Meadow's Keep (The Gatekeepers Series) (40 page)

She saw Jenn staring at her.
“Tell me about Greeson, because I know Bask had more to say than Dr. Yancy was coming.” She smiled at Jenn.

“Boy, do you know Bask,” Jenn laughed.
“He emphasized that he was speculating—like three times—but that didn’t stop him at all.”

“Yeah. Sometimes I wonder, if he weren’t doing all this in an official
—,” she air quoted official, “—capacity, he’d just be a gossip. Go on.”

“His theory is, with Morna being like Morgan, she attracts the Gulatega
…which, he suspects led her to craziness. Well, not exactly. He thinks she was crazy to start with. However, without knowing anything about them and the fact that only she could see them probably made her think she was hallucinating.” Jenn rushed on, “You know, vicious cycle.” She twirled her hands. Jasmine doubted Jenn could talk without using her hands.

“Somehow, M
orna locked up Greeson with some Gulatega.” Her expression took on one of sadness.

“Not food poisoning?” Jasmine asked
.

“No.
One of his people found him almost dead from starvation. His mental capacity was so diminished, he couldn’t feed himself. They sent him to the sanitarium. As soon as Bask heard this, he sent people into the facility in Sweden, but they didn’t find any of the creatures there. However, Greeson’s condition is not good. That’s why Bask sent Uncle Mike.”

Jasmine closed her eyes. Somewhere downstairs, Lily was going about her morning with no idea her dad might never be the same.
She prayed that wasn’t the case. Lily’d been through so much already.

“She wants to go see him as soon as he gets here,” Jenn added.
She looked at Jasmine. The same sadness had slipped into Jenn’s normally vibrant expression.

“I’ll go with her,” Jasmine said softly.

Jenn reached out and touched her arm. “I hate for you to go there, but Lily trusts you.”

Jasmine gave her a half smile. “I know; otherwise, you
couldn’t get me within ten miles of that place.”

“It’s a big place.” Jenn tried to comfort her friend.

Jasmine nodded, drank her tea, and stared out the window as the sun disappeared behind clouds.

Chapter
Seventeen

The day broke bright and
warm, a total juxtaposition to Jasmine’s mood. The last couple of days had been a whirlwind of activity, trying to get back into the routine of Safe Harbor, while keeping reigns on Lily. The girl was a bouncing ball of energy. She talked a mile a minute and, even with the wonderful ideas she added, she seemed almost to suffer from attention deficit disorder. It wasn’t until Lily asked her for the fifth time in fifteen minutes when they could go see her father that Jasmine realized she was scared silly and trying to compensate.

Her own unease had escalated with each passing day.
She knew the cause. That damn match-mate thing. She slammed the door to the wardrobe and caught it before it closed and shattered the mirror screwed to the back of it. Her reflection showed a woman, dressed in the height of fashion, with dark shadows under her eyes. Lack of sleep. Of course, it would help if Eryk’s phone calls weren’t short and rather stilted. Troop this. Brandy that. Jasmine threw the top she held in the hand on the chair, rather than rip it to shreds, her jealousy pouring out of her in waves.

“Are you ready, yet?” Lily’s head popped around the door.

Jasmine let out the breath she’d been holding and forced herself to smile. “Sure am. Let’s head out.”

Jenn was by the front door. “Sure you don’t want me to tag along?” Her eyes showed the concern only Jasmine read.

Lily spoke up. “I’m sorry. I didn’t think to ask you. I was too excited. Jasmine said we’d have lunch in Williamsburg on the way home after seeing Dad.”

“It’s okay. I couldn’t be gone that
long, anyway,” Jenn lied. “I’ve got a lot of work to do. You two take your time. And, if you stop by the Trellis, bring me some Death by Chocolate.” She gave Lily a quick hug.

Dr. Browne had talked to Lily about her father, taking the tac
k that he most likely had had a stroke and they didn’t know what the prognosis was right now. When they brought him in, he seemed to be in a catatonic state. Everyone hoped there’d been some improvement since he’d arrived. Jasmine had tried to prepare Lily. She had no idea if she’d succeeded.

The
medical facility was much larger than Jasmine had thought. It sat far back and had a huge main building encircled by a road with many outbuildings. Some looked like houses, some condos.

When t
hey pulled into the parking lot in front of the main building, Jasmine turned to the suddenly quiet young woman next to her. “You ready?”

“I don’t know.” Lily turned pleading eyes to Jasmine. “What if he doesn’t know me?”

Jasmine took her hand, stared into her eyes and let a small amount of energy flow. “Remember, we talked about this. We won’t know until we see him. I’ll be with you. And, no matter how he is now, tomorrow holds promise.”

Lily smiled and let go of Jasmine’s hand. “You’re right. At least I got him back.” With that
, she opened the door and hopped out.

They were expecting them. Jenn had made sure of that. A nurse led them down the hall to a private room. The curtains were open and sun poured into the room. Flowers sat on a table near the window
. A single hospital bed sat in center of the room. Porter Greeson lay in the bed, the head raised, staring at the wall. His sky blue pajamas gave a tint of blue to his silver hair. He’d been shaved and prepped for Lily, Jasmine was sure.

The nurse stepped over to the bed and leaned in front of him. “Mr. Greeson. You have a visitor. Your daughter,
Arabella, is here.”

Realization hit Jasmine. This man didn’t know her as Lily.

“Daddy,” Lily’s tremulous voice broke. “It’s me, Bella.”

The older man blinked and shifted his eyes toward his daughter. The corner of his mouth lifted in a strained smile and a tear slid out of the corner of his eye.

Lily turned to Jasmine, her eyes overflowing with tears. “He knows me. He knows me.”

Jasmine felt
her own eyes fill as she nodded and watched Lily lay her head on his chest.

Porter Greeson slowly moved his hand until it rested on
his daughter’s head. He made no other movement and the slight shake of Lily’s shoulders let Jasmine know she was crying.

Moments passed before Lily stood. She reached to the bedside table and, taking a Kleenex, dabbed at the tears on his face, then her own. “It’s okay, now, Daddy. I’ll take care of you.”

Jasmine thought she would burst into sobs if she didn’t get out of the room. “I’m going to step out for a little bit, if that’s okay.” Her voice sounded husky. “There’s someone here I want to see.”

Lily nodded, not turning away from her father. “I’ll be right here.” Her voice sounded upbeat.

Jasmine walked over to the nurses’ station and grabbed a tissue from the box on the counter. The nurse that had led them in smiled at her. “I am so happy. There was a huge improvement in him since yesterday. We’ve been telling him his daughter was coming since we found out. At first, it seemed to cause him some distress, but once we specified Arabella, he changed. We bathed him and got him all fixed up. He had a feeding tube until this morning. It was obvious he wanted it out. After seeing her and their closeness, I can see why.” The nurse’s eyes’ pinkened. “Damn,” she muttered and grabbed a tissue herself.

“Can you tell me where to find Rob
Milineaux?”

The nurse checked her computer.
“He’s in room 444. But, right now he’s down in the cafeteria. Go back to the lobby and turn left. It’s at the end of the hall.”

“Thanks.
Please let Lily…I mean Arabella know I’ll be back in a few moments.”

“I will.”

Jasmine moved down the hall, measuring her steps as if she were on automatic. This probably wasn’t the best idea she’d ever had, but not knowing was driving her crazy. She stopped outside the door to the cafeteria and took a calming breath. She stepped into a yellow, cheerful room. Round tables with flowers on each table were scattered about the room. Along the back wall were several stations. She could smell bacon and figured they were still serving breakfast. Trying to act nonchalant, she stepped over to one of the stations, picked up a tray, and moved down the line, asking for a biscuit and butter, although she knew she’d choke on the smallest bite. She fixed a mug of coffee and, lifting the tray, turned and faced the room.

She saw him immediately. He was sitting at a
nearby table with a couple of male nurses, or attendants. His once gold blond hair was threaded with gray and he was heavier and softer than she remembered. He was talking with one of the men, his voice animated and light. He turned his head, saw her, and stopped talking. His head tilted and a frown formed between his faded blue eyes. Then, a slight smile formed on his lips. “Do I know you?” he called to her.

Her stomach lurched. She couldn’t utter a word. She tried to smile and shook her head.

Glancing around the otherwise empty room, he indicated the chair across from him. “Please join us. No one should eat alone.”

Jasmine looked to the male attendants for some sort of guidance. One of them rose. “Well, my break
’s over, Rob. She can have my chair.” He turned and smiled at Jasmine. The other attendant smiled as well but didn’t leave.

Forcing one foot in front of the other, Jasmine crossed the short distance and prayed the tray wouldn’t slip from her sweating hands. She set the tray down and the coffee jiggled, spilling some over the side. In a flash, Rob lifted the cup and dabbed up the spilled coffee
with some napkins.

“There
. That’s better. Is that all you’re eating?” he asked, eyeing the lone biscuit.

She managed to find her voice. “I’m not very hungry. I just wanted something to nibble on.
”

He pushed a small container her way. “Try th
is on it. It’s homemade preserves from one of the nurses. She’s so sweet to bring them. Are you sure we don’t know one another?”

Jasmine swallowed. “I do believe we have a mutual friend. Morgan Drake…I mean Briscoe.”

Rob screwed up his face as he searched his memory. “The name sounds familiar. I’ve been ill,” he informed her. “Sometimes my memory isn’t what it used to be.” Then, his eyes brightened. “Yes. I remember Morgana. I think we dated a couple of times in college.”

Jasmine didn’t correct him
, although she knew both of them had been out of college for quite a while when they’d met.

“How is she?”

“She’s fine.”

He smiled and stuck out his hand. “I’m Rob Milineaux.”

Jasmine stared at his hand, wiped the moisture from her own on the napkin in her lap, and eased her hand into his. His hand felt cool and soft, like a child’s.

“I’ve been editing
a tenth grade physics book for one of the local schools,” he announced proudly.

“That’s wonderful
.” She remembered someone telling her that, although his memory was spotty, he did recall his physics, but not the work he’d done on the portals. He had no memory of the time he’d spent in the lab in Meadow’s Keep. She decided to test the theory.

“So, are you a professor
?” She tried to sound casual.

He looked at the attendant and made the same face he had when he’d tried to remember Morgan. “I think I was.
” He leaned forward. “You see, I had some sort of stroke…I think. My memory is iffy at best, except for my academics. I have trouble with people and places and timelines.” He brightened, “But show me a formula or an equation and I’m just dandy. I also grade papers for some of the local professors,” he told her.

An idiot savant.
Jasmine frowned.

“Oh, don’t be sad. You seem sad,” he said almost childlike.
“What you don’t remember can’t hurt you.” He laughed, finding himself witty.

Jasmine rose. Her knees wobbled. “Well, I need to get back upstairs.”

“You didn’t touch your biscuit.” He looked hopeful.

She smiled at him, this brilliant
man-child. “You may have it.” She handed him the preserves. “Don’t forget these.”

He took the container. “Oh, I won’t. It was nice meeting you. I think I’ve forgotten your name.
”

“Teresa,” she lied.

“Well, it was nice meeting you, Teresa. I hope the person you came to see gets well soon.”

“Thank you.”

She turned, dropped off the tray and fled, not stopping until she was outside, leaning on the brick façade of the building, gulping in air. She couldn’t seem to catch her breath. Jasmine dashed away the tears that rolled down her cheeks. The images that had haunted her for a year crumbled like dust. She hadn’t been the only victim in that mine.

At least h
er injuries had healed.

She let the tears fall, unchecked, until there were no more. She closed her eyes and saw Eryk,
tenderness in his eyes, and could have sworn she felt his fingers brush her cheek.

“Thanks,” she whispered
into the air, and made her way to the nearest lady’s room to make herself presentable to Lily, who missed nothing.

****

Lily had been talking nonstop since they’d arrived at The Trellis for lunch. Less crowded than usual, they’d been seated right away and had their orders taken in record time. Jasmine toyed with the Chicken Pot Pie, which was one of her favorites, its savory aroma doing nothing to whet her appetite. Lily, on the other hand, was wolfing down her cheeseburger at an alarming speed. Orders for three Death by Chocolate desserts—minus the ice cream—had already been given.

Lily’s enthusiasm was contagious and Jasmine let herself be
comforted by the girl’s talk of the future, when she and her father would be together again. If Jasmine had ever wanted anything more than for that wish to come true, she couldn’t think of it.

Jasmine made a mental note to call Bask and
see if he could find out more about the situation. There was no telling what evil Morna and her mother had attempted with Greeson becoming increasingly incapacitated. If anyone could unravel that mess, Abbott House had the connections and the money to do so. It was times like this that she was happy to be part of Ruthorford and the Abbott House. Before she knew it, she’d consumed over half of her pot pie.

****

“Oh, my God!” Jenn bounded down the steps, her blonde curls bouncing, as Jasmine stepped out of the vehicle.

“What?” Jasmine’s insides clinche
d.

“Morgan’s gone into labor,”
Jenn’s eyes were wide. She grabbed Jasmine’s arm. Jasmine could feel her heart racing.

“Calm down, Jenn.” Jasmine laughed. “She’s okay, right?”

“Wow,” Lily yelped.
What that child needs is more excitement
, Jasmine thought and rolled her eyes. It looked like both females were jumping up and down.

“You have to leave
,” Jenn ordered.

“Would it be okay if I pack first?”