Convictions: Kelly and Stephen (12 page)

“My dear Kelly, how are you?” as she leaned over to kiss the air near Kelly’s cheek.  She took the seat across from Kelly “You look wonderful.  Alaska must be treating you well.  I was so excited to get your message that you were in town.  I trust you are here to hand over the next four chapters?  And early at that, good girl.”  Dale crooked her finger in the direction of a waiter and instantly had the harried young man at her side.  “Cosmopolitan, please.  And hurry, I’m parched.”

Kelly let out a sigh, and took a deep breath “actually, Dale, that’s not why I am in town.  My father has had a stroke.  I came home for him, and my mother.”

“Oh dear, I am so sorry; how completely insensitive of me.”  The waiter returned with her drink which she took two sips of before continuing “please, tell me how he is?”

“The good news is that, with a lot of work, his prognosis for a nearly full recovery is great.  The bad news is that every day I am in Seattle, helping my dad to get settled and my mother to cope, I am not writing.  At this point, I don’t know how I can possible make the first delivery date of the revised contract.”

Before Dale could react to Kelly’s confession, the waiter returned for their order.  When he had left Dale asked “how much longer will you be here?”

“I honestly don’t know.  We’ve just moved him into a rehab center near their home.  He is expected to be there for a week or two but I hate to just blow them off and go back to Alaska until I know for sure that he’s responding to the therapy, and that my mother will be able to care for him once he’s been released.   I still need to make arrangements with a visiting nurse and home health aide service for people to be available to help my mother after he is home.  In addition we need to get some specialized medical equipment delivered to the house and setup; a hospital bed, bath chair, and miscellaneous other things.  I can’t even think of returning until all of this has been arranged for.”

“Well Kelly, I don’t know what to say.  You’ve put me into an awkward situation.  Obviously family comes first; I think we’d all agree to that.  But Brighton’s been so patient with you; I just can’t say how much longer their patience is going to hold out.  You know that they’ve already put a fortune into the pre-publicity planning for this book?  You’re hot and your fans are beating down the doors looking for a publication date.  If they learn that they will have to push it back again I’m afraid I just don’t know what they’ll do.”

“I know.  And I’m sorry.  I don’t want to have to put them in this position.  I certainly don’t want to have to put you in this position, after everything you’ve done for me.  You are the one who believed in me first and I do appreciate that.”

“Listen Kelly, let’s just leave it as is for now.  No since ruffling feathers over a ‘might not make it’.  If you truly don’t make the dates, well, we’ll cross that river when we get to it.”

Their lunch arrived.  After the waiter left Kelly said “Thank you Dale.  Please know that I will do my best.” 

“I do.  So tell me, what’s new?”

They continued with lighter conversation over lunch.  Dale could be as pushy as they get but she really had been a very good friend and confidant over the years.  Kelly spilled the beans to her about Stephen, though leaving out most of the juicier details.    Dale eyed her closely “now I know what’s different about you, and why you’ve been so damn hard to get a hold of.  You’re in love!  Yes, I see it now.  Wow, you’re in deep.  I would love to meet this man who has captured your heart so completely.  He must be something special.  Well, don’t worry, once you’ve gotten your fill of him it will get boring and then maybe you can get back to writing, especially about the good stuff!”

“Dale, you’re terrible.”

They finished their lunch and Dale picked up the check as usual.  She was making a pretty good life on the commissions she received from Kelly’s royalties, and she knew it.  They hugged and parted ways at the street.  That’s one less issue to cloud Kelly’s mind, for now at least, and she was more than a little bit relieved to have it over.

***

Kelly returned to her parents to find the house empty.  Her mother must have left for the rehab center already.  Kelly decided to take the quiet time to call Stephen and fill him in on the progress.  His first question was about her father’s condition; his second was to ask when she’d be coming home.  Since her father was out of the woods so to speak, and out of the hospital, he expected that she’d be on the next plane.  As she had done with Dale, Kelly gave him a list of things that she needed to take care of before she could leave.  His voice was disappointed but understanding.  He said that everything there was going well.  Max had not eaten him yet and he actually thought they had made some progress.  Work was keeping him busy but that was good, less time to miss her.  They exchanged declarations of love and hung up.

On the dining room table were several brochures that Kelly and her mother had been given by the rehab center.  Some were advertising medical equipment companies, other home health care services.  She shuffled through the pile, picking one out at random, and took the phone off the hook to call.  By the time her mother returned it was five thirty and Kelly had a scratch pad full of notes.

They ate dinner, put away the dishes and then sat down to review what Kelly had uncovered, with regards to price as well as customer reviews.  By bedtime her mother had put a star next to each company she preferred and Kelly promised to make the final arrangements with them the next day.

***

Thursday came and went with more preparations being made for the day that her father would come home.  She had signed a contract with the medical equipment company that her mother had decided on and with the deposit in hand they agreed to deliver and setup on Friday.  At first they had given her Monday but if there was even the slightest chance that her father would be release from rehab Monday morning, her mother wanted the equipment already in place.  With a little arm twisted Friday was agreed to.

The visiting nurse would be by rotation so they wouldn’t necessarily get the same person each time but for the first two weeks anyway a nurse would come in every three days.  In addition, they would have an aid every other day, and also available on call should there be any problems.  As for grocery shopping and housekeeping, her mother insisted on continuing to do those chores herself.  Kelly would leave the name and number of a highly recommended housekeeping service on the refrigerator just in case it was needed.

On Friday Charlie’s father dropped him off at the rehab center for a visit.  He was on his way to go camping with friends for the weekend but wanted to make sure grandpa was good before he left.  Charlie repeated his promise to bring subs for lunch after grandpa was home.

Kelly and her mother were at home cleaning up the dishes from lunch when her mother said “it’s ok for you to go now you know.”

“What do you mean mom, I’m here as long as you need me.”

“I know, and I appreciate it.  I can’t tell you how much it meant to me that you dropped everything and came down so fast.  But you have a life too and I’ve kept you from it long enough.”

“Don’t you want me to stay until he comes home?”

“We don’t know how much longer that’s going to be.  With all of the arrangements made, thanks to you, I can’t see you hanging around here doing nothing for what might be another three days or another week and three days.  You have a life now that you need to return to.  Please don’t worry about us; I’ll call you if I need you.”

“What do you mean that I have a ‘life now’?”

Her mother smiled “Oh Kelly, I can see it, the changes in you.  You haven’t said anything and I don’t like to pry into my children’s personal life but it’s very obvious to me that you have found love.”

Kelly blushed “you don’t miss a trick mom; you never have.  With everything going on with dad, this just wasn’t the right time to say anything, but yes, you’re instincts are good.  To be truthful however, it’s a new relationship and at this point I have no idea where it’s going.  I’ll let you know when and if it gets to a serious stage.”

“Please do.  I just hope he realizes what a lucky man he has to have captured my daughter’s heart.  And let me know when it’s time to go dress shopping.”

“Mom, really?  Way too soon for that!”

“So as for dad, let’s just see how it goes the next few days.  I need to see dad again a few more times, to see for myself how he’s doing, and then I’ll decide when it’s time to go home.  But thanks mom.  I love you.”

Kelly spent a couple of hours with her father that afternoon.  She went with him to physical therapy where she noted the toll it was taking.  But she also saw the determination the he had to make a full recovery.

She helped the nursing staff get him back to his room where he chose a reclining chair over bed.  After he was settled, they continued their visit.  His speech was a little impaired yet, but Kelly had no problem understanding him.  He told her that he was glad that she had come.  He told her he was worried most about her mother.  Kelly filled him in on the arrangements that they had made that day for help.  He seemed satisfied that her mom would have help.

“Dad, mom told me this afternoon that I should go back to Alaska, that she would be fine without me now.  But I don’t want leave you, or her if either of you still need me.”

Her dad shook his head and said “no.”

“No?  What does that mean?  You don’t need me or you don’t want me to go?”

“I never want you to go my Kelly, but we will be ok” he said in slow, drawn out syllables.

“Ok, but I’m not leaving yet.  I will stay for at least the weekend, maybe until you get home if it’s early in the week.”

Her father smiled at her and said “we will be fine”.

“I know you will Dad, I know you will.”

Kelly hugged him tight, asked him if he needed them to bring anything extra in the morning, and then left for their house.

***

The weekend passed uneventfully.  On Sunday Kelly went to the store to stock up the kitchen in case her father was released on Monday.  Her mother had made a list of all of his favorites. 

Monday they got the news that he could come home by the end of the day as long as he agreed to continue with therapy sessions at home.  Kelly assured his doctors that the arrangements had already been made.  He would have home therapy sessions until the therapist was confident that he was strong enough to go out.  At that point they would return to the rehab center for outpatient sessions.

At four o’clock Kelly and her mother drove to the rehab center to pick him up and bring him home.  Back in his own house he was happy as a clam to be settled in his favorite chair, his wife by his side.

On Tuesday it became apparent that her parents no longer needed her.  She called the airport to make flight arrangements for Wednesday, content in her decision and confident in their ability to get along without her.

Wednesday she got up early, packed, and said her goodbyes.  Her mother cried, her father smiled and cried but both agreed that it was time for her to get back to her own life.  At seven thirty she climbed into the taxi that would take her to Charlie’s for a quick goodbye before depositing her outside the airport terminal. 

She was anxious to get home to Stephen.  It was time and she had been gone long enough.  It had been a week and a half, which might as well have been six months in the context of their young relationship. 

Kelly stepped up to the counter to present her confirmation number and select her seat, only to be told that her flight was delayed indefinitely.  There was a major storm marching its way across Canada that had all flights to, from, and through the region grounded.  Her flight was cancelled, possibly to be rescheduled for some time late tomorrow afternoon at the earliest.  The ticket counter clerk asked her what she wanted to do.  She told her she would get back to her, picked up her bags and left the ticketing area.

She found a free seat with room enough for her and her bags and sat.  Kelly had been sitting for twenty minutes or so, trying to figure out her next move.  She could go back to her parents, or sit here willing the weather to change. 

Her cell phone rang.  Looking at the display she recognized the number of the Hanlon Police Department.

“Hello, this is Kelly”

“Kelly, its Dawson, can you hear me?”

“I can hear you fine Kyle, what’s up?”

“Oh, good, where are you?”

“I’m in the airport, Seattle airport.  I’m trying to get home but the weather is not cooperating.  Why are you calling me?”

“I kind of need your help, you know, your thoughts on something unexpected.  The autopsy report just came back, for the Jensen girl?  Jackie?”

“I’m sorry, yes I remember.  Was there something unusual in it?”

It’s not that she has any official capacity with the Hanlon PD, but Kyle was an eager young man with few intelligent people surrounding him.  When he found out years ago that Kelly wrote novels, and that her genres of choice were romantic suspense, he began stopping by her house, unannounced, to ask her thoughts on an unsolved case.  She didn’t mind really, working with Kyle, even unofficially, helped her stay sharp on police investigations for her books.