Accidental Love (13 page)

"Actually, I graduated summa cum laude and was a member of the Honor Society, but I was also a regular at all the good parties," she acknowledged. "More for appearances and contacts than anything else but still, if there was something fun going on, I was there. That's not to say I didn't get into my fair share of trouble. For my sorority's senior prank, we bought a car that had been stripped by car thieves from a junkyard and sneaked over to the Dean's house in the middle of the night and switched it for his car. We parked his down the block a little ways but the look on his face was priceless when he came out that morning to get his paper and saw that hunk of junk sitting in his driveway."

"Oh God, I bet he was ready to kill you when he found out," Rose said, trying hard not to laugh at the image of the dean looking at what he thought to be his car stripped down to bare metal.

"I have a video of it somewhere, wanna see?"

"Oh, I bet that would be funny."

"I'll get it." Ronnie stood up and headed to the door. "You know, I've got quite a video collection. Do you like comedies?"

"Love them," she replied enthusiastically.

"I've got a bunch of those 'Revenge of the Nerds' and 'Porky's' kind of movies."

"Sounds great." She looked around. "Um, but where would we watch them?"

Ronnie looked around, only now noticing that in her haste to get the room ready for Rose, she did not think to have a VCR moved in. "Um…well…I guess we'll watch it in the living room. There's a TV just as large as this one and at least one VCR. If you're up to it?"

Ignoring the increasing aches in her legs, she smiled and nodded. "Sure, but I don't remember seeing a television out there."

"Oh, you'll see it." Ronnie grinned with the thought of showing off her prized entertainment system. When it had been installed, her mother and sister had come over to see it. Susan thought it was 'a bit much' and her mother thought it was 'nice' but Ronnie knew it was something to be proud of. After all, she had picked out each and every component, matching just the right equalizer with the best series of Bose 'surround-sound' speakers. She even went to the best appliance store in the area to personally choose her television. Her entertainment system was a tribute to high-end electronics and Ronnie just itched for the chance to show it off.

*******************

"You'll be all right here for a minute?" Ronnie queried. Rose was sitting in her wheelchair, just at the edge of the steps that led to the sunken living room.

"Sure."

"I need to move the couch so you can see better." The first thing she had to do was move the solid mahogany coffee table out of the way. It had a drawer full of remotes, each clearly labeled with the name of the item it operated. It also contained all the instruction manuals, the corners of which were dog-eared from use.

Next came the couch. With an ease that spoke clearly of strength, Ronnie lifted the right end up slightly from the carpet and used her legs to move it until it was facing the center cabinet on the wall. "Okay, all set." Before Rose could yelp a protest, the black-haired woman stepped behind her, grabbed the wheels of the chair, and lifted both it and her off the carpet. Ronnie gently set the wheelchair down on the lower level. "Let me get the pillows for your head and then I'll help get you on the couch. That way you can still lie down and enjoy the show."

"But where will you sit?"

Ronnie just grinned. "Go take a good look at that couch, Rose."

The blonde woman guided the wheelchair around to face the front of the couch. "Looks like a very nice couch, but…" Ronnie had come around the other side and sat down, reaching between the cushion and side to grab the hidden lever.

"It's one of those reclining ones!"

"Yup…look at this." She snaked her hand between a fold of soft leather and pulled, revealing a hidden snack tray nestled within the center cushions.

"Oh, that is cool!"

"What can I say? I like creature comforts." Ronnie said with a grin. "Here, let's get you settled. You'll love how soft this is."

"Oooh! This is niiiice," the young woman drawled after sinking into the wonderful couch.

"I couldn't tell you how many times I've fallen asleep on it," the proud owner said as she walked over to the cabinets and faced the center one. The double doors opened to reveal the large screen television and the racks above it filled with stereo equipment and a top of the line six-head VCR. She slid the doors into their recessed spaces before turning to face the sight of Rose comfortably relaxing on her couch. "I'll go get the movie and something for us to drink." She returned a few minutes later with sodas for both of them and a black video cassette case. "I hope 'Revenge of the Nerds' is a good one because that's the one I grabbed."

"Sounds good to me. I've only seen it once, on television."

"Oh, you have to see it. They cut some of the best scenes when they edited it for TV." Ronnie reached into the drawer of the coffee table and picked up several remotes before settling on three of them. "Let's see now, I have a list here somewhere…" She shuffled the manuals around until she found the one with all her writing on it. "Here we go."

A few seconds later the television was on, the tape was rolling, and crisp sound came from every corner of the room. Ronnie had spent months adjusting the angles of the speakers to best blend in with the natural acoustics of the vaulted ceiling. A satellite feed gave perfect digital pictures on the fifty-inch screen of the massive television. She had originally purchased a projection television but that now resided in the gym. It was replaced with the sharper picture and higher quality of a tube. The credits were just beginning when they heard a car coming up the driveway.

"Food's here," they said at the same time, drawing mutual chuckles and smiles that would continue long into their lazy Sunday afternoon.

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Monday came as it always does, forcing attentions to be turned to things of importance besides each other. This particular day also brought with it temperatures in the teens and blowing snow. Maria arrived at 7:30, half an hour late. Monday was the day she stopped at the supermarket first to pick up fresh milk and bread to replenish whatever Ronnie had depleted over the weekend. Normally was not a problem, but an accident near Routes 378 and 9 had traffic backed up for almost an hour. Ronnie was already in the shower after her morning workout. As Maria made her way from the foyer, the housekeeper tossed a curious look at the hastily moved furniture in the living room, noting the rumpled blanket and pillow. "Are you supposed to be up there?" She queried the orange and white cat lying on them.

"Mrrow?" Tabitha picked her head up at the voice and quickly followed Maria out to the kitchen. This was the dark-haired one that dropped the little pieces of meat all the time, the feline remembered.

"I see you've taken over while I was gone, eh?" She set the bags down on the counter before tossing her purse into the drawer reserved for that purpose. Her wet coat went into the laundry room along with her scarf. "Well, let's see if we can't try and get something quick whipped up before Ronnie gets down here."

"Looks pretty nasty out there," the black-haired woman said as she entered the kitchen a few minutes later. "Think maybe I'll take the day off and stay home."

"Did you have a good weekend? I see you certainly left enough dishes for me."

"Actually I did have a good weekend," Ronnie replied as she crossed the room looking for a fresh cup of coffee. "The roads are pretty nasty, right?"

"Well, they're not the best but they are driveable."

"But it could get worse," she said, making the statement sound more like a question.

"I suppose it could, Ronnie. I didn't really get to see what the weather report said this morning."

"So it could get worse out there." The executive seemed pleased with her reasoning. "I'd better work from home today. Wouldn't want to take the chance."

"Of course not, after all you're what…eight miles from work or so?" Maria opened the refrigerator to survey the damage from the weekend. "Omelets?"

"Sounds good. I'll go check on Rose while you're doing that."

"What does she like in hers?"

"I think mushrooms and green peppers…oh, and cheese, of course." Ronnie picked up her coffee cup and headed toward the office, leaving Maria to her tasks and Tabitha to follow after the housekeeper in hopes of a treat.

Rose was still sleeping when Ronnie entered the office and sent an email to her secretary and to Susan announcing that she was going to work from home that day. Rose slept through the sound of the television being turned on and the constant flicking from one station to another. The only thing that brought her out of her dream world was the smell of fresh omelets and muffins when Maria brought breakfast in to them.

"Knew something had to wake you," Ronnie quirked.

"Mmm? Oh, morning Ronnie," she said, wiping the sleep from her eyes. "Morning Maria, how was your weekend?"

"It was fine, Rose. How was yours?"

"Good." She sniffed the air. "Oh, that smells wonderful."

"Maria's cooking is always wonderful. That's why I keep her around," Ronnie teased.

"I knew there had to be some reason," the housekeeper joked back. She turned her attention back to the injured woman. "How are your legs feeling?"

"They ache a lot but the heat seems to help."

"Good. You just do what the doctor says and I'm sure you'll be up and about in no time."

"Yeah, as long as she doesn't try to do everything for herself," Ronnie chimed in. "We had to make a trip to the ER."

"You did? Oh my!" Maria looked from one to the other. "What happened?"

Ronnie filled the housekeeper in on the incident while Rose tried unsuccessfully between forkfuls to change the subject. The head of the house was just finishing up her breakfast when the doorbell rang. "That must be your nurse," she said to the young woman.

"I'll see to her coat and then bring her in here," Maria said.

A few minutes later the nurse entered the room. "Hello. My name is Karen Brown and I'll be your nurse," she said to Rose.

"Hi, I'm Rose Grayson." She held her hand out to the nurse.

"Ronnie," the executive offered.

"Well, I suppose the first thing I should do is wash up and take a look at those stitches on your cheek." Karen looked up at Ronnie. "How long has she been home?"

Ronnie chose not to correct the nurse about Rose's residence status. "They released her Friday afternoon."

"Have you done any passive therapy?"

"No, but she's been up in the wheelchair a little bit."

"That's not passive therapy," Nurse Brown corrected. "Well then, I suppose we'll clean the wounds and we can get started." She glanced at Rose's cheek and the stitches that ran across it.

"There's no sign of infection there. When are you supposed to go back and have your stitches removed?"

"Friday. With any luck I'll be up and walking again soon."

Karen pushed her glasses up on her nose. "I wouldn't get my hopes up, Miss Grayson. Your legs have been through a tremendous trauma. It's going to take a great deal of time and effort before you'll be able to get around on your own. Let's not worry about walking yet and just concentrate on getting you healed."

Ronnie stood up and grabbed her empty cup. "I'm getting some more coffee. Do you want some, Rose?"

"Yes please, thank you." She held out her cup.

"What about you, Miss Brown?"

"Oh no thanks. I don't drink caffeine."

"Fine, I'll be back in a minute." She headed for the door but was stopped by the melodic voice.

"Ronnie?"

"Yeah?"

"Could you give me a few minutes?" Rose gave an embarrassed smile. "I have a couple of things that I need to take care of." She looked pointedly at the bedpan sitting on the small stand.

"Oh, uh, okay. I'll be in the living room if you need me."

But Ronnie did not go in the living room. Instead, she haunted Maria while the older woman tried to get her daily chores done. "So, you saw her, what do you think of her?"

"She's not my nurse. You should be asking Rose about her."

"But do you think that she's all right? I mean, the agency said she was a registered nurse. Should I have gotten more information about her? I can call Susan and have her run a check with the State Board."

"If you think you should, Ronnie," replied Maria, the duster in her hand flying over the antiques.

"Has she said or done anything you don't approve of?"

"Well…no, not really."

"Then what's the problem?"

"No problem. I just wondered if I should or not, that's all," the executive replied, her tone slightly miffed. She stood there silently for a minute, the tension building within her. "I have a lot of work to do and my computer is in there."

"You have another one upstairs in your room that you could use if you had to."

"But the data I need is on this one," she lied, knowing full well both computers connected to the network housed at the corporate offices.

"Ronnie, if you need to get in there I'm sure Rose would understand."

The tone in Maria's voice made the tall woman realize just how she sounded. "No, I'll use the one upstairs. Let me know when lunch is ready." She turned and raced up the stairs.

Part 4

Once inside her room, Ronnie flipped on the switch of her computer and sulked over to her bed. She looked around the room, realizing, as if for the first time, how quiet and empty it was. The thick carpets and solid wood floors kept the sounds from below from filtering up to her. "This is stupid," she scowled, returning to her computer desk and sitting down. "I have work to do."

The folder she clicked on however, was not a work folder. It was to her solitaire game. She followed by reviewing her appointment book and noting that Christmas was only seventeen days away. Well, it would not hurt anything if she looked around the Internet for a while. Browsing the Macy's site gave Ronnie no ideas at all about a gift to get for her mother. She had seen several items she thought Rose would like though. By quarter of twelve, Ronnie still had no presents for the members of her family. "The gift that always fits," she decided, clicking on the gift certificate form. That problem solved, she shut the computer off and trotted downstairs to have lunch with Rose and watch Judge Judy together.