Love Found a Way (Hell Yeah! Book 0)

by Sable Hunter

  T would have been angry, but his heart went out to the victims of the accident. Lexington had put Osbourne’s number on the notepad and T had waited until he was on the highway to call Osbourne, but his phone had died and he had no charger in the truck. And now this? He was going to be sitting here for hours it seemed, with no way of getting in contact with anyone.

  Feeling hopeless, he sat behind the wheel, listening to bad local radio and trying to think of where Glory could have gone. T didn’t know as much about her as he thought, he couldn’t come up with a single name of anyone she might have gone to see. He knew her mother had bailed on her and moved the family to Florida, but Glory had no car. Surely, she couldn’t and wouldn’t be fool enough to try to walk all the way to Florida. Thinking of her hitchhiking made him feel even worse.

  The sun sank over the horizon before traffic started to move and T was so tired, that he considered pulling off the highway and procuring a room for the night at Hideaway Ponds in Branch. But he needed to get home. Osbourne was just up the road from him and all his resources were back home. Hell, he couldn’t even use his phone until he got it charged. Heading anywhere other than Loreauville would be foolish at this point, so he opened the windows, blared the music and drove until he arrived home. Groggy from the long day, T called Doctor Osbourne and left a message. Lexington had promised to call in advance and pave the way for T to go see the doctor.

  It was an odd feeling. Neither Glory, nor Buford was there to greet T when he walked in the front door of his house. He felt like a zombie, overtired from the long days and the stress he’d felt since finding out Glory had left. He’d gone past the point of exhaustion. T-Rex was so tired that when he kicked his boots off and laid down on the couch, sleep eluded him.

  T’s mind raced.

  Where the hell could she have gone?

  Again, he thought about Glory’s mother. If the Osbourne lead didn’t pan out, he’d try to find her mom. It was a long shot, but he really had nothing to go on at the moment anyway.

  After an hour of his mind racing constantly. Racing with strategy. Racing with worry. T’s eyelids finally became too heavy and he dozed off.

  ‘Where are you, Glory?’ T called out in his dream.

  Standing in an open field, he yelled into the vast expanse, his voice carrying over the wind.

  ‘T?’ Glory responded.

  Her voice was faint and far off, but T would know that voice anywhere.

  ‘I’m here, T. In the barn.’

  Turning on his heels, T spotted a building on a ridge off in the distance. He ran for it as fast as he could. Above his head, the clouds grew dark and thunder rang out like cannon fire. The rain moved in, dropping a heavy downpour on him as he raced toward the barn.

  Kicking the door open, T peered into the dark. ‘Glory?’ A bolt of lightning lit-up the barn. In the corner, a figure lay near a stack of hay. ‘Glory!’

  T ran to the person. Another bolt illuminated the barn. Glory was on the ground, her clothes ripped and tattered, her feet blistered and black from the scorching hardtop she had traveled over on her journey.

  T knelt beside her. ‘I’m here, baby,’ he whispered, cradling her close.

  But the body he held, lay limp in his arms. Another bolt showed that Glory’s belly had grown large. T looked up to her face. Her eyes were closed and her skin had turned blue.

  She was gone.

  He’d taken too long to find her and now, here she lay, beaten and battered from her journey. He forced her away and she’d lost her life and the baby’s.

  “God, no!” T snapped out of his dream with a violent jolt, almost falling off the couch. The clock on the wall across from him told the late hour. “Shit!” He scrambled to his feet and rushed to the door, grabbing his wallet and phone on the way.

  CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

  Franklin, Louisiana was the next town in her path. As Glory trudged down the narrow dirt road, she was almost blind to the beauty she passed. After having the scare in Baldwin, she’d foregone the main highway for the backroads. The pastoral scenes she passed were peaceful, but the constant rain put a damper on her spirits as well as the day.

  Another hill. Another hamlet.

  Glory just kept moving, with rain in her shoes and a hope in her heart that was growing dimmer by the mile. She’d gone over her mental list again, to no avail. Heck, she needed a sign – a signal – some divine intervention that could tell her what to do. She glanced up at the heavens, hoping to see some type of message written on the clouds, but all she saw was a big buzzard gazing down at her from a telephone pole. “Don’t look at me like that, Beaky, I’m not on my last leg yet.”

  But the farther she walked, the worst she felt. One rest stop turned into a half dozen and the 4.7 miles seemed like fifty. The hamburger she’d eaten the night before was gone and nothing in her backpack seemed edible. Glory knew it was her imagination, but everything seemed to turn her stomach. She’d thrown up twice already. What she was craving now was fruit, fresh fruit. “I can’t afford to indulge too much,” she muttered to herself. “Fruit is expensive.”

  Putting one foot ahead of the other became mesmerizing, her mind blank…until she became aware that someone was watching her. A feeling of dread flitted through her system. Thoughts of Matilda came to mind. Glancing from side to side, she saw nothing. And then she realized - - something was following her. Oh, she couldn’t hear it – she couldn’t see it – but she could definitely feel eyes boring into her back. With her traitorous heart beating rapidly, she slowed and whirled around, her hands coming up in a defensive measure.

  Meow.

  Meow? Glory had been looking up, but the plaintive feline cry caused her to look down. A tiny yellow kitten was following along behind her. He was so small, he had to jump over a blade of grass. “Well, hello, cutie.”

  “Meow.”

  “Where did you come from?” Glory picked the kitten up and looked around for a possible home he might belong to.

  “Meow.”

  She turned the kitten on his back to check if it was a boy or a girl. “You’re a man of few words.”

  “Meow.”

  Putting him down, she patted the small cat on the head. “I guess you’d better go back where you came from.”

  Turning her back, she moved on a few feet. Curiosity got the better of her though, because soon she stopped and checked behind her. Sure enough, the little feline was keeping up with her as best he could. Unable to resist the kitten, Glory scooped it up. “All right. You convinced me. You shouldn’t be alone, you know. A big dog might come along or a gator or that buzzard might decide he wants to try some fresh, fast food.”

  Purr. Purr.

  Glory laughed and tucked the kitten under one arm. She was aware of how slight and thin it was. “When we find a store, I’ll buy you some tuna and me a banana. How does that sound?”

  More purring ensued.

  “What shall I call you?” Glory rubbed her face on the cat’s soft fur. “How about…hmmm…how about Thomas?”

  “Meow.”

  “Good, Thomas, I’m glad you approve.”

  Feeling happy because she wasn’t alone, Glory continued her journey – still following the Teche, still aimlessly aiming at an elusive destination.

  By the time Glory and her little traveler arrived in Franklin, she was more tired than ever. A welcome sign relayed the information that the town had been named as one of the 100 best small towns in the area. She stopped to read the marker, learning that over 500 historical properties were located in the downtown historic district and that Franklin was home to four governors, three U. S. Senators, a Chief Justice of the Louisiana Supreme Court, an Attorney General, a Lt. Governor and two state senators. “I am suitably impressed, Thomas,” she told the kitten, then tucked him in her backpack. “You’ll have to be quiet while I go into the store. They might not allow animals inside.”

  Finding the local Piggly Wiggly turned into a pleasurable experience. This town was a littl
e different from the others, the shops were all decorated for the holidays and even the street signs were all decked out with decorations. Moving down the sidewalk, she wove in and out of laughing groups of couples and families. Everyone seemed to be with someone or going somewhere. Glory was surrounded by people and she’d never felt so all alone.

  The further she traveled down the street, the louder the sound became. It bothered Glory a little, carols seemed to show up earlier and earlier every year. Only when she came even with a glass storefront, bedecked with cutouts of candy canes and reindeer, did she realize she was at the grocery store. Stepping on the automatic door mat, she ducked inside, grabbed a plastic basket, and headed for the pet aisle. “I’m on a quest, Thomas. Be patient.” Glory swore she heard a tiny answering meow.

  After locating some small gourmet cat food cans with pull-tops, Glory began to look for the produce section. She took off for one corner, but discovered herself to be in the pharmacy section. A wave of dizziness swept over her. She looked around for a bench, but didn’t see one in sight. “Not now,” she muttered, leaning up against a big support pillar. Gaining a little equilibrium, she managed a few more steps, spying the produce section at the far end of the store. The distance seemed more like a mile. “I’ll feel better when I eat,” she muttered to herself, setting her eye on her goal and taking it a step at a time. As stubborn as she was, even Glory knew something had to give. She’d come to the end of her proverbial rope. “Almost there,” she whispered. “Just let me get some fruit in my grubby little hands, make it through the check-out line, then I’ll find a place outside and make some type of decision.”

  As she came even with a huge bin of apples and oranges, piled high in a pyramid shape, Glory stumbled, her vision going black. Reaching out, she tried to stop her fall. When she did, the apples and oranges went everywhere and she fell back into another display, knocking packages of flour every which away. Somehow, she managed to fall on her side, conscious of not mashing her backpack full of kitten or landing on her stomach. Everything would’ve been okay, if it hadn’t been for her head striking the sharp edge of a shelf. The last thing she saw was the front of one of the sacks of flour…Lily White.

  Lily. Lily. She could call Lily!

  “Miss? Are you all right?”

  “Here drink this, ma’am.”

  “Someone call an ambulance or an EMT.”

  The suggestion for emergency services was what brought her to. “No, please don’t.” She let someone help her up. “I just need water and something to eat. “I’ll be fine.”

  One store clerk handed her a banana and Glory smiled. With a shaking hand, she peeled it and took a bite.

  “I still think you need to go to the doctor. Are you sick? Did you slip down or something?”

  “No.” Glory brought her bag around, checking to make sure Thomas hadn’t made a dash for it. “No, I didn’t slip down. I just got dizzy. I’m pregnant.” She peeked inside, grateful to see big blue eyes staring back at her.

  “Pregnant? Ye gods!” A man, who looked to be the store manager handed her some water. “I’d feel better if you were checked out.”

  Glory waved her hand, as if dismissing the idea. “No, please, I don’t have any money or any insurance. And I have all the medicine I need with me.”

  “Somebody help her up, give her some space.” The female clerk directed a guy to bring a chair.

  Glory felt self-conscious over all the attention. How like her to cause a scene like this. The one good thing that came out of it all, was that she now knew where she was going.

  “My name is Warren, I’m the store manager,” the man asked. “Is there someone we could call to come get you ma’am? I’d feel better if you didn’t try to drive home.”

  Glory didn’t bother to explain that she was on foot. “Yes, I’d love to use your phone, if you’d allow me to place a call to New Orleans.”

  *

  T tried to sip his coffee at the same time he was pulling on his shoes. “Dammit!” he muttered as he sloshed some on the floor. The spill didn’t even faze him. He’d slept in and his phone indicated he had a new voicemail.

  “Mr. Beaumont, this is Deborah from the New Iberia Free Clinic. I’m returning your call. Dr. Lexington has been in touch with our office and he and Dr. Osbourne have spoken this morning. You are free to come in and speak to the doctor at your leisure today. We are open nine to four. We’ll work you in as best we can.”

  Lexington had expressed concerns about Doctor Osbourne’s willingness to speak to T about Glory, but he did promise he would call ahead and try to grease the wheels, since Glory had been a patient of his for so long and he was concerned about her. It appeared Lexington had been successful and T felt the first bit of hope he’d experienced in days.

  Just as he was pulling up to Osbourne’s office, T’s phone rang. It was Lauren Middleton. “Sorry, Lauren,” T said as he looked at the name on the screen, before slipping it back in his coat pocket. “I’ll have to call you back.”

  Osbourne came into the examination room with a flourish. He was in stark contrast to Lexington, whom T had met with the day before. Osbourne was almost as tall as T and still on the bright side of fifty.

  “I remember you from the day of the ultrasound, Mr. Beaumont and I’ve spoken to Doctor Lexington.” Osbourne got straight to business. “He assures me your cause is noble, but I’ll be honest. I don’t know the man other than for a few phone conversations about Ms. Hudson and even if I did know him well, I like to consider myself to be a man with his own opinions. So why should I discuss Ms. Hudson with you? If I remember correctly, you aren’t her husband.”

  “No, but I am the father of her baby.” T looked at Osbourne hard, not trying to intimidate the man, he figured the doctor didn’t scare easy. “Look, I respect you wanting to keep Glory’s care private, but I can only assume Lexington filled you in on my visit.”

  “He told me the story, yes.”

  “Well, Doc, when I found out Glory was pregnant, I was less than supportive. I’ve got my own issues with having children, issues I’ve fought with just about all my life, but when the reality hit me that Glory was gone, my feelings quickly changed. All I want is to find her and make sure she and my baby are all right. I love her.”

  Osbourne looked at him long and hard. “Did Doctor Lexington tell you about Glory’s condition?”

  “Not in great detail. My brain has been a bit scrambled and I don’t know if I remember everything he told me.”

  “Glory has Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension. I won’t go into boring medical specifics, but this is different from Pulmonary Hypertension, more serious. With PAH, the tiny arteries in the lungs become narrow or blocked. It’s harder for blood to flow through them, and that raises the blood pressure in the lungs. The heart must work harder to pump blood through those arteries and after a while the heart muscles get weak. Eventually, it can lead to heart failure.”

  T almost forgot to breathe. “What causes this?”

  “In Glory’s case, the PAH was a side effect of a drug given to her as a child to combat leukemia.”

  So much of what Glory had told him made sense now - about living in the moment, going after what she wanted. He felt his own heart contract – what she’d wanted was him.

  The doctor continued. “Her condition is life-threatening to begin with, but when you add pregnancy to the equation, she is in big trouble. Pregnancy causes an increase in the amount of blood pumped from the heart and in doing so, creates considerable stress on the organ and circulatory system. I’m telling you this because Ms. Hudson is in real danger. I strongly advised her to terminate the pregnancy right away.”

  “You what?” T was floored. Lexington had mentioned it was in Glory’s best interest to get an abortion, but Osbourne was telling him he’d actually suggested it to Glory straight out.

  “I advised her to terminate the pregnancy. Women with Ms. Hudson’s condition are urged not to get pregnant in the first place, there is a ver
y high mortality rate for those who do.”

  T felt sick. “I need to sit down.”

  “I can see that she is very important to you and I wish I could help you find her, but I’m afraid I have no idea where she’s gone. She came by the other day to see me for some prenatal vitamins, but she never mentioned leaving town. If she had, I can assure you I would’ve done my best to keep her from doing so.”

  T had run into another wall. He thanked Osbourne for speaking to him and left on shaky legs, totally unsure of what he would do next. “Please, Lord.” T closed his eyes and looked out over the steering wheel in his truck. “I need a miracle.”

  Just as he was about to fire up the engine, his phone buzzed inside his coat.

  “Why the hell haven’t you been answering my calls, Rex Allen?” Lauren was on the other end of the line, fussing at him and she was angry.

  “Sorry, Lauren. I’ve kinda been in the middle of a crisis here. What’s up?”

  “My conscience has been weighing on me about something, T.”

  “I hate to break it to you, but I’m not an ordained minister, I can’t absolve you of your sins.”

  Lauren let out a heavy sigh on the other end of the line. “Here goes nothing. T, Glory was here a few days ago. At the shelter.”

  “What!?”

  “She came in and stayed a night. I know I should have called you right away, but she begged me not to. It’s been bothering me ever since and I had to call and let you know. She didn’t look good. I’m worried about her.”

  Since T had only found out Glory was pregnant a few days ago, he wondered if she’d shared that information with Lauren.

  “I told her she needed to call you. She told me she would when the time was right. I intended to try and persuade, but she took off not long after that. I’m sorry. I should have called you earlier. She said you two broke up.”

  T ignored the comment. “Do you know where she was headed?”