The Day Steam Died (18 page)

Chapter 35

“Every student of Bankstowne High that wanted to went to college thanks to the generous support of the Thaddeus Banks scholarship fund.”

Christmas tragedy on the mountain

Ann helped Marie clean up the mess the warehouse crew made while stuffing themselves and getting tipsy from the spiked punch. It was getting dark, and snow swirled around the building, piling up drifts against the warehouse’s outer walls. Jerry was a good driver, she told herself. It would just take him a little longer to get home. She wouldn’t worry.

“I think the guys really enjoyed themselves,” Ann said to Marie, dividing up the leftovers for the warehouse crew. “I’ll fix up some brown bags for them to take home. I just want to get rid of this food.”

“We might as well close up for the day, too. Nobody feels like working after all that food and vodka-spiked punch. There aren’t any cars scheduled for this afternoon through the weekend.”

Alice spoke loud enough for the
Enforcer
, Joey, to hear as he stood like a statue next to the Christmas tree with his arms folded in front of him. He was more like a piece of furniture than a staff member. He just stood around, watched and listened to everything, but he seldom said anything. Everybody was afraid of Joey except Marie.

“Hey, Joey,” Marie said with a grin, “what are you doing for the holidays, going back to New York?”

Joey smiled, more of a grimace, and left the office for the warehouse without a reply.

Ann shook her head. “One of these days he’s going to let you have it. You really don’t want to cross him. I’d be careful if I were you.”

“What’s he going to do, report me to Sam? Sam won’t do anything to me. I can bring this whole operation down and he knows it.”

“What do you know that can intimidate Sam Johnson?”

“Oh, honey, you don’t want to know. You have a nice family to take care of. I’m alone and have nothing to lose if it ever hits the fan around here.”

Another attempt to find out what she knew failed, but it didn’t bother Ann. She wasn’t in a rush.

Another glace outside sent a chill through her body. “I know you’re worried about the weather, so why don’t you let me drive you home? Better yet, why don’t you come home with me and spend the night? We have plenty of room and Mom can loan you some warm clothes. We’ll bring you back to get your car after the streets are cleared tomorrow.”

“You sure you don’t mind? I feel like I’m imposing on you and Jerry.”

“Not at all. We’ll leave a note for Jerry so he’ll know to just come home with your sister. Come on, help me take these goodie bags back to the warehouse guys.”

Marie and Ann boxed up the bags, distributed them to the crew, and wished them a Merry Christmas and
Feliz
Navidad
. They were told they could leave as soon as operations were shut down and the building secured.

On their way out, Marie had to take one more shot at Joey. “Merry Christmas to you too, Joey. Maybe Santa will bring you a new attitude.”

Ann checked the kitchen clock again; it was after six. Jerry should’ve been home by now.

Marie was having fun with the kids, popping corn over a crackling blaze in the living room fireplace. The heavy oak mantle was adorned with evergreen and Christmas decorations to match the trimmings that wrapped around the room. She helped them string the popcorn, climbed a ladder, and wound the strands around their ten-foot tree. It was covered with lights, shimmering tinsel, and ornaments the children had made.

Ann made hot chocolate with marshmallows for everyone to try and slowed down her runaway imagination. Everyone gathered around the fireplace and sang Christmas carols. Ann wore a calm mask and carried on pleasant conversations with Alice, Marie, and Sylvia, who had finally gotten over her anger and become a part of the family.

All that time, Ann’s nerves inched closer to panic. She gathered the children and put them to bed earlier than usual after reading the last installment of
Frosty the Snowman.

Another trip to the kitchen to check the clock— eight. Where was Jerry? Why hadn’t he called?

Now she panicked.

Chapter 36

“
As it always does, change and progress brought uncertainty to your world. You fought for your identity in a time of transition.”

Boone Memorial Hospital

A team of doctors and nurses waited for the ambulance to arrive bearing the victims of the fiery accident. The ambulance lights bounced off the building and flooded the emergency bay with flickers of pulsating red flashes.

Racing against death, the rescue team bolted through the outer room double doors. Inside they were met by an ER team that grabbed the stretcher handles and jogged past three busy triage stations before finding a vacant bay for Jerry.

“He’s really in bad shape, doc,” the EMS attendant said. “He has signs of hypothermia, but the cold probably kept him from bleeding to death. We had a hard time finding a pulse. He’s just barely hanging on.”

“Thanks, guys. We’ll take it from here.”

The ER team worked feverishly over him, inserting blood and saline IVs, cutting off his clothes to examine his bodily injuries. A portable X-ray unit clicked pictures from his head to his feet. An ER nurse retrieved and bagged Jerry’s personal belongings from his blood-soaked clothes and delivered them to the Charge Nurse’s station.

Ann’s bold front faded when she glanced at her watch—nine and still no word from Jerry. With the kids in bed, she tried to keep busy to take her mind off the
what if
game going on inside her head. She served another round of hot chocolate to Alice, Sylvia, and Marie, who was waiting on Jerry to bring her sister to Winston for the holidays.

The phone’s ring sounded as loud as a fire bell. Ann jerked at the sound, almost dropped the pitcher, and spilled hot chocolate on the serving tray. Jerry had finally called. Ann grabbed the phone before a second ring.

“Jerry, where are you?”

“Is this Mrs. Jerry Blackmon?” an unfamiliar voice asked.

Ann’s excitement turned to dread. In a trembling, almost inaudible voice, she answered, “Yes, this is Mrs. Blackmon. Who am I speaking to?”

“Mrs. Blackmon, this is Charge Nurse Melanie Bowers at Boone Memorial Hospital. Your husband has been in an accident.”

Ann’s voice quivered into the phone. “Can . . . can I speak to him?”

“I’m afraid that isn’t possible.”

“How bad is he? I want to come see him.”

“Mrs. Blackmon, please try to remain calm. Your husband is in critical condition in the Intensive Care Unit and the doctors are doing everything they can for him. There’s nothing you can do for him at this time. Highway 421 is almost impassable. I honestly don’t think it’s safe for you to come up here tonight. The road crews are working as fast as they can and hope to have the roads clear by morning. I strongly suggest you wait until morning. We’ll keep you advised of your husband’s condition if there are any changes.”

Ann’s legs buckled, and she slowly slid down the wall, crumpling to the floor. Shocked speechless, all she could manage was a weak “Thank you.”

The phone went silent.

Her fingers were squeezed bloodless from her grip on the phone. She couldn’t move or speak; fear paralyzed her.

“Oh my God!” Alice screamed when she came around the end of the cooking island and saw Ann lying on the floor. Her eyes were wide open in a crazed stare. “What’s wrong, is Jerry okay? Talk to me, Ann. Please say something!”

Alice took Ann in her arms and hugged her then yelled to Sylvia and Marie for help.

“What’s wrong?” Sylvia said as she entered the kitchen and then gasped when she saw Ann. “She’s as white as a sheet.”

“I don’t know what’s wrong with her. Get me a damp cloth!”

Sylvia rushed to the sink and came back with a wet cloth and a bowl full of water with ice cubes. Alice repeatedly swabbed Ann’s forehead and face, occasionally dipping the cloth in the icy water. Ann’s eyes began to flutter and a moan slipped between her clinched teeth.

“What is it, Ann, what’s the matter?” Sylvia asked as she messaged Ann’s arms and legs to help her blood circulation while Alice worked the cold cloth from her face to the back of Ann’s neck.

Ann began to respond and slowly regained her wits. For a moment, Ann looked blankly at her mother.

“I was talking on the phone and then everything just went black.” Before she could utter another word, she collapsed into her mother’s arms again, sobbing uncontrollably. “Jerry had an accident and is in the hospital at Boone,” she said between deep sobs.

“Is he all right?” Sylvia said, trembling.

“He’s hurt bad. He’s in ICU in critical condition,” Ann said, blotting her eyes.

Alice tried to console her daughter the only way she knew how: by holding her tight in her arms and whispering into her ear how much she loved her.

Ann sat up and caught her breath. Color had returned to her face and her eyes were red from crying and wiping away tears.

“I have to go up there. I have to see him, Momma.” She managed to get on her feet with her mother’s help. “I’m getting my coat and boots and leaving for Boone right now.” Pulling on her boots, she looked up at Sylvia and her mother and said, “Ronnie Gains has a four wheel drive Jeep with those big tires that’ll go through anything, and I know he’ll let me borrow it.”

“Please don’t do this,” Alice begged. “The roads are treacherous. I couldn’t stand for anything to happen to you too. Please wait until morning when the roads will be cleared.”

Marie, who had stayed in the background, finally spoke up. “This is all my fault. If I hadn’t agreed to have him go up there to get my sister, this wouldn’t have happened. Please listen to your mother, Ann. Wait until morning. I know they are taking good care of him. It’s a good hospital. I’ve taken Melissa there many times. Please wait until tomorrow, okay? . You’re like a daughter to me.”

Marie hugged Ann tight until she pulled away. “I appreciate your concern, but I have to go. He’s my husband and he needs me. I can’t let him down.”

“She’s right.” Sylvia spoke up, pleading with tearful eyes. She stepped toward Ann then warmly embracing her, an affection she hadn’t shown often since she and Jerry were married. “We have to go. He needs his family with him. I know I haven’t been much of a mother-in-law or a mother to Jerry, but I love him and know he would want both of us there.”

“Okay,” Ann said, taking a moment to get over the shock of the embrace, “but you had better put some slacks and boots on. We have to climb up three feet to get up into that Jeep.”

Sylvia left the room and reappeared a few minutes later dressed in a fur-lined parka. As instructed, she had on wool slacks and black, knee-high leather boots. Ann had called Ronnie and he was on his way over with his monster Jeep. As soon as they saw him drive up outside, Ann hugged and kissed her mother goodbye.

“I don’t guess there’s anything I can say to keep you here till morning?”

“No, Momma. The biggest help you can be is to take care of the kids for me. Don’t tell them too much in the morning. I’ll explain to them tomorrow when I know more.”

Outside in the swirling snow, Ann gave her car keys to Ronnie to use while they were gone then boosted Sylvia up the step and into the Jeep. He had the Jeep toasty warm for the ladies.

Ann revved the engine and shifted into first gear. Ronnie ran up to the driver’s side and warned her to take it slow on the ice and not to make quick turns. The vehicle was top heavy, riding so high on those huge tires, and could tip over. Ann nodded and gave him a thumbs up as she pulled into the street.

It was nearly ten and they were on their way to Boone, not knowing what they would find.

The heavy snowfall was refreezing in the once cleared path by the snow plow. Traffic disappeared after they got onto Highway 421.

Driving the Jeep was more of a challenge than Ann had expected. It felt like she was sitting in the cab of an eighteen-wheeler. Those monster tires distorted her judgment and caused her to over-steer on the slightest turn. She had to fight her urge to lean on the accelerator, but her fear of skidding off the road kept her need for speed in check.

They finally reached Wilkesboro, only thirty miles from Winston-Salem. From there the long climb up the 3,300 foot high mountain range to Boone was more treacherous. The elevated headlights of the Jeep barely pierced the blackness of night surrounding them. Ann’s concentration just to keep the Jeep on the slippery highway cramped her hands and stiffened the muscles in her neck.

The strain was getting to Sylvia too. She reached for her purse and dug around looking for her cigarettes.

“Mind if I smoke?”

“Since when did you smoke?” Ann snapped back, taking her eyes off the road for a second to confront her mother-in-law.

The Jeep drifted left. She felt a jolt when the tires hit the crusted snow that edged the narrow path built up by the snow plow. A reflex jerk to the right by Ann over-corrected. Instinctively, she jammed on the brakes with both feet. The Jeep skidded over the boundary of snow on the right and headed straight for the six-foot snowdrift against the mountain wall behind it. The Jeep burrowed deep into the soft snow bank with a thud that dumped Sylvia’s pocketbook on the floor and jerked Ann’s rigid neck sideways.

“Oh shit!” Ann shouted, rubbing the burning pain in the back of her neck. “This damn thing steers like a tank. I don’t know how Ronnie can drive it in heavy traffic.” Ann pounded the steering wheel. “Great. Just fucking great.”

“You must calm down so we can figure out how to get out of this mess.” Sylvia’s voice was shaky, but her words calmed Ann.

“Sorry, I don’t ever talk like that. I just want to see Jerry,” she whimpered, resting her head on the steering wheel.

“Do you know how to work a CB radio?”

Ann cocked her head toward her mother-in-law, “Why do you ask?”

“Look, Ronnie has a CB radio below the dash. We can call for help if we can figure out how to use it.”

“Sylvia, you amaze me sometimes,” Ann said, taking a deep breath and wiping her eyes. “I’ve seen the
Dukes of Hazard
do this on TV. It can’t be too hard. Let’s see, there’s the power switch . . .” Ann flipped the switch and the panel lights came on. Emboldened, she cradled the mic, pressed the talk button. “Hello, is there anybody out there? We’re stuck in a snow bank and need help, over.”

They sat in rigid anticipation, but the only sound they heard was the hissing of radio silence. Ann repeated her distress call and again waited for a response.

“Come on, somebody has to be out there,” she shouted into the mic.

A male voice boomed over the speaker. “This is North Carolina State Patrol Officer, Carl Knox, what’s your forty? over.”

Ann’s eyes grew large with puzzlement. She turned to Sylvia. “What does that mean?”

“I don’t know. I’ve never watched the
Dukes of Hazard
. Just answer him and ask him to help us!”

Ann pressed the talk button. “Hello, Officer Knox, thank you so much for answering. This is Ann Blackmon and my husband is in the hospital in Boone in critical condition. His mother and I are trying to get there. Can you help us out of a snow bank? I don’t know what my forty is. I have no idea what that means. Can you help us? Over.”

“I’ll try, but first I have to know your location. Over.”

“We’re about halfway up the incline to Boone on Highway 421. We skidded into the snow bank on that last hairpin curve. I have to get to my husband. Please help us. Please,” Ann pleaded. “Over.”

“I’m less than a quarter mile above you. Stay in your vehicle and wait for me. Don’t get out of your vehicle under any circumstances. I’ll call a tow truck and be there shortly. Over and out.”

Relieved that help was on the way, Ann turned to Sylvia. “I’m sorry I yelled at you. Light up any time you like. At this point I don’t care about anything but getting out of this snow bank and seeing Jerry. I know you are concerned about Jerry and I apologize for my behavior.”

“No apology necessary. I’ve been a jealous old fool ever since you two first started dating. Life turned sour when my husband left me to raise Jerry by myself. Jerry is a good and loving son. I can see he’s a wonderful husband and father, too. I guess I thought I was going to have him to myself the rest of my life. He spoiled me. He did everything for me and I didn’t want to lose that. Instead of welcoming you into my life, I resented you because you were taking away the only person in the world I trusted.” Sylvia reached over and took Ann’s hand and held it gently with both of hers. “I’m sorry for the way I have acted, even after you and Alice welcomed me into your home. I didn’t know how to share. I think I can do that now if you’ll let me.”

“I think we can manage that. You know, you don’t have to stay in that garage apartment waiting for an invitation. You’re welcome in our house anytime.”

Silence filled the Jeep after the emotional exchange. Ann looked out her window to watch the snow still swirling over the mountain highway. Something caught her eye. It appeared to be the tips of red cones peeking through the drifting snow. On closer inspection, Ann could see a gaping hole in the guardrail behind the red cones.

“Oh my God! Ann’s hands flew to her face. She turned toward Sylvia. “This must be where Jerry had his accident. Look across the highway at that big hole torn in the guardrail. They said he ran off the road. This has to be the place.” Ann continued her speculation aloud. “This is where he must have gone down the mountain side, but how? Why would he have gone over the left side of the highway? He prided himself on being a good driver and even taught me how to drive on ice or snow.”

Before she could finish her thought, a flashing yellow light from a tow truck became visible. Officer Knox’s patrol car was close behind with its oscillating blue light bar blinking through the snowfall.

Ann leaped out of the Jeep into the wintry blast of cold wind. Frozen snowflakes stung her face. In a matter of minutes, a chain was attached to the Jeep and the winch slowly pulled it out of the snow bank. Once the Jeep was back on the highway, Ann paid the tow truck driver. She brushed the snow off her coat and climbed behind the wheel.