Ready or Not (Aggie's Inheritance)

by Havig, Chautona

  Iris found an old battered trunk. The cloth was torn in places, but it was sturdy. “What about this for your bedside table? You could put a lamp on it and an alarm clock.”

  Aggie readily agreed and pushed the trunk toward the door. Behind the trunk, she found a piano stool lying on its side. “Oh, look! This might work for a desk if I find one.”

  “Hey, Aggie, look at this!” Tina carefully folded a dusty sheet away from what looked like a bed frame. As the dust cleared, the women saw a beautiful antique wrought iron bed frame, headboard, and footboard with verdigris antiquing.

  “Oh, wow! I love it, but how are we going to get this out of here?” Aggie was frustrated. When she got excited about a project, she didn’t like to have to stop. Unfortunately, she knew that there was no way the four women could move all the heavy pieces downstairs.

  Libby Sullivan smiled. “I’ll go get Luke. He’ll know how to take it apart.”

  “Have him call and see if William has a moment to come help.” Aggie found different things here and there that she wanted in different rooms of the house. The attic was full of amazing treasures and boat loads of junk. Finding what she wanted wasn’t quick or easy, but it was a lot of fun.

  “Aggie, look at this neat desk! I thought it was a bookshelf, but it’s a desk! Look at the front of it!”

  The women moved the old bicycles and the dress form that blocked the way to the desk and turned the filthy piece of furniture around for a better look. The desk was beautiful in its simplicity.

  “Wow. I think it’s perfect!” Aggie was excited.

  Libby Sullivan spoke from the doorway. “I think that’s a Hitchcock. The color is wrong… and I think they always had stenciling or decals or something, but the style looks just like my mother’s.”

  Aggie looked carefully at the back and sides. Pulling out the drawer, she saw the stain inside was much darker than the exterior. “Look… do you think it was refinished?”

  Libby looked carefully before nodding. “Yep. It’s a shame, I think these can be quite valuable, but honestly, and you didn’t hear this from me, I think it’s nicer without the pictures on it. It’s beautiful.”

  Aggie heard William’s voice downstairs and called for him to come see what they wanted. As she led him to the bed and showed him the desk across the room, William stiffened and grew and visibly nervous the closer she got to the bed. Aggie didn’t notice, but Tina and Libby grew concerned.

  William shouted a warning, as Aggie reached to pull the bedstead away from the wall. “Aggie, watch--”

  She yelped. William’s shout startled her, and she stumbled into one of the studs in the wall. A wave of pain washed over her as she saw a nail embedded in her upper arm. She wrenched free, the blood pooling against the surface of her skin.

  The blood covered nail appeared to be holding something on the other side. Despite her pain, Aggie was curious. She reached for what appeared to be fabric of some kind, but the pressure ripped the pieces, and they fell to a heap on the floor.

  “Aggie! Let me see your arm.” Panic filled William’s voice, and when he saw the large bubble of blood, he practically pushed her out of the room and down the stairs. Despite her protests, he insisted that she climb into his car. In the attic, the women heard a siren wailing as he tore out of the driveway, unaware that he left several terrified children gawking after him.

  “What was that all about?” Tina spoke first. The other ladies shrugged.

  “It was almost like he knew where the nail was, wasn’t it?” Iris was thoughtful. “Not to mention, he sort of overreacted with that siren, don’t you think?”

  The deflated retreated from the attic, its treasures forgotten. Downstairs, they made lunch for the children, reassured them that Aggie would be fine, and dreamed up more ideas for the other rooms. Tina hardly participated in the discussions; her mind was occupied with all the things Aggie had shared about William and his reactions to her home. She wanted to get the other women’s input but realized it wasn’t her story to share.

  * * *

  Aggie was frightened but not because of her arm. The pain was almost gone, and there was very little blood, but William was completely distraught, and it unnerved her. She didn’t understand what was wrong, and he wasn’t talking.

  At the clinic, he escorted her inside, and his mere presence seemed to command immediate attention. As Dr. Schuler inspected the wound, he gave William an odd look. Pulling William outside the examination cubicle, Aggie heard the doctor questioning her friend. “William. Pull it together. What’s with you? This is a simple puncture.” The doctor’s voice trailed off, and Aggie heard sobs. Surely, they couldn’t be William’s!

  “William, come into my office; she’ll be fine. I’ll get Linda to give her a tetanus shot, just in case.”

  Aggie fired off one p-mail after another, in rapid succession. She didn’t notice the pinch of the needle as Linda gave her a long overdue tetanus shot. She also didn’t notice the sting of the cleanser used to clean her wound. The only thing on Aggie’s mind was the obvious pain William felt and how she could help.

  Sooner than she expected, William returned to the cubicle, led her out the door, and to his cruiser. Dr. Schuler followed them outside and hollered after William about paperwork, but William waved him off and drove toward town. At the park, William pulled over and parked under a large shady tree.

  “I watched you all here one Sunday. Did you know that?” William’s tone was broken and weak.

  Aggie shook her head. “William, what’s wrong?”

  He sighed and hung his arms over the steering wheel. She recognized the sigh as the same one she’d heard after one too many 9-1-1 calls and the episode with Tavish and the stair cupboard. Absently, she rubbed her thumb over a scratch on her hand. They sat in complete silence for quite a while before William looked over at her. “Are you ok?” His voice was ragged-- husky with pain she didn’t understand.

  Aggie nodded. “Are you? What’s going on, William?”

  “Aggie, I don’t know how to tell you about it. I will sometime; I will. But, you triggered a memory today, and I wasn’t prepared for what it would do to me.”

  Aggie started to reply, but William shook his head. “Aggie, I know I owe you an explanation, not to mention an apology.” He shook his head as she began to protest. “No, I do. But please, can you give me time until I’m ready to explain? I will soon, but I want to talk to the Vaughns first.”

  He sounded as though he was pleading with her. Unable to refuse, Aggie nodded. She wanted to talk, ask questions, but a heavy wave of exhaustion crashed over her unexpectedly. Between the adrenaline rush and the emotional upheaval, Aggie suddenly needed a nap.

  * * *

  “What happened? Why is she unconscious?” Tina’s panicked voice grew louder as she saw William’s unsuccessful attempts to rouse Aggie.

  Lifting her, as difficult as it was to extract her from the car, William grunted, “I don’t know. She got drowsier and drowsier as we drove home. I think she’s just exhausted from the whole ordeal. She should be fine after a nap.”

  William carried Aggie upstairs and carefully laid her on her bed. Luke and Mark Landry, working in Aggie’s bathroom, put down their tools and silently agreed to work on it later. As Luke left the room, he glanced at sleeping Aggie. William had laid her on the bed and rushed away, but Luke was concerned. He looked at her arm and wondered why she was so exhausted from a simple nail puncture.

  When Luke arrived downstairs, Tina was still questioning William about Aggie’s condition. William started over for the third time, telling exactly what had happened. “I think Linda gave her a tetanus shot while we were talking, and then--”

  “That’s it.” Tina’s voice was flat. She took note of the time on her watch and thanked him for taking Aggie to the doctor. Then, as if nothing happened, she turned and asked Iris about window treatments for the library.

  “What! That’s it? What’s it?” William vocalized Luke’s thoughts.


  Without looking over her shoulder, Tina explained. “It’s this thing with Aggie. She’s had at least two tetanus shots since I’ve known her, and both times, it put her to sleep for a few days. It’s some kind of unusual reaction, from what I understand, and it seems to start earlier and last longer each time. The doctors have some other protocol for punctures for her. I bet she forgot.”

  Tina was quite matter of fact about it, but William looked worried. Luke watched Tina’s expression and visibly relaxed, as she appeared to be unconcerned. William, on the other hand, still bothered by something, left without another word, and strode across the lawn to Murphy’s house. There was still something not quite right with the situation, but Luke didn’t know what it was or if it was any of his business.

  * * *

  “Aggie, come on. Wake up, Mibs.” Luke’s voice was gentle but firm. Tina and the children were off at the park, but he’d stayed behind to work on the bathroom. He’d been reticent to work on it, but after Tina banged two cooking pans together next to her head without a stir on her part, he’d agreed the noise probably wouldn’t bother her, and the finished bathroom would be a nice surprise when she was conscious again.

  “Aggie,” Luke shook her again. According to Tina, after the last shot, the doctors had suggested trying to wake her every few hours for a little water, but if he couldn’t get her to wake up, how was he supposed to get her to drink?

  The house was silent. Everyone was gone, and Luke was frustrated. He felt helpless, alone in the house with an unconscious Aggie. How was he supposed to know if she was getting worse? Luke tried again. “Come on, Mibs, you gotta wake up. Just open your eyes, say howdy, and I’ll let you sleep.”

  Aggie stirred but didn’t open her eyes. Luke disappeared down the hallway and returned with a cold wet washcloth. Rubbing it on the back of her neck, Luke then held her up in a sitting position and began wiping her face. She moaned, and her eyes struggled to open. Luke saw slits of iris as she tried to speak.

  “Wh-- what’s going on?” Aggie’s speech was groggy and slightly slurred. She sounded drunk.

  “Tina said to make you wake up now and then. You scared me for a minute; I couldn’t wake you.”

  Aggie’s eyelids drooped, but willpower forced them open again. “Why am I so tired?”

  “Tina said it was the tetanus shot.” Luke watched her reaction.

  “They gave me a shot? I don’t remember that. They shouldn’t have done that. Tetanus shots make me sleepy.” Aggie tried to focus on Luke’s face but was too tired. “I gotta lie down again.”

  “Take a drink of water first.” He thrust the water at her and nodded with satisfaction as she swallowed a few sips.

  “Nice water. Thanks.”

  Luke chuckled and settled her against the pillows again. He noticed her shoes were still on her feet and removed them, setting them at the foot of the bed. A storm was coming, and a cool breeze blew through the open window. He hated to close it, but Aggie shivered in her sleep. Feeling quite pleased with himself, he grabbed the corner of her comforter and pulled it over her. Luke smiled. Aggie looked like a small child with her hands tucked under her cheek and her hair spilling over the pillow.

  Aggie says: Hey, Iris… you there?

  Landry’s Lady says: Yep, how are you feeling?

  Aggie says: Awake. Weird, huh.

  Landry’s Lady says: Well, I’ve never heard of someone getting sleepy from a shot!

  Aggie says: I do. Sigh. Sorry I ruined our lunch…

  Landry’s Lady says: It’s not like you jabbed yourself to get out of it deliberately, you know.

  Aggie says: Yeah, wasn’t that whole thing, well, a bit odd?

  Landry’s Lady says: It was VERY odd. I am not exactly sure what happened, but something wasn’t right.

  Aggie says: William said he’d explain later.

  Landry’s Lady says: Hmm… Regardless, you’ve got some amazing things in that attic. We found a chifforobe behind the bedstead. It’s really cute. Tina thinks you’ll want it for the girls’ room. It’s very distressed, almost like an original shabby chic piece, but it looks cute!

  Aggie says: OOOOOOHhhhhhh I love the sound of it. The twins don’t have enough drawer space, and there’s that spot on the wall by the door… Well, unless it’s too big.

  Landry’s Lady says: Ask Tina. She’ll know. So, what’s this I hear about a housewarming?

  Aggie says: I don’t know! What IS this you’ve heard about a house warming?

  Landry’s Lady says: Oops, I hope I haven’t ruined a surprise!

  Aggie says: I doubt it. They probably haven’t mentioned it due to some misapprehension that I’ll fall apart from the stress of my most terrible ordeal.

  Landry’s Lady says: Giggle. You were funny. William carried you upstairs, and you should have seen Tina’s expression.

  Aggie says: Do tell. He really carried me up there?

  Landry’s Lady says: Yep. It was like out of an old movie. Tina looked like she would swoon.

  Aggie says: Sounds like she needed hoop skirts and smelling salts!

  Landry’s Lady says: LOL. Well, according to reliable sources, next Saturday is your house warming. Should I put bugs in some ears that they should give you another week or two?

  Aggie says: Nah. I can’t wait to show off the house. The guys have done such a GOOD job! Who’ll be there?

  Landry’s Lady says: Sounds like your old and new churches are coming, and of course, your neighbors, and Libby and her son.

  Aggie says: Sounds good.

  Landry’s Lady says: Well… I really appreciate you inviting me over. It was definitely the most exciting lunch date I’ve ever been to!

  Aggie says: You have to get a life Iris…

  Landry’s Lady says: LOL. I just keep my excitement for after dinner. Too much to do during the day.

  Aggie says: Well, I’m going to go play Monopoly with the kids. They’ve been asking all day. I’ll see you Saturday, I guess.

  Landry’s Lady says: Have fun. Don’t land on Boardwalk!

  Aggie says: I’m gonna OWN Boardwalk. Just watch me.

  Landry’s Lady says: I prefer the greens… they always get hit… those and the oranges.

  Aggie says: I’ll strive for at least one of those! See you Saturday

  Landry’s Lady says: Saturday it is!

  Aggie says: Bye!

  Landry’s Lady says: Bye, Aggie.

  Chapter 24

  The Home Stretch

  Saturday, July 27th

  For the first time in a long time, Aggie awoke after a full night’s sleep, completely refreshed, and without the aid of an alarm clock or a child posing as one. The recent rains had cooled the temperature, as she’d slept through her reaction, but now the heat combined with the increased moisture meant long, hot, muggy days. Feeling sinfully decadent, Aggie lay in bed and considered her wardrobe options. As much as she wanted to wear her tiered gauze skirt and coordinating blouse for comfort’s sake, they were tackling the living room, and that meant sturdy clothes. She was thoroughly sick of her faded, ugly, old clothes.

  On a brighter note, Tina’s help would mean they finished the room that much quicker. She tugged on an old cargo skirt and a faded Rockland Warriors t-shirt, pulled her hair into a ponytail, and tied tennis shoes onto her feet. Oh, how she wanted to wear flip-flops, sandals, or go barefooted and free. However, the last thing she needed right now was another nail puncture.

  The house was too quiet for comfort. No children’s squeals of pain, delight, or impishness filled the air; there were no hammer or drill sounds. She didn’t even hear the clackety-clack and squish of the paint roller. The dishwasher, however, hummed merrily as if to announce that something was doing its job, even if she wasn’t.

  “Come out; come out, wherever you are!”

  Luke’s head peeked around the corner of the downstairs bathroom and he grinned. “Mornin’, Mibs. I was just taking some measurements.”

  “Where are the children? Whe
re’s Tina?”

  “She took them to town for breakfast.”

  Aggie didn’t bother to comment. “Want some coffee?”

  Taking Luke’s nod as a yes, Aggie went into the kitchen to make her morning cup of coffee. She poured a cup for Luke from the little coffee pot that was set on a timer each night and then scooped French Vanilla coffee mix into her cup. The process took a fraction of the time it once had, and as she stood stirring her cup, Aggie realized that the difference was a clean, orderly kitchen with enough room for everything she needed. Her hands slid over the cool, stone countertops, and her heart swelled as she marveled, once again, that they were hers. One finger traced the pattern in the wood around a drawer front, as she stood there lost in thought.

  “You ok, Aggie?”

  She nodded, blinking back tears. “It’s--” Well, talking wasn’t going to work. Aggie felt ridiculous standing in her kitchen almost crying over how wonderful it was.

  “You don’t look ok. Is something wrong?” She shook her head. “Are you still tired? You could rest on the couch if--”

  “I’m fine.” Her words were punctuated with two tears splashing on the countertop.

  “Tears usually don’t equal fine.” He took her cup, grabbed his, and nudged her toward the living room. “Let’s get you out of here.”

  Hands gripping the countertop, Aggie refused to budge. “I don’t want out of here.”

  “Ok, you don’t want to leave. What do you want?”

  With a quick brush to erase the tears, Aggie looked up at him. “To say thank you again. I love this kitchen. I love coming in here and trying to make something edible. Even if I fail, it isn’t a chore to clean it up like it used to be. I like cleaning the cabinet faces and feeling the different designs you put into them.” She swallowed hard as her voice broke again. “I still can’t believe it’s mine sometimes.”

  After a minute or two, Luke put down his half-empty coffee cup and leaned across the island to meet her eyes. “That is one of the, if not the best thing anyone has ever said to me. I’m glad you like it, Aggie. I w--” He cut himself off and paused for a moment. “Now, let’s see if we can do the same for that bathroom.”