Past Sins Revisited

by Mary Goldberger

  Edric chuckled before he said, “Let’s just keep it between us for the time being.”

  Her laughter floated across the line before he said in a professional voice, “Anything else that I need to know?”

  Mariah took his cue as her voice went cool with professionalism before they hung up and he continued working.

  Edric was late to dinner that evening and as he entered the room after Ms. Welsh came to get him, Sophie remarked more sharply than she attended as she picked at her food, “I do hope that you returned Calida’s things to her, Ric, instead of throwing them out.”

  “I wouldn’t throw Calida’s things out Sophie, and yet, she did get them,” Edric told her in a calm voice.

  “Ric,” Sophie said with a slight catch in her voice and Edric glanced up at her watching her smile. “Have you thought about going with me on vacation?”

  Edric gave her another thoughtful look before he said, “I haven’t really thought about it because of work, Sophie.”

  Sophie pouted at him before she changed the topic asking, “Have you decided what you are going to do about your engagement with Calida, or have you spoken to her since your return?”

  Edric heard the slight fear in her voice and he had a hard time hiding his smile as he told her, “I haven’t been able to get hold of her since her phone is still turned off and with everything happening when I returned I haven’t been able to go see her.”

  “Oh,” Sophie said biting her lip and Edric could see her mind began working to come up with some excuse to stop him from doing that.

  “Well, I hope that you clear things up soon with her, Ric, because if you don’t clear it up before the wedding,” Sophie stopping there with a sad shake of her head. “After all, Calida still believes that you mean to marry her so you need to tell her about Adella, Ric.”

  Edric’s hand clenched around the fork he was holding but he smiled and nodded his head, “I know and we will talk, Calida and I, Sophie.”

  Sophie smiled at him but her eyes flashed with maliciousness as Edric fought back the urge to reach over the table and slap her across the face.

  Sophie yawned a few minutes later and Edric seeing the look in her eyes immediately said, “I have some work to complete after dinner.”

  She pouted before telling him, “Don’t stay up to late, Ric.”

  She stood up and walked over to lean down kissing him passionately before pulling back and giving him a seductive smile as she whispered, “Goodnight for now.”

  “Goodnight,” he told her with a smile that disappeared the minute she left the room as he reached up wiping his mouth with the back of his hand.

  Ms. Welsh came out to clean the table and Edric saw her sniff at the food left on Sophie’s plate as she muttered, “Calida would’ve eaten everything.”

  Edric gave her a quick glare but he smiled and nodded his head before going back to his office where he called Wilma who had been waiting for his call.

  “I talked with Calida’s doctor and he has allowed you to have information regarding her well-being although he has some misgivings, but as we have assured him that you were her fiancé he allowed it,” she told him. “I also made a stop off at Lida’s room and asked her to visit Calida often before she is released but I didn’t explain why.”

  Edric sighed before remarking, “That’s good, Wilma. Mariah told me that you have a date set for Jeffrey’s funeral.”

  “I would’ve liked to have it earlier but the doctor preferred to release Calida at the end of next week so I decided that it would be easier for her,” Wilma told him. “As for everything else, Mariah got the things already so I trust her to you, Ric, so don’t betray me.”

  “I won’t,” Edric told her sincerely.

  After he hung up, he sat back in his chair removing the chain from his shirt as he stared at the charm and ring that belonged to the two most important people in his life. He already lost Adella and he was determined he wasn’t going to lose Calida even though he knew that they had some issues to talk out before anything else could fully be decided. If they couldn’t resolve anything with their trip, then he would gladly allow himself to be left at the altar because it was what he had planned to do to Calida at first.

  He closed his eyes and stretched his arms over his head before yawning and sticking the chain back underneath his shirt.

  He laid his head on the desk thinking to take a short catnap but unfortunately the minute his head went down he fell asleep.

  Then he began to dream.

  “Hello,” he called out only to stop in surprise when his beautiful and laughing sister appeared before him. “Adella.”

  “I’ve missed you,” Edric told her tears in his eyes. “You can’t know how much I’ve missed you.”

  “I do know,” Adella told him with shining green eyes. “I’ve missed you, too, Edric.”

  Her eyes went sad as she continued, “But I hoped you would’ve moved on instead of focusing on revenge.”

  “You are my sister,” he argued his voice rough with emotion.

  “I know,” she said softly stepping closer to him. “Can I tell you a secret, Edric, like I use to?”

  “A secret,” Edric asked in astonishment before Adella laughed and nodded her head. Edric was confused by the way the dream was unfolding but he nodded his head as he told her, “Of course like always.”

  Adella rocked back and forward on her heels as she told him with a grin, “When I met Calida that day, I thought about how nice it would be if the two of you ever met. I had turned around to get her number with that in mind, but she was already gone.”

  Edric stared at her in shock while Adella laughed at the astonishment in her big brother’s eyes and she said mockingly, “I never was able to get that look from you when I was alive.”

  Edric’s face immediately fell at her words and Adella sighed before she continued on. “I would’ve been alone if she hadn’t showed up that night and she had been so scared I could see it in her eyes as she talked to me. That’s when I knew without a doubt even though I was dying.”

  Edric stared at her with confused green eyes before he shook his head, “I don’t understand what you are telling me, Adella.”

  “She was the one meant for you, my dear brother,” Adella told him with a twinkle in her eye.

  She reached out and wrapped her arms around him whispering in his ear, “Be happy” before she vanished.

  Edric woke with a start as Ms. Welsh knocked on the office door.

  “Edric,” she said coming into the room shaking her head at his appearance. “You should’ve crashed on the couch at least.”

  Edric glanced at her in confusion before he turned his eyes to the clock on his desk only to be surprised when he saw that it was going for seven thirty in the morning.

  “I had the weirdest dream,” he told her slowly as he stood up stretching stiff muscle while a thoughtful look crossed his face. “But I have the oddest feeling that Adella wouldn’t mind my feelings for Calida, Ms. Welsh.”

  Ms. Welsh laughed as she began to walk around the room straightening things telling him, “She always wanted her brother to be happy.”

  Edric shook his head chuckling as he started out of the office.

  “Edric, I put clothes for you in the guest bedroom,” Ms. Welsh called out as he started out of the office.

  “Thank you,” he said as he paused in the doorway for a second.

  She waved her hand at him to move on as she chuckled and Edric ran up the stairs for the first time in ten years lighthearted and anxious to see the woman who made him feel that way again.

  An hour later he was dressed and downstairs going through some files as he drunk his coffee and ate breakfast.

  Sophie joined him at the table beautifully made up in a silk robe as she pouted at him. “I waited for you, Ric.”

  “To be honest, after completing some work I fell asleep at my desk,” Edric told her honestly giving her an embarrassed grin which wiped off the pout as she to
ld him sympathetically, “Poor baby, I think that vacation can’t come soon enough for you.”

  He nodded his head in agreement seeing the anticipation and excitement ran through Sophie’s eyes before she shielded her eyes from his intense gaze.

  “That’s why I’m working for the next few days so while I’m working you can rest here, Sophie,” he conceded seeing the brief flash of irritation in her eyes which she covered well at his next words. “Ms. Welsh will look after you until I get everything ready for my vacation.”

  He drained the rest of his coffee and glanced at his wrist watch as he had a meeting in an hour’s time.

  “I have to get going,” he spoke as he gathered his files together making sure he had them all when he stood up from the table.

  “Ric,” Sophie said as he went to go past her and he leaned down barely brushing his lips across her cheek before he headed out.

  Edric could feel Sophie watching him as he left the house and headed for his office where he called the hospital to check on Calida before preparing for his meeting with Tomas joining him.

  Sophie listened as Edric’s car drove away with a harsh frown on her face as Ms. Welsh came out of the kitchen. She pushed away her plate and told her in a demanding voice, “I want a three minute hard-boiled egg and a glass of grapefruit juice.”

  Ms. Welsh stopped herself from telling the woman what she could do for her damn grapefruit juice, but remembering the look on Edric’s face that morning helped her when she went to prepare what the woman ordered as she was lucky there was grapefruit in the house although she knew Sophie would be pissed if she knew why it was in the house.

  As Ms. Welsh left the room, Sophie glanced around the dining room unaware that Edric rarely ate in the room but as he knew she wouldn’t eat in the kitchen and had decided to avoid an argument, or more accurately snide remarks.

  Changes definitely needed to be made in here, Sophie thought to herself as Ms. Welsh returned with her food.

  Sophie ate it although she complained that it had been overcooked while Ms. Welsh cleared the table before sweeping out of the room.

  Ms. Welsh shook her head muttering to herself, “I’m going to need another vacation by the time that woman leaves.”

  In her hospital room, Calida sat up slowly her hazel eyes dim with sadness and anguish before she said slowly aloud, “I guess this is another of my punishments for my cowardice ten years ago.”

  There was a knock on the door and Lida poked her head in the room as Calida turned to face the door.

  “Hi Calida,” Lida said coming in and shutting the door. “How about we play a game of cards?”

  She waved the deck and Calida forced herself to smile as she pulled the rolling table closer to the bed pushing her water pitcher to the side.

  Lida took a sit on the edge of the bed making herself comfortable while Calida watched her with a small smile on her face that was at odds with the anguished look in her eyes.

  “Poker,” she asked with a raised eyebrow and Calida waved her hand to ‘bring it on’.

  They played a few hands and Lida was shocked that Calida knew how to play.

  “I didn’t think you would know how to play,” Lida grumbled as Calida won another hand.

  “I didn’t just study while I was away, Lida” Calida told her quietly as she shuffled the cards.

  Lida watched as Calida shuffled the cards but it was the look of conflicting emotions that showed in Calida’s eyes.

  “It might help to talk about whatever is bothering you,” Lida urged quietly watching Calida jerk at her words.

  Calida froze the cards falling in her lap as Lida stared at her and for a few minutes both were quiet as noise from out in the hallway filtered into the room.

  Suddenly in almost a whisper Calida said, “I was pregnant when I took that bullet and I didn’t know it.”

  Lida’s eyes widened as she asked in shock her body stiffening, “What?!”

  “My doctor told me that I started hemorrhaging during my surgery and he couldn’t understand why until afterwards when my blood work showed elevated levels of a pregnancy hormone, and the shock caused me to miscarry,” Calida said gathering the cards up to give her hands something to do. “How do I tell Edric that I killed our baby?”

  Lida reacted without thought as she pushed the table away and wrapped her arms around Calida while she began to cry.

  “You didn’t kill your baby, Calida,” Lida reassured her as she rubbed Calida’s back. “If you had known you were pregnant, you would’ve been more careful.”

  Calida looked up and stared at Lida before she uttered, “Would I, Lida, because I didn’t want Edric to lose another person that he loved?”

  Lida saw the doubt and sorrow in Calida’s eyes, and she said confidently, “I believe that if it was a choice between your baby and Sophie, you’ve would’ve chosen your baby.”

  Lida chuckled as she told her, “But I think you would’ve found a way to help Sophie too.”

  Calida calmed down as she listened to Lida knowing that it was the same thing Wilma had tried to tell her just this morning when she visited.

  Lida pulled back but continued to talk to her as Calida fall back against the bed tears running down her cheeks eyes turned to the window.

  As it was coming around to lunch time, Lida said reluctantly, “I should get back to my room before they start worrying about me.”

  Calida turned to look at her wiping the tears from her face as she smiled telling her, “Thank you, Lida for your company.”

  Lida merely laughed before saying, “What are friends for, Calida.”

  They looked at each other and started laughing at the ironic remark before Lida grabbed the cards.

  Calida gave her a confused look as she remarked, “I thought you need to get back to your room.”

  “I do, but I’m not leaving until I win one hand so let’s play another game,” Lida told her shuffling the cards before she smirked at Calida. “This time I’m going to win.”

  Calida sat herself up and took up the challenge in Lida’s voice as she repeated, “Bring it on, Lida.”

  An hour later after winning at least two hands, Lida go up to leave and at the door, she turned to look at Calida.

  “I’m going to be discharged tomorrow afternoon,” she said suddenly.

  “It’s about time,” Calida grumbled teasingly eyes still shadowed. “Thank you for coming to see me.”

  “I enjoyed it so expect me to come back again unless you are discharged first,” Lida warned her. “Then I’ll hit you up at home.”

  Calida chuckled looking at her oddly but all she said was, “Anytime, Lida.”

  “Good,” Lida told her smartly with a single nod of her head as she headed for the door when a knock sounded on it.

  “Come in,” Calida called out.

  Both women stared at the man who came into the room, and Calida asked in slightly nervous voice, “Are you here to arrest me?”

  Matt looked at her in confusion before understanding darkened his eyes and he chuckled shaking his head. “No, I actually came up here to escort Lida back to her room.”

  Calida’s eyes widened briefly before she lowered her lids while a soft smile graced her lips, and Lida glared at her.

  “Have fun,” Calida called out as Matt escorted Lida out the door.

  Matt laughed as Lida scowled, but at the door Matt stopped and turned to face Calida.

  “Thank you,” he said simply and although Calida’s eyes shimmered with tears, she nodded her head.

  They walked out closing the door softly behind them before Lida quizzed, “Where you waiting for me to return to my room, Matt?”

  “Something like that,” he remarked putting a firm hand at her back. “Tomorrow when you get discharged, I’ll be here to pick you up and take you to my house.”

  “Who said that I would be staying at your house?” Lida asked in confusion. “I was planning on staying at Ric’s until…”

  “Sophie is
staying at Ric’s at the moment,” Matt interrupted her.

  Lida scowled before she said grudgingly, “On second thought, maybe staying at your house won’t be so bad.”

  “Thanks,” Matt laughed getting an answering smile from Lida as they went back to her room for her last evening in the hospital.

  Chapter 26

  “Calida,” Wilma said a week later as she walked into the hospital room.

  Calida glanced up with a smile although Wilma could still see the sadness that lingered even though she was trying to hide it.

  “Hi, Wilma,” Calida answered as she went back to packing her things not seeing the brief grimace Wilma made hearing her name again before she sighed. “I know the doctor isn’t very happy with my decision to be discharged now but since he was planning on discharging me at the end of the week anyway, I don’t think a few extra days will hurt. Besides, he said I’m healing nicely and admitted reluctantly that as long as I take it easy for another few weeks then I should be fine.”

  Wilma nodded her head as she confirmed, “I know since the doctor has already talked with me hoping that I could change your mind, but I know how you are once you’ve made up your mind about something.”

  She didn’t mention that Edric had already talked with the doctor also who advised them both to let her get plenty of rest which Edric assured him that she would, and even went as far to make sure that it would be safe where he planned to take her. The doctor had been quiet when he admitted that it would probably do her good to get her away although he cautioned Edric to be careful as he heard news that a storm may hit the area within the next few weeks.

  Neither Wilma nor the doctor could say anything when they saw the look that crossed Edric’s face letting them know that Edric was hoping for it in which the doctor turned around and assured him as long as he checked the would regularly then there should be no problem with his plans.

  “Jeffrey’s funeral is Saturday,” Wilma told her as Calida slipped a light jacket on wincing a little.

  Calida nodded her head before she asked, “Is there anything else that needs to be done?”