"Your lawyer?"
"Yes."
"Ok, Dad. Just let's not talk about that. You got a while. I don't wanna think about that right now."
"You... need... to... know. You... get... ev... every... everything."
"I know, Dad. You told me. I get everything. That doesn't even matter right now. You're what's important."
Minutes passed in silence, Mark and Shylah occasionally glancing at one another but with nothing said. Mark, though wanting to be there for his father at every possible moment, felt a bit ill at ease over the whole situation and could not wait for the nurse to finally bring all of the necessary items for the process of getting Thomas home to begin.
The nurse, a rater stocky, curly-haired woman quickly dispatched the paperwork to Mark and informed him that Dr. Alsedaa had taken a particular interest in Thomas' case and had requested that he be allowed to come by the house to make sure that Thomas was well established for his home care and that everything had been set up properly.
Mark and Shylah happily left to arrange the matters, leaving Thomas to rest on his own. No sooner than he was in the car, Mark made the call to Hospice and made arrangements for the nurse to add Thomas to her schedule. She would be at the house late that afternoon to become acquainted with everything, which meant that everything else must be done in great haste.
As the couple sped toward the medical supply store, Shylah felt a need to broach the subject now weighing upon her mind. "Honey, you really get everything?"
"Yeah. Why does that matter?"
"Just wondering. You're gonna leave the plant open, right? My dad and my brother and my uncle depend on it."
"Babe, you know me. You know I'd never do such a thing. I couldn't live with myself if I caused so many people to lose their jobs. I'd kill myself before I let anything happen to the plant."
"Well," Shylah worriedly continued, "What about now? You're not there much anymore. Is it all runnin' ok without you?"
"As far as I know. There's somebody there to keep it all going. I'm sure I'll be headin' back there soon to take everything back over. No worries, Baby. I got it."
"Ok," Shylah said in relief. "Good. I just wanna make sure, for your sake and everybody else's, that nothin' bad happens."
It was ironic that Shylah brought up the plant, as no sooner than the conversation was finished, Mark's cell phone rang, showing a call from the acting plant manager, Don Birchum. Mark realized the irony of it all and felt another dread deep in his stomach as he answered the call.
"Mark?"
"Yeah, Don?"
"We got an emergency! I need you here right away!"
"What's goin' on?"
"Furnace 15 exploded! I told your daddy to switch to electric furnaces, and he never listened!"
"How bad?"
"The fire is bein' put out as we speak, but it's bad. Cyrus Donovan is burned bad, real bad, but worse, we lost a man, Tim Bedoe. There's gonna be an investigation, and I don't know what the hell to do or what to tell our employees! They're all up in arms, and frankly, so am I! This is a mess, a big mess! Can you please get down here?!"
"Don, I got a lot to deal with right now. I'm on my way to the medical supply store to get everything for my dad to come home."
"Come home?"
"You mean you didn't hear about his cancer?"
"I heard a little."
"He's dyin', Don. He's got very little time left. We gotta get him set up at home. I'll be there as soon as I can, but I'm up to my ears in all this already. I'll do what I can. I promise. Tell the families of the two men that we will do everything we can by them. They will be taken care of. They have my word. We stick by our employees, no matter what. And all employees will receive full wages while the plant is shut down. I swear to it."
"Ok, but that's gonna cost us out the ass, Mark."
"Do it. They have families to feed, and some of 'em are single mothers. Do whatever has to be done. if we have to beg and borrow from all the banks in the state, it's gonna get done. Any and all medical expenses will be covered by us, and full wages plus some extra for everyone."
"Alright. Gotcha. I'll let everybody know, but Tanya Donovan and Mary Jane Bedoe are fumin' mad! Somebody's gotta do damage control with these women or they might burn down the rest of the plant."
"Do what you can, Don. I'll be there as soon as I can."
As Mark hung up, Shylah immediately turned in his direction and demanded to know what was going on. "What happened, Babe?"
"Explosion at the plant."
"What?!"
"Yeah. It's pretty bad."
Shylah was beside herself before even knowing the details, thinking that the men of her family might be harmed. "Are my dad, my brother, and my uncle ok?"
"Don didn't say anything about them. He only mentioned two other guys. One's burned bad, and the other is dead. Their wives are about ready to tear the plant down, they're so mad. I gotta do some kind of damage control or else, but let's get this stuff done that we're out for."
"But you're gonna stand by everybody, no matter what, right?"
"Of course, Hon. I never planned otherwise."
"Mark, please. I'm begging you, please call my brother, and make sure everything is ok!"
"Alright, Babe. On it."
As Shylah pulled into the parking lot of the medical supply store, Mark was still on the phone with T.L.
"Ok, T., gotta go. Gotta get the stuff for my old man. Yeah, if you wanna come over later, come over. Don't worry. Just get yourself checked out. The plant will cover all expenses, no matter how big. You got my word. You and your dad are gonna get full paychecks until this thing is taken care of. No, don't worry. Just get to the E.R. Whatever the insurance doesn't cover, we will. See ya later. We gotta hurry, but I'll let you know when we're home."
"What'd he say? What'd he say," Shylah couldn't help but ask over and over.
"Calm down. He's ok. Your dad is ok."
"My uncle?"
"Didn't say."
"What was that about getting checked out, the E.R. and all that?"
"Oh. Ok, but keep calm. Your brother got a metal shard in his face."
"Is he ok? Please tell me he's ok!"
"Shylah, calm down, Baby. He's alright. He's gonna go get checked. Anything the insurance doesn't pay, I'll take care of, either from plant accounts or personally. He says he's not that hurt, but I just want him to find out that there's nothin' to worry about." Mark was afraid of Shylah's further reaction. She had a tendency to overreact, especially when it came to her family.
"Mark, I'm warnin' you. If anything bad happens, like if this affects my brother's eyesight or anything, you're gonna have a problem on your hands. I'll be the biggest pain in the ass you ever had."
"Hon, it's ok. Alright? Nobody's to blame here. This stuff happens."
"How can you just act like that, Mark?! 'It happens.' What is that? It doesn't just happen! How did this explosion happen? What caused it?"
"It was a furnace explosion. The furnaces are a little old. They should have been changed out a long time ago. And before you ask who's responsible for that, I'll just tell you. My dad didn't wanna go to the expense. Don Birchum's been tellin' him for years to change the furnaces out. So yeah, I guess, in a way, you can say this is my dad's fault, but he's already got enough goin' on." Mark felt as though all of his breath had just left him. With a sigh of relief, he tried to regain his composure.
"Make it right, Mark! You better make every little bit of this right with everybody!"
"Baby," Mark began, placing his hand on Shylah's and squeezing it gently, "Don't worry. I already told Don to get workin' on it all. I'm gonna go by as soon as we get my dad situated. In fact, T.L. said he wanted to come over later. I'm thinkin' I should take him with me and go visit the Donovan and Bedoe families. This is all gonna be made right. I promise. You know my word is like gold. If I don't have my word, I have nothin'!"
Shylah wanted so badly to not be mad at Mark, but she felt a n
eed to be mad at someone for what had happened. Finally, she convinced herself to take several deep breaths and focus on the immediately necessary task of getting the medical supplies.
"Let's go get this done. I'm sorry for blowin' up, Baby." As Shylah said this, she gulped, knowing that none of it was Mark's fault and that he had so many things going wrong lately that it was unfair to take her frustration out on him. "I know you're not to blame. I really am sorry, Mark. I love you. I love you so much." Shylah placed her other hand atop Mark's, and raising them to her mouth, removed hers to give Mark's a gentle kiss. "You're my everything, Baby. It feels kinda funny sayin' all this so soon, but it is definitely how I feel. This will work out. I know it will. We have each other, and we'll help each other through anything and everything. We can do it all together."
"I know," Mark said, smiling. "Let's go."
Part 2
Chapter 11
Things seemed to fall into place rather easily. The medical supplies were ordered, and much to Mark's and Shylah's relief, were able to be delivered, instead of having to be picked up. Thomas was brought home and put to bed, his nurse arriving and acquainting herself with the house and with Thomas' needs. Even Dr. Alsedaa showed up to oversee things, though a little later than Mark would have liked. Neither Mark or Shylah had taken time to eat anything since breakfast, and there was still so much to do with checking up on T.L. and making visits to the families affected by the furnace explosion at the plant.
Before Dr. Alsedaa had pulled his car very far from the front of the house, T.L. and Darius pulled up in the doctor's place. Mark, upon hearing the slamming doors of the pickup truck, happily went out to meet the two men, embracing T.L. heartily.
"What is up, my brotha from anotha motha," Mark asked enthusiastically, bumping shoulders with his friend after letting him go.
"Well, I'm good enough to drive," T.L. announced. "The doc I saw is a little concerned. He said there was some little bit that got the corner of my eye. It kinda hurts, but it's affectin' my sight just a little, not enough to do much."
"Like I said before, man, any expenses the insurance does not cover, they come to me. Got it?!"
"Got it. Well, there might be some comin' soon. I gave 'em my insurance card at the hospital, but who knows if they'll cover everything. I hope it doesn't get real expensive." T.L., even in his state, could not help but think of his friend and what heavy medical bills might do to him.
"T.L., you think I can't handle a few medical bills? I got it, man. Don't you worry for one second. Your bills, anybody else's bills, the bills for Cyrus Donovan, the funeral costs for Tim Bedoe, money for his family, no worries. Every penny gets paid by the plant, one way or another." As he said these things, Mark looked directly into T.L.'s eyes and shook his hand. "You know me. My word is good."
"You know, Mark," chimed in Darius King. "That's good. I know you're a good man. I guess maybe I see you two still as boys, but I'm glad. No offense to you or yours, but I ain't so sure your daddy would do the same. I'm proud of you for what you're doin'. You're doin' right by your employees. That's what makes a good boss. I'm proud, real proud. It means a lot to know that none of us are gonna lose out cuz of this mess." Darius, as soon as T.L. pulled his hand away from Mark's, offered his own.
Mark happily took Darius' hand and pulled him closer for a hug. "You got nothin' to worry about, Mr. King, not one thing. Everybody gets their full wages, but we're gonna make sure everybody has a plant to come back to as soon as possible."
"How is your daddy by the way," Darius asked.
"Well, he's obviously been better, but we got him in his bed and got him a nurse. The doctor just checked in on him. That was him leavin' as you came up. I know what you think of him, Mr. King, and I don't blame you a bit, but I gotta tell you somethin'. He's not the same man since all this started. Gettin' sick changed him."
"I heard. Hard to believe, but I guess the good Lord works miracles where He sees fit. I wish it didn't take so long to work change in that man, but if he's a better man for it all, it is what it is. It's good that no matter how long it took to change, he always had a son like you. It always amazed me you turned out so good as you did. I reckon that was a lot more your mama than your daddy." Darius almost regretted his words from the moment that they began to spew from his mouth, hoping to not offend Mark, knowing that he had already caused enough trouble by interfering in Mark's and Shylah's relationship.
"I think you'd be correct, Sir. It's a painful thought, but it is true. My parents were as opposite as night and day. Well, you wanna go in and say a word to him? You don't have to, and he's probably asleep already, but you can if you want."
"Naw. I might some other time. I'm sure he needs to rest. I just wanted to come by and say thank you for what you're doin' for all of us. I was thinkin' of goin' over to see Tanya Donovan and her boys and if it ain't too soon, maybe go see Mary Jane Bedoe. Somebody needs to." Darius' eyes were plainly full of sadness and great remorse. "T.L., let's get goin'. Who knows how long all this'll have us out."
"Well, hey," Mark gladly boomed, "I was gonna do exactly that myself. I just wanted my dad situated, and then I was gonna go. If you two don't mind, I'll come along with you. The Donovans and the Bedoes need to hear it straight from my mouth that they'll all be taken care of. I want them to not have to wonder if it's just a rumor."
"I think that's a good idea," agreed T.L., seconded by Darius. T.L. thought for a moment and then quickly added his worry, "Wait. What about Shylah?"
"I probably should go at least tell her where I'm goin'," Mark stated, almost laughing.
"Yeah, I'd think so. You know how she is. She's likely to murder you if you don't. I wouldn't wanna be on her bad side. We'll wait for ya." T.L. proposed.
In less than a minute, Mark emerged from the house, accompanied by Shylah.
"I wanted to come say hi to you guys before you go," Shylah smilingly professed, her arms outstretched to receive her male family members.
Darius was the first to give the woman a nearly backbreaking hug, followed by a kiss on the cheek from father to daughter. "Love ya, girl!"
"I love you, too, Daddy!"
"It's good to hear you call me that again," Darius spoke, embracing his daughter once more. "As mad as you've been at me, I didn't know if you'd ever call me Daddy again."
"I could never stay mad at you, Daddy. You're the only daddy I have. I'm sorry for how I treated you the other day. It's been stressful, ya know? I'm glad things are workin' out as they are, except I hate what happened at the plant and what has happened to Mr. Crady. But oh well. That's life, I guess. You two," Shylah added, pointing her fingers at her brother and her father, "better take good care of yourselves and take good care of this yahoo you got with you. I better not hear that you guys stopped off at some strip club. No carousin' with the ladies that take their clothes off for money!"
"I got your mama for that," Darius jokingly made public.
"Daddy!"
"What? You think us old folks don't still enjoy ourselves? We are happily married, and I still find yo mama fine as can be. That woman gets my motor goin' like you wouldn't believe!"
"I agree with Shylah, Daddy," T.L. affirmed, standing on the running board of the driver's side of his truck. "I don't wanna hear this stuff."
"Hey," Mark added, wanting to lighten the mood a bit, "we won't go to any titty clubs. We might just find us some women at a regular bar. No harm, no foul. I'll be home no later than... what would you say, about four in the mornin'?"
"Yeah, sounds good. Four or five. Seven for sure." T.L. and Mark both had smiles on their faces that even though they let Shylah know of their lack of seriousness, still did not make her feel much better about it.
"You have Mark home at seven or even at four, T.L., and I'll not only kill him. I'll kill you for bein' there with him! I'll hunt you down, skin you alive, and bury you out in the swamp. And you know I can do it. Remember that! You don't wanna mess with ol' Shylah." Shylah had a look on her
face to counter the smiles of her brother and boyfriend that seemed to say that she might be a little bit serious about the threats.
"You think she's serious, man," Mark asked, leaning closer to T.L.
"I don't know. The way she ripped the heads off all her Barbie dolls when she was little, I think she might just do it. She's mean, real mean."
"I heard that," Shylah shouted.
"I know, Sis. I hoped you would," T.L. laughingly replied.
"I'm not as mean as you say I am," Shylah huffed.
"The hell you ain't," Darius announced from the other side of the truck.
"Daddy!"
"I'm playin', Honey. You know your daddy don't mean nothin' by it. Love you, Babydoll!" Darius quickly turned to face his son who was still standing on the running board, his arms wrapped over the top of the truck. "Boy, we gotta get goin'! We got things to get done! Get down and into this truck before I whoop you!"
"Comin'," came the resounding and enjoining reply of both T.L. and Mark.
No sooner than the two men were seated in the truck, Shylah came running up to the back of the cab. "Mark, can I talk to you real quick?"
"Shylah, Baby," Darius shouted from the other side of the truck, "We gotta go. We don't got time."
"Just a couple of seconds, Daddy. I need to talk to Mark."
Mark reluctantly climbed back out of the truck, causing T.L. and Darius to let out deep sighs of exasperated annoyance.
"What, Babe," Mark asked as he got within an inch of Shylah's face, wrapping his arms around her waist.
"We gotta talk about somethin' when you get back. Oh, and I think we're gonna need to go get some groceries."
"That's all you needed?"
"No. I just want you to know I love you and want you to please keep an eye on T.L., just in case he has any trouble drivin'. Please watch out for him."
"I will, Baby," Mark agreed, planting a long, passionate kiss on Shylah's lips, then attempting to pull himself away.
"Baby?"
"Yes? I gotta go, Honey."
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