Destiny by chance: A Contemporary Romance Fiction Novel (18 page)

Marji walked into Destiny’s room and turned on the lights at about six-thirty.  Lisa wasn’t there, but Andy was; sitting in the dark, checking e-mails on his cell phone.  Destiny slowly opened, then rubbed her eyes as she sat upright.

“Good morning, Sleepyhead.”  He smiled.

“Where’s Lisa?”

“No idea,” he replied.  “She was gone when I got here.  She texted that she had to go home, but to call her when they released you.”

“I wish you’d quit worrying about me.”

Marji lingered at the monitors, deliberately taking her time.

“Really?” he looked at her, aghast.  “After last night? Really?”

Destiny glanced at Marji, then back at her brother.  “I have to pee,” she said flatly.

Marji smiled and moved the IV pole toward her.  “When the doctor does his rounds, we’ll see if we can disconnect you.  I know he wanted to see you before releasing you.  Until then—” she said, rolling the pole into Destiny’s hand.  She took the blood pressure cuff off Destiny’s arm and the oxygen clip from her finger.

Destiny rolled her eyes and growled.  “I just need to get out of here,” she said over her shoulder as she walked toward the bathroom.

“And go where?” Andy called after her.  He turned to see Marji watching their exchange.  He forced a smile.  “Where do I have to go to get some coffee?”

Marji grinned and motioned with her head for him to follow.  In the hallway, she pointed toward a small kitchenette specifically for the families of patients, just past the nurses’ station.  Then she stepped back into the room.

“I don’t care where we go,” Destiny called from the bathroom.  “I’ll check into a hotel.  There’s no way I’m going back to Lisa’s.  I don’t even know how
Lisa
can go back to Lisa’s.” She flushed the toilet and walked into the sink area to wash her hands.  “Maybe I’ll just camp out at your place.”  Finding no paper towels, she walked back into the bathroom and grabbed a hand towel.  “I think all I needed was a little sleep,” she called louder.  She stood upright as if she had an epiphany.  “In fact, I feel… okay.  Considering.”  She shook her head in amazement.  “I mean, somehow, I feel… empowered.”  She tossed the towel onto the floor and dragged her IV pole with her as she walked back into her room.  “I don’t know how to explain it.  Suddenly, it’s like a weight has been lifted from my shoulders.”  She instantly stopped when she looked up and realized she was talking to herself.  Or rather talking to herself while her nurse was standing there.

Destiny walked back to the side of the bed, and Marji motioned for her to sit down.  She sat obediently, looking up as her nurse gently wrapped the blood pressure monitor cuff around her arm again and pressed the button.  Marji looked into Destiny’s eyes as the cuff inflated. 

“One more time,” she said, with a comforting smile.

She could feel the pulsing of blood through her artery as the kindly woman gently began removing the tape around the IV on her.  Destiny looked at her, confused.  Marji smiled as she carefully removed the IV and then placed a cotton ball in the crook of Destiny’s arm and folded it.  She tilted her head, as she moved Destiny’s arm up in the air. 

“Hold it there for just a few more seconds, dear.”

“I thought the doctor had to see me, first.”

Marji grinned at her, patting her knee.  “I have a feeling he’s going to release you.”

Destiny watched her work.

“Anyone can see you are doing so much better than you were when you arrived late last night.”  She watched as Destiny averted her eyes.  “I was here when they brought you up to my floor.”

“You were here?” Destiny asked, lowering her arm.

Marji nodded as she removed the blood pressure cuff and wrapped it around itself before setting it on top of the monitor.  “You seem better.”  Then she carefully registered the systolic and diastolic numbers into her handheld computer and turned off the machine. 

“Yeah,” Destiny said, with a dismissive shake of the head.  “Can’t explain it.”

Marji patted her on the leg, again.  “Dear heart, some things aren’t meant to be explained.”

Andy walked into the room with a cup of coffee in his hand and Lisa on his heels.  “Hey, Dee.  They release you yet?”

Destiny turned to her friend and brother.  “No, the doctor hasn’t been in yet.”

Marji smiled as she walked toward the door.  “I’ll let him know you’re doing better and are anxious to get out of here.”

Destiny smiled in return.  “Thank you,” she said as Marji turned and walked from the room.

Lisa hugged her friend.  “I’ve already packed you a bag.  So when they let you go, we’re out of here.”

“Where are we going?” she queried, looking at them.

“Where are
you
going?” Lisa repeated back to her.

Destiny focused her attention on Lisa.  “You’re staying in
that
house?”  She suddenly felt uncomfortable.  “After what happened?” she asked, her voice raised.

Lisa and Andy looked at each other. 

“I don’t understand.”

Lisa sat beside her best friend.  “It’s going to be weird and awkward, but I’m not going to move just because that jerk…”

“That
jerk
was going to drug me and hurt me again.  Maybe even kill me!” Destiny barked.

“Now, Destiny…” Andy replied evenly, in an attempt to calm his sister.

“No!” she declared, standing up and stepping away from them.  “Don’t patronize me.”

Lisa shook her head and sighed.  “Dee—” she began but was interrupted as the doctor walked into the room.

“Good morning.”  A small row of white teeth appeared through his thick gray beard.

Destiny stared at Lisa, who looked at Andy, who glanced around the room before focusing on the bird outside the window.

The doctor sensed the tension and looked down at the chart.  “Well,” he exhaled dramatically.  “Everything looks good.  How do you feel?”

Destiny pulled her glare from Lisa and looked at the doctor, who motioned for her to sit on the bed.  She frowned and reluctantly dropped onto it, her shoulders slumped.  He glanced at the chart, pulled up a chair beside the bed and sat.  He looked expectantly, at Lisa and Andy, who took the hint and walked into the hallway.

“You had to tell her now?” Andy asked in a loud whisper, waving his arms dramatically to emphasize his concern once they were outside the room.

Lisa closed her eyes and rolled her head to relieve the tension that was building.  She drew in a deep breath and slowly blew it out.  “Just…” she began, then looked into his eyes, noting his frustration.  “I need you to trust me.  Just let me handle this, okay?”

Andy pursed his lips and thought for a minute.  Without answering, he threw up his arms in frustration and walked away.

“That went well.”  Lisa looked up at the ceiling.  “A little help here.”

Destiny sat, looking down at her hands.  The doctor reached toward her, slowly took her hands and turned them over.  He inspected the scars on her wrists.  When she realized what he was doing, she quickly jerked her hands away and wrapped her arms around her stomach, without looking up.

“Destiny?  Can I call you Destiny?”

She met his eyes.  He had kind eyes.  Her demeanor softened.  Destiny nodded.

“I’ve read your chart from front to back.  Twice, mostly because I couldn’t believe what I was reading.”

Destiny looked back down, her hands dropping to her lap again.

“Then I called and spoke to Dr. Villarreal.  She’s a remarkable woman.  Remarkable,” he repeated.  He reached over and took her hands again, holding them gently, loosely—the simple act revealing to her that she could pull them away at any time.  Slowly, he dragged them forward and turned them over again.  “And she thinks you’re pretty remarkable, too.”  He studied her arms.  “You are obviously a very courageous woman,” he said, meeting her gaze.

“I don’t feel so courageous.”

“Courage comes in many forms.”  He set her arms back onto her lap.  “Sometimes it comes in great deeds, standing up for what you believe, much like you did last night.”

Destiny stared at him.

“Courage is sometimes as simple as leaving the house, or even getting out of bed in the morning after life knocks you down.”

Tears welled in her eyes.

He released her hands, but she didn’t pull them away, as she couldn’t take her eyes from his.  “Courage is staying here.  In the here and now, even when giving up is easier.”  He searched her eyes.  “You have nothing to be embarrassed about or ashamed of, Destiny,” he added, nodding toward her arms.  “Absolutely nothing.”

The tears streamed down Destiny’s cheeks. She didn’t even have the inclination to wipe them away.  She felt numb. 

Her doctor pushed the chair back and stood up, looking down again at the file.  “When the police and the paramedics are calling you a hero for fighting back, well, I would say what you did was courageous.”  He tilted his head as he spoke.  “People talk.”

A small smile crept onto the corner of her lips. 

“Two quotes that come to mind,” he grinned.  “‘Courage is grace under pressure.’”

“Ernest Hemmingway.”

He nodded.  “Yes,” he repeated.  “Ernest Hemmingway.  And the other, is ‘He will never leave you or forsake you.  Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged.’”

Destiny shrugged.

“Deuteronomy 31:8.”

Destiny looked down.

“I’m releasing you, with the condition you’ll see Dr. Villarreal as soon as possible.  She’s already reworking her schedule to try and see you this afternoon.  And I was going to prescribe you a strong antidepressant and anti-anxiety cocktail, but somehow I feel like you won’t need them.  If I gave you a prescription, would you fill it?” he asked, cryptically.  “Well,” he sighed.  “I’ll let you and Dr. Villarreal discuss that.  I’ve also put my personal cell phone number on your release papers.  I want you to call me if you need anything.”

Destiny met his glance once more.  “Thank you.”

“No,
thank you
,” he said with a small smile.  “Courage,” he repeated as he walked toward the door, then turned.  “From now on, whenever I think of that word, Destiny, I’ll think of you,” he said, winking at her again.  “Take care.”

Destiny looked down at her arms and then slowly clasped her hands together.  About ten minutes later, Lisa and Andy and Marji walked into the room as one.  Marji walked to her and handed her the large stack of papers that meant the hospital officially considered her checked out.  She went over the prescriptions and the doctor’s instructions, which included rest for at least a week, finally, confirming her appointment with Dr. Villarreal that afternoon at three. 

Destiny nodded.

“Ready?” Andy asked.  Destiny’s lips turned up slightly into a wisp of a smile, which made his own smile grow.  “Good!” he exclaimed.  “Then let’s get the heck out of here.  Hospitals are depressing.”

Marji looked at him strangely.

“No offense.”

“None taken,” she said, opening the door for them.  “Now scoot.” She turned to Destiny.  “I was supposed to leave thirty minutes ago, but wanted to make sure that they let you out.”

“Thank you,” Destiny said, looking into the woman’s eyes.  Then she leaned in and hugged her, surprising everyone, including herself.  Lisa and Andy looked at each other again.

“You are welcome, dear child,” Marji said, hugging her and brushing her hand over Destiny’s hair.

Lisa hooked her friend’s arm, then leaned over and looked at Andy.  “Fine,” he said rolling his eyes playfully, before grabbing Destiny’s other arm.  He leaned back over again and smiled.  “We aren’t going to do the
Wizard of Oz
thing like we did in school, are we?”

Lisa leaned her head forward and narrowed her eyes.  “Really?”

“Hey!” he exclaimed.  “I never know what you two are going to come up with.”

Lisa held Destiny closer and said to her cheek, “You ready?”

“Yeah,” Destiny drew in a deep breath.  “I think I am.”

Softly, Andy began whistling “We’re Off to See the Wizard.”  By the time they were in the elevator, they were all stepping in time, softly humming the song.

Marji’s smile grew as she watched them walk away together.  She glanced upward, her hands folded, and winked.  “Thank you,” she said, before turning back to her computer, in no hurry to leave after all.

Destiny stepped from Lisa’s blue 2000 Honda Insight onto the curb facing the Kemper House Bed and Breakfast.  Andy pulled up behind them in Destiny’s car and parked.  Lisa told her friend she’d booked accommodations for her indefinitely until she determined what she wanted to do next.  Lisa wanted Destiny around people.  Not just people she could trust, but people who would help lift her spirits.  Lisa just failed to convey one little detail to Destiny. 

“I didn’t even know this place existed,” Destiny said, in awe, looking at the wrap-around porch and at the small orchard on the side of the house that led to the extensive gardens beyond.

Andy picked up two of four bags of Destiny’s belongings that Lisa had packed and carried them up the wooden steps.  “Wow,” he said, admiring the woodwork.  “The detail is incredible.”

“Yeah, it
is
kind of cool,” Lisa said, carrying a third bag.

“This place must be a hundred years old,” Destiny said as she stepped onto the front porch, carrying her last bag.

“A hundred and twenty, to be exact,” Bill said as he stood in the decorated entryway.

Destiny looked at him, shocked, and turned abruptly to Lisa and Andy.

Bill opened the front door and held his hand out with a sweeping motion.  Everyone walked in but Destiny.  Bill stood there, returning Destiny’s gaze.  “I’d do this forever, but it costs a small fortune to cool this old place, and it’s warm out here,” he smiled wryly.

Destiny hesitated and walked inside.  Bill closed the door behind her as she set her bag down and turned to him.  She opened her mouth to say something, but the words wouldn’t come.

“When Lisa called me and said you needed a place to stay…” he began.  After a moment, noting that her expression hadn’t changed, he stated in a louder voice, “Usually we have milk and cookies waiting for all our guests!”

At that moment Sydney walked backward into the room through the butler doorway, and turned.  In one hand she held a plate of fresh baked cookies, in the other, a carafe of ice-cold milk.  She placed the plate carefully upon a table in the library, and stood stoically beside it, holding out her hand as if making a presentation.

Andy dropped the bags and walked to the tray, taking a cookie in each hand.  “Don’t mind if I do.”

Destiny’s eyes followed the young girl as she walked through the room.  She looked back at Bill, who smiled with pride. 

“If you don’t, at least, try one, she’ll be heartbroken,” he mouthed to Destiny and Lisa, so that Sydney couldn’t see. 

Lisa stepped into the library first, followed by Destiny, then Bill.  They all proceeded to take a cookie. 

“Milk?” Sydney asked politely, poised to pour.

“Absolutely,” Lisa said, as they each took a bite of cookie.

Destiny nodded as Sydney poured four glasses of milk and, one by one, handed each of her guests a glass and a napkin.  Destiny’s demeanor softened as she looked down at Sydney, who proudly beamed.  “These are good.”

Sydney grinned.  “I made them myself.  Just for you,” she added, looking at Destiny.

Lisa nudged Andy, and they stepped casually toward the enormous Christmas tree that took up the front corner of the room.

Sydney turned to her dad.  “Can I show Dee my room?”

“Sure,” he nodded.  “I hope it’s presentable.”

Sydney grabbed Destiny’s hand and dragged her from the room.  “Be right back,” Destiny called over her shoulder to Lisa, her brow furrowed.  “We need to talk.”

Lisa ignored her friend’s reprimand and turned to Bill.  “Thanks so much for doing this.”

Bill nodded.  “It’s the least I can do.  And I promise we have the best security, or I wouldn’t have offered.  She’ll be safe here.”

Andy stepped forward and held out his hand.  “I don’t know what to say, except thank you.”

“My pleasure,” Bill assured him, shaking his hand.

Andy took two more cookies and headed for the door, disappearing with a wave of his hand.  Lisa walked up and threw her arms around Bill.  “You’re unbelievable.”  She gave him a peck on the lips.

“Anything for you, Lisa, you know that.”

“And anything for Destiny?”

Bill looked down, shuffling his feet before looking back up at her.  “Yeah, I’d do anything for Destiny,” he replied.  Bill walked her to the front door and onto the porch.  After they had driven away, he walked back inside, through the garland-and-candle-lit hallway, to his daughter’s room.  Sydney was still showing Destiny around, picking up random things and explaining where she got them and why they were important to her.  He smiled at Destiny when she glanced his way, walked back to the entryway, picked up two of her bags at a time and carried them to his room.  They were already completely booked for the next sixty days.  And yet, when Lisa called him at four that morning, he didn’t hesitate to make room for Destiny. After cooking for and serving his guests, Bill spent the rest of his morning moving his personal belongings into a small office/workroom on the same floor.  Then he drove to Academy and bought an air mattress to place in Sydney’s room temporarily for himself, as he prepared to take on an additional, unexpected guest.

Bill looked through his drawers for the last time, checked his bathroom, and lastly his shower, finding things he missed in his earlier rushed search.  As he rounded the corner to Sydney’s bathroom, he ran into Destiny, literally, and dropped the few shaving items in his arms.  They both knelt to pick them up.  When she looked up at him, he was smiling, causing her to smile.  They stood together.

“Where are Andy and Lisa?”

“They, um…”

“They ditched me, didn’t they?”

First Bill shrugged, and then he nodded.

“Figures,” she said, shaking her head as she handed him his razor.  “Bill—” she began, but he interrupted.

“Look, I know what you are going to say.  You’re going to say this isn’t a good idea and that you can’t stay here.  Well,” he began, nervously.  “I think you
should
stay here.  The Kemper House is a great place; it’s safe, and we would love to have you as our guest.”

“Bill, I—” Destiny tried to interject.

“We serve breakfast every day, and I always make sure we eat dinner as a family.  There’s always someone around, but we won’t be underfoot.  You can have a space of your own,” he rambled.  “And you can come and go as you please.  I’ll give you the house code.”

“Bill—” she said in exasperation.

“And I promise that we’ll respect your privacy, and—” he continued until she put her fingers to his lips.

“Bill!” When he stopped talking, she took her hand away.  “Could you possibly show me to a bathroom?”

Bill felt his face flush as he pointed over his shoulder toward his room.  “In there.”

“Thank you.”  Destiny walked past him into the bedroom, noting her bags on the bed.  She found the bathroom and locked the door behind her.

Bill heard the timer go off in the kitchen.  He had left the dough to rise that needed to be punched down and kneaded again before its last rise.  Bill was making cinnamon rolls for breakfast.  He dropped his shaving items onto the kitchen table before turning off the timer.  As he worked his way through the room, he stopped to wash his hands, put on his chef’s apron, then he floured the granite counter and began again.  Minutes later Destiny walked up behind him, watching him work.  Bill sensed her presence, as he continued his prep.  Guests would begin arriving within the next couple of hours, and there were things to prepare before they arrived.  His morning had been spent moving rooms and cleaning, so now his focus was on receiving eight more couples before evening came.

“You look like you know what you’re doing.”

“Well, I’ve had to learn my way around a kitchen, something I never imagined I’d be doing with a masters in finance.  I cooked when Sydney was growing up, but we ate a lot of spaghetti and sloppy joes if you know what I mean.”  He grinned over his shoulder as he finished spreading the filling over the dough.

“So, where do you get all your recipes?” she asked, as she leaned against the counter.

“Well, my mom gave me her old Better Homes and Gardens cookbook, and I started there.  Then I began looking for recipes online, mostly allrecipes.com.  Finally, I discovered Pinterest,” he added slyly.

Destiny chuckled to herself.  “Pinterest?”

“Yeah.  Who knew?  Now I’m making eggs Benedict and Belgian waffles while my mom is still cutting recipes from the backs of boxes and the can wrappers.”

Destiny stuffed her hands into the back pockets of her jeans, as she slowly perused the room.  Bill glanced at her occasionally as she was familiarizing herself with her surroundings.  “Did your mom cook?” he asked.

Destiny smiled sadly.  “Yeah.  She was a pretty good cook.”  Her hand delicately traced the restored wood on the original cabinets.  “But my dad was better.  He was the barbecue king in our neighborhood.  He would spend hours concocting all kinds of barbecue sauce recipes and matching them perfectly with the right meats.”

“Yeah?  My dad did that, too.  ‘If it can be killed, it can be grilled’ was his motto.”

Destiny chuckled, remembering.  “And he had to use a particular wood when he cooked.”

“Mine, too!” Bill exclaimed as he sliced the perfectly seasoned log of cinnamon, sugar, and dough.  “I remember this one time when my dad caught his pit on fire at a cook-off.  And not just the pit, but the ribs, the wood that was stored underneath it and
everything
within five feet of it.  He went into our motorhome for just a few minutes, came back out and the whole thing was on fire.”  Bill chuckled, placing the rolls in a pan carefully, leaving equal spacing between each piece.  “Which included the pit of the guy a few feet away.  Who was pretty peeved, since he had his heart set on the prize money.”  He shook his head, placing the pan close to the oven.  “I think he was trying some new-fangled lighting fluid.”  He looked at her.  “So, what do you say?”

Destiny looked at him, confused.

“About staying here?”

Destiny looked down at her hands as they toyed with a placemat on the table.  “I don’t know,” she answered faintly.

Sydney stopped in the doorway.  “You’re not staying?”

“I didn’t say that Sweetie,” Destiny clarified.  “I have a lot of decisions to make over the next few days, one of them being where I’m going to land permanently.”

Sydney ran up to her and grabbed her arm.  “Please!” she begged.  “Stay with us.”

Bill turned to Destiny expectantly, suddenly wanting to beg her himself.  He could see the pain in her eyes.  She was hurt and confused and putting up a good front.  Bill looked down at his daughter, who was now tugging on Destiny’s hand.  “Sweetie, why don’t you help make the salad for dinner?  And then you were going to make some more cookies for our guests.  They’ll be arriving in the next couple of hours.  You know the routine,” he added, his eyes firmly set on hers.

Sydney dropped her shoulders.  “Yes, sir.”

“Good girl.  Now, salad first, then cookies, then book report.”

“Dad, it’s not due until Friday!”

He held his eyes on hers.

Her face fell to match her stooped shoulders, in utter defeat.  “Yes, sir,” she said as she dragged across the kitchen, to get the ingredients she needed to finish the tasks he’d assigned to her.

Bill looked to Destiny and made an anxious face, causing her to grin.

“I’ll tell you what,” she began.  “I have a doctor’s appointment in about an hour, and when I get back, I’ll decide.  Deal?”

“Deal,” Sydney replied, unconvinced.  “Daddy, when is Deborah coming home?”

He looked at his watch.  “She should be here anytime.” As if on cue, the back door flew open, and Deborah breezed through it.

“Greetings, family!” she exclaimed, looking at Sydney and Bill. 

“Deborah!” Sydney squealed, running into her arms.  She kissed and hugged her before returning to making the salad for dinner.

Deborah walked up to Bill and hugged him.  Then she kissed him on the cheek, her arm still around him.  Bill turned immediately to Destiny.  “Deborah, I’d like you to meet Destiny.  It’s possible she’s going to be staying with us awhile.”

“Destiny,” Deborah said, excitedly, releasing Bill to shake her hand.  “It’s good to meet you.”

Destiny felt flush, fidgeting awkwardly, already feeling her mood darkening.  She looked at Deborah and then Bill, then back to Deborah.  “Nice to meet you,” she replied, forcing a smile.  “Look,” she began, suddenly looking down.  “I’m going to go.”  She pointed toward the other room.  “I have that thing that I have to do.”  Destiny edged her way from the room.  Her heart beat rapidly in her chest as she hurried to the room where Bill had placed her luggage. 

Destiny looked at her watch.  There was no time to load everything now.  She’d worry about that when she got back.  How could she possibly stay here now?  Everything that Sydney had said about Deborah came back to her, and suddenly she felt so foolish.  And angry.  Destiny rubbed her brow with her fingers.  Not only was she going to be late, but now she was getting a headache.  She grabbed her keys and her purse and rushed out the front door, suddenly wanting just to disappear.