Serenity

by Dixie Land

  “It turned out great, and between the three of us we ate every bit of it,” she said chuckling. “It was a good cut of meat, and I let it cook a long time. Caroline told me that was the secret, and she was right.”

  “Good,” he said, “I knew you’d do fine. I enjoyed our movie on Saturday, maybe we can do it again soon. I won’t keep you any longer.” He hung up.

  It pleased Maggie that Ross had asked to speak to her. Later in the week, he phoned again to see if she could meet him for lunch at the sandwich shop. She was able to get way for thirty minutes, and Carl put a rush on their order. The next evening he called her at her apartment. They chatted for thirty minutes.

  …

  On Sundays, Maggie customarily drove to church with Caroline and Charlie. They met Lil there, and the foursome sat together. It was quite obvious to everyone that both Caroline and Lil were becoming very fond of Maggie. They had taken the thirdrow, right-front pew when they first began sitting together. From that week on, no matter what time they arrived, the pew was empty and waiting for them.

  Maggie loved Reverend Townlee’s preaching, and the folksy way he had of coaxing his congregation to participate in his sermons. Last Sunday, just before the choir sang the opening hymn, Ross had come in the side door from the parking lot and had joined them in their pew. Afterward, they’d all gone back to Lil’s for brunch.

  Maggie was enjoying all of her newfound friendships. In a short span of time these wonderful people had made her feel a welcome part of this little community. And she loved her job at the clinic. Through it, and the church, she had become acquainted with a large percentage of the population of Serenity. Many were becoming like extended family to her. Often, she found herself thinking and worrying over them even after she went home from the clinic.

  Doc and Kathryn were wonderful to work with. Shortly after Maggie had confided in Doc, he had asked her permission to tell Kathryn their secret. He assured Maggie that it would go no further until she was ready to tell the news herself. Maggie suspected that he wanted Kathryn to keep an eye on her and not let her overdo. He also didn’t want Maggie exposed to certain illnesses, and if his wife knew Maggie’s condition, Kathryn would make sure she was the one to handle those cases.

  Today had been a particularly hectic Thursday. Maggie hadn’t had a moment to catch her breath. She’d even been forced to drink her morning carton of milk on the run between examining rooms. The last couple of weeks they hadn’t been able to close down over the lunch hour, as it seemed everyone in town had an ailment of some sort. They all had staggered their lunches and had eaten on the run, so that they could see patients straight through until closing. At 1:30 P.M. Maggie felt a tap on her shoulder as she drew up a syringe of flu vaccine. She turned to look up into Ross’s blue eyes.

  “I brought you chicken salad on whole wheat and fresh fruit,” he said. “Can you manage a few minutes to sit down and eat with me?”

  “Have I ever told how really terrific you are?” she asked with a grin. When she looked at him she noticed his face had flushed. She added, “I’ll be with you as soon as I give this injection. And let me guess; I bet you brought a double bacon cheeseburger with fries for yourself.”

  “Uh, oh,” he laughed, “I can see I’m becoming way too predictable. I’ll wait for you in the break room.”

  “Well, you did surprise me by coming, so don’t be too hard on yourself,” she assured him. She disappeared into examining room two.

  Both Maggie and Ross seemed completely oblivious to the raised eyebrows and knowing smiles that were exchanged among Doc, Kathryn and Mildred.

  Lunch had been unexpected, and she enjoyed the food as well as the company. She couldn’t help but reflect on how very comforting it felt to have a friend with whom you felt so at ease, someone who shared so many of your viewpoints and values. Frequently during her days, she found herself wanting to share with Ross some piece of news she had learned or something that struck her as humorous.

  At close to six o’clock that evening, Doc was with his last patient of the day. “You go on home, young lady,” he said to Maggie when she stepped into the room to assist him. “Kathryn and I’ll finish up here today.”

  “Thanks, Doc. Room three has been cleaned, and it’s all set for tomorrow.”

  “See you then. Goodnight, Maggie.”

  She had promised Lil she’d stop by to visit and eat a hamburger with her this evening. Lil had laughingly promised her that it truly would be just the two of them, that they were “ripe for some girl talk.”

  Maggie knew she couldn’t keep putting off sharing the fact that she was pregnant with her friends. Though she wasn’t showing any outward signs, she had gained several pounds evenly distributed over her tall, slender frame. And for her tummy, it was only a matter of time now. Maggie had decided that tonight she’d tell Lil after they caught up on the news of the day. When she left there, she’d stop by to tell Caroline and Charlie before going up to her apartment. She didn’t want anyone to feel slighted, so she’d make a point to tell all three friends on the same evening.

  Then, there was the matter of Ross. What would he think of her when he found out? Would he lose respect for her? Would he still want to be her friend? She certainly hoped so. She’d really miss him if he were no longer a part of her life.

  …

  Lil had the burgers in the skillet ready to turn on, when Maggie arrived. There was a large bowl of tossed salad on the table, and the fresh apple pie on the counter smelled so good it literally made Maggie’s mouth water.

  “It’s great not to have to go home and cook. I like being pampered.”

  Lil chuckled, “Have I told you how nice it is to have someone to fuss over? I never did like eating alone.”

  Maggie stepped to the silverware drawer and got out service for each of them. She took two plates and salad bowls out of the cupboard and put them on the kitchen table.

  “Ross stopped by the clinic with lunch, today,” she told Lil as she folded two paper napkins and placed one under each fork.

  “I know,” Lil replied. “I heard him call his order in to Carl, and I figured that’s where he was headed. Your name pops into his conversation pretty much every day now. It’s Maggie says this, or Maggie thinks that. I’d say you two are becoming pretty good friends.” Lil turned to face Maggie. “It must agree with you too, ‘cause you’ve taken on a glow about you of late.”

  Maggie didn’t miss a beat. “We’re friends, Lil. Only that.” She immediately changed the subject. “We sure have been busy at the clinic the last few weeks. I think everyone in town has been in sometime during the past month. Prescription receipts must be hitting an all time high down at the drugstore.”

  Lil let it drop. They had finished eating and were clearing the table when the doorbell rang. Lil looked puzzled. Wiping her hands on her apron, she went to answer it.

  “I swear I didn’t invite anyone over, Maggie. I don’t know who would be coming here at this time of night.”

  Maggie leaned against the kitchen doorframe as Lil unlatched the front door and pulled it open. The man standing there was of average height, perhaps six feet tall. Maggie thought the stranger relatively good looking. He had a trim build, sun-tanned complexion and light-brown hair.

  “Can I help you?” Lil asked looking up at the young man.

  “Don’t you know me?” he asked.

  “Should I?”

  “Aunt Lil, it’s me!” The man looked down at her and flashed a smile. “I’m your nephew Kevin! Kevin Williams.”

  ChapterTen

  il drew in her breath, “Good Lord, have mercy!” she exclaimed. “It really is you, isn’t it?”

  Lil took a step forward and pulled him to her patting

  his broad shoulders with both of her hands. After a moment, she stepped back still holding his arms.

  “Let me have a look at you, young man. Hasn’t a day gone by since you left, that I didn’t ask the good Lord to keep you safe and bring you back to m
e in His time.”

  “Aunt Lil, you don’t know how many times I’ve thought about you and wanted to call. I should have let you know that I was fine. But, somehow…”

  Maggie stepped into the living room.

  “Lil, it’s late. You two have lots of catching up to do. I need to leave. I’ll call you tomorrow.”

  “No, Maggie. Please stay for a while. I want you to meet Kevin. I’ll put on a pot of green tea.” Without waiting for Maggie’s answer, she turned to Kevin. “Have you eaten dinner, son?” she asked, already heading for the kitchen.

  “I have, Aunt Lil, but hot tea sounds good. I remember how you always loved it.”

  “Well, you can’t say no to my apple Pie, Kev,” she told him as she reached up and took a plate from the cupboard for him. “Kevin, this is my good friend Maggie Thornton. She’s a nurse for Doc down at the clinic.”

  “I remember Doc,” he said, extending his hand to Maggie. “Hello, Maggie, I’m happy to meet you.” He continued to hold her hand. “I think I feel a fever coming on.” He smiled as he looked into her eyes. “And you’re right, Aunt Lil. I can’t say no to a piece of your apple pie,” he said, his eyes still fixed on Maggie.

  “It’s nice to meet you, Kevin.” Maggie felt her face flush as she drew her hand back. Oh spare me that old line. She felt an instant mistrust of him. Something about his eyes, and the way he looked at her, made Maggie feel very uncomfortable. She really wanted to leave but, for Lil’s sake, she took a seat at the table once again.

  “Just for a few minutes. It really is getting late.”

  Kevin joined Maggie at the kitchen table. Lil served his pie and poured their tea, then sat down.

  “Now, Kevin, I want to know everything about you since you left here. Are you married? Do you have a family? My goodness, son, you must be what now, close to thirty?”

  “No. No. And yes,” he replied before popping a big bite of pie into his mouth. “Mmmm, even better than I remembered, Aunt Lil.”

  She flashed him a toothy grin. “There’s another piece right over there with your name on it when that one’s gone, Kev. Now, tell me what you’ve been up to.”

  “I guess the best place to start, is why I left.” He leaned back in his chair and put his fork down before continuing. “I could see how tough it was on you around here with Uncle Henry’s drinking, and the constant arguing. I seemed to be a lot of Uncle Henry’s problem, so I decided to remove myself from the scene. I thought if I left, maybe it would make things a little easier on you.”

  “But Kevin, I worried about you so. We had the police and the SBI out lookin’ for you and still no trace,” she shook her head.

  “I know. But I was such a kid and desperate to get away from Henry. I hitched a ride with a trucker as far as Richmond.”

  “Oh, Kev,” Lil exclaimed, “you coudda’ been killed.”

  “I know, Aunt Lil. But I wasn’t. He was a really nice fellow, had three kids of his own. When he left me at a gas station in Richmond, I met a family who was on their way to Williamsburg. They took me with them. I got a job there, at Busch Gardens.

  “That was the best thing that ever happened to me, because, I met this really nice kid, Grant, who was working there for the summer. We became good friends and he took me home with him to meet his family. When I told them I had lost my mom and was on my own, they insisted I move in with them. They sort of adopted me, figuratively, not legally. His parents were great; they treated me like one of their own. Grant’s dad was an attorney, Brad Warren, the senior partner in Warren, Kent, and Crosley. When it came time for Grant to go to College, his father enrolled me too. We both went to William and Mary. Then he sent me to law school at Duke and Grant finished up at MIT. He’s a genetic engineer now. And, I’m a tax attorney with a big law firm in Raleigh. We have a lot of clients in the Research Triangle as well as other parts of North Carolina and Virginia.”

  Lil smiled and shook her head. “I can’t get over it, Kev. You bein’ all grown up and a big city attorney to boot. I should guess that was one lucky stop you made, and I sure would like to meet them Warrens and tell ’em thanks for being so good to you.” She reached across the table and took his hand.

  “You can, Aunt Lil. I’ll take you up to meet them next time I go for a visit.”

  “I’d like that, Kev. I really would.” Lil beamed at him.

  “Anyhow,” Kevin went on, “Jes Stanton, the editor of your newspaper, brought his family up to Busch Gardens that summer. We ran into each other. After that, we were in touch from time to time. He’s a good man, and I knew he’d hold what I told him in confidence. I knew when Henry died. I also knew you were doing fine. I know I should have come back before, or at least called. I don’t have an excuse, but I ‘m sorry for all the worry I caused you.”

  “You know, Jes always did tell me he had a strong feeling you were safe, and that your life was goin fine,” Lil affirmed. “Course, I always thought he was just trying to put my mind at ease. How long can you stay, Kevin?”

  “I need to get back to Raleigh tomorrow afternoon.” He looked at Maggie.

  “I plan to visit again soon, maybe stay a little longer next time I come.”

  Maggie finished her tea. She stood, “I really need to leave, it’s been a long day for me, and tomorrow is another work day. It was nice to meet you Kevin,” she smiled at him, “and I’m happy for you, Lil.” She patted the older woman’s shoulder as she passed her and headed for the door.

  “I’ll see you out, Maggie.” Lil stood.

  “You stay right here. I know my way out.” She left them in the kitchen and walked to the front door.

  As she turned the knob, she heard Kevin’s voice. “What a looker, that Maggie. Tell me more about her, Aunt Lil.”

  Not wanting to eavesdrop, Maggie quickly exited the house and hurried to her car. Kevin’s arrival had changed her plan of confiding in Lil, perhaps for the best. Maybe she would tell Ross first and see how he reacted before telling the others.

  It was nearly ten-thirty when she stopped outside her door and fumbled for the key. She could hear her phone ringing. But, by the time she unlocked the door and reached the phone, it had stopped. She lifted the receiver anyway and was not surprised to hear a dial tone. Maggie wondered if it had been Ross. She contemplated calling him but decided against it. If he hadn’t been the caller she wouldn’t risk waking him.

  …

  Sunday morning, Maggie, Caroline and Charlie arrived earlier than usual for the church service. Lil was already in their pew and was all smiles.

  “I could hardly wait for you all to get here,” she said excitedly. Then she launched into her tale of Kevin’s return.

  Caroline and Charlie looked surprised. Caroline asked, “Why didn’t you tell us, Maggie?”

  She laughed, “Why would I do that and deprive Lil of all this pleasure?”

  Even the people behind them laughed. “Thanks, Maggie. And it sure is a pleasure.” She was in the midst of telling them that Kevin had been quite impressed with Maggie and had asked her to invite Maggie to dinner the next time he visited, when Ross came in the side door and sat down next to Lil.

  “Oh Ross,” Lil exclaimed excitedly, “Kevin’s back! He was here. He spent the night Thursday and actually ended up stayin’ over ‘til yesterday afternoon. That’s why I called and asked Patsy to cover for me. I didn’t tell her why, cause I wanted to tell you about it myself.”

  “Kevin!” Ross’ eyebrows shot up. “Hmm, and after all this time. How is he?”

  Lil picked up her story with Kevin’s interest in Maggie. Maggie was acutely aware of Ross’s eyes riveted on her.

  …

  The week that followed was extremely busy at the clinic. Maggie went in thirty minutes early each morning and was never able to leave before six in the evening. On Thursday, it was after seven before she got away. She and Ross had spoken only briefly a couple of times, and he hadn’t called her to have lunch at all. She guessed he knew how busy they were at th
e clinic by the prescriptions that he was filling down at the pharmacy.

  …

  By Thursday evening, Maggie was exhausted. When she got home, she fixed herself a hot meal. She filled her bathtub with warm water, made herself a cup of decaffienated green tea and took it into the bathroom with her. She luxuriated in the tub until the water became too cool to be comfortable any longer. Then she went straight to bed.

  She fell asleep immediately. She was roused by the shrill ring of her phone. She sat up and rubbed her eyes. Now who could that be? She wondered as she stepped onto the floor and went to answer it.

  “Maggie.” It was Lil’s voice. “I was about to give up on you, girl. You weren’t in bed, were you?”

  “As a matter of fact I was, Lil. What time is it?”

  “It’s only nine-fifteen, honey. I’m sorry I woke you, and I’m not gonna keep you. I just called to ask you to dinner for your birthday tomorrow night.”

  “Oh, my gosh.” Maggie chuckled. “I’d completely forgotten my birthday. But how did you find out?”

  “I have my ways,” Lil returned. “Anyway, I’ve invited Caroline and Charlie, too. Why don’t you all come about eight tomorrow night?”

  “Lil, that’s so sweet of you. It sounds wonderful. Thanks”

  “Now, you get on back to sleep,” Lil said in a motherly tone. “I’m sorry I woke you. See you tomorrow.”

  “Thanks,” Maggie said. “Night.”

  She got back into bed. She knew what she had to do. She had to tell these people about the baby, and tomorrow after dinner when they were all together, she would. Then, she’d tell Ross. She rehearsed it mentally a couple of times before falling asleep again.

  …

  It looked as if they’d finish up early on Friday. At 4:30, Doc told Maggie she could leave. “It’ll make up for the long hours you put in during the earlier part of the week. Have a good weekend, and get some rest. We’ll see you on Monday.”

  …

  Maggie stopped in to talk to Caroline before she went upstairs to get ready for dinner.

  “Happy birthday, Maggie.” Caroline hugged her and kissed her cheek. “How many is it? Twenty five, twenty six?”