Life Support (51 page)

It was a porpoise.

Alexia glimpsed a happy mouth that smiled in greeting. The porpoise rolled on its side for a second and then disappeared beneath the waves. Boris reached the beach and began barking. Alexia treaded water to see if the friendly mammal would return, but it was gone. A few more strokes brought her to the breaking waves, and she soon joined Boris. The dog licked her face. Alexia held his head between her hands.

“You're a good watchdog,” she said. “But you need to learn the difference between a shark and a porpoise. Everything that swims in the ocean isn't an enemy.”

Boris pulled away from her and ran down the beach. Alexia followed. The wet suit kept her from getting cool as the stiffening breeze dried her exposed skin. The encounter with the porpoise had shaken her. As she navigated her boat through the inky water of the marsh, Alexia wondered if there was a lesson in the incident and decided she needed to heed the same advice she'd given Boris. There are many kinds of people in the world. Knowing the difference between a friend and a foe is not always easy. Alexia didn't want to be mistaken about a friend or deceived by an enemy.

Early Sunday morning, Alexia awoke and continued reading the New Testament while sitting on the porch. The twenty-four-hour period of estrangement with Misha had expired, and the cat joined her, curling up beside her in the chair. Alexia occasionally stroked the cat's soft fur as she read. She finished the Gospel of John before taking a break. Taking her cup into the kitchen, she looked at the clock and was surprised at how much time had flown by. She needed to hurry to get to the morning service at Sandy Flats Church.

After arriving a couple of minutes late, she sat on one of the back pews out of Ted's line of sight. The choir was taking the Sunday off, and Ted played a piece of unfamiliar music that Alexia suspected he'd written himself. It was a peaceful melody that reminded her of unhurried moments in life such as the time she spent on her porch. During the service, she found herself focusing on Ted's actions and movements. He was a graceful man. Unhurried and confident of his place.

At the conclusion of the service, she waited until Ted finished the postlude and saw her. When he did, his eyes instantly lit up. She waved, and he came over to her. They were alone as the last people streamed out of the sanctuary.

He took her hand and squeezed it gently. Alexia looked up into Ted's eyes. Before, they had always been kind. Today, the gentleness was joined with masculine strength. He looked over her shoulder toward the narthex, and Alexia realized that he wanted to kiss her. She stepped away from the aisle, closer to a pew. Without a word, Ted leaned over and their lips met briefly. It was more sweet than passionate, but for Alexia it was a giant step in the direction of trust.

When they parted, Alexia opened her eyes, looked past him, and said, “Uh-oh. Everyone isn't gone.”

Ted quickly turned around. “Who's there?”

Alexia pointed to the stained-glass window of the healing at the pool of Bethesda.

Ted followed her finger and smiled. “He sees everything.”

“What does he think?” Alexia asked.

“I have an opinion, but you'll have to ask him yourself.”

“I liked it,” Alexia responded.

Ted's smile broadened, and he dropped her hand just as John Heathcliff returned to the sanctuary.

When he saw them, he said, “Ted, don't forget to fix the second step leading up to the pulpit. Did you hear it this morning? It creaked terribly. I'm afraid it's about to break in two.”

“Sure. I'll look at it tomorrow.”

Rev. Heathcliff nodded toward Alexia. “It's good to have you back. Come again.”

Alexia returned the greeting. “I will. Don't you think Ted did a magnificent job with the music?”

“Oh, yes,” the minister replied as he turned to leave. “And don't forget about the step.”

After he left, Alexia touched Ted on the arm. “Let's walk outside.”

It was a sunny but comfortable afternoon. A few cars were still in the parking lot as people lingered in the pleasant fall air to chat.

“Does the minister not realize your talent?” Alexia asked.

“No,” Ted replied seriously. “I've never kissed him.”

Alexia laughed. “If you like, I'll tell him you have definite potential.”

As they walked toward Alexia's car, Ted asked, “What happened with Baxter Richardson?”

Alexia crunched a seashell under her foot. “We had a hearing on Friday afternoon, and the judge took my advice.” She looked at her watch. “They will remove the ventilator in about five hours.”

“I'm surprised,” Ted responded with a hint of regret in his voice.

“Why? Did you want me to lose?”

“Not specifically. But I'm not convinced he's a hopeless case.”

“Let me tell you what happened.”

Now that the hearing was over, Alexia could summarize in a generic way the medical evidence. She leaned against her car as she talked. The church parking lot was deserted by the time she finished. His brow furrowed, Ted listened without comment.

“Maybe I was wrong,” he shrugged.

“Given the testimony of the doctor who was a friend with the judge, it was an amazing result. I prayed that God's will would be done.”

“On earth as it is in heaven,” Ted completed the sentence.

Alexia's cell phone began playing the introduction to Beethoven's
Ninth Symphony.
As she fumbled for it in her purse, she said, “I forgot to turn it off during the church service. I'm glad it didn't ring in the middle of a prayer.”

“Beethoven would be amazed,” Ted said. “Do you want me to leave?”

“No, it will just be a minute.”

Alexia pushed the talk button. It was Rena.

“You've got to come to the hospital,” Rena began in a rush. “I don't think they're going to remove the breathing tube.”

“But the judge—”

Rena interrupted. “It doesn't matter. Mr. Pinchot has talked to the hospital's attorney, and they've come up with a way to ignore the judge's order.”

“What?” Alexia blurted out. She looked at Ted and lowered her voice. “That doesn't make any sense. Pinchot wouldn't risk being held in contempt of court. How do you know about this?”

“I overheard two doctors talking near the nurse's station. Neither of them was at the hearing, but I think one is the pulmonary specialist. I was so shocked that I didn't know what to say.”

“Where are you now? I thought you weren't going to be at the hospital.”

“I changed my mind, and I'm glad I did. I'm outside the hospital on the sidewalk. They're meeting in one of the conference rooms near the ICU waiting area.”

“Who?”

“Ezra's lawyer, the hospital's attorney, my father-in-law, and several doctors.”

“Is Dr. Draughton there?”

“No. I don't think he was invited. Neither was I.”

Alexia wracked her brain for insight into Ken Pinchot's strategy. She needed more information.

“You have a right to be in that meeting.”

“What can I do? That's why I need you to be here.”

It would take almost four hours to drive to Greenville. Alexia had to figure out a better way to intervene than a personal appearance.

“Don't hang up the phone. Go back into the hospital,” Alexia ordered. “Walk into the conference room and hand the phone to Pinchot so I can talk to him.”

“What if he won't take it?”

Alexia hesitated. “Let's give it a try.”

“Okay. I'm going back inside.”

Alexia put her thumb across the bottom of the phone so Rena couldn't hear and spoke to Ted.

“They're trying to find a way to get around the judge's order.”

“How?”

“I don't know. There is no legal reason not to do what has been ordered. Rena is taking the phone to the lawyer on the other side so I can find out what's going on.”

She waited, imagining Rena taking the familiar route through the hospital corridors. Alexia looked down at the phone. The connection was lost.

“She must be in an elevator. She'll call back as soon as she's on the floor.”

A few seconds later, the phone rang.

“Where are you?” Alexia asked.

“At the conference room. I'm opening the door.”

“Just go in and hand him the phone.”

Alexia steeled herself for the confrontation with Pinchot. She waited. There was no sound of voices on the other end. She looked down at the phone to see if the connection had been lost, but it still showed good contact. Rena came back on the line.

“They're gone.”

“Try to find him.”

“Okay. I'll go into the ICU waiting area.”

A few moments of silence followed until Rena said, “Not here, either.”

“Are any of the doctors there? Dr. Kolb? Dr. Berman?”

“Dr. Kolb is out of town. I don't see anyone I recognize.”

“Go into the ICU area to Baxter's room.”

“They won't let me take the cell phone in there.”

“You go and call me back. If Pinchot or Dr. Berman is there, I want to talk to one of them immediately.”

Alexia's level of stress was rising higher and higher. It was unusual for her to be totally blindsided during the course of litigation. Most pitfalls could be identified in advance even if the facts of the case wouldn't let her completely avoid them. In this situation, she couldn't see Ken Pinchot's angle of attack. Hospital politics or personal persuasion weren't enough to override Judge Holcomb's directive.

“I'm sorry,” she said to Ted. “You can go on. I have to wait for Rena to call me.”

Ted nodded. “Okay. I'll be over at the parsonage. Stop by and we'll go over my estimate for the renovation of the house on King Street.”

Alexia opened the door of her car and sat down. She watched Ted walk across the parking lot to his house. It should have remained a pleasant afternoon in Santee—a time for her to get to know Ted Morgan better. The phone rang.

“Yes?” she asked.

“No one is there but Baxter. He looks worse than the other day.”

“Where is everybody?”

“I don't know.”

“Are you sure of what you heard?”

“Of course I am!” Rena responded with obvious agitation. “Why else would I call you?”

Alexia conducted a fierce but brief internal debate about whether to go or stay. Her sense of duty to her client prevailed.

“Okay. I'm on my way,” she said. “But I want you to stay at the hospital until I arrive. Try to track down any doctor you recognize. Find out what you can and then call me. The only person to avoid is Ezra. Understood?”

“Yes.”

Alexia clicked off the phone and walked quickly over to the parsonage. Ted came to the door.

“What's happened?” he asked.

“There's a problem with implementation of the judge's order, and I have to go to Greenville.”

“Now?” he asked with obvious disappointment.

Alexia sighed. “Yes. I'm sorry. I'll call you later.”

As Alexia's car disappeared around a bend in the road, Ted lingered on the front steps. All that waited for him in the kitchen was a chicken salad sandwich, and he wasn't hungry. Closing the front door of the parsonage, he returned to the sanctuary. The large room that earlier had been bustling with activity was now completely quiet. He walked down the aisle and sat in front of the piano but didn't play. First, he needed to think.

Comfortable with spontaneity in music, Ted was much less impulsive in his personal actions. The sudden surge of attraction he felt for Alexia Lindale when he saw her at the conclusion of the service had surprised him. It was the end of a Sunday morning church service, not the climax of a romantic dinner, yet she seemed to be at the same place in her feelings as he was. She knew he wanted to kiss her and made it easy. She kept the mood light, but it was a serious moment to Ted. It had been several years since he'd allowed himself a similar level of intimacy with a woman. His mind didn't offer any answers about the future, and he returned to the inner abode where he'd learned to dwell—a place called patience.

He bowed his head and offered a silent prayer for direction as to what to play. Immediately, Baxter Richardson and his family came to mind. He thought again about Maybeth Wells, a rose taken to heaven before it bloomed on earth. He opened a Bible to the Psalms, put his hands on the keyboard, and began. His thoughts shifted from himself to a family he'd never met and a man he didn't know. Resting the open Bible on the piano he began to play. Infused with sound, the words on the page became notes that permeated the atmosphere of the room and swirled upward like incense.

Once she was on the highway, Alexia called Gwen, who agreed to check on Boris and Misha.

“I want to come home late tonight, but they need to be let out in a couple of hours,” Alexia said.

“Why don't I just hang out at your place until you get back?” Gwen asked. “I can be alone there as easily as I can here.”

“That would be great. Make yourself at home. Feel free to eat or drink anything you can find.”

During the long drive to Greenville Rena didn't call. Twice, Alexia tried to reach her but landed in her voice mail. At the hospital she parked and walked through the main entrance. Inside the elevator her heart began beating faster in anticipation of the unknown. Several small groups of people were scattered about the ICU waiting room, but none of the Richardson family were present. Alexia approached the male attendant, a familiar face from one of her previous visits.

“Is anyone from the Richardson family here?” she asked.

The young man nodded. “They went into the patient area a couple of minutes ago. It's already crowded, but you can ask the doctors if you can be present.”

Alexia's mouth went dry. “What are they doing to the patient?”