Revelation of Hearts (Stacey and Shane Mcleod, #3) (33 page)

“No,” Stacey said. “Jennifer is his wife, Grandad.”

...to pick up his wife and her parents. No, I’m sorry to say he didn’t, just his wife has survived.  The reason I’m calling you George, is we’re going in. There’s no need to take an empty plane in there, those folks are gonna need anything and everything we can take. 

Oh, don’t concern yourself about that, my boys’ll find a place to set her down. Yes, I know. I’m in London at my granddaughter’s, but we’ll be in Houston by tomorrow morning. My boys’ll be taking off by noon.  Have everything you can get at the airport by then. Thank you. Yes, yes I will. I’ll be in touch.” 

Stacey hugged her grandad and said, “Thank you Grandad. I’ll tell Uncle David and Uncle Daniel thank you myself in a few days.  We’ll be in Rawhide when ya’ll get back.” 

“Okay, my darling,” Grandad said. “You stay strong, there’ll be time for grieving later.

“The funeral”

Aunt Lora came over and asked, “What can we do darling to help you get ready to fly to Houston?  Richard has reservations for the twenty-ninth. Will that be okay with you and Shane?”

“Yes, that will be fine. I spoke with Harlan. We need to get there. I will have the girls packed and ready when you get here. We’ll take the Hummer and leave it at the airport.”

As Lora was leaving she met Shane in the hall. She told him about the reservations and asked was there anything they could do to help? “I’m a little concerned about Stacey. Has she talked to you about all of this?”

“No, she hasn’t and I don’t want to push her,” Shane said. “She did say, “The babies need me and I can’t fall apart yet.” I knew she was right, so what could I say.”

Richard made first class reservations to leave Heathrow at eight-fifteen p.m. and arrive in Houston at four-sixteen a.m.  The flight over was very smooth and the twins slept most of the way. Gram and Melissa met them at the airport. Stacey saw Shane talking to Gram as he and Richard were loading the luggage into the two SUV’s. By the time, they reached the castle the dawn was breaking.  The twins were awake and ready to nurse. Stacey had dozed on the plane, so she was ready to drive to Rawhide as soon as the girls were fed. 

“Stacey, darling, don’t you think you should lay down and rest for a few hours. Then drive to the ranch. There’s no one there yet.”

“Of course, there’s someone there, Gram. Harlan’s there, Gramps and Grandy are there. I’ll rest when I get home.”

“I’m sorry, darling,” Gram said. “That was callous of me. I just meant your parents weren’t there yet.”

Stacey hugged her gram and said, “It is okay Gram. I know what you meant, but please understand, I really need to get home.”

Melissa loaned them her SUV.  Stacey started out driving, but the babies got fussy, so Aunt Lora drove the rest of the way.  Stacey knew Jessie and Jackie were tired of traveling and tired of their car seats.  She told them, “Just a few more miles, my darlings and we’ll be home and then we can all rest.”

Shane listen as Stacey consoled their daughters. He was keenly aware Stacey still thought of the ranch as her home.  Perhaps that was what she needed now, the stability of the ranch.  The one constant in her life. As much as he understood, it still hurt that she hadn’t turned to him in her pain.

As they drove down the long driveway, Stacey saw that Gramps and Grandy were there with Harlan. She was so relieved. She took Shane’s hand and said, “Oh, Shane, I should have known they would be here with him. Now, I can rest.”

After letting the babies nurse, Stacey put them on a big quilt and sat down beside them to watch as they rolled and tumbled and played with their toys, while Grandy and Aunt Lora put supper on the table.

When they first arrived at the ranch, Stacey had spent some time with Harlan.

Harlan had never been much of a talker, but he was very quiet tonight. Of course, that was understandable. After supper, Shane walked out to the barn with him. Stacey noticed he was out there a long time. She was glad, she knew how Shane could make you feel better by just being there.

In the barn, Harlan had asked, “How’s Stacey holding up under all this. She and Eric are closer ...were closer than blood.  Goda’mighty, Shane, I still can’t believe he’s gone.”

“That may be why Stacey is holding up so well. I don’t think it’s real to her yet either. Although, when I told her it might be better to let her emotions out rather than to hold on to them. She said, “I can’t, Shane, I have to be strong for my babies. It may be irrational, but I fear if I start crying, I might start screaming and never stop. I am so hurt and so angry. I want to blame somebody, but it was an act of nature, so there’s no one to blame.”

“Yes, I understand her feeling, that’s pretty much how I feel too.”

After supper, Stacey was bathing the girls to get them ready for bed. Aunt Lora and Grandy were with her. Shane went back downstairs to be with Richard. He asked, “Do you feel as helpless in all of this as I do?”

Richard smiled and said, “Yes, Shane, I do. We men are problem solvers, so when we can’t solve something, we feel helpless.  We both have strong women in our lives. When they need us, and they will, we’ll be there for them, if for nothing more than to hold them in their time of need.”

Shane felt much better as he went back upstairs. The girls were asleep in their cribs and Stacey was getting into bed.  Shane took a quick shower and laid down beside her. Stacey wrapped her arms around him and kissed him good night and then slept the sleep of exhaustion.

Stacey’s parents called every day.  The trip to Thailand was a fifteen-hour flight, on January second, they returned. Doctor Sam had called ahead and the hearse was waiting.  Harlan and Stacey drove the SUV’s out to meet them.  Jennifer was on crutches, so Doctor Sam carried her down the steps of the jet.  Stacey met her at the bottom of the steps and they held on to each other in their shared grief.

Jennifer was inconsolable, she said, “I’m so sorry, Stacey. I tried so hard to get back to him. I was suppose to look after him. I’m so sorry.”

Stacey held on to Jennifer, as her body trembled and she sobbed tears of grief. 

Stacey tried to console her, but her own salty tears were blinding her as she said, “This is not your fault, Jennifer.  You did your best, nobody can do better than that. Eric would be happy to know you are safe and I bet your mom and dad would feel the same way. As Grandy would say, ‘God must have a plan for you.’ Let’s go to the house, she’s waiting for you.”

Shane was waiting on the porch for Stacey. He could see right away that she had been crying.  He took her in his arms as she came up the steps. Grandy was there waiting for Jennifer. Grandy and Jennifer had bonded last Christmas and it was Grandy she needed now.

Lora and Richard stayed with the twins so Stacey could go to the funeral the next day. Stacey knew Eric was gone, but it didn’t sink in until she saw him in the casket. She had a great urge to ‘shake him and scream at him, to wake up, that it had all been a bad dream,’ but instead she leaned over and kissed his cold lips. Shane was right beside her. He seemed to know what she was feeling. ‘He took her hand and said, “Steady on, lass. You have to let him go.”

All the Scott and Flemming families along with Harlan’s and J. B.’s family, plus the town of Rawhide and over half the county and the Harmon’s as well as school friends and patrons of the ‘Hanging tree’ attended Eric’s funeral. The funeral was held at the Presbyterian Church in the afternoon. The church was so crowded there was no standing room. Tony and Rich as well as four of Eric’s old band members were pallbearers, who sang along with Stacey, Eric’s favorite Hymn. Go Rest High on That Mountain. Many of the mourners came to the cemetery. Eric was well thought of by everyone. He was buried in the Scott cemetery on the original Scott ranch. Generations of Scotts and their relatives were buried there.

After the funeral, the families gathered at the ranch and rested for a few hours before they took off for New York and the funeral of Jennifer’s parents. The families that were going were to represent Eric’s family because he was Jennifer’s husband. The families consisted of, Harlan Brandt, Doctor and Mrs. Sam Scott, Doctor and Mrs. Adam Scott, Doctor and Mrs. Bradley Flemming, Daniel and Lynn Flemming, David and Melissa Flemming, Doctor and Mrs. Alan Kaplan, Stephen and Kathleen Cohen as well as Sir Richard and Lora Heath. They would all spend the night and tomorrow attend the funeral of Henry and Amelia Kerr.

It was late the next day when the travelers returned to Texas. Stacey had waited up to hear how it went. She was well aware of the attitude of Jennifer’s brothers toward Eric. She hoped they had the good sense to keep their opinions to themselves during this time of bereavement and sorrow. When Stacey asked how things went?  Her dad assured her all went well. Jennifer’s grandmother was a formidable lady who would tolerate no nonsense.

Chapter-56

The Homecoming

The next few days passed rapidly. Shane was due back at the hospital by the end of the week.  When he noticed Stacey had no interest in packing to leave, he said, “You are aware I’m due back at the hospital in a couple of days, sweetheart.”

“Yes, I know, Shane, but I really would like to stay here awhile longer. The weather is so much nicer and the girls are enjoying the sunshine.”

“Yes, I realize that sweetheart, but I can’t stay any longer.”

“I know you can’t, Shane, but there’s no reason why the girls and I can’t stay.”

Shane didn’t like what he was about to hear, so he said, “You will need me to help you with the lasses on the plane.  Remember what it was like coming across; even with the help of Lora and Richard.”

“Yes, of course, I remember. That’s all the more reason for you not to worry. I’ve already asked Aunt Lora to stay and help me with the girls when we go back to London.”

Shane knew he was becoming angry and frustrated with Stacey and her highhanded ways of deciding things without consulting him.  As hard as he tried not to say it, he said it anyway, “Stacey, I am your husband. When are you going to consult me about the changes in our lives instead of making decisions on your own, then informing me as to how it will be.”  Shane’s anger melted away as he saw the genuine hurt on Stacey’s face. “I’m sorry, sweetheart. I don’t mean to hurt you. I do realize you are going through a difficult time right now.  I do love you and I want to help you through this time as much as I’m able.”

Stacey walked into his open arms and said, “I’m sorry, Shane. I don’t mean to shut you out. I just need to be here for a while longer. I know you want to help me through this terrible time. But I promise, you will be helping by understanding that I need to stay here for a few more days.  I won’t stay too long, I promise, then the babies and I will be back in Lon...back home with you where we belong.”

The next day Shane kissed his daughters and his wife good bye. Stacey walked out on the porch to watch them leave.  Half way down the long driveway, Shane turned to look back.  Doctor Sam looked in his rear view mirror and saw his daughter still standing on the porch with her thumbs hooked in her jean pockets watching her husband drive away.  Sam knew his son-in-law was hurting, but he had no idea what to say to him. He also knew how stubborn Stacey could be once she made up her mind.

A few days later, Stacey and the twins were visiting Gramps and Grandy when a black Mercedes drove into the driveway. Before anyone could get outside, Grandy’s phone rang.  It was Jennifer asking permission to come visit. Grandy dropped the phone and ran outside to bring her in as well as the chauffeur.  The chauffeur was reluctant to enter the house. Grandy wasn’t about to leave the man sitting out in the cold. She told him, “We have coffee and hot chocolate waiting in the kitchen, so please get out of this car and come on in, young man.”

Grandy took Jennifer in her arms and soothed her as her tears flowed. Stacey was waiting as she came upon the porch.  They fell into each other’s arms. Stacey was so glad to have her back. They had consoled each other at the funeral, which was the most difficult time either of them had ever experienced. When Stacey talked with Shane on the phone that night she told him about Jennifer’s arrival, and that she and the babies would be home in about two weeks, more or less, she felt she and Jennifer could help each other through this difficult time. They talked and cried, then laughed and talked and cried some more. These were the two women who had loved Eric most.

When Stacey finally called, Lora was happy to hear she was ready to go back home. Richard made reservations right away. Stacey’s mom and dad drove them to Houston. They only spent one night at her grandparents. The airlines called to inform Richard of cancellations, and asked, would he still be interested in an earlier flight. 

“Yes, absolutely,” he said.

They were scheduled to depart from Houston at five-fifty p.m. and arrive at Heathrow at two-ten a.m.  It was a long and tiring flight with two very unhappy little girls. 

In London, Shane had been kept quite busy at the medical center. On Friday at seven a.m., he and doctor Fein were schedule a surgery that lasted until a little after midnight. He was so tired he pulled off his scrubs and fell in bed. He was in a deep sleep when he finally heard the doorbell.  He threw his robe on to go answer the door. 

His eyes were bleary from lack of sleep.  When he looked through the spy hole, he swore, “Bloody hell.” And yanked the door open and asked, “What the hell are you doing here, Miranda?”

Miranda swept right on passed him as if she had been invited. “Close the door, darling. I did not come empty handed, I brought your favorite coffee.” She sniffed the aroma and handed a cup to Shane.  He took it and sat down on the sofa.  Miranda kicked of her shoes and tucked her knees up under her as she sat on the sofa by Shane.  She reached over and smoothed his hair back, “You look tired, darling.  Is there anything I can do for you or to you?” She asked as she took a cigarette out and lit it.

“Yes, there’s something you can do for me.  Put that damn cigarette out and get the hell out, so I can go back to sleep.”

That was the scene that confronted Stacey as she opened the door and stepped into the flat. It was like time froze.  Lora and Richard were right behind her, each with a sleeping baby in their arms.  They went straight upstairs to lay the babies in their cribs.