Left Behind, page 9
“I’m so sorry. I still can’t believe this happened,” she said.
Wiley moved to the foot of her bed. “Mom, you said you left the house because you saw Ella.”
Shirley frowned. “Yes, that’s right, I did see her out in the pasture. I couldn’t imagine her being this far down the mountain and afoot. It worried me, but then she walked into the woods and disappeared, and I kept looking for her.”
Aaron reached for her hand. “I’m so sorry to have to tell you this, but Aunt Ella passed away sometime this morning.”
Shirley gasped. “Oh no! She was lost! If only I could have found her before—”
Amalie stepped up between the brothers. “No, Mom. Ella was already in spirit when you saw her. She was walking the mountain, telling it goodbye, and had no idea that you would be able to see her.”
Shirley gasped. They all knew Amalie had the same gift of sight that Ella Pope had been born with. “Oh my God. How did you know this?”
Amalie’s eyes welled. “Because Ella appeared in the doorway of my office and called my name. As soon as I looked up, she said, ‘Help Shirley’ then blew me a kiss and disappeared…like smoke. I heard the rest of it in my head after she was gone and I called Sean, but they’d already found you. I told them to go check on Ella. Cameron found her in her bed. She’d been gone for a few hours.”
Shirley was weeping. “She was so dear to all of us and the last of the old ones.”
“No, ma’am,” Amalie said. “She’s not the last of anything. It’s just a shift in generations. Uncle John and Aunt Annie Cauley are now the elders, right?”
Shirley swiped at her tears. “Yes, you’re right, and thank you for that. Perspective is often a blessing, but we’re so going to miss her.”
B.J. was standing at the foot of her bed with his hands in his pockets, staring blindly at the wall above Shirley’s head.
“Ecclesiastes 3: ‘For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven: a time to be born, and a time to die.’ Nothing can change that outcome, Mom, and God knows Ella was given more years than most, but we aren’t going to forget her. Look how long we’ve hung on to Brendan and his Meg.”
Shirley smiled through tears. “Oh, B.J., when did you get so wise?”
He looked away, and when he finally answered, there were tears in his eyes.
“When I found the remains of our ancestor Meg. She’d been lost to us for so long, and in those few moments when I saw her like that, I felt the weight of a thousand years upon my shoulders, like I’d been born for that purpose, and that nothing I ever do will top the importance of bringing her back to bury her beside her loving husband, Brendan.”
Total silence followed, as everyone thought about Brendan Pope, the very first man to stake a claim on Pope Mountain, and his beloved wife, who had been kidnapped. Brendan had mourned her loss for the rest of his days, which none of the family knew until his journal had been found a few years earlier.
The silence was broken only after the nurse came in with a wheelchair and Shirley’s release papers. “Time to go home!” she said, unaware of the gravity within the room.
Sean and Aaron helped Shirley into the wheelchair, and then everyone headed for the exit.
Aaron took B.J. back to work.
Wiley headed to the pharmacy with the prescriptions.
Ella was already in her heavenly home. It was time for Shirley to get back to her earthly one, but she was quiet and tearful all the way back up the mountain.
“I can’t believe Aunt Ella is gone,” she said.
“I know, Mom. She was such an institution, I think we all thought she was immortal,” Sean said.
Shirley sighed. “I can’t believe what I saw was her spirit, though. She looked so…so solid…so real.”
“Until she disappeared,” Sean said.
“Yes. Until she disappeared,” Shirley said, and glanced out the window. “Looks like clouds are building up over the mountain. It might rain tonight.”
“Good. Maybe it’ll cool things off,” Sean said. “Dani is coming to stay with you for a while tomorrow until I can get back. I have two business appointments in the morning, both in Bowling Green, and then I’m going to pick up that knee-leg scooter Dr. Kline recommended before I come home.”
“I hate being helpless and dependent on other people. I’ve sure gone and messed everything up,” Shirley muttered.
Sean gave her hand a quick squeeze. “No way, Mama. After all you do, and have done for us, we are blessed to be able to return the favor. And you’ll heal and be good as new soon enough.”
“I guess,” Shirley said. “But just for the record, I’m sorry I won’t be able to help out with Ella’s funeral, or the family dinner, or anything.”
“Maybe not, but we can get you there. Don’t fret about that, okay?” he said.
“Thank you, Son. I appreciate that,” she said, then leaned back and closed her eyes.
“Are you hurting?” Sean asked.
She nodded.
“Wiley will be along shortly and we’ll get those pain meds started, and when Amalie gets home this evening, she and I will be making supper. You will be in bed with your foot on a pillow and the TV remote. I have some handheld two-way radios. When you need help, just give me a shout. We can do this, Mom.”
“I don’t know how lucky I became to have such wonderful sons, but I would marry Clyde Wallace all over again just for the blessing of being your mother,” she said.
Sean shook his head. “Thankfully, you’ll never have to do that again. Once around the block with Clyde was enough for all of us.”
Chapter 6
Wiley made a flying trip up the mountain with Shirley’s meds, then headed back into Jubilee. He knew Ella’s body had been sent to the funeral home and that extended family members were still being notified. He also knew that John and Annie Cauley were making the arrangements, and Marcus Glass was coordinating with Preacher Farley at the Church in the Wildwood regarding services. Everyone on the mountain was in mourning.
As soon as he got home, Wiley sent a text to Linette to let her know about Ella Pope, and that for the time being, his time was going to involve work, helping with his mother’s care, and burying the family elder. And then he ended the text with a promise.
Hold my place, Linnie. I’m coming back for more if you’ll have me.
***
Linette was shocked to hear about the passing of the Pope family member and felt nothing but empathy and regret for all they were going through. She wished she could help, but at this point, she was still on the outside looking in at the Pope family circle.
By the time she got off work she was exhausted and grabbed some smoked ribs from Emory’s Barbecue before going home. Not having to cook for herself was just one thing less to do before she could go to bed and, hopefully, dream of the man who was laying claim to her heart.
***
It rained in the night and was still overcast and drizzling when Dani arrived early the next morning at Shirley’s house, leaving Sean free to make his appointments and get the scooter from a medical supply company in Bowling Green. Amalie had made chicken and dumplings last night, so there would be food ready for lunch today, and Shirley was restless and achy and relying on the pain meds.
The overcast day stayed with them through nightfall, but the next day dawned with clear skies and sunshine. The families on the mountain were hustling from one task to another, and baking and cooking for the meal after Ella’s funeral service, and on the third day after Ella’s passing, they laid her to rest in the blue bridesmaid dress she’d worn to Sean and Amalie’s wedding.
She’d looked like an angel the day of that wedding, tall and regal with the sunlight pouring in through the windows behind her, and now she had become one. They buried her beside her parents and covered the freshly turned earth with flowers, cried through Brother Farley’s shaky, heartfelt prayer, then headed into the church for the family dinner. The atmosphere was somber. Only rarely did a laugh sound above the murmurs of conversation across the dining hall, until John Cauley stood.
“Could I please have your attention for a moment?” he said.
The room went silent.
“We’re all adrift, and that’s as it should be today. Ella was our anchor to the past, but there’s something we’re not acknowledging here that I think matters. Ella always considered us her link to the future. No one lives forever, but from the time we are born, we are standing in the footsteps of our ancestors. They’re within us and around us, and what we do now is honor Ella Pope’s place in our history. She loved these family gatherings at the church more than anything. Share your Ella stories with each other. Tell your children about the woman who could see into the past as easily as she could see what was ahead of her. It’s how we keep those we’ve lost with us—by keeping them alive in our hearts.” Then he picked up his glass. “To Ella. May she rest in peace!”
“To Ella!” they echoed, and after that, the lull in conversation lifted and the people who loved her most began their conversations with, “Remember when…” and stories were told, and laughter ensued.
***
Once the day of the funeral had passed, life settled back into daily routines.
Dani came up the mountain to help Sean during the day, and Amalie was home from work in the evening to help Sean at night.
B.J. and Wiley made regular trips up to check on their mother and bring grocery orders to save Sean having to go get them. Shirley was looking forward to having the cast removed and her life back to normal, and Wiley’s free time was finally his own again.
He sent Linette a text while he was on break.
I’m free after six tonight, if you’re free. I miss you. My place? We can order in and pretend we live really normal lives. Please say yes. You’re my safe place to fall.
Linette read the text with tears in her eyes and responded.
Yes. After six.
“Hot damn,” Wiley whispered.
Wiley’s partner, Doug Leedy, looked up. “Were you talking to me?”
“Nope. Just to myself,” Wiley said, and smiled.
***
Wiley was barely out of the shower and buttoning up his jeans when the doorbell rang. His hair was still damp, and he was minus a shirt, but he didn’t want to leave Linette waiting on the doorstep, so he grabbed a T-shirt as he ran to let her in.
The door swung inward. A greeting was on the tip of his tongue. Their gazes locked for a second, and then hers raked him from head to toe. He saw her nostrils flare, and her eyes narrow as they centered on his broad shoulders and flat belly.
“Ah…to hell with propriety,” he muttered.
The door swung shut behind them as she crossed the threshold, and then she was in his arms, sandwiched between the door and his chest. She slid her arms around his neck and lost her mind.
He took her standing up, then carried her to bed and made love to her again, without a stitch of clothes between them until she was completely exhausted, numb to everything but the thunder of her own heartbeat in her ears. Long moments of silence ensued within his embrace, and then he broke it with a question.
“Are you okay?”
She shuddered. “I knew it would be like this, and I will never be okay again. You’re my drug, Wiley Pope. I will never not want you.”
He raised up on one elbow, needing to see her when he said it.
“As in forever want? Because that’s what I want with you.”
Linette put her hand in the middle of his chest, feeling the steady thump of his heartbeat against her palm. “I thought when I watched you get shot that every happy-ever-after dream I had had just ended before it began. I’d never even kissed you, and when you flew backward, my heart stopped. I thought I was dying with you. Your face is what I see when I close my eyes at night. I love your laugh. I love that you’re impulsive and honest to a fault, and I love that wild streak in you. Yes, forever. Forever in my heart. Forever yours.”
“Then it’s settled. How long do you need to be courted before you will marry me?”
Linette blinked, and then burst out laughing. “Our second real date has barely begun, and you have already proposed. Oh, I don’t know. Let me check my schedule.”
He grinned. “Was that too much, too soon?”
“Not really. You’re damn good at the too-much part, but I would like for you to meet my parents.”
“What if they don’t like me?”
She heard the worry in his voice. “They don’t have to. I just want them to meet the man who keeps a permanent smile on my face and who will father their grandchildren.”
He brushed his lips across her mouth. “I love you very much.”
“I love you, too, crazy man.”
“I want to give you the world,” Wiley said.
“Thank you, sweetheart, but right now, I’d settle for food.”
“I can make that happen,” he said. “Did you bring your toothbrush?”
“Uh, no.”
“No matter. I have new ones. Will you stay the night with me, too?”
She slid her hand up the side of his cheek. “Yes, and thank you for the invitation.”
He smiled, and her heart skipped.
Stay wild, my beautiful man. Crazy looks good on you.
They ordered in fried chicken and biscuits, and gravy for dipping, and made love in the kitchen and again in his bed. Falling asleep in his arms was the cherry on top, and she never wanted it to end.
But when the alarm went off the next morning, yanking them back into the reality of their worlds, he loved her awake. She had to go back to her apartment to get ready for work, and he had to let her go.
“Are we a secret?” he asked.
“Not in my world,” Linette said.
He nodded. “And not in mine. Be careful today. I love you.”
“You’re the one with the gun. You be careful.”
“Are you coming back?” he asked.
“As often as you’ll have me,” she said.
He opened the dresser drawer and pulled out a spare house key and laid it in her palm.
“You already hold the key to my heart. Now you have a key to the door. Come when you can. When you want to. And take a break for yourself when you don’t. I have no expectations beyond what you’re willing to give me, but if I had my way, you’d already be here.”
She wrapped her arms around his neck. “Love you, Wiley Pope.”
“Love you more, Linette Elgin, and don’t you forget it.”
A few minutes later, she was gone. The house was quiet, but Wiley was as happy and as at peace as he’d ever been.
***
Two mornings later, just as the nurses were changing shifts, Carey Eggers regained consciousness. She wasn’t cognizant enough to talk to, but it was the first sign of recovering. The hospital notified Johnny Knight, and he and Tom were the first ones in on the next visiting hour.
When they opened the ICU to visitors, Tom and Johnny got in line, and once inside the critical care unit, Tom rolled Johnny up to the bed. The first thing Johnny did was stand up, using the bedrail as a crutch to steady himself, and stroke the side of her face.
“Hey, sweetheart, it’s me, Johnny. Tom and I are here. We’ve been here for days, waiting for you to wake up.” Then he gently clasped her hand and just held it as he talked.
***
Carey didn’t know where she was. Her last memory was running in the dark, and even as she was beginning to be conscious of sound and pain, she was still in the dark, unable to wake up enough to open her eyes. She continued to drift in and out without knowing what was happening, until someone stroked her cheek, then clasped her hand.
The rumble of the voice felt like love. She thought she was underwater, yet could see light, and kept trying to swim up, even as something was holding her down. She was afraid to open her mouth, for fear she’d drown, and so she moaned, wanting them to pull her up into the light.
Johnny jumped when he heard her moan.
“Oh my God, Tommy, did you hear that?”
Tom nodded. “I did, buddy. She’s fighting. That’s all you can ask of her.”
Johnny leaned down close to her ear. “I know you can hear me, love. It’s me, Johnny. You’re in a hospital. You’re safe. Just come back to me, baby. I can’t do life without you.”
Carey moaned again. She knew that voice. Johnny! It was Johnny! She needed him to know that she heard and, with all of the strength she could muster, curled her fingers within his palm.
“She just moved her fingers in my hand! She heard me!” Johnny said as a nurse approached.
The nurse checked all of the readings, making note of them in the log on her computer, and then eyed the time.
“Time to tell our sleeping beauty goodbye,” she whispered, and pointed to the clock.
Johnny nodded. “Just rest, Carey. Tom and I will be back. Just keep fighting, girl. I love you forever.”
Carey sighed and sank back into the dark, but the awakening had begun, and over the next two days, she finally reached the point of being moved out of the ICU into a private room and was alert enough to be questioned by the authorities. She was anxious about the guards in the hall and about what would happen to her when she went home, when she would be well enough to go back to work, and couldn’t believe this nightmare was still ongoing.
***
Sheriff Woodley arrived at the hospital with Carey’s personal belongings. Detective Gardner, the detective in charge of Billy Eggers’s murder, was with him as they made their way to Carey’s room. Even though they’d read the reports, they were not prepared for her appearance.
She was covered in bruises, healing cuts, and scratches, with visible staples in her head and the bandages still on her upper body from the gunshot wound. Johnny was sitting in his wheelchair beside her bed, and Tom was at the foot.
After the introductions were made, Rance Woodley held up a paper bag. “Miss Eggers, we’re returning your purse. It was on the floorboard of the car you wrecked and has nothing to do with either of our cases, so we’re returning it to you intact.”
