Shamrocks and Secrets

by Cayce Poponea

  I held out my hand to him, grasping his firmly and making direct eye contact. “Sir, I’m Patrick Malloy, Christi’s fiancé.”

  Dr. Bradshaw was an older man, with round glasses and silvering hair. If my dad trusted him, then so did I.

  “Yes, well, I have to tell you, we were very lucky you got to her when you did. I’ve run several lab tests and the good news is it doesn’t appear that she’s suffered any permanent damage. Her liver enzymes are in an acceptable range. My only concern is that when we started a catheter on her, nothing came out. We’ve put her on a rapid infuser to get as much hydration into her as quickly as possible, but I’ll feel a lot better when her kidneys start showing some output.”

  I had a question that was burning a hole in my gut. I had to know, not that the answer would change anything between Christi and I.

  “Dr. Bradshaw, was there any evidence of…sexual assault?”

  Dr. Bradshaw placed his hand on my shoulder as he responded, “No, Patrick, there were no obvious physical signs of a sexual trauma. However, we’ll have to ask her when we wake her up to be certain.”

  I looked at him perplexed, “Wake her up?”

  “Yes, we’ve given her medicine to make her sleep. It’s better for her body to heal if she doesn’t have any outside stimulation right now.”

  I nodded my head as I silently thanked God.

  “When can I see her?”

  Dr. Bradshaw only smiled as he responded, “The nurses are cleaning her up, give us an hour and I’ll have one of them come and get you.”

  I shook his hand and thanked him for everything he had done for Christi.

  My da came over and gave me a tight hug, “Is it finished?”

  I nodded my head as we separated.

  I noticed Matthew had joined us and had heard everything Dr. Bradshaw had told us. For a second, I felt guilty for not making certain he was there, he was her father after all.

  I turned and headed to where my ma and Amex were sitting. I hadn’t noticed that Sherman Montgomery was in the room. Sherman and Eileen had stayed in Chicago after Caleb and Amex went on their honeymoon so Sherman could make certain Caleb’s business interests here were taken care of.

  I needed a distraction. Christi was the one person who could calm me down, no matter what the issue was. I needed her, but she needed me more right now.

  Ma handed me a cup of coffee as Sherman began talking to me. “Patrick, my God, when Caleb called me, I couldn’t believe it and rushed right over. Christi is a dear thing and I’ve been praying for her every day. Is there anything you need, Son?”

  I knew I was going to get asked that question a lot today.

  “Thank you for coming, Sherman. I’ll let you know if I need anything.”

  He patted me on my back as Caleb made his way over to us. “Eileen will be happy to hear that Christi has been found.” He noticed me looking around for Eileen, but she wasn’t in the room. “She’s due back next week from her vacation with Mia,” he sighed.

  I looked to Caleb confused; I would never go on a vacation without my wife. Caleb only shook his head, silently asking me not to question it. Apparently, this was a sore subject.

  I noticed Matthew standing beside Sherman. “Matthew, this is Sherman Montgomery, Caleb’s father.” I then gestured to Matthew, “Sherman, this is Matthew O'Rourke, Christi’s father.”

  “Matthew, I just can’t imagine what you’re going through as her father. I can’t imagine what I’d do if that happened to my Mia.”

  “You have a daughter?” Matthew questioned.

  Sherman retrieved his phone and began to scroll through his pictures, finding one of Mia and showing it proudly to Matthew.

  “She is a beautiful girl, Sherman.”

  Sherman continued to look at the screen. “She takes after her mother in the looks department.”

  Matthew chuckled as he responded, “I think every father gives the credit for the beauty to the mothers, but I’ll say I’m an exception to that rule.”

  Sherman looked to Matthew, but didn’t question.

  “Patrick, you remember my Mia?”

  I smiled as I took his phone from his hand and politely glanced at the picture quickly before handing the phone back to Sherman. Mia seemed to be a very beautiful girl with her long dark hair and model-perfect face. “She’s beautiful, Sherman.”

  The conversation quickly ended as a feminine voice called out, “Patrick Malloy?”

  I turned my attention in the direction of the voice to find an older woman in white scrubs, standing with a clipboard. Her glasses perched lower on her nose.“Yes, I’m Patrick Malloy.”

  She smiled as she motioned with her free hand for me to follow her. “Come with me, dear, she’s ready for you to see her. I’m Nurse Casey and I’ve been assigned to Christi today.”

  I followed her through a set of doors, passed the nurses’ station, and then down to the end of a long hallway. “Mr. Malloy was very specific about Ms. O'Rourke’s accommodations,” she said as she stood outside a set of double doors.

  Books was standing outside the room. “I guess I’m not needed anymore if you’re here?” Books asked as I grabbed him in a hug.

  “No, the situation has been handled. Go home to your wife and daughter.”

  Books nodded his head in understanding, “Call me if you need me, I’ll bring Smiles up later.” I smiled at him and nodded before I followed the nurse into the room.

  The room looked more like a suite at the Ritz than a hospital room. I knew I had my parents to thank for that. Only the best would ever do for their kids, and that definitely included my Christi.

  She was nestled in what appeared to be a queen-sized bed. Her dark hair had been pulled to one side, as if it had just been combed. Her face now looked peaceful, despite the circumstances she had been found in only a few hours ago. Above her head was a machine that held what looked like a flat screen, where I could see numbers and lines, her name was written across the top. Upon closer look, a white heart was flashing in the corner above the number seventy-two.

  “Her vitals all look really good,” the nurse spoke softly. “Feel free to hold her hand or face, you won’t hurt her.”

  I made my way around her bed, taking in the paleness of her skin and the still-sunken-in appearance of her eyes.

  An overstuffed chair sat beside her bed and I took a seat, taking her hand in mine. Her fingernails still had bits of dirt under them and were chipped and tattered. Christi rarely wore nail polish, but her nails were always neat.

  Lifting her hand to my lips, I kissed each knuckle and fingertip. I could still smell the horrid odor that had been present in that cavern. Now it was mixed with that telltale smell of hospital disinfectant.

  “Sponge baths only get them so clean, Mr. Malloy.”

  I continued to look at her, so pale and so fragile. “She won’t like this. She’s always been so particular about being clean.”

  I felt the nurse’s warm hand on my shoulder, “You can bring her things up and we can have them ready when she wakes.” I nodded in understanding. “Her IV is nearly ready to be changed. I’ll be just down the hall if you need me.”

  I could just make out the sounds of the nurse’s shoes on the tile floor as she turned, the soft thud of the closing door telling me she had left.

  I got up from my chair and leaned over Christi’s still body. I began to place soft kisses over her face, including her eyes and lastly her chapped lips. I pulled back to look at her; I could see remnants of tiny stones in her hair as well as scaling skin and clumps of dirt. I retrieved my cell from my pocket and sent my ma a text.

  Send someone to get her things, she isn’t clean enough.

  Pocketing my phone, I nestled back into the empty side of her bed. “You scared me,” I whispered into her ear. “I swear I won’t ever fail you again, just please come back to me.”

  Running my hand along her cheekbone and down her chin, it didn’t take a genius to see that she had lost a sizable
amount of weight. I had no doubts ma would reverse that in a minute once I got my Christi home.

  “Our wedding is in a few weeks, so you need to rest and get better so you can walk down that aisle to me.”

  I had no intention of postponing our wedding. Even if she had to be pushed down that aisle in a wheelchair, we were getting married.

  “Our house is finished and I had ma order those sheets you liked. I know you said they were too expensive, but I plan to conceive twelve children in that bed so it needs to be comfortable.”

  I had told Christi I wanted twelve boys, truth was I didn’t really care, as long as they were healthy.

  “I’ve loved you for so long,” I whispered quietly into her hand closing my eyes, holding back the tears that begged to escape. I pictured her young face in my head the first time I saw her. If I would have only followed my heart that day as a teen, she could have been mine much sooner. Instead I let my pride and ignorance make my decision. “You’ll never know how long I’ve loved you.”

  There was no point in telling her my sins of the past, it wouldn’t change anything. I didn’t want her to think for even one second I didn’t want her always. After what she had been through, she only needed to know that I wanted her more than anything.

  “From the first moment I saw you, you’ve owned my very soul. My heart has continued to beat because of its longing to be close to you.” I finally let the tears fall. They needed to be set free, give me the closure I needed. “I want you back in my bed, I don’t like you here. I need to know I can wake up in the middle of the night and you’re right there beside me. I watch you sleep, I know you don’t know that, but I do.”

  I couldn’t count how many nights I had lain next to her and watched her sleep. The light from the moon as it illuminated her face; it fascinated me, as did her quiet sighs as she dreamed. I wanted it all back.

  I must have fallen asleep, since the next thing I knew, I was being shaken by my ma. Standing beside her was Ammo and Smiles.

  “How is she?” Ma’s soft voice was music to my ears.

  “Well, having Patrick here was good for her,” Smiles pointed to the bag that hung from the side of the bed, a small amount of dark amber fluid present. “Her kidneys are working.”

  I had never been so happy to see pee in all my life.

  “Patrick, I want you to go clean yourself up. I know you won’t leave the hospital, but I brought your things as well. You need to be fresh when she wakes up.”

  I wasn’t even going to attempt to protest. My ma would throw me into the shower with my clothes on and scrub me herself and not think twice about it.

  “I brought the girls to help me give her another bath and clean up her nails. She’ll be upset if she sees them like this.”

  My ma knew her well. Christi was a strong person, but at the end of the day, she was a beautiful woman and she was always clean. She loved to soak in the tub at the condo, and she always showered twice a day.

  I only nodded, as I accepted the bag from her and headed into the adjoining bathroom.

  The hot water felt amazing as it cascaded down my body. My Christi was safe and back where she belonged, no more worrying about who was out to get her. She would be free to go about her day without a guard outside of her door. She would be thrilled to hear that.

  By the time I was clean and dressed, ma had Christi’s hair and body thoroughly washed and her clothes changed. Leaning over her body to kiss her forehead, she once again smelled like my Christi. Ammo was at the end of her bed rubbing her lotion on her feet and legs. I had to smile as the memory of the last morning we had spent together came to my mind.

  Christi had a ritual of rubbing lotion all over her body after her shower; I would usually come in the room with her coffee and watch her as she slathered her legs in lotion. She would always look at me and smile, asking me if I was enjoying what I had termed the lotion rub-down. She knew it was one of my favorite things to watch.

  The fresh feminine smell of her lotion permeated the air. I was so glad that rancid smell was gone. I knew it would upset her when she woke if she could still smell it.

  Four days.

  Four long days of watching my Christi sleep. Watching as the fluid in the bag went from amber to pale yellow. Dr. Bradshaw said that all of her labs were looking very good, so today he would be stopping the meds that made her sleep. He couldn’t give us a timeframe of when she would wake; she would do it in her own time.

  That was true Christi fashion. She did everything in her own time.

  Matthew and I had taken shifts sitting with her. Neither one of us wanted her to be alone when she finally woke. I found him on more than one occasion telling her stories from her childhood. One night I found him whispering that he was sorry for deceiving her. He admitted that I had given him the credit card she was using to pay for things for our wedding. Matthew was a proud man, but he knew what was important, and he knew when to ask for help. We had agreed that she never needed to know that he didn’t pay for his daughter’s wedding, some things just weren’t important.

  I was no better. I had told her every secret I’d ever had in the hopes she would sit up and slap me for doing half of it.

  I had contacted the jeweler that made all of the Malloy jewelry and had him repair her shamrock necklace. Nurse Casey had encouraged me to place it back around her neck.

  Shamus brought me the bracelet that Sophia had stolen off of Christi’s arm; I took it downstairs and dropped it into the donation box of the hospital chapel, after lighting a candle. I wanted nothing that woman had touched to be anywhere near my Christi. I had a new one made for her. I would wait until she woke up to place it on her wrist.

  I had her engagement ring in my pocket. Ma had gotten it cleaned, but I wasn’t ready to place it back on her finger after what had happened. Ma told me to let Christi decide if she wanted that one back or not. I hoped she didn’t, as I didn’t want it to hold any bad memories. I was sure the priest wouldn’t mind finding another piece in the donation box.

  It was just after midnight, day five that she had been asleep. I had to catch up on some much neglected paperwork. Caleb had sent me an email stating that he needed me to look at some discrepancies in his books. He told me that of course they could wait until Christi was well, but I needed a distraction for a while.

  I had just opened the spreadsheet on the expenses of Whiskers when I heard it. The sound I had waited weeks to hear. The sound that made my heart race every time I heard it.

  “Patrick.”

  CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE

  Warmth…Softness…Comfort.

  Death was a funny thing. I had heard stories of people seeing their lives flash before their eyes. However, I heard voices. My father telling me of the time I had climbed a tree when I was seven because the little boy next door double-dared me, this resulting in the breaking of my left arm and the little boy getting spanked all the way home by his mother.

  Patrick telling me how he had switched his mother’s sugar and salt when he was ten. She had baked several pies that day and wouldn’t let him have any, this being his retaliation. She caught him before any additional inedible pies were made. Needless to say, he couldn’t sit for a week either.

  Nora telling me she was so glad that I was going to be all right as she caressed me with her warm hands. The warmth was my favorite part of death. I had been cold for so long. I snuggled further into the softness and let the comfort engulf me.

  Tap…Tap…Tap…

  Some said that hell was different for everyone. Clearly, my hell was having to listen to someone typing on a keyboard. Maybe if I asked nicely they would stop. Part of me was afraid that if I opened my eyes, I would lose the heat and the comfort. But the tapping wouldn’t stop and it needed to stop, like now.

  Slowly, I began to open my eyes, waiting for the cold to come rushing back, my hell to return. But it didn’t. The room was dimly lit by a single lamp that sat in the corner by what appeared to be a desk. The bed I was currently
resting in was so lush and soft, and did it smell nice in here. A clear bag hung over my head, half full of fluid, clear tubing descended down, ending in my hand.

  Tap…Tap…Tap…

  Scanning the room, my eyes finally found the source of that annoying noise…Patrick. Even as an angel, he was seriously handsome. The glow from his computer screen illuminated his pale features. The dark circles that lined his still beautiful eyes made deeper by the darkness of the room. He looked so exhausted.

  I had to tell him I loved him, that it was fine to go on without me, find love again and be happy.

  “Patrick,” I managed. My voice was barely above a whisper, husky and deep, sounding foreign to my ears.

  I was startled by the loud crashing sound of his computer hitting the floor, not that he seemed to care, as he sprung from the chair and onto my bed beside me.

  “Christi, Baby.”

  His hands and eyes were exploring every part of my face, his lips leaving gentle kisses as they trailed after his fingertips.

  “Patrick?”

  “Shhh, don’t talk, save your strength. You’re safe, I swear it this time.”

  I looked to him in confusion, safe?

  “Am I…dead?”

  Patrick began chuckling, “No, my Love, you’re not dead.”

  “What happened to…?”

  “All taken care of, Douce, Sophia, Jimmy, Anthony, all gone. They’ll never hurt you again.”

  I closed my eyes at the relief of his admission. I would never have to worry about looking behind me and wondering if they had found me.

  Patrick began to tell me how Douce was actually responsible for Angus finding me. Had he just cleaned me off with a bucket of water, I would either be dead or sitting in Italy as Anthony’s captive right now. I shuddered at the thought.

  “Anthony was a very sick man, Patrick.”

  “Yes, I know. But he can’t hurt you from where he is now.”

  My eyes shot open, was he sitting in jail?