Fated Memories (22 page)

The Brunswicks each offered their own well-wishing toasts as Kitty finished her wine. Carole was bursting with excitement. “I just had the most wonderful idea. Why not get married here, in this hotel? Do you think Maggie will be recovered soon enough? We’ll only be in town another week, but I’d love to dress you.”

It might have been the alcohol that made her head spin, or the recent uncanny revelations, or the anticipation of becoming Sam’s wife, but only one word made it out of her mouth as she shrugged. “Okay.”

***

The three of them couldn’t wait to tell Maggie the events of the night before as Simon, Sam and Kitty rushed up to the hospital in the morning. When they arrived at her door, though, the attendant stopped them. “Your wife’s not in there anymore, sir, she’s been moved.”

“Moved? What do you mean moved? She’s too sick to be moved.”

“The doctor saw her blisters had scabbed over,” he explained as if they were children, “so she’s not contagious anymore. He put her out on the open ward to finish her recovery.”

Kitty couldn’t believe it. The open ward with all those sick people? For crying out loud, what kind of medical system is this?

Men were not allowed on the women’s ward so Simon, steaming mad, waited outside with Sam, as Kitty went in alone. At least it didn’t have as many patients as the men’s wards she’d worked in, but the familiar stench of dysentery hit her the minute she entered. Kitty passed five or six beds of hacking, moaning women before she came to Maggie.

The patient huddled with her head under a blanket at the far end of the aisle had to be her. Kitty recognized the calico dress sticking out at the bottom. She stopped and put her hand on Maggie’s shoulder.

The hand was shrugged off and a muffled voice came through the blanket. “Go away. I don’t care what you want, I’m not coming out. Leave me alone.”

A stab of pain shot down her back as she knelt at the bedside. Kitty tried again. “Lucy, it’s me, Ethel. Are you okay?”

Only a pair of eyes peeked out at her. “Kitty?” Tears spilled from those eyes and her shoulders shook from sobs. “They put me with the cootie people. I’m going to catch something else, I know it. I have to get out of here. You need to help me. Please, help me get out of here.”

Kitty’s anger threatened to boil over at how the hospital had treated Maggie, but she remembered where that anger got her the last time. “Leave it to me,” she reassured her. “I’ll be right back.”

Simon had a carriage waiting as Kitty strode out of the hospital, Sam a step behind her with Maggie bundled in his arms. Two attendants came running out just as their carriage left to take them back to the hotel. Kitty could care for Maggie much better than anyone in that death trap.

Surrounded by her loving family and given a few days of nutritious food, Maggie’s health returned. A few of the blisters had left marks on her chest, but her face still glowed with the same porcelain complexion she’d always had. Just in time, too. The arrangements for the wedding were complete, Carole had their dresses ready, and Sam’s father had come to Washington for tonight’s ceremony.

***

Mr. McCabe Sr. was just an older version of his son with the same brilliant blue eyes, only slightly hooded, and grayer hair. It was like seeing a portrait of Sam twenty years from now. And it wasn’t a bad picture, at that.

While the men got ready in Mr. McCabe’s room, Maggie and Kitty dressed in Carole’s. It didn’t matter that they hadn’t seen the dresses yet, they were well acquainted with Carole’s talented handiwork and trusted that whatever she’d created for them had to be spectacular. Carole brought Kitty’s out first, a scooped neck ivory gown trimmed in lace and beads, with lace off-the-shoulder sleeves. She’d also brought along a corset for her to support that low neckline. Kitty cried when Carole gave her the low heeled beaded slippers that went with the dress. These were the first pair of shoes she’d worn in a year that weren’t issued by the army.

Maggie’s dress came out of hiding next and it knocked both of them flat on their butts. The deep purple satin dress with the sweetheart neckline and off-the-shoulder sleeves had patches of cream-colored lace scattered across the wide skirt.

“Purple and cream are my signature colors.” Carole beamed with pride as she displayed the dress, smoothing out the wide skirt. “Your peaches-and-cream skin will set them off perfectly, Maggie.”

Carole held the dress from the photo in Grandma Margaret’s trunk. Dumfounded and unable to speak, Maggie reached out her shaking hands to touch it.

Still reeling from the inconceivable relationship between her, Simon and Sam, nothing surprised Kitty anymore. “The dress is beautiful, Carole, and I’m certain Maggie will look stunning in it.”

The photographer waited with quiet impatience in the room while Maggie and Kitty argued over the rose locket. The original plan was for Kitty to wear it for the ceremony as Maggie had. They wanted to start a tradition that could be passed along to future generations. But now, with the dress from the old photo, it meant Maggie had to wear it. They struck a compromise and agreed that Maggie should wear it for the photo and then give it to Kitty to complete her ensemble for the ceremony.

Sam waited downstairs at the appointed time while his father and Simon came to escort the bride and bridesmaid. Simon tilted his head and narrowed his eyes when he saw Maggie’s dress. “Where have I seen you wearing that dress?”

“In the photo on my mantle at the house in Harrisburg. You saw it at my grandma’s memorial.”

Simon was lucky he had the cane to lean on to keep him from falling. Even so, his face blanched, and he had to tug on the collar of his shirt to make room to swallow.

Mr. McCabe led Maggie down the stairs followed by Kitty and Simon. They each took their places in front of the minister. During the short, sweet ceremony, Sam put his mother’s thin gold band with a small diamond on Kitty’s finger and they pledged their undying love. After that, tearful hugs from the emotional women followed while Sam had his hand shaken by more people than he recognized.

A blur of happy faces, music and dancing filled the evening, keeping everyone busy enough for the newlyweds to sneak away to their room. At long last they indulged in the romantic picnic they had forgone in the linen closet that fateful day. Although the fireworks had to wait until Kitty’s rib healed enough for her to take a deep breath without cringing in pain.

Sam was more patient than Kitty. “Don’t fret. We have a lifetime together. Just lying here with you in my arms is good enough. For now.”

L
ying in his arms in the dark, listening to the soft, reassuring shushing of his breath behind her, Kitty wondered again how this all came to be. How did it happen that the man who rescued Simon from the flood in his dream, and then in reality, turn out to be her soulmate? And how did Simon’s dreams and memories bring them to this time in the first place? There seemed to be a force at work here just beyond her grasp and calling it fate gave her the shivers. 

In her haste to undress, Kitty hadn’t removed the rose locket, and she brushed her thumb over it as she dreamed of her former life. It made her smile to remember how they’d found it after breaking into Grandma Margaret’s old house that night. She’d been scared out of her wits, but Maggie knew it would turn out okay. That was only a few days before she’d left her family and her home for the last time. Tears started in her eyes. 

At least things were settling down now. Simon’s injury released him from the army, and Maggie was vibrant and healthy as ever. She’d have her baby surrounded by people who love her. Kitty and Sam looked forward to a long, happy life together.

Business plans in Harrisburg were on the drawing board. With Sam’s contacts and experience and Simon’s mechanical engineering skills, the burgeoning railroad industry would be their best bet. The four of them looked forward to living out their lives there in peace.

Many times over the last year, the dream of being home, seeing her parents, her sister, her friends, had kept her going. Kitty dozed off with the dream encircling her, the old room in her parents’ house so close she almost felt it.

***

“Catherine, wake up.” Sam’s insistent voice in her ear brought a smile to her lips as she pressed her body back against his.
That’s my husband calling me
.

His hand squeezed her shoulder. “Catherine, open your eyes.”

“Ow, Sam, that hurts. What’s the matter?” Her eyes blinked open. As they scanned the room, Kitty sat bolt upright gasping at the sharp pain that shot up from her rib. Sam sat up beside her.

Panting from the pain, Kitty clamped her hand on his. “Sam, what happened?”

“I was just going to ask you the same thing. What is this place?”

Sam climbed off the bed after her as she went around touching everything to make sure it was real. With no reference points to understand what he saw, he only stared wide-eyed at the foreign objects around him. Some things were obvious and familiar—the dresser, the mirror, the desk and chair. But the bed seemed higher and firmer than usual and there was an odd odor to the air. Opening a door, he jumped back from the avalanche of shoes that tumbled to his feet.

“Sam, be careful,” Kitty warned. “There’s a crapload of shoes in there.”

Drawn to her trophy wall, he peered at the photo of a teenage Kitty holding a medal she’d won in a fight. Her beaming face showed metal bands on her teeth. The rich colors of her hair and eyes, even the blue of the ribbon and the gold of the medal stunned him. He touched it gently. “Is this you?”

“Yes.” Kitty turned in circles, tears streaming down her face. “It’s me, I’m home.” She stopped mid-circle, hugging him with all her might, then stepped back. “I’m not dreaming, right? We’re both here?”

“Now you’re scaring me,” he said. “Are you okay? I’ll go get Simon and Maggie…”

“No, no wait.” She held his arm to make him stay in the room. “Let me think.” She still had the ring on her finger. “We got married, we had dinner with Maggie and Simon, then we went to our hotel room and… you know.”

“Well, I’m glad you remember that part, but that still doesn’t tell me what we’re doing here.”

In deep thought, Kitty twirled the locked around in her fingers as she recounted their steps.
We were in bed, Sam fell asleep, I missed being home
…. Kitty’s hand flew off the locket as if it were on fire, her eyes bugged out and her jaw fell open to her chest. “Holy…” She struggled to contain the swear words that bubbled up inside her and fought to get out. “It was never Simon at all. Well, maybe partly Simon, but it was the locket.” Her fingers dug into Sam’s arm as the stark realization that they were never stuck in time at all hit her. “All this time it was the freakin’ locket.”

Sam peeled her fingers off his arm and seized her shoulders. “Catherine, you have ten seconds to make sense and then I’m walking out the door to get Simon and Maggie and you’re not going to stop me.”

“Okay, but let me go, I need to pace to get this clear.” Kitty took as deep a breath as she dared. “Remember I told you the three of us had somehow travelled through time? That we were actually from a future time and didn’t know how to get back? Well, this is what did it.” She stopped and held the locket out to him. “Maggie had this in her hand when we wound up in 1861. I had my fingers around it last night as I fell asleep thinking about home. It used to belong to Maggie’s grandma and I remember now, she said something like ‘just hold it very tightly and it will take you wherever you want to go.’ It must be some kind of talisman and Maggie’s had it in her pocket the whole freakin’ time.”

“So, what are you saying? We’re in your future time? Now?”

Kitty took his face in her hands and gave him a huge smacker of a kiss. “Yes, that’s exactly what I mean.”

Kitty found everything she had brought over from Sonia’s in the room. She opened the laptop on the desk to check the date. June 8th, 2015, the day she left for Harrisburg. And it was early yet. Most likely her parents were downstairs right now.

With the locket’s miraculous secret exposed, Kitty no longer carried the weight of being trapped. Though she was free to move about the universe at will, if she stayed in her room for the rest of her life, she’d be just as happy. Kitty overflowed with joy until she saw Sam’s uncertainty and hesitation. She had come home, but Sam had left his.

She stood before him, both of his hands in hers. “You are my husband; I am your wife. We’ll always be together, no matter what. It won’t be easy, that’s for sure, but I ask that you at least give this a try.”

Sam took a deep breath and nodded. “Just tell me what to do.”

The first order of business was clothes. Sam couldn’t meet her parents in his underwear. She tossed him a pair of sweats from her drawer, and a shirt she’d appropriated from Carlos that she used to wear while doing housework. It may be too warm for sweats, but they’d have to do for now. With both of them properly dressed for the time, Kitty led Sam down the stairs.

***

They waited in the doorway to the kitchen watching her mom and dad slow dancing, Mom’s head on Dad’s chest humming along to the song on the radio. After thirty-five years of marriage they were still so in love. Kitty hoped that would be her and Sam one day.

Dad noticed her first. “Morning Kitten, I’m surprised to see you up so early. And… you have company?” Dad’s eyebrows shot up to his hairline.

Kitty wanted to run over and give each of them a bear hug but, without the corset to support her rib, she settled for a half hug and kiss to each of them while she kept a death grip on Sam’s hand.

Kitty introduced Sam as a man she’d met at the hospital. Though they’d been dating for a while, Kitty had kept it under wraps until she knew they both felt the same way. And now that their connection was certain, he’d be coming with her to Maggie’s. Mom winked at her while Dad gave his usual ‘look before you leap, Kitten’ expression. Before leaving her room, Kitty decided telling the truth about everything except the year and their marriage would work. Sam could say he’d fought in ‘the war’ just not which one, he could talk about his family and what they did and what his plans were. Everything was still relevant and Kitty could always inject an explanation here and there as necessary.

Mom gave her a scrutinizing stare. “Kitty, are you losing weight? Those jeans used to be skin tight on you. You’d better sit and eat something right now. And, Sam, don’t you let her skip any more meals. She’s going to waste away.”

“Yes, ma’am, I’ll make sure she eats.”

Kitty’s heart swelled as they talked like a normal family over the French toast, bacon and eggs Mom made. Sam impressed her mom with his Southern charm, as Kitty knew he would, while Dad’s interest piqued when Sam mentioned his engineering degree from Harvard.

Although reassured she’d see them again, Kitty still got choked up when her parents had to leave for work right after breakfast. After they’d gone, Kitty took Sam around the house and showed him how everything worked. “You know,” she chided him. “You didn’t have to make up that story about going to Harvard. Although it sure grabbed my dad’s attention.”

“But I did go to Harvard. I have a degree in engineering from the Lawrence Scientific School. Whether you like it or not, Madam, you are married to an educated man.”

Educated or not, the electric lights, running water, flushing toilet, washing machine and Kitty’s beloved microwave oven, all brought exclamations of wonder and surprise. After doing the best she could to explain how the music came out of the radio, she introduced him to the TV which flabbergasted him. And they hadn’t even gotten outside yet.

They spent the day exploring the wonders of the twenty-first century. As excited as a child at Disneyland, Sam marveled at the technological progress society had made, even though the environmental cost dismayed him. What bothered him the most, though, was the style of dress.

“Sam, you have to stop staring at the girls. They’re going to think you’re some kind of pervert or something.”

“But look how they’re dressed, for crying out loud. Do all women dress that way now? Do you go around half naked too?”

“It’ll just take time getting used to it, that’s all. Just try not to stare.”

Once back in her room, they cuddled in the bed. “What do you think, Sam? Could you give it a shot here? The four of us could still do as we planned, put together a business in Harrisburg and live together as a family. Would it work for you?”

“I think I remember telling you once, that we could go to my home, to your home, to any home you wanted, as long as we’re together. I still feel that way.”

“I love you, Sam McCabe.”

“I love you too, Catherine McCabe.”

Kitty grasped the locket, wishing them back to the hotel they’d left on their wedding night in Washington.

***

Maggie and Simon were surprised when they joined them for breakfast in the hotel dining room. It wasn’t the French toast, bacon and eggs that her mom had made, but the biscuits and pork gravy were tasty.

“We thought you two would sleep late this morning.” Maggie’s eyebrows waggled up and down.

Kitty glanced slyly at Sam. “Well, we were anxious to give you the gifts we’d brought for each of you. Close your eyes and don’t open them until I tell you.”

Simon closed his eyes, but Maggie giggled like a little girl. “Oh, for goodness sake, you two didn’t have to waste your money on us.”

Sam and Kitty had rehearsed this. “Okay,” they said together, “open them.”

Neither one spoke. Maggie’s hands shook as she lifted the Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups from her plate and Simon just stared at his Snickers bar.

Kitty moved her chair closer and covered Simon’s hand with hers. “I owe you an enormous apology. I hated you for months, blaming you for getting us trapped here, when it was never entirely your fault.”

Maggie’s face paled, and Kitty thought she’d have a stroke. “Mags, are you…”

“How? How did you do it? How? Tell me, now!” Her voice started out weak, but grew in intensity until the whole dining room stared at her.

Simon woke from his stupor and hugged her to calm her down. “Shh, Maggie, don’t create a scene. We certainly don’t need an audience right now. Why don’t we go upstairs to the room so Kitty can tell us what she found out without anyone overhearing us, okay?”

Kitty helped Simon with his cane and Sam escorted Maggie to the room where they could talk in private.

Maggie and Simon sat on the bed while Sam and Kitty took the only two chairs in the room. “Maggie, what’s your last memory of that night at the karaoke club?”

“It was that fight in the parking lot with Doyle,” she said. “He broke the chain on my locket and Simon hit him. Then we ran away and woke up here.”

“Yes, that’s what I remember, too. And Simon you said something about wishing you were 1861 so you wouldn’t have to deal with Doyle, right?”

“Yeah,” he said. “Something like that. Get to the point, Kitty.”

Sam untied the ribbon around her neck and Kitty handed the locket to Maggie. “You had this in your hand when we woke up didn’t you? When Sam and I went to sleep last night, I held it and thought of being home. Then… we were.”

The light went on in Maggie’s head as her mouth fell open. “Hold it tightly and it will take you wherever your heart desires. That’s what Grandma said.” She was on her feet in an instant. “I’ve had this freakin’ thing in my pocket all freakin’ year and this was the key? Are you freakin’ kidding me?” Angry tears streamed down her face as she paced the floor stomping her feet and waving her arms. “All that time, sleeping in tents, in the rain, eating that slop, worrying that I’d die in childbirth, and I could’ve gone home all along?”

Kitty jumped up to calm her and let her cry on her shoulder.