The Audition – Chapter 10
"I come bearing gifts... Can I come in?" Loren said with a smile.
Moving quickly out of the way, Zoey let Loren in and shut the door behind him. Loren put the chinese food on the counter and the boxes on the floor before turning around and grabbing Zoey up in a huge bear hug. Wrapping her arms around Loren, Zoey pressed her lips to his. The kiss was short but just as intense as their first a few days ago. Releasing their hold on each other, Zoey headed into the kitchen to get plates, silverware, and glasses while Loren put the food on the table and got the cola from the fridge.
Putting the plates, glasses, and silverware on the table, Zoey turned on the CD player that still had an Enya CD in it and sat down to eat. Eager to get back to packing and cleaning, they didn't talk much except a few things about what each had done that morning and what they would do after lunch to speed the process up. Soon they were finished and were back to work getting things taken care of.
After a quick clean up of the dishes and the trash from the food, Zoey and Loren grabbed 2 boxes each and headed into the living room where Loren set to packing up the things on Zoey's desk while she continued on to her bedroom to start packing up her clothes. Not long after they started working, the phone rang and Loren grabbed it since he was stacking a box next to the table that held the cordless phone.
"Zoey Redbird's residence, this is Loren, how can I help you?
"I am Officer Tiberius Salazar of the Tulsa Police Department. I am calling about Mrs. Sylvia Redbird. Is Zoey Redbird available?"
"Just one minute I will get her." said Loren. Placing his hand over the receiver, he called for Zoey telling her the phone was for her.
Quickly rushing from the bedroom to the living room to take the call, she looked at Loren with a puzzled look. He mouthed the words Tulsa PD as he handed her the phone.
"Zoey Redbird speaking. How may I help you?"
"Miss Redbird, I am Officer Tiberius Salazar with the Tulsa Police Department. I am calling because Mrs. Sylvia Redbird has been in an accident. We found your number listed in her cell phone as an emergency contact."
"Grandma Redbird! What happened? Is she alright?" asked Zoey with a quavering voice as she leaned against Loren for support.
"Mrs. Redbird will be fine but she is being taken to the hospital. She was hit by a person who was speeding as she crossed the street. I am going to hand you over to the paramedics who are taking care of your Grandmother, Miss Redbird."
"Thank you Officer Salazar."
"Hello Miss Redbird, I am Medic Philips. I am taking care of your Grandmother. Does she have any allergies to medications that you know of or have any conditions we should know about?"
"She's not allergic to anything that I know of. She does have mild arthritis in her hands but other than that she is healthy. What's wrong with my Grandma?"
"She has appears to have a broken hip and a broken leg. We are taking her to St. Johns where they can exam her thoroughly and take care of her.."
"Thank you Medic Philips. Could I please speak with my Grandma?"
"Mrs. Redbird is a bit shaken, but you can speak with her."
"Hello Zoeybird. My leg and hip appear to be broken, but I will be alright."
"Oh Grandma! I wish I was there with you, then I would take care of you!"
"I will be fine Zoeybird. Don't you worry about me. You focus on your packing and moving."
"Alright Grandma. I will be thinking about you! You get better! I love you!"
"I will Zoeybird. I love you too!"
Still leaning against Loren for support, Zoey replaced the cordless handset on the charger base. Turning around she sank into Loren's strong arms and started crying. Scooping her up in his arms, Loren carried Zoey to the couch and sat with her stroking her hair as she cried.
"I could have lost her" she said through the sobs. Loren held her close and whispered in her ear that everything would be alright.
"How do we know? She's all I have since my mother and the step-loser are no longer a part of my life! I can't stand it if I lose her Loren." said Zoey through choked sobs. "I have to go to her. I have to see with my own eyes that she is ok before I will stop worrying!"
"If that's what you want to do my Darling Love, then I will help you do that. I will even go with you if you want me to. We can fly out in a few hours if you want to go tonight. Just tell me what you want to do and I will help you do it." said Loren.
"I want to see her and I will leave as soon as I can." Zoey said as she hurried to grab her small suitcase from the closet in her room. Loren followed her. "Did you want me to come with you?" he asked as he helped her gather clothes.
"I would like that very much" said Zoey as she continued to pack the small suitcase. Rushing into the bathroom, to grab her toothbrush and other bathroom things, she realized most of it was packed away in the boxes for moving. She decided that she would just get new when they got to Tulsa. Quickly zipping the filled suitcase shut, and hurrying out to the living room, she found Loren on his blackberry making the necessary arrangements for their flight and rental car. Zoey quickly pulled out her own phone and called the management office for her apartment building and told them that she would be taking an emergency trip to Tulsa and that she would need more time before she was ready to move. They told her that they could give her an extra week. She said she would be back before then and thanked them before ending the call and dialing the number for Damien and Jack.
Damien answered quickly and Zoey explained what had happened and asked if he and Jack would be willing to keep an eye on her place for her while she was gone and maybe pack a few more boxes for her while she was gone. Damien agreed and hoped that Grandma Redbird would be alright. Zoey thanked him and ended the call. When she did, Loren already had her suitcase in hand and was ready to go. Heading for the door, Zoey grabbed their coats and her purse from the closet as well as her keys from the hook by the door before locking the door and heading out. Loren drove since he would have to run home and pack a small suitcase as well.
Hurrying through the packing, they were out of his apartment in no time and on their way to Laguardia Airport. The flight was smooth and thankfully there were no hassles. When they arrived in Tulsa it was too late to see Grandma Redbird that day, so they found a hotel and stayed there for the night. Zoey decided that she would wait to call Grandma Redbird until morning and she and Loren found a small restaurant near their hotel to have dinner. Dinner was a quiet affair with Zoey lost in thought worried about her Grandma. Once they finished dinner, Loren and Zoey headed to a small drugstore around the corner from the restaurant and bought new travel toiletries since neither had packed any.