(c) Copyright Mary Faderan 2019
All rights reserved
The blue skies over the Appalachian Mountains were quite
interesting this morning. From the view
that Laura Moore Oates had in her kitchen window, in a modest Cape Cod house
that she and her husband, Mike (Doctor Mike to the local gentry) owned. The skies had streaks of clouds, sharp and
angled across a flaming sunrise. Orange,
reds, and the blue azure background, Laura saw this and smiled to herself. She was a wife of three years to Michael
Oates, MD.
She had grey eyes, her hair was cut somewhat long but carelessly
brushed back to reveal a face that was pale and drawn. In her thirties, Laura
was still attractive and had a good figure.
Time with Mike was kind to her, she thought. But she never had kids and Mike never wanted
to talk about kids with her. It was
something they never discussed. It might
be, she thought, due to how he had a bad relationship with his own father,
George Oates.
George, she knew, was a bastard.
He stole his wife away from Jonathan Moore, Laura's father. Moore was still alive, in his cozy house in
Columbus, Ohio. They spoke sometimes
during the months but Jonathan never came to visit. He had an aversion towards Mike. Laura tried to quell the sad feelings that
went up from her chest to her throat.
Life with Mike was good, she still insisted to herself. But there was a lack of vivacity and she
missed the city of Columbus, those bright and happy days when she worked as a
lawyer for her father's firm. It was a
lack that she couldn't fulfill as Mike's wife.
She never truly cared to leave the Law.
But she was his wife now and their love was what kept her in that place,
that place where the poorest of all American whites lived. There were some things that she couldn't
quite get used to but it would only bother her if she was out and about.
She had to do her own work.
Mike hated to have someone come to help with the chores. He rather Laura did it all. Mike, she realized just then, was a spoiled
man. He had his job as the physician in
charge at the local hospital where he was the only internist on staff. He earned some more money now than when they
first got married. Then, he was a working doctor in the very poor area of
Appalachia. That was because he was
serving time for having accidentally (his word) killed off a man who tried to
threaten his career at Yale New Haven Hospital.
The judge and Mike's boss, Leo Bartholomew, and his arresting
officer, Inspector Ingraham, got together with the judge whose name Laura
couldn't remember, and dealt with Mike's destiny. He would not serve time in prison for the
real murderer was a hit man hired by one of George Oates' mob connection. The murder of Dr james Levy was made by a hit
man paid by Ross, the mobster from Branford Connecticut, and urged on by Ross'
familyl friend Missy wright. Missy's
aunt died on the table and James Levy was the offending surgeon - neurosurgeon
- who let her bleed out, they charged.
Missy was also the ex-girlfriend of Mike Oates.
There were so many turbulent events in the courtship of Mike and
Lauren. The courtship was a passionate
fling, then it was borne out of a connection that was secret, that secret was
that Mike had stabbed Levy and left him for dead and fled for his life. He sought Lauren out to see if she could find
a way to get him out of his existential hole.
Then they had more time together while he hid and while he was
placed under the care of Jonathan Moore, who himself had a pledge to help Mike
Oates whose mother, Olivia was Jonathan's former fiancee.
It was a mixed up world for Lauren. She was dazzled by Mike's good looks, as many
women in his life had been.
She heard the scuffling of something in the garage and she
realized that a squirrel had lodged itself in the gap above in the roof. Lauren went to the nearest closet and took
out a broom. "Damn squirrel,"
she muttered to herself. She took the
broom, then went up the rickety stairs to the attic and amidst the dusty
furnishings marched to the spot where the squirrel might have odged itself and
jabbed at the spot with the endn of the broom.
The suirrel scurried away and left an odd silence.
Lauren shivered and felt very much alone.
She got back to the kitchen and went to the telephone. She dialed Mike's number.
"Hello." His
voice sounded disembodied.
"Mike, I'm missing you, suddenly."
"Oh, why is that?"
"Oh that squirrel."
"Did you beat him up?"
"No, I just jabbed at the spot he was in." She
sighed. "What time do you think
you'll be home tonight?"
There was a pause. He
might have been looking at the clock.
Laura knew she was too early to ask him.
"I'm not sure. It's only past nine. What if I called you around three and tell
you?"
"Ok. ARe you doing
ok?" Somehow Lauren wondered
whether he ought to ask her that question even though - she paused and shook her head slightly.
"Ok, fine. Talk to you later."
He hung up.
"Hell." She
hated it when he never lingered to talk to her.
Lauren hung up the phone and decided to get dressed. She was going out and nobody was going to
stop her.
She got out of her house clothes and put on something nice. A pant suit, something out of her old career
as a lawyer in Columbus. She still had
the figure to fit into it. It made her
smile somehow. "Well, we'll see
what we'll see out there, shall we?"
She said to herself.
Mike Oates, MD sat back and stared at the woman in front of
him. She was one of the nurses who had a
thing for him. "Ok, tell me what
more news about the patients." MIke
said coolly.
"Just that Mr. Jonah is doing worse. He is asking to get released though."
"Fat chance of that."
"And then Mrs. Jenkins needs to have more dialysis bags and
the pharmacy is threatening they might not have enough for the week."
"Tell them I'll make them hurt if they don't give her what she needs."
"And that teenager who needs to have a GI series is doing
worse."
"Ok, I'll check that one.
Name?"
"Oh, here, let me see." She checked her notepad. Oates noticed she was a pale blond and that
her lips were well formed.
"Rizzo."
"Rizzo?"
"Yes, Idemno Rizzo."
"Ok fine. I'll go see them." He sighed. "Go now. I'm hearing my phone."
The nurse, whose name he forgot, got up.
"Er - what's your name again?" Oates asked.
She looked at him with a flash of irritation. Surely he
remembers people's names, she had thought.
"Annie."
"Ok Annie. I'll
touch base with you later."
He turned to take out his cell and waited till Annie left the
office. "Oates, who's this?"
"Hey, it's Ross. How's the man from Hell doing?"
"Hell with you for that."
"Ok, so I'm not supposed to call you ut I'm now out of
jail."
"Hurrah."
"I'm in need of your help, Mike. Remember?
We were talking..."
"No we were not. You got arrested for trying to kidnap me
and for sicing that Missy on my fiancee.
What we have to say to each other is not important now."
"No, you have a debt to pay."
Mike leaned forward.
"I'm not sure I am hearing you right, you bastard."
"YOu need to talk about this. You signed that agreement. You were going to be my guy and that you were
going to have Missy and that you were never going to be in jail for
anything."
"What do you mean never going to be in jail? I did
not go to jail, I was given a reprieve.
Your man killed that bastard. Not
me."
"I hate to tell you but I still have that agreement you
signed."
"I've a mind to call Ingrahma and make them take you back
to jail."
"No, Ingraham's retired and he's in LaLa Land doing flips
in the pool where his girlfriends love him."
"I hate you."
"Ok so here's the deal.
I want that bank you have 50 [ercent of and need that 50 percent of
yours."
"Hell with that."
"No you're in hell, Mike.
I'm now in my lovely palace in Branford.
They never do much to people like me in Connecticut. The whole fucking state is in the Mob. Hear
me?"
"Hate you."
"I can't help that.
Shall we talk sometime?
Somewhere?"
Mike felt sick to his stomach.
He gripped the cell phone and resisted the urge to throw it out the
window.
"No, I won't talk."
"Hey, don't talk too hastily. I'm taking a look at that lovely wife of
yours."
"You in town?"
"I'm in town."
Mike decided not to say too much. He had an inkling that his cell was being
guarded still.
"Ok, you don't wanna talk, let's me say
something," Ross said
smoothly. "I'm going to the poor
man's hotel bar in town here and I'll be waiting for you let's say around 4:30
pm. You get your slim butt here and we
can have a chow down."
"Go fuck yourself."
"I'll see you there."
Ross took his glasses off, the shades were too dark and he was
watching Lauren leave her sleek Toyota Camry and march into the Elite Beauty
Salon. "She's still quite pretty,
isn't she?" Ross asked.
"Yes, she's still a looker."
Ross glanced at his companion.
His companion was Linn, his manservant.
"I'm sure there'll be some nice guy who'll like to have her once
we've taken care of Oates."
"Sick of that bastard." Linn said coldly. "When do you need this woman out of his
life?"
"No, not that fast.
She'll have to find out how stupid she was to have gotten involved with
him."
"How are we going to manage that?"
"Easy, he's rattled now and he'll be a boor to her for the
rest of their lives together."
"Ha."
"Yes, ha."
"Whoa there, Mike.
Where's the fire?" A
familiar voice came from behind him.
It was the hospital administrator, Strater, who Mike hated to
see whenever he was in a hurry.
But Mike paused and said, "Hi, Strater. I'm on my way to see someone. Appointment outside the hospital." He
hated having to tell the truth.
"Oh, hey, don't let me stop you," the man smiled at him with a winning
smile. A real doctor who loved his job,
Mike said to himself. "I just wanted to say that we want to make sure you
and the missus attend the annual picnic this Saturday. YOu'll come, won't you, Mike?"
Mike glanced again at the clock.
"Sssure, I'll tell the wife."
"Ok fine. Great to
talk to you." Strater walked away with a smile still on his face. But the nurse who saw him coming at her
looked strangely at him.
She went to her friend and said in a hush, "That Strater
sure hates that guy MIke Oates."
"Why d'you say that?"
"Oh, just that he made a face after he talked to Mike
Oates."
"Oates is like some ass-licking SOB." The other person
said with a sniff. "He's cutting
out early again today."
"Oh really?"
"I've been thinking he's done it several times this
week."
"But he's a doctor, they never hang around after five
o'clock."
"Jes' like any doctor."
They both snickered and watched MIke hurry out of sight.
The black 1957 Mercedes Benz that Mike drove wheeled out of its
parking spot and blended into the traffic that was coming from the huge parking
lot behind the Lofton Hospital building where MIke had hospital
privileges. Mike inherited the car from
his mother, Olivia, who had it forever since George Oates died. Olivia, now in her sixties, was wheelchair
bound and did not drive at all. Mike was
expected to take care of her but since he was still serving his time in the
Appalachias, she was cared for by the area hospital nursing care where she recovered
some months ago from a stroke. He called
her from time to time and she could talk to him but it was clear he really
didn't know what to talkt o her about.
She used to talk about everything, all the social stuff, seeing her
favorite hair dresser, the shops, the movies she saw, mostly with Jonathan
Moore, and all that sort of thing. But
she wasn't able to really talk well and so it was his turn to tell her about
his life and it wasn't much to talk about.
He hated his life and it was only tolerable when he came home
from work and Lauren had dinner ready.
She wanted to do more for him by working but he said he didn't want her
to work for some criminal law guy who would have poverty stricken defendants to
talk to. Mike was too much into his
prestige as a doctor. He always stressed
how his years at Yale New Haven gave him a good background in medicine.
But he didn't call home today.
He was more interested in keeping this conversation with Ross a private
thing.
He finally went into a small parking lot which was next to the
popular bar and grill - the only one in the area - which made him even more
unhappy. He was a famous person in the
place where they lived by now. But nobody ever knew why he was practicing there. Nobody spoke about how he ended up in such a
bad podunk town where they paid him a pittance where he could have earned
millions of dollars somewhere in Beverly Hills or Park AVenue. And everyone couldn't talk too much about how
his beautiful wife was just going to pot in their ranch house near the
Tennessee Creek that came up behind it.
Mike was in a bad mood by the time he got into the bar and grill
restaurant. The place was not filled
with customers, which he was glad about. But he spotted Ross having a martini
and sampling some appetizers behind the bar close to the back. Something about this scene gave Mike a dread
and then he realized Ross knew everyone in the place and they knew just where
to put him.
It made him even more upset.
By the time he got to Ross' table, he was fairly steaming. "What the hell do y ou want?"
"Hey, now, what about How are you, haven't seen you for a
while, what's going on?" Ross raised his eyebrows at him.
"YOu sure haven't changed much since they hauled you into
prison."
"You look tired, MIke.
Let's have a chat, shall we?"
Ross smiled at him impersonally.
Ross was the sort of guy who had no real ability to look old. He looked old but didn't. He had a creased face, mostly due to a lack
of fatty tissue. WHereas MIke had a face that tended to look a bit fat and
today he wasn't in his best mood which added to the sullen and jowly features
of his face. "I think you need to
sit down."
The tone of Ross' voice was low and emphatic.
Mike sat down finally. He
didn't bother to remove his jacket. They
squared off before each other.
The waiter came and asked Mike for his order.
"I'm not staying."
"Sure you are. Give him a nice scotch, will you? And bring some more appetizers." Ross said with an affable smile at the
waiter.
The waiter left and then silence came on.
Ross waited for a few minutes.
Mike wasn't sure what he was in for.
He felt a churning in his stomach.
It wasn't his ulcer but it was getting to that point. "I'm sure you have something to tell
me. Just tell me now."
"HOw's the wife?"
Asked Ross suddenly.
There was a hunted ook on Mike's face. "She's good. Don't talk about her."
"Ok, well, Missy's married now. She married a nice guy who practices plastic
surgery in Manhattan."
"Hell with that."
"And they're expecting twins."
"Oh hell."
"She had to spend some time in jail but the lawyer we got
her made her have a very short term in jail."
"Ok fine."
"I have to tell you she doesn't iss you one itty bit."
"Tell me what you want to tell me, my wife is having a good
dinner for me."
The waiter arrived. The
drink was served and remained untouched.
"Hate this, Ross. Tell me what you want."
"Oh ok.
Here," he took out a sheaf
of pae=pers from his inside jacket pocket.
"Rememver this?'
"YOu'll tell me."
"Papers you signed.
These are goin g to make me fucking rich, my man. Here, you signed over all of your percentage
of Oates Columbus Bank. You said you'd
honor this for the very reason that you wanted to keep your life intact nand
that we weren't going to tell on you fo killiing James Levy."
"I did NOT kill James Levy."
"NO, you didn't hang around to see if he was really
dead. But you sure opened a big wound
that got his guts spilling out on the pavement, didn't you?" Ross spat out
at him, venom came out of his mouth and his eyes were furious.
"So," Mike
smiled at him finally. "So I did
not kill him. So I don't care. I'm
servign some of this time here and I am still not convicted of this man's
murder. YOu and Missy wanted Levy deead
beore I got to him and I just gave the guy some pause time to get really killed
by your moronic hit man."
"Sure, that happened that way." Ross spread the document in front of MIke but
Mike brushed it away. "Hey, don't do that, you bastard." Ross was mad now. "It's stlil a document and it's
legal. You need to honor it, Mister
Doctor."
"What about if I said no."
"We'll sue you. And
then eveyting about you will come out of hiding. YOur dear wife will be so very
disappointed. I bet you she's already
feeling awfully sad and missing the best life a lawyer could have in Columbus,
Ohio. What about that, Mike?"
"Crap."
"Ok go ahead. Just
go ahead and say yes for once in your god forsaken life. Tell me that I'll be the full owner of this
stupid bank. I want it and I want it
now."
Mike got up and the sudden movement made the chair fall over behind
him. The other customers paused and
watched. Some people whispered. ISnt'
that Dr Mike Oates? They all asked each
other.
Ross smiled with a sprarkle in his eye. "Ok you're behaving
like a bad boy. YOu were always a
spoiled bastard. Why don't you just get
this through your head. I'm going to give you till Saturday to finally let this
document go live in the courts of Ohio.
I'lm going to wait and see and if you don't go and agree with this, you
will be sorry."
"Sorry, huh?"
"Just leave, you're boroing me now."
Ross turned away and started to nurse his martini.
Mike left feelig like the sails in his quarter had gotten
ripped. He was in a horrible mood by the
time he got to the car. Inside, he sat
and felt sick. He didn't have any way of
finding out if this document was legal or not.
If it wasn't legal he could still say no, but the man was threatening
the courts to get this bank and he had signed it. It was signed under duress, true, but what
was going keep that argument sticking.
He had to ask someone. If
he told Lauren, the lawyer in his immediate family, she would be truly
disapointed in her life with him. It
made him even more depressed.
He couldn't talk to his mother, Olivia. It would proably finish her off.
Jonathan would be someone he could talk to but Jonathan wasn't
too friendly these days. He was really
finished with Mike by now, he guessed.
The drive home was uneventful which was to Mike's luck. The only luck he was ever going to have. Ross was winning this round, he knew. The time
was five thirty in the evening. It was
just the worst of days for him. He felt
like killing himself. He wanted to but
it was not a strong urge yet.
Chapter Three
She went to her car and used the keyless entry that her car
featured. But as she approached the car,
a car came out of nowhere and she realized too late that the man was driving
backwards out of his parking slot. He had not seen her car parked behind his
and he drove his backside into her car's.
"Oh my God!"
Lauren exlaimed. She was mad as
fury and then went on to watch helplessly as the man stopped his car and got
out.
He looked handsome in his navy suit. Lauren couldn;t deny that
he was attractive. He went to see the damage.
His face was grim and then he looked up and saw her. "Is this your car?"
"Yes, and you've wrecked it!" She said with bitterness
in her voice. She was going to have to
explain this to Mike. It wasn't a great
thing to look forward to, she knew.
The man went to her and said, "Look I didn't realize that
your car was right behind mine. You must have parked after I did. Listen,"
he tried to be conciliatory. "I'll pay for damages, honest. Let me give you my contact information. Let's
not get upset, it's not a lot of damage, listen, are you alright?"
"I am." She tried to look brave and said, "My husband is going to be very upset
with me."
"Oh, don't worry.
I'm loaded. I have a good insurance
and I'm sure this thing will be fixed in no time."
Lauren breathed in and sighed.
"Ok, well, it's a fender bender.
I'm sure this can be resolved."
He looked at her with a renewed interest. "You're not from around here, are
you?"
"No, I'm from Ohio."
"No kidding!"
His face creased into a smile. Lauren saw he had lovely blue eyes that
rivaled Mike's.
"No, I'm from Columbus.
Do you come from there, Ohio, I mean?"
"I'm from Cincinnatti. I was visiting a client here. I'm a lawyer, by the way."
"Oh, my God. So am
I!" Lauren was grinning. "My father is Jonathan Moore, he has a
big law firm in Columbus."
He paused. "I'm Randolph Linn. I work in New York and Ohio and
Michigan. I have a large law firm
too. I"m visiting a patient who is
stranded in the area. I hope that my
poor car and your car will get fixed soon.
I'm at this hotel. I can be
reached at this cell number." He
gave her his card.
Sure enough, it was a card that was very classy - linen and
black embossed lettering. Lauren was
getting impressed increasingly at this man.
"I"m Lauren Oates. I'm
married to Mike Oates. He and I grew up
in Columbus."
He looked disappointed. "You're married?"
She was embarassed.
"Yes, why?"
"I thought you were a student or something."
"I am sure you are kidding me."
"NO, look, why don't we meet tomorrow. We'll discuss the weather in Ohio, or, we
could do something about getting our cars fixed. Is there a place here that you use to fix
cars?" Randolph Linn looked about
in some distaste. "This place is
really not my speed. I guess you know
the places here to fix anything?"
Lauren felt more embarrassed.
"Oh, I can get this car fixed sometime. Just give me your insurance and I'll get rid
of the dent."
"OH, no, you and I need to talk."
"Well, I - uh - I"
"No, I need to know what you're doing in this town? You're
a lawyer, I guess and that seems like you're a fish out of water in this
place."
He looked at her up and down and with an appreciative look as
well in his eyes.
She stood on one foot and then the other, as though she was a
little girl who wasn't quite used to all this appreciative looks. "I'm a lawyer but I don't
practice."
"Ok, I need to talk to you about that." He gave her
should er a pat. "Let's talk ok?
Tomorrow? How about lunch? Is that good?
I'll come to pick you up - oh - give me your address and let's go for a
nice drive in the better neighborhoods in this town."
She reluctantly gave him her address which he carefully noted in
his cell phone. Lauren smiled
uncertainly as he went off to his car.
He waved and got inside. Soon he
was motoring away. The blast of interst
from his personality made a big difference to Lauren. She felt as though she was blown away by this
man's personality. He seemed so
interested in her. Lauren slowly got
into her car and sat in it for a full minute before she started the motor. "Oh, my God, thtat was intresting."
Her breathing slowed and then she felt happy.
It was so nice that she met someone who was a lawyer and it was so
fortuitous that she had been looking her best.
Chapter Four
Just as he entered the kitchen, the kitchen door opened. Lauren, with her new styled hair and chic
outfit, entered. She wasn't looking up
but looking down at her purse. She
realized someone was in the kitchen with her, and she glanced up. "Oh!
You're home."
"Damn right I'm home.
Where the hell have you been?
What's with the hair?" He
interrogated.
She looked at him, her feelings shrinking at the anger that she
sensed in him, but her face was immobile.
"I've been out. I had a hair appointment."
"Oh, so you spent all day there?"
"No, I did not. She
was booked solid and I had to wait a bit."
Lauren looked away and put the keys on the hook near the door. "I'll have dinner in a few. You like steak and some potatoes, is that
what we want for dinner?"
Her tone was not heated but he knew she was mad at him despite
this. Mike lost his irate attitude and
slumped in his stance. "Hell,
whatever you want, I'll eat it. I've had
a lousy day."
"Obviously."
"No, I'm fucking sorry now.
Dont make dinner. Let's have something from the freezer."
"No, don't be too eager for frozen food. I need to do some work."
He looked at her with a quizzical face. "Why?"
She flushed. "I got
into an accident."
"Oh, my God what do you mean?"
"Oh it was a small dent."
"When did that happen just now? Is that why you were late
coming back?"
"No, I mean, it was after I got out of the salon."
"Hell, that's just fine.
You with an accident and me with a hell of a visit from some bastard out
of Connecticut."
"Oh who was that?"
He turned around and started to leave the room. "YOu don't want to know."
Lauren took the steak out of the refrigerator and put it on the
plate that she placed on the kitchen table. "Dinner in a half hour,
ok?"
"Ok."
She didn't push asking him.
It was what she had feared all her married life. Someone was going to have to deal with him
and what he did in Connecticut. At Yale
New haven Hospital. Lauren sickened in
her own stomach at the idea. She thought
it was done and over with. Why did she ever think this was over? Her fears began to crowd into her mind and
she felt unable to move at this phenomenon that she hated it. Her eyes were at the open door where Mike had
exited. "I'm sick to death, my God,
I don't know why but I'm really fucking sick to death." She uttered in a low voice.
The phone rang at that moment and she hesitated. Did she want to talk on the phone now?
Something told her to move and answer the phone. "Hello?"
"Hello Miss Lauren, it's Marsh." It was her father's valet.
"Marsh," she
gripped the phone. Don't tell me, she said to herself. "What a surprise. How are you?"
"I'm good. YOur father needs to see you."
"Oh no why?"
"He's got a case he wants you to help him with."
"Really," her
voice became more like her voice and not the sullen or even the lifeless tone
it had with Mike. "I'm sure that I
can come to help. Does he want me
tomorrow?"
"Yes he's got a flight for you to take. Just go to the airport and check in on
American. He'll have you on the
flight. I'll be there at the airport to
take you home."
"Good. That's good." Lauren felt buoyant. "I'm glad Marsh. Are you doing ok?"
"Never been better, despite the old gout." There was a slight irony in his tone. "Are you alright, Miss Lauren?"
"Oh, it's just that I had a small accident today."
There was a pause. "Then we can help you with that, I'm sure."
There was a pause. "Then we can help you with that, I'm sure."
She did'nt say anything.
Then Marsh said, "I'll see you tomorrow. FLight is at seven in the morning. You'll need to get to the airport an hour
before is that good?"
"I think so." Her stomach fluttered with excitement
and tension. "Oh, my, this is nice
of Father to ask me to help him."
"He's needing a lot of help on this case. I'll see you tomorrow then, shall I?"
"Yes, of course."
Marsh hung up and looked at Jonathan Moore. "She was in an accident."
"Oh is that so?
She's not hurt?"
"NO she said it was a small accident."
"Nothing really big happens where they live, thank
God."
"Not really, but she sounded upset when she first answered."
Jonathan steepled his hands and then said, "Oh well. It's just as well I need her expert
help."
"Yes." Marsh
said with a flat expressoin on his face.
#
Mike was about to put a large piece of steak into his mouth when
she said this and he paused.
"What?"
"I just said,"
Lauren said as she settled down across him to serve herself some
potatoes. "I'm leaving tomorrow to
get to help my father on a case."
"Oh," Mike ate
the piece of meat he had on his fork and then leaned back as he chewed. "Great.
I can't stand this. I need you
here."
"Why?"
"Oh, I just do."
"No, you know I love the idea of working again. You really need to have me work, Mike."
"So you want to go back to Daddy and work like before a
high powered woman lawyer," he
raised a glass of wine to his thin lips. "I know I don't earn enough for you but I
want you to stay home and we can make a family someday."
The sound of this idea made a negative impression on
Lauren. She wasn't sure she wanted a
family with Mike. The realization made
her gasp slightly. "I'm sure I can
work somewhere near by. Grainger is not
that bad - there are properties where I can get myself an office -
"Stop right there,"
he raised a hand. "Nobody
wants you to work on your own. I can't stand that you could get raped in the
office while I'm at work."
"So I'll hire an associate and my office will have a
secretary and a legal aide, or some sort of paralegal. I'll be ok."
"Honey, it's too much.
I can't take this sort of discussion." Yet he ate with gusto and tossed back the
rest of the wine. It was not a happy
idea to see her going off to work and coming home when he came home. "I'm not sure I want a working
wife. If you were to work for some other
guy and maybe you could do a part time kind of thing?"
"I can try," Lauren replied with a monotone. "I'm not really sure I can get a great
deal of work done in this area. I could
possibly but I don't know."
"I suppose you could sue that bozo who got into your car's
rear end."
"Oh him."
"OH him," Mike
looked at her with a sly expressoin on his face. "You didn't tell me his name."
"Oh, it's someone named Linn."
"Linn, huh?"
"Yeah, he is a lawyer too."
"What the hell's he doing in Grainger for God's
sake?" Mike started to raise his
voice. "I'm suspicious of this
guy."
"Oh, Mike," she
sighed.
"Oh yes, I want to know, tell me what about how is he going
to pay you for damages?"
"I'll handle it. He
gave me his contact information and insurance."
"I bet he did. I bet
he asked for your number, didn't he?"
Lauren raised her eyebrows in surprise, "Well, it's natural
people who get into accidents give each other their contact info, Mike
Oates."
He pushed back his plate.
"I've had enough. Crap on
this. I hate this guy now."
"What's your problem, Mike?"
Mike looked at her with a sharp expressoin in his eyes. "I'm not happy that today I got some bad
asshole from the past to get to me."
"Oh?" Lauren
glanced at the clock on the wall. She needed to pack.
"I'm sure you remember that bastard Ross. The guy who wanted me to sell my shares of
Oates Bank stock to him?"
Lauren would have felt a crawl of dread up her back but she was
already thinking of being in Columbus.
"I remember. So he wants
that still? I doubt he'll get that,
judging from your reaction."
"I won't sell to him. He's going to have to face a lot of
the law I can sic on him."
"Did you call my father to ask him?"
Mike looked at her with a slight downturn of his mouth. "I'm not his favorite son-in-law."
"You're the only one, silly man."
"Ok, so you think your Dad can help?"
"I don't see you have anyone who'll do it for you around
here, do you?"
"Hell, I hate your attitude."
"Oh Mike. Let's just go to sleep. I need to get up early."
Mike got up and left the room.
She sat and ate her meal without much ado. He was getting to her and she was hating him
even as she watched his back disappear out of the room behind the door. Her face was expressionless. The meal was good, she thought. It wasn't long before she felt a great
heaviness over her shoulders. I am sick of this bastard, she thought.
Her father would know what to do, she also knew. Her thoughts drifted to her
time with her father and the case they would talk about. She decided to pack for the week and hoped it
would not be all work. She wanted to visit with some old friends. Three years
away from Columbus, she thought, and her heart was heavy in Grainger,
Tennessee.
Mike went to sleep first.
She saw he was fast asleep when she got up finally from the kitchen's
chores. She went to pack. Her suitcase was not too heavy andn it had
those roller feet. She knew it might be chilly in the morning. Lauren put together a casual outfit to
wear. Her thought about her car made her
wonder if she needed to see how safe it would be to drive the 53 miles to the
airport. But she wasn't caring about
that. It was a good car and it was not
that new but it had a low mileage. Her father and her hadn't spoken much in the
last few months. It worried Lauren but
she knew it had to do with Mike. She was
going to have to talk to her father about Mike, she realized.
Mike wasn't really sleeping.
He listened to Lauren pack. Then
he remembered his dialogue with Ross earlier that day. It made his blood boil to think of Ross out
of jail and wanting some of his own property.
It also bothered him about this guy who hit Lauren's car. He didn't even get to look and check out her
car. It wasn't great of him, he
knew. The whole marriage thing wasn't
going well, something told him in his thoughts.
He hated himself. He hated that
he wasn't a father yet. He didn't know what they were doing wrong about that. Lauren was normal and so was he, or was that
really true? Mike kept his mouth pursed
as he pretended to be asleep. Lauren got
into bed finally but she faced the other way.
The marriage was getting rockier by the day, Lauren thought as she lay
in bed with Mike on the other side of it.
Chapter Five
She rose from the bed and slipped on her robe. Her towels and bath things were in their
bathroom. She again hated Mike for doing this stupid stunt. Lauren took to the spare bathroom and started
her day there.
Mike spoke little to her that morning. He was dressed when she was taking her coffee
and cereal. Then she heard him say,
"Have a safe trip, Lauren."
"Thanks. I'll tell you when I'll be back home."
"Ok." He barely glanced at her when he took his
doctor's white coat in his hand on the way to the garage.
Lauren's car was doing well enough through five o'clock traffic
going to Knoxville's airport. She had
the music on. Her mood lifted higher
each minute she neared the airport. It
was as though a bad effect from her home was leaving her slowly and the trail
of mist that emanated from her car's exhaust that was due to the cold hitting
the warmth reflected the lessening of the heaviness she felt in her
muscles. It was an easy drive and soon
she was getting into their long term parking garage. Her luggage bag was also easy to lift out of
the back of the car and her low heels gave her enough balance so that the
effort of dragging her luggage was countered and it was all good.
The wait for the plane wasn't too bad. She bought a magazine and something to snack
on during the plane ride. Her cell was
turned off. Somehow she didn't want
anyone to call her. It might have been
that she was thinking of Mike's caution about Randolph Linn. Her antennae had been turned on when Mike
asked about him. The Ohio connection and
the lawyer connection, both which gave Lauren a bit of a turn. Why it made her decide to stay away from any
calls from Linn was something she knew rang true. There was just too much of a coincidence.
Her plane trip was uneventful. The pilot was as expert as any of
them that flew her from every part of the United States while she worked as a
lawyer. Once the plane touched down like
a soft feather on the ground, the sparse group of travelers came to life. People unbuckled their belts noisily. Someone's child started to chatter as though
she was a doll that had a key that turn her on at the first sign of
disembarking. "Mommy, hold my
doll. I need to get my luggage,"
she said in her little girl voice.
Lauren smiled at hearing this.
She wasn't quite past the age where women worried about biological clocks
but this definitely made her a bit scared that she was going to have difficulty
getting pregnant. If only Mike -- she
tried to quell that wishful thought.
What was it about Mike that they couldn't get that good anymore after
they let him work in Appalachia and they had gotten separated after his case
was dismissed?
Lauren finally got to the gate and Marsh was there larger than
life. A man in his sixties, with a
soldier's stance and a dark look in his face. He was her father's aide de camp,
someone who Jonathan Moore helped in the past from some long ago skirmish with
the law and Marsh was forever in Moore's service. "Hello, Miss
Lauren," Marsh said with some
satisfaction. "Didn't wait too long
did I?"
"Well, the flight was smooth as silk. Let's get out of here, shall we?"
"Good enough. I'll
take your bag. My, it's not that
light."
"I packed for a week's stay."
"I'll say we could use your company for a week. Here's the way to the car."
They walked briskly through the already crowded terminal and
found the right path to the waiting Bentley.
Chapter Six
"You are, at home, Lauren."
"I'm not sure that I can feel like getting back on that
plane in a few days."
"Don't you worry.
We'll take care of you here. I've
got some plans to serve your favorite meals."
She gave him an appreciative look.
Their voyage through the busy highways and streets of Columbus
brought them to Moore's house which was a low lung house that belied a good
appointed interior. Lauren sat
comfortably next to Marsh as he drove them to her home in Bexley's posh
neighborhood in Columbus, Ohio. They had
a good relationship while Lauren was growing up as a teenager, as Marsh was
hired to be their family chauffeur, Jonathan's right hand man and sometime law
clerk. Marsh was, Lauren remembered
fondly, a veteran from a war back in the time when he served with the Royal Air
Force. His fierce scowl would scare
anyone away. She knew he scared a few of
her boyfriends, incluidng Mike Oates.
"So how is my Dad doing these days?" She asked, her
face calm and undisturbed as she surveyed the familiar byways of Columbus.
"Oh, he's ok."
Marsh replied, his voice slow in inflection. "I think yo ustayed away too long, Miss
Lauren."
Lauren tried not to react but she did by saying quickly, "Oh, I know. I don't know why - I guess Mike - " She
caught herself. "Mike's been trying
to get his practice going and I had to be there."
Marsh looked at her quickly as he navigated a turn. He realized there was something wrong with
the marriage now. And that Lauren wasn't
eager to talk to her father about anything during the early years of th
emarraige. Wonder whether Mike is
enjoying her being out of the house, he thought to himself. "I know he was forced to serve."
Marsh said in a curt manner. He hated
Mike and he was glad Lauren was out of that poor, God-forsaken place for a
while.
"Oh, Marsh,"
Lauren smiled with a nervous tic to her cheek. "I'm hoping this will work out for
him. Mike's a - a - a- " She was going to say "good sort"
but it wouldn't come out of her mouth.
"I"m hoping," she sighed out again, "that with time,
Mike will be rehabilitated."
"Is he getting that way?"
"I'm hoping, Marsh.
Now I don't want to discuss Mike any more."
"Right."
"I can't stand that, Marsh," she said with a slight plaintiveness to her
tone. "I do love Mike. I hoped you'd accept that."
Marsh had a laugh and it caught her by surprise. "Oh,
my." Marsh said with a nasty
undertone. "Mike is a
psychopath. You should know that, Miss
Lauren."
She hated that and kept her silence for a while. "YOu want me to leave him, is that how
you see it, Marsh?"
"I don't care."
"Oh, Marsh!"
They weren't speaking as marsh tooled into the ddriveway where
4669 Rose Avenue came to view. That was
their home. Marsh said, "I;ll take
you r luggage inside. Mr. Jonathan's in
his study as you might texpect."
"Fine." Lauren
said, her face slightly red and her eyes watery. I can't help it this guy makes it so hard to
look at Mike anyway but this, her thought told her.
"I'll be serving you a light lunch in a few minutes. How do you like a little wine before
hand?: Marsh asked with an offhand
voice.'
"It's fine. Whatever
you like," Lauren said with a small
sniff of her nose.
"I'm sure."
Marsh said with a shrug. He left
her with the luggage by the front door.
Marsh felt sick with himself. He
didn't want to make this child (she wasa no child but he thought of her as one
still) in a bad mood when she was there to see her father. Moore would be havign his bacon later if
Lauren would tattle on him, Marsh knew.
Yet, he couldn't but put in his own opinion about this miscarried
marriage that Lauren got herself into.
Hate that Mike Oates, he said to himself. He hauled her luggage and disappeared down
the hall.
Lauren closed the front door behind her and tried ot run a hand
through her hair but her hand was shaking with emotion. Her outburst with marsh made her realize that
this was a thing she had to get out with her own father. The whole event of her meeting Mike by chance
at a junction in the lower Appalachian Trail made things happen fast. She told her father then by email that she
and Mike were getting married. Jonathan
first had no reply then he called her and wished them a good wedding and
married life. Jonathan sounded cordial
enough. Lauren hated that she told this
to him and gave him no chance to talk her out of it.
Now she wasn't sure whether there was any work fo rher to do at
his office. Was this trip to hash
through her mistake and her life with mike being that mistake that would affect
her forever? The thoughts warred within
her mind as she walked slowly to find her father in his study.
She stepped up tot eh library door and knocked lightly.
"COme in." Said
a deep voice within.
Lauren entered and drew a deep breath. She saw her father look up from his
desk. He hadn't aged much. But he looked much sterner. "Oh, Father, how are you?"
"You stayed away too long, My daughter," Jonahtha said with a shake of his head.'
"I don't know I guess I thought you disapproved of our marriage."
"I don't know I guess I thought you disapproved of our marriage."
Lauren stood unsteadily in th emiddle of the library.
"No, I don't disapprove." Joanhathn said with a slight smile. He lifted a pipe to his lips. "I merely dislike your husband. You could have come and spent some summers
here with us."
"And what would Mike do in the meantime?"
"I don't know he would have come along, I'm
thinking." Jonahthan smiled again,
this time with a hidden impish look behind the blandness of his face. "Oh, let's not argue, shall we? I"m
needing you help. HOw long can you stay
here?"'
"I"m here for the week. Is that alright?"'
"I"m here for the week. Is that alright?"'
"Sit down, my dear."
She took a chair near his desk.
Her eyes looked arond The library
seemed to be the same. All his trophies
and gew gaws were still there. It never
seemed to change in her mind. "Oh,
ok, that's fine. I don't think I will
keep you more than a week's time."
"I'm sure Mike won't be missing me too much."
"How IS Mike doing?"
Jonathan asked his grey eyes slanting over to look at her.
"I think he's ok."
"Is he performing well enough at that hospital of
his?"
"I think so."
"Do you discuss things about his work?"
"No, not really."
"No, not really."
"Any chance you're pregnant?"
Lauren blushed.
"Really Father, that's about enough from your interrogation,
please!"
Jonathan surmised she wasn't pregnant from her reply. "Lauren, I'm only asking because your
late mother isn't here to ask. For her
sake, I'm asking you."
"No, I'm not."
They were silent, made adversaries by this exchange. Lauren felt heat on her neck. She tried to
shake it off. "Look, father, I'm tired.
I'ld like to get some rest."
"Of course. I'll see
you sometime later. Perhaps a late
lunch?"
"That's fine."
Chapter Seven
"Is there something the matter?" MIke asked, unable to
find a reason to make her leave. He
could still smell the perfume in her skin when they had a fuck the afternoon
before he went to see Ross.
"I'm very sorry, Dr Oates, but I've discovered that I'm
unwell."
"What?"
She looked up at him with her eyes filling with tears. "I just found out that I have
gonorrhea."
"What the fuck?" He got out of his chair with the
surprise. Gonorrhea. It made him scared
shitless. He knew he didn't have it. She
had it, it looked like. Why didn't it
appear? He never saw her that close.
Mrs. Stingay said, "I know.
It's a surprise, but we - my hsuband and I - he went with his girlfriend
and he got it from her. And gave it to
me. I wanted you to know about it."
Mike almost killed her with his fist. "YOu fucking
bitch!"
She drew back. "What?!"
"I'm now stuck with this VD and I'm having to deal with
another problem. I can't stand it. Get out of here!"
She left him and when she got out of his office, she looked as
though her emotions had left her face.
Her body was stil lshaking at the effect of his anger. She never saw him get this out of line
before. Inside his office, she heard
some things being thrown at the wall.
Someone went to her and had heard this commotion. "What's
wrong with that piss ant?" Asked
the other nurse. He was a tall, redhead. "Did you get hurt?"
"No," Mrs
Stingay replied. "I just told him
some bad news."
The redhead nurse looked at her.
"What news is that? IS it
about the patient on 304?"
"No, not that."
She shook her head.
"Tell me, I'm raring to find out." The other nurse was into gossip, and he
wanted some dirt on Mike Oates.
She shook her head again.
"No, I'm not able to say."
She pushed him away and hurried down the hallway.
The news of Mike's explosive temper spread throughout the
unit. Some of the nurses quaked when
they saw him walk past. He tried not to
do or say anything. But he had to find
someone to give him an exam and a prescription for the gonorrhea that the nurse
gave him. There were doctors who were there he could approach. It made him feel sick to have to ask one of
them to give him help. Then he finally
went to one of them and spoke to him in a low voice. "Hey, Rich, can I ask you for a
favor?"
This doctor was reviewing a chart and looked up at him. Rich Cain wasn't a favorite of the nurses
because he was just like Mike Oates, except he was one of the better doctors
and so he was respected. "What's
up?"
"I'm needing help.
Can you and I talk later? Say in
the lounge?"
"Ok - ten minutes?"
Rich asked, looking back at his chart.
"Good."
Mike wandered off and tried to ignore the beep of his
cellphone. Ten to one it was Ross. It was not a good day. He didn't even call his wife, Lauren, to see
if she got in with her flight.
Mike and Rich met at the lounge. There was a woman doctor there
who had been using the lavatory. But she
left and both of the men could talk.
"What's going on?"
Rich asked, his intelligent face watching Mike's.
"I need a prescription.
I've gotten in trouble. YOu know
that nurse, Stingay?"
Rich looked at him guessing what he might have gotten into. "Oh, my God what have you gotten
into?"
"I've got gonorrhea.
She came to tell me this today."
"Shit."
"Yeah. I'm in a pile of trouble. Can you give me an Rx for it?"
"Sure. But I need to examine you."
"Can you do it today? Or later? Soon?"
"Ok, go to one of the rooms where there's nobody
there. Call me and tell me which
room. I'll be in there soon."
Mike and Rich emerged from the empty patient room. Mike pocketed the prescription and said,
"That's good. Thanks Rich."
"Stay away from these nurses, Mike." It was all Rich told him. He left him immediately and disappeared into
the crowd of hospital personnel that greeted him at the end of the hallway.
Mike hated having to get a prescription filled. He had nobody to ask. He decided that since there was not a lot of
work fo rhim to do that he would go to the pharmacy. He couldn't go to the pharmacy in the
hospital. The whole hospital would know
about it. Even when he walked the
corridors of the hospital, he glimpsed some people looking at him
speculatively. It was as though they
knew he was in trouble.
He couldn't get out of there fast enough. He left the building and went to his
car. He sped out of that place like it
was filled with hellish ghosts. Mike was
in hot trouble. First it was Ross. Now it was the dreaded clap.
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