Rose Farm Trilogy Boxset

by Kennedy, Brenda

  Pops, who is a certified electrician, and a few guys start tearing out the electrical wires while the other people are removing the old doors and cabinets. “We’re makin’ pretty good progress,” Johnny says.

  “Yes, we are. It still looks bad, but not as bad.”

  We both laugh and he looks around at the interior.

  When all of the wood is cut and stacked over at Savannah Mae’s house, Johnny and I go inside and help the others. At lunch, I call Dena’s Floral Design in Zanesville and order something for Sawyer Jackson and a little something for Savannah Mae so she knows that I am thinking of her. I haven’t heard anything, so I’m hoping that’s good news.

  By the end of the day, all of the windows and light fixtures are removed from inside the building. We all agree that we’ll get the building power washed tomorrow, before we do anything else.

  After work, Pops and I quickly shower. I stop by Savannah Mae’s to check her mail from yesterday before heading to the hospital.

  Savannah Mae

  Mom, my sister, and Nelly have been here all day. Sawyer Jackson is still very sick and they continue to run blood tests on him. He sleeps, but he doesn’t throw up. He hasn’t eaten anything since we’ve been here. No tellin’ the last time he ate; he was with his dad yesterday. The way he looked when I picked him up last night I don’t think he ate anythin’ most of the day. Ethan hasn’t called or stopped up to see Sawyer Jackson. I thought he would have stopped by, but he hasn’t.

  I haven’t left Sawyer Jackson’s side. I’ve never seen him this sick before. I can’t bring myself to leave his side, even to eat. Mom, Nelly, and Samantha Marie stay in the room. They are quiet and are here for support. I just want my boy to get well. Shouldn’t he be awake? Shouldn’t he be cryin’? He’s just lies there and sleeps. He’s so lethargic.

  I pray and hope for him to feel better, to get better. The doctors and nurses come in frequently. They keep tellin’ me he has an infection, but they aren’t sure where. Shouldn’t the tests reveal something? When will they know something?

  The hospital door opens and I can tell right away that it’s Abel Lee without even lookin’ his way. His woodsy scent gives him away. I love the smell of Abel Lee. Woods and leather, he smells like a workin’ man. Nothin’ has ever smelt better than a guy who works hard to provide for his family.

  “How is he?” Abel Lee asks, pullin’ a chair up next to me. He lightly strokes my arm with his fingers and I shiver.

  “No change.”

  “They don’t know anything? They ran tests, right?” He kisses my left temple and I lean into him.

  “They have,” I whisper. “Nothing else is comin’ up abnormal but his white blood count. They’re still givin’ him IV antibiotics to treat his infection.”

  “Has he been asleep all day?”

  I stare at Sawyer Jackson and I don’t look back at Abel Lee. “He wakes up for only a few minutes at a time.”

  “Where’s Ethan? Has he been here?”

  “No, I left him a couple messages, but he didn’t answer my calls today.”

  “I’ll be back.” I hear the chair move and Abel Lee walks out the door. I didn’t have time to ask where he’s goin’. Maybe he forgot something in the car. No one says anything, they all remain quiet. I focus my attention on my sick boy.

  A short time later, Abel Lee comes back into the room and a doctor and a nurse is right behind him. The doctor tells me he would like to do a spinal tap on Sawyer Jackson and that they believe he may have meningitis.

  My mind runs through everything I know about meningitis. Stiff neck, seizures, vomiting, headache, and fever. Meningitis is either viral or bacterial. Has he complained about a stiff neck recently? He was with Ethan when he got sick. Did he complain of a stiff neck with his dad? I know kids have died from meningitis. My hearts races, and I begin to feel sick.

  “I need to call his father.” I can’t think straight. Ethan and I always made big decisions together. Where is he? Why hasn’t he been here?

  Abel Lee comes up to me and speaks softly, “I think we should let them do it. The sooner they know what’s wrong, the sooner they can get him the right treatment.”

  Mom and Samantha Marie come over with Nelly and stand on my other side. “Savannah Mae, it’s been long enough, let’s not wait any longer,” Mom says.

  “Shouldn’t Ethan have a say in this?”

  Mom says, “If he were here, yes, but he isn’t.”

  “I’ll go call him again,” Nelly says.

  “Again?” I look up at Nelly. “You’ve already called him?”

  She looks sad. “I’ve called a few times today.”

  “Where is he? What did he say?”

  “I left a message with Heather Sue, and I left other messages on his phone. I didn’t actually get to speak to Ethan.”

  My heart hurts at the thought that Ethan knew his son was sick and didn’t come to be with him. I’ve called him a couple of times throughout the day and thought maybe he didn’t answer because he didn’t recognize the number. Surely he would have come after he heard my pleading messages. I look at the nurse, the doctor, and then Abel Lee.

  “What would you do if he were your son?” I stare Abel Lee in his eyes. I want the truth, and I want to know he’s tellin’ me the truth.

  “If I were lucky enough to have Sawyer Jackson as my son, I would want to know what’s wrong so they can fix him.” Abel Lee looks sad as he returns my stare.

  I know he’s tellin’ me the truth. I know he wouldn’t put my son in danger. I know the benefits outweighs the risks of the spinal tap.

  “Okay, we wasted enough time, let’s do this.”

  I speak with the doctor and the nurses about the risks of the lumbar puncture. I cringe when they explain the procedure. I know it’ll be painful for Sawyer Jackson, I just hope he sleeps through most of it. They get Sawyer Jackson ready to take him to the treatment room where the procedure will be done. Bud, Levi, Mia, and my daddy show up. I’m happy to see them but disappointed when it isn’t Ethan.

  After the procedure, when I finally get to see Sawyer Jackson, he is awake and crying. I want to hold him, but I am instructed that he needs to lie flat on his belly for awhile. “He may suffer a headache but other than that, he’ll be fine,” the doctor says. “As soon as we get the results, we’ll notify you.”

  I walk beside the bed, holding Sawyer Jackson’s hand, on the way to his hospital room. Abel Lee and our family are behind us. We all waited outside of the treatment room for Sawyer Jackson. It wasn’t surgery, but it was a sterile procedure.

  Once inside the room, everyone kisses and talks to Sawyer Jackson, before he dozes off to sleep. I try to be polite and visit with everyone, but my attention is on my sleeping, sick son. Abel Lee takes a place beside me and doesn’t move. I try to join their conversation, but my mind can’t focus on anything but my boy.

  When I hear Mia say she had a doctor’s appointment today, I can’t help but look up. She and Levi are smiling.

  “Our son is growing as he should be,” Levi says proudly.

  “She’s weighing over a pound already,” Mia says, laughin’ when she corrects the gender, as she pats her large belly.

  Neither one of them knows for sure the sex of the baby. If Levi calls it a girl, Mia calls it a boy. If Mia calls it a girl, Levy calls it a boy. It’s funny and always brings a smile to my face when they fuss over the sex of their baby. I’m happy to see they’re excited about the baby and not focusing on what may be wrong with him or her. “I’m glad he or she is growing as it should.”

  “Us, too,” Levi says. “Really we just joke about the gender.”

  Mia says, “All we want is a healthy baby. A boy or a girl, it doesn’t matter.”

  Mia and Levi have told only a few people about the possibility that their child may have Down syndrome. I hope the tests are wrong and their baby is born perfect.

  Soon after, everyone stands to leave. Abel Lee stands with them. “I’m going to walk t
hem out. I’ll be right back.”

  “There’s no need for you to stay. You should go home, too.”

  “Do you need anything on my way back?”

  I look at Abel Lee and say, “You’re not leavin’ yet?”

  “No, not yet. I want to spend some time with you and Sawyer Jackson.”

  I lean into him. “Neither one of us is very good company tonight.”

  “I don’t care, I just want to be close to you both. I stopped by your house and brought you your mail.” He lays a small stack of mail on the bedside table. It mostly looks like junk mail.

  “Thank you, Abel Lee.” I snake my arm around his waist and he holds me tightly.

  “Have you had dinner?”

  Before I can say anything, Nelly says, “She hasn’t eaten anything all day.”

  I look up at Nelly and my stomach growls. I don’t have time to reply. He frowns at me and says, “I’ll be back with something hot for you to eat.” He kisses me and turns to leave.

  I kiss and hug everyone, and as soon as he closes the door I look at my cell phone, well, Abel Lee’s cell phone. Still nothin’ from Ethan. This isn’t right. I know Ethan would be here. Wouldn’t he? Before Heather Sue got pregnant, I know he would want to be here for his son. Has he changed that much since he’s been with her? I send him a text and hope that he replies.

  Savannah Mae: Ethan, this is Savannah Mae, can you please call me? Sawyer Jackson is in the hospital.

  I sit and watch my son and hope for my phone to beep with a reply message. I pray that Sawyer Jackson wakes up feeling better. Neither happens. Sawyer Jackson sleeps and the phone might as well be broken. As least my son is sleeping.

  Abel Lee walks into the room. He looks tired or worried, I’m not sure which.

  “I got you some soup and a dinner roll from the cafeteria.”

  “I’m not hungry…”

  “Eat. It’s only soup. You need to have something in your belly.”

  I watch as he removes the lid from the Styrofoam bowl and removes the spoon from the plastic. He hands it to me, and it smells delicious. “Thank you.”

  He sits in the chair closest to my son and watches over him as I eat. My intentions were to act like I was eatin’ some of the soup, but I was hungrier than I thought. I devoured the entire bowl and ate the roll that was with it. It’s funny that when you’re that worried about someone you love that you forget to take care of yourself.

  I stand to throw away my trash when Abel Lee asks, “Do you want something else to eat?”

  “No, thank you. That was plenty.” And it was.

  Abel Lee and I talk about my son and about the progress being made at the old school. He speaks with enthusiasm, with a spark in his eyes.

  I look at him and he watches me. “I’m happy that you’re here with us. I think just havin’ you here is helpin’. It was a pretty rough day today.”

  “You had company all day, right?”

  “I did, but it wasn’t you. You make everything better.”

  Abel Lee takes my hand and leads me to sit on his lap. I snuggle into him and inhale his masculine scent. “I wish I could make Sawyer Jackson better,” he says honestly.

  “I wish his dad would come and see him. This is exactly what I was afraid was going to happen.”

  After awhile, Abel Lee stands to walk out of the room. I move over nearest to Sawyer Jackson. The mail he brought from the house is sittin’ on the bedside table. Most of it is junk mail, but a letter with no return address is tucked inside the advertisin’ flyers.

  I quickly open it and I’m shocked by what I see: a snapshot photograph of a person in a hospital bed. Ice runs through my veins at the image. I can’t tell if this is a man or a woman. The photo reminds me of how they described Megan Rose when they found her. They said she was unrecognizable. This person looks horrific. Who would do this to someone? Why are they sendin’ me this photograph? I stare at the picture. The person is black and blue, and it looks like the person is on a ventilator. I look closer and the person’s right arm is in a cast. I read the note enclosed.

  Savannah,

  Do you know who did this?

  Your boyfriend, Abel, did.

  Oh, my God! It’s a girl! Isn’t it? I think this is a picture of a girl, but I’m not sure. I can’t tell. The person is so beaten and battered, I can’t tell if it’s a male or a female.

  Abel Lee walks into the hospital room. “I got ahold of Ethan. He’s on his way.”

  I can feel the blood drain from my face. My hands shake, but I continue to clutch the photo and note in both hands. “What’s wrong?” he asks. He slowly walks closer to me. “Did they get the test results back from the spinal tap?” He looks fearful. I try to blink and swallow, but I don’t think I do either. I stare at Abel Lee. Is he capable of doing this? “Savannah Mae, please, what is it?”

  I slowly lift my hands from my lap. I set the note and photograph on the bedside table. “D-d-did you do t-t-this?” I stutter.

  I watch him closely. He closes his eyes and I already have my answer, but I need to hear him say it. “Abel, did you do this?”

  He opens his eyes and they are red. He looks broken. “I can explain,” he murmurs.

  “Abel, are you responsible for this? Yes or no?” I demand. I need to hear the words. Please say no. Tell me you’re not responsible for harmin’ a human being this badly. Please don’t be capable of causin’ these kinds of injuries to anyone. “YES OR NO, ABEL?” I yell.

  He hangs his head and whispers, “Yes.”

  Chapter Six (Country Life)

  Savannah Mae

  I close my eyes and let the tears fall. Savannah Mae, you are an idiot! No wonder I’m divorced. I’m a terrible judge of character. You would think I would be more careful about who I’m with. It’s not just me; I have a son I need to look out for. What if Abel Lee is capable of harmin’ my son?

  “Get out,” I say. I don’t need to think twice.

  “Savannah Mae, let me explain.”

  I don’t look at him. I stare at the picture and the note on the bedside table. Abel doesn’t pick it up for a better look. He already knows who is it. He can explain? How? How can he even begin to explain how or why he did this? There is no explanation.

  “I said, get out!” I want him to tell me he didn’t do this. I want him to tell me he has no idea who is in the picture. I want him to clear this up, but I don’t want an explanation. I don’t want him to be responsible for this. I don’t want to hear why he did this, or how he did this. I can’t be around someone who is capable of causin’ these kinds of injuries to a human being. I can’t expose my son to this kind of monster. If he is capable of causin’ these kinds of injuries to an adult, imagine the injuries he could cause my son — or me.

  Abel Lee stands and slowly walks to the door. I wipe away my tears, and I lean into the bed and brush Sawyer Jackson’s hair away from his face. My sick boy. I love him and I will always protect him. I vow to be the best Mom and Dad that I can be. I vow to never put my son in harm’s way again.

  The heavy wooden hospital door closes and I know Abel Lee is gone. I rest my head on my son’s pillow and cry.

  Abel Lee

  I could have explained about the picture, but Savannah Mae didn’t want to hear it. I should have been honest with her from the beginning. My past isn’t something that I just bring up and talk about. I have to time it just right. I have an explanation, but the person I tell it to has to want to hear it. Not everyone will understand. Not everyone will get what happened. My past is in my past for a reason. How can I move on if it keeps haunting me?

  When I saw the notecard on the bedside table, I was shocked. It was in the same handwriting of the person who’s been writing me. I still don’t know for sure who sent it, but I do know who was in the photograph. That image is burned into my brain. As hard as I try to forget it, I can’t. I dream about that face. The nightmares haunt me. That image is with me day and night. I can’t escape it.

  I
should have told her about it earlier in our relationship. I thought about it, but I could never find the words to tell her. The women I’ve dated since this happened, they don’t care. It’s all about prestige and money. I have millions and they wanted a piece of it — a big piece. Not Savannah Mae. She wouldn’t take my money even when I offered it to her for a tip. She doesn’t care about power and fame. Honesty and happiness and Sawyer Jackson are all she wants; it’s all she cares about.

  I get into my car and wait. Wait for what, I don’t know. She told me to get out and I did. I didn’t want to add to her already bad situation. Her son, Sawyer Jackson, is in the hospital. He’s sick, and now she’s alone. I called her ex-husband and he’s on his way. I don’t want her to be alone when the results come back from the spinal tap they did on Sawyer Jackson.

  Sitting in my truck in the dark, I have to wonder how many notes she’s received from this person? Is this her first one? If not, when did she receive the first note? How many has she gotten? When did she start getting them? How could the person have linked Savannah Mae with me?

  My mind drifts back to when I first arrived in Rose Farm. When did I get my first letter from this asshole? I didn’t receive any until I got here, and then I received one in New York after the new year. Now, I’ve gotten three or four. Could it be that Savannah Mae has received that many, too? She never said anything.

  I see Ethan pull into the hospital parking lot and for Savannah Mae’s sake, I’m glad he’s alone. His fiancé, Heather Sue, and Savannah Mae don’t get along too well. Heather Sue is the reason why she and Ethan divorced. He cheated on her with Heather Sue, and there’s nothing worse than a man who cheats. Well, I take that back. There’s nothing worse than a man who hits a woman.

  Savannah Mae

  I go into the restroom and wipe the tears from my face. I’m not sure if I’m cryin’ because Abel Lee wasn’t honest with me, or if he pretended to be something he wasn’t. Or maybe I’m mad for bringin’ someone into my life and my son’s life who is capable of such a horrific act. Maybe I’m cryin’ because my son is still so very sick and his dad is nowhere to be found. I’m an emotional wreck and I just want this nightmare to be over with.