WISHBONE (26 page)

Julien opened his eyes again. “What Rachael…guilt? You don’t want to see…”

Rachael dove at him in an instant, silencing him with one swipe of her hand, which grasped hold of the device fastened to the bones within his thigh. She leaned in close to his face as she pulled the metal framework upward and lifted his thigh and hip inches above the couch.

Julien gasped; he couldn’t breathe, couldn’t speak. He frantically grabbed for her hand but the more he fought the harder she pulled up on the gear. Julien felt the bones shifting inside of him as the screws warped.

He pleaded with her, “Bien…bien, Rach… s’il tu plait...” He scrambled to find his English. “I will be good,” he sputtered, choking out the words, hardly able to form them. “I will never say a word again. Please,” he begged, “please, let go.

Sarah dove between them grunting, squealing and slapping at Rachael’s arm repeatedly, but Rachael took no notice. 

Rachael kept her grip, relentlessly tugging at the metal and hoisting the device higher into the air. Julien’s body slipped into shock. Sarah shoved at Rachael, trying to stop her from all angles, but when nothing worked, the girl threw herself over Julien, hugging him tightly as horror-stricken sounds escaped her and she cried into his chest.

Rachael was oblivious and through gritted teeth she whispered, “No more. Not another word. Or Julien, so help me God,
this
will be the least of your suffering.” 

Julien did not hear a word she said. He had already lost consciousness.

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

Julien felt a sharp sting in his right hip, followed by radiating heat. His eyes felt hot, burning as he opened them, squinting only enough to recognize the silhouette of Dr. Lind; the old man’s incessant chuckling filled the room with its usual vigor.

“There you are. Welcome back, Mr. Grenier.” Lind closed his black bag with a loud snap that reverberated within Julien’s skull.

The doctor continued, “I just gave you another dose of antibiotic, but we need to get you taking the oral medication prescribed by Dr. Ptak…
and eating
. You do want to get well, don’t you?” he asked, patting Julien’s arm.

“How long was I asleep?” Julien inquired as he tried to focus, glancing around the room; his own voice startled him, hoarse and foreign. 

We’re alone.

Lind and I are here alone.

“A few days. I came up yesterday and gave you the first shot of antibiotic, but the girls say you’ve been asleep just about the entire time since you were released from the hospital.”

Julien grabbed the old man’s arm. “Do you know?” he pleaded in a desperate whisper.

The startled doctor responded, “Know what?”

“About the chickens? About the wishes?” Julien gripped the doctor’s forearm with as much strength as he could muster.

“Julien, relax,” said the doctor, peeling his arm free from Julien’s fingers, and took a seat at the edge of the bed. 

Julien kept a fearful eye on the hallway door. “Just tell me if you know…are you in on this?”

“
In on
…? Julien…I
know
this surgery has been pretty hard on you,” he expressed. Sarah and Rachael have both expressed—”

“Answer me,” he cut in, not wanting to waste time with idle chatter. “Please, before they come. Do you know about the wishes?”

“Mr. Grenier, please. You have a bone infection and while this is common with this type of device, it can cause some temporary delusional thinking…confusion.” Dr. Lind peered down at Julien over his half-opened eyes.

“I’m not confused,” Julien declared, shaking his head. “The girls…I was not like this.  You don’t remember…in town? We talked.” Julien’s mind lagged for quick phrasing and he struggled to find the words. “Do you remember Dr. Ptak, he could not find anything wrong with me…and you came up to see us that day and Rachael told you I went to a city docteur.”

Dr. Lind placed a hand on Julien’s stomach. “Take a deep breath and try to be calm, Julien. I assure you this confusion will pass. The more excitable you are the more that infection will pump out into your blood stream, and we don’t want that. While you are a much younger man than I am, an injury like this takes time to heal. We’re not getting any younger, are we?” He laughed heartily.

Julien heard them coming from the stairway down the hall. Rachael entered the room with Sarah trailing.

How the hell did they get me up here?

What do they do to me while I sleep?

Julien shuddered.

Rachael smiled and headed toward his bedside. “You’re awake!” she said, relieved. 

The doctor stood up immediately, allowing Rachael to take over the spot beside her husband.

Sarah approached her father. “There’s my girl,” Dr. Lind said and gave her shoulders a squeeze.

Julien asked Rachael, “Where’s the baby? Where’s Jessica?”

Rachael turned to the doctor, her face racked with concern. “What is he talking about?”

Dr. Lind waved a dismissive hand through the air. “He’s disoriented. Don’t be too concerned,” he assured her. “It’s just the infection talking. Get some food in him and see if you can’t get him to take the medication orally, as prescribed.” He turned his attention back to his daughter. “Are you taking good care of Mr. Grenier, Sarah? I’ll let your mother know you’re going to stay on a while longer.”

Julien announced suddenly, “I want to go to the hospital.”

All three turned and gawked at him. 

Julien repeated, “Please, Dr. Lind…I need to be at the hospital.”

The doctor sighed, “I know you’re feeling very bad right now, but I promise you, if you take the medication, start eating, stay hydrated and give it a few days…two…three at most, you’ll feel much better and be grateful to have remained in the comfort of your home with two lovely ladies doting over you.”

Julien sank down into the pillows.

He knows.

He’s part of this.

Rachael walked Dr. Lind from the bedroom. The old man nodded a goodbye to Julien and promised to return at a moment’s notice if needed, then disappeared into the hall with Rachael chatting incessantly alongside of him.

Sarah rocked on her heels and stared off into an empty corner of the room. Julien watched her for a while.

“Sarah?” he spoke her name softly with his French inflection.

Sarah tucked her chin to her chest. She eyed Julien peripherally, refusing to turn and face him.

He patted the bed and offered, “Come here, Sarah. Come sit with me.”

Sarah rocked back and forth several times then one slow step after another, she inched closer to the bed, until she lunged abruptly, dropping down beside him and sending searing pain coursing through him. 

Don’t scare her.

Don’t react. 

Julien silently counted down the seconds and waited out the sensation until he could breathe once again.

He reached toward her slowly. The girl stiffened as Julien tucked a strand of her long, unkempt hair behind her ear. She peered at him from the corner of her eye, still refusing to face him. He placed his hand back down at his side accidentally and rested two fingers on her thigh. 

Sarah looked at his hand and moved timidly, checking back for his expression. She touched the back of his hand with one finger and traced around his fingers, familiarizing herself, as she hummed a garbled tune.

“Thank you, Sarah,” Julien said with a forced smile. “Thank you for tending to me as you do. What would I do if you were not here to care for me?”

Sarah raised her eyes, slowly meeting Julien’s gaze. She offered a barely-audible grunt and then startled Julien by leaning in rapidly, close to his face like a curious sniffing animal. She babbled softly as she studied his features at an uncomfortable range. Julien felt as if he were facing down a cobra; he tucked his head back as far into the pillow as possible and braced himself for her potential strike. Her intrusive inspection seemed endless and he eventually placed a slow-moving hand on each of her shoulders, gently backing her off to a more comfortable,
safe
distance.

He regained his confidence quickly and asked, “Sarah, I know you want me to be happy, no?”

Sarah cocked her head then fiddled with her lap. 

“Sarah, look at me,” he urged, reaching for her chin. She jerked her face from his grasp, grunting in protest. 

Julien held his hands up in acquiescence. “Okay, okay,” he gave in. “I won’t do that.”

Rachael returned to the room with a tray. Sarah jumped up to greet her with the enthusiasm of a dog meeting its master. Rachael placed the tray on the dresser and picked up a wishbone. She seemed in a hurry as she urged Sarah to grab hold of the other end. The girls closed their eyes and snapped the bone in two. Almost instantly, a scream erupted from the next room over.

Julien watched in astonishment as the scene played out. “You wished her away?”

Rachael shot him a disgusted look and sneered, “
No
…of course not. She was sleeping.”  She pointed to the tray of food and motioned for Sarah, who obediently retrieved it and returned to Julien’s side, carefully placing the tray across his lap. Rachael left the room, running off to tend to the baby.

Julien looked down at the meal. He could see small pieces of chicken floating in the opaque soup. He felt his stomach turn; instantly depleting what little appetite he had. 

“Rachael!” he yelled. Sarah flinched. “Rachael…anything but this, Rach…” his voice trailed off to a whisper—raising his voice was enough to wake the pain. 

He repeated softly, “Anything but this…” He looked at Sarah and shook his head.

Sarah furrowed her brow, displeased by his refusal to eat. She took the spoon and scooped up some of the soup.

“No, Sarah,” Julien declared, pointing a warning finger in her direction. “I am not eating this.”

Rachael entered the room with the baby. “What now?” she sighed. “Does everything have to be such an issue with you?” She curled her lip briefly then softened her expression to gaze down at the baby, bouncing her playfully.

“I will allow myself to die before I eat this.”  He turned away and sank down into the pillows.

“Fucking eat the soup, Julien,” Rachael snapped.

Julien began to laugh. “Or what? What will you do to me, Rachael?” He shook his head and asked, “What worse can you do to me?”

Rachael handed the baby to Sarah and pointed to the door. Sarah obediently left the room.

“Don’t come near me,” he warned; his eyes wide and fearful.

Rachael grinned, pleased with her ability to terrify him. “Ya know, it doesn’t have to be like this.”

Behind her back, Julien caught a glimpse of Sarah peeking around the door then quickly ducking out of view. 

“I know how stubborn you can be, Julien,” she stated, taking the spoon in her hand and swaying the soup back and forth with sluggish sweeping motions. The liquid sloshed against the sides of the bowl, a small dribble running down its side. She let go of the spoon, allowing it to clank against the ceramic.

He refused to back down. “Don’t make me flip the tray,” he said with a trembling voice, too weak to sound threatening. 

She turned her body to face him head-on and allowed her hand to rest on the framework attached to his leg.

Julien sank deeper into the bed. With the tray between them, his speed and agility would be limited. Rachael would have a grip on the device before he could ever flip the tray out of his way and attempt to defend himself.

“Please,” he attempted. “I’ll eat. Just not this, okay? Please, let me have say in something.”

“I promise if you eat this you’ll start to feel better.” She removed her hand from the device and Julien felt every muscle in his body release.

She stirred the soup again. “Don’t you remember the taste, Jules? How good we felt afterward?”

“Rachael,” he kept his tone placid. “I don’t want to be trouble for you. If this is what you want…if you want everything to stay the way it is, I promise I will not get in your way. You can make your wishes, keep the baby and have whatever you want. Just take this things off me. No more suffering.”

Rachael sat in silence thinking. She looked into his eyes and he saw not a glimpse of the Rachael he knew and loved, only icy orbs sending proverbial daggers his way. 

Surprising him, she gave in, “I think we have some canned vegetable soup in the pantry.”  She got up and took the tray from his lap, then left the room without uttering another word.

There is hope. 

Don’t cause trouble.

There is hope.

Julien stared at the empty doorway in awe and with gratitude for Rachael’s change of heart. His mind was reeling. Rachael was impossible to predict and he couldn’t seem to get a handle on what was acceptable, what he could ask of her, what she would be willing to allow him.

* * * *

Sarah entered the room with the tray and placed it over him once again. Julien couldn’t trust them, stirred the soup, scooping and searching methodically for any trace of chicken, but found none. Weak, his hand shook, making a mess as he tried to eat—
he didn’t want it anyway
.  Sarah crawled across the bed and with the utmost competence, manipulated the pillows behind him. He didn’t fight her—
he would give them no trouble
. She sat with legs crossed and moved the tray. She placed a napkin over his chest and took the bowl into her hands. She had none of her usual inhibitions or awkwardness as she fed him. He wished he could figure the girl out.

Eventually, she cleared the tray away. Curiously, he followed her every lead, allowing her to resituate him.

She has done this many times before.

  She handed him the remote control and he spent some time flipping channels while she meticulously tended to the screws holding him together. She was both competent and gentle, and Julien did not feel threatened by her. He needed Sarah to become his ally. On the sofa, when Rachael had attacked him, Sarah had turned on her. She could be his only protection from Rachael’s wrath.