Moon Over the Mountain

by Carol Dean Jones

  “I have one question,” Charles said. “If you folks had this pay stub, why did it take two months to notify the company?”

  The social worker looked offended. “I’m the one that called that company, Detective Parker, and I’m extremely proud of the work I did. This is what I had to work with,” she said as she reached into her desk drawer and pulled out a scrap of paper which appeared to be part of a torn pay stub. She handed it to Charles.

  “MICK …” was printed in the upper left-hand corner of the stub. There was a diagonal tear that ran from the K down to the bottom right-hand side of the stub which removed the rest of the company name and much of the information below it. The words “Employee No.” appeared at the middle of the stub, but the tear had removed the number. At the bottom of the stub “Site No. 900” appeared along with part of a letter which could be a B.

  “This was found inside the wreckage and was brought along with him when he was admitted. I’ve talked with dozens of companies beginning with ‘Mick’, asking them if they have a site number that begins with nine-zero-zero and whether they had a missing worker.” Still looking defensive, she continued, “It wasn’t until two days ago that I got a positive response. I was ecstatic when I finally spoke with Mickelson’s and even more so when you called.”

  “I’m sorry, Ms. Lathrop. I didn’t mean to be discourteous. I’ve had family members come into the station accusing me of doing nothing when I’ve been working my butt off. I know how you feel and I’m sincerely sorry.”

  The social worker nodded her acceptance of his apology and said. “Would you like to see him now?”

  * * * * *

  “And you are?” the doctor said, turning away from his patient as the three entered.

  “How do you do,” Sarah responded quickly before Charles could speak. “I’m Sarah Parker and I represent this man’s sister-in-law who lives in Portland, Oregon.” As she spoke, she handed him a sheet of paper. “Here is her name and number if you need to speak with her. We’re hoping to get information about Richard’s condition so we can plan for the children,” she continued in a very take-charge tone.

  That’s my wife, Charles thought proudly as he saw how quickly she came up with a cover story. Not that it isn’t all true, he thought, but she cleverly planted her story before the doctor had a chance to challenge her right to patient information.

  “I’m glad you’re here,” the doctor responded, turning back to the patient. “We’ve been concerned about notifying the family of this gentleman. By the way, I’m Doctor Feldman,” he said turning to Charles and extending his hand.

  “I’m Charles Parker,” he said simply, seeing that his wife was taking the lead on this one.

  “Can you tell us what happened?” Sarah asked.

  “Mr. Abernathy was found unconscious and lying near his car down in a ravine just south of Bristol City. There are dangerous curves in that area, and we assumed that he just lost control of the car.

  “How long was he down there?” Sarah asked.

  “No one knows. The police reported that the car was cold and it could have been there for a couple of days. He was obviously taking a short cut over the mountains. Should’ve stuck to the interstate,” he added as he checked the man’s feet for responses. “See that?” he said proudly.

  “What?” Sarah asked.

  “He’s beginning to respond to touch. The nurse said he opened his eyes for a moment when she was exercising his arms. It’s not like it is in the movies, you know. Folks don’t hop up from a coma and begin to sing an aria from La Bohème. It’s a slow, step-by-step process. As for Mr. Abernathy, his vitals have been strong for weeks now. His EEG shows adequate brain activity. He’s responding to touch and we’ve seen some indication that he’s aware of our presence. This man will be back with us soon.”

  “And he’ll be fine?”

  “I can’t say that at this time, although he may well return to his previous level of functioning. He’ll need physical and possibly vocational therapy. It just depends.”

  “What caused the coma?” Charles asked.

  “Well, a combination of factors. He had a severe head injury affecting the cerebral cortex; he also suffered hypothermia and excessive blood loss. He’s actually a lucky fellow considering what could have been. It’s just a good thing someone spotted the car down there when they did.”

  The doctor excused himself, leaving Sarah and Charles with this stranger who had been in their hearts and prayers for the past weeks. “I think we need to make absolutely certain,” Charles said. He took out his phone and took a picture close to the man’s face. Sarah thought she saw Richard flinch when the light flashed.

  Charles dialed Jack Slocum’s number and told him where they were. “I have another picture for you,” and he hit the send button and put the phone on speaker so Sarah could listen.

  “That’s our guy,” Jack Slocum cried out. “That’s him. Oh, man, you did it. Mary Beth, Cody, come see this picture.” Charles could hear the sounds of excitement in the background. “Do his kids know?” Slocum asked.

  “Not yet,” Charles responded, “but let us tell them, okay? We still don’t know how long it will be before he’s home and, to tell you the truth, no one knows what condition he’ll be in. There was a serious head injury.”

  “Don’t worry. When he gets home, I’ve got the perfect job for him here in the lodge. No more driving cross country to slice the top off mountains.”

  At that moment, Richard Abernathy opened his eyes and looked directly at Sarah. As he closed them again, Sarah saw a tear leak down the side of his face. She reached for a tissue and wiped it away. “Would you go get me a cup of coffee, Charles? I’d like to sit here with Richard. I have a few things to tell him.” Not knowing whether he could hear her or not, she told him all the things the children had been doing, about the beef stew Addie May had made all alone, about Baby Girl who wants to be named Clara like her mother, and about their trip to the amusement park. She described the boys on the roller coaster and Baby Girl riding up and down on the carousel.

  She didn’t know if he was able to hear her, but in her heart she felt him smile.

  “Sophie, we’ve got news!” Sarah said excitedly when Sophie answered the phone. It had been several days since they returned from Virginia, but Sarah had been reluctant to tell anyone about Richard’s condition. She didn’t want to get her own hopes up and especially not the children’s. But word from the doctor had been encouraging and she wanted to talk to Sophie about it. “We found the children’s father.”

  “Alive?” Sophie asked tentatively.

  “Alive, yes, but in a coma. The doctor is optimistic though.” She went on to catch Sophie up on all the details. “Once he regains consciousness, there’ll be months of physical and vocational therapy. …”

  “And you’ll be staying down there?” Sophie interrupted.

  “No Sophie, Charles and I agree it’s time for the family to take over. I’m going to call the aunt in the morning and suggest she either come here and stay with the children or come get them and take them to Portland until the father has recuperated. As much as I hate leaving the children, it’s time for Charles and me to get back to our lives.”

  “From what you told me,” Sophie responded tentatively, “it sounds like this aunt is living the good life in Portland. Are you sure she can survive in that primitive mountain cabin?”

  “You’re forgetting something, Sophie. Rosalie grew up in that house!”

  “You’re right, I had forgotten that. So what happens next?”

  “We’re going to talk to the doctor tomorrow to find out just what’s in store for Richard. Charles thinks they might be able to move him down here to Gatlinburg for his therapy. That way the children could visit him. It would probably help with his recovery.”

  “But,” Sophie interrupted, “he isn’t even out of the coma at this point.”

  “That’s true, but the doctor thinks it’s just a matter of time. He’s tot
ally recovered from the accident, has strong vital signs, and several times he’s actually opened his eyes for a few moments.”

  “Really?” Sophie responded with surprise.

  “And when we were in his room and talking about him coming home,” Sarah continued, “a tear ran down the side of his face. He could hear us!” she added with restrained enthusiasm. “I just know he was listening!”

  Sarah was speaking with Sophie on the lodge telephone in their room, and she suddenly heard her cell phone ringing. “Charles, can you get my cell?”

  “Got it, sweetie, … Hello?”

  He remained quiet as he listened to the caller, and then began to smile. He looked over at Sarah and winked.

  “I’ve got to go Sophie. I’ll call you tomorrow and let you know what’s happening.” As she hung up, she turned to Charles and raised her eyebrows. “Good news?” she asked in a whisper. He gestured for her to wait just a moment as he was saying goodbye to the caller.

  “Richard is among the living,” he announced with a tremendous grin. “He opened his eyes this morning while the doctor was examining him and said a few words.” Charles had an impish look on his face.

  “What?” Sarah asked.

  “He wants to see the kind lady.”

  “The kind lady?” she repeated, looking confused.

  “You, my dear. He’s asking for the kind lady who told him stories about his children.”

  “Oh, Charles!” she exclaimed as she rushed into his arms. He held her close and whispered, “Those kids are going to have their father back.”

  “Let’s call Rosalie right away,” she said, eager to set their plan in motion. As much as she loved the children, she was ready to get back to her life in Cunningham Village. She missed her friends, her home, and especially her dog, Barney. “I’ll bet he thinks we’ve deserted him.”

  “Who?” Charles responding, not being privy to her thoughts.

  “Barney, of course,” she responded as she picked up the phone. “Let’s call Rosalie, and then let’s go tell the children everything that’s happened.”

  “Can we slip breakfast in there somewhere? I’m starved!”

  * * * * *

  Ricky threw his arms around Sarah’s neck and squealed with joy. “I knew you could do it,” he was saying. “I knew it when I heard you talking on your phone up on the cliff.”

  “You did?” Sarah said pulling back enough to see into his eyes. “What did you know?”

  “You were talking to a friend about some kind of problem and you sounded wise and caring. That’s when I decided to ask you to help us.”

  She pulled him close again and whispered, “I’m glad you did.”

  Baby Girl, now called Clara by her siblings, was running in circles singing “Daddy, daddy, daddy home.” She was holding the ragdoll Sarah had brought her.

  Addie May had told Sarah that the doll hadn’t been out of Clara’s arms since the day she got it. “She’s named it Miss Sarah,” Addie May had said.

  Sarah looked at Addie May who had her arms around Tommy and was wiping tears from his face. “It’s been hardest for Tommy,” she said to Sarah later. “He and dad were together all the time. He was barely four when Mama died and he latched onto our father. It’s been hardest for him, I’d say …” She looked away and Sarah knew she was fighting tears of relief.

  “I would guess it’s been hardest on you, my dear. You’ve carried the adult burden of raising a family, but relief is on its way.”

  “What do you mean? You said daddy would be in the hospital for many months.”

  “Let’s sit down and have a cup of coffee,” Sarah responded. “I have more news for you.” Sarah poured two cups of coffee, a full cup for herself and a half-cup for Addie May which she then filled to the brim with warmed milk and a generous helping of sugar, just the way Addie May liked it.

  “This is just the way Mama used to make it for me,” she said as she took a sip.

  “I know,” Sarah said, remembering the night she and the young girl sat on the porch sharing memories from times past.

  “So, what is the rest of the news?” Addie May asked, eager to hear what was in store for her family.

  “Okay, first of all, we talked to the doctor and he said there’s no reason your father needs to stay so far away. They are going to arrange to transport him to Gatlinburg for his rehabilitation. That way you kids can visit him.”

  Addie May looked reluctant. “How will we get there?” she asked. Sarah had already explained that she and Charles would be leaving soon.

  “That’s the other news. Your Aunt Rosie is on her way. She’s going to stay here with you as long as it takes for your father to get home.”

  Addie May sat quietly and tears began to seep from her eyes. At first, Sarah thought she was unhappy, but she saw the smallest twitch of the girl’s cheek as a smile broke through the tears. “Our Aunt Rosie is coming here?” she asked, hardly able to believe what she was hearing.

  “She said for me to tell you that your mother always called her Rosie, and she’d love for you to call her Aunt Rosie.”

  “Aunt Rosie,” Addie May repeated with a smile. She hopped up from the table and ran into the living room where the children were watching the small television set Charles had installed for them. “Guess what?” she announced. “We have an Aunt Rosie and she’s coming to stay with us until Papa comes home!” All four kids were whooping and bouncing around the room in time with a cartoon featuring dancing dinosaurs.

  After a dinner of fried chicken and all the trimmings, Sarah and Addie May did the dishes and talked about the future. Sarah explained what little she knew about Richard’s therapy and assured her he was going to be fine. “Charles and I both talked to the doctor this morning. Your dad has already been out of bed and is doing remarkably well.” She didn’t go on to explain the details to Addie May, but the doctor had said that the coma had served to give Richard time for his body to heal. He said Richard may experience some deficits but all that would be addressed in rehab. “Your Aunt Rosie will handle everything once she gets here, and you’ll be able to visit your dad.”

  “When will she be here?” Addie May asked.

  “Coby is picking her up in Knoxville tomorrow afternoon. I’ll come over in the morning, and we’ll fix up a room for her and get the housework caught up.”

  “Good,” she responded, “and maybe I can make a big pot of stew for dinner.”

  “Perfect.”

  Addie May turned to Sarah and put her arms around her. “Thank you for everything, Miss Sarah. God sent you to us. I prayed every night for help.”

  “You’re very welcome, Addie May. I’m glad I could be here, but you’ve done a wonderful job with your brothers and the baby. I’m just glad help is on the way. It’s time for you to be one of the kids yourself.”

  Addie May laughed. “I haven’t been a kid since Mama died.”

  “Well, then, it’s about time.”

  On the way back to the lodge, Sarah reached for Charles’ hand and said, “What would you think of making reservations for us to fly home in a few days?”

  “Flight 922 now boarding, Gate 25B.”

  “Come on, honey,” Charles called. “Let’s get in line.” As they approached the gate, Sarah’s cell phone rang.

  “Better turn that off,” Charles reminded her.

  “But it’s Sophie.” Sarah stepped out of line and put the phone to her ear. “Hello?”

  “Hi, kiddo. I have something I want to read to you.”

  “Make it fast, Sophie. We’re about to board the plane.”

  “Okay. Well, remember that SUV that Higginbottom left parked in front of my house?”

  “Yes,” Sarah responded, holding a finger up indicating that Charles should wait a minute.”

  “Well, I received a certified letter today from Las Vegas.”

  “What does it say?” she asked, beginning to get curious but seeing that Charles was becoming impatient.

  “Hurry,�
�� he called to her trying to save her place in line.

  “Last call for Flight 922, Gate 25B.”

  “Sophie …?”

  “Honey, are you coming, or should I get out of line?” Charles’ voice had taken on an edgy tone.

  Sarah signaled for him to stay in line. “Just let a few people go ahead of you,” she called to him. To Sophie she said, “Hurry, Sophie. We’re going to miss our flight.”

  “Okay,” Sophie responded and she began to read.

  I know I haven’t treated you right,

  But I was thinking just last night,

  That maybe you’d think better of me,

  If I were to give you my SUV.

  I’ve signed the title over to you.

  That makes me feel a little less blue.

  I hope you’ll accept this token from me,

  And by the way, enclosed is the key.

  “Good grief, Sophie. That’s quite a gift. Does this mean you might take him back?” Sarah asked reluctantly.

  “Absolutely not,” Sophie announced emphatically. “But I fully intend to make the most of that fancy SUV in my driveway.

  Sarah and Charles boarded the plane with Charles shaking his head as Sarah recapped Sophie’s call. “What are these big plans of hers?” he asked.

  “She said she hasn’t figured it out yet, but we’ll be the first to know when she does.”

  “There’s no telling what that feisty friend of yours will come up with,” Charles said with a chuckle.

  They sat holding hands as the plane took off for home.

  MOON OVER THE MOUNTAIN

  See full quilt on back cover.

  At a quilt retreat in the Appalachians, Sarah relaxed on the porch enjoying the view of the harvest moon and the mountains. This 21˝ × 19˝ wall hanging commemorates her time there.

  MATERIALS

  Moon: ⅜ yard

  Mountain: Strips of 5–7 assorted fabrics, 2˝–3½˝ wide × 5˝–19˝ long

  Background: ⅝ yard

  Backing: ⅔ yard

  Batting: 24˝ × 22˝