by June Shaw
Her gaze skidded to the left.
“So there y’all are. We’ve been hunting all over for you.” Jane and our other classmates arrived. “How are you today, Cealie?”
Confused. Sympathetic. Terrified!
Sue stepped away from me.
“You can tell she’s doing much better,” Randy said and smirked. “So you fell off your shoes, Cealie?”
“I did not fall off my shoes.”
“Maybe you shouldn’t wear heels so high. Young girls wear shoes like that—and Sue.” He sent an admiring smile Sue’s way and returned his attention to me. “You’re not getting any younger, you know.” His attitude made any good looks he had dissipate.
Tetter stepped closer. “Randy, stop it. Cealie has a right to wear anything she wants. Right, Cealie?”
“Right.” And what was that little grin she flashed at Randy as she supposedly took my side in this disagreement?
He gave Tetter a wider smile. “Yep, and Cealie fell on her funny bone. I’ll bet that didn’t make you laugh too much, did it?”
I refused to humor him with a response.
“Look, more pictures are up. Let’s go check them out.” Jane started toward them.
I opened my mouth to say I’d already seen them but glanced back. Sue aimed a scowl at me. She might tell them we’d both seen the pictures and then take me away to somewhere sinister.
She started toward me. I wanted to get away from her. Did she believe that when I went to the doctor, I discovered some evidence to let me know she killed that man?
I needed to calm down. Even if she wanted to hurt me, she wouldn’t do it in front of everyone.
“Tetter,” I said before Sue reached me, “would you mind giving me a hand?”
“Sure.” She glanced at Randy as though asking his permission.
Depending on others was too difficult. I wanted to walk, but my ankle still ached so much I knew it was too soon to try.
“Do you hear that we’re landing in Skagway after while?” Jane asked me.
“Yes. My son and his family will meet us there.” Excitement fluttered through my chest.
“We’ll be glad to see them.” Tetter wheeled me in front of the myriad photographs.
“There we are,” Jane said. “Don’t we all look great, especially Sue, all glamorous?”
We agreed, and Sue lowered her eyes and shook her head. Mock modesty? Or was she sincere? It had been so long since I’d really known her, or possibly I had not known her at all. I’d known the statuesque person standing near me as a teen boy the last time I’d seen her. No wonder she’d been so confused. I certainly was.
“Cealie and I already saw these pictures.” Sue stepped around my chair and bumped into my extended foot.
Knife-like pain shot up my leg. I yelped.
“I’m sorry.” Sue patted my knee.
I held my breath, dreading that she might accidentally bump me again. I reminded myself of the positive aspect of this day. Our ship would dock and I would see Tommy, his sweet wife Ramona, and my grandkids, little Tom and Kim.
Passengers swaggered past us, heading for elevators. Glancing over the handrail, I spied groups of people waiting to disembark once we reached shore.
“We won’t be in town as long as was planned, though,” Jane told me, “and our time in Glacier Bay tomorrow will be shorter, too. This afternoon passengers won’t have enough time for most of the tours, so if you scheduled any, you’ll get a refund.”
“The only thing I had scheduled in Skagway was spending time with family. I’m getting giddy, I’m so anxious to see them.”
“Ah.” Randy moved to another wall of pictures. “Check this out. Cealie and her dude look mighty cozy.”
Our group shifted over to see. I held Sue’s gaze, making sure she knew I watched her so she wouldn’t hurt me again. She moved behind us. I would’ve needed to turn all the way around to watch her.
“Hot stuff here.” Jane touched her fingertip on Gil’s midsection pressed behind mine.
“Cealie.” Tetter spoke in a quiet voice. “How long has the relationship between you two been going on?” She stared at our photo, expression pensive, nothing suggestive about her tone.
Randy watched her, admiration in his eyes.
I felt the ship slowing to a stop and wanted to concentrate on my loved ones. But Tetter waited for a response. “We’ve been together and apart for quite awhile. We fell in love. But I try to leave Gil alone until I know exactly what I want from the rest of my life.”
“And how can you know that?”
I thought a moment and shook my head. “I’m really not sure. I can only try.”
With a thoughtful expression, she nodded.
Oh, darn. I didn’t want to suggest that what Gil and I had been going through might mimic a relationship Randy wanted to start with her. Probably I should listen to Gil and stay the heck away from their situation and let her work things out for herself. Except she was asking me things now. Maybe I was progressing in getting her to trust me again.
Randy ran his gaze down her backside.
“Good grief.” Jane stepped farther along the wall of photographs. “Why are y’all being so serious? I came on this cruise to play. Don’t you want to have fun?”
“Yep, I’m ready to have fun,” Sue said. “Let’s go ashore and play.”
“I can’t wait to introduce you all to this part of my family,” I told everyone.
“Great. And then I want to shop.” Jane hefted her purse. “Let’s get in line.”
We took an elevator down and waited in the long line for the ship to dock, the heavy ropes to be tied, and the finalization of all of the ship’s other tasks.
Enthusiasm built inside me so much I couldn’t stop smiling.
Jane noticed and gripped my arm, smiling with me. She, at least, seemed to understand my elation.
Finally we moved along with other departing passengers, going through security into salt-scented air.
“Stop a minute and get your picture taken,” a photographer near the gangway said.
Wanting to find family members, I said, “No, thanks.”
“This’ll just take a minute.” Randy drew my wheelchair to our group.
“Smile,” Jane urged.
I glanced onshore, searching the scads of people for a young girl and her smaller brother, both with their mother’s shiny black curls. Their mother would be with them and my handsome son Tommy.
Excitement swelled when I spied Tommy.
He waved at me, a meek smile on his lips. No kids tugged at his sides. And I didn’t see his wife.
“Hey, Mom.” He rushed to me as I rolled ashore. “What happened to you?”
“I just twisted my ankle. Where’s your family? They came, didn’t they?” I kissed him and shared a tight hug, pleased with the feel of my son. Lifting my chin, I searched farther into the distance, my classmates stopping around me.
“Yes.” Tommy spoke almost apologetically, making apprehension spike up my spine. “My family is here.”
A blond Viking-type man strolled forward.
“The others quit talking to me,” Tommy said. “Mom, meet my life partner, Patterson Vanderhorn.”
Chapter 11
“Patterson what?” I asked and then said, “No, Tommy, do not tell me this man is your life partner. Ramona is your partner.”
Sue, who had transformed from my uncle into my aunt, stood beside me and snickered.
“This is not funny, Sue!” I whipped my head toward her from my wheelchair.
“It’s okay, Mom.” Tommy touched my shoulder. “Don’t blow a fuse.”
“I’ll blow a fuse if I want to—and if it’s needed—and right now, it’s needed.” Unusual for me with one of my children, I nudged my arm away from his touch. “Stop trying to be clever and tell me where she is. And you can quit playing around and get the kids to come out. That was funny. Ha ha, now get them here.” I pushed up as high as I could while seated and twisted my head
in an attempt to find them.
Unsuccessful, I leaned back in the wheelchair and studied Tommy’s face. He was gifted with his paternal grandfather’s red hair and a smattering of freckles. His tight-lipped expression held. He had to be kidding.
I kicked aside the footrests on my chair and shoved up to my feet. “Yow,” I cried, falling sideways.
Tommy caught me. “I don’t think you can stand, Mom. Be careful.” My son slid his arm around my waist and supported me with a tight grip. Reminding me of times I’d helped him stand when he was a toddler who sometimes fell, he sat me back on the chair.
I slid a teary-eyed glance toward my school friends. Jane, Tetter, and Randy looked shell-shocked. That’s how I felt. Their confusion could only be a fraction of mine.
Patterson stepped closer, his hand sliding forward to meet mine in greeting.
Unable to shake hands with him, I kept my hand down and eyes diverted.
“Tommy, where are they? Where are the wife you promised to love and honor for the rest of your life and the beautiful children you two created?”
He hung his head. I never wanted to see my child sad. This time was different. This time he meant leaving the rest of the family he’d given me and I had grown to cherish. My Tommy could not have replaced that adored wife and children with a man.
He looked away. “Ramona’s gone to stay with her parents.”
“She and my precious grandchildren I’ve been dying to see are out near the Grand Canyon?”
He nodded, a sad, withering nod.
“I hurt,” I said, grabbing my leg. “My ankle hurts. I need to go back to my room.” Hating to exchange gazes with my friends, I said, “Jane, would you mind taking me?”
“Sure.” She came to my wheelchair. “Are you ready? Or…?” She glanced at Tommy, but I could not look him in the eye any longer.
“I’m ready,” I said.
Jane pushed me toward the gangway.
“We’ll wait for you here, Jane,” Randy called.
“I won’t be long,” she yelled back to the group.
“I love you, Mom,” Tommy called out.
His words drifted into and out of my consciousness. I sucked my child’s sentiments into my soul and vacuumed them out of my mind. I could not envision my son and his family apart.
Jane and I sent our purses and cameras through X-ray and gave our sailing cards to security members. She maneuvered me into an elevator, going up. “Cealie, I’m so sorry,” she said, stooping beside me.
“Oh, no problem,” I said with a shrug. “Whatever he wants.”
We ascended more decks in silence. My thoughts cried out to my son. I adore your wife. I cherish those kids—and you. You can’t do this to them and me and yourself.
“Are you sure you’ll be okay?” Jane rolled me into my room. “I could stay with you.” Her words sounded sincere, but her tone did not. I couldn’t blame her.
“No, thanks. But if you could grab those pain pills and muscle relaxers and help me slide into bed, that’d be great. I need some sleep.” I tried to give her a smile. My lips only tilted.
She handed me one of each pill and a glass of water. I took the meds, stood on one leg, wobbled, and sat on the edge of my bed. “I sure hope you feel better.”
I could only respond with a weary smile. Both of us knew the real source of my pain.
“Get some rest. I’ll lock the door.”
“Jane, I…” All I could do was shake my head.
She hugged me. “We’ll talk later. Rest now.”
Respect for my friend hiked up five notches. I nodded, stretched in bed, and drew the covers to my neck.
* * *
“No!” a woman yelled.
I opened my eyes. I was in bed. The voice had probably come from a dream.
Eyeing sheer curtains at the window, I realized the sun still shone, although it seemed lower than before, and daylight might take place well into the night in Alaska.
“No, I won’t!” The woman’s words definitely came from outside my stateroom. The voice sounded like Tetter’s.
“Tetter,” I called, sitting up. “Do you need help?”
I quieted my breaths and focused on listening.
All was silent.
I swung my legs around to the floor. Pain in my right ankle made me yelp. Yanking that leg back, I tested it, found it held me up, and placed it gingerly on the carpet. Using the wheelchair as a walker, I shoved it before me to the door.
Looking out the peephole, I found no one in view. I opened the door.
Nobody was visible down the long hall. Most passengers had gone into town.
I checked the pockets of my slacks, found my room card still there, and slipped out the door. “Tetter,” I called, leaning close to each shut door around mine. “Tetter, are you in there?”
A family of five and then a young couple came down the hall, some carrying packages with bags displaying the names of Skagway shops.
I inched along, pushing my wheelchair to the elevator, trying not to put much weight on my right foot, and peering around for Tetter.
Unsure of where to go, I decided on the Promenade Deck so I could check passengers leaving the ship and returning. At the central circle, I looked down to the base of the Atrium. More people than I’d surmised were milling around, some having drinks, others talking in clumps, most moving through to various fun places onboard.
Worried about my friend, I watched the stream of passengers returning from town. Many wore sweatshirts and jackets with Alaska and a scene with a bear or a whale. Had Tetter come back on the ship? Tetter, Sue, Randy, and Jane had gotten off here. Of course, so had I. But I’d quickly returned—as quickly as I determined my son was telling me the truth. Instead of living with his terrific wife and children, Tommy was now paired under a roof with a man.
Unbelievable.
I hated that man and my son. No! I could never hate any child of mine. I cherished my children. But I could get angry with them. And I was. The deep anguish and despair sank deeper into my heart. Fat tears wet my cheeks. I attempted to dry my face, but streams kept it wet.
“Oh, ma’am, here, let me help you.” A young man wearing the ship’s colors clasped my arm.
“I’m okay. I’m fine,” I said as he helped me sit in the wheelchair.
“Maybe you are, but you seem in such pain. I believe it might be best if the doctor checks you out. Is that okay? I’ll bring you to him.”
I opened my mouth to protest but reconsidered. Maybe by now Dr. Thurman had information about Jonathan Mill that he would share. Of course, physicians needed to keep some information about patients confidential, but much of what they learned often became public. I would urge him to tell me what he discovered.
“I appreciate your help,” I said to the young man.
He rolled me into an elevator and down to the medical center. A nurse I hadn’t met sat at the reception desk. Six people sat in chairs in the waiting area.
“This lady is really hurting,” my helper told the nurse. He glanced at the other patients and softly added, “I’d appreciate it if you could rush her in.”
The nurse beamed at him. Was something going on between them? She was attractive. So was he.
“I’ll try,” she told him and handed me a form. “Would you fill in this information?”
“I’ll just leave you right here,” my helper said, backing my chair to the wall. “They’ll help you. Good luck.”
I filled in the form, noting I’d already been seen by this doctor after I twisted my ankle. I did not mention that I’d fallen off those stupid stiletto heels I’d stuck my feet into in an attempt to impress Gil, and I’d done that ridiculous deed to compete with my aunt who used to be my uncle.
Not feeling too good about myself, I finished the forms and handed them in. Trying to refocus my thoughts, I flipped through papers available for patients. I read what passengers should do if they became seasick. Room stewards and the medical center could provide pills. Patches
for nausea were not the favored solution, I read, surprised.
“Mrs. Gunther.” The nurse made me notice I’d drifted off, my head lolling down to the side. “The doctor will see you now.”
Much time must have passed for me to have fallen asleep. I glanced at the people waiting. They were the same faces I’d seen when I came in. The patient with the doctor must have a major problem. I wondered what it might be—broken bone, heart problem, stroke?
Gil emerged from a rear room with the doctor.
“Cealie,” Gil said, smile automatic. But then his forehead creased. “What’s wrong? Your leg got worse?”
I touched my cheeks and was glad not to find dampness remaining. At least he wasn’t seeing my tears. “No, I’m… Why are you in here? You have a problem?”
“Yes. But not physical.”
“Mrs. Gunther, maybe I can check you in an examining room,” Dr. Thurman said. His eyes flitted toward all of the other people waiting. He wheeled me down the narrow hall and glanced at Gil, following us.
“You won’t see any part of her that I haven’t already seen,” Gil told him. “And I’d be happy to view it all again now.” He gave me a suggestive grin.
I didn’t smile back. “Doc, I’m okay. My ankle is just still a little sore from—” Nope, I would not mention my fall off my shoes.
“I remember,” the doctor said. He inspected my ankle and touched various places. “Does this hurt? How about here?”
“It really isn’t bad. I don’t need this wheelchair. I think I can walk okay.”
“Or I can help.” Gil’s smile spread.
“Get serious,” I said, thinking of the problem I’d met onshore. Tommy was no longer with his family. This wasn’t the place to discuss it with him.
Gil’s smile wiped away. One eye crinkled in his expression of confusion.
“How about this?” the doctor said, surely wanting to get to all of those other patients. “Why don’t you try walking with a boot? It’s something people with broken bones often use.”
“A boot?” I considered asking him if I could get matching ones, and if they came in cute colors with heels, but knew Gil would jump on that with some cutesy response. Normally I would enjoy a cutesy response from him—we often enjoyed trading quips and laughing—but today I wasn’t in the mood. Today my son told me he’d split from his wife and my grandkids.
