Just then, there was a knock at the door that scared the heck out of me. “Hello, there Winter family!” Dr. Andrews called through the closed door.
“You have got to stop drinking caffeinated coffee, Meg,” Evan teased as he walked to the door to let the doctor in.
“Good morning Meg, Evan. How’s the patient this morning?” He asked us, oblivious to the tension he just walked in on. Out came his little flash light as he leaned over mom’s closed eyes. He gently lifted one lid at a time to expose the pupil. Quick flashes of light across her eyes seemed to make the doctor happy. “Nice and reactive,” he mumbled and put his stethoscope to mom’s chest. After a few moments he said, “Good, good. Heart sounds good, lungs sound clear and pulse-ox good,” he said reading a print out from a machine beside mom’s bed. “Blood pressure, holding steady,” he said nodding to himself. “Excellent. Her jaw looks to be healing on schedule. I know it would be great to be able to talk, Margo,” he said to a sleeping patient.
“The kids would feel so much more assured if they could hear your voice,” the doctor’s hands gently touched mom’s face where bruises were beginning to fade. The tenderness was so clear I had to look away because watching seemed intrusive. You didn’t have to be an emotional superconductor like me to see he loved my mom deeply. Anyone with eyes could see she meant the world to him.
“Uneventful night?” he asked.
“Yep,” Evan answered for us.
“Good. Well, Alik and Cole are on the third floor doing their magic act for the kids. Do either of you want to go stand in the back of the room and make fun of them?” Dr. Andrews smiled mischievously.
“I’ll go. I’ve been cooped up since yesterday. Do you mind Meg?” Evan asked thoughtfully.
“Hum? Oh, no. I don’t mind at all, Ev. Have fun,” I said thinking I’d rather not see Cole right now. Good grief, I thought to myself. I know nothing about Creed, but here I am feeling guilty for having spoken with him. Well, that’s not exactly true. I feel guilty because of the attraction I have for him. Besides, I don’t even know if Creed is safe. What if he’s working for Williams? But, if he is, wouldn’t he have just kidnapped or killed me last night when he had the chance? I was completely unaware of him there in the shadows. He could have put a bullet right through me if he wanted to.
This is crazy, I thought to myself. Let it go, Meg. You have enough to worry about. No time for a love life. Leave that mushy stuff to the normal girls out there.
“Would you mind hanging out for five minutes so I can take a fast shower, Dr. Andrews?” I asked. “I don’t like leaving mom unattended.”
Maze whined.
“No offense, Maze. I just need someone who can speak English, just in case. Then there’s that opposable thumb thing,” I teased while patting his ample flank.
“Oh, sure, Meg. I have a phone call to make anyway,” he graciously added, reaching for the hospital phone on Margo’s bedside table.
“Great, thanks. I won’t be long,” I said hurrying to gather a fresh change of clothes.
The moment I stepped under the streams of hot water, my mind wandered back in time. When I think back to that day at the Institute, I am still in awe we all survived. The media reported the event in all its television glory while the smoke was still billowing from the Institute. But once the ashes cooled, Dr. Andrews’ best friend and police detective, Greg Burns was able to keep all details out of the news.
Dr. Williams fled the country the same night his Institute burned, so the authorities had a lot of questions for him, as well. Once the fire investigators released their report noting the cause of the fire and subsequent explosions was caused by arson, even more people wanted to talk with Dr. Williams. However, he was nowhere to be found.
He was last seen boarding his personal jet, accompanied by a woman named Michelle Andrews. Their flight plan indicated a trip to the Cayman Islands, but there was no record they ever landed there and an escape to a completely different location is assumed.
Dr. Andrews, when he found out Michelle had left him, was quiet and solemn. He never went into the particulars with us kids, but he mentioned in a small voice once, how upset he was with himself for “allowing that rebound marriage.” Something about his failed attempt of recreating what he lost when Jenna, Cole’s mom, died.
Then when he found out Michelle was definitely conspiring with Dr. Williams, he blew his top. Who could blame him? Although I did try to warn him, I couldn’t bring myself to give him the infamous “I told you so” speech. Especially not when I could sense he was enraged to the point of popping a blood vessel!
It didn’t take him long to realize she had been the one to inform Dr. Williams of his plans to help me and my brothers. And that it was she who planted the GPS tracker and audio transmitter in the SUV before we left Kansas to travel to California. He wondered, though he wouldn’t say it out loud, how far back Dr. Williams’ influence went with Michelle. How much of his life had been reported back to the Institute by his own wife?
As I said, I knew something was wrong with that woman all along, but sometimes men need proof. He had his proof now. I also knew he’s been blaming himself for Alik, Evan and me being pulled out of hiding and back in Dr. Williams’ radar. He feels as though he should have been smart enough to catch on to Michelle’s deceit. Then she wouldn’t have been around the day I called asking for his help to find our mom.
I have wanted to talk with him, but it really isn’t my place. I have found the more I let on that I know what an adult is feeling, the less I should say about it. It seems to make them feel very uncomfortable around me. I can’t help knowing, but it is maddening knowing, and not being in the position to do anything about it.
Still deep in thought, I stepped out of the shower and dressed quickly. I was so engrossed in my internal commentary on life and the world we live in, that I couldn’t remember if I’d washed my hair. I was still arguing with myself even as I grab my towel. Crud. My hair smelled clean, but maybe I just used conditioner and skipped the shampoo entirely. Darn it! I threw the towel down, undressed again, and turned the shower back on. Focus, Meg, I reminded myself.
8 Sleeping Beauty
After hearing the shower turn on, Dr. Andrews pressed the ten digits he had memorized for a couple dozen years and waited patiently for the line to start ringing.
“Theo?”
“Hey, Greg. Yeah, it’s me.” If anyone were listening to Dr. Andrews’ voice just then they would have noticed a big change from how he sounded just moments ago with the children in the room. Now, he sounded exhausted and sad.
“What’s up, big man? How is everyone doing?” the detective asked cryptically. He was always a cautious guy; one of those habits he picked up from his job.
“About the same. My patient is still slowly recovering. Her kids are keeping constant vigil more for her protection than anything. It’s been a long two weeks. Any news you can share?”
“There are a few pieces of information. Are you on a land-line?” he asked rhetorically.
“Yeah, I’m at the hospital.”
“Of course you are.”
“Well, if that isn’t the pot calling the kettle black. When was the last time you took a day off?”
“Listen, when your girlfriend stops pissing off the wrong people, then I’ll take a break. But for now, I’m a little busy.”
“I know, man. Sorry. The kids and I are feeling like sitting ducks here.”
“Yeah, I bet you are. Here’s what I’ve learned. Williams has another place he works out of—in Germany. That’s where we think he’s holding up. Extradition isn’t working too well, this time. He has all the right people paid off.”
“When you say another place, what exactly do you mean?”
“From what I can gather, it looks like a compound. There’re half a dozen buildings on a huge bunch of acres out in the middle of nowhere-ville Germany. We’re talking twice as big as that place he had in California.”
“Oh, crap.”
“Wait. It gets better. The guy is not hurting for money at all. We haven’t even traced a quarter of his holdings. He has billions, Theo.”
Dr. Andrews was rubbing his eyes with his one free hand.
“You still there?” Greg asked after he only heard silence.
“Yeah,” Theo breathed.
“I wish I had better news for you.”
“Well, this is pretty much what I expected. Leave it to Margo to piss off the most evil and powerful mad scientist in the world. I’m not surprised,” Theo said, trying to laugh in the dark.
“You guys need to move, and soon. Don’t tell me where you’re going; I’d rather have believable deniability—just in case.”
“Yeah, I understand.”
“Good luck, Theo.”
“Thanks, man. I…well, thanks.” Dr. Andrews stood for a moment with his back to Margo holding the receiver like it was his life-line. He was trying not to get choked up. It was so overwhelming to feel responsible for the safety of all these children and his oldest and dearest friend, and probably the love of his life. She was so injured that it was still painful to look at her through the eyes of a man instead of a doctor.
“Mmmm,” Margo moaned softly.
Theo turned and hurried to her side. “Margo? It’s me, Theo. You’re at my hospital and you and the kids are safe. Margo?”
“Mmuph,” Margo’s eyes fluttered open. She tried to talk again, “Rrrugh mmuff”
“Try not to talk,” Dr. Andrews was doing his level best not to burst in to sobs of relief at seeing Margo awake. “Your jaw was…seriously injured. We had to wire it shut so it could heal properly.”
Margo’s eyes looked frantically around the room. Theo guessed she was looking for the children. “Meg, Evan and Alik are all here at the hospital, but they’re fine. Everyone has recovered from their injuries…well, except you. Meg’s in the bathroom getting dressed. Alik, Evan and Cole are on the third floor entertaining the sick children there—with magic tricks,” he added with a nervous laugh.
She motioned for something with which to write.
“Good idea,” the doctor smiled. “Let me find a pen and paper.”
Her wrists were still wrapped and one arm was in a sling because of the broken ribs and fractured collar bone. But even through all that, Margo grabbed the pen Theo gave her available hand and wrote two words: Thank You.
The doctor blushed deeply and shook his head. “Don’t thank me, it was your children who saved you.”
Margo tipped her head slightly to the right and gave him an inquisitive look, then immediately winced from the pain caused by the movement.
“Try not to move too much, Margo. You still have a lot of healing to do. Are you in a lot of pain? Do you want me to increase your painkillers right now?”
Margo moved the pen slowly across the paper and wrote: Williams?
“You must have a lot of questions, and to be honest, I am probably not the best one to try to answer them. As far as I know, Williams is out of the country right now, probably licking his wounds,” Theo’s face grew tight with anger.
Margo simply wrote: ?!
“It’s a long story, but first, let me get the kids for you,” he walked toward the bathroom door and knocked. “They’ll be so excited you’re awake; they’d be upset of they didn’t get to see you for themselves.”
9 Reunited
I heard a sharp knock at my bathroom door just as I finished pulling one of my favorite white T-shirts on.
“I’ll be out in a minute,” I called, my mind just as foggy with thoughts as the bathroom was with steam.
“Meg, your mom’s awake! Hurry up!” Dr. Andrews’ excitement carried through the door.
“Mom’s awake?” I threw the door open and bolted past the doctor, nearly tackling him because he didn’t move fast enough out of my way. Rushing to my mom’s side I saw for myself. Her soft brown eyes glistened with happy tears. “Oh, mom. Thank God you’re awake! I love you so much!”
I felt a wave of love wash over me from my mother’s heart. My connection with mom was stronger than with anyone, ever. I could feel her emotions so clearly, sometimes it was hard to distinguish which were hers and which were my own.
“I’m going to call down to the children’s ward. Let’s get the boys up here, too,” Dr. Andrews was nearly bubbling with joy. He reached for the telephone and pushed a few buttons, but I wasn’t paying attention to him. I was too enthralled by my mom’s emotional roller coaster. She was oscillating between feelings of thankfulness and those of terror.
“It’s okay, mom. You’re safe. We won’t let anyone hurt you ever again,” I looked into her still mangled face and felt her wave of worry heighten even more.
“You’re not worried about yourself, are you? You’re only worried about me and the boys getting hurt. Don’t be worried. We’ll get through this. All of us will,” I was holding my mother’s hand softly as I spoke. She squeezed it in response.
It must have been a total of two minutes from the time Dr. Andrews called the third floor until the time Alik and Evan were grinning at their mom from her bedside.
“Where’s Cole?” Dr. Andrews asked looking out the hospital room door and down the hall.
“Um,…sorry about that, sir. We heard mom was awake and we both ran full speed up the four flights of stairs, not wanting to bother with the elevator. I guess Cole had a hard time keeping up. I’m sure he’ll be along in a minute,” Alik was grinning adorably at his mom the whole time he spoke. Mom’s eyes kept staring at each of our faces in turn, welling up with tears so often I took to gently patting them dry with tissues.
“I’m so thankful you’re awake, mom. It’s been awful having all these questions rolling around in my head and knowing only you have the answers,” Evan smiled widely at his mom.
“You know, mom. Maze has refused to leave your side the entire time you’ve been in the hospital?” At the sound of his name, Maze walked up to mom’s bed and stood on his hind legs, balancing by gently placing his paws on the edge of her mattress. His sweet yellow eyes studied mom’s face. He cocked his head to the right, as he does when he’s trying to figure something out then let out a soft wine. I scratched between his ears and said, “He wanted to be sure you were safe.” Mom reached out with her one good hand and let Maze lick her fingers. Furry love; it’s a beautiful thing, I laughed to myself.
“Unnn an ur ach ish oph?” mom asked incoherently.
“She wants to know when they can take the wires out of her jaw so she can talk,” I translated to the room. Mom looked at me appreciatively.
“How on earth did you understand her?” Dr Andrews asked amazed.
I shrugged, “I dunno, I just can,” I answered trying not to sound like a super freak.
“Margo, I’ll get in touch with your maxiofacial surgeon and ask him to come examine you. He’s one of the best in the world. We’ll see what he says.” The doctor still had that sweet goofy grin every time he looked at his recovering patient. “For now, let’s just stick to having you write what you want to say, or letting Meg translate for you,” he said and gave me a wink.
Mom sighed deeply. All the excitement was tiring her out quickly and her pain was getting too intense. She was still trying to study our faces, so happy to see all of us safe, but her body was telling her she needed to rest.
“Dr. Andrews, I think mom needs some pain meds now. And she needs us to let her get some sleep, too,” I said watching her face. I felt mom wistfully wish she weren’t so weak because she didn’t want to sleep yet. “It’s okay, mom. We’ll be here when you wake up. Don’t worry. You just rest and keep healing.”
Dr. Andrews was adjusting the speed of mom’s I.V. drip. Evan was smoothing mom’s blankets, and Alik leaned down and whispered something in his mother’s ear. I looked away to give him is moment, but I knew exactly what he was saying to her. Alik may be the strong, silent type, but his emotions run almost as deep as mine. He was telling mom how much he loves her a
nd how he will take care of everyone, just like she taught him. Then, and here’s where I had to bite my lip to keep from bursting into tears, then he told her how proud he was to be her son.
Evan was talking in hushed tones to Dr. Andrews—discussing mom’s current medicinal needs. That was his way of showing his love. He wanted to figure everything out for her. My sweet little brother, the problem solver.
Mom drifted off just when a knock came at the door. Evan opened the door to find Cole holding himself up against the door frame, panting. “What’d I miss?” he gasped.
I smiled up at Cole as he walked toward my sleeping mother and stood beside me. “She woke up, Cole, and she wore herself out from all the excitement. She’s sleeping now,” I studied the lines in my mother’s face still feeling love emanating from her.
“Darn it! I missed it!” he said sheepishly. “Did you profess your undying love for her, dad?” he winked over to his father who had been gazing with obvious affection at his patient.
“That’s enough out of you, Cole Andrews,” the doctor said, but blushed deeply.
“Let’s let the Winter family have a few moments alone,” he said, grabbing his son by the shoulders and directing him back to the door. “I’ll be in the ER if you need me,” Dr. Andrews called over his shoulder while Cole continued to protest gently. “And Cole will be back on the third floor waiting for you, Alik.”
The door closed behind them with a soft click. My brothers and I exchanged looks. We hadn’t discussed how much we had all been worried about mom not waking up, not getting better. Now that we saw mom’s condition change for the better, we all needed time to process our emotions. Some of us more than others.
“Thank God she woke up,” Evan said softly. My little brother was always good at stating the obvious.
Alik was sitting with his hands draped in his lap, fingers intertwined. Psychologically, one might say he was feeling helpless. I knew exactly how he felt. He cleared the emotions in his throat and said, “I talked with Theo about our need to come up with a plan. We’re vulnerable out in the open like this and Williams isn’t done with us.”
Winter's Storm: Retribution (Winter's Saga #2) Page 5