“Why are you asking?” the agent who was driving said, “Do you know anything else about him?”
“No, lied Antonio, but if he knows my mother told you about the money, I’m afraid he will come back here and hurt her.”
“He won’t be leaving from where he is for a long while, he’s in jail,” said the agent, “so don’t be scared.”
“I’m not scared for me, I’m scared for my mother,” Antonio said.
The agents reported to Vince and told him what they found out about the money. Vince called Wilson. They exchanged information. After Vince told Wilson what they found out in Mexico, Wilson told him about the attack on Amelia.
“That interesting,” said Vince, “let’s try and figure the rest out, Jerry must have found the money, it must have come from the drugs he sold, and some of it must have been counterfeit. I will call back out to Vegas and have the agents out there, dig a little deeper to try and find out who knew Jerry and see exactly when he was there then we can put together a timeline. This would add one more charge to him if the laundry man would talk, but I doubt that. Thanks again Wilson, I’m hoping this will give us the break we need to get more evidence. Let me know if you hear anything else.”
“Will do,” said Wilson.
Lynn made it to Washington DC and wandered around the city mostly sleeping on park benches. She had only one suitcase and a shopping bag that carried all her possessions. She only had .50 cents left and she was desperately hungry and hadn’t had a drink of alcohol in a day and a half. Lynn was foraging for food behind the McDonalds when Harvey first saw her. Lynn was afraid of him and started to cry. He asked her if she was sick, and she said, no hungry and tired. He took pity on her and took her to his makeshift cardboard box house. Lynn told him her story of how her family mistreated her and her husband threw her out and her kids hated her. She told him about Jerry stealing her last money and leaving her in the motel room on her own. Harvey felt sorry for her and after a week, he told her she could stay with him in his cardboard place under the Key Bridge.
Harvey sold souvenirs to tourists on the National Capital Mall, made enough money to buy alcohol, and occasionally drugs. He was a man of medium height, and was going bald, Harvey had a beard only because it was difficult to shave, and he had no running water. At first, Lynn thought Harvey was Italian because his skin was so dark. His face, neck, and hands were a much darker color than the rest of his body because of their constant exposure to the weather. He was not bad looking, had a scar on his left cheek, from a street fight that he treated himself, it probably could have used some stitches, it didn’t heal well and the wide scar it left made his eye droop a bit. He was large around the middle and worn jeans, an old fatigue jacket and a baseball cap. He told Lynn that in the service, they taught him to live off the land and that’s what he did here in the city. “Only it’s a little more complicated here.”
Harvey was in the military and after he was deployed, his wife took his two boys and everything they had and left. When he came home on leave and went to the house they were renting, there was somebody else living there. Harvey tried to find them but was unsuccessful. He went back, served out his time, came to Washington DC with some friends and never left.
Harvey and Lynn pretty much established a routine depending on what time of the day they awoke. If it was early or late morning they went to the National Mall and Harvey made some money relieving the people who hawked souvenirs. They all trusted him and enjoyed the break. Sometimes they asked him to watch the stand for a few days. In the evening, he brought Lynn with him when he went to several restaurants where he knew he could get food the restaurants threw away at the end of the night. He had a real system, he would wait until the restaurant stopped serving food, then go out back where the dumpsters were located and spread large plastic bags on top of whatever was already in them. Then they would hide. When the kitchen help brought out the food, they threw it in the dumpster and closed the lid. Harvey would go and open the lid wrap up the plastic bag and take it back to where his makeshift home was. The food was often mixed together, vegetables, salads, and meat but it was fresh and often tasty. They would go to a different restaurant every other night and bring back the food. What they didn’t eat they put in an old cooler and ate it the next day, if they didn’t decide to drink the whole day.
Lynn was now accepted by Harvey and his friends as one of their group. She drank with them very heavily now and got thinner and thinner. What they drank varied according to how close it was to the end of the month when they would get their pension checks. Near the end of the month, they would drink almost anything, sometimes mouthwash in juice anything that had alcohol in it. Sometimes they all searched together and brought back old whiskey bottles or beer left in bottles they found in garbage behind bars. Then they would mix everything they found together and add soda or juice and drink it.
Lynn had been in Washington DC almost a year when one day they were on the mall hawking souvenirs and she collapsed. Someone called an ambulance and they took her to the nearest hospital. Lynn was very sick, she had internal bleeding from the damage to her liver from drinking too much. They kept her in the hospital, gave her blood, and explained to her that she must stop drinking alcohol or that it would kill her. After a few days of treatment and medication, Lynn was feeling better and she signed herself out of the hospital. She went back to Harvey’s cardboard house and began drinking as usual. After a few weeks, Lynn got sick again and Harvey took her to the hospital. This time she was in very bad condition, she hadn’t been able to eat for a few days and when she stopped drinking alcohol she would begin to shake. They admitted her to the hospital again and the doctor told her and Harvey, she was very close to dying. Lynn asked the nurse to call Amelia, tell her where she was, and tell her she was not doing well.
Sophie the nurse in the emergency room was taking care of Lynn while they waited for a bed for her in the ICU. Lynn had suffered a major hemorrhage this time from bleeding esophageal varices a condition cause by abnormally enlarged veins in the lower end of the esophagus. They are caused by severe liver disease and patients often died from hemorrhages when these veins rupture. Sophie called Amelia at Lynn’s request on the Emergency department cell phone.
“Is this Amelia Brown?” Asked Sophie.
“Yes,” said Amelia, “may I help you?”
“This is Sophie one if the nurses at George Washington University Hospital in Washington DC, we have your mother here in the emergency department and she is asking if you could possibly come to see her.”
“What’s the matter with her?” Asked Amelia in an annoyed voice.
“She is quite sick.”
“What happened to her that she’s so sick?”
“Has it been a long time since you saw her?” Asked Sophie.
“Probably not long enough,” said Amelia in a nasty voice. “Oh! Oh! Oh1 I’m so sorry, I don’t like to be like this, and I don’t mean to kill the messenger, it’s a long story and not a very pleasant one. How sick is she? Please tell me the truth it will make me decide if I should come or not.”
“Hold on a minute I will ask the patient if she wants me to discuss her condition with you.”
Sophie came back on the phone and said, “She told me to tell you anything you asked.”
“What’s the problem and how sick is she?”
“Sophie told her that Lynn was in end stage liver disease that means she has severe liver disease and she had a serious bleeding episode that nearly killed her. She is very weak and if she continues to refuse to let us do certain treatments, she will probably die. She keeps saying she must speak to you before she dies because she needs to say something to you. She won’t tell you until she is able to see you again. I’m not trying to tell you what you should do,” said Sophie, “but she is in very bad shape. We are waiting for a bed in the ICU to become available for her.”
“Thank you fo
r being so open with me,” said Amelia, “I have to call my husband and talk with him. In the meantime, would you give me directions and a phone number for the hospital?”
Amelia called Chad and told him about the call. It was near time for Amelia to go home and she was waiting for Chad to pick her up.
Secret thoughts: (I wonder what it is Lynn wants to tell me, maybe why she lied about who my real father is, because I know it was not John Brown. I’ll talk to Chad. He has such a level head he will be able to help me make up my mind as to whether I should go or not.)
After Chad picked her up, they discussed the phone call.
“Honey what do you think she wants to tell you?” Chad asked.
“I guess she is going to tell me who my real father is and I hope this time she doesn’t lie,” said Amelia. I’m having a difficult time, because I’m still very angry with her for almost tearing us apart. I’m not sure I can forgive her for the agony she caused you and me.”
“Babe think about this. How important is it to you to know who your birth father really was? The point being that since we know there is no way we are related biologically, she can’t hurt us, and I really don’t care who your real father was. The thing you need to think about is if you are going to forgive her for all she’s done to you and your family, that’s why I think she wants to see you. You were the most vulnerable, being the only girl, and so young. Whatever you want to do Babe I will understand and be right there with you.”
“Thanks Honey, I’ll have to think about this.”
Secret thoughts: (After talking with Chad and thinking about the possibilities, I think I will go to see my mother. Even though I’m still angry at her for what she did to us, I know I can’t change that, maybe she feels guilty.)
Chad took the day off and Amelia already talked to Buzz about her mother, he also explained further about her liver disease and what it did to her. The diagnosis the nurse told you confirms she probably is close to dying.
[ Chapter 56 }
They drove to Washington DC the next day it only took a few hours. They went right to the Emergency Department and asked to see Lynn. A nurse named Sophie came out and introduced herself.
“Hi, I’m the nurse you spoke to on the phone Amelia, I’m glad you decided to come, she is very sick.” She told them Lynn was still in the ED holding area because the bed had not become available.
“Her condition is considered critical,” said Sophie, “I want to tell you how she looks before you see her so won’t be frightened. She has two IV lines, one in each arm, a tube in her nose keeping her stomach empty and she is on oxygen, I try to prepare visitors, so they won’t be shocked when they see the patient. She took them back to see Lynn.
Lynn looked very sick, her hair was all gray, and the nurse had pulled it bad and tied it with some gauze. Her color was grayish yellow, and it seemed as if she was having a difficult time breathing. Amelia took hold of Chad’s hand and gripped it tightly. She approached the stretcher and stood and looked down at Lynn for a moment. Lynn seemed to sense Amelia’s presence and turned her face toward Amelia.
“Amelia, you came,” she said, in a barely audible voice.
“Hi,” said Amelia, “Chad brought me.”
Lynn put her hand up on the side rail and tried to touch Amelia’s hand. “Honey,” she said, “I’m not doing so good, I wanted to see you one last time and ask you to forgive me for lying to you, when Jerry and I were at the farm. He made me do it because I had nowhere else to go and no money. The truth is I lied to your father about you too. I feel sorry that he’s gone and didn’t know the truth. I wanted to shock him, I wanted him to change his ways and have a little fun with me, so we could enjoy life a little. He was your father too, all of you are his, could you ever forgive me for all the things I did to you, including leaving you with your brothers and father and most of all trying to keep you from Chad. Before Amelia could say anything, Lynn looked at Chad and said, “Chad I see how much you care for my daughter, I need to ask you too, could you find it in your heart to ever forgive me and accept my apology for trying to keep you both apart?”
“Lynn, I have to tell you that nothing would have kept me from Amelia. If what you said was true, we would have found a way to be together, so yes I do forgive you.”
“Thank you, Chad, I’m happy to know you think so much of her.”
“I forgive you too,” said Amelia, putting her hand over her mother’s on the side rail, “I wish you had somehow kept in touch with us. It looks like staying away was harder on you then it was on us.”
“Thank you, baby,” said Lynn in tears now, “please tell the others I’m sorry too, I can die in peace now. Could you call the nurse for me I’m feeling so dizzy.”
Amelia called the nurse and she asked Amelia and Chad to step out into the waiting area, while they attended to Lynn.
Chad got them coffee and they sat and waited. They called Roger from the waiting room and told him where they were and what they were doing. He told Amelia she was more understanding than he was because he really didn’t want to talk to Lynn and probably would never have gone to see her.
“Call me later and let me know what happens,” he said.
Forty five minutes had gone by and Sophie finally came out and told Chad and Amelia that they had done everything they could, Lynn was very close to the end and taking her last breaths and they should come back.
Amelia held Lynn’s hand, she turned her head and gave Amelia a smile and said very, very quietly, “I love you baby.” Then she closed her eyes and her breathing became very shallow. Chad held an arm around Amelia, and she leaned against him. It was not long when Lynn gasped and did not take another breath. Amelia felt tears come down her face and she turned to Chad and said, “What a wasted life she had, I guess I’m glad she didn’t die alone.”
Amelia and Chad went to the waiting room and called Roger to tell him Lynn passed away. “I did tell her I forgave her, Roger and she asked me to tell you and Matt that she was sorry for all she didn’t do for you. “Before I tell them I wanted to ask you if it would be alright to have her body sent to the farm to be buried. Is that OK with you and Deana and Matt?” Asked Amelia.
“I guess so,” said Roger, “Dad would have liked that.”
Amelia and Chad were sitting waiting to sign the papers and arrange to have Lynn’s body released from the hospital. When a man walked in the emergency department, looked over at them, and did a double take. He stopped before entering the ED and came over and said, “Chad is that you?”
Chad was looking down at a text on his phone, when he looked up, he said, “Bart, what the heck are you doing here?”
Chad stood up and the two shook hands and then embraced.
“What a coincidence,” said Bart, “I came to pick up my wife she’s a nurse here in the ED. How have you been, man”? He asked.
“Just fine how about you.”
“I never did get to thank you for saving our butts in Fallujah that day, if your squad hadn’t literally jumped in, we would have been toast.”
“We were happy to do it.”
“I’m sorry, honey, I didn’t mean to ignore you,” said Chad, “I want to introduce you to my wife Amelia, I’ve have been fine since I met her,” and he grinning.
Bart said, “I know exactly what you mean, Hi Amelia, I’m happy to make your acquaintance.”
Amelia extended her hand and said, “Same here.”
“What are you doing in DC, fella?” Asked Bart.
“We’re here because Amelia’s mother just passed away in the ED.”
“I’m so sorry to hear that Amelia,” said Bart.
“Thanks,” said Amelia, “it’s depressing, but I haven’t seen her for a long time and our relationship was sort of strained, it’s still kind of sad.”
“How long are you here for and where are you guys staying?” As
ked Bart.
“We thought we would only be here for the day but since she passed away there is paperwork to be done now. It’s a good thing we did bring an overnight bag, just in case, so we might have to look for a place to stay. Do you have any ideas where we should stay?”
“Let me go in and ask Sophie, if she knows how soon you’ll be done.”
“Sophie is your wife?” Amelia asked.
“Yes, she is.”
“Well she is the nicest person and what a great nurse, I talked to her on the phone before we decided to come down and if it weren’t for her my mother would have died alone because she convinced me I should come to see her. This is sure a small world.”
“Thank you, for that she is the most special person in the world to me, so I agree with you 100 percent.”
Bart said he would be right back and went in the ED.
As promised, he returned, and in a few minutes, Sophie came out. “Amelia, I see you met my husband, it’s crazy that our husbands know each other isn’t it?”
“I know they are already into rehashing the battle they were in, they stepped outside,” said Amelia. “Do you know if the paperwork for my mother is finished?”
“Yes, the clerk is getting it ready now. How are you holding up?”
Secrets of Amelia Page 35
