Scandal in Tawas

by Madison Johns

  “Take us to the hospital, Eleanor, and be snappy,” Martha ordered.

  Eleanor pounded the accelerator pedal and off we went. I silently prayed and somehow Eleanor didn’t crash on the way. She pulled up to the emergency room and Martha hopped out of the car and positioned a wheelchair as I hobbled out with Moraine guiding me. I tried to take a few steps on my own. The pain was too much so I eased down into the chair to wait while Eleanor parked. Once seated, I made a quick call to my granddaughter, Sophia, who worked at the hospital as a nurse. She always helped me be seen quickly.

  Once Eleanor joined us, she gave me a mad push and I wanted to wring her neck as I nearly tumbled from the chair. “Sorry,” she quickly said when we reached the check-in counter. It might have been the look on my face that led me to be ushered into the back right away with Eleanor still pushing the wheelchair and the other woman trailing behind.

  “It’s been a long time since you’ve been in the ER,” said the tiny nurse who was on duty.

  “Yes,” I agreed, then asked, “Where is Sophia?”

  “She’s on her way. She delivered a baby in another room.”

  “Apparently the baby didn’t want to wait to be born,” Eleanor said with a smile.

  “At least she made it into the hospital and not in a parking lot.” The nurse winked as she wrapped my arm with a blood pressure cuff.

  “So, how are my grandmother’s vitals?” Sophia said, as she walked into the room with a bounce of her brunette curls.

  “Her blood pressure is a little high but she’s in pain from the look in her eyes.”

  “Or I could be aggravated because I fell at the Butler Mansion,” I said. “How are you, Sophia?”

  “I’m fine but obviously you’re not, with the looks of the swelling of your ankle. I’ll let Dr. Thomas know right away so we can get you down to X-ray.”

  “You could almost do the orders yourself,” the other nurse hinted.

  “Now, Charity, I’m not a doctor.”

  “No, but you’d make a good nurse practitioner.”

  Sophia laughed. “I don’t know when I’d find the time to do that when I have a one-year-old.”

  “And there are no colleges near here,” I said. “I agree she would make a great nurse practitioner, but unfortunately her roots are here in Tawas with her husband Bill.”

  “That’s not the reason I’m reluctant to do it. I’m just happy being a nurse. I don’t want the responsibility or stress of continuing my education.”

  “I suppose not, dear. We shouldn’t have pried into your life,” Charity said. “I was just saying.”

  “I know, but most of us nurses know the routine of blood work and X-rays.”

  “Does that mean you’re going to send the vampires in here?” I asked.

  “We’ll see what Dr. Thomas has to say,” Sophia said. She eased down on a chair suddenly and sighed.

  “Are you okay?” I asked with concern.

  “You’re the patient, not me, Gramms. I’ve just been feeling under the weather of late.”

  “Are you pregnant?” Eleanor asked.

  “No! There’s something going around lately.”

  “Remind me not to drink the water,” Eleanor said. “I think another baby would be great.”

  “Bill and I have decided that one child is more than enough for us.”

  “Oh, phooey,” Martha exclaimed. “Andrea needs a brother or sister to play with.”

  “Or fight with, is more like it,” Moraine said with a wink. “If it’s to be believed that you barely survived having Stuart as a brother, Martha.”

  “Now leave Sophia alone. It’s perfectly understandable to have only one child these days. Bill is a state trooper who works long hours and it’s hard enough to raise one child.”

  Sophia bit her lip. “I’ll go see if Dr. Thomas has arrived yet.”

  Sophia hurried from the room and I narrowed my eyes, “Good going, girls.”

  “Why do we get the blame?” Eleanor asked. “You were the one who reminded her of how many long hours her husband works. I bet it gets pretty boring being with the baby all day.”

  “She works here, or did you forget?”

  “You know it would be nice if one of us took the baby for a few hours,” Eleanor said. “That way Sophia and Bill would have time to have a date night.”

  “Of course that might result in another baby,” Moraine said.

  There was a knock on the door and instead of the doctor, a man came into the room and announced, “I’m supposed to take you to X-ray.”

  “See you later, ladies,” I said, as I was wheeled away.

  Chapter Five

  DR. THOMAS FOLLOWED me into the room as I was wheeled back from X-ray.

  “So, how did you manage to hurt your ankle?” he asked.

  “Would you believe my foot fell into a hole?”

  “I’d buy a bridge from you if it was for sale.” He smiled. “I took a look at your X-rays and while you don’t have any broken bones, I suggest you keep off that foot for a while. I believe you have a sprained ankle and it will take time to mend.”

  I laughed. “Now that’s a good one. I’m perfectly fine, or will be if you could write me a prescription for meds,” I said, as I tried to stand up and then fell back down into the chair.

  “Agnes Barton, you’re the most stubborn patient. We could loan you a wheelchair to use until your ankle has time to heal.”

  “A wheelchair is out ... of the question.”

  “You have a sprained ankle and unless you wake up miraculously able to walk without pain tomorrow, you’ll need to take it easy. I’d suggest staying at home with your feet up.”

  I laughed. “I can’t. Eleanor and I will have a camera crew following us around, and I can’t do that from a wheelchair.”

  Dr. Thomas rubbed his chin thoughtfully. “Should I dare ask why?”

  “The wonderful Woody Wentworth witnessed me tripping up a purse snatcher. He’s some big Hollywood concept man.” I nodded curtly. “He introduced us to a big time movie director who finds me fascinating—or Eleanor and me, actually.”

  Dr. Thomas’ eyes twinkled. “I had no idea there were any movers and shakers in Tawas.”

  I shook my head at him as I knew he was merely joking with me. “Actress Sara Knoxville is in town, promoting her tell-all book. She has juicy things to share.”

  “Oh, now, that’s interesting.”

  “Hey, I have an idea. Why don’t I get one of those boots like Sheriff Peterson has for his bum leg? At least that way I’ll be more mobile. I even promise to leave by wheelchair today.”

  “I don’t think you’ll be as mobile as you want to be wearing a boot, but I’ll bring a nurse in to measure you for one.”

  SOPHIA HELD THE MEDICAL walking boot with a frown. “Are you sure you want me to put this on, Gramms?”

  I had second thoughts for a moment when I saw the monstrosity of a boot, but I sucked it up anyway. I didn’t have any other choice if cameramen were going to follow Eleanor and me all over town.

  “Strap it on, Sophia.” I grimaced.

  Sophia put on the boot and Eleanor helped me stand. “Take a few steps,” Dr. Thomas encouraged me.

  I groaned as I walked a few steps before sitting back in the wheelchair. “This will take some getting used to.”

  “Take the wheelchair home with you. I want you to put your feet up for the remainder of the day and put ice on your ankle.”

  “I will,” I said.

  “Do you have any crutches?” Martha asked, as she bit her lip.

  “I don’t think Gramms will be able to use crutches,” Sophia said.

  “Bring her a quad cane—one of those canes that have the four legs,” Dr. Thomas said, adding, “And don’t look at me like that, Agnes. Believe me, you’ll thank me for suggesting it.”

  Eleanor swallowed hard but otherwise remained silent. Then her eyes suddenly lit up. “I’ll push the wheelchair,” she announced.

  I didn�
��t have time to catch my breath as Eleanor whizzed me through the emergency room and out the double doors into the parking lot.

  “Where are you taking me, Eleanor?” I exclaimed in a panic.

  “I thought since I’ll be pushing you around in a wheelchair that I need to get a feel for how difficult it will be.” Eleanor continued to push me up and down the sidewalk until Moraine flagged her down, waving the cane while Martha brought around the car.

  Eleanor moved me to the car and I slapped her hands away when she tried to help me into the seat.

  “I’m not an invalid!”

  “Then why do you need a wheelchair?”

  “Because I’m in too much pain at the moment to walk.”

  “Dr. Thomas wrote you a few prescriptions,” Martha said, handing them to me. “I’ll stop off to get them filled on the way home.”

  “I don’t think I’ll need them today,” I countered.

  “Believe me, you’ll be thanking Martha for thinking of it once the pain hits you,” Moraine said.

  I groaned. “I still can’t believe I stepped into that darn hole.”

  “Well, it’s not like you see well at your age,” Martha said.

  “Huh!” I choked out. “I’ll be waiting in the car,” I added, when we arrived at the drug store.

  “Go on inside and drop off the scripts,” Moraine said. “We’ll probably have to pick them up in the drive thru since they’re a controlled substance and Agnes can’t walk into the pharmacy to show her identification.”

  “I don’t think I like the sound of that,” I said. “I don’t like to take strong medication.”

  Moraine and Martha strolled into the store and I turned to eye Eleanor.

  Eleanor folded her hands over her chest. “Do you think a camera crew will really be following us around?”

  “I suppose we’ll find out. There’s no reason to unless we’re on a case.”

  “We could investigate the missing page in Sara’s book.”

  “I suppose so, but she seems mum on the subject.”

  “So, did she ever answer any of your questions concerning it?” Eleanor asked.

  “Nope, and I still can’t understand why she can’t just come out with the truth. It’s no big deal if it was an accident.”

  “Yes, one made by the publisher or printer.”

  “That’s quite a big error, if you ask me. I wonder who published the book,” I mused out loud.

  “Let me check.” Eleanor pulled out the book and flipped pages until she laughed. “Humpty Dumpty Press? Is that even legal to use a name like that?”

  “I’m not sure, but it’s pretty funny. So the book wasn’t published by a big five publisher. That surprises me, but perhaps they didn’t want to be involved in publishing a tell-all book like that.”

  “Are you kidding? Scandal is what makes the world turn around.”

  “I suppose it’s easy for us to think that, but if you’re the person who’s being gossiped about ... it’s an entirely different thing.”

  “You know what I think? I think the page was deliberately left out of the book ...”

  “So it would sell better,” I finished. “I can’t help but wonder how many readers are disappointed about that. Of course it might take them a long time to read the whole book.”

  “Are you kidding me? I’ll be reading the entire book tonight,” Eleanor said. “That way I’ll have more of an understanding of how to handle this.”

  “I’ll leave it to you, then. I’m ready to get home and get some ice on this ankle.

  ANDREW’S EYES WIDENED as Moraine pushed my wheelchair inside the house and Stuart’s sandwich-filled hand froze halfway to his mouth. But it was Mr. Wilson who finally blurted out, “What in tarnation happened to you, Agnes? I hope you didn’t get into a fist fight with anyone like a purse snatcher.”

  “How do you know about the purse snatcher?”

  “It was the talk of the marina at the state dock,” Wilson said.

  “We heard all about a woman who tripped up a purse snatcher and I knew it had to be one of you ladies,” Andrew said. “I hope you learned a valuable lesson. It wasn’t worth being in a wheelchair.”

  Moraine put down the cane. “She might be able to get by with this tomorrow.”

  “Dr. Thomas gave me instructions to put up my feet the rest of the day and put ice on my ankle. It’s a nasty sprain is all.”

  “She didn’t get hurt tripping that purse snatcher,” Eleanor added. “She fell in a hole at the Butler Mansion.”

  “Hole?” Andrew asked, his honey eyes filling with concern.

  “My foot slipped into a hole and of course I hit the ground.”

  “Let me help you to the sofa.”

  I winced when I put weight on my ankle, but I was more than happy that my Andrew was helping me. I don’t think I could have done it myself at this point. It was hard to admit that I actually needed help! I prided myself as being an able-bodied senior citizen, but who was I fooling. Myself obviously.

  Andrew gently put up the recliner that was at the end of the sofa so I could settle in and put up my feet. When my ankle touched the surface I winced until he put a pillow under it.

  “Thanks,” I finally said, as Andrew brought back ice for my ankle, gently removing the medical boot.

  “You’re Sheriff Peterson’s twin now,” Eleanor said. “You know ... he has a medical boot on, too, because of his hairline fracture.”

  “I have a feeling that he’ll be able to get around much better than me.”

  “That’s because his injury was months ago,” Andrew reminded me.

  “Still. There’s no way I’m using that wheelchair tomorrow with a film crew following Eleanor and me.”

  “That’s one thing that has never changed about my mother,” Stuart said. “She’s stubborn to the bone.”

  Laughter filled the room as I explained about the events of the day and about meeting a famous Hollywood director.

  “You better get some rest if you plan to venture out tomorrow,” Andrew said.

  “That’s our cue to leave,” Stuart said.

  “I’d be happy to drop you and Moraine off at the Days Inn,” Eleanor offered. “I suppose I could give you a lift back to the campground, too, Martha.”

  “I’d appreciate it.” Martha gave me a quick kiss on the top of my head. “Take it easy, Mother.”

  “But don’t forget that Stuart and Moraine are staying at Henry’s beach house, not the Days Inn this time.”

  BY THE TIME MORNING came around, my ankle was rested enough that I was braving a walk with the boot, but when pain shot all the way up to my head, I reluctantly said, “Perhaps using a wheelchair for one day wouldn’t be such a bad thing.”

  “I’m glad to hear that,” Andrew said.

  Just then the sound of a honking horn alerted me that Eleanor was here.

  She flew through the door before my Andrew even had the chance to open it.

  “I’m so excited,” Eleanor exclaimed. “I hope you’re ready because two cameramen are waiting outside in their car. Or I should say one of the men handles the camera and the other handles the equipment.”

  “You mean Roman arranged it already?”

  “He must have, and from the way he’s been talking, he’s ready to move on the project if today goes well.”

  I groaned as I pounded the arms of the chair. “I don’t see how it could go well when I’m stuck in this chair.”

  “We’ll work it out. That is, if you’re ready to go now.”

  “She is,” Andrew said, “but I’m expecting you to watch over Agnes and make sure she doesn’t overdo it.”

  “I promise,” Eleanor said, as she picked up the cane and pushed the wheelchair outside to the sound of birds chirping and squirrels chattering at the oak tree above the swing bench.

  The men climbed out of the car and smiled. One was thin and the other quite short. They introduced themselves as Benny and Wallace.

  The men glanced at me wi
th a frown. “Don’t you look at me like that,” I exclaimed. “You’ve never seen a woman in a wheelchair before?”

  “Yes but not one we’re supposed to follow around and film,” Benny said, “but we’ll work with it.”

  “It’s not like I have to use the wheelchair exclusively, but I should do it today.”

  “So, where are we off to?” Wallace asked. “I hope you have a case to investigate.”

  “Not at the moment, but let’s see how the day goes. Crime manages to happen in the most unusual of places.”

  Wallace climbed behind the steering wheel of his SUV as he would be driving us thanks to all the camera equipment we needed to bring along with us. The wheelchair just barely fit when it was folded down.

  “We’re meeting the girls at Barnacle Bill’s today,” Eleanor said. “I thought that might appeal to the guys here since they can have a cold one with lunch.”

  “Oh, no, we won’t be drinking today,” Benny said, as he rubbed his jeans, which were peppered with what looked to be buckshot.

  “It’s not exactly time for lunch,” I reminded Eleanor.

  “Hey, what about giving the boys a tour through the sheriff’s department?” Eleanor suggested.

  “I’m not sure if Sheriff Peterson will be too keen on the idea, but we’ll give it a try. We should pick him up bran muffins. That should soften him up.”

  “Bran muffins might be the wrong kind of softening up.” Eleanor laughed.

  “I can’t imagine anyone looking forward to eating anything besides doughnuts this time of day,” Wallace said.

  “I thought people who live in California are more health conscious?”

  “Not our crowd. Of course most of my friends are into gaming.”

  “How do they afford to live playing video games all the time?” I asked.

  “Um, when they’re designing them,” Benny said. “It’s a dream job if you ask most gamers. Of course they don’t realize how much goes into it.”

  “I’d rather not deal with writers and animators on a caffeine high.”

  “Me either. Of course at our age, caffeine can speed up the ticker a might too much,” I said. “I must admit it’s hard to stop at one cup of coffee.”