Choices (36 page)

“Listen, sweetheart, we’re going to get you out of here and get that shoulder of yours tended to and then I need to figure out what to do with you.” She breathed into my ear as she bent down to swing my legs over the edge of the trunk.
Before you shot me I was a whore now I’m a sweetheart.   I thought men were complicated. Jeez Louise!
She reached for my legs as I started to frantically shake my head.

“What? What’s the matter now? Why are you shak…OH MY GOD!! Is that what I think it is?” As she struggled to maneuver my legs outside of the trunk I heard and so did she, what sounded like a summer balloon filled with water splashing onto the cool, concrete sidewalk. My water broke! She quickly and deftly untied my wrists, bandana and feet and hoisted my up out of the trunk.

“Can you walk? Here… lean your weight on me and I’ll get you in the house. Laurel, I’m so sorry, I’m so sorry. I had to protect my baby.” She cried and sobbed as she re-arranged my shoulders. I screamed in pain from the shoulder and the newest contraction. Now, that my water broke the contractions felt as though I would be ripped apart. I could feel the baby drop and snuggle its precious head right into the channel that represented life itself, waiting patiently for my body to oblige and for its life to begin outside my body. This baby was big!

“Jesus, you must hurt!”

“Oh, really, you think so! Just shut up Jo and call the ambulance! I have to protect
my
baby now. And it’s not your baby you were protecting but yourself; you insane bitch!” I managed to croak out in between heaving breaths to get as much air into my lungs either to scream in pain or to scream at her I wasn’t sure. I heard the back porch door slam and soft shuffling footsteps echo on the cold, flagstone patio.

“OH! OH! What have you done now, Jo? Laurel, sweetheart, is that you? Jo, what on earth, you’ve gone too far now, daughter, too far!” Old Mrs. Phillips came out of the old farmhouse and met us in the driveway. “Good Lord, child, are you about to give birth?” She wailed and swayed and wrung her hands in disbelief.

“Yes, ma’am, I’m afraid so. Please, call an ambulance!”

“NO! No, police, no ambulance! Just help me get her into the house, mother.” They shimmed their shoulders under my shoulders to help me walk into the farmhouse. I screamed in pain, between another contraction that was coming hot and fast and the gunshot that echoed throughout my body. I was crying and breathing hard and fast and trying determinedly to walk without their assistance.

“Joanna! Did you shoot her?”

“Oh, mother, just help me get her into the house, where’s Dad?”

“He’s with Em…” She raised her eyebrows questioningly and leaned her head toward the farmhouse.

“It’s alright, Laurel knows everything, unfortunately so does her pesky husband. But don’t worry I took care of him.” Her mother stopped and I felt as though all the air rushed out of my body as another contraction slammed into me rendering me speechless and useless. I couldn’t take much more
, and I collapsed onto the driveway thinking how Jo took care of my husband and what the hell she was talking about now.

“Too far Joanna! Too far! Is he dead? Did you kill him?” She gulped and swallowed audibly and I could see the early spring chill of the night steam from her lips and nose, however, she didn’t have the appearance of the dragon her daughter possessed but the exhausted overwhelmed look of a mother who had had enough.

“I don’t know. I honestly don’t know. C’mon, Laurel, you have to get up. We’ll help you as much as we can but you have to get up.” She leaned down to scoop me up when I slapped her as fast and as hard as I could with every ounce of diminishing strength I had. My hand hurt and my thoughts were whirling.

“It was Paul! Paul was there! He was the rustling I heard in the woods. He was the one rolling with you down the hill. He saved me. Paul did and you…you…DON’T TOUCH ME!!” I scooted away from her as she reached out to help me up. “If you killed Paul, so help me Jo, if you harm this baby, I’ll…” Another contraction took over and caused more amniotic fluid to gush from my legs. I rolled to my side when I could breathe again from the mind numbing contraction and the shattered bone feeling in my shoulder
; I gathered the will and the strength to stand on my own two feet. I was running out of time. The contractions were coming faster and faster so much so that I was beginning to forget about the wound in my shoulder until I twisted it the wrong way as I was trying to stand. I cried out in pain again.

“Here, sweetheart, let me help!” Mrs. Phillips rushed to my side. She placed a large, thick towel against my shoulder and pressed hard, very hard. She must have gone back into the house to retrieve the towel for my shoulder. I was in so much pain, I hadn’t even noticed.

“I’m sorry, dear, this is going to really hurt but we have to staunch the bleeding. It looks as though you’ve been grazed pretty deeply but no bullet that I can see. She quickly made a makeshift tourniquet with one of her husband’s belts and wrapped the towel in place around my shoulder to keep it steady and allow the towel to keep my blood where it belonged - inside my body.” I winced and cried out in agony and I hesitantly accepted her shoulder for support while she attempted to get me on my feet still pressing the towel into my shoulder so much so that I was beginning to see stars from the pressure. Jo rubbed her face and glared at me.

“Oh, don’t you dare glare at me like that you insane lunatic.” I was sobbing now, crying so hard between the pain in my shoulder the fear of giving birth in the driveway of my lunatic friend, fear for my life and the baby’s and now, now Paul’s life too. When was this nightmare going
to end! That’s when I heard it- first faint but shrill, bringing to the surface all those primal, instinctual, maternal instincts that allow a mother to gain the strength of a bear and grew the heart of a lion in order to protect her offspring and save it from impending danger - the distinctive cry of a newborn.

“Emily! You have Emily here!”  I was hunched over trying to save some breathe and strength when I stood straight and tall and walked into the farmhouse on my own demanding Mr. Phillips to bring me the baby. I figured it had to be Mr. Phillips. He had to be an evil ally to this insanity as well.

“Mr. Phillips! Mr. Phillips! It’s me Laurel, Laurel Brittingham. Bring me the baby now! NOW!” I managed to walk slowly and steadily over to the fireplace holding my tightening belly. I placed a hand on the fireplace and let out a scream that I swear shook the rafters.

“Okay, people, listen to me. This baby is going to be here before you know it. Please, Mrs. Phillips, please call me an ambulance. Do you want to see your great-grandchild die? It would be your fault. Do you want that on your conscience?” I gritted my teeth and let out another wail of frustration and pain. I was breathing hard and fast, gulping air and struggling for control. Mrs. Phillips hesitated. She looked to me and then to Jo and then yet again to the closed door behind her. I could see the wheels turning in her head, thinking how she could make this all work out. I had her. Almost. Almost there. She moved toward the phone, when Mr. Phillips came out from behind the closed
door which in the past was Jo’s bedroom, with a bundle of pink blankets which emanated a robust, hungry cry.

“No! Don’t do it Mother! DON’T DO IT! I will have lost everything.” Jo started shrieking and shaking and looking for something. My guess was her new favorite toy.

“You already have lost everything, Jo and I can’t help you anymore.” She was stoic and very calm. “Your father and I have done enough for you. I won’t risk anymore. Don’t even think about pointing a gun at your Mother! I know that’s what you’re looking for! It’s over. It’s over. I’m calling an ambulance for Laurel and then I’m calling the police.” She paused and stepped toward her daughter with her arms outstretched. “Don’t worry, sweetheart, he should be here soon! Don’t fret love, it will be okay. Mommy has taken care of everything for you. I always have and I always will.” She very quietly spoke these words that seemed to rattle Jo’s cage even more and unleashed the dragon completely. She was pacing now, pulling her hair, spewing spittle and snot with her tears of frustration and confusion.

“What have you done?”
She screamed.

“What do you think I’ve done, sweetheart?” Mrs. Phillips stood her ground and didn’t move an inch as she picked up the antiquated phone with the rotary dial.

“Is he coming, really? Really coming? To see me? To tell me he made a mistake, to tell me he’s sorry, to…to tell me…” She took a gulp of air and smoothed a hand over her clothes and her hair. She rummaged through her pockets and found a tissue as she started to blot her face. I had to get to Emily. I had to see her.

“Yes, my darling, yes.” Mrs. Phillips loving
ly answered her as dialed the phone.

“How? How were you able to find him?” She croaked as fresh tears assaulted her face and she held a dreamy, sweet glazed look in her eye as if she indulged in to much sugar.

“Emily! Please, Mr. Phillips let me see her! I can’t hold her now, I’m afraid I’d drop her, you hold for me, just let me look at her.” I whispered as I waved him over to the fireplace and gritted my teeth through another white hot pain that felt like a warm knife cutting through the utter essence of my being, getting ready at any minute to expel my insides all over the hearth. I had to lie down on the floor in front of the fireplace after this one. It wasn’t much longer now. I glanced at Jo who was too far gone now to even notice. Mr. Phillips gave a nervous look to his wife as she nodded her head yes and placed the phone to her ear. Mr. Phillips walked very slowly and very cautiously over to where I lay on the floor and knelt down beside me to show me the baby. I raised my sweaty, tear streaked face to look at the bundle in his arms.
All these months and she was right here the whole time. I should have known, I should have known! I’m so sorry Kristy, I’m making it right. I’m bringing her home! I’m bringing her home! If it’s the last thing I do, if it’s the last breath I take I’m bringing both our babies home! Both of them!
I was feeling incredibly lightheaded now and struggling to keep myself awake but the searing, skin splitting pain of the contractions were making the pain in my shoulder non-existent.

“Here she is. She a good baby. We ain’t done her no harm, no harm ‘t’all, the Mrs. and I. We’d never do that to a youn
g-in’. I told Jo she was wrong but ya know how she is when she want somethin’, she want it no matter who gets hurt. I’m sorry, darlin’, nobody ever meant for anyone to get hurt. You’d do the same for your life’s blood. You would.” He sighed and I thought about that for a split second, yeah, I don’t know about that. I truly don’t. All I did know was that if I didn’t get help soon, things weren’t looking good for any of my life’s blood.

“Is she really calling the police?”
I whispered.

“Yes, don’t worry child, you’ll be alright.”
He patted my shoulder.

“Did she call who I think she called?” I said in a staccato rhythm, letting the contractions take control of my body once again.

“Yessum, she did. He called us after, well, after you know. He was always tryin’ to pester us to get her to confess. We did try! Tried like the dickens, but it was like givin’ people in Hell ice water, melted ‘afore you even walked out the door, but, anyhow, like I said you know how my, stubborn Jo is. He always made sure we knew where he was when Brandon was a young-in’, even had us swear never to tell her. He wanted to make sure they was alright but didna want nothin’ to do with her or the baby. Can’t says I blame ‘im. Robbie done gone and got married again and has three grown boys of his own, lives out in Montana. Beautiful place, that Montana, big sky, sweet, fishing waters. Ya ever been sweetheart?” I shook my head no. “No, I guess ya never have been have ya? Thought, maybe for some vacation wi’ the family. I should shut my mouth, rude of me to keep talkin’ like ya ain’ got nothin’ going on.” He shrugged and I told him to continue. His rattling was actually soothing my rattling nerves.

“When Jo finds out him marryin’ ‘gain and us knowin’, well, it’s gonna kill her- sure ‘nough. I just hope to hell you and this sweet, little, lass are gone ‘fore she falls to ti
ny, little smitherens. Henrietta knew she was comin’ unglued once Brandon told his Momma he saw you in that big city in the fall and swore you was pregnant.” I took a deep breath and held it. “I’m sorry child, this has to be so hard for you, don’t worry, help’s coming.” His old gray eyes were filled with sympathy and he took his free hand and smoothed back my sweaty hair off my forehead and ran his cool fingertips across my forehead. “You are such a sweet girl, always was. Come from a good family, too. Can’t reckon what went wrong with Jo, can’t reckon at all.” His eyes clouded now and he seemed to be remembering a different time and a different place. “She was a sweet youn-in’ too, that Jo. So sweet! She always climbed into my lap after I’d been workin’ on the farm all day and wrap her arms aroun’ my neck and beg me to tell her about my day. What do you reckon went wrong?” He looked pleadingly at me, begging for an answer with his eyes, searching for approval that he was a good parent. I simply shook my head and raised my own pleading eyes up to him.  “Please, let me see the baby. I need to see the baby. Is she hurt? Is she alright? Is she healthy?”  He unwrapped the baby and the biggest, brownest set of beautiful eyes stared back at me with such a knowing look of ‘well it’s about time you got here’ that I had to laugh through my tears. I swore I could hear Kristy’s voice in my head echoing that same thought. God, she was beautiful and perfect. Mitch would be so proud. He would already have had her christening dress picked out and her prom dress too. Finally, the little girl she always wanted and brutally ripped away from her.
I’m coming Kristy, I’m coming and Emily’s coming with me.
No sooner had my brain silently made that declaration I heard one car and then another pull into the driveway. I heard two car doors slam shut and then the back porch door slam as well.