Fractured Eden (31 page)

Marley smiled. “What an idea.” Her eyes sparkled. “Don’t you go spreading that rumor.”

Aaron shrugged his shoulders. “No one would believe it anyway.”

Marley and Cristal stood facing him, hand in hand.

I’m over her, but I’ll never forget her,
Aaron thought.

“I wanted you to know. We’re moving away,” Marley said.

Aaron froze. “What? Why?”

“We’ll move close to my parents. They can help me with Forrester and Cristal, and we’ll be near a major medical center for Forrester.”

“I understand. Can I hug you?” He threw his arms around her in a tight embrace. Cristal hugged his leg.

Marley stepped back. A breeze lifted her hair, and she nodded at him. “You can handle it now. You’re in the right place, and you’ve helped a lot of people in this town. You’re a good man, Aaron Rovsing, and a mighty fine doctor.”

A warmth surged through his body.
I know that now.

She put her hand on his shoulder. “I heard you stood your ground with Race. That gave hope to him, and you.”

Aaron gazed at the remarkable person before him.

Marley kissed him on the cheek, then she turned and walked with Cristal to the end of the driveway, where she stopped and waved goodbye.

                                         
Chapter 64

The next morning, Aaron woke up to cows mooing.

He pulled on some clothes and walked out the back door into the early morning light.

“Mornin’,” Grant Belkin said, his voice reverberating around the pasture. He sat on his horse by Aaron’s backyard fence and not far from the herd of cattle.

Aaron strolled to the fence, his dog at his side. He raised his voice over the din of the cattle. “Meet my new dog, Red.”

“Good-lookin’ dog.”

Aaron rubbed Red’s head. “I think I’m getting used to the Texas heat. I’m not sweating so much.”

“It doesn’t take long.”

Aaron scanned the herd. Many of the cows looked at him and mooed in unison, a bovine choir serenading him.

He turned to Grant. “I’ve been meaning to ask you about that robbery we had in our neighborhood a few weeks back. Did they hit your house?”

“Nope.”

“The dispatcher thought you were the person who called and reported it.”

“It was just a lucky guess on my part.”

“So, it was you,” Aaron said. “You know, you constantly amaze me.”

“Now, don’t get carried away. I’ve just been lookin’ after the neighborhood.”

“Thank goodness.”

“You’re lookin’ good,” Grant said. “Finally gettin’ enough sleep?”

Aaron smiled. “Now that you mention it, yes. Everything’s great with me now.” He furrowed his brow at Grant. “How about you? Are you feeling all right?”

“I couldn’t be better.”

“Someone told me that you’d had a brain tumor.”

Grant dismounted his horse and walked up to Aaron. “Ever’one has to walk through the fire, sooner or later.”

“You mean, the tumor’s gone?”

“You don’t have to worry about me.”

“That’s good to know. Did you get surgery or radiation or chemotherapy?”

“I got what I needed.”

“What—”

Grant raised his hand. “It’s okay. It’s all over.”

Aaron sighed. “Well, in that case, I’m glad.”

Grant pointed at his cattle. “The whole herd came to visit you this morning.”

“They’re loud today. Louder than I’ve ever heard them before,” Aaron said.

“Yep. They’re all into it. They haven’t had much to be happy about lately, until now.”

“Why are they so happy now?”

Grant turned to him. “The evil is gone. This is a good place again.”

“Ah, yes. I keep thinking of the Garden of Eden.”

Grant nodded. “Every Garden of Eden has its serpents.”

Aaron studied the cows. They continued to moo at him, a lowing sound.

“I’d swear they’re trying to talk to me,” Aaron said.

“They are. Maybe they’re sayin’ that you’re where you’re supposed to be.” He put his hand on Aaron’s shoulder and lowered his voice. “You and I are here for a reason.”

His eyes are brighter than ever,
Aaron thought.

Aaron nodded. “I do feel much better about my move here.”

Grant stepped away from the fence and mounted his horse. He turned the horse toward Aaron, and his words boomed out. “You’ve been good for a lot of folks around here, includin’ Race Taggett.” His eyes were like searing beams of light. “You showed courage when you were trapped in his hidden world in the Big Thicket.”

“Thanks.” Aaron cocked his head.
But, how would you know I was trapped? I only told Rachel and Constable Greevy
the whole story.

Grant smiled. “Since you’ve come, we’re all in a better place. There’s hope for this town now. So I’m movin’ on.”

“What do you mean, moving on?”
Everyone is leaving.

“I could do with a smaller pasture, so I’m takin’ my cattle to another ranch.”

“Where?”

“Not far from here. Don’t worry, I’ll never be far away.”

Aaron lifted his hand. “Wait. You said I showed courage.” He pointed at Grant. “I had some help against Race Taggett, didn’t I?”

Grant shook his head. “Nope. We were ready to help, but we didn’t have to. It was all you. The courage you needed was right there inside you all along.” He took off his hat and tipped it to Aaron. “Adios.”

Aaron held his hand up and waved. He squinted as Grant and his horse faded away into the misty dawn.

That was a strange light around his body.

He scratched his cheek.

What did he mean: ‘we were ready to help’?

Aaron looked over the treetops to the early morning light.
Geez, why do I get the feeling that some people around here aren’t real at all?

That night, Aaron stood next to his back yard fence before turning in for the evening.

I’ll miss those cattle.

He turned toward a fluttering noise. Not six feet away from him, a large owl perched on a fence post.

“So, I finally meet you up close, my guardian owl,” Aaron said. “I haven’t heard from you in a while.”

They stared at each other, unblinking.

Aaron smiled. “I’m okay now.”

The owl blinked, spread his wings and flapped away into the trees.

                                         
About the Author

Steven Gossington is an emergency room physician (medical school - Baylor College of Medicine; residency - Georgetown University Hospital) with over 30 years of patient care experience. For 11 years, he was an academic professor in emergency medicine at the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center in Oklahoma City, and he published 20 book chapters and medical articles of original research. His enjoyment of mystery and suspense fiction and his love of writing led to his first novel
Fractured Eden
, a psychological suspense story in which he draws upon his extensive experience with mentally ill emergency room patients. He can be contacted at www.StevenGossington.com.