by T L Harty
“I love you, mom,” Deidra added.
“And Deidra is my daughter,” Ann piped up. “As far as the hospital knows, you don’t have any children.”
A knock could be heard on the door to the hospital room. Everyone stopped hovering over the bed, trying to act normal. Ann went to unlock the door.
“Why is this door locked?” the nurse barked.
Ann shrugged. “How is my sister?”
“Well, she appears to have been hit by a car, but she was found in the middle of a meadow,” the nurse explained. “None of you know how this happened?” The nurse didn’t get any answers. “You cannot all be in here right now. Two visitors are allowed at a time, until the doctor changes orders.”
The nurse held up a needle and flicked it a couple of times. She injected the needle’s contents into the port on the IV tubing.
“This is going to take affect quickly. Please say your goodbyes and you can all come back tomorrow.”
The nurse’s words were the last I heard.
The next time I gained consciousness, Ann sat with me in the room. Instead of feeling like I was coming out of a medically-induced state, this time felt more like a natural, waking-from-sleep experience…my head still foggy and the pain remained, but not as sharp.
Ann read on a nearby chair until my movement startled her. She raced to my bedside.
“Muriel, it’s so good to see you awake,” Ann whispered.
“Why are you whispering?” My mouth was dry and speaking felt new to me. “Can I have some water?”
Ann grabbed a paper cup by the sink and filled it for me. Taking small sips, I let the water sit in my mouth for a moment. The water seemed to shrink my tongue back down to a more normal size.
“Do you remember the name you’re…,” Ann cut herself off, as a nurse entered. “So, nurse, how is Dana doing today?”
Ann was a life-saver. I had completely forgotten the name that Clio asked me to use.
“Your sister is one tough cookie, with all she’s been through.”
Ann smiled proudly as the nurse checked my vitals.
“How long have I been here?” I asked the nurse.
“This is your fourth day, but you should be well enough to go home tomorrow,” the nurse answered. “Open up, I need to take your temperature.”
The thermometer hung out of my mouth. The other question begging to be asked would wait until Ann and I were alone. Whatever the answer, the moment would be shared with Ann- not a random nurse.
The nurse told me everything looked good, after checking me out and removing the thermometer. She left as quickly as she had come.
“Ann…the baby,” I choked back tears.
Ann never looked away, but looked at me intently. Her eyes welled with tears and she gently shook her head back and forth.
The crying lasted into the afternoon. It had exhausted my body, but gave me clarity of mind because there was no energy left for trivial thoughts.
“Thank you for being here with me today,” I told Ann. “Please send Macy here as soon as you can. I need to see her.”
“Clio wanted to come.”
“No, send Macy. Tell Clio she is welcome tomorrow, along with whoever else would like to come. I need Macy.”
Ann dutifully left to summon Macy.
Macy was at my bedside within the hour. I appreciated her response time.
“I need you to have a paternity test done with the baby’s remains and Bruce’s blood,” I told her.
Macy didn’t respond.
“Do you understand what I’m asking?” I spoke again.
“Why are you asking for such a thing?” Macy wondered.
“Bruce doesn’t think the child was his,” I answered, becoming angry all over again.
“That can’t be,” Macy decided. “He is so in love with you and you’ve been at the castle the whole time. No one else could be the father!”
“He suggested that I could have been with Rick when we went to see him.”
“You screwed Rick alright, but not how he thinks.”
“Please do this, Macy. I’m not sure I could ask anyone else.”
She nodded her head. Macy wanted nothing to do with this assignment, but she’d carry it out. She was a soldier, which meant she could identify the difference between a request and an order.
“Please get it done before I return to the castle tomorrow afternoon,” I said, rolling over.
The tears silently fell. Macy left the room and I’d be by myself until morning. With the loss of this baby, I’d never felt more alone...more empty. My hand traveled over my stomach and the evening hours were spent mourning a child that I’d never know.
Before drifting off, I saw my Grammy’s face before me. The gift that I came to despise would serve me graciously and bring me a much-needed sliver of peace.
The next day was quite sunny, doing nothing to brighten my mood, but reminding me of the extent of my personal darkness. When Deidra came to visit with the women on the council, it felt like a mixed blessing. On one hand, her presence brought me great joy. On the other, from what my doctor explained this morning, Deidra would be my first and last child. The blows kept coming.
“We’re here to take you home,” Bridget said. “You can’t be lazing around all the time. We have work to do.”
Leave it to Bridget to seem so insensitive, but say exactly what I needed to hear. The first small grin in days passed quickly over my lips. Everyone had been treating me like I’d been broken, which convinced me that it might be true. Bridget returned some confidence.
“We hired a doctor and nurse for the castle. They’ll watch after you for a while,” Tina shared. “We cancelled all of Deidra’s visits with potential suitors until you are up to teasing her and meddling like a proper parent.”
“Good, good,” I said, placing my hand over Deidra’s, while winking at her.
“That’s not completely true,” Macy interjected. “I called one of Bruce’s sons and he should be arriving at the castle tomorrow morning to start the selection process.”
The women were surprised by Macy’s announcement, staring at her for a while.
“What?!” she said, attempting to be unconcerned about my condition. We need to start focusing on our future- establishing Danu castle and its rightful heirs.”
The fact that Macy was so hard-core made me happy, once again, that she was on my side. Nodding my head in agreement helped the uncomfortable tension dissipate from the room.
The doctor finally released me from the hospital right before noon. The directions for my aftercare were pretty simple: Plenty of rest, no strenuous activities and come back in a week for a checkup. The pain didn’t seem too bad, but the nurse handed a prescription for pain medicine to Ann.
Slowly, I got out of bed. This act, alone, was a welcomed one. We arrived at the castle with little fanfare. The nurse came out to the car to greet me.
“It’s such an honor to meet you,” she gushed. “Please, let me help you to your room.”
The nurse gently lifted me up out of the car. The strength she possessed did not match her slight build. Something caught my eye, glinting in the sun. The shards of glass from the broken windows upstairs lay all over the ground. The gardener had not been here recently. Looking up, I saw that the windows had been repaired, like nothing had happened. But, everything had happened.
On the way to my room, we passed a full-length mirror in the castle hall. I caught a glimpse of myself. My arms and face were covered with bruises in various stages of healing. My left eye was red and swollen, but my vision unimpaired. It comforted me to know that my outside appearance was a similar depiction of the trauma within.
Once situated in my bed, I begged everyone to stop fussing over me and please go get something to eat. The smells wafting through the castle were a sure bet that lunch had been ready for a while.
“We have a new doctor here and we don’t want him to feel unwelcome, as we all congregate in my room! Go!” I demanded.
“Who said the doctor is a he, Danu? You can be such a chauvinist!” Macy said.
Everyone laughed, except me because it was painful to do so. My ribs must have been bruised in the accident. As everyone filed out of the room to go eat, I grabbed Macy’s wrist before she could leave.
“Did you do what I asked?”
“Soon. Tomorrow it will be done. I’ll explain in the morning. Get your rest.” Macy instructed.
I released her wrist, disappointed that the task had not yet been completed. If Macy kept her promise, I’d prove to Bruce how foolish he’d been and both our daughter and my anger would have a final resting place.
All afternoon, people filed in and out of my room to visit. I sent a message to Bruce, telling him to conserve his energy, so we could see each other at the ball tomorrow. It was being held to honor the arrival of Bruce’s son, Owen, the one that Deidra favored.
After playing a couple hands of gin with Deidra and eating some delicious chicken for dinner, I needed to get some rest. The doctor, who did turn out to be a “she,” came in before bed to encourage me to take some pain medication. She could tell the prospect didn’t appeal to me.
“You know,” she said, “you have a lot of events scheduled tomorrow. Deidra’s first suitor is visiting and I imagine you’ll want to attend the ball. It’d be a shame to miss a minute of it because you didn’t get a good night rest, being in too much pain…my Queen.”
She added “my queen,” with a slight head nod as a sign of respect to help cover the fact that she was bossing me around. She set the pill down on the nightstand, poured water into my glass and took a seat in the overstuffed chair. It would be difficult to sleep without the pill because even though today’s events were fairly tame, pain throbbed at different sites on my body.
Once the pill went into effect, I slept until morning. When I awoke, Macy sat in the overstuffed chair, dressed and ready for the day.
“What time is it?” I asked, sitting up in the bed.
“It’s nine. You missed breakfast, so I brought some grapes and toast up from the kitchen.”
“Thanks.”
“Owen will be here any minute. I can’t stay long. I have a sample of the baby’s blood, but getting anything off of Bruce would raise suspicion. He’s refusing any further treatments or tests for his condition. He says doctors are no longer welcome in his apartment until he calls for them,” Macy explained.
“Isn’t he the little princess,” I decided.
“He’s doing much better. He should be fully-functioning in a month or so,” Macy assured, without the least sign of embarrassment. “I have to go. I’ll have the information you seek before the ball.” Macy left the room, shutting the door behind her.
A dress had been hung up in the corner of my room, which I assumed was for the ball. The fabric shimmered of a beautiful emerald color, with gold laces- a dress fit for a queen.
By the time I completed my shower, clothed myself and put some makeup over my bruises, it was almost 11am. I hobbled down to the dining hall as best I could and waited for lunch to be served. A loud ruckus could be heard coming from the ballroom, so I went to peek inside.
Tables had been arranged around the dance floor with elaborate place settings and décor. Candles on the chandeliers were lit, producing the most glorious glow. Everything looked gorgeous.
The flames flickered and I became hypnotized by their dance, letting myself be carried away to a vision. It had been so long since I had seen my king and heard my name…Scotia. We were dancing in a much smaller ballroom, but it was impossible to describe anything beyond his presence or being held in his arms.
A touch jolted me back. I turned quickly, to see Bruce.
“Are you O.K.?” he asked.
I nodded, confused by his sincerity. He touched the side of my face as he looked upon the bruises and marks, then took his hand away.
“My son is here. He’s a fine lad. Would you like to meet him?”
“Yes, but it can wait until we’re all here for lunch.”
He nodded, smiled and walked back toward the grand hall, at the entrance to the castle. He finds joy in a child he never met, but doesn’t mourn the one he’s lost?
People started milling into the dining hall and greeting one another. The new arrivals to the castle made it feel full. During the meal, I would glance at Bruce’s lover from years ago, trying to figure out, in vain, why she was chosen to carry his child.
How are you feeling, my Queen?” the doctor asked. She sat across from me, during this meal. “Maybe you should try to get some rest before tonight’s festivities.”
“That might be a good idea,” I responded. Deidra sat beside me and I put my arms around her for a hug. Owen sat on the other side of her. “I’m going to rest up so I can properly question the young man about his intentions.” A few people snickered. Deidra wasn’t laughing because she knew that embarrassment was imminent.
“Owen, was your father unable to make it for these couple of days?” I asked, quickly glancing at his true father.
“I’ve never met my biological father,” Owen answered. “My stepdad is the only father I’ve known and he’s a pretty amazing man. He didn’t want to come here because my mom and him recently broke up.” Owen looked heart-broken. “She has a new boyfriend that will be here for the ball and I’m afraid it all makes for a really awkward situation. I hope you don’t hold it against me.”
What a brave young man to ask for forgiveness over things he can’t control.
“Yes, well, your father wasn’t man enough to step up to the plate, so it’s good you had your step dad for as long as you did,” I said.
I looked around the table and Owen’s mom looked horrified, realizing that Owen’s paternity was public knowledge, so I did what I could to calm her fears.
“I’m sorry, Owen. I don’t mean to bring up unfortunate history. You seem like a fine young man and if anyone missed out, it was your father,” I said. “He must have been quite the turd,” I added, under my breath.
I raised my glass, “To the next generation. May they be better than the last.” Everyone raised their glasses and drank their beverage in agreement. “If you all will excuse me, I need to go rest for this evening. Has anyone seen Macy, by the way?”
“She took the car somewhere, right after we spoke outside the ballroom,” Bruce answered.
The doctor and nurse exchanged a glance and got up from their seats to help me to my room. I motioned for them to stay, kissed the top of Deidra’s head and made my way upstairs. Every step could be felt. Pain in my abdomen jabbed at me when lifting my leg to climb each stair.
In the room, the dress seemed to take up every inch of space. I stroked the luxurious material. The style wasn’t that different than the dresses I had seen on historical women in my visions or out in the lake, as the water rose.
Women pressed on every side, but making decisions based on the good of her children…her kingdom…her legacy. Their strength to act was beautiful. Careful consideration all part of the responsibility. This wasn’t a game. Things would be so much easier if that were the case.
I managed to sleep for a couple hours. Macy once again poised in the chair when my eyes opened.
“You’re starting to freak me out,” I said, through a yawn.
She grinned, placing a file folder beside me and sat back down in the chair. I gingerly perched on my side, while opening the folder. The medical report proved that Sample A was a match for Sample B. Both children shared the same paternal DNA.
I looked at Macy, confused.
“I couldn’t get a sample from Bruce,” Macy started. “So, I figured the next best thing was to get one of his sons to come here and get a sample from him. Owen thinks that a blood draw is all part of the process. The new nurse did it for me.”
“Why didn’t you tell me that’s why you called Owen to come in early?”
“Because Ms. Lie-detector, a.k.a. Tina, would have been able to read me like a
book. I really do want to move forward, so that wasn’t a lie when I said that in front of everyone at the hospital.”
“So this proves that my baby and Bruce’s son share the same father?”
Macy nodded.
“Thank you,” I said. I poured over every word of the report, until I practically knew it by heart. During that time, Macy left the room without me noticing.
Baby girl Johnson and specimen Owen are a sibling match on the paternal side. Baby Girl Johnson shows no signs of blood borne disease. Specimen Owen has the markers for hemochromatosis, also known as the Celtic blood curse.
There was a bell placed by my bedside to beckon the doctor or nurse, if needed. They must have been given a room within earshot. I rang it, not expecting much response. Everyone was getting ready for the ball, but the doctor arrived within a minute.
“Hi Doc,” I said. “What is the Celtic blood curse?”
“Well, hemochromatosis is the opposite of being anemic,” she explained. “It means the body builds up too much iron. It’s easily treated, but if it goes undiagnosed, it can cause damage to internal organs.”
“Thanks. Have fun at the ball. I’ll see you there,” I said, trying to rush her out.
She disappeared down the hall.
Uncertain of how long it would take me to get ready, I decided to shower early. When I came out of the shower, Deidra was lying on the bed in a beautiful royal blue gown.
“You are a sight for sore eyes, my stunning daughter!”
“I think I’m in love,” Deidra gushed.
“Oh, please. You’ve known him less than a day and you’re thirteen. You’re too young to be in love.”
Deidra rolled around on the bed until stopping to stare at me with those haunting brown eyes of hers. “He’s perfect. You’ll see. He’s charming, smart, adorable, funny…”
“You have others to meet, Deidra,” I reminded her. “One step at a time.”
Her description sounded incredibly similar to traits that Bruce possessed and I was in no mood to hear those. She got out of bed and inspected my dress.
“This is really pretty. I didn’t even see the gold shimmer until I got closer. It looks green from farther away.” Deidra danced toward me and gave me a painful hug. Totally worth it.