by Rikki Dyson
Stacey could hardly wait to share her news with Shane, then she realized and became concerned that she hadn’t heard from him on Wednesday or Thursday. Stacey tried to reach him, but no answer. She slept very little on Thursday night. Friday morning Stacey was standing at the door of the hospital director’s office when he arrived. Stacey told him who she was and showed him their marriage license. “Doctor Wilkerson, I haven’t heard from my husband since he left here Tuesday afternoon on a private helicopter, bound for a hospital in Paris.”
Doctor Wilkerson spread his hands and said, “Well young lady, you know how it is with young men in Paris.”
“Don’t even go there,” Stacey warned him. “I’m not stupid and my husband isn’t a philanderer. It should be beneath your dignity to infer such a thing. My husband is a well respected neurosurgeon. Either you tell me where he is and why he hasn’t been able to contact me or I’m gonna’ raise the biggest stink this hospital has ever had. Now the choice is yours.”
Doctor Wilkerson just sat there. He wasn’t sure about this young woman. He had the feeling she wasn’t bluffing, and she was an American. He had heard that Doctor McLeod was engaged to an American, but he hadn’t heard that he was married. The marriage certificate did look genuine.
Stacey watched him while he was thinking. She reached over, took her marriage license and put it back in her hand bag. When she reached the door, she turned and said, “Watch the noon news on the BBC, you and this hospital will be all over it.” Then she walked out and slammed the door.
Doctor Wilkerson called Doctor Hugh Grant. He knew Doctor McLeod and Doctor Grant were close friends from college and medical school. “Doctor Grant, there was a young woman in my office just now. She said she’s married to Doctor McLeod.”
“Was she tall, slender, auburn hair and quite beautiful?”
“Yes,” Doctor Wilkerson said. “That’s her. She wants her husband.”
“Doctor Wilkerson, if I were you, I would give him to her.”
“She’s threaten to go to the BBC, but I haven’t the faintest idea of what she is referring to.” Doctor Wilkerson said.
“Well doctor, if that’s all she does, you may be getting off easy. You know she’s from Texas. You really don’t want to muck about with those people.”
Before Stacey reached the outside door a security person stopped her and said, “Doctor Wilkerson would like to speak with you in his office, please.”
When Stacey entered Doctor Wilkerson’s office again, he was on the phone. He smiled and motioned for her to sit down, however, she kept standing. He was speaking French to a doctor in Paris. Doctor Wilkerson had no way of knowing that Stacey spoke French. He told the person on the other end of the line, that it was of the up-most importance that he reach Doctor Shane McLeod.
Stacey was looking at the folder on the desk. Doctor Wilkerson turned his back to tell the other person to put Doctor McLeod on the phone. Stacey took her tiny camera from her bag and snapped a photo of the chart. She took the phone from Doctor Wilkerson and told the person on the other end in French, “I give you fifteen minutes to get my husband on the phone or your bosses chart will be public knowledge.” She hung up the phone and sat down.
“Young woman, do you know with whom you are dealing?” Doctor Wilkerson asked, as he swabbed the perspiration from his brow.
Stacey flipped the chart with her fingernail and said, “Well I do now. More importantly Doctor Wilkerson, do you know with whom you’re dealing?”
The phone rang. Stacey grabbed it before Doctor Wilkerson could. It was Shane. “I’m so sorry sweetheart, they wouldn’t allow any of us an outside line and they confiscated our mobiles.”
“Is your part of this surgery finished?” Stacey asked.
“Yes it is,” Shane replied.
“Okay,” Stacey said. “put the guy that’s with you on the phone.”
Stacey told the person on the other end in a voice cold as ice. “I’m not going to debate this or repeat it. If my husband isn’t home in three hours, I’ll be sitting in the BBC, with your bosses medical chart.” Stacey hung up the phone and walked out the door. No one tried to stop her this time. She took a taxi to the BBC and there she sat.
One hour later, Stacey cell phone rang. It was Shane, “Sweetheart, I’m on my way home, I’ll meet you at the hospital in a few hours.”
“Very good,” Stacey said. “I’ve given the film to my friend here at the BBC. If he doesn’t hear from us by tonight, it’ll be all over the airways.”
“Excellent,” Shane said. He had no idea to whom or what Stacey was referring.
A couple of hours later the helicopter landed. When Shane walked off the helicopter Stacey ran to him. A man got off with Shane and was trying to talk to Stacey, but she ignored him and kept walking away.
“Stacey, there’s no need to be rude,” Shane said.
Stacey stopped and turned, patted her shoulder bag and said, “Rude nothing, he’s just lucky I don’t shoot his ass.” She took Shane’s hand and started walking again. The man from the helicopter made a mad dash back to it, when Stacey patted her shoulder bag and made the remark, he was lucky she didn’t shoot his ass.
A policeman met them in the car park, as they were about to get in the car. He was very polite and asked to see Stacey’s shoulder bag? She gave it to him. He took everything out, then asked, “Mrs. McLeod, do you have a pistol?”
“Good heavens no,” Stacey said. “Why would I?” Then Stacey asked with such innocence, “Would you like to search me officer?”
He was young and blushed as he said, “No ma’am, that won’t be necessary. You and your husband may go now.”
Stacey started laughing. She had pulled off the two biggest bluffs of her life.
Shane said, “Well my devious little wife, I now see I must worry about you getting nicked and spending time in Scotland yard.” They both were laughing as they drove home.
Hugh and Annie met them as they drove in the car park. “What happened?” they asked. “Nigel called, and said the coppers were all over the helicopter and the hospital.”
“Oh, it was just a little miss-communication,” Stacey said. “They had to make sure I was Shane’s wife before they would let me talk to him. Of course, he was on his way home by then.”
“You sure had Doctor Wilkerson ready to piss in his pants,” Hugh said.
“I don’t know why,” Stacey said. “he was the sweetest man.”
“Your friend isn’t telling the truth, you know,” Hugh told Annie on their way home.
“How ever did you guess?” Annie said, laughing.
Stacey and Shane were suppose to fly to Edinburgh at six that night, but the ordeal with the Paris people and his late arrival back to London, Shane wasn’t sure about the trip. “Do you still want to go?” He asked.
“Yes, of course, I do. I’ve been waiting since January to compare my history to your grandmother’s.”
“There’s something I really need to do first,” he said.
“What’s that?” Stacey asked, hoping his thoughts were equal to hers.
“Make love to my wife,” he said, with his husky voice.
As he took her in his arms, Stacey melted against him. “I can’t think of anything I’d rather do either,” she said.
After they made love they talked. Shane asked, “What did you think they were doing to me?”
“I didn’t know, I just knew it wasn’t like you, not to be in touch. It was wrong and cruel of them to use their, so called power, not to let you call me.”
“So you...stormed the Bastille...uh?” Shane said, and kissed her.
“Damn straight. All they had to do was let you talk to me, so I would know you were okay. Did you get your cell phone back?”
“Yes I did my sweetheart, and I have one thing to say; I’m so glad you watched all those James Bond movies,” Shane said, laughing. Stacey pinched his bum. “Ouch,” he said.
“Oh did it hurt? Do you want me to kiss it and make it
all better?”
“Yes, please.” They barely made it to the airport on time.
Chapter 46
Edinburgh
Shane rented a motor car at the airport and they drove to Grandmother McLeod’s. From there he called his parents, to inform them of their arrival. His mother told him, they would be over tomorrow. It was after eleven p.m Shane was irritable and wanted to go to bed.
Stacey was excited and said, “Grandmother McLeod, I brought my family history to compare with yours. I know it’s too late now, but tomorrow I want to look at yours.”
“Oh, that’ll be interesting dear,” Grandmother McLeod said. Neither Shane, or his Grandmother, put much store in Stacey’s idea, but Stacey would not be deterred. They were both tired, it had been a long and eventful day.
Saturday morning after breakfast, Stacey went upstairs and brought her family history album downstairs to the living room. She laid her album on the table as she turned through Grandmother McLeod’s history. Both Shane and his grandmother became restless. They were out in the flower garden for awhile, then came in and was having tea with Beebe when Stacey walked into the dining room.
Shane jumped up when he saw her stricken face, “My god sweetheart, what is it?”
“I know where brother Ian took the countess of Dun-Raven and the three girls after the earl and his son were killed.”
“Yes, sweetheart we know, he took them to his brother’s farm at Hawick.”
“No, Shane, there’s more than just that.”
Grandmother McLeod, had no idea what Stacey was referring to, but Shane did. He came to her immediately and took her shaking body in his arms and led her back to the living room. “Show me lass, show me what you found,” Shane gently said.
Beebe and Grandmother McLeod were watching with great concern. The entry was written by a Cassandra Leigh (Fitz-Morgan) Scott-Striches. I must write of the brave monk that helped my mother, my twin sisters and I escape sure death or a horrific political marriage in the year, fourteen-sixty-nine. Our father and brother were both killed in battle. I was told never to speak of this, but my mother and my twin sisters Jessica and Jacquelyn are all gone. All dead these many years. I am an old woman now. My mother Eleanor knew the old countess. She died when my mother was fourteen. She was ninety-six years old when she died. They all said, her husband, the old earl, came for her.
It has been many years since brother Ian brought us to his brother Alistair’s farm. After a few years, my mother married James Elliot; my sister Jacquelyn married William Cavers of Liddesdale, a cousin to the Douglass’s. My other sister, Jessica married David Langland and I married Walter Stirches. Both of our husbands were related to the Chisholm’s. Walter was my second husband and father of my three daughters. I have brought forth into this world eight children. Five sons and three daughters. I have kept the old countess’s wish of handing down from mother to daughter. I have one daughter left, Deborah, born, fourteen-eighty-eight, and three granddaughters. Mary, Charlene and Francine. My youngest great-grand daughter, Ellen Leigh was born in fifteen-seventeen.
Shane took the book and was reading the entry that was Cassandra’s. Stacey was shaking all over and kept saying, “I remember her, I remember her.”
“You couldn’t have sweetheart, she wasn’t born until fourteen-fifty-seven.”
“Not her,” Stacey said. “Eleanor, her mother, Eleanor.”
Stacey was feeling dizzy and her vision was going out of focus. In the shimmering mist she could see Dun-Raven castle alternating with Grandmother McLeod’s living room. Stacey cried out in sheer terror, “Hold me Shane, hold me tight. Don’t let me go back.” Shane laid the book down and took Stacey in his arms. Stacey kept saying, “Don’t let me go back. Hold me tight, don’t let me go back.”
“You’re not going anywhere sweetheart, I have you and I won’t let you go.”
“What can we do to help?” Grandmother McLeod asked.
Shane shook his head. All he could do was hold her securely in her fright of being pulled back in time. When Shane’s mother and dad arrived, Andrew saw the condition Stacey was in, and asked Shane, “Is it shock?” It was obvious, Stacey was in a traumatic state.
“Yes,” Shane said. His dad ran to his car and brought in his bag.
“I’ll get water,” Elizabeth said.
Stacey reached for the glass, but she was shaking so badly, she was spilling the water.
Shane took her hand and said, “Here, let me help you.” Andrew gave her a tranquilizer. Andrew spoke with his mother for a minute, then came and sat on the coffee table in front of Stacey. He reached out and patted Stacey’s leg, and said, “Don’t worry your pretty head love. We won’t let you go anywhere you don’t want to go. You belong with us now.”
Mrs. Beebe went to make tea. Elizabeth said, “I’ll help you. I hate feeling so helpless at times like this.”
These are the ancestors she was on the trail of last summer? Now she’s found them here in Mother’s family book?” Shane’s dad was shocked. “This is incredulous, son.”
“Yes,” Shane said, “however, there’s much more to this than you know about Dad.”
Elizabeth brought Stacey a cup of tea. “Here darling,” she said. “Drink some of this. I know you have two handsome doctors, but tea always helps.”
Stacey smiled at her and took the tea. “Thank you,” she said. This time she was steady as she drank her tea.
“Do you feel calm and secure enough to tell us what you discovered in Mother’s family album that upset you so, Stacey?”
“Yes,” Stacey said as she handed Andrew the book. “Will you turn to the year, seventeen-forty.”
Andrew read it, looked at Stacey, then read it out loud.
April-seventeen-forty-Jacquelyn is writing, God help us. I may have done the wrong thing today. I helped my twin sister elope with Major Colin St. John. He is an Englishman. Father hates him for that reason alone. I spoke with our mother. She encouraged me to have no regrets. She said, we all must take love where we find it.
December seventeen-forty, Mother has not been well. I know she misses Jessie. I do as well. Father came home in a foul mood today. He said, that bastard, St. John, took our Jess to the colonies. We’ll see her no more. How do you know? I asked. He pulled a letter from his coat pocket. Mother begged him to let her read it. He tore it up and threw it in the fire. What a cruel thing to do. Mother died that night of a broken heart. After her funeral, I packed everything that had belonged to mother, Jessie and myself and moved in with my older brother, Ewan and his wife.
May- seventeen-forty-one. I am to wed Duncan McAlpen in august of this year. September- seventeen-forty-three, I gave birth to twin sons today. We have named them Adam and Andrew. June- seventeen-forty-six. A daughter was born today. I named her Jessica after my twin sister. July- seventeen-forty-eight. A son was born. We named him James Duncan. June- seventeen-fifty-one. I gave birth to another daughter. We named her Carolyn Leigh.
“Now look at the date seventeen-fifty-three, in my grandmother’s book,” Stacey said. When Andrew finished reading aloud the names and dates from Stacey’s grandmother’s family history, they were all amazed.
“Then this set of twins is our common ancestors?” .
“Not entirely,” Shane said. “The Cassandra you read about, her father was the tenth earl of Dun Raven. Her mother and father were distant cousins. They both came from the direct line of the seventh earl and countess of Dun-Raven.”
“There are many missing years between Cassandra’s and Jacquelyn’s writings, but if they kept the line pure, Grandmother McLeod and I will have matching mitochondrial DNA.” Stacey said.
“Will Shane have it also?” Elizabeth asked.
“No,” Stacey said. “he’ll have your mitochondrial DNA.”
“I have it from mother, but I can’t pass it on,” Andrew said.
“Yes, that’s correct,” Stacey agreed.
“How can we be sure the female line was kept pure down throug
h the years?” Shane asked.
“There’s one way to find out for sure,” Andrew said. He opened his medical bag and put on gloves and took out two swabs and vials. He swabbed the inside of his mother’s mouth, then Stacey’s. “We’ll take blood too, to make doubly sure, and then I’ll take these to Doctor Edwards at St. Andrews, in a few weeks we’ll know,” Andrew assured them.
“How about a light lunch? I’ll make some sandwiches and bring them in here,” Mrs. Beebe said.
“Now that we’ve had lunch, I’m going to run these over to Doctor Edwards,” Andrew said. He came over to Stacey. She was sitting next to Shane with her feet tucked under her.
“Young lady, I want you to know, no matter how this turns out, you’re a part of our family. I have loved you since the night I met you in John’s stable. When you two left on your quest, I was hoping my son would have the good sense not to let you slip away.”
“Me too, Doctor McLeod,” Stacey admitted.
“I think I made a good go of it,” Shane said, and hugged Stacey.
“You were amazing, my love, absolutely amazing,” Stacey said.
Shane smiled his winning smile and said, “Thank you. I never take no, for an answer.”
His dad slapped him lightly on the leg and said, “That’s my boy.” Andrew left to go see Doctor Edwards. Shane’s mother stayed to be with her son and Stacey in case she was needed.
Stacey was feeling much better, but still didn’t want to be too far from Shane. She felt rather stupid. She’d never depended mentally on anyone since she was a baby. She knew she had to pull herself out of this. She felt the last thing, Shane needed was a clinging vine around his neck. How many times had he told her how much he loved and admired her independence and self-assurance.
