by Sable Hunter
By the time Susan finished speaking, Angelina was clutching the side of the counter. “Oh, God.” She felt like she was dying. “Now, it all makes sense.”
In a daze, Angelina turned everything over to Gemma. She halfway apologized to Susan and Randy for her actions. “I have to go.”
“I’m so sorry,” Susan said. “If I said something to offend you, I apologize.”
Angelina couldn’t explain, she couldn’t talk, she felt like she might faint. With terror gripping her heart, she knew she had to find Drew.
Flinging herself out the door of the lab, Angelina ran to Palo Gaucho, tears streaming down her face. She hadn’t even stopped to get her bag, she was so distraught, she couldn’t breathe, much less think. As she ran through the pecan grove, she stumbled, so blinded by the tears, she couldn’t see where she was going. The thought of Drew suffering with GSS, slowly losing his ability to walk…to swallow…to breathe – a cry of despair burst from her lips. “No!” She couldn’t stand it, she’d rather battle the disease herself than have him sentenced to death.
As she ran by the horse’s padlocks, they all came toward her. With an animal’s instincts, they knew something was wrong in their world. Angelina didn’t pause to comfort them, she couldn’t comfort herself.
The only time she slowed was when she ran through a field of bluebonnets. Remembering the first flowers Drew had ever given her, she couldn’t resist. Going to her knees, she plucked an armful of blossoms, clutching them to her as if they were a lifeline. When she reached the house, his truck wasn’t there. She was alone. Angelina was grateful to find Hattie gone also. At the moment, she had no idea what she would say to her. She was almost sure Hattie didn’t know. This was the huge incident that caused Drew to stop sending flowers, to stop calling her nine months ago. This was what caused him to drink and turn his back on his friends. To think that he’d borne this burden all alone, broke Angelina’s heart.
Well, he wouldn’t suffer one more moment alone.
If he would allow her, she intended to stand by him.
Bursting through the door, Angelina ran through the house. She didn’t know what she was looking for, but she needed to find a place to think. A place to pray. For years, she’d avoided any semblance of religion. Her mother’s fanatical belief and the horrid way she’d died had left a disgust in Angelina’s heart for a faith that had failed her mother when she needed it the most. This bitterness had fueled her desire to be a scientist, to use her mind and reasoning to accomplish what blind trust in a dusty book and a distant God could not.
But now…she knew how her mother felt. When all else failed, when there seemed to be no hope, it was the nature of humanity to reach out to the unknown for help.
Dashing up the stairs, Angelina kept going until she reached the third floor. When she entered the attic, she slammed the door behind her, throwing herself to the rug. Sadly, she noticed she didn’t have near the number of bluebonnets she’d started out with, some had dropped from her grasp along the way.
“Drew, oh, Drew!” she cried, her face in her hand. “I want to help you. I want to save you. Please, God, give me the wisdom, give me the strength.” She cried until there were no tears left. Rising, she went to the widow’s walk and stood on the pinnacle of Palo Gaucho. As Drew had said, from here she could see forever. She wanted forever. She wanted to give Drew a lifetime to live, a lifetime to love. Clinging to the banister, she gazed into the distance. Where was he? Why wouldn’t he come home?
She tried to calm herself. To think straight. Drew hadn’t even been tested. There was a chance, a fifty-fifty chance, that he wasn’t even a carrier. That would be their first step, to find out whether he was infected or not. If he was, she’d move heaven and earth to help him, if he wasn’t – she’d rejoice.
After standing on the widow’s walk for an indeterminate amount of time, Angelina felt calm enough to go downstairs and try to start making phone calls to find him. When she opened the double French doors to reenter the larger attic room full of trunks and white covered furniture, something fell from overhead and an ominous buzzing filled her ears.
Bees.
Disbelief swamped her as she realized the air around her was filled with hundreds of bees. Her vision was obstructed by the darkness. Shafts of sunlight pierced the shadows, but not enough to give her a complete and full view. The light outside had been so bright, her eyes were having problems adjusting. Hugging herself tightly, she made her way through the room, flinching when a bee would buzz right by her face. If she were stung, she’d just get her EpiPen or system flush and she would be fine. As soon as her brain formulated the thought, it hit Angelina that she’d left her bag at the lab. “Oh well, I’ll just have to run.”
When she came to the flowers she’d thrown on the old wool rug, she could see the surface looked alive. Bees were crawling and flitting all among the flowers. Her skin crawled. Logically, she could see that the insect was beautiful. No one loved honey more than she. But to her, those bees were as deadly as GSS could be to anyone who was unlucky enough to be born with it.
Slowly, carefully, trying not to alarm the flying insects, Angelina made her way to the door. With a sigh of relief, she turned the knob…and nothing happened. With a little more force, she turned it again, pushing against the wood as she did so. When the door wouldn’t budge, Angelina panicked – banging on the door and screaming, “Drew! Drew!”
Shouting till her throat was raw, Angelina sank to her knees as a cloud of bees buzzed behind her.
* * *
Drew found himself speeding the last couple of miles. Checking the clock, he could see it was just after five. Knowing she always stayed to shut things down, Angelina should be about ready to leave the lab. Wheeling in, he came to a stop. When he went to the door, it was to find it locked. “Angelina!” He banged on the door. To be sure, he let himself in. There was no one about and all the lights were turned off.
What if she’d left? He wouldn’t have blamed her if she did. He’d run out on her again. Looking back on their tumultuous relationship, Drew regretted so many things. Fate had been gracious enough to grant him the love of a perfect woman and he’d squandered the chance to make her happy.
Leaving the lab, he returned to his truck and drove up to the house. When he saw Angelina’s small Subaru parked in its normal place, he let out a harsh breath of relief. She was still here. Jumping from the truck, he slammed the door and made for the porch. With every step he took, he vowed to set this straight. Somehow. Someway.
“Angelina! Angelina!” Throwing open the door, he entered his home. “Hattie!” Silence. “Angelina!” A small distant cry caused him to jerk around. Where did it come from? “Angelina!” Was this a product of his imagination? His wishes coming to life? He recalled tales from his youth when other kids would ask if his home was haunted. Even he’d heard the old stories about civil war soldiers seeking their homes, men who died at the Alamo coming to find their loved ones to say goodbye, Native Americans reclaiming the land they’d lost. He’d never seen a ghost, but if any place would give them sanctuary, it would be Palo Gaucho.
Another cry and a faint banging drew his attention to the stairs. “Angelina?” And when he started up them, he saw the bluebonnets lying on the steps, like a floral trail of breadcrumbs. He followed them to the second floor and then to the third. When he came to the short flight into the attic, he could hear a woman sobbing.
“Angelina?” Taking the steps two at a time, he tried to open the door.
“Drew?”
He tried the door again. It wouldn’t budge.
“I’m here, sweetheart, the door is jammed. Stand back.” Raising his foot, he kicked the door down and then jumped back when a swarm of bees flooded out. “Oh, God. Angelina?”
Knowing what a bee sting would mean to her, Drew prepared himself for the worst. He would save her, he had to. “Where are you? Are you okay?”
From out of the darkness, Angelina came to him, launching herself in his
arms. “Drew! Where did you go?”
He held her close. “Did they sting you? Are you all right?”
“I’m okay. I covered myself with a drop cloth and kept very still.”
“Let’s get you to a safe place.” He carried her downstairs quickly, placing her inside her room. “Shut the door. I’m going downstairs and open every window and door. Maybe the most of them will fly out. I’ll call an exterminator to get the rest.” He pointed a finger at her. “Don’t move.”
Angelina didn’t. She sat on the edge of the bed and tried to get her thoughts in order. She’d survived this ordeal so she could live to fight another day. And she knew exactly the battle she intended to wage.
When Drew returned, he took her in his arms. “Thank God, you’re all right. It was a miracle you weren’t stung. I can’t believe this. There must’ve been a hive built in the eaves. What were you doing up there?”
“Looking for you. From the widow’s walk.”
“Well, I’m here now.” He picked her up again and carried her to a big chair by the window, holding her close.
“Did you know that elephants are deathly afraid of bees and they have a specialized vocalization to let one another know to run, the bees are angry?”
“No, baby, I didn’t know. Smart elephants.” He kissed her gently, just thankful that she was talking to him. “I’ll call someone to get rid of these pests.” For his peace of mind, he ran a hand over her whole body, making sure there was no bee hidden in the fold of her clothes. She sat perfectly still while he tended to her. When he was through, Drew hung his head. “Angelina, we need to talk.” Even as he made the admission, he still didn’t even know how to begin.
“I talked to Susan Collier today. She was one of the people I interviewed.”
Drew tensed at her revelation, then blanched at the implication, pale as the ghost he’d conjured earlier. “You did?”
“When were you going to tell me?” Angelina prided herself on the calm she was able to maintain. In reality, she wanted to scream, rant, and rail at the heavens.
Drew took her hand. All his brave notions of what he was going to say and what he was going to do flew out the window. “What was the use? Telling you wouldn’t change anything.”
“I’m in love with you, Drew.” She repeated the mantra she’d been proclaiming in her heart for weeks.
Drew looked into her face with agony in his eyes. “I never should have touched you. I should have let you be. I should have walked away.”
“You tried that. Remember? Fate brought us back together. I accused you of engineering this, but that wasn’t true. This happened despite you, despite me.” She clasped his hand and brought it to her heart. “We are meant to be, Drew.”
“This path can only lead to pain for us both, Angelina. I should’ve left you alone.”
“Left me alone? To never know the ecstasy of your touch? You took something ugly inside of me and made it beautiful. You took my despair and gave me hope. You took my broken life and put it back together again. You gave it meaning. You might not love me, but you have changed my life.”
“Not love you?” Drew closed his eyes in pain. “I love you more than anything. Don’t you see? That’s the tragedy of all of this. I love you, but I have nothing to offer. I could be dying, dying a long, lingering death that’s harder on those who watch than those who endure.”
“You don’t know that,” Angelina countered. “And even if you are, don’t you think that I would want to be with you every second possible? None of us have the promise of tomorrow. I could leave today and get hit by a bus.”
Drew pulled her to him, they were both shaking with emotion. “I love you, Spanish Eyes. I love you so much.”
“I love you too and I’ll do my very best to find a cure for this disease, to perfect a treatment. I’d do anything in the world for you, Drew. The one promise I can make you that I swear I can keep, is that I’ll love you every day of my life.”
He buried his face in her neck, his eyes damp with tears. “It’s just not fair, to ask you to live with such uncertainty.”
“What’s not fair is to ask me to live without you. I’ve tried it, it doesn’t work. I can only breathe when I’m with you.”
“God, I want you so much. I want to wake up beside you every day of my life. I guess I should get tested, then we’ll know for sure.”
“Marry me,” Angelina said, out of the blue.
Drew swallowed hard, gulped a half-laugh, then chuckled, his eyes twinkling. “Are you proposing to me?”
“I am. I love you, you love me. People in love get married. I want to marry you as soon as possible.”
He shook his head. “No, not until I get tested…not unless the tests…”
She framed his face, forcing Drew to focus on her. “No.” Angelina was emphatic. “Marry me first, then we’ll face the future together, no matter what it holds.”
Drew squeezed her so tightly she squeaked. “Are you sure? Be sure, God, please be sure. Don’t offer me heaven and then take it away.”
Angelina rubbed his back. “You’re my hero, did you know that? You’re always rescuing me. Give me the chance to rescue you.” She kissed his neck. “I’ve never been more sure of anything in my life. I want to share every day I have on this earth with you.”
* * *
“Hurry Hattie!” Drew called. “I’ll swear you’re going to be late for your own funeral.”
Hattie scurried around, straightening the pillbox hat on her head. “Keep your undershorts on, Drew. I’m waiting on Ralph, he’s going to drive us to the chapel.”
Ralph had turned out to be okay, much to Drew’s chagrin. He didn’t like to share his women with anyone. “Ralph better hurry, I’ve got to get to the church on time. I can’t let my beautiful bride think I’ve left her at the altar.”
“He’s on his way.” She came to stand before him, all decked out in a pink frilly dress that made her look like cotton candy. “How do I look?”
“You’re lovely. You’ll be the second most beautiful woman at the wedding.” A wild look came to his eyes. “Do you have the rings?”
Hattie patted her pocket. “I do.”
“That’s my line, Hattie.” He pulled on the long tails of his western tux. “I feel like a penguin or a mortician, I’m not sure which.”
Hattie looked at her boy with pride in her eyes. “You’re the handsomest man in six counties. Angelina is a lucky woman.”
“Oh, I’m the lucky one, Hattie. I still can’t believe she’s mine.”
When they heard a car out front, Hattie patted him on the shoulder. “Well, let’s go make it official.”
…At McMann Chapel, a picturesque country church, Angelina waited for her groom.
“I cannot believe you are beating me to the altar, Miss Priss,” Aliyah fussed as she fluffed the train on Angelina’s bridal gown.
“It was a matrimonial emergency,” Angelina explained with a smile.
“Are you pregnant?” Cooper asked as she burped Kenzie on her shoulder.
“No, I’m not pregnant. I’m just so in love I couldn’t wait.” She wouldn’t give away Drew’s secret, not yet. Hopefully, there would be nothing to tell.
“It’s time!” Ky knocked on the door.
“Where’s Gemma?” Angelina asked, happy to have her co-worker standing up with her too.
“She’s outside flirting with Officer Curt. I’ll get her,” Cooper said. “I need to hand off Kenzie to my in-laws, I’ll be right back.”
Angelina stared at herself in the mirror. “I can’t believe I’m marrying that man.”
“I thought you said you proposed to him?” Aliyah asked with a smirk. “You’re a strong woman like me.”
“I am strong,” Angelina directed the comment to her own image, reminding herself that she could be whatever Drew needed her to be. She would stand by him, stand with him, and do her best to defeat the disease that threatened him. And if he were lucky enough to be healthy, they would fight
GSS together, for his family.
…As the organ music swelled, Hattie stood by Drew as his best man. To her left stood Ky and Ty. Together, they waited for the bridal procession to begin.
“Look a coming,” Hattie elbowed Drew as little Bailey came bouncing down the aisle, scattering rose petals in her wake. “She’s a doll.” Following behind her was Gemma, Aliyah, and Cooper.
Drew agreed that all the ladies in the bridal party were lovely, but when he saw the object of his affection coming toward him, his heart skipped a beat.
Angelina held onto her stepbrother’s arm, excited to face her future, taking each step with newfound faith. No matter what the years might hold, joining her future with Drew’s would be the easiest thing she’d ever do.
“Who gives this bride away?” the pastor asked.
“I do.” Rafe smiled as he handed over his sister to the man he knew would lay down his life for her if the need arose.
“God, you’re beautiful,” Drew whispered when she reached his side. “I bless the day I found you.”
“I’m the luckiest woman in the world,” she whispered back.
The pastor was indulgent, he waited until they had finished their whispers of adoration.
“Dearly Beloved,” he finally said, “We’re gathered here today to join Drew Philips Haley and Angelina Montoya Alejandro in holy matrimony…
And so…surrounded by a throng of friends and family, Drew and Angelina became man and wife. The words ‘in sickness and in health’ meant more to them than most.
After the ceremony, Drew and Angelina lingered at the reception only as long as they had to. “Let them party, I’m ready for our own personal celebration.”
Midst a cloud of bird seed and well wishes, he drove them back to Palo Gaucho for their honeymoon. “Tomorrow, we’ll fly away. But tonight, I want you to fly apart in my arms.”
“I want that too.”
Drew carried her over the threshold. As she nestled against him, he held her gaze, those big blue eyes he loved so much were full of love. “I’m so damn lucky, just look at you.” Her beautiful face, the elegant line of her neck, the bountiful cleavage he couldn’t wait to explore. “I can’t believe you made us wait ten days to make love.”
