by Ho, Jo
“Well, I hope you’re really hungry, ‘cause I pretty much got us one of everything.” My hip bumped the door closed, and I turned to face the seats, expecting everything to be the same as I’d left it. Only it wasn’t.
Sully was crouched on the floor, Bandit’s head in his lap. His hands held Bandit securely as the last of the shaking eased from his body. White froth spilled out of his mouth, covering his jaw line. I looked at Bandit’s eyes, but they were unfocused, glazed. The food tumbled out of my hands, crashing to the floor.
Sully tried to reassure me with a weak smile. “He had another seizure, but it’s mostly done with now.”
I feel onto my knees, wanting to comfort my furry friend, but worried that I would hurt him somehow, I only allowed myself to gingerly take hold of a paw, fearful that he would break if I applied even the faintest pressure. “But this is so soon after the last one.”
Sully nodded but kept silent, his brow knotted with tension. I could almost see the cogs in his mind turning over as he tried to make sense of it all. I knew if I asked he wouldn’t keep the truth from me.
“Why is this happening to him? Is he sick?”
“I don’t know, but I’m sure as hell going to find out.”
CHAPTER 69
CHASE
It was a full half hour later when Bandit finally came to. In the back of my mind, I noted his recovery time was much longer than the first convulsion. I mentioned this to Sully, but he just nodded and pursed his lips. Judging by his expression, this wasn’t a good thing. Though my stomach and heart were twisted up inside, I put on a bright smile.
“Hey, so I got tons of food. Anything you want to try first?”
Bandit blinked up at me as the fogged cleared. Sluggishly, he typed into the iPad. “It happened again?”
My first instinct was to lie. I wanted so badly to protect him, but Sully got there before me.
“Yeah. Sorry fella.”
Bandit thought for a while. “Will it happen more?”
Sully steeled himself. “More and more frequently I’m afraid. Once we arrive at our destination, you should get those scans we need. Until then, there’s nothing else I can tell you for sure.”
Bandit’s little body shook. Sully and I tensed, each preparing for the worst, when Bandit spoke again. “I am scared.”
I wrapped my arms around him and squeezed tight, ignoring my instinct to treat him like a glass doll. “Me too.”
It was a while before any of us could eat.
CHAPTER 70
THE CEO
Lush lawns crunched underfoot as The CEO strolled through the grounds, carrying a bouquet of timeless white flowers. The cloudless sky was a vivid shade of blue, and the shining sun kept away the chill of the fall morning. He took in the familiar swaying oaks and immaculately tended rose beds. To the unobservant eye, this seemed like nothing more than a delightful park, one of those privately maintained ones that seemed to pop up in elite neighborhoods.
But he knew better.
He’d been coming here weekly for years now. Always on Monday mornings, right after breakfast. He couldn’t remember how this routine had started, but it was instinctual now. Like checking his stocks over his morning bowl of oatmeal, or the whiskey nightcap that he drank from a diamond shot glass, presented to him from Arab royalty after he had sold him the world’s largest hotel chain. Yes, The CEO was a creature of habit, and he was fine with that.
An elderly man stared blankly as his caretaker engaged him in mindless chatter. They were feeding a flock of Eastern Bluebirds, a colorful bird with bright blue plummage and a red chest. The CEO only knew what they were as he had captured twenty or so of the birds once, keeping them in a cage at home to admire, but he had soon tired of their constant chirping…
He turned away, blocking out the sight of the man and his caretaker. He never looked here, never really wanted to know. The truth was already too much to bear without this constant reminder. He quickened his step, anxious to reach his destination, the wing named “Nightingale” after the historical figure. The sign loomed up ahead now. Discreet, like the rest of the place. Along with their reputation, it was the reason he had chosen this establishment. He approached the red-bricked building, noticing the ivy that covered the roof.
Reaching the door, he pushed it open and stepped inside, momentarily disoriented from the dark corridor ahead. Numbered rooms lead off from both sides of the corridor. The CEO didn’t need to look to know what they said; he knew them all by heart. He counted in his head now as he moved past the rooms: three… nine… thirteen… At fourteen he stopped. The door was wide open.
He stepped inside. Light flooded the quaintly decorated room. Patterned curtains hung on the windows, and inviting sofa’s and armchairs were arranged into a seating area facing a large flatscreen television. A bookshelf packed with framed photographs and mementos covered an entire wall, all featuring a woman lovingly embracing her child, a young boy, while a king-sized bed swamped in matching cushions stood opposite. Yet, despite all this effort, there was no denying that this was a hospital room.
And sitting up in the bed was an elderly woman.
Her grey hair was curled neatly, makeup dabbed carefully onto her face. Dressed in a pastel matching twinset — one of many The CEO had provided for her — she was hunched over the latest Nora Roberts’ book when he stepped in. At his appearance, she stopped reading and looked up.
“Hello mother. How are you today?” The CEO asked.
His mother, Irene, stared at him, confusion and fear in her eyes.
“Who are you, and what are you doing in my room?”
CHAPTER 71
THE CEO
The CEO moved over to his mother, taking a seat next to her.
“It’s me, Ma. Your son,” he said, but she just frowned at him.
“Don’t be ridiculous. My boy’s only ten, and he’s at school!”
He leaned closer, wanting to take her hands, but resisted the urge, knowing it might frighten her as it had so many times before. “I’m all grown now. And successful. I’m the wealthiest man in America. It’s what you always wanted for me.” He hated the way his voice sounded. Whiney and pleading. Weak. But then, outside of his empire, she was the only thing — and certainly the only person — he had ever cared about.
She looked at him, those violet eyes that used to shine so bright now dull from years of mindlessness. Sighing, he stopped trying to talk to her in the present. “Tell me about your boy.”
It was like a light came on inside her. Her face turned animated, and she sat up a little taller. “He’s so clever. Why, just the other day, his teacher told me he was functioning five times higher than his classmates. Five times! I’m just fit to burst. All these years juggling multiple jobs, it’s been worth it to see how my boy is progressing.”
Bitterness swept through him like a wave. This woman was his life: she was alive, and yet she might as well as be dead for all the good it did him. She would never know him as he was now.
Footsteps sounded in the corridor outside as a cheerful Nurse appeared, carrying a tray with several covered plates of delicious-smelling food. Seeing him, she shot him a big smile. “Back again. How’re you today?”
The CEO managed a smile back at Ellie. At only thirty-something, she was already beginning to turn grey, but the endless care and devotion with which she took care of her patient was one of the reasons he kept her on staff. Ellie was a private nurse who he’d hired solely to look after his mother. “I’m well. How has she been?”
Ellie set the tray onto a wheeled table, maneuvring it so that it sat in front of Irene. “Good. We played checkers yesterday, and she enjoyed her aqua workout. Didn’t you dear?” She said this to Irene, who nodded, even though she clearly couldn’t remember. Ellie leaned forward to help her to sit higher. Fluffing up a pillow, she slipped it behind the older woman to support her back. Lifting the lids off the plates, Ellie described what the menu had to offer today: “French onion soup to star
t, followed by honey and mustard chicken with seasonal vegetables, and an apple pie for dessert.”
Irene focused on the food, delighted. “Onion soup, my favorite! How did you know?” Ellie sneaked a wink at him, clearly her co-conspirator. Prior to enrolling his mother here, The CEO had given detailed instructions on what to feed her. Having made a list of some fifty of her favorite foods, her personal cook — another employee on The CEO’s payroll — prepared these meals on rotation. The soup sat in a hand crafted bowl, while the chicken was artfully arranged on top of the roasted vegetables. The pie too, was elevated, sitting on a crumbed cookie bed with what looked like ice-cream foam on top. It was high-end, restaurant quality, and a far cry from the meals typically served in such an establishment. Seeing how delectable the meals looked, he made a mental note to pay the cook more.
Irene reached for a spoon and scooped up a spoonful of soup, but as she raised it to her mouth, her eyes glazed over, and she blinked, startled. Lowering her hand, she looked across at him, suddenly angry. “Who are you and what are you doing in my room?!”
Unperturbed, Ellie took the spoon from her. “Here, let me help you with that.” With patience and care, Ellie began feeding Irene, wiping her mouth with a napkin when the odd bit of liquid dribbled down her chin. The CEO turned away, pain stabbing at his heart. It was unbearable to see his mother, the strong woman who had raised him, an invalid like this. Ellie must have seen his reaction, as she smiled at him reassuringly. “If it’s any consolation, she doesn’t remember any of this.”
He knew her words were meant to comfort, but they had the opposite of the intended effect. He stood up, unable to bear any more, and moved to the sink, where he filled a vase full of water before setting the flowers he had brought with him inside. He placed the vase on the window beside Irene, letting it catch the sunlight. She looked up over her soup to admire them with delight.
“Oriental lilies, my favorites! How did you know?”
The CEO dropped a kiss on her forehead and left without another word.
CHAPTER 72
SULLY
The sky shone midnight blue when the train finally pulled into our destination.
On the train ride here, Chase had done a little research on my home town, which she’d been keen to relay. Montpelier was the capital state of Vermont, best known for being the least populated state capital in the United States. Named after its cousin in France, for every one hundred women, there were only eighty-two men, which kind of sucked for those eighteen other women, Chase had thought. Unless they were gay. Which, come to think of it, how did they know the men surveyed were into women? What started off as a simple fact-finding mission soon turned into an epic debate which I was extremely reluctant to enter into. These were dangerous territories, and I wasn’t primed for them yet.
Montpelier Station was an old-worldly place. Rickety benches lined the short platform. A vending machine, the only concession to the twentieth century, stood full and unused. Baskets hung from the rafters, exploding with bright flowers. I fixated on one, a bright red clover, the state flower. Seeing the familiar blossom, memories came flooding back to me.
As a six-year-old, I had loved surprising my mom with gifts. She delighted in simple pleasures, and I was only too happy to oblige. As far as I was concerned, mom was the center of my world and the greatest thing in the universe.
This particular afternoon, mom was baking my favorite dessert, a key lime pie. With the scent of the sweet pie teasing my taste buds, I had decided to gather the biggest bunch of wildflowers I could find. Plan created, I fidgeted on my feet, anticipating her delight.
I took my mission very seriously as I scoured the length and breadth of the land that I called home. I picked Wild Columbine, Milkweed, and Mountain Mint, saying each of the names out loud as I gathered them, proud that I remembered them all. Mom liked to try new things, and currently, she was working on some natural home remedies. It was she who had taught me about the plants.
When I thought I was done, I scrutinized my selection with a critical eye. It wasn’t quite right; something was clearly missing. I walked around until I found what it was I wanted. Red Clover — but they were inside a dense cluster of bushes. Setting my bounty down, I squeezed myself through the bushes until I arrived at the bed of clovers. Grinning, I plopped myself onto a raised area on the ground and proceeded to pluck the best flowers.
It was while I was reaching for the biggest clover I felt something crawl across my thigh. Looking down, I saw a large black ant. I flicked it away with a finger and continued, but moments another ant found its way on me. Then another. And another. Within seconds, I looked down to see hundreds of them on me. I was sitting on an ant’s nest!
Their legs tickled on my bare skin as the ants got under my clothing. As I swatted them away, they started to bite. And suddenly it wasn’t ticklish any longer. Fire burst over my skin as the ant’s jaws found soft flesh. Screaming with pain, I raced out of the clearing and ran for home.
That was how Mom found me. Screaming and sobbing as the ant’s tore into my young body. Later, after Mom had soothed my pain with hydrocortisone cream (she had tried one of her remedies first, but it had done nothing), Dad had laughed about my antics, though Mom was touched by my actions. When I had fully recovered, I went back to collecting flowers for Mom, though I was careful not to sit on an ant’s nest again.
To this day, I didn’t like those bright Red Clovers and gave them a wide berth.
I helped Bandit and Chase off the train and looked around. Aside from our travelling companions, only two other passengers descended onto the platform. Senses honed from the attack at the clinic, I shot the two passengers a cautious look. They were a middle-aged couple wheeling two large suitcases. As I watched, an elderly couple greeted them excitedly. “You finally made it home! How was London? You must tell us all about your trip!”
The coast was clear. They’d made it here without any issues. I allowed myself a brief moment of respite.
“Where to now?” Chase asked. Since Bandit’s second seizure, she had kept one hand on the dog, as if she could keep the attacks at bay by doing so. I wished it were that simple.
“We’ve still some ways to go.”
Rubbing shoulders stiff from the eleven hour ride, Chase didn’t seem thrilled by my reply.
“So, now what?”
“You had your fun. Now it’s my turn to shop.”
CHAPTER 73
SULLY
The car dealership was two miles south of the station. I had driven past it on many occasions as a child, and I had admired the shining new paint jobs on the lot. Since we’d lived well off the beaten track, it was impossible to know what color their 4x4 had originally been, hidden, as it usually was, beneath a thick layer of dried mud. With their busy careers, my parents never cared much for simple chores like housekeeping. They had a cleaner for that, though the car never came under her remit.
I remembered the dealership’s flashing neon sign, which used to blare out of the darkness. OPEN TWENTY FOUR HOURS! It had announced cheerfully. I had often wondered what kind of people would need to buy a car in the middle of the night, never expecting for a moment that it would be me.
The roads here were quiet, with only the odd car passing by. Still, I made them walk single file down the edge of the road. As we were relatively near the train station, street lamps lit our path, but they would soon disappear, plunging us into darkness. I hoped we would reach the dealership before the lights ran out.
Crickets chirped into the night. An occasional bat swooped overhead, but otherwise, all was silent bar our own footsteps. Chase seemed unnerved by the stillness. She kept her shoulders hunched, expecting trouble with every sound.
“It’s actually much safer out in the sticks than it is in town. Nowhere near as much crime,” I offered.
“But everyone carries guns out here.”
I couldn’t deny that she was right. I shot a quick glance at Bandit, who seemed to have fully recove
red from the early seizure. Sensing my concern, Bandit looked up at me and sneaked a quick lick of my fingers.
The silhouette of a building appeared on the horizon. I squinted and made out the open expanse of the car lot. Grinning, I upped my pace, only to fall to a crushing stop moments later at our destination.
The neon sign was still there, but now it hung at an angle, its moorings having rusted and fallen off from time. And it was dark, unlit. I took in the empty car lot. The only vehicle that remained was a rust bucket not fit for use, even if it could be started. I swore under my breath, massaging the back of my neck.
“Doesn’t look like anyone’s been here for a long time,” Chase noted.
“I should’ve checked instead of assuming.” I would’ve kicked myself if it were physically possible.
“Can we take a taxi?”
“Maybe if we had a number, but I doubt anyone’s still working this hour.”
Chase looked at Bandit. “Can I borrow your iPad?”
He woofed then stood still, head raised so she could pull it out of its case. Chase called up a website and Googled “taxis”. Several hits turned up. She went to each one, looking at their hours of business, but sighed. “You’re right. All closed. Plus they’re in the next town over.”