by S. L. Baum
Sam shrugged. “I’ll be there if you change your mind. It’s peaceful, nobody out there.” He turned away from her and followed along the edge of the creek.
Krista yelled after him. “Why is there nobody out here? It’s such a great day to be outside.”
“You’re on Webber land,” he shouted back.
“How big is this property?”
Sam stopped walking and turned around. “Just follow me. I’ll blow a lung screaming at you.
Sam continued his trek, and Krista found herself following the path on the right, which angled down toward him. “So, um, are you going to eat the fish you catch?”
“If I catch one big enough. If I catch one at all. I’m not sure how much they’ll bite this time of year.”
Krista stepped over a small fallen tree. “This time of year?”
“I’ve been here for summers, the occasional Thanksgiving, and most Christmases. But never in October. Up until now, I’ve always been at school in another state at this time of year.”
“This is my first October too,” Krista said with a smile.
“You don’t say.” Sam stopped walking. The slope in the trail had brought them much closer. “You can step down on that rock, grab that tree trunk, and then jump down here,” Sam told her while pointing out the way. “Or you can follow the trail that way a little and it will pop out over by where I fish.”
Krista looked down at the rock and decided she could manage it. “I’ll come down here,” she told him. Getting onto the rock was easy enough, as was leaning forward to grab the tree trunk, but the jump down looked harder than she thought, She sighed when she realized she was in a position of no-turning-back.
“You can do it,” Sam encouraged. “It’s not that far of a jump.”
“Easy for you to say.” Krista bit her bottom lip.
Sam took a few steps toward her and braced himself as he reached up. “Grab my hand and jump.”
“I don’t want to let go of the tree.”
“Don’t be a big baby. Grab my hand!”
“I’m not being a baby.”
“Krista, you can’t go back up at this point. The only way to go is down. So jump,” he ordered. “Or I’ll leave you stuck here and I’ll go fish.”
Her mouth fell open in shock. “You wouldn’t.”
He withdrew his hand and stepped down.
“Samuel Webber, get back here!”
Sam laughed as he reached for her hand again. “One hand. Come on.”
Krista reached toward him and grabbed his fingers.
“Now, push away from the tree with your other hand while you jump down. I’ll keep you steady.”
She pushed, then jumped, and miraculously landed on two feet without issue. “Jeez. Now I just feel stupid.”
“Don’t feel stupid. I was just taunting you to make you pissed enough to try it. I forgot how freaked out I was the first time I jumped it.”
“When was that?” Krista asked.
“Elementary school. Whenever the creek floods, I have to come across the bridge, because those big stones that I crossed over on become submerged. And whenever my mother was with me, she actually preferred to cross on the bridge. I’d jump down right here, while she went on the trail. I’ve climbed everything around here so many times that I just don’t think about it anymore.”
“Thanks for pissing me off.”
Sam smiled. ”I seem to be pretty good at that.”
“You do have a talent for it.”
“Come on.” Sam started walking again. “We’re pretty close now.”
Krista followed Sam as they walked along the side of the creek. She looked ahead and noticed a wider area and then Sam took a sharp turn to their left.
“My great-grandfather, Abe’s father, dug all this out when Abe and Grampa George were little boys.” Sam gestured to the big open area.
“I love it,” Krista told him as she surveyed the private swimming pond that had been built out from the flowing creek.
It was nearly twenty feet by thirty feet, somewhat oval in shape, but more like a rounded rectangle. A wooden platform floated in the middle, tethered to a small wooden dock on the shore with a thick rope. Wildflowers grew around the perimeter, and there was a circular rock formation with tree stumps surrounding it, which she assumed was a fire pit and stools.
“Campfires?” she asked, pointing to the rocks.
“Yeah. Grampa George and Uncle Abe built that when they were teens. They used to bring all their friends out here on summer nights. Apparently, my great-grandfather had to put a stop to that when Grampa George and his best friend at the time had a falling out,” Sam said, using air quotes to emphasize the last two words. “Beer, eighteen-year-old testosterone surges, and two guys fighting over the same girl.”
“Never a good combination.”
“The way Abe tells it, she was playing them against each other.”
“I’ve known a few girls like that. So what happened?” Krista put her hands in front of her and rubbed her palms together.
“You want all the juicy details?” Sam asked as they walked toward the dock. “Abe loves to tell me that story.”
“Of course I want them.”
“Grampa George and his friend Teddy both thought the same girl – Abe can’t remember if her name was Elizabeth or Eliza, so he always ends up calling her E after mixing the name up once or twice. Well, E had accepted both of their invitations to the winter formal at school. That Friday night, they have a group out here… big fire lit, drinking the beer that Teddy stole from his dad’s secret stash, and BS-ing about whatever kids in high school BS-ed about back then. So, at some point, Teddy leans over to give E a kiss. Well, Grampa flips out and tells his friend to get off his girl. Teddy pulls her closer to him and says that she’s his girlfriend. Gramps leans over to knock the beer out of Teddy’s hand and the dumb girl leans toward the fire so she doesn’t get splashed.”
“Toward the fire? Because fire is a much better option than getting a little beer on you!”
“Exactly. Dumb move, right?” Sam said. “So the hem of her dress ends up catching fire, then she starts screaming and runs toward the water. Teddy throws his beer on her dress, trying to put it out, and Grampa George follows them to make sure no one is actually hurt. Words are exchanged, Teddy accuses Gramps of lighting E on fire, Gramps gets clocked in the chin and falls down, Abe jumps in to defend his brother, Teddy ends up falling in the water, but he can’t swim that well, so they end up having to drag him out.”
“Ooh, this is a good story! Girl on fire, boy nearly drowns, a high school party to go down in history.”
When Sam and Krista reached the dock, Sam pulled his shoulder bag over his head, taking it off. He set it down, along with his fishing rod, and then continued with the story. “So, now they are right here and E is comforting Teddy, then her best friend rushes over to see if Grampa George is badly hurt, because his mouth is bleeding, and Abe is yelling at Teddy to get off their property and never come back.”
“How does it end?”
“Teddy and the girl end up together, they moved away right after graduation. Her best friend went to the winter formal with Grampa George instead. Her name was Martha, my Grammy Martha; they got married exactly one year after graduation. And from that night on, Uncle Abe secured his reputation as the protector. He’s still known in this town for lending a hand to help out, wherever he can, and fiercely protecting and taking care of his own.”
Krista sat down on the edge of the dock and watched Sam as he set up his rod, getting it ready to cast a line into the water. “Sounds like a perfect ending.” She pulled off her shoes and socks and dipped her toes into the water. “This really is a great place.”
“Mmmhmm,” Sam agreed.
“Have you ever had people out here for a fire, hanging out in the moonlight, eating S’mores?”
“Just me, my mom, and Abe.”
“This would be the perfect place to push Pete and Opal together.�
�� Krista stared at the fire pit and tried to picture the two of them sitting on one of the stumps, heads bent together in quiet conversation, secret smiles exchanged. “How old is Opal? Do you know?”
“I want to say thirty-two.”
“Pete’s twenty-seven. That’s not so bad.”
Sam swung his rod to the side and then flipped it toward the creek. Krista heard the spin of the reel as the line was released and the hook rocketed toward the surface of the water. “Not bad at all.”
“They should get together. Pete is such a great guy, and Opal is a sweetheart.”
“Just moved in and already playing matchmaker.” Sam shook his head. “There’s something off about you.”
Krista leaned all the way backward, until her head was resting on the dock, her back flat against the surface. She swung her legs back and forth, her toes splashing in the cool water. “There’s something off about you, too. There’s something off about every single one of us. Haven’t you figured that out yet?”
“I suppose you’re right.”
“College boy like you, figuring things out…”
“Alright, alright, I get it.”
Krista smiled and placed her hands on her chest with a sigh. The sun was warm on her face and the breeze danced across her skin. “How long do you stay out here?”
“As long as it takes to catch the big one, or until I get tired.”
She glanced over to where Sam stood and noticed him staring at her. He looked like he was trying to figure something out, like he had something to say. The man simply looked confused.
“I’m not a bad person, Sam. Have you figured that out yet?”
“I suppose I have.”
Chapter Nine
“Did you ask her yet?” Krista poked her finger into Pete’s side.
Pete pushed her hand away. “Ask who, what?”
“Stop doing that. You know who, and you know what.” She poked him again.
“You stop doing that!” Pete took a step to the side, out of her reach. “No. I didn’t.”
“Peter Venkman Jones! Today is Wednesday and we are doing this on Saturday. You call Opal up right now, and you tell her you want her to come with you to our campfire under the stars,” Krista practically sang the last part. “You are supposed to be asking her out. She told you to!”
“You are such a pain in the ass,” Pete whispered as Doctor Baker passed through the waiting area.
“I won’t be, once you ask her,” Krista said with a smile. “You said you were talking to her, so talk about this.”
“I am talking to her,” Pete insisted. “I’ve called her every night since she said that thing at the diner. I’m even calling, not texting, and I never do that; I’m not exactly good on the phone.”
“Using the phone for verbal communication is pretty noteworthy.”
Pete nodded. “It is, especially for me. I’m the king of awkward silent pauses. I’ll ask her tonight. I promise.”
“You’d better. I practically had to twist Sam’s arm behind his back to get him to agree to doing this for you.”
“You did not.”
“Okay. That was a lie, he was all for it. He’s almost nice now. The man hasn’t glared at me once in four whole days. It’s a Christmas miracle.”
Pete entered his notes from the last patient into the computer. “Wrong season, genius.”
“I don’t think there are any Halloween miracles, I skipped ahead to the obvious one.”
“Are you going to the assisted living home with Doc again this Friday?”
Krista nodded her head in response.
“Are you thinking any more about nursing school?”
Krista nodded her head again, even though she wasn’t really.
“Good. You should.”
“Stop trying to change the subject. Promise me again that you are going to ask her tonight?”
“Go away. Alphabetize the stockroom or something. I need to get these notes in the computer and you’re annoying me.”
Krista went back to Pete’s side and poked him in the ribs again. “Answer me.”
“Yes, for the second time, I’ll ask her tonight. Now leave me alone… before I hurt you!” Pete spun Krista around and pushed her away from him, toward the stock room door.
Krista’s mind went into planning mode, trying to decide how to structure the evening so that Pete and Opal would fall madly in love. She was standing near the stockroom, making a mental shopping list, when Doctor Baker approached her.
“Krista, I wonder, are you free this evening?” he asked.
“Why, Doc Baker, I do declare, are you asking me out?” Krista batted her eyelashes.
“Aren’t you the funny one? No, I never fraternize with employees in such an indiscreet way,” he said with a wink. “I’ve promised Ben I’d drop by and check on Marlene tonight, after we close up here. I thought it would be a good time to have you by my side, so they can see you as someone that I trust.”
“That is an excellent idea, and I will absolutely be there,” Krista readily agreed. “Although I must say, I’m somewhat disappointed in your lack of interest in indiscreet fraternization.”
“I’m not one to put my hand in the fire twice,” Doc told her as he walked away.
“There’s a story there,” Krista called out after him.
“One I will take to my grave,” Doc called back.
Krista went into the storage room and emptied the boxes that had arrived the day before. She placed the new supplies on the shelves, and then straightened everything that Pete had nudged out of place since the last time she’d organized the room. She liked things a certain way, and Krista was quite sure that the moment Pete discovered her fondness for keeping things orderly, he went out of his way to nudge everything with his hands as he gathered whatever he needed each day. She sighed as she picked up the bottle of saline that had fallen onto its side, and pushed the rest back into a straight line.
Pete appeared in the doorway. “Room two needs more gauze pads. Doc and I almost depleted the supply when he stitched up that nasty cut on Wilbur McKenzie’s cheek this morning.”
“That kid is one brave ten-year-old. I didn’t hear any screams, or crying… not a single whine came out of that room.”
“Just a few silent tears, but I promised not to tell anyone at school.”
Krista grabbed a stack of gauze pads and a bottle of saline. “Tough kid. I’m going to assume we need more saline in there too.”
“You’re right. We do. And, just so you know, I sent Opal a text about Saturday.”
A huge smile spread across Krista’s face. “What did she say?”
Pete shrugged. “No answer, yet.”
“Let me know when she texts back.”
“Yeah, yeah. I will.”
“You’d better,” Krista insisted before she went to refill the supplies.
Later that evening, after the medical center was closed, Krista drove out to the Richardsons’ house with Doc safely fastened into the passenger seat of her truck. Doctor Baker had called Ben earlier to say that his truck wasn’t starting and he was going to have Krista drive him. They felt the lie was necessary to explain her presence. Once she’d arrived with Doc, the rules of hospitality pretty much guaranteed her admittance into the home.
When Ben opened the door, Doctor Baker offered to have Krista wait in her truck while he came inside. Marlene smiled at them from the couch, where she sat propped up with pillows and covered in blankets, and said that Krista was welcome to come in. They’d accomplished their goal.
“Thanks for coming over, Doc,” Ben said as he closed the door behind them. “The cardiologist in Greenville wants to see her once a week until we have the meds all sorted out, with the right doses of everything. He told her that if she can adjust the way she lives, what she eats, and takes her meds, then this all could possibly be manageable for quite a while. Marlene was feeling poorly today, so I thought if you could see her and reassure her that everything is going w
ell, it would help keep her spirits up.”
“Why do you do that?” Marlene scowled from the couch. “You’re talking about me like I’m not sitting right here!”
Doctor Baker sat down on the coffee table across from her. “He’s a good cardiologist, Marlene. You should listen to him.”
“I am listening to him. The man’s got me on five different medications. I have to watch everything that goes into my mouth, take my blood pressure every day, limit the amount that I drink, keep my weight charted… Do you know any women that want to step on a scale every single day and write down that silly number?”
“You need to keep track of any fluid retention,” Doc reminded her. “You know that. Extra stress on the heart.”
“And I’m supposed to exercise, go for a walk or something, but I’m having trouble getting motivated,” Marlene admitted.
“She just gives me the angry eyes whenever I suggest it,” Ben added.
“I don’t like walking with you right now,” Marlene snapped at him. “All you want to do is talk about my heart. I don’t want to do that. I want a few moments to wander about and notice the flowers, look at a butterfly and marvel at its flight, not talk about food, salt intake, pills, fluid retention, blah, blah, blah,” she sighed. “Sorry, Ben. I don’t mean to be so, well, mean. You’re so good to me, you look out for me, you protect me; I don’t know what I’d do without you. But you have to give me a moment to breathe.”
Ben’s eyes glistened with tears that he refused to let fall. “I don’t know what I’d do without you either, babe. That’s why we need to follow everything the doctor says. He said you have a chance. We need to concentrate on that chance.”
Doc finished taking her blood pressure and then got out his stethoscope. “If the cardiologist said that you are healthy enough to go walking then you need to listen to him. Give this heart a little movement, Marlene.”
“Would you mind if I came over in the mornings to walk with you?” Krista asked her. “I’ve been meaning to get moving in the mornings.”
Marlene shook her head. “I meander. I don’t really walk. You’d be dying to go faster.”
