Eye of the Storm (16 page)

"Okay," she said. "okay. Take it easy." She moved me quickly to the side of the bed and then she helped me out of the chair and under the covers. My teeth were clicking together. I was so chilled. She put another blanket on and then another before she went to call the doctor. Then she returned to tell me I was being taken to the hospital.
"No!" I cried.
"The doctor wants you brought in for some test or other. You got to go. Your driver's on his way. Let me get something on you," she said and put a sweatshirt and sweatpants on me while I continued to 'tremble.
Less then fifteen minutes later. Jake was at my bedside. He looked gray and tired, his face was so drawn. Was it my condition that was making me see him that way?
"How you doing. Princess?" he asked,
My trembling had subsided some, but the spasm in my abdomen was still severe.
"I don't know. Jake. Something happened. I'm sick."
"Okay, let's get moving," he said. Mrs. Bogart wheeled the chair toward us. but Jake lifted me out of the bed and carried me out of the house in his arms. My head rested against his chest.
"You can wheel her," Mrs. Bogart said.
"This is faster," he said.
"Don't you drop that girl on my watch, hear? I'm not being blamed."
"Nobody's dropping nobody," he assured her. "Stop worrying and open the door for us." he ordered with firmness. She moved quickly to get ahead of us and do it. Jake carried me out and put me gently into the back of the Rolls. Then he got behind the wheel and started away.
"I guess Victoria's right about the car," he said, "I should have had it sold and a van out here for you. Sorry, Princess."
"I don't want a van. I like the Rolls," I muttered. I had my eyes closed. "I want Grandmother Hudson's Rolls."
At the hospital they put me on a gurney and wheeled me into the emergency room. Tests were run and hours later. Doctor Morton, the physician on call, came to my bedside to tell me I had developed a severe bladder infection.
"It's not uncommon for people in your condition," he assured me. "We'll clear it up quickly and get you back an your feet."
I started to laugh and he stared a moment.
"Back on my feet? Take all the time you need. doctor." That brought a smile to his face.
"Just an expression," he said.
"I know, Boy. do
I
know." I said.
They took me to a private room and gave me something to help me sleep.
Late in the morning the next day my eyelids fluttered open and I saw Aunt Victoria gazing at me, her face full of anger, her eyes wide and blazing. When she realized I was looking at her, she cooled and cleared her throat.
"I'm going to have to fire Jake," she said. "I told him specifically to go out and get that van and what do you think he's been doing? Loitering in the local tavern. I found out that he had to be taken home in a taxi two nights in a row because he was too drunk to drive himself. He was probably drunk when he came for you yesterday.
"We can't have someone like that for your driver. I don't want someone like that associated with the family name."
"No," I said, shaking my head vigorously. "He wasn't drunk. He was perfect. Don't you dare fire him. He's not your driver. He's mine ,
"What's the matter with you? The man's an inebriate. He always was. I told my mother time after time that she should hire herself a decent, well-trained and respectable chauffeur and not someone without any ambition or class."
"Jake is my best friend in the world," I said. "Don't you even think of saying anything like that to him."
She saw the resistence in my face and softened her shoulders.
"I spoke with the doctor. He thinks your physical therapist might be working you too quickly, too strenuously. I've called the firm and asked for an older. more experienced therapist for you."
"It's not the therapist's fault. It's a common problem for paraplegics. I want Austin."
"Austin?" she said twisting her mouth into her cheek,
"I won't cooperate with anyone else. I won't," I assured her. She studied me a moment and then shook her head slowly.
"You're not developing an attachment to this therapist, are you? That's a dangerous thing. I've been told so by people who know."
"No," I said too quickly. "I just feel comfortable with him and we are making pro Tess, Call them back and tell them he's all right."
"We'll see," she said.
"If you don't, I won't cooperate with you and sign any of your papers," I threatened. "I mean it."
She stared, her anger firing up her eyes ag.ain before, she quickly quenched the flames and smiled.
"Don't get yourself so upset. Rain. I was just thinking of what was best for you. If that's the way you want it for now, that's fine. I'll take care of it. What I want you to do is rest and recuperate quickly so you can go home after the weekend. On Tuesday now. I'll be at the house with Grant to help explain some of the things we have to do with the estate. Okay?'
"Okay," I said, still not trusting her.
"Let me see to the van at least. I'll do that today myself," she said.
"Don't sell the Rolls-Royce" I told her.
She smiled that cold, sharp smile, stretching her lips into thin, pencil lines slashed across her narrow face.
"All right. We'll keep it for now. It's one of those things that can gain in value if kept up properly anyway," she said, determined to turn every disagreement into to a victory for herself one way or another.
She rose and patted me gently on the back of my hand.
"Just get better and don't worry about the other matters. I'll keep in touch with the doctors. Is there anything you want right now?"
'No.' I said. I closed my eyes. When I opened them, she was gone.
Later, while I was eating lunch. Austin came to see me.
"Talk about finding ways to avoid going for a swim," he said smiling, He had a bouquet of red roses for me.
"Thank you," I said smelling them. He put them in a vase and pulled a chair closer to my bed.
"This is a minor setback," he said. "Don't let it get to you. You'll just watch your medication and you'll be fine. We'll be back at work in a few days. Don't think that you've gotten away with anything. There are plenty of other days ahead when it will be ideal to go swimming."
"I'm really not worried about that." I said laughing.
"My uncle said your aunt was upset with me and wanted me replaced," he said after a moment.
"I've already spoken to her about that. You're not going to be replaced."
He smiled.
"I really don't think anything we've done has anything to do with this. Rain. If
I
did. I would tell you and
I
would change the therapy."
"I believe you. Austin. Please don't pay any attention to my
aunt. We don't exactly belong to a mutual admiration society. I'm the relative who was shoved down her throat. We have what you might call a precarious truce."
"None of that is any of my business," he said quickly.
"It's all right. I don't mind you knowing more about me. Maybe, if you understand me better, you will change some of the therapy," I said.
He sat back and I began to tell him my story. I was interrupted only when the nurse came in to give me some medication. The rest of the time, he sat, transfixed, his reactions revealed in the movements of his eyes and the way they brightened and darkened.
"So that was why you told me you had a stepbrother and a half sister. I thought you were joking."
"I wish I were," I said.
My eyelids felt so heavy that no matter how hard I tried. I couldn't keep them from shutting.
"I'd better let you rest." I heard him say. "I'll check up on you and as soon as you're able, we'll start the therapy again."
My head nodded as if a powerful invisible hand had moved it. Then, I was asleep.
.
On Sunday, when they wheeled me out of the hospital. Jake stood by a brand-new van, equipped with an electric lift. All they had to do was wheel me onto it and it brought me up so
I
could wheel into place in the van.
It
seemed quite luxurious for what it was.
"Victoria wasn't happy about the deal I got. I put in a lot of options," he added in a whisper. "but there wasn't much she could do about it. Your attorney took care of it, and guess what," he continued as he got behind the wheel. "It's equipped so when the time comes, you can drive it yourself"
"What? How?"
"This seat comes out and your wheelchair goes right here," he explained. "All the controls are finger controls, even the brakes. It's easy. You'll be going wherever you want in no time. Princess."
I was impressed and a bit frightened at the prospect, but on top of a beautiful, bright summer day, the promise of a more fulfilling future reinvigorated me.
However. Mrs. Bogart greeted me with a whole new list of restrictions and orders.
"You got sick because you tried to do to much too fast on your own," she said. "Believe me. I've seen it before. Maybe now you'll listen to people who know more."
I was too happy about being out of the hospital to permit even her sour face to upset me.
Just before I settled in for an afternoon rest, she remembered I had received a letter and brought it to me. It was from my father. The news of my accident and injury greatly disturbed him, and as he explained, added tremendously to his personal frustration.
I feel so helpless because I can do nothing for you not even when you need a parent more than ever, need a family more than ever. How strong a person you must be to fight all this alone, now that you explained what has happened to Megan, too.
I can only promise you that as soon as I have the opportunity, I will come to America to see you. Lemma feels terrible about it all and wishes you could be brought here. She a wonderful person. I'm sure you are wondering why someone who has no blood relationship to you
would be so concerned and caring. Perhaps love among people who have no obligation to love is the strongest love after all.
Please, please write to me and keep me up on your progress.
Love,
Dad
Tears threatened to wash the words into oblivion. I folded the letter neatly and put it in my nightstand drawer. I would take it out and reread it. It was the next best thing to hearing his voice and seeing him.
What worried me was that I hadn't heard a word from Roy. By now he had received my letter and knew what had happened to me. It was impossible to believe he would have decided to have nothing more to do with me because of it. although I wouldn't blame him. I almost wished that were true for his sake.
"No one called me while I was in the hospital. Mrs. Bogart?" I asked her when she brought me some cold water with which to take my medication.
"Not while I was in the house," she said. "I did leave to do some shopping for us."
"Oh." I thought a moment. "Where is my phone? My aunt was supposed to see to that."
"I don't know. I've got lots else to worry about here," she added.
Furious about it now. I tried to reach Aunt Victoria, She had a phone service like some doctor when her office was closed.
The indifferent operator said she would pass along the message. I told her it was very important.
Hours later. while I was having dinner, the phone rang and Mrs. Bogart told me it was Aunt Victoria. I wheeled myself over to it and she handed me the receiver.
"I need that phone installed," I began before I even said hello. "You promised to take care of it and I..."
"We have some other, far more demanding concerns at the moment. Rain. I'll see about the phone when I get back."
"Get back?
^-
Where are you?"
"I'm in Washington. with Grant. Your mother, my sister:' she added, her voice dripping with disgust, "made a pathetic attempt to take her own life."
"What?"
"She swallowed a dozen or so sleeping pills. Grant is beside himself. We've had to contain the news, of course, keep the disgrace out of the press."
"Is she all right?" I asked.
"All right?" She laughed. "Hardly. She's not dying now, if that's what you mean. The maid found her in time, which was probably what she expected would happen, and they rushed here to the hospital and pumped her stomach. The doctors and I believe she will have to be committed to the psychiatric clinic for a while, maybe quite a while.
"They're nominating Grant for Congress next week. too. He certainly doesn't need this just when his dreams are coming true."
She paused, letting out a deep sigh like someone enduring a great burden.
"As soon as I can. I'll return and we'll do what has to be done for you. For now, I'm afraid you'll be on your own."
"Where do you think I've been?" I snapped back at her. She didn't reply and I calmed myself. "What about Alison?" I asked.
"What about her?"
"How is she taking all this?"
"Fortunately, she's not here. She's in Italy, traveling with a group of students. Grant isn't telling her anything about it. Why spoil her trip?"
"Yes." I said. "Why do that?"
What had Alison ever done to be blessed with a world of happiness and pleasure, a world where sadness was stopped in its tracks and when it rained, it rained lollipops and jelly beans?
And what had I done to live in
a
world where smiles and laughter were mined like diamonds and cherished more than rare jewels?
"If you can." I said. "tell my mother I'm sorry to hear about her trouble and I wish she would get better."
Aunt Victoria grunted.
Even someone as insensitive as my aunt knew how I had wanted my mother to have sent similar good wishes to me after my accident.
But she never had.
Now I wondered
if
she ever would.

10
Giving Up
.
Austin returned on Monday to continue my

therapy. My doctors had told him to keep my exercise light and easy and gradually build back up to the program we had been following. Consequently, we spent a lot more time just talking and being outside. He told me about himself and his family, revealing that he never really liked the way his father treated his mother.

"She works with him at the plant. Actually, I should say she works for him. He acts like she's just another employee. There's no change in tone of voice, no warmth, no real sharing. She doesn't even know how much money they have.

"For as long as I can remember, she asks him for things the way my sister Heather Sue and I do. I mean, she needs his permission to spend any of their money, even on her own things. My father has a business manager who reviews their household expenditures as well as their business expenses and gives him a monthly report. God help my mother if the categories have gone up in any dramatic way. Then we have the Spanish Inquisition at my house!"