A Lost Love

by Jennis Slaughter

Laurel looked down at the breakfast tray before she caught a glimpse of her hands—the wounds were scabbing over, leaving her knuckles stiff to bend.

  The detective and Alex noticed that she was deep in thought so they remained silent, each eating their breakfast until Laurel was ready to talk.

  Taking a deep breath, Laurel nodded to herself before looking up at Alex. “Call your work and tell them that I will agree to an interview at my house tomorrow morning. I would like for you to be there with me and afterwards, if it’s okay with you, we can leave for our vacation. I don’t want to be around to see it on television.”

  “I understand completely and I’ll take care of everything,” Alex hastened to reassure her.

  For the next hour and a half, Detective Walters let Laurel tell her side of what had gone on the day before. He asked questions every now and again, but let her tell everything in her own way.

  Once she finished, Laurel looked at the detective for a few moments before she turned to Alex, who was watching her with lovingly patient eyes. The older woman ran her thumb over the knuckles of Alex’s hand she was holding, while staring into cornflower blue-colored eyes. Taking a deep breath, she softly asked, “You told me last night...or early this morning if you want to be exact, that Dawn was dead. How do you know for sure?”

  Leaning forward, Alex never let her gaze waiver. “Once she buried you...and after a brief coffee break, Dawn came to the station and asked for me. I was already on my way out because Jennifer had called to tell me about Emma–”

  “Emma! I need to check on her,” Laurel interrupted. “Sorry....”

  Alex spared a glance at the detective and looked back at Laurel, giving a small chuckle. “Not to worry, we will.” She cleared her throat and continued her story, “She met me at the reception desk with a gun.”

  Laurel took a sharp intake of breath and squeezed Alex’s hand, but didn’t say anything and nodded her head for the younger woman to continue.

  “She said that I would never see you again, but I would pass by you every day.” Leaning closer, Alex spoke even softer, “Dawn killed herself in front of me, Laurel. She said that you would end up leaving me and hurting me just like you did her.”

  Detective Walters jumped in, “Her therapist, Dr. Beth Slaugado, got in touch with us and stated that Dawn has been in therapy for the past six months and had recently been diagnosed with schizophrenia. She stated that Dawn had gone on and on about you, but had never threatened to harm you.”

  Laurel silently wept and shook her head. After a few moments, she whispered, “That makes so much sense now. Her personality would change from one moment to the next, and I never knew what kind of mood she would be in.” She leaned her head against Alex’s shoulder.

  Alex wrapped her arm around Laurel, kissing her forehead, “You couldn’t have known, darlin’.”

  Detective Walters stood and excused himself, “I’ll be outside for a bit. I need to make a couple of phone calls.”

  Alex nodded her head at him while she continued to rub Laurel’s back, soothing her and waiting for her to calm down.

  After a few moments, Laurel sniffed and slowly sat up. “Sorry to fall apart like that,” she murmured. Reaching out for a tissue, she blew her nose before she continued, “Part of me thinks that I should feel guilty because she is dead, but I didn’t do anything wrong.”

  Her lover wisely remained quiet, knowing that Laurel was working things out and getting things off her chest. Her hand kept making relaxing circles on the older woman’s back, reassuring her that all would be okay.

  “It didn’t start off bad. We saw each other a couple times a week, going out to dinner, a movie, or just wandering around looking at different places. It wasn’t until after we tried living together that she got really controlling: wanting to know where I was every minute of the day, telling me what I could and couldn’t wear, and who I could talk to. It just got to the point where I couldn’t take it anymore and I moved out,” Laurel tried to explain.

  “Darlin’, you don’t need to justify yourself to me or anyone else. You had to protect yourself, and getting out of that relationship was what you needed to do,” Alex reasoned.

  Turning so that she could look into Alex’s eyes, Laurel stared at her for a few moments before saying, “If I hadn’t, I wouldn’t have met you, and just the thought of that makes me angry. You’ve become my rock without even trying.”

  Before either woman could say more, there was a tap at the door. A moment later it was pushed open and Jennifer stuck her head in.

  “Morning, ladies,” the auburn-haired woman peeked in before being motioned in by Laurel. “Sorry I’m late. How are you feeling, sweetie?” She placed the overnight bags on the counter and then gave Laurel a long hug.

  “I’m doing okay, just ready to put this behind me,” Laurel admitted. She was getting antsy to get home and be surrounded by familiar things and held by Alex.

  Nodding her head in understanding, Jennifer enlightened the woman, “Well, you had better find a way to sneak out. I just came from Emma’s room. There are reporters trying to talk with her about what happened and there’s a mob out front. You’re not going to get out of here without a police escort.”

  “Maybe Detective Walters will be able to help,” Alex suggested as the door was opening and the doctor walked in.

  He shooed Jennifer out of the room and gave Laurel a checkup. After a few moments, she was cleared to leave.

  Once the doctor left the room, Alex and Laurel dressed in the clothes that Jennifer had brought and then opened the door to let Chuck know they were ready for Laurel to be discharged.

  Jennifer and Detective Walters came in smiling and Jennifer said, “We think we have come up with an idea to get you two out of here. He and I are going to walk out the main entrance, which should keep the reporters from looking anywhere else. I’ve called my daughter Kim and she is going to pick you two up at the ER entrance and drive you to Laurel’s house.”

  Alex nodded her head while reaching for her phone, “Let’s see if I can get some of those reporters to leave. I’ll call the station and tell them that Laurel will grant them an exclusive tomorrow afternoon, like you said earlier. Excuse me for a moment,” she turned her back and made the call.

  Jennifer went and put her arm around Laurel’s waist. “Are you ready to go home?” she smiled at the younger woman. “I went by last night and fed Tori.” Tori was Laurel’s tortoiseshell cat.

  “Thank you so much. I’m sure that she made her displeasure known,” Laurel chuckled. It was oddly comforting to think of her cat loudly meowing to get fed.

  “Well, she wasn’t silent, but she kept looking around for you,” Jennifer admitted.

  Laurel squeezed her friend in a gentle hug. “I really appreciate you doing all of this for me. I don’t know what I would do without you.” She looked over to Alex. “If it hadn’t been for you, I would have never met her and I would probably be dead right now.”

  The older woman looked her friend in the eye. “You are a strong woman. You would have survived this without Alex, but luckily you didn’t have to. I have faith that this will bring the two of you closer together and make you stronger.”

  “Well, I’m blessed to have you both in my life,” Laurel acknowledged.

  After a few moments, Alex finished with her phone call and turned back to her friends. “Okay, they are going to come to your house around eleven o’clock tomorrow. They are going to have Pamela Whitkey do the interview. She’s pretty good, an up-and-coming reporter. They asked me to sit in on the interview as they wanted to get my view on things and I agreed.”

  Reaching out to grasp Alex’s hand, Laurel growled, “Good thing because I’m not doing it without you.”

  The door opened once more and this time Chuck walked in pushing a wheelchair. “Okay, Ms. Taylor, if you will sign these papers...” he picked them up from the seat of the chair. “I’ll give you a ride downstairs and you can get out of here.”

  Alex
and Jennifer gathered up the dirty clothes and put them in the bag that Jennifer had brought, while Laurel read and signed the discharge papers.

  Sitting in the wheelchair, Laurel and Chuck led the little group over to the main bank of elevators. “You and Detective Walters should go down first,” the nurse suggested. “I’ll take Ms. Taylor and Ms. James down through the back elevators and out through the ER.”

  The two groups split up, with Jennifer telling Alex and Laurel that she would talk with them later on and Detective Walters shaking Alex’s hand, thanking her for her assistance. He stepped over and knelt down next to Laurel, “I’m glad that we were able to find you. I know that this will be hard for you to get over, but you’ve got someone who will be there for you, and if you should ever need anything at all, I hope that you will call on me.”

  Laurel leaned forward and wrapped her arms around his neck, hugging him tightly. “Thank you so much for everything. I will never be able to repay you,” she whispered.

  He patted her on her back and then stood up as the elevators doors opened. He and Jennifer walked in and they both nodded to the women as the doors slowly closed.

  * * * * *

  The two women were driven to Laurel’s home. They thanked Kim for taking the time to bring them, then once the door was closed, the older woman sighed as she kicked off her shoes and untucked her shirt.

  “I can’t imagine what you’re feeling right now,” Alex murmured. She took a step forward and wrapped her arms around her lover. She kissed the blonde head beneath her chin. “Why don’t you go and shower while I make a few more calls? I’m gonna get our vacation in order.”

  Staying right where she was, with Alex’s heartbeat underneath her ear, Laurel hummed in contentment. Tori, her cat, wound in and out of their legs, purring and meowing loudly. When neither of the women took notice of her, the cat stood up on her hind legs and batted at Laurel’s thigh.

  Moving her head to look down at the cat, Laurel chuckled, “I’m sorry, baby,” as she leaned over and picked the cat up and settled her in the crook of one arm while once again placing her other arm around Alex’s waist. “My two loves in one place. What more could I ask for?”

  Reaching up to scratch Tori behind her ear, Alex snickered, “I could say that you’ve got two pussies, but that might be a bit crude.”

  “True, but it’s accurate,” the older woman smiled up at her lover. “I think that I’m gonna take you up on the shower. Make yourself at home and I’ll be out in a few.”

  Giving Laurel a quick kiss, Alex reassured her that she would be fine. “You take your time. I’ll be out here if you should need me.”

  Laurel turned and headed into her bedroom while Alex went into the living room and sat down at Laurel’s desk she had set up in a corner. Pulling out a pad and pencil, she got busy with rearranging their vacation.

  Walking in her bedroom, Laurel sat on her bed for a few moments petting her cat. As she did, she looked around the room. Realizing how close she had come to losing everything, tears welled up in her eyes. She stayed there with tears slowly tracking down her face until Tori reached up with a paw and patted her cheek, rising up to lick her tears. “Thank you, Tori. I love you too.” She kissed the cat on its head before placing it on the bed, standing up, and heading into the bathroom.

  Once there, she undressed and tossed her clothes into the dirty clothes hamper before she turned on the shower. Getting it to a comfortable temperature, she stepped in and closed the door. Positioning herself under the waterfall, she let it cascade over her head and shoulders while the steam began to fog up the room.

  * * * * *

  It took Alex a little over twenty minutes to arrange for their vacation. Luckily, the location where she wanted to take Laurel had a vacancy for the next few weeks. She booked the cabin and arranged for the kitchen to be stocked. Once she finished, she noticed that the cat’s dishes were empty of both food and water. After finding the food and filling the dishes, she went in search of her lover.

  Walking out of the kitchen, she headed down the hallway to the master bedroom and found Laurel in the middle of her bed, looking at a photo album.

  “We had some good times...she had a wicked sense of humor. In fact, it was one of the first things that attracted me to her. It wasn’t until I moved in with her that she began to change,” Laurel spoke softly as she continued to turn the pages. “Slowly, she began to tell me what to wear, how to style my hair, who I could see or couldn’t see...it was like she was boxing me in.”

  The older woman chuckled, “I guess she tried to get me in her final box.” Laurel looked up at Alex, “Maybe if I had insisted that we go to therapy when we were together...perhaps she would be alive now. But then I wouldn’t have met you, and I need you in my life.”

  “You’ve got me for as long as you want me.” Alex assured her. She walked so she could sit on the bed next to her lover. “I meant what I said last night, I’m in love with you and I want to start building a life together.” She looked down at the rug for a moment to gather her thoughts. “I think that I knew when she took you. It was about ten minutes after we had talked when my stomach started doing back flips and I felt like I was getting sick.”

  She reached out to grasp one of Laurel’s hands in hers. “I just knew I had to find you because there was no way that I could take not having you in my life. We have too many things that we need to do with each other, too many places to go, and I wasn’t ready for it to end before we even started.”

  Laurel leaned forward and placed a gentle kiss on Alex’s lips then she scooted towards the head of the bed, pulling her lover along with her. They settled down with Laurel wrapped in her lover’s embrace and her head on Alex’s shoulder.

  Alex softly continued, “I know this is going to be hard to get over for both of us, and I don’t mind taking this slow again. You’re worth the effort...we are worth the effort.”

  Tears gathered in Laurel’s eyes and slowly tracked down her face. Reaching up, she wiped them away before she spoke, “You’re right...we are worth the effort, and we will get through this. Our life together starts now.” She leaned her head back so she could look up into Alex’s eyes. “When I was in that box, I thought about Dawn and you and how different you were from each other. I did care for her, but not the way I feel for you. You have taken my torn, bruised heart and psyche and made them and me whole again.”

  Leaning down, Alex gently brushed her lips against Laurel’s. “I know this is a line from a movie, but you complete me. You’re the one that I want–”

  Laurel interrupted her, “I think that’s a song title.” She grinned up at the younger woman.

  “You’re right, but it’s true,” Alex grinned back. “So what would you like to do today?”

  “How about if we just stay here and cuddle, talk, or maybe take a nap?” Laurel settled herself more comfortably against the taller woman. She loved how they fit together so nicely.

  Alex chuckled as she let her hands trace idle patterns on Laurel’s back. “That sounds perfect to me.”

  * * * * *

  The two women chatted the afternoon away. Alex described where they were going on vacation, explaining that it was a place down on Sanibel Island, on the Gulf Coast where she had gone as a child. There was a small group of cottages that could be rented out that were a scant few steps from the beach and Sanibel Island was known worldwide for the seashells that washed ashore. She added that so many people go to Sanibel, the stance that they take while looking for shells is called the ‘Sanibel Stoop.’

  It was late afternoon when the two women finally got up from the bed and started puttering around. Laurel called Emma and checked on how she was doing. She reassured the young woman that her hospital and doctor bills would be covered by her work insurance. Next, she called her business, and after assuring everyone there that she was doing all right, she arranged for someone to drop off her car at her home later that day.

  While Laurel was making phone calls, Ale
x was poking through the fridge trying to find something they could fix for dinner. Not wanting to take something from the freezer and wait for it to thaw, she decided to go to her own comfort food. Pulling out bacon, cheese, tomatoes, and bread, she proceeded to make grilled cheese, bacon, and tomato sandwiches, and also heated up a can of chicken noodle soup.

  She placed the food on the breakfast bar just as Laurel was finishing up with her phone calls. “Hey! How’s Emma?”

  Picking up a potato chip that was next to her sandwich, Laurel took a moment before she answered, “She’s doing okay. She’ll be on crutches for a couple of months, but I told her that she doesn’t need to worry about anything. Her job will be waiting for her and the medical bills will be paid. She was more worried about me though. I’m just glad she wasn’t hurt worse.”

  “Hey, I need to go by my place tonight and pack for the trip.” Alex walked back into the kitchen to grab a glass of Hawaiian Punch that Laurel kept on hand for her, then she poured the older woman a glass of chocolate milk. “I was wondering if you wanted to go along with me or stay here?”

  “I’ll go along with you, if that’s okay?” Laurel looked up into worried blue eyes. “What’s wrong?” She reached out to take the glasses from Alex and placed them on the counter before she grasped her lover’s hands.

  Taking a deep breath, Alex quietly asked, “Let me ask you a question. Did you recognize where you were last night when we rescued you?”

  Shaking her head, Laurel whispered, “No....”

  “You were buried...in the empty lot next to my house,” Alex’s voice went even softer.

  The two women looked at each other. Laurel’s lower lip was trembling, a single tear fell from Alex’s cheek, and silence filled the room.

  “You don’t have to go–.”

  “I’ll go with you–.”

  They both spoke at the same time. Shy grins appeared on both their faces.

  Alex pulled the shorter woman into a gentle hug and sighed happily when it was returned. “Okay, we can go after we eat.”

  They separated, sat on the stools at the bar, and began to eat. Alex took a spoonful of soup and hummed. “I can’t tell you how many cans of this I’ve eaten in my lifetime. My sister and I used to eat it for breakfast in the summer. A bowl of chicken noodle soup and a grilled cheese sandwich is my ultimate comfort food...adding bacon just made it perfect.”