by J. D. Oliver
The woman who was here when I woke up came in the room. “Clay,” Faith said, “you remember Dr. Suong Tu?
“Yeah, I remember her, but I didn’t know her name. If I’m not mistaken that name is of Vietnamese origin?” I said, as I weakly held out my hand.
“Yes,” she said, as she took my hand and checked my pulse. “Hmm, that’s good. How are you feeling?” The Doc said.
“Well, there is one thing you can do for me, and that’s get that catheter out.”
“Do you think you’re strong enough to get up to pee?” She said.
“Well, if I’m not, my wife can help me, just get the damn thing out!”
“Alright, if your family would leave the room?” She said, looking at Faith and Rosie.
“They don’t have to, I’m sure they have seen me naked before, even Rosie, she stopped the bleeding down there when I got shot.” I said.
She flipped back the covers, I didn’t have a gown on. I guess it was easier to keep me clean without one. She proceeded to pull it out. Now if you’ve never had a catheter in, it’s hard to explain how it feels coming out, put it this way, I didn’t like it.
“What about these feeding tubes, can you take them out?” I asked. They were a little easier coming out, they only bled a little bit, when she pulled the needles out of my veins.
She said, “I hope you’re not getting, how you say, ‘the buggy ahead of the Donkey’?”
“That’s the ‘cart ahead of the horse.’ How come you’re here?” I asked, rather bluntly.
“Behave yourself Clay,” Faith said. “Dr. Tu has been very helpful, she’s on the company payroll now.”
“Huh? What payroll?”
“The Spanish Bit Oil Company. There have been a lot of changes in the last six months. One of them I’m sure you will like, Rosie is now officially a Bronson. The adoption papers went through last month.”
“Good, but how can that be, I thought I would have to sign some kind of papers?”
“Don’t worry, I have your signature down pat, you’ve signed oodles of papers since you went back into a coma.” Faith said, “In fact even Rosie has mastered your scrawl.”
“Why does the Company need a Doctor?” I asked.
“Well, someone is always getting hurt someway. But we owed it to her. You see, the next morning after you left the Hospital, she came out to check on you. She’s been here ever since. Also she testified on our behalf when we sued the Hospital.”
“Oh? What grounds did you use?”
“Several, from malpractice, to failure to provide proper security. It was sort of their fault that John ever got there to shoot into that empty bed. And then when they kicked you out, that was really a no-no.”
“Did you win?” I asked.
“We settled out of court, for three million, they were glad to pay it.”
“Well, you’ve turned into a regular money bags, haven’t you? But where is the rest of our family?”
“Oh, they went home a long time ago, they have to run the Oil company in New Mexico. They have been calling every day. As soon as you feel better, you can call them.
And I’m not the money bags, we are. You, me and Rosie, plus Alita. Of course, in the Oil Company, Dad, Felicia, Jake and Alona. All eight of us really.”
Dr. Tu spoke up, “I think we ought to let him rest for a little while, you can fill him in on everything that has happened later.”
“I want Faith to stay.” I said. Rosie took Alita, and the three of them filed out.
“So,” I said, “Just who has been giving me baths, during all of those months?”
“Now who do you think? Me of course. But I will sure be glad when you can take your own.”
“I’m sorry Honey, for all of the trouble I’ve put the family through. Not only the work of taking care of me, but the heartache of it. It must have been hard on all of you.”
“Well yes, but its been worth it, now that you’re awake again. This time you had better stay that way. We did get you that MRI, there is no permanent damage, but that bullet sure did rattle your brains.”
“How soon do you think I can get up?” I asked.
“Well, why don’t we play that by ear. First we had better see if you can hold down solid food. We have to get your digestive system working again. We know your kidneys work fine, as many times as I had to empty that bag.”
That took a week, before I could get out of bed and stand on my own. And another week, before I could get down stairs. I had been out for six months, missed winter. That I didn’t mind, but now spring was in full blossom. That I was determined not to miss.
Rosie had started going back to school. They gave her a placement test, she qualified for the 11th grade, she was a Junior in High School. The Bus picked her up right at our gate on the county road. She drove one of the ranch pickups there each morning. She made sure she locked it up tight. She didn’t need a driver’s license to drive on our own property.
Being a thirteen year old in with seventeen year olds was a test on one’s patience. It wasn’t the boy’s that gave her problems, but the other girls. You know how girls run in packs, just like wolves.
Anyway, they tried to beat her up, just because she was smarter than they were. Big mistake. There were six of them, they cornered her in the Gym. Rosie was a great one for learning things off of the internet. She could see it done, then translate that image into action. She had been watching a video on street fighting.
We had to pay for the Doctor bills, they couldn’t press charge’s since they started it. I guess we could of fought it, but I felt sorry for them, it wasn’t their fault that they were saddled with a ‘stupid gene’ in their makeup.
I was setting on the porch whittling, when Rosie drove in the yard, It was the first week in May.
She came up and set beside me. “Dad, can I have some money for my graduation ring and the gown and stuff?”
“Huh? Graduation? You don’t graduate till next year, do you?” I said.
“No, it’s this year, I have been doing double work.”
“Why in the world did you want to do that for?” I asked.
“It wasn’t my idea. The principal came up to me last fall, he told me they’d make all the arrangements, if I would do extra work. So I figured, why not?”
“You don’t have to ask for money. You can have what you want anytime, you know that. Is that why those girls tried to beat you up? Do they think you’re a nerd?”
“Not anymore. Their all scared of me now, even the boys. Plus also they’ve all heard the stories about our family. They say we shoot first and ask questions later.”
“Well, that’s certainly not the truth, we’ve never shot first.” I said.
“Yeah, really I think they’re just jealous, they think we’re rich.” Rosie said, then, “I’m going to get some cookies and milk, do you want some?”
“Yes, please.” I said, as I laid my whittling aside, thinking back to what Faith had told me about our late Sheriff. The morning after the shootout in the Hospital, Harry Silver had checked John’s bank account. Just that day he had tried to kill us, someone had deposited five hundred thousand dollars in his bank account.
The FBI could of froze his account, but he had children and a wife. Faith had talked Harry into letting his family have it. It wasn’t their fault he was an idiot. Faith had told me how she met her one time in the grocery store. His wife started to call us killers. Faith took her aside and explained things to her. Now they were the best of friends.
There was still some unfinished business; Dipper Tick. I was sure it was his bunch that paid John to kill us. We hadn’t heard anymore about him and we didn’t have any more trouble. But how long can one go in this world without having any trouble?
Rosie came out of the house with milk and cookies, Faith came out behind her, carrying Alita. I said, “Alita, how come you’re not walking? Making your decrepit old mother carry you, shame on you.”
She just giggled and reached down to
me, I took her and sat her on my lap, we shared the milk and cookies. Faith twisted my ear, “Just who is decrepit? I think it’s time you started pulling your weight around here. The men need help in the spring roundup and branding. I told Red that you and Rosie would help them.”
“Sure, do you know how to rope Rosie?”
“Some, I’ve watched the men. But I would like you to teach me, the men missed about half of the time.”
“Sure thing, Sweetheart, we’ll start the lessons this evening. Have you been riding Diablo? And how has Brutus been?” I asked.
“Mom and I have been riding. We take turns in riding Brutus, he gets mad when we ride Diablo and Nick, he doesn’t like to be left back.”
“Did you have any trouble with him?”
“At first, but when I told him you were hurt, he quieted right down.” Rosie said.
Then she got up and took Alita, “We’re going to check on the horses.” As she walked away I noticed how she was growing into her bones. I suppose I’d have to put up a fence around her pretty soon.
Faith noticed me watching, “Yes, she is becoming quite the young lady. The last time we went to the movie in town, I noticed all the boys looking at her. Don’t worry though, she has a level head on her shoulders.”
“You’ve been going to the movies?” I said.
“Of course, you’ve had all of those sexy dreams for the last six months, while we had to pay for ours.” She said, as she sat down in my lap and gave a little wiggle.
Dreams? She was right, I did have some. Not sexy ones, but weird ones. Funny thing, I could remember each and every one of them. Which is unusual, most dreams you forget as soon as you wake up. I was still trying to figure them out.
I was feeling a lot better. Faith gave another wiggle. It dawned on me, she had been without for over six months. I said, “Come on Honey, I think we have time.” She said, “You mean?” I picked her up off of my lap and carried her into the house, “Yes, that’s exactly what I mean.”…….
Chapter Nine
After supper Rosie and I went to the Tack Shed and got our ropes. First we practiced on the fiberglass steer head. She caught it every time. So we saddled Diablo. I wasn’t sure how he would react to the rope twirling around his head and flanks.
We had some bucket calves in the barn. So I turned them out in the corral. Rosie took Diablo in the far gate. The calves spooked and ran. Diablo was right on them, Rosie’s loop fell true. I said, “That’s the easy part, now catch their heels.”
The only thing was, Diablo wanted to cut them, not heel them. Rosie had to talk to him. Then he got behind them and Rosie caught both heels. She shook her loop loose and said, “Is that all there is to it?”
“Yep, but the trick is, can you keep it up all day?”
“Sure, why not? I’m not an invalid.” She said, then she roped a few more, catching both heels every time. She kept it up, till I told her that was enough, the calves were tired. Besides, I was starting to fade. I knew I wasn’t up to my old self, yet….
Leaning on the corral rail was Dr. Tu. She came over. “Let me look into your eyes.” Which she did. “Okay, you all right.”
I said, “Hold on a minute, what was that? ‘you all right’, you know better than to talk that way, why did you do it?”
“Okay, yes I know better, I can talk English, probably better than most of your hands on the ranch. But when they see an Asian, they expect us to talk that way. So sometimes, I just do it on purpose, I’m sorry.”
“Alright Doctor, don’t ever talk down to your heritage.” I said.
I helped Rosie hang her saddle in the tack room, then we both walked back to the house. The sun was setting and its rays highlighted Rosie’s red hair. Only thing it wasn’t as red as it used to be, it had gotten darker, it was now a deep auburn. Faith and Alita met us on the porch with some hot chocolate. In the spring, in Wyoming the nights were still chilly.
I was sipping mine, looking at my wife. Her hair was still black, but she had cut it in a pageboy cut, it reminded me of what the flapper’s from the 1920’s looked like. She was so cute, it hurt to look at her….
Alita was setting on my lap as I rocked back and forth, pretty soon she dozed off. It was one of those evenings when everything is perfect in one’s own small world. Rosie’s head was nodding, Faith said, as she took Alita from my lap. “Come on Rosie, it’s bed time,” then she looked at me, “are you coming?” she asked.
“Sure, for some reason, I’m wiped out tonight.” I said.
“Boy you have a short memory, did you forget what we did this afternoon?”
“No, but that didn’t use to tire me out.” I said.
“Well, you’re not quite up to snuff yet, but you couldn’t tell that by this afternoon.” Faith said as she put her off arm around me and the three of went into the house.
The next day dawned bright and clear; the weather was anyway. I don’t think I was. You know how on your computer ‘spam’ keeps popping up? Well anyway that was how those dreams were that I had while I was on my six months vacation.
They would pop up, randomly. Sometimes in the middle of the night or even briefly when I was awake. Very annoying.
It was after breakfast, I took my cup of coffee and went to sit on the front porch. I sat there sipping it, listening to the birds.
“Clay, Clay, are you alright?” Faith was calling me from somewhere far away, so was Rosie, “Daddy, Daddy, please wake up,” she said, with tears in her voice. Why was she crying? Also, Alita was crying from some where.
“What’s wrong with Alita?” I heard myself say.
Faith said, “Thank heavens you’re back. Are you alright?
“Of course, why are you all crying and having such a fit?” I asked.
Dr. Tu came into my line of vision. “Can you see how many fingers I am holding up?” She said. When I said the proper number, she said, “Follow my finger with your eyes, don’t turn your head.” I did so, she gave a sigh of relief and said, “He’s back; how long was he this way before you called me?”
Faith said, “I don’t know for sure; Rosie and I were doing the dishes. Clay had come out here to drink his coffee, maybe an hour or less. But we’ve been trying to wake him for over a half hour, since we found him.”
“He hasn’t been asleep, he’s been somewhere else, where were you Clay?” Dr. Tu asked.
“Well, my body has been sitting right here, but, I guess you could say that my mind or something like it has been into the future. Yeah, I know, that’s a bunch of crap. But if I wasn’t actually there; I was having hallucinations or maybe even a vision. Cause it was more than a dream. How do I know? Because I can remember every little detail. Even to how many pubic hairs my wife has.”
“What? You don’t even know that; how could you?” Faith said.
“Well this particular vision, or whatever, was way in the future; like thousands of years. I’ve had others that were closer to our time, but this one was way out there. Nobody wore clothes. And there was no shame attached. We were all there.”
“Oh, I don’t believe that.” Dr. Tu said. “Me without clothes, I would die of shame.”
“Tell me Suong, do you have a tattoo?” I said.
“Yes, I do.” She said.
“What would you say, if I told you what it was and where it was?”
“I would say that was impossible, no one has ever seen it, including my mother.”
“You have a tattoo of a small dragon, on your left buttocks.” I said.
“How did you know that? Have you been spying on me?” She gasped.
“You know better than that. I would never do that. You were very proud of that tattoo. It had something to do with your family’s heritage. It was part of your family’s heraldry. When you had it put on, you couldn’t tell your family, because they would of considered it to be some sort of sacrilege. Anyway that’s what you were telling everyone.”
“No one knows that, except me. I’ll be damned,” Dr. Suong Tu sai
d, as she sat down on the top step. Her face was turning red from embarrassment.
“Don’t be embarrassed. In that future, no one is. I wasn’t.” I said. “But more important, are the ramifications of me knowing that you, or anyone else has a mole or some other hidden blemish. It means that the vision I had was true!”
“Are you sure Honey that it wasn’t just a fluke?” Faith said.
“No, it wasn’t, it was so clear, just as I’m talking to all of you right now; it was that clear. But more upsetting to me is the other’s. They weren’t all so happy. I don’t even want to think about them.”
“Don’t then.” Faith said, then to Dr. Tu, “Are you sure this isn’t just some malfunction in his brain wiring?”
“How could that be? He knows things that no one else knows. No there’s more to this than some physiology quirk. It’s more metaphysical, wouldn’t you agree?” Suong said.
Rosie cleared her throat, “I would agree with that assumption. I know for sure that things happen and there is no rational explanation for their coming to light. For example, me being a spirit rider, who can explain that?”
“A ‘spirit rider’, what in the world is that?” Suong asked. Rosie told her the full story. Rosie then turned her inquisitive mind, my way.
“Dad, are you going to tell us the rest of your visions?”
“No, not at this time. I think I’ll use that old saw, that the military uses, ‘the need to know basis’.” I said.
“That’s not fair, Dad.”
“I know it Rosie, but believe me you’re better off not knowing. Wouldn’t you agree, that the animals are happier not knowing their fate, just living in the moment?”
“I guess so, but Dad, we’re not animals.”
“Yes, but we all have the same eventuality, don’t we?” I said.
“Yes, at the present time, we all do die in the end.” Rosie said, rather glumly.