Remember, It's Our Honeymoon

by Mairsile Leabhair

  The EMT’s called for a second unit to respond because there were only the two them, and that would not be enough for the kind of trauma’s they were dealing with.

  There was nothing Joyce could do, but stand to the side, out of the way. “I want my wife taken to New York Cardiology Hospital emergency room.” She demanded. “That’s where I work and I can assist in her treatment.” She wouldn’t really be able to assist in anything, other than in getting Dennis, the head of the emergency department, to look at Ellen.

  “Works for us, since we’ll be transporting the heart injury patient there anyway,” one of the EMT’s said.

  The second ambulance arrived and the two teams divided up the victims and worked at getting them stabilized. Joyce introduced herself and asked Ellen’s team to give report as they worked on her.

  One of the EMT’s had seen Joyce on the news during the tornado disaster in Little Rock, and asked for her autograph.

  “You save my wife and I’ll give you anything you want,” she stated seriously.

  The EMT’s loaded up the patients and with sirens blaring, rushed them to the hospital. Joyce stuck by Ellen’s side, and followed her into the examination room.

  “You can’t be in here,” the nurse stated, as she tried to block Joyce from entering.

  “The hell I can’t. I’m a doctor, but more importantly, she’s my wife.”

  “I know who you are, Dr. McMillan, I was your nurse when you came in for your eye problem. If you want to help your wife, you’ll wait out here, out of our way,” she replied pointedly.

  Joyce knew she was right, and the only reason she gave in to the rules was because she couldn’t see, and would be more of a hindrance than a help.

  “Have Dr. Mack see me as soon as he’s available.”

  “Yes, doctor, I will. Your eyes are looking a bit rough, shall I have someone come look at them for you?”

  “No. Dr. Mack cared for them initially, so he can check them out when he reports on my wife.”

  “Here, why don’t you wait in his office? You’ll have some privacy that way. I’ll let him know where to find you,” the nurse took her by the elbow and Joyce went willingly.

  ***

  Dr. Kline opened the door to the Veterans of Foreign Wars building, and Samantha walked in, letting her eyes adjust to the dimly lit room.

  “Why are we really here, Dr. Kline?” she asked.

  “I told you. We’re here to meet some friends of mine that I think you will find have a lot in common with you.”

  “You mean veterans with a baby they’re afraid to touch for fear of hurting him?”

  “Yes, actually, that’s exactly what I mean,” Kline replied.

  He showed her into a small room with one woman and three men. Samantha saw that two of the men were very old, and wondered what their part in Kline’s scheme they would play. She knew it had to be more than just meeting his friends, simply because he was a shrink, and everyone knew that shrinks didn’t have friends.

  Kline brought over the two older men. “Samantha, I’d like you to meet some people who have been where you are now.”

  “I don’t mean to be disrespectful, gentleman, but I hardly think that you have been where I have,” Samantha halfheartedly quipped.

  “I’d like to prove you wrong, Ms. Vincent, if you think you can handle it?” Henry, a veteran of World War II, said.

  Samantha sneered. She was sure that nothing this old man had to say, could compare with what she went through. “Sure. Why the hell not.”

  Dr. Kline introduced her to each person in the room, and then asked everyone to grab a drink and take a seat. Samantha knew for sure then that it was a set up.

  “Samantha,” Dr. Kline said. “Tell us what you’re thinking right now. Don’t think about it, just speak what’s on your mind.”

  “That’s a dangerous request, Dr. Kline, because what’s on my mind right this second is murder.”

  A few of the people in her group therapy session gasped, but Kline knew what she was referring to. “And who would you murder, if you could?” he asked.

  “Dead people.”

  Confused, Tanya, also an Iraq veteran, asked, “If they’re already dead, why would you want to murder them?”

  Samantha looked at her and retorted, “Because I’m not the one who killed them.”

  This was the first time that Samantha had said a word in any group, and Dr. Kline, feeling that she was ready to speak of her torture in Syria, asked Samantha to give a brief overview of why she was in therapy.

  In a voice that dripped with sarcasm, she quickly rattled through the most torturous parts of her captivity, seeking to shock them into leaving her alone, but it did quite the opposite.

  “So, let me get this straight,” Tanya said, as she leaned forward, her coffee cup in her hand. “After all you’ve been through, and I gather there’s a lot more that you haven’t told us yet, but after being saved and given a second chance in life, all you can think about is wanting to kill your captors? So what if someone else killed them. They’re dead, they’re gone and they can never hurt you again unless you let them.”

  “And that’s exactly what you’re doing, Samantha,” Kline added. “You’re letting them have control.”

  “Yeah, what the doc said,” Henry agreed. “If I’ve learned anything after all these years, I’ve learned that in order to keep from going down that rabbit hole, I had to stop giving my tormentor control over me.”

  “Oh, please,” Samantha sneered, feeling cornered. “What kind of tormentor could you have possibly had compared to mine.”

  “You’re not the only one in the world who’s suffered, you know,” Henry said, pinching his eyebrows as if in pain. “My father put out his cigarettes on my ass and then butt raped me to make me forget the pain. My own father, damn it!” Henry coughed to give him a minute to regain control. “And that’s why I ran away and joined the Army, but that only made it worse. When I was a prisoner of war, at the tender age of sixteen,” the old man’s eyes welled up, “I saw horrific cruelty, some of it similar to what you experienced, including rape.”

  There was an uncomfortable stillness in the room, and although Kline could have broken the silence, he welcomed it instead. It allowed the group to reflect on their own torment and to see how they were not the only ones in the world who had suffered something traumatic. With Samantha’s belligerent statement brought to light and disassembled by Henry, Kline hoped she would come to understand that she didn’t have to give the torment control any longer.

  Samantha had to choose whether to deny his pain, or accept it on equal terms. “I guess I thought that no one else could possibly have lived through the same hell I did, or could even begin to feel my pain. I was wrong, and I’m sorry, Henry.”

  “Thanks, but I don’t need your apology. I need you to see that you can have control over your tormentor, and your life.”

  “I’m not there yet, Henry, but maybe,” Samantha took a deep breath, “with everyone’s help here, I can learn how to do that.”

  ***

  Joyce paced. It was a very short walk because the ER doctor’s office was much smaller than her own. She paced with an arm outstretched, and when her fingers touched the wall, she turned around and walked the other way. She paced, she prayed, she felt like a zombie with her arms outstretched. She had no idea how long she had been pacing, and finally, the stress became too much, and she felt her way to the door.

  “Hey, Joyce. Where are you going?”

  “Dennis, where the hell have you been?” she asked accusingly.

  “Taking care of your wife. You’re welcome.”

  “Please,” Joyce suddenly changed tones. “How is she? Can I see her? I need to be with her, Dennis.”

  “She’s in surgery right now for that gash in her leg, but she did regain consciousness briefly and could tell me what day it was. She asked if you were all right, and I assured her that you were.”

  “Why the hell didn’t you bring m
e in there, damn it!” Joyce asked angrily.

  “Because, doctor,” his tone was deliberate, “her tourniquet needed to be removed and I thought it best to get her to surgery instead of waiting for you to ease your anxiety.”

  Joyce lowered her head. “I’m sorry, Dennis. Of course, you’re right.”

  “No, I’m sorry, Joyce. If that were my wife in there, I’d be the exact same way. She’ll be out of surgery in about an hour, and I had them go ahead and assign a room for her, if you’d like to wait there?”

  “Yes, thank you. That would be great.”

  “First let me take a look at those eyes.”

  Joyce tilted her head back and Dennis pulled out his optical light and shined it into her right eye. She recoiled from pain.

  “Damn, what was that flash of light?” she asked him.

  “That, my dear, Joyce, was your eyes trying to restore themselves,” he replied happily. “Let me look in your other eye, and hopefully this will hurt also.”

  “You’re a masochist, Dennis, but in this case, I like it… yeow!” Joyce yelled when the light hit her eye.

  “Excellent. What happened to your mask? I think you should wear it a while longer to help prevent the pain.”

  “I lost it in the accident,” Joyce said with a big smile on her face.

  “All right, I’ll get you another one and have someone take you up to Ellen’s room.”

  Joyce lost all her inhibitions and wrapped her arms around Dennis, giving him a bear hug of gratitude.

  Two hours later, just as the sun was coming up over New York City, the transportation tech wheeled Ellen into the room. As soon as she was transferred to the bed, she called to Joyce.

  “Joyce, honey, over here.”

  “Ellen,” Joyce felt her way to the bed. “Oh, Ellen, I was so worried about you. Your surgeon just left here after telling me that you’re going to be fine.”

  “But what about you. Oh, honey, I was so worried for you.”

  Joyce slid her mask off and Ellen gasped as she looked in to the slightly bloodshot, but clear eyed pupils of her wife. “Can you see me?”

  “Yes, baby-doll, I can see you. Every inch of that beautiful face of yours.”

  Ellen began to cry, but Joyce fought her tears so she could see the love shining in her wife’s face. “I love you so much, Ellen.”

  Chapter Twenty

  Sitting in the study at Senator Peg O’Malley’s home, Brigid jumped up and began pacing back and forth in front of her sister.

  “Where is she now?” Peg asked.

  “I don’t know, they’re not answering their cell phones,” Brigh replied.

  Peg contemplated for a moment and suggested that maybe they had simply returned to their honeymoon, but even as she said it to Brigh, she knew that wasn’t it.

  “Peg, do you think maybe she knows?”

  “No, I don’t. If she knew you were her mother, I’m sure she would be here now. Did your investigator turn up anything?”

  “No, nothing.”

  “Did you really think that he would?”

  “I had hopes.”

  “Well, I’m sorry for that. But you needn’t worry anymore. That man is in a prison cell in America. He’s not coming after you.”

  “Are you sure? He kidnapped me and took my baby from my arms. Why did he do that?”

  “We may never know, but perhaps Aidan coming to Ireland will reveal that to us.”

  “If I could only get her alone, I could ask her questions that could lead to the answers I’m looking for. But Vicky is in my way.”

  “Don’t do anything foolish, Brigid. You could make things worse.”

  “I’m not doing anything foolish. I merely insinuated that with Vicky there, you can’t get to know Aidan. If she loves Aidan as she says she does, she’ll want what’s best. I think this is best.”

  “When did you get to be so devious?”

  “When I saw my daughter for the first time a few days ago, and became desperate to love her again. What a marvelous creature she has become. I couldn’t keep from watching her, listening to her, loving her.”

  “Then tell her so. She deserves no less from her mother.”

  “I’m afraid, Peg. Terrified actually. What if I reveal myself and she pushes me away? What if she’s just like him?”

  “Brigid, I don’t believe she will push you away, and I don’t believe she is anything like him. She is respected and honored by her countrymen, but more than that, she is capable of love. Harold never was.”

  Brigid weighed her sister’s words and her heart grew lighter. Perhaps it was time to step into the light and show Aidan her heart, her love for her daughter. All I need is courage… but I don’t possess that… yet.

  *

  “How could this ring be one of the crown jewels? And how did my mother end up with it?” Aidan’s brain was about to explode from so many revelations coming at her all at once.

  “I’d like to know the answer to those questions me self. If that was indeed her engagement ring, and mind ye, I never had a chance to see it before she left for America, then her boyfriend at the time must have given it to her.”

  “But where did he get it from?” Vicky asked, “Who was he?”

  “I’m not sure, lassie. She met him at coláiste, er, college, but I never got to meet him. Ye see, apparently he didn’t want to wait around for her, so by the time we came back from searching for Aidan, he was gone, ag fuck bastaird.”

  “You like saying that, don’t ya grandpa?”

  He looked at Aidan and saw the twinkle in her eyes, and he nodded, laughing.

  Aidan eagerly gulped down the last dregs of coffee from her cup and handed it back to him for more. She needed to clear her mind so she could process what he was saying to her. As he poured her another cup, she picked one of a million questions she wanted to ask him. “Is your name Angus? Angus O’Malley?”

  “Tis himself,” he replied, and then added, “Angus Aidan O’Malley, but ye can call me Daideó.”

  “Grandpa. Thanks, I like the sound of that. And do I have a Mamó?”

  “Sadly, no. Yer grandmother died a few years back. She would have loved to meet ye, Dia chuid eile a anam. Tell me, how is it that ye know our native language?”

  “I only know a few words that I’ve picked up here and there. Someday maybe I’ll tell you all about it, if you’d like?”

  “Yes, I would like that.”

  “I’m sorry, what did you say?” Vicky hesitated to interrupt but she also didn’t want to be left out.

  Angus looked at her and then back at Aidan.

  “Oh, I’m sorry, Daideó, this is my wife, Vicky. Vicky, this is my grandfather.” Aidan was smiling so proudly that emotional tears came to Vicky’s eyes.

  “Yer wife, tis it?”

  “It’s nice to meet you officially, Mr. O’Malley,” Vicky held out her hand and he accepted it.

  “Aw, lass, call me Angus, if you please.” Turning to Aidan again, he asked, “I thought yer girlfriend left ye, and here tis that yer married?”

  “Mo leithscéal a ghabháil, Daideó,” Aidan said and then turned to Vicky and translated, “I told him I was sorry.”

  Vicky nodded her head, “You should tell him the whole story, Aidan.”

  Aidan nodded, and explained to her grandfather how she and Vicky had come to be there in his pub, and why she pretended to be distraught so that she could gain his trust. She looked to Vicky for permission before she told him about Vicky’s rape by the same man who had kidnapped her mother, and then she went into detail about the ring and what she learned of it.

  “Tell me more about that ring, lass. How did ye get it away from him? We thought he stole it to sell it, but we never learned what became of it. It’s worth quite a few pounds, ye know.”

  “I found that out after we got over here. When I was very young, after Harold had passed out on the floor from a night of boozing and carousing, I would search his room for money or valuables, and that’s
how I found this ring hidden in his room. I took it and hid it so that he would never find it again, but the confusing part is that in all these years, up until this year, he never gave the ring a second thought.”

  “Aidan, he probably thought he had lost it in a drunken stupor or something.”

  “Why did ye keep it all these years, lass? Why didn’t ye sell it?”

  “I knew it as my mother’s ring. The only thing I had of hers, it was my only connection to her. I could never sell it.”

  “Aw, good lass. I’m proud of ye for having a head on yer shoulders.”

  Aidan felt a tingle of excitement expand in her heart. He’s proud of me. My grandfather is proud of me.

  The three of them sat talking well into the night, until finally Angus suggested that they get some sleep and start fresh tomorrow. Aidan didn’t want to break the spell, but Vicky convinced her that they were all tired, and would be able to think more clearly in the morning. Angus offered to call one of Aidan's aunts, who could put them up for the night. But Aidan declined. She did want to meet more of her family, but her mind was already overloaded with all that she had learned. She needed time and space to think it through. So, Angus arranged for them to stay in a hotel in Cavan.

  It was light when Aidan rolled over in bed and draped her arm on her lover and then, through the fog of sleep, realized that Vicky wasn’t there. Aidan groggily called for her, but when there was no answer, she sprang up and looked around, finding a note lying on Vicky’s pillow. She rubbed her eyes awake and read:

  My beloved,

  By the time you read this, I will be on my way back to Arkansas. Please don’t be mad, okay? I tried to find a way to tell you, but I was too much of a coward I guess. And then meeting your grandfather last night convinced me, you need uninterrupted time with your family. I feel it’s important that you have time alone with your mother, without me hovering over you constantly. Use this time to get to know her and let her know you.

  I’ll be fine, I promise. Please don’t worry about me, I have plenty to do at the hospital and will start shopping around for our new house, maybe even find the house of our dreams before you get back.