Distance of the Heart

by Agnes H Hagadus

  “It’s nearing one in the morning. You really should be attempting to sleep.” Max stepped back into the shadows. She was still not ready to inform Tabby why she was there. The fact it was most likely horrible news and Tabby seemed to be on the mend, at least physically, was a reason enough to retain what she knew. At least for a little while she needed to keep the information to herself. “I’ll be on guard. No one knows for certain who’s behind the setup…”

  “You don’t have to explain that part to me.” Tabby laid her head back down. She was feeling the effects of the physical separation. “I think…” Before she could say anything more, there were soft snores emanating from the young woman. Max stared at her for several moments before she made her way out of the hospital room.

  Though cellphones were prohibited on the floor, Max knew all she had to do was flash her badge and the nurses and doctors wouldn’t say a thing. Luckily, for now, she didn’t need to call anyone. All she had to do was track the flight. Once again, the information was the same. Emily’s flight from California had left on time. But there had been bad weather. It had been forced to land in Chicago. It had been delayed for only half an hour.

  It was when it was inflight once again that the trouble had begun. There was no progress. It was as if it was stuck over Lake Huron, one of the five Great Lakes surrounding Michigan. Or could it have…? Max didn’t want to think about the possibility. But she knew it could very well have crashed. It was time to make a phone call.

  Before Max could even dial, an alert came in. The FBI Agent braced herself against the wall. It wasn’t simply an ap installed on her phone. There was an investigation being performed. The plane had disappeared just after it had entered Canadian airspace. The Canadians, so far, were claiming they had lost it on radar before it entered their space.

  No matter when it disappeared. No matter who was behind it. This was huge. This was once again two soulmates being placed through hell. Max knew it wasn’t only Tabby that was affected. Nicky might be playing the tough kid and acting as if he didn’t want anything to do with Emily. But Max knew. She had been like him once upon a time when her father had taken a new, young bride, after her mother had left several times and returned.

  It would be a matter of time for Nicky to realize exactly what Emily was. She wasn’t someone who gave her heart away easily. She wasn’t someone who pretended to love someone. She was a good person who would rather do for others before herself. Try telling that to a young person who had been through too much over the past year or two.

  “Can I be of assistance?” Max literally jumped at the familiar voice. Melissa held a basket in her hand. The FBI Agent couldn’t help but chuckle. It wasn’t surprising that the matriarch had gotten past the night shift nurse. It wasn’t surprising she was at the hospital with goodies. And it wasn’t surprising she could read Max like a book. “I know it has something to do with Emily and Tabby, so just spill.”

  Max only hesitated a moment before she told the matriarch everything. The fact Emily’s plane had disappeared. That there was a very real possibility that it had crashed. The fear was of finding no survivors. The biggest problem? That it had taken place on Canadian soil. If it had, there would need to be cooperation between the two governments. How likely was that?

  “Emily really has been hanging around my daughter and daughter-in-law way too much.” Melissa had joined Max in leaning against the wall. “I guess the fruit filled cupcakes won’t necessarily be wanted now.” When she glanced at Max, she knew one thing would be. “But my coffee is always welcomed.” Melissa didn’t hesitate in handing the thermos from inside the basket to her friend.

  The FBI Agent smiled. “I could use this. Especially since I’m the one that has to tell Tabby we basically know nothing.” Max carefully poured herself a cup of coffee. It was a good thing she took it black. “I know I’m supposed to be a professional, but I never had much experience with this kind of thing. I was always undercover. Not much interaction needed when you have to fake who you truly are.”

  “Why don’t you just stay here and make certain we aren’t disturbed?” Melissa didn’t wait for an answer. She knew it was her place to inform Tabby of the news. The matriarch only hesitated a moment before she made her way inside the room. The monitors were softly beeping. There was the slow rise and fall of a chest. “Thank the gods you’ve already proven you’re strong. You’re going to need to prove it once again.”

  “Prove what?” Melissa cursed for having spoken out loud. She had thought she had whispered the words, but obviously had been loud enough to wake the sleeping Tabby. The nurse stretched and blinked her eyes. The smell of coffee caught her attention. “I know I’m supposed to be staying away from the caffeine, but I would give almost anything for a cup of your coffee.”

  Melissa didn’t hesitate. She placed the basket of goodies in the visitor’s chair, knowing soon she wouldn’t have need of it. She would be sitting on the bed next to Tabby, holding her as she cried. The cup was wordlessly poured and handed to Tabby. “This is just what the nurse ordered, if not the doctor.” Tabby sipped the dark brew. “All right. I know something is wrong. I can tell, not by you being here, but by you not saying a word.”

  “You’re right.” Melissa took the coffee from her friend and placed it on the nightstand. She deliberately sat next to Tabby. She took the younger woman’s hands in her own. “I know you’ve probably expected to hear from or see Emily, but there’s been a complication.”

  Those simple words told Tabby what she had feared. There was something wrong. “Please, Mom. I can’t take much more of not knowing. I’d rather know if something happened to her. If something did, I would survive. If only because Nicky needs me to.” The words were barely spoken above a whisper, but they were also spoken with a great deal of conviction. Truer words had never been spoken.

  “You are so much like my Samantha. She wants to know things. Even as a child she would do her own investigations so that she knew what was happening. Sometimes I wish…” Melissa trailed off. This was about Emily and Tabby. This wasn’t about how she wished she had told Sam and the rest of her children about her daughter’s origins sooner. Just one of those many regrets in life.

  “But I’m getting off topic, as I sometimes do.” Melissa didn’t need to say it was because she had been stalling. That she didn’t want to say what she needed to say. She didn’t need to. The look in emerald eyes told her everything. “I was talking to Max. It seems that Emily’s plane has disappeared from radar, no communication. The problem? It happened over Canadian airspace so there needs to be cooperation between the two countries.”

  The tears could not be contained. Tabby was beside herself. She barely felt when Melissa took her into her arms and held her tight. She didn’t hear the comforting words that the matriarch attempted to say. All she could hear was the sound of her heart and soul shattering. For if Emily was gone, her heart and soul would be in a million pieces. And there wouldn’t be anyone who could ever put them back together again.

  Chapter 9

  Her vision was fuzzy. Her head was pounding. And she had no idea where she was. Emily reached for her head, only to flinch when the pain in her arm caused her to release a low moan. As a former nurse, she knew it wasn’t broken. It was probably only deeply bruised. But how? And where was she? Her vision wouldn’t clear, no matter how many times she blinked her eyes.

  It was the telltale sign of a concussion. Emily cautiously sat up. The world was about ready to light up for the day. That was about all she could gather. That and she was alone in a dark alley. When the loud sound of an airplane taking off caused her head to throb even more, she realized she had to be somewhere near the airport. Or was it an airplane? Her head was so fuzzy; she couldn’t be certain of anything.

  It would make sense being near the airport as the last thing Emily remembered was being dropped off at the airport. Rick had wanted to wait for her, at least until she had made it through security. But the sooner her brother had h
eaded out; the sooner he could make it to Middletown. It was selfish, but she had wanted to be reunited with her pink demon.

  Now, Emily was lying in an alley somewhere, all alone. When her eyes finally managed to focus, she realized that she had nothing. Her carryon was missing, as was her laptop and purse. It meant her ways of communication were missing. It meant her way of contacting Tabby was nonexistent. She couldn’t even contact her uncle or anyone else, at least not until she could find a payphone. If they still existed that is.

  Even if Emily found a payphone, would she be able to make a collect call? Was that even possible anymore? The therapist stood, discovering her legs were weak. As she leaned against the cold bricks of the building, she wondered what she was going to do. She didn’t even have money for a taxi to take her to the bus or police station.

  The throbbing in Emily’s arm worsened the moment she stood, but for now she would ignore it. The cold had penetrated her body. The thing she needed most, besides an embrace with her lover, was coffee. Preferably one of those sweet lattes Abby had her addicted to. The woman was addicted to the sweets. Emily had been before, but not like with her best friend. The girl’s nights they used to have as Abby avoided her abusive husband suddenly entered her mind.

  It was like a lifetime or two ago that Abby would escape to her best friend. Emily would make brownies or something just as sweet and dangerous. It was only a night here or there, but it had been enough to comfort the young woman. And it had been enough to help ease the loneliness that had nearly buried the therapist, even though she had always maintained the façade of someone so happy and easy going.

  Emily smiled at the memory. Though both had been suffering, they had seen one another through. It was warm thoughts of her best friend, but even more so of her soulmate, that would see her through. It was the modern times, after all. There had to be a way to make it to Middletown. Surely there would be a stranger who was kind enough to allow her to use their cellphone.

  The only issue with that? Telephone numbers. Emily sighed as she barely remembered her own, let alone any of her friends’. Cautiously, she searched her pockets. Not even the card she had for Rachael was anywhere to be found. Not knowing her location wasn’t helping the ways she could contact home. Maybe even a library could help, at least look up the number for the Walker Bed and Breakfast.

  The throbbing in Emily’s head had eased a little. It was time to at least see if she could discover where in Sacramento she was. The therapist stumbled as she made her way to the end of the alleyway. For an alleyway, it was fairly clean. Was she in the good part of her home city? Nowhere was good as she was too far from her true home.

  The lack of people on the streets informed Emily that it had to be early morning. Added to the fact the sun was just beginning to light up the sky also informed her it was most likely well before work would force people from their homes. Of course in a city the size of Sacramento, there was always something happening. There was always someone out and about. It reminded her of New York City.

  It wasn’t the way it was in Middletown. Sure, there were places like the diner that were open twenty-four hours. But for the most part, Middletown was quiet at night. It was the perfect place to raise a family. It was the perfect place for her to be with the woman she loved and the son she thought she’d never have. Those thoughts were instant motivators.

  Emily made her way onto the street. It was now clear this wasn’t the better part of Sacramento. How she had come to be here was a complete mystery. If she had been attacked at the airport, how had she made it this far? It was a place she hadn’t visited often. But it was a place she recognized. It was a place from her youth. And that could mean the difference between surviving and giving up.

  The car honking startled Emily. It was because she had stumbled too close to the road. The car stopping also startled the therapist. She wrapped her arms around herself, attempting to remember all the defensive moves she had been taught over the years by her uncle and Sam. For some reason, the ones the former detective had taught her stood out in her mind. It didn’t matter, as long as she could defend herself.

  “Little Lady, can I be of assistance?” The man stepped from his car. It was an older car from the eighties. The tinted black windows matched the black paintjob. The gold, wire hubcaps caused Emily to shudder. Or was it the cold? In the past, this car would have screamed gang member or some other illegal activity. Today, it could mean the same.

  Or it could mean he was a collector of vehicles. Emily decided caution was in order. The fact her stomach was beginning to churn, and not from hunger, was causing her to accept the stranger’s help. “I was robbed and I don’t even know where I am. I have no way of contacting my family.” That was enough information.

  “Well, I can take you to the police station if you’d like.” The man remained leaning on the roof of the car. Horns were beginning to honk as traffic was picking up. “By the way, we’re in Roseville.” The tall man with grey hair made his way around the car. He opened the passenger door and held it open for Emily who hesitated.

  They were in Roseville? It was a good thirty miles or so from the airport. How in the hell had Emily made it that far? Had the person who had robbed her had an accomplice? Had the person who had robbed her brought her here? There had been plenty of time to make it from the airport to where she was now and back before her plane was scheduled to depart. “Thank you.”

  Emily nervously settled herself on the passenger seat. Reluctantly, she buckled her seatbelt. After the man settled into the driver’s seat, Emily took a moment to study him. While his hair was longer and his mustache unkempt, he reminded her a little of Melissa’s husband. Jarod had an almost military appearance so the man sitting next to her was like night and day in that regard.

  “My name is Leon Barkley, Ma’am.” Leon held out his hand. Emily glanced at it before hesitantly taking his hand in hers. “I’m a retired security guard. I’m on my way to see my grandson and his wife. Just was told yesterday that I’m going to be a great-grandfather. And before you say it, I’m only sixty-two years young.” The man slowly pulled back into the flow of traffic. “If you’d like, I can drive you to the airport on my way there.” Leon hastily added, “If you are unable to make other arrangements.”

  When Leon’s suggestion was met only with silence, he hesitated at the stop sign. “I’m sorry. That was bold of me. And considering the circumstances, it was ungentlemanly as well. I do apologize. I’ll just head to the nearest police station. You just sit back and relax the best you can in a strange man’s car.” Leon’s pale grey eyes returned to the road as he once again had the vehicle in motion.

  They drove on for several miles. Their surroundings were not familiar at all to the young woman. Emily had always traveled as a youth in limousines. Even when she was out with her friends, she hadn’t traveled this way, though she knew of the city. Why had she thought her surroundings appeared familiar? Was it hope? Fear? She wondered if she could find her way back if the old man turned out to be insincere. Or worse. Could he have something to do with Lena or Anthony?

  The vehicle came to a stop outside of a building marked police station. “Would you mind going in with me?” When a bushy grey eyebrow rose, Emily smiled. She reached out and placed her hand on his arm. “I’m a big girl. I can take care of myself, most of the time. I was…” She swallowed wondering where it was this sudden near need to trust the older man was emanating from. “If I can’t get a hold of anyone or need a ride to the airport…”

  Leon could not help but laugh. “You remind me of my granddaughter.” The older man didn’t hesitate in exiting the car. Before Emily could react, Leon had the door opened for her. He held it open as he made certain his new friend was all right. He had noticed how she was a little unsteady on her feet. It was one of the reasons he had stopped and offered assistance.

  One of the others? Emily didn’t need to know who he really was. Well, one day she could know. But until it was time, it would be better
that she remained in the dark. It was true what he had told her. He had been on his way to visit his grandson. But there was, as always, more to the story than a person revealed, even to their soulmates.

  It didn’t take long for Emily to gain some assistance. She was taken to a room to file a police report. They even fingerprinted her. There was hope that nothing would come of the fingerprinting or that she could explain the situation enough so that they would release her. The luck she and Tabby had been having as of late would mean she would be arrested and detained. Possibly have to wait to be escorted back to Middletown.

  For some reason, her new friend would not leave her side. Leon claimed to be nothing more than a mere security guard. And yet, there was something about him. Emily felt at ease with the man. And she was grateful for his presence. There was something comforting about him. There was something of herself she could see in the man. Suddenly, the fear of not seeing him after she returned to Middletown upset her greatly.

  “We’ve managed to contact the Middletown Police Department.” The officer didn’t even announce his presence. Instead, he slammed the door open and spoke at the very same time. It caused both of them to jump. “It seems your story checks out. Except that there is now a warrant for your arrest because you failed to appear when your lawyer said you would.”

  Emily swallowed. She’d seen enough cop dramas and had been involved enough with Sam and Abby’s lives to know this was not a good thing. That her worst fears could be coming true. “However, it seems you have one powerful attorney. She’s already had the judge rescind the warrant, if you manage to arrive in Middletown by the end of the week. I’ve never heard of such a thing. You rich or something?”

  Rich? Emily managed to retain the laughter that was bubbling inside of her. Was she rich? She chanced a glance at Leon. The man seemed to want to say or do something. She wasn’t certain if she was reading into things or not. “I’m rich, all right.” Before the police officer could say something, Emily continued. “I’m rich with family and friends. As for actual money, I do all right. But money isn’t everything. Love is the key.”