Love Letters from Heaven

by Debbie Peterson

  Bile rose to her throat. Please, for the love of Heaven, don’t think about him—

  In response to the pain, she focused again on her unknown companion. Could he be her guardian angel? A ghost who’d lost his way perhaps? She didn’t know. As long as he appeared when she needed him, it didn’t matter.

  As she contemplated her friend, a host of boisterous voices tumbled into her consciousness. Her mother did her best to shush them. They weren’t having any of it. No surprise there.

  “Hey, Katie!” said her Uncle Jake. “Look who’s here!”

  Someone took hold of her hand, leaned down, and kissed her on the forehead. “What? I’ve come all this way and you’re not going to open your eyes? Really? Well, you could at least mumble out some kind of hello, can’t you?”

  The voice belonged to her cousin Justin. If she could, she’d smile. She just couldn’t muster the strength. He tsked. In all likelihood he rolled his eyes as well. “That’s kind of rude if you want my opinion, Katie.”

  Yes, probably. Sorry.

  “You know what I think? I think she’ll wake up for me. She always did like me best, after all.” Jared, Justin’s twin brother, grabbed her other hand. “How about it, Katie? If nothing else, you could belch out some kind of gut-busting insult for your favorite cousin. I mean, it’s the least you can do since we had the most abominable time you can imagine getting here.”

  Jake guffawed. “That’s putting it mildly. Wait until you hear this! You’re not gonna believe it.”

  “Believe what?” her dad asked as he entered the room, minutes behind the rest. He dropped a kiss on her cheek, just as he did every time he visited her.

  “Every rotten piece of luck we went through to get here, Uncle Andy,” Justin said. “Why don’t you grab a seat and I’ll tell you all about it. Pay attention, Katie. We suffered through the awful ordeal just for you.”

  “Keep in mind, if for anyone else, we would’ve hightailed it for home at the first sign of trouble,” Jared said.

  “You bet your sweet bottom we would have,” said Justin. “First off, it took us forever to find a flight leaving this afternoon. We had to call every airport in the book. Once we found one with empty seats, we had to drive like crazy to get to that tiny podunk town on time. Wouldn’t you know it? We had a flat tire along the way. Jared didn’t care. He said if we stopped, we wouldn’t make it. So we bumped along the highway with hope upon hope the tire wouldn’t fall apart before we got there. You should’ve seen everyone staring at us like we were a couple of morons—or worse. They honked, hollered, pointed, and waved. We just smiled and waved back. By the time we got to the airport we were riding on a bent up rim.”

  Diane gasped. “Oh, you did not.”

  “Oh, yes we did,” Justin insisted.

  No, they didn’t. Not even close. If she could find the strength, she’d roll her eyes.

  Jared laughed. “Hey, we made it here, didn’t we? Now getting home will be something altogether different. Anyway, on with the story. We rushed up to the ticket counter without a second to spare and rang this stupid little bell. Who the heck uses those anymore? Anyway, some old geezer moseyed out from the back room and sold us our tickets. Once we had them in hand, he looked at his watch and shook his head. After scolding us for being late, he told us we better get ourselves to gate one or we’d be left behind. So off we went.”

  “Of course, once we arrived at said gate—one of only two gates I might add—we found ourselves staring at this old wreck of a plane. A leftover from World War II at best. I swear nothing but twine held the right wing together. Jared and I looked at each other and shrugged off our concerns. We felt the sacrifice a small one to pay if we could just get here and see you all cob-webby and comatose. Your inability to spout off any of your sass added icing to the cake. I mean that’s a once in a lifetime opportunity if you ask me,” said Justin.

  “No way were we going to miss it, either.” Jared snickered. “Oh, and you should’ve seen the inside of that plane, Katie. The seats looked like something out of an old, beat up pickup truck—a Ford, I think. There were some wooden cargo boxes to the rear and a bunch of junk piled everywhere else. Despite the dangers to life and limb, we climbed in. Much to our surprise, the same guy at the ticket counter showed up at the gate and took our tickets. He leaned in the doorway and told us to strap on our seatbelts. The captain would be with us shortly, he said. The only trouble with that? The seatbelts—what there were of them—didn’t work. Are you listening, Katie? This is good stuff here.”

  Her mother giggled. “You guys are making this up.”

  Of course they were. It’s what they did best. Katie wandered away from the voices as she traveled back to her childhood. In those days, she, Justin, and Jared made up a wild threesome no one could keep up with, least of all their parents. They kept most of their foolhardy shenanigans under wraps until well after they were grown. At that point, they were far away from the trouble they would’ve gotten themselves into when they were young. A host of memories engulfed her. Sweet memories from a far simpler time and place.

  “Not even a smile, Katie? I mean, you should be in stitches by now. Everyone else is.”

  Justin’s words called her back and at once she focused on the here and now. The boys went on about how the man at the ticket counter, by nothing more than a change of coat and hat, acted as flight steward and then their captain. Ridiculous story, but she expected no less from her favorite cousins.

  Justin cleared his throat in an exaggerated manner. “You know me. Before I could shut my big fat mouth, I asked our doddering pilot if he actually thought we’d make it to our destination in one piece—”

  “For the raging storm that filled the man’s eyes, I could see trouble brewing on the horizon,” Jared cut in. “To save my brother’s life, I made up something about Justin being terrified to fly. In turn, he said, ‘Son, I’ve made so many trips from Texas to New Mexico that I can’t even begin to count them all. As you can plainly see, I’m still here and so is my plane. Don’t you worry, I’ll get you to where you’re going.’ At that point I could only gulp back the tears, smile, and nod.”

  Their wild tale continued. They said something about the turbulence and being bounced from off their seats and onto the floor with holes so big, they could stick a leg through it. Somewhere along the way, their absurd stories as well as their voices again faded away as she slipped into the peace darkness provided.

  Nonetheless, a part of her knew when they all got up and left. The solitude and shadows that surrounded her made her privy to that. Her otherworldly companion hadn’t returned from wherever he had gone off to either. No matter. She didn’t really need him right now anyway. At that moment a lazy billowy cloud picked her up and lulled her toward sleep. She didn’t fight the sweet contentment it offered, she welcomed it.

  “Katie?”

  “Hmm?” The voice nudged her back toward the pain of awareness. In the same instant she knew her ethereal companion had returned. He’d also brought her another flower. She could smell the distinctive fragrance. Katie loved the heady scent even if right now, she didn’t have any idea what the rose looked like.

  Wait a minute.

  Did he just call her by name? He’d never spoken to her before, had he?

  “I need you to listen to me and in the place you are right now. You’ll do that for me, won’t you?”

  She concentrated on the location of his voice. If not mistaken, he stood just off to her right and near the head of her bed. Something in his tone compelled her full attention as well as her cooperation. For the life of her, she couldn’t say why. She took in a deep breath and gave it a slow release.

  “Yes.”

  She could sense his joy over the uttered word. Why? Did she say it aloud or could he somehow just hear it?

  “I know you’ve been aware of my existence for quite some time now. In fact, you sensed my presence when you were just a little girl. Do you remember the day? Miss Scot bucked you off afte
r she got bit by a horsefly. You fell into that old barbed wire fence before you tumbled to the ground. I think your pride took a worse hit than your backside did.”

  Now that he mentioned it, she did remember. He helped her to her feet, brushed her off, and wiped away her tears. He was so sweet.

  “You weren’t afraid. In fact, you’ve never been afraid of me.”

  True, Katie mused. She had never feared him. Should she have?

  “What you don’t know—what you couldn’t know—is just how long it took me to find you, or even the reason I needed to find you. Nonetheless, the moment I saw you for the very first time, you turned my whole world upside down. You did it in the most incredible way you could possibly imagine. So I thought maybe I’d talk a little bit about the journey and why I took it in the first place. Would you care to tag along?”

  Chapter Three

  To Katie’s great disappointment, the dream faded away before she could capture even the most meager part of it. Even so, she knew without question, the dream—or perhaps a series of incredible and wonderful dreams—had kept her company all throughout the night. Perhaps that’s why she felt so tired. She didn’t have a clue as to what the dreams were about now. Nonetheless, she did know they filled her with an unbelievable sense of joy such as she had never known before. How she wished she could remember the reason for that. Better yet, she wished she could bottle the bliss and use it as needed.

  She winced as she turned over onto her side. The strange soreness that somehow invaded her body during the night took her by surprise. From head to toe, every muscle ached. Why on earth would she feel like she’d been run over by a Mack truck? Why the abominable thirst? She worked at swallowing past the rough dryness in her throat. The tip of her tongue explored the length of her bottom lip and found it as dry as the inside of her mouth. She should get up and get a drink of water. Maybe some crushed ice might be good as well. Despite the desire, her body protested the thought. In the end, exhaustion overrode the thirst. Perhaps she’d sleep a while longer and then get up and get some water. She snuggled deeper into her covers and once again drifted toward the pleasure of slumber. Perhaps she’d have that enchanting dream again. If so, she’d hold on to it this time.

  “Code blue. ER room 32, code blue. ER room 32.”

  Katie’s eyes flew open. Confusion set in as she gazed at a wall with a bizarre painting she didn’t recognize. One couldn’t tell if someone hung it upside down or even sideways. Yet, in the mere blink of an eye, the bewilderment disappeared. A feeling of peace replaced it. In that moment she knew her friend stood in the room with her.

  Common sense took hold of her. It said she needn’t fret over the unfamiliarity of her surroundings. The announcement over the intercom shouldn’t bother her either. All she need do is look around and take stock of the situation.

  Good enough advice. All right, I can do that.

  She ignored the pain as she rolled onto her back and inched upward onto the stack of disheveled pillows. In a thorough search, she took in every inch of the hospital room she now occupied. She gazed at the IV tube that traveled from the needle taped securely to her hand, to the saline bag attached to the infusion pole. For a moment the incessant beeps of the monitor stole her attention. She watched the graphs as they bounced up and down. All the while she didn’t see anything that would cause alarm on the screen. The comb, brush, and box of tissues on the bed tray deserved nothing more than a passing glance. She shifted her gaze to the night stand to her left, as well as the small counter top next to the sink. A variety of flowers in vases and pots cluttered both areas. Though all quite beautiful, the most exquisite red rose she’d ever seen held her gaze far longer than anything else. She’d never, ever, seen anything like it before.

  But why on earth did she wake up in this place? Did she get into an accident of some kind? She struggled for her most recent memory and—

  Her dad’s voice, just outside her room, cut into her thoughts. Who made him so mad?

  “I don’t think he’ll come back now, Diane, so don’t worry. First of all, I don’t think he has the guts to face us. I know I wouldn’t if I were in his shoes. Second, I’m pretty darn sure he knows I’ll smash his face in if he does.”

  “I can’t believe he would do such a thing to her. Not our Katie…” Her mom sniffed. “How could we have not seen it, Andy? I mean I knew something troubled her the day she came out to the ranch, but what about all the times before that? How long did she know about Chad and Heather without saying a word to anyone?”

  Oh. That. Well, at least they knew without her having to tell them the sordid details herself.

  A set of heavy footsteps drew close and then stopped short of the door.

  “What’s wrong, Diane?” Uncle Jake asked. “Why the tears? Is Katie all right?”

  “She’s fine. It’s a…it’s Chad,” her mom said.

  “Chad? Did something happen I’m not aware of?”

  “Something happened all right. Seems the snake kept a mistress, and from all reports, for the better part of his marriage to Katie,” her father spat.

  Katie allowed herself a quiet breath of laughter. Oh, he kept more than just one. Does Heather know that yet?

  “Now the happy couple is expecting a child. What do you think of that?”

  Pregnant? That she didn’t know. She danced around the idea and found it didn’t bother her in the least.

  “Aw, man! You’ve got to be kidding me,” Jake said. “How do you know all of this?”

  Her dad huffed out a derisive breath. “The twins told us. After they left the hospital, they stopped in for a bite to eat before heading back to the airport. As they walked into the restaurant, they saw them sitting together in a booth at the back. They were so cozy with each other they didn’t notice them until Justin yanked him out of his seat and slammed him against the wall.”

  Jared and Justin were here? They had come to see her? How she wished she could’ve seen them before they left. Better yet, she wished she could’ve been with them when they spied Chad slobbering all over Heather. That would’ve been a lark because if nothing else, her cousins were blunt as well as fearless. All throughout her life they had protected her with a fierceness that could be downright scary at times.

  “When they confronted the jerk, his lady friend jumped in to defend him—if you can believe that. To Chad’s absolute horror, she spilled her guts about their relationship from tawdry start to the present. Chad told her to shut up numerous times but she didn’t listen. She just kept going on and on. In a moment of defiance she told the boys they were in love. She said they planned to get married as soon as possible.”

  “Little hussy doesn’t deserve to be called a lady,” her mother hissed. “She isn’t the least bit concerned over Katie’s condition.”

  Their topic of conversation—though repulsive and unexpected—couldn’t extinguish the amazing sense of elation she still carried inside her. In that moment she knew Chad didn’t have the power to hurt her anymore. In fact, any feelings she may have once had for the man, both good and bad, had quite disappeared. Right now she only felt indifference.

  “No wonder we haven’t seen the sleaze ball during the past day or two. Does Katie know any of this yet?” Jake asked.

  “She knows,” her father replied. “Jared said the woman told them Katie walked in on them at Chad’s office—and at the worst moment possible, if you get my meaning. She thought to excuse their actions by saying they had no idea Katie would stop by. Anyway, Diane and I believe that’s the reason she came out to the ranch. I think she would’ve told us. She just didn’t get the chance.”

  Katie remembered then. She did go out to the ranch yesterday. They were all outside listening to Toby’s music and then—and then what? Why couldn’t she remember?

  “I think we need to pay Mr. McCrae a little visit, and let him know how we feel about the current state of his affairs,” Jake ground out.

  Her father chuckled. “There’s no need. The twins
administered a little Texas justice before they left. Last I heard they abandoned him in the middle of a hay field somewhere. In fact, they left him in nothing more than his underwear and without his cell phone or a way home.”

  “Good for them.”

  “Anyway, I just told Diane after all of that I don’t think he’ll come back. At least he won’t if he knows what’s good for him. Remember, he hasn’t faced her brothers yet—or me. I don’t think he wants to either.”

  “Yeah, well, I still wouldn’t mind running into him myself—if for nothing else than to drive the boys’ message home,” Jake replied. “I’d imagine he’s probably too scared to show his face to me, though.”

  “You probably have that right.”

  “Maybe for Katie’s sake, that’s a good thing. She probably wouldn’t approve of what I have in mind, anyway.” Jake paused for a moment. “Tell me, has anyone checked in on her yet this morning?”

  “I talked to her nurse a few minutes ago,” Diane said. “No change. Anyway, we were just heading in there now. Come on in and keep us company for a while if you can.”

  The minute the threesome walked through the door, Katie greeted them with a smile and her arms outstretched. She laughed at the look on their faces. “What does a girl have to do around here to get a drink of water and a pitcher of ice? I’m dying of thirst.”

  “Katie!” Her mother flew across the room. As she gathered her into her arms she both laughed and cried. “Oh, Katie! You’re back.”

  “I am? Did I go somewhere?” Her smile broadened as her dad leaned down and kissed her on the cheek. “Hello, Daddy.”

  “Welcome back, baby girl,” Andrew whispered. “I’ve missed you.”

  “Yes, you were gone,” Diane lamented. “For more weeks than I care to count—”

  Her mouth dropped as she stared at each person in turn. “Weeks? What on earth are you talking about?”

  They all spoke at once as they crowded around her. Somehow at the end of it all, she got the gist of the story. “Well, I guess I’m no worse for the wear. Other than a little bedsore, I must say, I feel pretty good. Tired, but good.”