And Henry’s too.
“Thank you.” Jenny touched the kerchief covering her balding head. “Mabel brought it for me the other day.”
“You’re a class act, Jenny, the most beautiful woman I know, besides my wife, of course.”
Jenny blushed. “Thank you, Dr. Kreake.”
Dr. Kreake smiled and then resumed his medical role. “We are going to terminate your treatments for now Jenny. The X-rays show that the tumour has stopped growing and in fact, is shrinking. We hope we got it in time. In a few days you will begin to feel a lot better and won’t be so tired anymore.”
“Hallelujah, praise the Lord,” said Jenny. “Will my hair start to grow back?”
“It should within a few months.”
Jenny stared into Dr. Kreake’s caring eyes for a long moment.
“I would like to ask you something, Dr. Kreake. Please be honest with me.”
“Of course, Jenny, what is it?”
“What are my chances? Really. Am I going to make it, or is this just a little respite along the way?”
Dr. Kreake looked at Jenny intently. He had told Jenny the truth about the tumour. They had succeeded in arresting it, but it may all have been too late. It was now in the lymphatic system and he wasn’t quite sure if it was spreading to other areas in her body.
“Jenny, I am going to be honest with you. I just don’t know what the prognosis is, as yet.”
“Will I be able to go home, soon?”
“Jenny, I’m afraid you can’t live alone. You will be looked after much better in a care home.”
“But I love my home and all the flowers. I just have to go home.”
“You need a lot of care, Jenny and if the cancer spreads or comes back you will need help. There are a lot of very good nursing homes I can recommend—”
“Oh, doctor, I was so looking forward to going home. What should I do with my home?”
“Have you got family?”
“Yes, I have a son, a daughter-in-law, and a grandson but—”
“But, what? They know you are in the hospital, don’t they?”
Jenny didn’t answer, right away. “No, doctor, I didn’t want to tell them. I was hoping the surgery would correct everything and that I would have been home by now. I didn’t want to worry them.”
“Jenny, they are your family. They have a right to know.”
Jenny’s eyes went downcast as she lowered her head. “My son and I are not on good terms at the present and—”
“Jenny.” Dr. Kreake looked sternly into her eyes. “This is no time for family squabbles. It’s time for all this nonsense to stop. You need their love and support. Do you want me to phone him and explain the situation?”
“Oh no, I will. If, as you say, I will feel better in the next few days I will call him on the weekend. He should be home then. He’s kind of a workaholic like his father.”
“Well, Jenny, if I can help in any way just let me know. And please give the care home serious thought. You can always have someone look after your home for a month or so to see how things go and when you get better, then your home will be there waiting for you.”
“Well, couldn’t I get a nurse to live in with me?”
“Yes, you could do that, but you will get far superior help in the nursing home. And your chances of recovering and getting better are better there. Trust me, Jenny, many have tried to do it on their own. It’s better in the care home. You will meet other people, you’ll be properly looked after and your friends and I can visit you regularly and—”
“Okay, Dr. Kreake, I get the message. I’ll give it some serious thought.”
“I see you love flowers,” he said, nodding his head towards the string of potted plants on her window sill.
“Yes, I love nature, flowers, plants, they are my life and I get so much spiritual sustenance from them. Mabel brought those over when she brought the kerchief.”
“I can tell. Your face brightens just speaking about them.”
Jenny smiled, but the effort took the rest of her energy and she sagged back on the pillow.
“Well, I must really be off and continue my rounds. I will see you, tomorrow. And please, phone that son of yours or else I will.”
Jenny waved him off with an appreciative smile.
She had thought about phoning J.J. for several days now. Even though she often had visitors and spoke with Matilda and Chloe often, her heart missed the family connections. Would she and J.J. ever be able to reconcile? What if she died before they could patch things up?
“Oh, Jenny, don’t think that way. The doctor just told you that the tumour is shrinking, and soon you will be up and around and back home. I won’t need a nursing home. That’s for older people, like my mom.”
Jenny clutched her guardian angel dangling at the end of the chain on her neck. “Oh please, don’t let this be the end. I want so much to live a little longer, long enough to see my daughter and perhaps meet someone to love, to share my life with. Oh guardian angel, my guardian dear, all my life that is what I wanted and somehow, when it is just within my grasp, the doors always seem to close.”
Jenny was nearly asleep when the phone rang. She struggled to reach the phone on the table beside her bed.
“Hello,” said Jenny groggily.
“Hi, Jen, this be Matti. Are you okay to talk for a spell or a minute or two?”
“Hi, Matti, yes, of course I’m fine. I always love it when you call.”
“So tell me the truth, Jen, how you doin’? Are the chemo treatments helping some?”
“Yes, as a matter of fact, the doctor was by this morning and said the tumour has stopped growing and might even be shrinking.”
“Well, let’s be hoping and praying it shrinks to nothing and go back where it came from. Some far dark corner of the universe and not come knocking at our door ever again!”
Jenny smiled. “How are you doing and have you heard from J.J. or Nora lately?”
“No can’t say that I have since last winter. Now that he be married and with his work, he don’t come by this way too often anymore.”
“You mentioned last time we spoke that you were going to tell James that I was in the hospital, I wonder if he told J.J.?”
“That I can’t tell you, Jen. All those two ever talk about is business, business and more business. I think the world could be falling apart and all they would be concerned about is their business! Anyway, Mr. Hamilton didn’t say much when I told him.”
“Well, the doctor advised me to call J.J. and let him know of my condition, you know, just in case.”
“Now don’t you be talking that way, Jenny. You don’t ever want that disease to think for one minute that it has the upper hand, you hear me!?”
Jenny let out a slight chuckle, “I can’t ever see any sickness coming your way, Matti. Any ailment would be shaking in their boots at the front door to your body.”
“Amen, I say to that, Jenny, and that’s just the way I wants you to be. You just claim the promises of the good Lord and declare ‘by Your stripes I am healed.’ And mean it from the bottom of your heart, honey child.”
Jenny chuckled again, “Oh, Matti, whenever you phone I feel uplifted. I truly wish I had the strength of your faith.”
“You have, we all have! We needs to develop a close relationship with Him. So close that we believe and trust Him in everything. I believe that you are going to be healed of this thing or He be hearing from me real quick!”
“So how are Thomas and Ramon?”
“They be fine, it was so nice being back at the estate while Mr. Hamilton was convalescing from his bleeding ulcer. But for some reason or another he hightailed it back to the condo and brought me with him.”
“How is James doing? Is he better? Is he healed?”
“As far as I can tell, he seems to b
e his ole self, working hard as ever. Most days, I be in bed when he comes home. He’s going to work himself to death someday, that’s for sure, Jen.”
“Yes, he was never one for stopping to enjoy what he has, and the estate is so beautiful…”
“That’s right, he be stopping for no man, but one day the Lord be stopping that man and he soon see who be the real Boss! Anyway, Jen, you must be getting tired and I have to fix dinner for the master. So you go right ahead and phone that boy of yours. If he’s worth his salt he’ll come and see you real quick. And if you wants me to come, I can take some time off. Just let me know.”
“Thanks, Matti. I love you.”
“And I love’s you too, honey child.”
As Dr. Kreake had predicted, a week later Jenny felt much better. So much so that she put off calling J.J.. She would rather call him with good news and not bad, and rather he reconcile with her because he wanted to, not because he felt forced to because of her illness. Deep in her heart, though, she knew that would never happen. The chasm was far too deep and wide for J.J. to attempt crossing over.
Thanks to his upbringing at the hands of his father, J.J. had acquired most if not all of his father’s traits and that included his revulsion towards her. Jenny assumed he felt that way only out of loyalty to his father. And, she knew J.J. would always blame her for the failure of the marriage.
Jenny also thought of calling Mrs. Blake, she would be back from holidays now and hopefully could advise her on how to re-unite her and Camilla in a way that wouldn’t interfere with Henry’s family. Perhaps she should wait until next week and make sure the disease was arrested.
The following Monday, Jenny was feeling so good, she planned to ask Dr. Kreake if she could go home and perhaps be treated as an out patient. But when Dr. Kreake walked into her room the look on his face dashed all her hopes of going home.
“Oh, Dr. Kreake, please, not again.”
He came over to her bed and reached for her hand that lay across the book she’d been reading. Jenny’s heart rate skyrocketed and she lay back into the pillow so if she fainted, she wouldn’t have far to fall.
“Jenny, the X-rays taken last evening show another tumour is developing in your chest just below your lungs. We don’t want to start the chemotherapy again so soon, but we are going to try and treat it with minimal radiation and some new drugs that are just coming out.”
“Are you sure?” Jenny asked, tears of hopelessness welled in her eyes.
“Yes, Jenny, I just viewed the plate before I came here.”
“But…but how could it be spreading like this?”
“It’s in your lymphatic system. We are thinking perhaps of operating and removing one of the lymph nodes under your left arm.”
Jenny’s hand fell from Dr. Kreake’s. “Why is this happening to me?”
“Have you called your son, yet?”
“No, I thought I was getting better. I would sooner try and work out our differences when I am well, rather than hold my sickness over him.”
“Jenny, now is not the time to be stoic. If you don’t call him in the next few days, I will.” Dr. Kreake looked at her sternly and then tightened his lips firmly for added measure.
“Aye, aye, sir,” She raised her arm as high as she could – only a few inches – in a mock salute.
Dr. Kreake smiled and winked at her. “Don’t give up hope, Captain. I’ve seen a few miracles in my time.”
Jenny held out her guardian angel by the tip of her fingers. “She’s watching over me.” Jenny tried to smile, but it died within her.
Dr. Kreake bent down and had a closer look. “A pewter angel,” then he read the inscription, “Watch over my beloved.”
“It’s from someone who loved me very much.”
“And, I’m sure he still does.”
Chapter Forty-Eight
Ever since discovering the letter from Jenny, it was all his mind could think of in the days that followed.
“I just have to try and find Jenny!” was Henry’s first thought when he awoke.
If Julean hadn’t vindicated him for having thoughts of his first love and encouraged him to seek Jenny out, Henry would never have allowed himself to contemplate such a thought. Discovering Jenny’s letter had revived too many suppressed feelings: tears, heartaches, yearnings, memories, one after the other rushed back and filled nearly every waking moment of his day, and dreams at night. He just had to find some closure to all this.
It was just not fair to Ivania either. He turned down a dinner date twice last week and Henry knew that she sensed something was wrong and wanted to talk about it. It was the same when Julean came along. He was torn then between Jenny and her, and in the end, she stole his heart.
But could Ivania do the same?
Perhaps if he knew for certain that she was married he could make a decision and let it go.
Henry couldn’t sleep last night. He thought of calling the company Jenny’s dad worked for. He would start there. Henry was so excited he skipped breakfast and went off to work.
When he arrived at the gallery, he went directly to his office and closed the door. Even after all those years, Henry still remembered the name of Mr. Sarsky’s company and the address to which he had sent all the love letters he had written. He picked up the phone and dialed information. Within minutes he had the phone number. Hopefully, since the company still existed, the Sarsky’s did too.
“Mackurcher and Company, this is Diane. How may I direct your call?”
“Good morning, this is Henry Pederson from Regina, Saskatchewan calling. I am trying to locate a Mr. Ted Sarsky. I understand he is, or was with your company.”
“I’m sorry, sir, there is no one by that name here. You must have the wrong company.”
“No, I’m certain this is the right company and at one time, anyway, he was the president.”
“I’m sorry, sir,” Diane said, “I am not familiar with the name. I’ve only been with the company for less than two years, I will transfer you to the personnel department, and perhaps they can help you there.”
“Thank you.”
“Personnel,” answered a terse male voice.
Once again, Henry introduced himself and asked about Mr. Sarsky only to get the same reply.
“I’m sorry, Mr. Pederson, there is no one here by that name. I have been with the company for over fifteen years and I have never heard that name.”
“But this goes back perhaps 25 years or so ago.”
“Well, let me check the computer files, and see if that name comes up.”
A keyboard clacked in the background.
“Oh, you’re right, Mr. Pederson, there was a Mr. Sarsky here in the fifties and he was the president. I don’t know the history of the company that well, do I?” the personnel officer said, with a nervous chuckle.
“It also indicates here, Mr. Pederson that he had passed away in 1961.”
“I see. Do you have a forwarding address or phone number?”
“Yes, but we are not allowed to give out information like that unless it’s in writing and can show just cause. In any case, I’m certain it would have changed by now if that’s any consolation to you.”
“Well, it’s really not Mr. Sarsky I was looking for, but his daughter. Oh well, thank you for your trouble.”
“You’re welcome, sir. I hope you find her.”
Just as Henry was about to hang up, “Sir, Mr. Pederson, are you still there?”
“Yes, I am, I was just thinking about who else I could possibly phone.”
“Yes, I might just have a lead for you.”
Henry’s heart skipped a beat and he sat up in his office chair, the receiver pressed tightly to his ears. “Please go on.”
“Well, two days ago, a Ms. Elaine McIntyre called about her pension plan. She worked for the company for thirty
-eight years. She was employed as the secretary to the president. And, let me see, now…by God, she was Mr. Sarsky’s secretary. What a coincidence!”
Henry didn’t consider it a coincidence. This entire matter had an undercurrent of the supernatural – he was certain of it.
“May I please have her phone number?”
“Oh my, I’m sorry, I got you all excited and now I realize we are not allowed to give out employees’ phone numbers, either. Perhaps, give me your phone number and I will call Ms. McIntyre and tell her you called and that you are trying to locate Mr. Sarsky’s daughter, if she is still around of course. I will leave it up to her to decide if she wants to call you or not.”
“That’s fine.” Henry gave his office number. “Please ask her to call. Tell her it is very important to me.”
“I will do that, Mr. Pederson.”
Once again, Henry’s destiny was in the hand of another. He could only hope his heart’s desire would be realized. He picked it up again and dialed the Ottawa telephone information. He asked for a listing for Ms. Elaine McIntyre, but was told they had no listing.
Once again, Henry hung up the phone and sat back in his chair. “All I can do now, is wait. Hopefully, she will call.”
Henry’s disappointment dampened his excitement and finally turned into nervousness. He got up and paced the floor, hoping to settle himself down. There were cheques to sign and letters to write, but he was too agitated to concentrate on office work. The thought occurred to him to call Father Engelmann; talking to him had always calmed him down. Henry was surprised that he hadn’t already called him to let him know of his discovery of Jenny’s letter.
Henry told his secretary that he was expecting an important call and to interrupt and let him know should he be on the phone. Henry called Father’s number.
“St. Mary’s rectory, Father David speaking.”
“Oh, good, I’m glad you answered,” Henry blurted out, his voice filled with excitement.
“What is it, Henry?”
“Father, you will never believe what I discovered at Mom’s place?”
“What did you find, Henry?”
The Angelic Occurrence Page 45
