by Marian Stack
“Miss Foster is that you? I’m surprised that you have returned to this mountain so quickly. I would have thought that this area would be completely off your radar after your last encounter?” The Chief questioned.
Then without skipping a beat, “Hey Sally, how’s business, did you get the pie to the keepers?” Chief English asked as she leaned down to peer into the opened window.
“Yup, did that first and then she was my next stop.” Sally spoke with her usual jovial tone of voice as she pointed to her exiting passenger.
Sally was always a favourite of the Chief’s town’s folk. Sally not only drove cab and made the best pizza’s but was also the local rehab and rescue center for all four legged and feathered friends.
“Chief this lady is looking to find Tee, I was going to bring her in but just a got a call to get back to the rehab centre, are you fine to get her to where she’s going? Okay then…bye-bye and thanks Miss, the pizza-pie will be my next trip out this way. Shouldn’t take longer than a couple of hours. Got to run.” The station wagon slowly sped off down the road towards the rising sun, with the drivers arm out the window madly waving good-bye.
“Well… come on then.” Chief English stated, holding the posture, with her arm extended outwards as if she was to escort someone onto the dance floor.
Taken back by the friendliness of everyone she had encountered she did what she was instructed to do and slid her arm in allowing the Chief of Police to escort her to the room that housed her girlfriend. Or so she hoped.
Standing just on the other side of the small window, Blair easily could see Turtle comfortably sleeping with the covers pulled up only to her waist. As she stood and stared at the picture through the window, the chief noticed the familiar stare of a person in love. “Well…are you going to go inside or stand here and watch her sleep?”
Taking a deep breath Blair turned her head upright, and stared into the kindness in her eyes and states, “I just wanted to make sure she was well cared for. I was worried she would be…” not wanting to insult Blair hesitated to complete the half-truth.
“Well we may only have one doctor here and yes she is also the local vet but I would put my life in her hands before a city doctor. That’s for sure. She is in very good hands, however a doctor can’t mend what you’re fixing to mend. I gotta run, say hello to Tee when she wakes up. Now get into that room, and rest, you look like you are ready to fall down.” And then without further ado the Chief was gone from sight.
Feeling more comfortable as the seconds ticked pass, Blair moved to enter the warm and brightly coloured room. As she walked further into the room she noticed that several containers of flowers were perfectly arranged around the room.
“Hey, what are you doing here?” The familiar voice startled Blair to the point she inhaled one quick deep breath, knowing full well that her decision to run earlier was no longer an option.
Then turning around all her trepidation seemed to vanish. “Nice room and lovely flowers, it’s clear you have many admirers, and sadly I’m not one of them.”
Moving closer to the side of the bed, which by the way was not a hospital bed, “all except for me, Turtle honey I’m so sorry I didn’t even think of bringing you flowers.” Blair’s voice was weak with exhaustion.
As Turtle moved her hand to hold Blair’s she sweetly expressed her longing, “Yes I have a lot of good friends but seeing your face. The flowers in this room pale in comparison.”
“Oh my sweet girl, how are you? You look so bruised and swollen, are they properly caring for you? Do you need anything?” Blair asked as she gently sat on the edge of the bed gathering up Turtle’s hand in hers, enjoying the feeling of her skin on hers, once again.
“Yes my friend Dr. Donna Carter has been caring for me as if I was royalty.” She jokingly responded.
“Well you should be treated like royalty, you saved my life not to mention that beautiful little wolf pup.” Blair declared as she continued to move her fingers in a caressing fashion around Turtle’s fingers, hand and forearm, as if she was attempting to overfill her senses of desire.
“And you, what about you?” Turtle whispered out. “Not to insult but you look very tired, and if I may ask, why are you here? What about your fiancée, she must be so happy that you have returned and that your plans to marry are back on the table, so to speak.”
Hearing her questions but really not in the mood to talk wedding plans she decided to ignore and instead, “Do you mind?” She asked as she allowed her exhausted body to slither completely beside Turtles’ resting body, and as she snuggled as close as she dare and as close as two bodies can, Blair announced as if she was attempting to dismiss any further conversation regarding her fiancée. “Crazy is more like it.”
And then as easily as she interjected her body on the bed she moved to get out of the bed with intent. And then with her normal elegant ease of movement she proceeded to gather up the pillow and the blanket that had been tossed over the chair and then nonchalantly returned back onto the bed but this time with the additional blanket she required, as her exhaustion had begun to offer her body unpleasant side-effects and the extra pillow for both heads to rest comfortably. To Turtle her observation of these simple actions informed her that Blair had zero intentions of allowing her girl to heal without her full impute.
“So now my dear,” Blair leaned in for a respectful and well deserved kiss of hello and stated, “Now I would suggest that we get some well-deserved rest because in about two hours or so depending on what injuries the wild creature sustained, we should be receiving a double cheese and pepperoni pizza-pie, that I hear is the best on the planet.” Blair informed as she leaned in for another kiss, and then another and then before they knew what they were doing their passion from just thirty-six hour previous had ignited itself.
And then much to Blair’s surprise, Turtle ever-so-gently pulled back from more wanting affection and stared straight into the most beautiful set of light brown eyes, and stated: “Blair we need to talk and I mean really talk. What you…we are experiencing… is the after effects of being placed in a life threating dangerous situation and surviving. We…you and I survived several life threatening events in a mere nine days and have now been thrown back into our individual worlds without any choose. Blair… you live in the city and I live on a mountain in the wilderness. We live worlds apart from each other and never in a million years would our lives have collided if not for that catastrophic event. So as much as I enjoy kissing and all the other stuff that we did I think that’s all we will ever get.”
“So allow me to clarify,” Blair leaned in and kissed the very serious patient. “So what you are saying is that we could or would never work?” She leaned in and kissed Turtle again, but then to both patients surprise another person entered the room.
As she entered the room to check in on her patient, “Well… Well look what this disaster has grown.” Dr. Carter proclaimed as she observed the goings-on in one of her patients beds.
“Oh my, excuse us, well me actually, I…well I needed to…and then when I arrived Turtle was asleep and well I thought I would rest before we visited and then she woke up and we started talking and well…”Blair’s mind drew a blank, so instead she just decided to shut her mouth and stare blankly at the presumed doctor.
“And you thought you would do what exactly?” Donna displayed a jovial professional look on her face as she tried very hard not to laugh at the two adults in the bed acting like teenagers. “Let’s start again, hello and good morning Miss…”
Too exhausted to remove her body from the comfortable bed and her recent positioning Blair decided to only lift her upper body just enough to extend the top portion of her body enabling her core strength to extend her right arm for a courteous hand shake, “Sorry… yes let’s begin again, my full name is Miss Blair Foster, but please under the circumstances please just call me Blair.”
Taking the two steps Donna accepted the extended arm and gathered the hand for the gentle gr
eeting, “Very nice to meet you. Foster, are you in any way related to the Rynthorp Fosters whose family name is on the best trauma center in the country not to mention one of the most prestigious law firms.” Donna spoke her words indicating great pride that she had in her sights one of the most influential family members in the country. Who she just caught making out with, in her eyes, the sweetest woman on the planet.
“Guilty as charged.” Blair answered remaining in the same venerable position.
“Well nice to meet you. Tee… how are you feeling? Better, by the looks of things.” Not waiting for a response as she was pretty sure she was in very good hands.
“I just got a call to head over to the rescue centre. When Sally called she indicated that I’m needed to look over an eagle that she believed hit a telephone wire and may have broken its wing. I just checked in on Susan and she is still asleep, and I would like you two to do the same. Now the both of you get more sleep.” Her message was clear enough for both women on the bed to look at each other and offer an understanding smile.
“Donna.” Turtle spoke, “Thanks for taking such good care of Susan, you know she’s family.
Donna stopped her exit and returned back into the room and jokingly stated, “Born yesterday, do you really think that I don’t know that!” And then walked over to Turtle and planted a kiss directly in the middle of her forehead. “Now both of you gals get some sleep. I’ll be back later to check on all three of you and leave me a slice of pie.”
Then both ladies heard the doctor’s jovial voice as she left the room, “Pizza for breakfast, can life get any better?”
As Blair sweetly spoke to Turtle, “Now that’s a doctor of many talents.” She noticed that her girl was fading fast and truly did need more rest, and without further discussion, “Okay… snuggle in closer, I will take over the sentry position of this three bed hospital.”
Hearing the jest Turtle snuggled as close as humanly possible on the twin bed, however remaining in her guide mentality she felt it necessary to comment on good health for both, “Blair, you need to rest as well, did you not hear Donna, and did you not pick-up on the fact that she rules, everything around here, so close those eyes of yours and sleep. While you are here you might as well take advantage of the quiet, as your normal hectic life will resume shortly but of course not until you try our famous pizza-pie. Now, one more kiss hello, please. And then when we wake up we need to continue our talk. Ok?”
“Talk about what exactly?” Blair’s teased.
After the short lived smooching session, Turtle was able to fall into deep healing sleep immediately, unfortunately, all Blair could seem to accomplish was fitful rest combined with nonsensical dreams.
The dream that brought her fully back to reality detailed her walking down the wedding aisle as a thousand flash photography bulbs exploded in her face, in her wedding gown that was completely soaking wet covered in muddy moss and wet leaves, with a fully grown wolf standing on its hind legs as the presiding minister and her fiancée waiting at the front of the alter dressed in dominatrix leathers with four strand of rope in one hand depicting their symbol of love, and a hunters knife in the other.
Unable to go back to sleep because of her nightmare and because of her desires for the wrong woman and Turtles’ need to talk, “Well it’s pretty clear that sleep is not in the cards for me!” she mused as she turned to insure that her girl was truly locked in sound sleep and then with easy movements she literally slid off the bed and walked over to the window allowing her eyes to fill with something other than her memory of the crazed woman in the burning cabin and the way she was attempting to snuff the life out of her woman and the way she ended the fight.
“Excuse me Miss Foster,” The nurse gently touched Blair’s arm, as she had minutes before attempted to just call out her name but it was obvious to the nurse that the stance of the woman standing by the window indicated that her preoccupied mind was a million miles away.
Blair jerked her entire body around to defend her thoughts and then realized she was one of the medical team, “Good God you startled me?” She silently whispered as she immediately looked towards the bed hoping that her volume didn’t awaken Turtle.
“I’m terribly sorry but I did first call out to you but you seemed to be day dreaming. My apologies for touching your arm to remove you from your thoughts, but there is someone on the phone looking for you and she has quite the temper. Something about your life is back in the city. She is on hold at the reception desk, and again I do apologise but the lady on the phone also mentioned something about a cell phone. I never do well with remembering and concentration when someone is screaming at me. I have a tendency to stop listening, I’ve been told it’s a country thing, we don’t enjoy being yelled at. So there you have it.” Ending her teaching lesson the nurse simply walked over to the resting patient and quickly checked her vitals by gently touching her exposed wrist, counting the seconds on her watch and then gently replacing the arm under the covers and with a smile on her face she proceeded to walk out the door.
Taking a deep breath Blair picked up the receiver and first just listens in on a conversation that Megan was having with another person, “Trust me I’m going to do whatever it takes to stop all this bull shit. Whatever it takes, I’ve worked far too hard for… Hello is someone there?”
“Yes Megan it’s me. How did you get this number and who were you just talking too?” Blair questioned.
“How dare you question me, when you were the one flying back into the wilderness for God knows what reason? Now I want you to come back to the city and your home and your fiancée so we can resume our life. Do you have any idea what I have gone through? Do you even care about our wedding day? Your brother…”
“Ok that’s enough, leave my brother out of our problems.” Blair whispered into the phone with her hand cupped around so that few could hear her response, not that anyone was around listening.
“Hello, are you still there? Blair questioned and then she began to hear faint crying from the other end which got her blood boiling “Megan, stop crying, everything will be alright. I was worried about the guide and this one horse town she lives in. You do know she saved my life…right, you know the life you want to spend the rest of your life with?”
Angry that her crying didn’t offer the reward she was hoping for Megan turned the emotional tables around and shouted, “If you don’t come home at once you will regret this!”
Astonished by the threat and the clear ending to a one-sided conversation, Blair could only stare at the receiver in her hand as the annoying dial tone shrieked from the phone. “She hung up on me, how dare she hang up on me?” She whispered out her annoyance as she placed the receiver back onto its cradle.
Back in the room Blair decided to leave Turtle at peace and alone in the bed and opted to sit on the only chair in the room with her legs pulled up to her chest in the fetal position, allowing her to use this time to think. She knew what Turtle wanted to talk about. She knew that their lives were totally different. She knew that the odds of them remaining together as a couple were not in their favour. She knew the odds. And in doing so she stood up and walked over to her guide and without having the courage to stop her next move she leaned in and kissed the ordinary sleeping woman in the bed with hot tears spilling from her eyes and running down her cheeks as she inhaled a breath of air that seemed to encase all the memories of their past nine days, stood tall and walked out the door.
After placing the call to get the helicopter ready for the flight back to the city she made one last visit.
As she walked towards the last room in the hallway of the tiny health centre she could barely control her trembling body.
Before entering the room she attempted to understand the trembling, was this fear from doing the right thing…about leaving, or was this going to be one of her worst decisions she will ever commit and would regret for the remainder of her life.
“Good morning, Miss Foster.” Susan’s voice was weak
with morning sleepiness as she noticed the elegant woman standing in the doorway.
Startled by the greeting Blair proceeded to enter the room. “Good morning, may I call you Susan?”
“Yes, please do.” Susan struggled to secure her body in the bed of traction to present a more professional appearance, because after all this was the VIP guest that could literally sink their little business.
“Oh please do not attempt to move on my account. I just came around to ask a favour from you, regarding your business partner Miss Turtle Dove.”
Startled by the elegant and sophistication of the manner in which the question was asked Susan immediately offered an absolute response, “Yes of course anything. She’s family and I would do anything for Tee.”
As the two women stared at each other, Susan waited for this big favour that she could complete that would save their business from being sued, but instead received the oddest statement.
A million words flew through Blair’s mind as she stared into the eyes of the woman in the bed. She wanted to tell her about their trip and how she had fallen in love with her best friend and family member, and how she had understood the lessons her brother Joe had attempted to teach her, but instead she could only utter these words, “You need to somehow add the cave experience as part of your adventures. Your business will grow immensely.” And then without adding anymore to the statement she proceeded to survey the room as she searched for something to write on.
Bewildered by the words and actions, Susan stared with her mouth open as she observed this woman twist and turn her body around clearly attempting to locate something, but what.
And then with swift movement Blair moved toward the small counter tucked in the far corner of the room, and then with equal grace she walked back over to the bed side and stood beside the bed with the felt tip marker in her hand, “May I?” She asked as she indicated that she wanted to sign Susan’s leg cast.
