The Journal: Fault Line (The Journal Book 5) (23 page)

“Christine, honey, wake up. The ambulance is
here to take you to the hospital,” Trevor said softly to her. He
wrapped her in a blanket and took her to the waiting gurney.

***

Doc Adams met an anxious Trevor in the
waiting room outside of the OR.

“Christine’s wrist is broken. X-rays showed
it was a clean fracture of the ulna that wouldn’t have punctured
the skin. Her falling on her hand did that, but the fall is also
what tore the skin. The two injuries are basically unrelated except
for when and where they happened. She was lucky you stabilized the
entire arm so it couldn’t move around. It needed very little
adjustment to be set and the wrist has been casted to allow healing
of the contusion. I still don’t understand the infection, but she’s
being pumped full of antibiotics now and should be fine in a few
hours,” Doc Adams informed him. “I’m going to give you a Z-pack
from my private stock. Make sure she takes all of them starting
tomorrow. I want to see her in a week.”

***

Christine was enjoying a lazy morning. Her
short wrist cast rested on the table while she sipped some coffee
and read a book on her Kindle. When her cellphone rang, she
automatically reached for it, not paying attention to the
specialized ring tone until she looked at the caller ID.

“Daddy?” She sat up, almost dropping the
phone.

“Hey, baby girl!” John said.

“Oh, Daddy, where are you? Are you okay? I’ve
been so worried about you!” she burbled out, tears of joy streaming
down her cheeks.

“I’m okay. The past four months have been
difficult at times, but I made it, with help,” he answered in his
soft North Carolina drawl. “How about you? I tried to call a couple
of times, but the cell towers were down up here.” Even under
duress, John talked to her in a soothing, calm voice.

“We had an ice storm two weeks ago. I fell
and broke my wrist, that’s minor though.” She wondered if she
should tell him about the earthquake. “Are you coming home soon?
I’ve got so much to tell you.”

“I’ve been trying to get in touch with Green
Way to see if they can arrange a flight,” John told her.

“You’re not at the Green Way house? Where are
you?”

“I’ve been staying with… a friend, since
Christmas.”

“A friend?” Christine smiled to herself. “A
lady friend?”

John chuckled. “Yes, a lady friend. You’d
like her. And your grandmother, is she alright too?” he changed the
subject. Talking about Allexa was going to hurt.

“I talked to Grandma last week and she’s
doing just fine. She and a few of her friends are staying together
for now, so they’re all safe.”

“That’s great. Hey, baby girl, I gotta go,
I’ll call again soon!” He hung up quickly.

***

Allexa had found John on the back deck. He
knew he looked a bit guilty, so quickly explained using the phone.
“I’ve tried to keep it charged. After the power yesterday, I
thought I would try.” He took Allexa’s hand and grinned. “I just
talked to my daughter.”

“Oh, John, that’s wonderful! How is she? And
the rest? Your mom and sister?”

“Everyone is fine,” John answered, secretly
wanting to call his daughter back.

***

“Trevor, I talked with my dad today!”
Christine told him excitedly when he got home.

“That’s great! Is he okay? I know you’ve been
worried. How long has it been since you’ve heard from him?”

“It’s been almost five months. Since the
earthquake. I think he found a girlfriend up there that took him
in,” she giggled. “I tried to call him back but it went straight to
voice mail.”

“Everyone should have someone.” Trevor gave
her a gentle hug. “How’s the wrist? Do you think you’d be able to
come to the store with me tomorrow? It’s starting to get busy
again.”

***

While Trevor worked on the financial books
for the store at the kitchen table, Christine set a lawn chair in
the backyard and sat while she played fetch with Holly. The air was
mild and the sun was still warm. White clouds resembling wet
feathers painted on a deep blue canvas skidded across the sky and
her mind drifted like the clouds as she thought about her
father.

Who was this woman he was staying with? Did
he love her? Was he going to quit mining to be with her? Would
Christine lose his financial support? Guilt surged over her. How
was it she felt happy for his happiness, yet resentful toward this
person who may have saved his life? She dialed his number again on
her cell phone and again, it went to voice mail. She called her
grandmother to let her know she had finally heard from John.

***

Three weeks later, Christine got another call
from her father.

“Hey, baby girl, how’s the weather down
there?” John asked, his voice subdued.

“Daddy! It’s beautiful down here. Are you
coming home?” Christine asked, remembering he always asked about
the weather just before he came down.

“Yeah. Green Way thinks it would be good if I
took some rotation time. I’ll be there in a day or two.”

***

John had been back to work and staying at the
communal house in Moose Creek for over three weeks. The work
liaison, Simon, had noticed a change in John’s demeanor.

“Let’s talk outside,” John suggested, mixing
himself a strong rum and cola.

They sat near the break wall that led to the
marina at the edge of the bay. The waves from Lake Superior crawled
up to the shore, depositing bits of flotsam: twigs, seaweed,
seagull feathers. The breeze was still cool in the April afternoon
and it ruffled John’s jacket.

John downed half of his drink before he said
anything. When he started, he found it hard to stop.

“Allexa took me in, Simon, no questions
asked. She took care of me, shared with me, taught me and… loved
me. I became part of this incredible family of hers. Her two grown
sons became my friends and their children were like my own
grandchildren. It was hard and there were hard times, but it was
also good and I never lacked for anything. She saved my life.” He
paused as a darkness crowded his thoughts. “I helped her bury her
brother and his wife, and I helped her kill those that had murdered
them.” He took another swallow of his drink, the ice cubes tinkling
in the glass.

“Do you love her?” Simon asked, silently
digesting the revelation that John had killed someone.

“Yes, I do. I don’t know if she would take me
back though, now that I just walked out on her with no
explanation.” John’s mouth tightened around the words.

“How long has it been since you’ve been south
to see your daughter?”

“Early November. I got back here just before
the earthquake.”

“Have you talked with her since then?”

John smiled. “Yeah, we’ve talked a couple of
times recently. I think she has a new boyfriend.”

“I’m going to send you home for a week or
two, John. You’ve been through a great deal, more than these other
guys. You need the break.” Simon stood and extended his hand.
“Thank you for confiding in me. It will stay between us.”

John left the next day on a flight out of
Sawyer International to Green Bay, then from Green Bay to
Indianapolis International. From there he took a commuter for the
short jaunt to Greenwood Municipal Airport. A taxi took him
directly to his front door.

Even though John had
keys, he didn’t want to startle anyone by just walking in. John
knocked on the front door he had painted gray. That had been more
than six months ago. It felt like a lifetime ago.

“Yes?” Trevor asked, opening the door.

John stared at the young man. Taller than he
was, dark hair, dark eyes, clean cut, and he carried himself with
confidence. John immediately liked him, and wondered if this was
Christine’s new boyfriend.

“Is my daughter here?” John asked. Trevor’s
eyes widened.

“Daddy!” Christine screeched from behind
Trevor and she threw herself into his arms.

John hugged her tight, relief flooding
through him. He didn’t want to admit there was a time he thought he
might not ever see his baby girl again. His eyes misted and he set
her back down on her feet and stepped inside, reaching behind to
grab his duffle.

“I’ll get that for you, sir,” Trevor said,
and picked up the bag with ease, bringing it inside.

John kept his arm around Christine’s
shoulders and she had her arm around his waist.

Christine took a deep breath. “Daddy, this is
Trevor Monroe… my fiancé. Trevor, this is my dad, John Tiggs.” She
turned back to John, her lower lip quivering, and hugged him again
just as Holly came bouncing into the room.

John froze, memories flashing in his mind. He
stooped down and patted her head. “Hello, there. You’re a pretty
girl, what’s your name?”

“Holly, and before you ask, it’s a long story
how she came here. She’s a good dog, Dad. A therapy dog and
incredibly well behaved,” Christine said. Holly’s tail thumped on
the hardwood floor.

“Golden Retrievers are some of the gentlest
dogs I’ve ever met. She looks a lot like what Chivas will look
like,” John said, standing back up.

“Who’s Chivas?”

“A Golden Retriever puppy I left behind,”
John replied. “While she wasn’t mine, she is a member of the family
I stayed with.” He looked from Christine to Trevor. “Fiancé? You
two are getting married? Wow… congratulations! When?”

“Christine didn’t want to set a date until we
knew you would be here, Mr. Tiggs,” Trevor replied.

“Considering you will be family, I think you
can call me John.”

“Thank you, John.” Trevor held out his hand
and John shook it.

***

After dinner, the three took a glass of wine
to the living room to enjoy a cozy fire and to do some catching
up.

“I know I just got here, but I’d like to go
see your grandmother tomorrow,” John said.

“I understand completely, Dad. Can I come
with you? I haven’t seen her in months either and we can use the
drive time to talk,” Christine answered. “You don’t mind, do you,
Trevor? I know you were expecting me at the store.”

“No, it’s fine, honey. You need to spend time
with your dad. How long will you be here, John?”

“I’ve got two weeks off. There’s always a day
of travel on either end, so only twelve full days. I’ll want to
stay a few days with my mom, and a few days getting to know
you
, Trevor,” John replied. “I also… need a few days alone,
to decompress from the past few months and get used to being in the
real world again.”

“Was it difficult, Dad?” Christine
prodded.

“In some ways, yes, in others, I had it easy
compared with what everyone else was going through. We can talk
about that later. Right now, I need some sleep.” He stood. “Is my
room still mine? Or have you turned it into a nursery yet?” he
teased.

“Daaaad!” Christine blushed.

***

Trevor and Christine snuggled under the
covers.

“I like your dad,” Trevor whispered to
her.

“He likes you too, I can tell,” Christine
responded, smiling in the dark. “He seems much quieter than before
though. He must have gone through much more than he’s letting on.
You really don’t mind if I go to Kentucky with him?”

“I’ll miss you, of course. He’s your father,
Christine, and he might need you right now, so I think it’s
important that you go with him. Besides, we’ve been together almost
24/7 for the last four and a half months, and a little bit of
distance can be good for a relationship.”

“So tell me about this
woman you’ve been staying with, Dad,” Christine prompted as John
drove the SUV southbound on I-65 toward Kentucky.

John thought how to tell her about Allexa,
how she’d saved him, and how he hurt her. “Her name is Allexa
Smeth, though she let me call her Allex. She’s a massage therapist,
that’s how we met. My arms and hands were in really rough shape
from using the jackhammer for long hours at the mine, I could
barely move my fingers. She fixed me.” He thought back to that day,
and all the other days Allex came to the Green Way house at odd
hours, whenever he needed her. “She’s pretty and funny and smart in
ways that I had trouble comprehending at first. Allex always had
exactly what someone needed. How she did that I still don’t know.”
John went silent for a few long moments. “She has two grown sons
and two young grandchildren that are delightful, and I’m sure they
are all really upset with me right now for leaving.”

“Why did you leave?”

John chose his words carefully. “Although I
know it wasn’t about money with Allex, I know she had spent a great
deal over the years to get as prepared as she did. She sacrificed a
lot to make sure her family would be taken care of during a time of
need, no matter what the situation was. When
I
became part
of that family, she stretched what she had to take care of me too.
I came to her with nothing except the clothes I was wearing! She
even clothed me. She saved my life and my sanity. I want to pay her
back, Christine, and the only way I know how is to get back to
work.”

“You said it isn’t about money with Allex,
maybe she needs
you
more than she needs the money,”
Christine said. John glanced over at his daughter.

“You’re pretty smart.” He went quiet again
while he wove around the traffic exiting at Columbus. “Tell me
about you and Trevor. How did you meet?”

“I think I need to lead up to that, Dad. The
whole thing was… shattering. Damn, I almost said ‘earth’
shattering.” She let out a snort. John glanced at her sideways.