Revelation of Hearts (Stacey and Shane Mcleod, #3)

by Rikki Dyson

  Jonathan kissed her lips softly and said, “You told me you were a bit out of practice. That it had been twelve years. We got in bed, kissed and touched, and then you called me Michael. You apologized, and then started crying. You told me all about everything. You cried yourself to sleep in my arms.”

  “I’m sorry,” Lora said again.

  “Stop saying you’re sorry,” Jonathan said. “It was cathartic; to cleanse your mind and spirit is healing.”

  Lora got out of bed, clenched her fists and asked, “What are you now, a bloody psychiatrist or a bloody preacher?” She grabbed her head, then her mouth and ran to the bathroom.

  Jonathan went down to the kitchen to make coffee and waited for the firebrand to come downstairs. When Lora did come downstairs, she was dressed in pants and a blouse. Her hair was still wet from the shower. He handed her a cup of coffee. She curled up on the sofa with her feet tucked under her. Jonathan sat on the coffee table in front of her.

  “You look better, do you feel any better?”

  “I’m not sure. Why are you still here?”

  “I need you to drive me to the restaurant to get my car. We came home is a taxi, if you remember?”

  “Well, call yourself a damn taxi then,” she said angrily.

  “What are you so mad at me about?” he asked. “I didn’t rape you. I didn’t take advantage of you in anyway. You were warm and willing last night, while we were celebrating your promotion, now you’re cold and frosty as hell.”

  “That’s an oxymoron,” she said.

  He had walked to the patio door to look out. He turned back and asked, “What the devil are you talking about?”

  “Put your shoes on and I’ll take you to your car.”

  Jonathan stood and looked at her, then said, “I know what’s wrong with you. You’ve lived behind your grief for so long, you now feel exposed. Honey, you went to Michael’s memorial service. You shared your memories and love with his family. Michael is dead; you have to let him go.”

  Lora swung around with her teeth and fists clenched and said, “Don’t you think I know that?”

  Jonathan came to her and put his arms around her. She stiffened up, but he held her tight until she relaxed in his arms. “Go brush your hair, I’ll put my shoes on and we’ll go eat breakfast somewhere, then we’ll both feel better.”

  Lora didn’t argue. She grabbed her bag and car keys, and then they headed to the Pancake house. They both were silent until the meal was over. Lora took a sip of her coffee, smiled at Jonathan and said, “You have one hell of a bedside manner, Doctor McKay.”

  “Yes, I know, I’ve been told I’m quite wonderful.”

  His analysis of himself made Lora laugh. “You’re a good friend Jonathan; don’t let me drive you away.”

  “I won’t, but I will let you drive me to my car.”

  Chapter-10

  Jonathan and Lora

  Lora packed a small bag and spent the weekend at the castle. Jessie wasn’t there. She and Sam had gone to a Dallas cowboy football game with Mary Fay and her fiancée.

  Lora asked Jackie and Bradley, “What did you think of Sam Scott?

  They looked at each and said, “We were impressed by his candidness and self-assurance. And felt that he was a good match for our Jessica.”

  Lora noticed that her mother was losing weight, and asked, “How are you feeling Mom?”

  “I’m a little tired, but I’m okay,” she said.

  Before Lora left on Sunday, she spoke with her brother about their mom. “I think it’s her heart,” Bradley said. “I want her to take a few tests, but she refuses. Will you talk to her?”

  Lora went back upstairs to her mother, “Mom, Bradley’s worried about you.”

  “I know,” she said, “But I’m fine.”

  “Will you take the tests Brad wants and then we’ll stop worrying”

  “Yes dear, if it’s that important to you.”

  “It is, Mom. Thank you,” Lora said, and kissed her mom bye.

  Lora was now working the seven to three shift. All the staff knew she would be the next director of nursing. She would see Doctor McKay in the corridors of the hospital. He would wave and smile each time, however, he didn’t call or ask her out. It was a few weeks later, around the middle of October when Jonathan brought his tray to Lora’s table in the hospital cafeteria. “Boy am I bushed. Have you missed me, pretty lady?”

  “Where have you been?” Lora asked.

  “At the Veterans hospital,” he said.

  “Why?” Lora inquired, “Are you moonlighting?”

  “That’s closer to the truth than you know,” Jonathan said and then told her how he had seen so many soldiers with trauma or psychological disorders of one kind or the other from the war. “I worked with some of them at Clark Air force base, in the Philippines. The other day when you called me a, ‘Bloody psychiatrist,’ it made me start thinking. Therefore, I’ve been volunteering over there four nights a week. Because of you, I’m working my tail off. Actually, I’m considering going into the psychiatric field.” Jonathan was quiet for a bit, then leaned across the table and asked, “How about we give the French restaurant another try?”

  Lora smiled at him and said, “How about I cook supper for you Friday night? That is unless you would rather go to the French restaurant.”

  “No, no,” Jonathan said. “Chef’ Flemming’s’ is good enough for me.”

  On Friday when Lora opened the door, he came right on in sniffing the air. “What smells so good?” he asked.

  “Fried chicken,” Lora answered, as she handed him a chicken leg.

  He savored it and said, “Lord, I haven’t had chicken like this since Betsy left.”

  “Who’s Betsy?” Lora asked.

  “Only the world’s best cook. She practically raised us kids. She lives in New York now with my brother helping him raise his kids.”

  Lora looked at him incongruously and said, “You sure come from a different world from what I do, doctor.”

  “Not so different,” he said. “We both like fried chicken.”

  After supper and the dishes washed, Jonathan asked, “Would you like a glass of wine?”

  “Maybe one,” Lora said. “I wanna’ remember everything that happens this time.”

  Lora put on a Boots Randolph record, and they dance to the haunting saxophone music. After a few minutes of holding Lora in his arms, he started kissing her. To his surprise, she was returning his kisses with warm sensual kisses of her own.

  “Do I carry you upstairs?” he asked.

  “No,” she said. “I think I’ll walk this time.”

  They removed each other’s clothes and savored one another’s bodies. Jonathan was loving and gentle with her. They both reached their peak and pleasured one another. It was exhilarating and satisfying, but for Lora something was missing. Jonathan stayed over and they made love again on Saturday morning. Jonathan told her how beautiful she was and what a fabulous body she had.

  Lora laughed and said, “You can, can that, you’re in my bed now.”

  Lora knew she had what men consider a ‘good body,’ but for some reason compliments about it embarrassed her. In November, Lora started her new job. She and Jonathan spent the weekends together as much as possible. Jonathan was still in the reserves, so he spent one weekend a month at the VA hospital as well as giving his own time four nights a week. Life was busy and seemed to be going smoothly. Lora took him to the castle for thanksgiving. Douglas and his family came from Lake Charles. The whole tribe was there except for Jessie. She was in Rawhide with the Scott family.

  When the Christmas holidays came around, Jonathan went north to Fort Worth. His brother from New York was in town with his family. Jonathan asked Lora to go with him and meet his family. She declined, as she didn’t want to send the wrong signal. The castle folk were happy and gay. Jessie was walking on air. Sam had given her an engagement ring for Christmas.

  Lora loved the way this tall handsome man quietly sto
od and looked at Jessie as if he owned the world. They had set their wedding date for April fifteenth, nineteen-seventy-nine. The year nineteen-seventy-eight came in cold and clear. Lora worried more and more about her mother. The tests had proven she had a weak heart. Medication was prescribed. Lora consulted the heart specialist. He seemed to say all the right things, however, Lora felt he wasn’t giving as much consideration to her mother’s symptoms as he would have had she been a man. A decade or so later would prove her right. The medical and scientific field would make giant steps on women’s heart problems.

  The months were flying by it seemed. Lora’s work was going smoothly and her relationship with Jonathan was going well. He asked nothing more of her than she was willing to give. She liked and respected him, but knew she was not in love with him. They had had a frosty argument back in July. They had made love the night before and Jonathan was still in the bedroom when the phone rang. He had opened the bedside table drawer and was looking for a pen and paper. There on top was a picture of a man in uniform. There was another picture of Lora with a guy in civilian clothes. Jonathan knew it was the same man. He was sure it was Michael. There was something familiar about the man; however, he couldn’t put his finger on it. He thought it best not to say anything to Lora about it. He knew how sensitive she was about her privacy.

  Jonathan had grown a mustache in the early spring. This morning he decided to shave it off. Afterwards he stood for some time staring at himself in the mirror. Finally, he realized he had an uncanny resemblance to the man in the photo. The more he thought about it, the more jealous he became.

  Lora was lying in bed waiting for Jonathan to finish in the bathroom. When he came out Lora knew something was wrong by the look on his face. He walked to the bedside table and opened the drawer. He took out both frames of photos, threw them on the bed, and angrily asked, “Who’ve you been making love to, him or me?”

  Lora jumped out of bed, balled up her fist and hit him right in the solar plexus as hard as she could. She said, “Fuck you, Doctor McKay. What goes on in my head is none of your damn business.” She went into the bathroom and slammed the door.

  Jonathan got dressed and left. The more he thought about the situation the faster he drove. It didn’t take long for the highway patrol to pull him over to give him a ticket. In his haste, he had forgotten his wallet. With no identification and resisting arrest, off to jail he went. With his one phone call, he tried to call Lora, but no answer. He tried every hour. Finally, at eight o’clock he reached her. He told her what had happened and that he would be arraigned at ten o’clock the next morning. He asked, “Will you please bring my wallet and stop your damn chortling.”

  “I’ll be there with bells on just for you,” Lora said jovially.

  “Just come, leave the damn bells at home,” Jonathan said. Lora hung up laughing.

  Lora was waiting in court the next morning when Jonathan was brought before the Judge. The Judge gave him a good tongue-lashing and fined him one hundred-fifty dollars for speeding in excess of ninety miles per hour and two thousand dollars for striking an officer of the law.

  “I do apologize for both offenses your honor.”

  “Good, pay the Bailiff,” the Judge said.

  When Jonathan opened his wallet, all he had was ninety-seven dollars. He turned to Lora and asked, “Are you gonna loan me some money or am I going back to jail?”

  “I’ll loan you the money, you’re too damn cute to leave in jail. All your little friends in there might wanna’ have their way with you.” The officers that over heard chuckled lightly as Jonathan turned red. Outside, as they went to the compound to retrieve his car, Jonathan said, “I’m sorry, I had no right to get so green with jealously.”

  “You’re wrong, about why I’m with you. I like your company and you’re fun to be with, most of the time.”

  Chapter-11

  Meet Mr. Chen

  In the fall of nineteen-seventy-eight, Jonathan told Lora that he had been accepted at Boston General to study psychiatry. “Would you consider coming with me?”

  “No, I think not, but thank you for asking, Doctor McKay. You need to find yourself a wife, settle down and have kids.”

  “I could do that with you,” he said.

  “No, it wouldn’t be fair to you living in someone else’s shadow. You deserve to be number one.”

  Jonathan left for Boston in late October. Lora was alone once again. Jonathan would call once a week or so to say, hello and complain about the cold. His brother Greg and his family lived in New York City. He had been there a couple of times to visit.

  Christmas week Jonathan called early one morning. He said, “Lora, honey, will you please fly up here to Boston. Greg and his family flew to Texas for the holidays, but I couldn’t get away and I’m stuck here in the cold and I’m so damn lonely.”

  “Haven’t you found a girlfriend yet?” Lora asked.

  “Heck no, they’re keeping me to busy.”

  “Okay, buy my ticket and I’ll be there.”

  Lora arrived on American airlines on the twenty-third of December. They both were happy to see each another again. At the apartment after making love, he told her how much he had missed her. Lora admitted she had missed him too. They spent the next five days together just talking, making love and taking long walks in the snow-covered park.

  On one occasion, they joined in a snowball fight with some children that were playing in the park. Afterwards they walked back to Jonathan’s apartment, hand in hand. They both knew this would be their last time together. At the airport as Lora was leaving, she told him, “Get a life McKay. You deserve more than I can give you.”

  New years of nineteen-seventy-nine came and the castle folk had a New Year’s party, mostly for the young people of the family. The twins brought dates, Jessie brought Sam, Suzanne and Tracy both had dates. Douglas came with his family and so did Farley Macgregor and his family. Farley and Jackie’s older sister, Bernice came with her family, all the way from California. Both sets of grandparents were there. Mary Beth Flemming as well as David and Eleanor Macgregor. It was a new year to remember. It would be the last time they would all be together, until Jessie and Sam’s wedding.

  Jessica waited until January fifth, to tell her mom and dad she was moving to Austin, that she and Mary Faye had already found an apartment to be near Sam. They would be working at the same hospital. Jessie knew her parents were not going to approve nevertheless her plans were made. “I need to be near Sam so I can help with plans on the house,” Jessie told her parents.

  Jessie had been studying ancient herbal and medicinal remedies. There was a great teaching facility near Austin. The closer April and the wedding came, the greater the excitement. The Scott and Flemming families had become well acquainted and liked one another and approved of their children’s choice of spouse.

  On the fifteenth of April, nineteen-seventy-nine, Jessica Leighanne Flemming and Samuel Adam Scott were married. Lora was her maid of honor. Her friend Mary Faye, her sisters and cousins were her bridesmaids. Sam’s brother Russell was his best man.

  The Macgregor, O’Neil and Scott grandparents and families were there as well as Mary Beth Flemming. The Scott and Flemming families were now united. The wedding ceremony was preformed at St. Marks Presbyterian Church. They spent the night, in a Houston hotel, the next day they flew to Los Angeles, where they waited two hours at LAX airport, before they boarded a flight to Hong Kong, China. Once there, they planned on a combination honeymoon and much anticipated interview with professor Wang of Beijing University on ancient remedies. These plans had been waiting to activate for over a year.

  President Nixon’s trip to china had helped to open up trade with the west, but it was still difficult to obtain a visa to enter mainland China. Jessie and Sam had a seventy-two hour visa and a driver to escort them to the university and back to the hotel. All should go well: What is the old adage about, ‘The best laid plans of mice and men?’

  Since Lora’s humanit
arian trip to Boston in December, she had heard from Jonathan a few times. She knew he had met a girl that worked at the television station for his brother. Today she received a wedding invitation. Doctor Jonathan McKay to wed Darleen Rodgers on the first of August nineteen-seventy-nine, at St. John’s Methodist Church, Tulsa, Oklahoma. Lora knew she would not attend, but she would send a gift.

  The twentieth of June, rolled around again just like an old penny. The castle folk gave her a surprise birthday party. The one thing in the world she least wanted, but it made her mother happy. The whole family knew Mary Beth was not well, so everyone tried to make her happy. Having this party for Lora seemed terribly important to her.

  Jessie and Sam came to the party, but they both acted a little mysterious. “We want you to come to the ranch next weekend. It’s terribly important,” Jessie told Lora.

  “What’s this all about?”

  “We’ll tell you when you get there.”

  Whatever the mystery was it would have to wait until the next weekend. Lora now knew, to take the old river road into Rawhide. She was greatly surprised to find the road to the ranch was much improved. It was now a gravel road, quite navigable. When she saw the house, she thought she must have taken the wrong road. Here was this big two-story house sitting in the middle of a pasture. It was obvious it wasn’t finished, but it was livable.

  Jessie and Sam came out to meet her as she drove up and stopped out front.

  “Well, what do you think?” Jessie asked.

  Lora could tell by the look in their eyes, that what she and they were seeing was two different houses, so she would not burst their elusion. “It’s magnificent,” Lora said. “When did you do all this?”

  “Over the past year and a half,” Sam said. “My uncle and grandad have been helping us.”

  “We don’t have the porch on yet,” Jessie said, “But it’ll get there. It will be a verandah porch that will go all the way around the house. Come, Aunt Lora, we wanna’ show you the inside.”

  To get to the front door, it was necessary to maneuver three very large flat rocks they were using for steps. Two were stacked on each other. Inside were large bare rooms. Excitedly, Jessie said, “Just visualize Aunt Lora, this is the living room.”