically, of driving him to the motel to stay, if he is going to be an ungrateful guest."

  She hugged him around the neck, "Don't worry, I'll help you to the car, if it comes to that."

  The ping-ping sound of the intercom to the gate interrupted them. Kathy jumped up and ran to the door. "Hello."

  "Mr. and Mrs. Marconi," the driver's voice said.

  Kathy opened the gate with the press of a button.

  Jason took her hand and opened both of the front double doors smiling, "May as well make it a grand entrance. You have to admit, this house is impressive, and even as a ghost, Dark Lady has kept it well secured. With the right family, it will be the best place to grow up." He patted her abdomen.

  Kathy nodded, and took Jason by the waist, and they walked out onto the porch.

  ****

  The black Lincoln pulled up the driveway and stopped in front of the porch. Kathy's mother jumped out immediately.

  "Kathleen!" she said, running up the stairs. Kathy let go of Jason to accept her mother's embrace.

  "Wow, Kathy your mother looks exactly like you." It was almost as if Jacqueline had Kathy cloned.

  She let go of Kathy, "Jason, and hello. I saw you in the hospital when I came to search for Kathy. Did she tell you Mike had her phone, and we thought she was missing?"

  He nodded, "That's why I am Chief, and Little Brother isn't."

  She smiled, "I also saw you on all the news networks. My golf league was so impressed with the story of you saving my daughter."

  He smiled. She was the polar opposite of Kathy, clone or not, Jacqueline kept the chatty gene for herself. "I am pleased to meet you, Mrs. Marconi."

  "Jackie, Please," she said, smiling. She turned back to the car. "Terry, are you coming?"

  Terrance Marconi grudgingly got out of the car. He walked over and stood next to Jackie, without a word.

  "This is Jason." Kathy was trying to keep her temper. "Jason, this is my father, Terrance."

  "I am pleased to meet you, Mr. Marconi." Jason said, offering a hand shake. Terry reluctantly and weakly took it, as if not wanting to touch Jason.

  "Everyone who knows him calls him Terry," Jackie said smiling.

  "That isn't entirely true," Terry said, frowning.

  "Oh, Terrance, stop it, only your staff calls you Mr. Marconi. Jason is your son-in..."

  "The dude who knocked up my daughter," Terry turned to Kathy. "Why are you making us stay at a hotel? I thought you said you had a house." His tone suggested disgust.

  "With all due respect." Jason said, hoping he didn't upset Kathy. "This is my wife. This is our home. And, you will not address her in that tone. Unless of course, you really do want to stay in a hotel. There is a decent one downtown, if you insist. I am sure your driver can take you there, but be warned, it isn't a five star place."

  Terry's expression lightened, "
You live here?"

  "Yes." Kathy said curtly, and then walked past him. "Sir, can you please help us with the luggage. My husband was severely injured, and I am afraid he will try to carry the luggage upstairs, by himself." She glanced hard at her father.

  "Of course, Mrs. Rose." The driver unloaded the luggage, and Kathy directed him to the guest room.

  "Thank you." Jason said, tipping the driver.

  "No, I have it," Terry said handing the driver a fifty dollar bill. He went and sat in the living room. "You need new furniture."

  Jason nodded to the driver, ignoring Terry for the moment.

  "Thank you, sir." The driver tipped his hat, and then took his leave.

  "It's on the list...Dad." Kathy said, rolling her eyes. "Come on, Mom. I'll give you the tour."

  Kathy and Jackie disappeared into the kitchen.

  Jason sighed. He had just been abandoned by his wife, to sit with someone who did not want to be here, and had referred to him as the-dude-who-knocked-up-his-daughter. He gingerly used the cane to walk over and sit down on the love seat. Terry was right, the furniture did not fit the room.

  "I heard you blocked Kathy with your body, saved her from being shot."

  Jason nodded, praying he didn't start talking bad about Kathy. He would hate to have to explain how his cane ended up in Terry's...the thought was cut off, with a sudden change in attitude.

  "Thank you. I am eternally grateful."

  "I love her. It was more important to me that she and the baby be safe than I live. To you I am the dude who knocked up your daughter, but to me, they are my life, my family. I would do anything for them."

  "You know, I had a background check done on you."

  Jason smirked. That was who had been checking up on him. He didn't blame Terry. He would most likely do the same to anyone coming around his son. "Am I the hick cop you thought?"