Time for Raine

by C. Barry Denham

  She was so brave when they told her they wanted to ask her some questions. And then when they asked him to leave, Sean resisted. He gave them ultimatums, but they seemed unfazed. And then Raine told him it would be all right. He relented and told her he would be right outside if she needed him. Walking out the door was the hardest thing he had ever done.

  After what seemed like hours, it was over. Raine was escorted back into the room. She seemed to be fine and didn’t show any outward signs of stress or trauma. But it didn’t matter—his mind was made up. Heads were going to roll.

  Sean settled Raine into a waiting room with a TV and demanded to talk with whoever was in charge. He was taken to a room and asked to sit in a seat across from a table. Several uniformed as well as plain-clothed men and women sat behind the table. Sean bypassed the chair and leaned over the table, scanning left and right as he spoke. “I want a plane readied to take us back home and I want it now.”

  Several at the table looked uncomfortable and leaned away defensively. A man directly across from him opened his mouth to speak.

  “We’re not done with our interviews, Mr. Sampson,” said a woman next to him.

  “Like hell you aren’t.” Sean leaned closer. “If you don’t want to see a mad man go berserk, somebody needs to tell me exactly why you’re detaining a three-year-old child like some criminal. Why exactly are you holding my child, and what is she charged with?”

  “Mr. Sampson, there’s no need for hostility.” A woman at the far end of table spoke quietly.

  “Lady, you haven’t begun to see the hostility I am capable of,” he scoffed. “If somebody doesn’t release us in the next ten minutes, every news agency in this country is going to hear from my attorney, who happens to have instructions to do that if he doesn’t see me in the flesh later this afternoon. And if you don’t think I mean it, go ahead and ignore my demands.”

  His statement created some commotion, as several along the table began conferring with each other. After a short period, the man in the center of the table cleared his throat, and directed toward Sean, “Mr. Sampson, you and your daughter are free to go. We will arrange your transportation first thing in the morning.”

  “Now,” Sean said and met the man’s eyes. “You arrange our transportation now. Maybe you didn’t hear me say my attorney expects to see me later today?”

  “Very well, Mr. Sampson,” he said. “But as a compromise, we would like to arrange for a meeting later this summer with some select lawmakers. And we need the assurance you will comply.”

  “As if I have a choice,” Sean said.

  “Mr. Sampson, I don’t think you’re aware of the gravity of this situation.” The man looked left then right, scanning the faces of his colleagues. “We are sympathetic to your rights, but you must realize we must protect the interests of the citizens of this country for whom we work. If you think for one minute the task of setting up this meeting is going to be easy, think again. Convincing the highest lawmakers and executives in this country to sit in front of a three-year-old child and try to decipher exactly what she might know that would protect this country is a formidable task, to say the least.”

  His words hung in the air around the silence of the room. What he had said made sense, but what about Raine? Again Sean leaned over the desk.

  “I get it, folks. I really do,” he said softly. “But does anyone of you have a clue as to what all this might do to my child?”

  From the expressions across the table, Sean knew he had struck home. After a moment, a woman to the left spoke up.

  “Mr. Sampson, I have three children.” She spanned the room. “Most of us have children and grandchildren. I think I speak for the group when I say the welfare of your daughter is paramount in our minds as we endeavor to set this meeting up.”

  She paused and took a deep breath.

  “We’re not monsters, Mr. Sampson,” she said quietly. “We’re just people, trying to do a job.”

  Sean leaned away from the table. “I want to talk to Dr. Victor before we leave.”

  She looked left, then right. “I’m afraid Dr. Victor is on her way back to Pensacola.”

  Outside the room, Sean placed a call to her on his cell phone. The call went directly to her voice mail.

  If Sean were in her place, he probably wouldn’t answer either.

  ****

  The attendant offered food and drink, but Noelle refused.

  “When will we take off?” she asked. “Is anyone else going to be on this flight?”

  “No, ma’am,” the man said. “Only you. We will be airborne in a few moments.”

  Noelle released a sigh of relief. She couldn’t imagine sitting in the same plane with Sean. Not now, after what she had just gone through.

  She felt numb and deflated, grateful no patients were scheduled for the rest of the week. She couldn’t fathom facing any, and certainly not Connie, although her friend had called frequently since she departed the office earlier. To avoid a call, Noelle sent a text to let her know she would be taking a few days off. The only pressing issue was the suicidal patient, and she would visit her troubled teen during her time away from work. But no one else. Thankfully, the last time she called the hospital, the teen was doing much better. She planned to do everything in her power to help continue that progress.

  When the plane landed in Pensacola, a man was waiting for her. He drove her to her apartment, asked what else she might require, and when she said nothing, left.

  Noelle was reminded of a time two years ago when she arrived at her apartment. The memories dredged up when she walked in the door. A lot had transpired since the eye-opening trip to Atlanta, when she had witnessed Scott’s betrayal. She walked into the kitchen for a bottle of water. She needed to get away. She would pack a bag and head to the beach house.

  She couldn’t hate or resent Sean for his stinging words. After all, he was right. She had been scammed into complying with the NSA agent’s demands. She felt so helpless, aware an arrest on her record would not bode well for patient relations. Not to mention the damage it would do in her quest to help Raine.

  She missed Raine, and she missed Sean too. It was a Catch-22—a scenario with no solution. She had let them down, and now she had to deal with the pain of stepping out of their lives. Given her mistrust of Sean and men in general, she should have been happy with the outcome of the situation.

  No such luck.

  She dropped her overnight bag on the front seat next to her and turned the key.

  Nothing.

  A red light blinked. She had no clue what it meant. She leaned her forehead onto the steering wheel and wanted to cry. Instead she called Connie.

  “Hey,” she said softly as her friend answered.

  “I take it things didn’t go so well in Washington?”

  “No.” She fought to keep her voice steady. “I really don’t want to talk about it now, okay?”

  “Of course, sweetheart. Whenever you’re ready, you know I’ll be here.”

  “Thanks,” Noelle said. “But I need a favor.”

  “Anything.”

  “Will you call the service department at the Audi dealership and get someone out to tow my car in for service? It won’t start.”

  “Of course,” Connie said. “Do you need me to arrange a loaner?”

  “No, thanks. I’m going to the beach house for a few days.”

  “I’ll be right over to take you.”

  “Connie, you know I love you, but no thanks. I’ll call a cab. I don’t want to talk right now, okay?”

  “Of course, just tell me you’ll be all right, and I’ll leave you alone until you are ready to talk.”

  “I’m okay, really.”

  “Let me worry about your car. When you’re ready, and when it’s ready, I’ll bring it out to you. But you’ll owe me dinner. And don’t worry about the office. I’ve rescheduled all the appointments for this week. And if that’s not enough, let me know, and I’ll move more back.”

&nbs
p; “I’m sure that will be fine.” Noelle was relieved her friend was so understanding. “I’ll call you soon, I promise. Love you.”

  “You, too.”

  After hanging up, Noelle called a cab.

  She sat in her car for a while contemplating her situation.

  Thanks to her training, she was a master at analyzing the psychological aspects of situations like hers. She could systematically identify what had happened, what could have been done to prevent it, and what to do about the psychological effects of no longer having Sean Sampson in her life. The man had changed everything, had touched part of her never touched by anyone before.

  She had the clinical solutions for dealing with this type of trauma at her beck and call. She had all the answers on how to deal with the delicate issues concerning the loss of a loved one.

  But what on earth would or could she do about her broken heart?

  Chapter Fifteen

  The few days since Washington seemed like an eternity. It was time to shake it off and get back to life with Raine. Time for some fun. The day was tailor-made for fishing. While Raine dressed in her room, Sean took the opportunity to call Noelle one final time before putting it all behind him.

  “Dr. Victor’s office,” came the familiar greeting from Connie. “How may I help you?”

  “Connie, you would help me immensely by letting me speak with Noelle.”

  “Oh, hi, Sean.” She was gone for only a second or two. “I’m sorry, Mr. Sampson, she is unavailable currently. May I take a message?”

  “Do you think it would do any good?” Sean allowed his frustration to show and immediately backtracked. “I’m sorry, Connie. Yes, would you please ask her to return my call?”

  “Of course,” she said.

  “Thanks, Connie.”

  “Got to go, other line ringing.”

  He hung the phone up as Raine jumped into his lap.

  There was no way he would show the hurt he felt for all the times he had reached out to Noelle to no avail, especially not to his daughter. And she hadn’t given him the courtesy of a response to all his efforts to contact her. He must have apologized a dozen times for being such a jerk in Washington. And she had done nothing to acknowledge his efforts. Just a cold, flat letter stating she was backing away from treating Raine. Of course, there was the note for his daughter but not so much as a word to him. It did much more than put a dent in his ego. It cut into his heart.

  He had thought there was something between them, much more than the physical chemistry. He understood the hurt she must have felt when he had his meltdown in Washington. But couldn’t she see what the issue had done to him? All his instincts to protect his daughter were on full alert. He wasn’t going to chance losing his child. Couldn’t she see? He had driven her away. Away from what they had, away from that night in New York, away from the bond he thought she had with his daughter. He took a deep breath and forced a smile.

  “Ready to catch some big ones, little lady?”

  “Yippee! Let’s go.”

  Soon they were settled in chairs on the dock, lines in the water.

  “I think I’m getting a nibble, Daddy.”

  Sean glanced at the red and white float at the end of the line from Raine’s Snoopy rod and reel. It swerved and bobbed in the docile waters. During the many times they had fished, Raine had never been able to bring a fish in, although she had gotten many nibbles.

  “I think Mr. Fish is playing with you. Let him take the float all the way under the water, and then pull back on the rod.”

  Raine watched for a few seconds and when no other movement occurred, she began reeling the line in. “Must’ve eaten the worm.”

  The mid-May morning weather was as perfect as could be. A light south wind hummed softly in Sean’s ear, bringing a sweet melodic promise of salt and sea. It was the type of day that stirred the wanderlust he often felt. A complex yearning for points south tugged at his gently flapping sleeve, reminding him of the yet unseen and undiscovered tropical treasures that on occasion haunted him. He had felt this tug since the first time he set sail, soon after the delivery of the sailboat.

  Raine swung the rod in his direction. and he fished a worm from the small paper container. He caught the line in the breeze, negotiated his hand carefully along the line. and threaded a worm onto the hook.

  “Eeeew.” She made a face. “Yucky, slimy worm guts.”

  He looked at his slimy fingers, licked his lips, and faked a move toward his fingers. “Yeah, but the fishies love ’em. Wonder what they taste like. Slurp, slurp.”

  “Daddy, don’t. You’re gonna make me hurl.”

  “Hurl? And where did you hear that word?” He laughed.

  “I really don’t remember,” she said, smiling slyly. “Maybe from you just now?”

  “Of course.” He nodded but didn’t want to dwell on the subject.

  He took her rod and tossed the line a short distance out from the pier. It plunked into the water, and the float bobbed up and down before settling on the surface. She held the rod close, waiting for a bite. He fixed his gaze on her profile as she intently watched the float. She sat in a smaller version of a chair like his on the finger pier as Time for Raine listed in the breeze behind them, her lines popping and creaking.

  Until that moment, he hadn’t noticed she had chosen the same color shorts and T-shirt as he wore. The only difference was Sean’s Atlanta Braves baseball cap paled in comparison to her red Elmo cap, one she had spotted at a gift store not so long ago and had to have. Silent but comfortable moments turned into minutes. As his mind drifted, she broke the silence.

  “I miss her.” She never looked up from her fix on the float.

  Sean missed Noelle, too. He had tried to call her most every day. In fact, for several days he had called every number he knew to call, including her office. The mailbox for Noelle’s apartment phone quickly filled up from his calls. Her cell phone went straight to voice mail each time. Once, under pretense of a joyride with his daughter, he had shamelessly driven out to her beach house. But there was no sign of life, no car parked in the space under the house.

  The toughest part since returning from Washington had been dealing with Raine on the subject of Miss Noelle. He had avoided the issue with her and had gone to great lengths to make up excuses for why Noelle had not called. Though her absence hurt Raine, it certainly wasn’t Noelle’s fault. He couldn’t blame her, given the manner in which he had placed the blame on her shoulders.

  “I know. I miss her, too,” he said. It was time to face up to the truth. “Sweetie, Daddy wasn’t very nice to Miss Noelle in Washington.”

  Raine frowned and looked up at him, but remained silent.

  “In fact, Daddy said some mean things to her.”

  “Is that why she sent me the letter and hasn’t called?”

  Sean nodded.

  “Why did you do that, Daddy?” Raine turned away from watching the float and now stared at him with contempt.

  “I’m sorry, sweetie, I really don’t have an excuse. I made a bad choice.”

  She turned her head away. “It’s not fair, Daddy. I like Miss Noelle. Will we ever see her again?”

  It would be easy for him to produce a little white lie, but it wasn’t the best long term action. “I don’t know, sweetie. She’s disgusted with me right now. I’m sure she misses you, because she’s not mad at you, just me. And besides, she’s done the job I asked her to do for you, and there’s nothing else she can do to help. I don’t know if we’ll ever see her again.”

  “Maybe you should buy her some flowers for Mother’s Day.”

  Sean was taken aback by the suggestion. Why hadn’t he thought about the significance of the upcoming Sunday? The more he thought about it, the more painfully obvious the answer became. His mother had been gone for some time, and since Patty died, he had a ready-made excuse for avoiding the holiday. Then again, why would Raine make such a suggestion concerning Noelle, who had no children? “I don’t think Miss No
elle is a mother, sweetie.”

  “I know, Daddy. But someday she will be.”

  He could think of no response. Or maybe he didn’t want to respond. Was this another one of Raine’s prophecies? He found himself wanting to move on to another subject, and quickly. Yet he wanted to probe his daughter’s statement. A big part of him was terrified at what answer she might give. Given the fact he and Patty had been unable to conceive, this epiphany was unsettling. In the end, his curiosity got the best of him. “Dare I ask for details, little one?”

  “I don’t know.”

  “You don’t know what? The details, or if you should tell them to Daddy?”

  She shrugged. A moment later, her float disappeared beneath the surface of the water. The line became taut, and the sudden hit jerked the rod from Raine’s hands. Sean sprang forward, caught the rod in midair and guided it back to her hands as she stood from her chair.

  “Hold on tight, sweetie. Feels like a big one.”

  The strong pull of the rod pulled her toward the edge of the pier. Raine wasn’t going to let go of the rod and, from the looks of the bend in it, the fish wasn’t going to let up pulling on it. Sean hooked his arm around her waist and stood. He moved slowly along the pier in the direction the fish was taking the line. This gave Raine slack to start bringing in her catch. After a few moments, the fish tired, and she was able to slowly reel in the line. As the fish broke the surface of the water, it flapped and began its fight anew. Raine fought valiantly and brought it again to the surface. With his free hand, Sean grabbed the net and skillfully scooped her catch into the mesh. He lifted the net from the water and onto the pier.

  “It’s a whopper!” She laughed. “Wow, look at it!”

  They sat for a moment on the pier and watched the fish flop in the net. Although it fought as if it was much bigger, in reality he would guess it weighed under a pound. But it was her first fish. After a few seconds it stopped fighting. Its gills expanded and contracted, in search of water. His daughter’s expression changed from elation to excitement to a confused frown.