Chapter 5
Great things happen every day behind the doors of a hospital. A tiny life that was slipping away, can be nursed back to health. A heart that stopped beating, can be enticed to pump again. And a chance at new beginnings, can be around every corner, if one is ready to see them.
“Who’s holding up the damn elevator?” Leonard Montgomery sat in a wheelchair outside the elevator, with his wife, Alice, and his sister-in-law, Ruth, standing beside him. The transportation tech stood behind him, playing with his cell phone. It felt to Leonard that they had been waiting on the elevator for over ten minutes. They had. Finally the bell dinged and the doors slid open, and out stepped Aidan and Vicky, looking very disheveled, but very happy. Leonard and Ruth understood instantly what was going on, but Alice did not.
“You kids look like you were attacked?” Alice was a bit naïve when it came to lovemaking, “Vicky, are you wearing men’s clothes now too?”
“Oh, well, we um…,” Vicky could not come up with something intelligent to say so Aidan intervened.
“Mr. Montgomery, finally getting out of here?” The aura of intimidation that surrounds Alice, always ties Aidan’s tongue, so much so, that she becomes as formal and respectful as she can be, just to try and protect herself.
“Yes and none too soon, I might add. And I told you, call me pop.”
“Sure thing, Pop. Can we ride down with you?” Aidan suddenly remembered what she had learned not even an hour ago, that there’s a mad man on the loose. She looked around, wondering if that man was her father, or that man…, she would have to be on her guard and ready for anything.
Alice chided, “If I were you, I wouldn’t trust that elevator, it seems to get stuck a lot here.” Everyone laughed out loud, at what Alice had so innocently said.
“So, what’s your plan, Dad, Mom?” Vicky asked.
“I think we should move back home soon, honey. Your father misses the country, and honestly, I miss my church friends.”
“Oh, um, I was hoping you’d want to stay here permanently. You can have my house, we’ll get a condo or something, right, Aidan?”
“I sure don’t need that much space…, uh, not to say that Vicky did, or you do, or uh, I just mean, uh…,” Aidan froze up after Alice gave her the evil eye, at least that’s how Aidan perceived it. Vicky snickered, not because she was enjoying her lover being tormented by her mother, but because it all felt so right somehow, so very right.
But it was Vicky’s father, Leonard, who let Aidan off the hook, “Tell you what, Vicky, I’ll talk it over with the wife here and we’ll let you know in a couple of days.”
“Fair enough, Dad.”
“Vicky, we do need a favor from you though. The police called this morning and said our house had been broken into. They didn’t see anything missing, but I’d feel better if you could drive down there and check on it for me, please?
“Of course mom, I’d be happy to. In the meantime, if you need anything else, anything at all, you call me, okay?”
“We will, sweetheart. Now you get some rest, you look positively frumpy,” Vicky’s mother actually meant that in a concerned, motherly sort of way, but that’s not how Vicky perceived it. But as she always does, this time for the sake of her father’s heart, she let it go. Fighting with her mother’s rudeness was the last thing her father needed so soon after open heart surgery.
But when Vicky wouldn’t defend herself, Aidan took up the cause. She looked at Vicky and said, “A gorgeous frumpy, maybe. A sexy as all get out frumpy, a—”
Vicky poked her in the ribs and the two rubbed shoulders, enjoying the inside joke. Alice didn’t appreciate it too much though, and the frown on her face told them that.
“Come on Alice, let’s get Leonard home.” Ruth suggested. She had an agenda of her own she needed to see to.
They walked together in silence to the discharge waiting area where Vicky had arranged for the hospital transport to drive them back to the house. As they waited, Aidan knelt down beside Leonard and said, “You were wrong, Pop, it wasn’t a choice for me.”
Leonard smiled and replied, “It never was, Aidan,” he winked at her, and she could feel the goose bumps rise on her arms. That man is downright spooky the way he can read us. A good spooky though. Aidan laughed at her own thoughts.
“What’s so funny?” Vicky asked as she waved goodbye to her parents.
“Your father, he’s just amazing.”
“You’re just now learning that?”
Aidan hugged her tight and together they walked back into the hospital, arm and arm. “What now?” Aidan asked.
“Well, I’m homeless I guess. Unless you want to go stay with my folks at my house tonight?” Vicky already knew the answer to that question. Her brave hero, the woman who won the two most prestigious awards in the nation for bravery, was afraid of her mother.
“Uh, thanks, no, I’ll pass.”
“What about your apartment?”
“I meant to tell you, Sam is staying there. I’m not sure what she’ll do, but I told her she could use the apartment for as long as she needed to.”
“Okay then, we are both homeless. We could stay at my folk’s house in Beebe. I’ve got to go check on it anyway.” Beebe was a forty-five minute drive one way and Vicky didn’t really relish the thought of commuting to work each day.
“I’ve been staying at the hotel around the corner, you can share my room…, if you behave yourself,” Aidan’s joke made Vicky giggle.
“Well, no promises there, missy, but I’d rather not have to drive in from Beebe, so it’s a deal.”
Suddenly Aidan pulled her in tight as if protecting her from something. The only thing Vicky saw was a gray haired man walking past them.
“Hey Joe, how are things?” Vicky recognized him as the housekeeper who worked on the 4th floor.
“Everything’s fine, Ms. Montgomery, welcome back,” he continued walking past them as Aidan released her grip.
“What was that about, Aidan?”
“You know me, always over protective, and who can blame me with you on my arm,” truth be told Aidan wasn’t sure she would recognize her own father if he walked up and slapped her in the face. The last time she saw him, she was fourteen, and he was beating on her. At that age he looked tall and strong with dark hair and darker eyes. But what would he look like now?
“Oh, sometimes you say the sweetest things, Aidan Marie Cassidy.”
In her best Elvis Presley imitation, Aidan replied, “Why thank you, thank you very much.”
“By the way, how is the baby doing? I’d like to check in on him before we leave.”
“Oh damn! I think I was supposed to pick her up this morning and take her home. Would you mind if I did that?”
“No honey, I don’t mind at all,” Vicky winked at Aidan. Now that Vicky had her answer, she could afford to be magnanimous with Aidan’s ex-lover. But Aidan saw it differently. She actually felt pride. So very proud of Vicky for handling the whole thing like the lady she is. Aidan knew Vicky would have been completely justified if she had demanded a decision immediately. But she didn’t. She waited, and gave her the time she needed.
“Uh…, Vicky…, I need to be honest with you about something.”
“What, Aidan?”
Aidan pulled Vicky to the side, away from anyone within ear shot, then she swallowed hard and confessed to Vicky, about almost sleeping with Samantha. She finished with several apologies, begging her forgiveness. But the fact that Aidan needed to confess and be honest with her, only convinced Vicky of her lover’s pure heart. She could understand how Aidan would lose herself in the memory, she’d seen it happen before. But in the end, it was the thought of Vicky that pulled her from her lustful fever. Vicky knew that when Aidan was in a carnal mode, nothing short of cold water, could bring her out of it, so she saw that as a confirmation, and she was actually glad it happened. A test, not of her own doing, not because she played the games, but still, a test that Aidan passed with flying
colors.
“So I’ll take Sam home and talk to her about us, okay? Here’s the key to my hotel room, I’ll be back in about an hour.”
“That sounds good. I’ll make a quick stop to see the baby here at the hospital, then I’ll check on Jerry. Poor thing is all alone right now.”
“Hey, how about you invite him over for pizza and a movie tonight?”
“Excellent idea, honey. Do me a favor though, on your way, would you go by my house and pick up some clothes for me. I really need to change out of Richard’s shirt. I’ll call mom and ask her to have what I need, ready for you. That way you won’t have to talk to her for very long.” Vicky chuckled at the thought of it, but suddenly her laughter turned to urgency, “Hey! Hold on just a darn minute!”
“What? What is it?” Aidan asked worriedly.
“Follow me, quick!” Vicky took off, walking at a fast pace, and Aidan, terrified that she remembered the hypnosis session, ran to keep up with her. But Vicky led her down the hallway to the radiology department, and when Aidan realized where she was going, she relaxed and grinned, “All right, you win. I’ll get my hand looked at.”
“And I’ll wait right here until you do,” Vicky crossed her arms in a defiant, ‘you’re not getting past me again’ stance, and Aidan knew there was no use trying to get out of it. But she did make sure that Vicky came in with her, and even asked her to wait just inside the door of the x-ray room. Figuring since she was the CEO of the entire health system, she’d have enough pull to do that. Aidan was anxious, desperate for Vicky not to be alone, in case her father was out there.
“Hey, Vick, I’m going to hit the head real quick, will you let me know what the x-rays show?”
“Sure, but I’ll want a doctor’s opinion to, of course.”
“Of course you will,” grinning, Aidan left the room, heading straight into the bathroom, and as she walked, she dialed Jerry’s number. “Hello, Jerry, I need another favor. I don’t have time to explain right now, but Vicky will be staying in my hotel room tonight, and I need you to meet her in the hotel lobby and stick to her like glue. Are you up for it? Great, thank you. Yes, someone is after her again, but this time it’s much worse. I’ll explain it later, just don’t let her out of your sight. Thanks Jer.”
Aidan changed her plans, and went with Vicky to see Samantha’s baby, then she drove Vicky down to the hotel and finally, two hours later, Aidan made it to her apartment wearing a cast on her left hand.
“Sam, Sam are you here?”
“In here Aidan,” Sam laid on the bed in a provocative, nude pose.
Oh shit! Aidan tried to look placid, but her nerves were twitching. She was glad she stopped by Vicky’s house first because this looked like it might take her a while.
At the sight of Aidan’s cast, Samantha set up and asked, “Aidan, what happened to your hand?”
“I uh…, got into a fight with the wall. Don’t worry, it’s all part of Dr. Kline’s therapy,” Aidan meant it as a joke, but what she had forgotten was that Samantha was now his patient too.
“He came to see me today. It looks like I have to get his approval before the Army will let me return to duty. I’m not even sure I want to go back or not. What should I do, Aidan?”
“He’s a great doctor, Sam, I think you’ll like him. He helped me a lot when I lost my memory. It took me until just recently to get most of my memories back, and as soon as I remembered you, I came and got you. I’m so sorry you were over there that long.” Though Aidan was babbling out of stress, she was sincere.
“It was awful, Aidan. I was so lonely, and if not for thoughts of you, I don’t know what I would have done.”
Oh God, I can’t do this to her. Aidan’s mind was racing frantically, Do it now, before you hurt her any more. “Sam, listen, I need you to know that when I was in Iraq with you, I did love you, but now—”
“Now? Oh God, are you dumping me?”
“No, it’s not like that. I still want us to be friends; I just can’t be your lover anymore.”
“It’s Vicky, isn’t it?”
Nodding her head, Aidan said, “Yes it is, and it has been since we were kids. Circumstances led me to believe one thing, when it was completely the opposite of that. I’m really sorry, Sam, but I won’t lie to you. I’m in love with Vicky, and I am going to marry her in a few months.”
“I remember a time when you were going to marry me in a few months also, Aidan. Were you lying then too?” Samantha was hurt and her tears were proof of that.
“I wasn’t lying then, but I was under the wrong assumption about things. You live your life thinking one thing, and then find out you were wrong, and that you have a second chance. You’ve got to take that second chance, and that’s what I’m going to do with Vicky. This is my shot at what I’ve always wanted, Sam, don’t you see, I have to take my shot,” Aidan took Samantha’s hand, sat down beside her and said, “I am so sorry I hurt you. I never wanted to, please believe me.”
“I do believe you, Aidan. I hate you right now, but I do believe you.”
“And you are not alone anymore, Sam. You and the baby can stay here in my apartment for as long as you need. And Dr. Kline will help you get through the worst of it, you can trust him, he’s retired military, he knows what it’s like out there.”
But Samantha didn’t say anything, she just stared at the wall, her anger growing, her hate deepening, “I think you should leave now, Aidan.”
Aidan backed off, not sure what to say. She had never broken it off with someone she had proposed marriage to. She felt she should console Samantha in some way, but that was the last thing Samantha wanted.
“Here, I almost forgot to give this to you,” Pulling an envelope from her back pocket, Aidan handed it to Samantha, but she refused to accept it, so Aidan laid it on the nightstand, “I’ll…, uh, I’ll check on you tomorrow then, okay?”
Samantha couldn’t take it any longer, she screamed something in Arabic, and then picked up the closest thing to her, a small clock, and threw it at Aidan, barely missing her head.
Aidan did an about face and rushed out of the room, and out of the apartment. When she was safely outside, Aidan kicked the garbage can so hard, it woke the neighbors.
“Hey, knock it off down there before I call the cops!”
Aidan looked up, but she didn’t see anyone, even though she knew it had to be the old lady from apartment 210, who listen’s for any excuse to yell out the window.
Walking, with no particular destination, Aidan lost herself in thought. Thoughts about how poorly she had handled everything, and how badly she had hurt Samantha. As she walked, she worked it out in her mind that what she said to her was true, she hadn’t lied to Samantha, she just didn’t have all the facts at the time, and now that she did, there was no way she could be with both women, not when she loved one more than life its self. She did love Samantha, she could admit that to herself now, but it was more of a love based on necessity, than a love she could base the rest of her life on. But because of her love for Samantha, she knew she would always be her friend, and help her out if she could. That is if Samantha would allow it.
Breaking it off with Samantha brought clarity to Aidan that was so strong; it cleared her mind and lifted her heart. Aidan remembered what Dr. Kline said to her, “Be who you ought to be, Aidan, know what you can be and see what you will be”. Aidan felt she was back to being her old self again, and she could see that whatever she ought to be, can be or will be, all involved being with Vicky. She couldn’t see a life without her, and she committed herself to protecting their life together, no matter the cost.
***
“So um, thanks for going out with me.” Ruth opened the door, to let Madelyn go first into the restaurant.
“Thank you for inviting me, Ruth.” Madelyn Bennett, Admitting & Telecommunications Director at the hospital, had been hoping that Ruth would ask her out, from the minute she first met her. As it turned out, Ruth ended up sharing Madelyn’s office space, and they
quickly became friends.
Vicky had put her aunt to work as the manager of the concierge department at the hospital, not that Ruth needed the money, but Vicky felt she needed the socialization. Ruth tended to keep to herself, until one day when her best friend, Sally, challenged her to admit who she was, and let others see the real Ruth Mason. Whether it was fortuitous or not, the first person Ruth met, as she came out of that closet, was Kitty Kat Kate. Kate Moore, Executive Assistant to the health system’s finance director, pounced on her like a cat in heat. In fact, that’s how Kate got her nickname, one that she takes pride in.
To Ruth’s credit, she saw the opportunity being offered to her, and she put herself in Kate’s hands, both literally, and figuratively. With Kate’s encouragement, Ruth was out on a date, with her first woman.
The maître d' showed them to their table, where the waitress greeted them with a question, “What can I get you ladies to drink?”
Ruth looked to Madelyn to go first, and once they both had placed their drink order, the waitress handed them each a menu, and pointed out the specials. Ruth thought she seemed to be especially excited about the filet mignon, so that’s what she chose. Madelyn agreed with her, and ordered the same.
Just as the waitress brought their salads, and fresh baked bread, Ruth noticed Kate walking through the door, with a gorgeous young blond, on her arm. The way the barely legal girl was fawning over Kate, Ruth assumed it was her next protégé, and she felt a twinge of jealousy, although she had no romantic feelings for Kate. Then why am I jealous?
“Ruth, darling, fancy meeting you here tonight. And who’s your lovely date?” Kate was dripping with southern charm, and mischievous guile, to the point that Ruth wondered if her teacher was here to grade her on her homework.
Remember, You Love Me: Little Girl Lost Page 8
