Once in a Lifetime (22 page)

“Why you want to know? Tel ain’t there and he ain’t been there. He might a been mad with you, but I didn’t see no evidence that he’d lost his mind.”

“Shouldn’t we call the police?”

“That’s somethin’ we oughta let Russ do, and he ain’t thinking ’long them lines.”

“Then what? I can’t just do nothing. I’m on my way out of my mind. If he could, he’d call. He wouldn’t put us through this.”

At four o’clock, Tara came home from school, took one look at her and said, “Mummy, where’s Mr. Telford?”

She was about to say he’d be home soon and thought better of it. She never lied to her daughter. “I…I don’t know, honey. I just don’t know.” It didn’t surprise her that Tara ran to the kitchen to receive comfort and black-cherry ice cream from Henry.

She set the table for dinner as if Telford were expected home at his usual time, but she had no faith in what she did and could hardly move around with the weight pulling on her heart.

The banging on the front door sent her charging to it with a speed she hadn’t exercised since she played high-school basketball. She flung the door open without checking the keyhole and stared at Russ. “Hold it open,” he said, his tone breathless, and motioned to two men who carried a stretcher.

“What is it? Russ, oh, my Lord, what happened?”

“Easy now. He’ll be all right.”

“But—”

“Shhh. He’ll tell you all about it.”

She looked down in his face, as they brought him in, his eyes closed and his body still. Her heart raced wildly, and she grasped the doorjamb for support. “Russ—”

But Russ had gone inside, she discovered later, to insure
that Henry kept Tara in the kitchen where she couldn’t see the men bring Telford into the house.

“Russ, please tell me something. I can’t bear this suspense.”

He draped an arm around her shoulder. “When three big guys hold you up, don’t bother to fight. Remember that. He’s going to be all right. Just get things straightened out between the two of you. If you don’t, both of you will regret it for a long, long time. Been there.”

Easier said than done. “Can I… Is it all right if I go up there and…and stay with him?”

Russ stared down at her, his face inscrutable. He was Telford’s brother, and Telford came first. After a minute, his face softened. “I don’t know what went wrong between the two of you, but something did, and it’s not a simple problem. You know how you feel, so do what you think best, so long as you don’t distress him. He should be in bed a couple of days. If I were you, I’d use this time to good advantage.” About the longest statement she’d ever heard him make.

“Thanks. I love him, Russ.”

“That’s what I thought. I’d better go talk to Tara and Henry.”

She headed to her room to freshen up and say a prayer of thanks and reached it as the phone rang. “Hello.”

“Hi, babe. I thought I’d drop over tomorrow afternoon if you’re not busy.”

Keep your temper under wraps and control your tongue.
“Well, let’s see, it’s been…hmmm, six weeks since we last heard from you. How do you expect Tara to get acquainted with her father if she never sees him?”

“I’m busy. You know that.”

“Yes, I suspect you are. The question is, busy at what?”

“Now, babe, those days are behind me. I’m straightening out my life. I slipped up a time or two, babe, but you know I’d go to the end of the world for you.”

“I’d appreciate that if I were confident you’d stay there.”

“Now, come on. You’ve got a lot of mouth these days.”

“You bet. And guts, too. You can’t visit Tara this week or next.” She didn’t know how long Telford would be recuperating and until he was well, she couldn’t risk a visit from Jack, temperamental and unpredictable as he was.

“If you waited six weeks,” she told him, “two more won’t hurt. Besides, I need time to prepare her for your visits. Send me a couple of your pictures.”

“One of those brothers is giving you a lot of self-confidence. I’d like to—”

“You asked me for a divorce so you could marry your pregnant mistress, and I gave it to you. You’re out of my life, Jack, and you’re going to stay out. Call me next week, and we’ll set up a day and time for you to visit with your daughter. Oh, by the way, would you like to speak with her?”

“Uh…re… Look, what’s to say on the phone?”

“That’s what I thought. Call me Saturday.” She hung up.

Telford looked around and tried to focus on his surroundings.
Where the devil was his car?
He tried to sit up in bed and fell back. It hurt to breathe, and something tight around his chest constrained his movements and seemed to pin him down. In his mind, he fought the intruder with all his might until darkness closed in.

“How do you feel now?”

The words, soft and loving, so much like Alexis’s sweet voice, pierced his consciousness. He wanted to smile, but wasn’t she mad at him? Or something. He couldn’t quite remember what.

“Telford, honey, talk to me, please. How do you feel?”

He opened his eyes, and her faced loomed above. Her lips grazed softly across his cheek, and he did his best to smile. If only he wasn’t so hungry. He recognized his room and realized that he was in his own bed and that Alexis hovered above him, tears in her eyes and an anxious look on her face.

“Hi. What’s all this about? I was… Oh, yes. Looks like they did a job on me.”

“Let’s not think about that right now,” she said. “You’re
safe, and you won’t have any permanent damage. Do you want anything?”

“Thank God for that. Water. And something to eat, if you don’t mind. I feel like I haven’t eaten in years.”

“A little more than thirty-six hours, I would guess. I’ll fix something light.”

“Don’t make it too light. I’m starved.”

He struggled to sit up and collapsed to the flat of his back. Though exhausted from the effort, he refused to give up and tried to roll to his side. That didn’t work, either, and he had no choice but to lie there on his back. He relaxed when Russ entered the room.

“Alexis is cooking something for you, and you’ll have to sit up,” Russ said. “I brought some pillows.” Telford tried again to raise himself up. “Look, Telford, if you try to sit up by yourself, you’ll bust up something. I’ll prop you up.”

“Thanks, but this is a pain in the rear.” He took a deep breath and winced at the stabbing hurt.

“Now maybe you’ll do as I say. You might be older, but you’re flat on you back, brother, and I am in charge.”

Telford looked at the grin of satisfaction on Russ’s face. “Well, hell. You don’t have to act like you’re enjoying this.”

A grin took its time crawling over Russ’s face. “I’m sorry you got messed up, but this is the first time I’ve been in a position to tell you what to do and make you do it. Feels good.”

“Russ, would you put this little table beside Telford’s bed, please?” Alexis said.

At the smell of food, his mouth watered.

“Sure. Soon as I have him sitting up.” He eased Telford into a sitting position, looked at him and grinned. “Simple as rolling over a baby.”

What would she do if he grabbed the plate from her while she took her time putting a cloth and place setting on the little table? Daintiness he didn’t need, starved as he was. He managed to restrain himself. Grits perfectly cooked, toast and scrambled eggs. No sausage.

“You’re an angel,” he said. “I suppose it would take too long to cook some country sausage.”

“That, too, but I thought sausage would be a little too heavy.” She offered him a spoonful of grits.

“You’re going to feed me? Now, look here. I can feed myself.”

“Russ told me you shouldn’t use your right arm. If you can eat with your left hand—”

“Sorry. I appreciate it, but I can’t stand feeling helpless.” He took the spoon from her and helped himself to the grits and eggs. “Sweetheart, this is good stuff. I was starving.”

“Feel up to telling me what happened?”

“Well, as I remember it, I got a flat on Route 84 right about dusk, and was changing the tire when a car pulled up behind me. Three big guys got out, and I knew right away that they didn’t plan to help me with the tire. When I wouldn’t give them my money and credit cards, one of them socked me. I let him have it right back and gave him a few kicks for good measure.”

He stopped talking long enough to savor his food. “I don’t remember much after that, except that one of them was lying on the ground. From what Russ told me, they took my money, car, car keys and watch and left me to bleed to death. I remember propping myself up against a highway sign with my hand out, though I can’t say how I got there. Next thing I knew, I was in a hospital, and Russ was sitting on the side of my bed.”

He looked toward the door to see who had entered the room. “I don’t want Tara to know about this, Russ.”

“What’ll we tell her? She senses something unusual, and she wants to come up here.”

“Make up something. You’re creative.”

Russ spread his hands, palms out. “Sorry. When I realized I couldn’t keep my lies straight, I quit telling them. I’ll just say you’re not feeling too hot. You handle the rest. Here, let me take that tray down, Alexis.”

He wanted to lie down, but he didn’t want to alarm Alexis, so he called after Russ. “Come back up before you go out.

“Alexis, I don’t want Tara to see me bruised and bandaged. It will frighten her and undermine her sense of security. Russ is so smart; he ought to realize that.”

“I’ll talk to her, but I don’t think anything I say will pacify her. Tell me how you got to the hospital.”

“I’m told a lady and her two teenage sons came along, drove past me, backed up and stopped. The boys got out, saw that I was hurt, put me in the car and they took me to the hospital. Since I didn’t have any ID, the authorities didn’t know who to call, but Russ said he phoned every precinct within a fifty-mile radius and that’s how he found me. I’ve got several broken ribs, a gunshot wound in my right shoulder and less blood than I’m supposed to have.”

Why was she so subdued? He fished around in his mind for an explanation of her solemnity, and couldn’t find one. “If the expression on your face is any gauge, I must look a mess.”

She’d been perched on the side of his bed, leaning toward him with one hand beside his hip and the other across his body, but as if she suddenly realized the intimacy her posture created, she straightened up and braced her hands on her knees.

“You’re not your normal pretty self,” she said, “and I’m scared that if I touch you, you’ll break, but that wasn’t on my mind. I can’t help thinking how I’d be feeling if you hadn’t come back here. You know what I mean.”

“Yeah, and something tells me it was a lot closer than either of us realizes.” He had to lie down. “I…would you please call Russ?”

“Would you like to stretch out? Sitting up must be tiring.” She leaned over him, put her arms around his shoulders and smiled that wonderful smile that always made her face a living promise of love.

“Slide down. Just draw up your knees, put all your weight on your hips and push downward.”

He did, and in a minute was flat on his back. She eased her arms away, but the feel of her body brought back the ache
he’d been trying to shake when he skipped supper at home that Sunday night, and he caught her hand.

“Be straight with me, Alexis. I let you into me, deeper than any other human has ever been.” He pointed to his heart. “This is where you live. Only once in my life have I felt complete, and I was in your arms, deep in your body.

“Either something happened that took the shine off what you feel for me, or there’s something you think I won’t understand, and you’re retrenching out of self-preservation. If I’ve done something, I’ll try to repair it and make amends, but if it’s in your court, trust me to understand.”

Right on the money.
“I don’t think this is the time to discuss serious things. You’ve done nothing to discredit yourself.”

He nodded. What she didn’t say told him more than what she said, because he knew he hadn’t done anything untoward. “I know. So what we’re facing is whether you trust me. That it?”

“Not quite. It’s time you got some rest. I’d better check on Tara.”

“Yeah. Tell her I said I want her to practice her music. If she learns that piece well, I’ll play the violin along with her.”

Her face lit up. “You promised to let me see your wire sculptures.”

“I did, but you haven’t let me see what you’ve been doing lately.”

“I will, though.”

“I’ll hold you to that.” She leaned forward and pressed her lips to his. His chest hurt, and his arms felt like lead, but he had to hold her, this sweet love of his life.

“You’ll hurt yourself.”

“It’ll be worth it,” he said, as she wrapped her arms around his shoulders and let him taste her. Her woman’s fragrance mingled with the man-made perfume she wore, her soft cheeks caressed his face and her lips moved over every exposed part of him. With a will of its own, his sex began to stir.

“Sweetheart, you’re lighting a fire down below, and since I can’t even sit up without help, we’d better let that fire die out
as quickly as possible. Woman, you pack a wallop. I may have lost a lot of blood, but my testosterone is at peak strength.”

That mischievous crinkle appeared around her mouth, and she winked her left eye at him. “Peak strength, huh? Well, may it’ll always be that way. See you later.”

He tried to twist around enough to watch her walk out of his room, but the pain in his shoulder wouldn’t allow it. Alexis could give lessons in how a woman ought to walk, free and easy, but elegant, regal. He closed his eyes, and in his mind’s eye, he could see her glide. A pair of hips that rolled like ocean waves, and the sharpest pair of props he’d ever seen.
Down, boy.

“I gotta get out of this straitjacket,” he told himself as he fought the increasingly heavy weight of his eyelids.

At the bottom of the stairs, her mind still with Telford, Alexis nearly collided with Russ. “Oh. Sorry,” she said. “Where’s Tara?”

“Henry took her over to his cottage to play with the puppies, as he calls them, though they’re big dogs. She said Biscuit missed his brothers and sister.”