Detours (22 page)

Ellis laughed appreciatively. “I know what you mean. And I hear they don’t come with instruction manuals.”

“That won’t be a problem for us. Russ’s mother and sisters are standing by to give me way more pointers than I could ever use.”

Ellis tugged on Sam’s leash. “You about done there, kiddo?”

Janet jiggled Robbie’s leash. “I wonder if anybody ever used a leash on a kid while they were toilet training him. Who knows? It might be a really effective way to get them to use the potty.”

“You could write a book and make a fortune.”

“We could use it. Russ has already gone online to see what the average cost of raising a child is now. I think he said it’s around nine thousand dollars a year, and that’s without saving for college or any of the big expenses.”

Ellis gave a low whistle. “Whew. It counts up in a hurry, doesn’t it?”

“I’ll say. But everyone we’ve talked to tonight has told us you really can’t put a price tag on love.” Janet glanced toward the apartment building. “There’s Russ.” She gestured to his silhouette on the second-floor landing of the garden-style building. “I suppose he’s wondering what’s taking me so long with Robbie.”

“Sam’s done here. We can walk back together.”

Janet waved to her husband as she and Ellis crossed the parking lot. “Be right there, Daddy.” She exaggerated the last word.

Even though they were still several yards from him, Ellis saw sheer joy spread over Russ’s face.

“See what I mean?” Janet asked. “That goofy grin is going to be what gets me through morning sickness, swollen ankles, however many hours of labor, and heaven knows what all else. I guess all those people Russ and I talked to today are right. Who cares what this pregnancy costs me? The only payment that could possibly make it worthwhile is seeing the love of my life look like the happiest man in the galaxy.”

Back inside the apartment, Sam claimed her usual spot on the sofa while Ellis foraged in the kitchen for something that could pass for dinner. It was nearly nine o’clock, and breakfast had been fourteen hours earlier. Despite all the emotional upheavals of the day, her body was finally ready to cooperate in consuming some food. She decided against risking the sandwich she’d bought during her encounter with Becky. Instead, a slice of pizza left over from three nights ago, a cup of yogurt, and a half a bag of peeled carrots made up the main course. Dessert was two peaches that were just this side of overripe.

She forced herself to sit at the computer and compose an email to Nicolas. It was brief, telling him she had only now learned the truth about the family and asking him if they might begin a correspondence. She hesitated before hitting the send key, but decided it was a case of nothing ventured, nothing gained and turned the message loose.

The blinking light on the answering machine caught her attention, and she remembered Natalie’s call from before her trip to her past. She pulled her cell phone from the button-flap front pocket of her work shirt.

“Hi, sweetheart. I was afraid you weren’t going to call tonight.” Mary’s voice washed over Ellis’s ears like a healing wave of sound. “I was starting to worry that you’d found someone new to spend your birthday with tomorrow.”

“Not a chance, babe. Sam and I are still totally devoted to you.” Ellis hunted for a way to explain at least some of the day’s events. “It ended up being a really tough day. Sorry to call so late.”

“I’m just glad to hear from you. Did you get Nat’s message?”

“I did. How’s the settling-in process coming along?”

“Only another thirty or forty years, and I’ll have all the boxes emptied.”

“Sounds like you could use some help.”

“What I could really use is someone to explain to me exactly why I thought moving up here was a good idea in the first place. And I could also use a certain female landscaper in my bed and a truckload of tranquilizers.”

“Don’t ask for much, do you?”

“Only for what I really, truly need.”

“How ’bout I take care of one of your requests?”

“Which one?”

“I was never in favor of the move in the first place, so I can’t help you out there. If you take a truckload of tranquilizers, there wouldn’t be much point in having that landscaper you mentioned climb into bed with you.”

“I’ve checked the weekend forecast, and there’s not a drop of rain within a thousand miles of Georgia. You said my only hope of seeing you this weekend was if you couldn’t work.”

“It may not always show, but I’m a woman, and the last I heard, it was a woman’s prerogative to change her mind.”

“Don’t tease me, VanStantvoordt. It’ll break my heart if I think you’re coming up for the weekend and then you don’t show.”

“If I thought I could bail on my jobs for tomorrow and Friday, I’d load Sam up and hit the road tonight.”

“You said it was a rough day. It must have been a killer if you’re actually blowing off a whole weekend’s work. You didn’t get hurt, did you? Is your ankle giving you trouble?”

“My work day wasn’t what got to me. And my ankle is fine.” Ellis cranked her foot and heard the tendons popping. Long days still brought some tenderness and swelling. Maybe two days off would be good for more than just her head and heart.

“If it’s not work, what is it?” Ellis heard the anxiety in Mary’s reply.

Ellis recounted what she had learned from her mother’s letter. She didn’t mention running into her now-pregnant ex-partner.

“Wow. Those are some heavy-duty revelations, sweetie.”

“No joke.”

“How can I help?”

“I’m not sure. Probably just listen to me while I try to sort it all out.”

“Can I hold you in my arms?”

Ellis’s stomach somersaulted. “Sure. That would be nice.”

“So when do you think you’ll get here?”

“I need to take care of three yards tomorrow, and I’ve got four on Friday. I’ll call my Saturday and Sunday jobs to push them off ’til next week. Friday night traffic will be a mess, so it’ll be at least eight o’clock before Sam and I pull in day after tomorrow.”

“Just be careful on the road. I’ll wait until late Friday afternoon to tell Nat you’re coming up. She can help me decorate your cake.”

“Let me talk to her a minute.”

“She’s already in bed. It’s almost eleven.”

“Oh, right. I lost track of time. Do something for me, will you?”

“What?”

“When she gets up in the morning, tell her I said she’s really weird.”

Ellis checked her email inbox before heading to bed. She had one new message. It was from Nicolas. Like hers to him, it was brief.

“Gretchen, I’m glad to hear you know the truth about the family. Anika and I have discussed how it was handled, and we both feel that our parents made serious mistakes in not telling all of us exactly what the circumstances were all along. Anika and I hold no animosity toward you. You weren’t responsible for their decisions. We always thought of you as our sister, even though we had different fathers. Perhaps it’s not too late for us to move past all this, especially since our parents are gone. If you would like to correspond with Anika, here is her email address and her snail mail, as well. My wife and I have two children now. My job keeps me busy, so I don’t have much free time, but I’ll try to answer quickly if you decide to write again. I hope you are well and happy. Your brother, Nicolas.”

He included their sister’s contact information at the end of the message.

Ellis reread the words on the screen. At least he’d left the door open. Yes, it was twenty years late, but she had hope of building bridges to her siblings. Of more immediate concern, though, was getting organized for her trip to Clarkesville for the weekend.

“I don’t care who’s at the door. Even if it’s Publisher’s Clearinghouse with a check for ten million dollars, tell them to go away. Better yet, pretend you don’t hear them knocking and stay here with me.” Ellis teased the nipple of Mary’s breast in an effort to convince her of the urgency of her plea.

Mary gently moved Ellis back so that her lips couldn’t reach their target. “I’d rather do exactly that, but it doesn’t sound like whoever’s out there is going away.” She tugged her bathrobe around her and wrapped a towel around her bone-dry hair to add credence to her alibi of being in the shower.

Ellis watched Mary exit the room, then lay back on the pillow and reminisced about the wild, yet tender, reunion she and Mary had enjoyed last night after polishing off most of her birthday cake. That morning, Natalie went with her Aunt Gloria and her three girl cousins to pick blueberries and would spend the night at Gloria and Adam’s house. As soon as Gloria’s vehicle left the yard, Ellis and Mary hastened back to bed and hoped to spend the rest of the day and all of the coming night there.

They’d already been distracted a half-dozen times or more by the ringing of Mary’s cell phone. Then the landline had rung that many times or more. Now someone was pounding on Mary’s front door. Ellis gave in to remorseful thoughts about the boatload of annoyances that came with Mary living where she knew everyone and their uncle. Her slide into the gloom was interrupted by Mary racing back into the room.

“Get up! Get dressed! Get out of here! There’s been an accident.”

Ellis sprang to her feet and threw on her jeans and T-shirt. “Natalie? Gloria? Your mom?”

Mary tossed the robe aside and labored to untangle the knots she’d made of her clothing. “No, Nathan. His brother Mark has been trying to call me for the past hour. He’s waiting at the door. He’ll take me to the hospital in Demorest to see Nathan.”

“I’ll go with you.” Ellis jammed her feet into her sneakers.

Mary zipped and buttoned her slacks. “Better not. Mark says it’s really bad. Nathan’s whole family will be there by now. I don’t want to have to explain who you are.”

Ellis let the bite of the words go without remark. “What about Natalie? Do you want me to try to find Gloria and the kids?”

“You could try her cell phone, but if they’re out behind a mountain somewhere picking berries, she won’t have a signal.”

“Should I stay here and keep calling ’til I reach your sister?”

Mary grabbed her phone, keys, and wallet. “That’s a good idea. Don’t tell Natalie anything. Whatever this is, I need to be the one to tell her about it. I’ll call you on your cell just as soon as I find out what’s happened.” She bolted through the bedroom door, but was back in a second. She hastily kissed Ellis’s cheek. “I’m sorry, babe, but I need to do this.”

“I understand.” Ellis said the words, even though she didn’t mean them. No matter, because Mary hadn’t heard them.

∗ ∗ ∗ ∗

Ellis’s phone rang less than a half-hour later. The moment she heard Mary’s tear-choked voice, she knew nothing would ever be the same again.

Ellis steadied herself. “Tell me what happened.”

Mary sniffed back her tears. “Nathan’s dead.”

Wracking sobs filled Ellis’s ear. She waited for Mary to continue.

“We don’t know all the details yet, but Nathan was called out to help with a problem on a power line. The cable company was stringing new wires and messed up somehow. Mark knows the cable installer and called him a possum-eating moron. They told us Nathan was dead before he hit the ground.”

“He died from a fall?”

“No, he was electrocuted. Mark says the cable guy’s version is pure crap. Nathan was too smart to do any of the stupid things the cable guy says happened.” Mary sobbed for several seconds. “Like it matters. He’s dead, and no matter whose fault it is, he’s gone, and my baby will never see her daddy again.”

Ellis listened to the heartbreak on the far end of the connection. When she thought Mary might be able to hear her question, she asked, “Do we know if anyone has located Gloria and Natalie yet?”

“I don’t think so. Mark and his dad left here a few minutes ago to go tell Nathan’s grandparents. I’m too upset to do anything.”

“I’ll go to Naomi’s and tell her. She and I can tag team on the phone until we find Gloria. One of them should go to your mother’s to tell her.”

“Okay.” More gut-wrenching cries escaped Mary. “But remember, I need to be the one to tell Nat.”

“I know. I’ll be sure your sisters understand that, too.” Ellis waited for a hint more composure from Mary. “As soon as I’ve talked to Naomi, I’ll come and get you. If Mark left, you don’t have a way home.”

“I forgot all about that. Do you know how to get here?”

“Naomi can tell me. I’ll see you as soon as I can get there.”

“Hurry, Ellis.”

∗ ∗ ∗ ∗

Less than an hour later, Ellis arrived at the Habersham County Medical Center. The facility was bordering on dilapidated and had none of the bustle that had marked the one Mary had taken her to on that Saturday afternoon seven months earlier. If it hadn’t been for the bright red illuminated cross over the emergency entrance, she might have sped right by it on Highway 441.

Once inside, it was a simple matter to find Mary. She was the despondent, crushed, nearly-incoherent woman whimpering in the far corner of the sparse waiting room. Ellis silently cursed every employee in the hospital for not ministering to this creature in such obvious need. She hurried to Mary’s side. “I got here as fast as I could.”