The Legacy

by ADAMS, J.

Hair: brownish-black

  Eyes: green

  Last seen with : Gladys Baker

  Age: 57

  Race: Black

  Hair: Black

  Eyes: Brown

  Call if you have any information

  Reward offered.

  Closing her eyes, Sadie lifts her face heavenward as hot

  tears spill down her cheeks, her hands forming fists. “How could I have been so stupid? Because of my stupidity, Phillip has been kept from his family, and now they might not ever see him again.” Her voice breaks. “God, please help me. Help me to help Phillip.”

  She presses her face into her hands and cries helplessly, feeling alone and hopeless. She will never be able to live with herself if anything happens to Phillip, so she continues to plead to the heavens for help. She needs to make it to the station, but she is in so much pain, she can hardly move.

  Taking a deep breath, she makes an effort to get up when a car approaches and stops.

  “Are you all right, honey?” the woman calls through her window.

  Sadie wipes her face. “I need to get to the police station.”

  The woman’s brows draw together in concern. “Well, come on and I’ll take you.”

  “Thank you,” Sadie says with a grateful sob. As she stands and moves toward the car, her knees buckle and she falls. The woman jumps out and helps her to walk around to the passenger’s side.

  “I think maybe I should take you to the hospital instead,” she says, seeing fresh blood roll down the back of Sadie’s neck. “I work in housekeeping there and I'm on my way in now.”

  “No, please,” Sadie says as she collapses into the seat. “I need to get to the police. I have information about a kidnapping.”

  “Good heavens!” The woman closes the door. As she pulls out onto the road she introduces herself. ”My name is Helen Grant.”

  “Sadie Roberts.” Sadie continues to hold her head. The pain is excruciating and she is just barely hanging on to consciousness. “I’m grateful for your help, Helen. It was a miracle you came when you did. You were an answer to my prayers.”

  Helen gives a small smile. “I’m happy I can be an answer to someone’s prayers. I’ve certainly had plenty of mine answered lately.”

  When they finally arrive at the station, Helen walks around and opens the door for Sadie, helping her to stand. Sadie leans against her and they walk into the building. The officer at the front desk looks up just as Sadie’s legs give out and she goes down, almost taking Helen with her.

  “What happened?” he asks, rushing to them.

  “I was driving by and saw her sitting at the bus stop. She told me she was trying to make it here, but she was in so much pain, she had to stop.”

  The officer gently lifts her head and examines the bloody mass on the back. “Someone got her pretty good.”

  Sadie loses consciousness and the officer calls for an ambulance. While they wait, he questions Helen and she tells him all she knows. When the ambulance finally arrives and leaves to take Sadie to the emergency room, Helen follows, hoping she will be okay.

  Seventy

  As morning light spills into the room, Adagio lay watching Cisely sleep. He wishes he could see her dreams and longs to be a part of them. How he loves just looking at her! He gently brushes her hair back, not able to resist touching her, and marvels that she never ceases to take his breath away, even when she is sleeping peacefully. Despite all they are going through, their love for each other is continually growing, and his entire being thrives on her happiness.

  Adagio is so proud of Cisely for her strength and awed by her determination to continue their family Thanksgiving tradition, even though Phillip is not with them. There is still a great deal of pain every time he thinks of his little boy and his hope for Phillip’s return never ceases. But his faith is strong and he knows in his heart their son is all right.

  As Cisely slowly awakens, Adagio continues to caress her face, as if she were a priceless treasure. Opening her eyes, she smiles, the deep love in her eyes evident.

  “Good morning, my love.” “Good morning,” he says with a smile. “How are you feeling?”

  “About the same.”

  “I will go and get a croissant and some juice for you, okay?” He sits up, pushing back the blanket.

  She nods. “Thank you.”

  “You are welcome.”

  “Adagio?” she says, reaching for his hand as he stands. He sits on the edge of the bed. “I love you. Thank you for loving me so much.”

  Leaning over, he presses a gentle hand to her face. “You don't need to thank me. You are very easy to love. I can't imagine not loving you or having you in my life.”

  “I can’t imagine not loving you either. She stares into his eyes and he sees a multitude of emotions in them. “It seems like we have always been together, like I have always been yours.”

  “You were meant to be mine,” he says, his voice gentle, yet his gaze is intent. “And you will always be mine.” Pressing his lips to hers, he kisses her possessively. You will always be mine. The statement embeds itself deeper into his soul as her mouth continues to soften under his.

  I melt under the power his kiss holds. I really am his. I completely belong to him. Everything about his love is perfection.

  “I will go get that juice and croissant for you,” he whispers against my lips. He draws back a little, meeting my misty eyes with his own tear-filled gaze. “I love you, baby.” He kisses me again and heads to the kitchen.

  Sliding over to his side of the bed, I contemplate his words. Pressing my face to his pillow, I breathe in his scent. This powerful passion I harbor for him completely fills me, and he holds my heart in the palm of his hand. He is everything to me, a literal part of my soul.

  I smile, thinking of the new life growing inside me that is another product of our love. Brushing a tear away, my thoughts linger on Phillip and how happy he would be to know he is going to be a big brother. Pressing a hand to my chest, I sob softly as sadness again overwhelms me. I miss my little boy immensely and it isn’t getting any easier.

  Adagio returns with a tray for me. Setting it down beside the bed, he slips under the covers, immediately pulling me into his arms.

  “I’m sorry,” I tell him. “I didn’t mean for this to happen this morning.”

  “Shhh,” he soothes, pressing a kiss to my brow. “It is all right. Anytime you need to cry, it is okay.” His voice cracks. “And I will be right here.”

  As if his permission is all I need, I bury my face against his chest and cry without restraint. Adagio can do nothing but hold me and cry with me.

  Seventy-one

  Sadie slowly awakens as the early morning light seeps through the blinds of the hospital room. The pain she’d felt previously is gone, replaced by a lightheartedness she has never felt before. Lifting a hand to her head, she finds it securely wrapped in bandages. She tries to remember what happened last night, but her mind is still fuzzy and her brain can’t seem to function. The one thing that does stand out in her mind is Phillip is in danger. She has to help him.

  She pushes the call button attached to her bed. After a moment, the doctor enters her room and she finds herself doing a double take, taken off guard by his attractiveness. Taking in his expression, she wonders if she only imagines the look of relief in his eyes.

  Blue eyes, she muses. Eyes as blue as the sea. Whoa! Where did that come from? Oh, yeah, my head is still fuzzy. “Good morning, Miss Roberts,” he says softly. “I’m Dr. Grant. I can’t tell you how glad I am to see you awake. I know you probably don’t remember much and I will try and fill you in. But first, how are you feeling?”

  “My head is kind of fuzzy, but it doesn’t hurt anymore.” “That’s good. It means the pain medication we gave you is still working. As soon as it wears off and you start to feel pain, don’t hesitate to ask for more.” His eyes turn serious. “That was a nasty gash you received and you got a slight concussion along with it.” He places
a gentle hand on her arm. “Would you like to tell me how it happened?”

  Sadie’s arm tingles under his hand and she forces herself to keep from reacting. “Yes, I’ll tell you, but I need to speak with the police too. I have some important information for them.”

  “I thought you might. There has been an officer waiting out in the hall for a while now to speak with you. I said I would let him know the moment you awakened. I’ll go and get him now if that is all right.”

  When Sadie nods, he leaves, returning seconds later with the officer. Sadie vaguely remembers him from last night.

  Dr. Grant sits on a stool next to the bed. He isn’t sure if he should stay or not, but he doesn’t want to leave Sadie just yet. A deeper part of him needs to know who would do such a thing to her.

  “Miss Roberts, last night you came to the station because you had some information about a kidnapping. I would like to take your statement now.”

  Taking a deep breath, Sadie tells the officer about Gladys kidnapping Phillip and bringing him to her house, pretending he was her grandson. She tells him about her history with Gladys, explaining that even though she didn’t like the woman, she had no reason at first to doubt her story. Then she observed the hateful way Gladys treated the boy. Sadie tells the officer that until yesterday, Phillip hadn’t spoken, so she didn't know he had been kidnapped. Then she saw the missing child poster at the bus stop. She repeats to him what Phillip told her about Gladys taking him from the wedding reception of a relative in North Carolina.

  She wipes her eyes. “Gladys came in and caught me talking to him and became suspicious. That was when I made up my mind to get him out of there. She watched me for the rest of the evening. When I tried to get him out of the house in the middle of the night, she hit me from behind. The next thing I knew, I was waking up on my hallway floor. And now . . . now she’s taken Phillip to who knows where . . . and it’s all my fault.”

  Dr. Grant takes the box of tissue from the table and places it on the bed. Seeing guilt and grief etched into her face, he wishes he could say something to help. He places his hand over hers and squeezes.

  Sadie looks into the doctor's eyes, her own conveying how much she appreciates him being there. She doesn’t know this man, and she is sure this isn't a part of his job description, yet for the first time in a long time she doesn’t feel alone.

  The officer tells Sadie she isn’t responsible for any of this and it's good that she came forward as soon as she’d made the discovery, but his words do nothing to ease her conscience. She should have known Gladys wasn’t telling the truth. She should have done something sooner. The guilt is tearing her up inside.

  When the officer leaves to call the information in, Sadie heaves a sigh of relief, holding to the hope that they will find Phillip before it is too late.

  Seventy-two

  Charleston, South Carolina With one hand gripping the back of Phillip’s shirt, Gladys knocks on the door of the secluded old trailer, musing that it pays to have friends in low places. Looking around the area she has to admit, this place is even lower than her own. The rusty old trailer is out in the middle of nowhere surrounded by trees. There are junked cars and trucks everywhere and the road leading to the place is unpaved.

  Yeah, no one will look for me here, she thinks with a smile. When there is no answer, she bangs on the door again. “I’m coming!” a gruff voice yells. “Hold your horses!” A minute later the door opens. Phillip looks up at the big,

  rough-looking man and cringes.

  “Well, if it ain’t Glad Gladys. What are you doing in this

  neck of the woods?”

  “I just thought I’d come and hang out with my old

  drinking buddy for a while.” She eyes the tall Indian and smiles.

  “How you been, Tom?”

  “As well as can be expected. Ya’ll come on in, then.” “Go on in there, boy,” Gladys says, shoving Phillip

  through the door.

  “So what you been up to?” Tom asks, fixing his eyes on

  Phillip as she shoves him into an old chair in the corner of the

  cluttered room.

  “Not a whole lot. My daughter dumped her boy off on

  me and I’ve been trying to take care of him. But it’s hard when

  money is low.”

  “Yeah, tell me about it. My ex tried to leave the two

  young’uns with me, but I wouldn’t stand for it.” He eyes Phillip

  again. “That’s a good looking boy, but I know his daddy ain’t

  black, is he?”

  “No, he ain’t.”

  “You want something to eat, boy?” Tom asks him. Phillip nods slowly. Normally he wouldn’t have answered,

  but since he hasn't eaten anything since dinner yesterday, he is

  hungry.

  “Well, I got a can of peaches and some bread. Come on

  in the kitchen.” Phillip timidly follows Tom.

  While Tom is getting the food for Phillip, Gladys starts

  looking through his cabinets for something stronger than water

  to drink.

  “I got a bottle stashed in the bottom cabinet over there.”

  He points to a greasy door in the corner.

  “Ah, jackpot!” she says as she pulls the almost full fifth of

  vodka from the cabinet. She takes a dirty glass off the table and

  fills it, then quickly takes a swallow, grimacing as the burning

  liquid rolls down her throat.

  “I’m guessing you needed that.”

  “You guessed right,” she says, smiling before taking

  another swallow.

  “Well, pour me a glass.” He takes another dirty glass from

  the table and hands it to her. She fills it half way and holds it out to him. Tom takes a large swallow and sets the glass down.

  “So, how long you plan on staying?”

  “Just for a few days. I’ll keep out of your way and the boy

  won’t be a problem. I’ll make sure of it.” She shoots Phillip a

  hateful look.

  Phillip fights the sudden burning in his eyes, determined

  to not cry. It makes Gladys angrier when he does, and that's the

  last thing he wants.

  “”He don’t look like he’ll be too much of a problem.” Gladys looks over at his now empty bowl. “That boy

  would eat me out of house and home if I let him. That’s why I

  ain't got any money left now.”

  “I hear what you’re saying. Young’uns take every dime,

  that’s for sure.” He turns to Phillip. “Hey, boy, go on back in

  the bedroom and turn on the television while me and your

  grandma talk.”

  Phillip does as he is told. Secretly, he is eager to watch

  television. He hadn’t been allowed to at Sadie’s. Gladys hadn’t

  allowed him to do anything, except sit quietly in the bedroom

  all day. And he read the picture books Sadie bought for him so

  many times, he had the pages memorized.

  He turns on the television and sits in a wooden chair in

  the corner, but instead of watching the cartoons on the screen,

  he thinks of Sadie. Tears fill his eyes as he recalls her lying on

  the hallway floor. Never during this whole ordeal had he been

  as frightened as he was at that moment. Gladys has always been

  mean, but to know she actually hurt Sadie completely terrifies

  him. He feels like it is his fault. Sadie was only trying to help

  him, but she ended up getting hurt instead. He quickly wipes at

  the tears.

  “Please let her be okay, God,” he whispers. “Please let

  Sadie be okay.”

  Seventy-three

  Sadie lay awake staring up at the ceiling, futilely wiping at the endless stream of tears. She’s been praying unceasingly that the police will
be able to track down her car and catch Gladys, and her heart aches for Phillip. She will never forgive herself if anything happens to him. Truthfully, she doesn’t know if she can forgive herself now for letting things get this far. She has always considered herself a somewhat intelligent person, but not anymore. At the moment she feels as far from smart as a person could be.

  Dr. Grant enters the room, wanting, more than needing to check on Sadie. There are nurses in his charge that can do it, but when he isn’t busy with another patient, he wants to be with her. There is no way he can explain how she’d touched his heart the moment she was put in his care. In the five years he’s been a doctor, nothing like this has ever happened to him. It is as if her spirit had spoken to his.

  Earlier he talked with his mother about what he was feeling and said she understood. She had also felt an unexplainable closeness to Sadie when she picked her up at the bus stop last night. Helen told him she had a special feeling about Sadie. She had no idea her son’s life would be affected by the young woman as well.

  When Peter sees the tears rolling back into Sadie's hair, he again places his hand over hers. “How are you doing?” His voice is soft.

  Her pain-filled eyes meet his. “How could I have been so stupid?”

  The young doctor rolls a stool over by the bed and sits down. “Sadie, you are not now, nor were you ever stupid. You thought you were helping someone. You didn’t know.”

  “Oh, I helped her all right. I helped her to keep a little boy from his family.” She looks into his eyes. “Oh, Dr. Grant, what am I going to do?”

  He smiles. “Well, the first thing I want you to do is stop calling me Dr. Grant. My name is Peter.”

  Sadie wipes her eyes and looks into his, her own laced with subtle humor. “Is that allowed?” she asks almost mischievously.

  “For you, it is.”

  She gives him a slow smile that melts his heart. He squeezes her hand. She returns the gesture, her smile fading slightly.

  “The second thing I want you to do is try and relax. You did everything you could and no one blames you for anything. In fact, the police think what you did was very brave. I know I do.”