Chapter Nine
I was stunned for minutes after she left.
How could it be that no one ever had mentioned it?
Could it be that no one else knew? Or, as she had said, that no one believed her?
Should I pity her, feel ashamed that I had never really liked her?
I suddenly felt so lost and alone. Without Mommy, whom could I talk to about this?
Certainly not Daddy. I didn’t think I could talk about it even with Jamie, especially now because of his own problems. And I didn’t want Grandfather to somehow blame himself for what had happened to her.
I gulped the pills and lay back. What Aunt Frances had said about my grandmother easily applied to me as well. Other boys had flirted with me, but none had gone as far as to ask me for a date. I doubted I would have gone even if they had. Jamie just seemed to be there, to be my boyfriend forever.
Was Aunt Frances right? Was I naive and too innocent, making me vulnerable?
I had no doubt that Kyle had had many girlfriends and might even have one now.
What did I really know about him? It depressed me to think that he was simply taking advantage of me.
I pouted about it for a few moments and then thought, who was Aunt Frances to give me advice about relationships with men, even if that had happened to her?
Maybe she was simply jealous. She always seemed jealous of my father, my mother, and, now that I thought of it, especially me.
It was almost as if she deliberately said something to steal away my new hope and excitement.
If I told my grandfather what she had said about Kyle, he’d go into a rage.
I swiped the air as if I could erase it from my memory and had turned to go to sleep when the phone beside the bed rang. It was Jamie.
“Your father’s secretary told my mother you’re coming home tomorrow,” he said.
“Yes.”
“My sister said she’d drive me to the Crest the day after tomorrow. I’ll call first if that’s okay.”
“Of course it’s okay, Jamie. How are you doing?”
“I sit with my leg on a stool. Dr. Bush said I should start putting more weight on it gently when I walk with crutches.”
“Well, do what he says.”
“It’s easier to just sit here.”
“Jamie, remember what my mother told me, something I told you years ago.”
“What?”
“If you have so much self-pity, you won’t have anything to offer people who need it.”
He laughed.
A wave of fatigue washed over me. “I’m a little tired,” I said.
“Sure. I understand.”
“Get some rest, too. I want to see someone who is hopeful when I see you in two days,” I said. I really was tired, but I wished I could have kept talking. I didn’t want to risk my full recovery, however. Got to be a little selfish sometimes, I told my conscience.
When morning came, to say I was anxious was a tremendous understatement.
I practically gobbled down my breakfast and couldn’t take my eyes off the clock.
About ten thirty, I was surprised to see Daddy arrive with Aunt Frances beside him.
I didn’t know why, but he had to explain his appearance, my own father.
Why wasn’t it just natural for him to want to see me?
“I had an early meeting with a distributor in Bar Harbor and told your grandfather I’d handle this.
Frances will gather your things. I have the car waiting.
She already came to the Crest last night and arranged your room according to what she says were Dr. Knox’s orders and requirements.
I’ll inform the desk,” he said, and stepped aside.
“Your father told me to bring you this to wear,” Aunt Frances said, and handed me a nightgown, a robe, and my furry slippers.
“Why can’t I wear regular clothes until I get home?”
“Oh, starting already,” she said, tossing the garments onto the bed. “I told my father to double my salary. Stress.” She closed the door behind her and stood there with her arms folded.
“I’m the one who isn’t supposed to have stress,” I said.
“Oh, don’t worry. I’m on that,” she replied threateningly.
“You don’t have to do this,” I snapped back at her. “There are private nurses on Birdlane Island, too.”
She looked a little frightened for a moment.
“It makes my father happy, which makes my life easier, too,” she said. “Let’s just get you home and make you comfortable.”
I shrugged. Why couldn’t she talk to me in a kind way before? Why did she have to be threatening?
I put on the nightgown, robe, and slippers while she gathered any personal items.
“Just sit there,” she said. “I have to get a wheelchair.”
“Wheelchair?”
“It’s protocol.”
She left, and I plopped back on the bed.
Dr. Knox came in next, with my father beside him.
“Everything is looking good,” he said. “The next week of recovery is important, so just follow your aunt’s instructions, which came from me. I’ll be there to see you tomorrow. Any questions?”
“Do I have to stay bedridden?”
“For the first few days. Then you’ll take short walks in the house, accompanied. I don’t want anything to happen to my perfect job,” he said, smiling.
“Okay.”
“Let’s get moving,” Daddy said. “As usual, we have a crisis of some sort at the business.”
“With Bar Harbor Wilson Brothers?” I asked.
His eyes widened. “No. I took care of that.” He looked at the doctor.
“You have a very alert daughter. Rare these days,” Dr. Knox said.
Daddy grunted and stepped back for Aunt Frances and the wheelchair.
Aunt Frances quickly came around to guide me into it, which I thought was a bit over-the-top.
I was far from that helpless, but it seemed to please Dr. Knox.
He followed us out the door and to the limousine.
It was a cool, mostly cloudy day, but to me it was pure sunshine.
About ten minutes later, Daddy’s driver and, surprisingly, Aunt Frances lifted me, wheelchair and all, into the boat.
Aunt Frances put a blanket on me and sat beside the chair, her hand on it, while we pulled away from the dock and toward Birdlane Island.
I gazed at her out of the corner of my eye.
The veins in her forehead were prominent.
She seemed to be gritting her teeth, her jaw taut.
I had never really looked so closely at my aunt, but looking from her to Daddy, I could see why they thought they were twins.
Although Daddy was handsome, he had a similar forehead and similar lips.
It was just that he was filled out more and seemed more alert.
She looked like she was constantly in an angry dream.
There was a lot that was similar in their personalities, but they fought, being brother and sister.
I rarely heard him give her a compliment, and she was always finding fault with what he did.
The boat rocked steadily as we sailed home, but everything about it felt different now.
Without the warmth of my mother’s hand to hold or the sound of her voice guiding me through the wind and waves, it all seemed hollow.
My heart was strong now, but the emptiness inside felt heavier than ever.
The sea stretched endlessly before me, carrying me home.
For a fleeting moment, I could almost see her reflection in the water, bringing me a small sense of comfort.
When we arrived at the dock, Daddy drove off to his office, and we were taken to the Crest. Grandfather’s limousine and his driver were outside at the front. Anna came running when we pulled up.
“Your room is all ready. Aunt Frances arranged it last night.”
Aunt Frances began carrying my things into the house. She left Anna to assist me.
“Where’s Grandfather?”
“He’s getting some things together and will be in your room shortly,” Anna said.
My room looked like the one I had just left at the hospital. All my posters, pictures, and awards were gone. The window had a sheer sheet over it. The hospital equipment was on two tables beside the bed. The bedding even looked like hospital bedding. I stepped back as if the room were on fire.
“I’m not going in there,” I said. “I am coming home, not returning to the hospital.”
Grandfather came walking quickly down the hall.
“What’s happening?”
“She’s changed my room!”
“I did what is necessary for a recovery room. It’s doctor’s orders. We have to keep her blood pressure controlled, and too much contact with the outside world right now is not advisable,” Aunt Frances recited.
“Doing that to her room certainly won’t keep her blood pressure from rising,” Grandfather said. “I’m sure the doctor didn’t mean anything this extreme. Restore her room.”
“What?”
“Do it. I’ll speak to Dr. Knox before I leave,” Grandfather said.
She glared at me, huffed, and then walked off to get my things.
“Let’s wait in the living room,” Grandfather said. He embraced my shoulders, and we walked to the sofa and sat. “Unfortunately, Frances can be irritating sometimes.”
“Where are you going, Grandfather?”
“New York. Our biggest distributor who handles…”
“Thirty percent,” I said.
He smiled. “You’ve been reading the material. I’m so pleased, Lisa.”
“Better than other things I was given. What happened?”
“Your father got into an argument with the corporate heads over nickel-and-dime issues. I’m attending their board meeting to see if I can calm things down. Not the first time.”
“How long will you be away?”
“Two, two and half days’ travel, but Anna will keep me informed, and I’ll speak with Dr. Knox, who will see you tomorrow.”
Aunt Frances appeared. “The throne is ready for Your Highness,” she said.
“Ignore her. Just follow Dr. Knox’s orders. I’ll see if I can cut the need for her short.”
We rose and headed back to my room. It looked like almost all was restored. She stepped back with a smug smile.
“Okay?”
“Just take care of her well. Your brother will be here for dinner. When was the last time you two ate together?” Grandfather asked.
“I think before we were born,” she said sarcastically. “All he does is complain. Not good for my digestion.”
Grandfather laughed, and I got into bed.