Wrecked (12 page)

Ethan’s jaw dropped. Bess’s mother was here? And that
bastard husband of hers? His eyes darted to Bess who was still rooted to the
floor in the foyer, panic written all over her face.

“This isn’t a good time,” Ethan said to the couple on the
doorstep.

“Don’t try and bullshit us, son,” the man growled.

“I am
not
your son,” Ethan spat. “And I suggest you
get off my property before I call the police.”

“We just need to talk to her,” the woman said. There was a
desperation in her voice and it made Ethan curious, but not enough to put Bess
in such a highly emotionally charged situation.

“Leave your number and I’ll give it to her.”

“We’re staying at the Travelodge just down the highway a
bit,” she replied.

“I know it,” Ethan said and shut the door.  He heard the man
let out a string of expletives as they walked back down the driveway. Ethan
wondered where their car was, but wasn’t interested enough to let the thought
dwell long. His first and
only
concern was Bess.

The second the door clicked shut, Bess’s knees gave out and
she fell to the floor. Violently shaking, the tears came as she sobbed
uncontrollably. There was nothing that could have prepared her to hear that man
speak and her body reacted without warning.

As Ethan hurried to her, Bess vomited all over the floor,
wrenching with each heave, crying and shaking. It was at that moment Ethan came
to understand what her bastard stepfather had done to her. He ran to the
bathroom and grabbed some towels and returned to Bess, crouching on the floor
beside her. He held her hair as she vomited more and then tenderly used the
towel to clean her up when she’d finally finished and all but collapsed.

“How the hell did they find me?” she whispered shakily.

“Just because they found you doesn’t mean you have to talk
to them,” Ethan replied as he pulled her into his embrace. “You don’t have to
see them.”

“Why are they here? Why, after all these years, did they
come looking for me?” She was still shaking and Ethan held her closely as he
sat down behind her. “They must want something.”

“You owe them nothing!” Ethan hissed, sounding much harsher
than he’d expected. “Maybe they are here to apologize,” he offered.

That made Bess laugh. “Never happen.”

They sat, Bess leaning on Ethan, for a few minutes saying
nothing.

The kettle whistled and Bess broke away from his hold, stood
up and walked to the kitchen. She pulled the kettle from the stove top and then
returned to the foyer and to Ethan. “You’d have thought they would attempt to
find me when I was easy to find. I mean, I still went to the same high school
and worked at the same place. But no. No, they have to wait until I have
completely moved on.” Taking a towel, she started to clean up her mess.

“Have you completely moved on?” Ethan asked.

“Yes! Well, maybe,” Bess replied. Except she knew that she
hadn’t. The nightmares still came on occasion and her relationships were
non-existent because of
him
, up until Ethan, of course. And even that
presented some challenges for her.

“Perhaps,” Ethan proceeded cautiously, “this may be an
opportunity for you to say all the things you’ve wanted to say to them and then
really
move on.”

Bess didn’t immediately reply, which had Ethan worried he’d
overstepped. He was just about to apologize when Bess turned to him and said,
“Maybe.”

“You don’t have to make any decisions right now. Take some
time to think about it. And remember that I will be beside you whenever you
need me.”

“I won’t be able to do it without you… even though I have no
idea what
it
is.”

Ethan smiled. “I am here for you.”

“Thank you,” Bess said and went back to the comfort and
safety of his arms. She felt safe with him, a feeling that was foreign to her…
but welcome…
very
welcome.

*****

In less than twenty-four hours, Bess had changed her mind at
least one hundred times as to whether or not she would talk to her mother.
She’d listed the pros and the cons and still couldn’t stay decided for more
than five minutes. As she sat at work on a typically busy Monday morning, focus
was not her friend and was horrified when she asked the same question to a
patient three times in a row. Her supervisor, knowing this was out of the
ordinary for Bess and so there must be a reason, suggested a break and some
fresh air. Bess eagerly agreed. Taking a quick walk through the courtyard would
be a good idea. A small water fountain sat in the middle of the red-bricked
garden, a place built for meditation and relaxation, and Bess found comfort in
the constant trickling of water. She sat on a concrete bench and buried her
face in her hands.

Burying a memory and working through it so it could truly be
forgotten were two different things, and Bess accepted the reality that she had
not gotten over the horrific experience of her stepfather attempting to
sexually assault her. She
did
need closure in order to move forward or
she’d just be spinning her wheels in place for the rest of her life. Perhaps
Ethan was right. Perhaps this was her opportunity to say all the things she
didn’t say seven years ago. But the thought terrified her.

Without allowing herself time to change her mind again, Bess
reached for her cell phone in her pocket and found the number to the
Travelodge. The phone rang twice and then there was someone on the other end of
the line. Bess asked for Stacy Hammond’s room and suddenly it was ringing
again. Her heart pounded wildly in her chest and Bess could feel the tears fill
her eyes as her mother said hello.

“It’s Bess.”

“Elizabeth!” her mother exclaimed in surprise. “I didn’t
think you’d call.”

“I didn’t either,” Bess admitted. “Why are you in Port
Lincoln?”

“Looking for you.”

“Why?”

“Um, I’d rather not talk about it on the phone,” Stacy said.
“Can we come over?”

“No!” Bess snapped. “If you would like to come and see me,
alone, you can come after work, but do
not
bring
him
with you.”

“I don’t think Mike will want to stay…”

“I don’t give a flying fuck what
he
wants,” Bess
interrupted. “If you want to talk, these are my terms. Take it or leave it.”

“Okay, Elizabeth. You win.”

Bess rolled her eyes. “Come over at five-thirty. I have
thirty minutes and then your time will be up.”

“Fine,” Stacy muttered.

Bess disconnected the call, returned her phone to her
pocket, and ran her fingers through the cool water of the fountain before she
walked back to the ER.

*****

She couldn’t sit still. Bess paced around the house like a
caged animal and Ethan could do nothing but watch her. It was breaking his
heart seeing her so… so emotional and scared. It was like she was that
sixteen-year-old all over again.

Finally, there was a knock at the door and Ethan jumped up.
He pulled Bess into his arms and lovingly kissed her forehead. “I’m right here.
Anything you need. I’m here, babe. Always.” Then he released her and walked to
the front door to let Bess’s mother in. To his surprise, she came alone. He’d
doubted she would abide by her daughter’s wishes.

Ethan led Stacy through to the family room where Bess stood
standing in front of the fireplace, her arms folded in front of her, a
challenging beginning for Stacy.

“Hello, Elizabeth,” Stacy said. “You are looking well.”

“I guess you’re lucky you didn’t see me a few months ago
then,” Bess replied, bitterness lacing her voice.

“Why? What happened a few months ago?”

“I had cancer.”

“What? But you look fine,” Stacy remarked.

“She is now,” Ethan jumped in after seeing Bess start to
lose her nerve. “She was a very sick woman and had been for some time. It’s too
bad she didn’t have any family to help her out.” He walked to her, stood beside
her, and placed his arm around her waist, drawing her into his side. The
protectiveness he felt wasn’t lost on Stacy.

“She obviously has you,” Stacy smirked.

“What do you want, mom?” Bess sighed. “You obviously need
something or you wouldn’t have bothered finding me.”

“May I sit down?” Stacy asked.

“Whatever,” Bess shrugged.

“Your brother is ill.”

Bess waited for her to go on, but she said nothing more.

“And?” Ethan asked.

“He needs a bone marrow transplant, and your father and I
are not suitable matches.”

Bess laughed under her breath and shook her head.

“He has leukemia?” Ethan asked.

Stacy nodded.

“And you want Bess to be tested to see if she’s a viable
match?” he asked.

Stacy nodded again.

“Anything else?” Bess asked her mother.

This time, Stacy shook her head.

“You can go now,” Bess said, all emotion removed from her
voice. “I will call you tomorrow.” She turned away from the room and stared
into the fireplace.

Ethan released her from his hold and walked Stacy to the
front door, locking it after she’d left.

“She’s got balls,” Ethan noted with slight disgust.

“Amazing,” Bess shook her head. “Just amazing.”

“You can’t donate, even if you’re a match.”

“I can’t?” Bess turned around, startled.

“You’re being treated for cancer. No doctor will allow you
to even be tested. You are
not
a possibility.”

“So I don’t have to decide?” Bess looked enormously
relieved.

“I’ve already made the decision for you. And if I hadn’t,
Eric would have. Technically, he’s your doctor, but I know the answer.
Absolutely not!”

The look of relief on Bess’s face slowly turned to one of
concern. “What will he do?”

“Who?”

“My brother,” Bess squeaked. “Will he die?”

Ethan scooped her into his arms. “I don’t know,” he
whispered into her hair as he held her to his chest.

“Great,” Bess whimpered. “I can’t help him.”

“It was wrong of your mother to even ask you,” Ethan
grunted. “Very wrong.”

“Yeah, well,” Bess muttered into his chest. “I’m not one bit
surprised. But now I have to figure out how to
tell
her that I can’t
help.”

After several minutes of just holding her, Ethan grudgingly
released her. “I have to go back to the hospital and finish up some patient
stuff and dictation. Are you gonna be okay?”

Bess nodded. “I think I’ll take a bath and make it an early
night. Maybe a cup of soup for dinner and just crash.”

Ethan kissed her, a sweet but lingering kiss, and then left
for the hospital. Bess filled the tub in her bathroom and sunk her weary body
into the hot water. She was emotionally drained and needed some time to
rejuvenate.

It would be difficult to tell her mother that she was not an
option to save her brother’s life. Bess wondered if her mother would accept her
reason at face value, or just make the assumption that Bess
wouldn’t
help. The choice had been made for her. Ethan had said so himself, but she
doubted Stacy would see it that way. And
him
? Well
he’d
be livid
with her, but what else was new?

Bess eventually pulled the plug and let the now-cool
bathwater drain away. She put on her comfy PJ bottoms and an old t-shirt and
was walking back to the kitchen when she stopped at the foot of the staircase.

Andrew met her as she stepped onto the landing at the top of
the stairs.

“What’s wrong?” he asked, seeing the crease in her forehead.

“Why can’t we choose our family? Why do we have to be stuck
with people we can’t stand and want nothing to do with?”

Andrew stared at her for a moment before answering.
“Sometimes, the people we love and are there for us in times of need are not
those with whom we share blood.”

“Ain’t that the truth!”

“What is it, Elizabeth?” There was great concern in his
voice.

“My younger brother is sick.”

“Go on.”

“And I can’t help him. He needs a bone marrow transplant and
I am not an option to give him what he needs.”

“I have no understanding of this medicine but, you are upset
that you cannot help him?”

“Right,” Bess nodded.

“Are you close to your brother?”

“I haven’t seen him in over seven years.”

“So why do you feel… guilty?”

“Shouldn’t I feel guilty?”

Andrew turned and walked down the hallway to his preferred
bedroom. Bess followed.

“What does Ethan think?”

“So, does Ethan know about you?” Bess asked curiously.

“No, and don’t change the subject.”

“You never allowed him to see you?”

Andrew shook his head. “He was hardly here and there was
never a reason. Why would you feel guilty about not helping someone you barely
know?”

Bess shrugged.

“So you feel guilty because you think you should?”

“I don’t want him to die!”

“Of course you don’t. But that doesn’t mean you should allow
guilt to weigh you down. It is terribly sad when family members get sick. I
lost my brother and sister to illness when they were children. I was sad, yes,
but not guilty.”

“It’s different. I potentially
could
help him…
maybe.”

“But you can’t help?”

“No. Ethan says with the cancer treatments and medicine I am
taking I am not a
viable option
, as he puts it.”

“Well, then, there’s nothing more to discuss. It’s done.”

“I suppose so,” Bess sighed.

“When Lizzie died, there was more sadness than I knew there
could be. But there was no guilt. People get sick. They do. It is part of life…
and death.”

“How did she die?” Bess wanted to hear the story, hoping
that Andrew would share more of his story with her.

“A fever. It began as a cough and then progressively became
worse until she died. There was nothing anybody could do.”