Saturday
Marlena blearily looked at the clock. 7:00. She was not an early morning person, and last night she hadn't gotten to bed until 1 a.m. because her mind insisted on reviewing the historic day and wouldn't shut down. But she'd set her alarm for this fairly early hour because she had not made any family calls in the last few days, and she worried the family might think her MIA. Let's see, who hadn't she talked to for the longest stretch? Forcing her eyes open and her mind to start, she snatched her phone out of its charger and speed dialed. And she hit the jackpot, having a chance to talk to Sami, Jake Lawrence, her husband, and even one of the kids, even though it was 4 pm in Switzerland, and a little early for the dinner hour.
"You okay, Mom?" Sami asked.
"Of course. Why wouldn't I be?"
"I don't know. You sound a little odd."
"Honey, I will say a lot has been going on here in Palo Alto. I'll call you again soon - if not before, then definitely on your birthday! We'll talk more then, okay? I've been so busy that I've neglected the other kids too, so I need to make some more calls this morning."
"Alright. Don't overdo, Mom. Maybe you could come for Thanksgiving? Or, maybe we could come to Salem."
"I hope one of those, sweet girl. I want to see you and the family so much. Bye for now."
And so it went. She knew Eric said Mass at 8 am (Chicago time of course), so she did catch him for a few minutes.
"Hi, Mom. Just this minute entered the rectory, so your timing is impeccable."
She again promised to be in Salem to celebrate his birthday. "I know the party is two days late, but my original schedule here wouldn't let me get back any sooner." She hoped he wouldn't notice her "original" comment because she wasn't ready for explanations right now.
He didn't. Eric just responded, "You know I always love to see you, but I think I'm getting too old for birthday parties. Too old for birthdays even."
"You are not! Besides, Tad's birthday is October 20, so we can split the difference for you both. Saves money, time, and effort, honey," she joked.
It was too early to try Carrie's cell, and she didn't trust herself right now to talk to the other two.
Marlena had also not checked her own cell phone messages in at least 24 hours. She started to scroll through, disinterested in most of them. But one, sent at 8:01 a.m. yesterday, put her on high alert. She stabbed the phone and read the contents in a huge rush. Then she jumped out of bed and checked the airline incoming flights to see if they were on time, Yes, just her luck (sarcasm heavy) they were.
Showering, dressing - today she wore pants instead of a dress, applying make-up, she was ready when the phone buzzed. "Hi! I'm so sorry, but I didn't have a chance to read your email until this morning. . My room number is…"
Marlena finished the call, did one last check of herself in the mirror, and then waited. Three minutes later the knock on the door came, and Marlena hastened to open it and greet…
"Carrie!"
"Hi, Marlena." Carrie gave her the warm smile Marlena loved to see.
Carrie had emailed yesterday saying that she was going to meet with a client in Morgan Hill Saturday afternoon. She'd take a flight up to the San Jose Airport early in the morning and would rent a car. She asked if she could stop by and visit Marlena in the morning. This morning.
"Come in." They hugged joyously.
"I'm sorry it's so early," Carrie apologized. "I couldn't get a later flight at short notice."
"Don't apologize! I'm always happy to see you. Even if I have to get up at the crack of dawn," Marlena exaggerated.
They laughed. They sat and Marlena continued, "I'm the one who's sorry. Again, I apologize for not reading your email yesterday. And I also apologize because I need to go to the hospital at 9 am to check on a patient who may be transferred today. I promised someone I would. Plus, Carrie, I have some huge news I'm going to share with you, but I have to ask you to keep it to yourself for a little while. Is that okay?
"Uh, sure. I guess so..."
"Probably just for a couple days," Marlena elaborated.
"Okay. Now I'm really curious. What's the scoop?"
Marlena and Carrie sat close together on the foot of the bed (which Marlena had hurriedly made up). Marlena looked at Carrie squarely and said, "Carrie, a miracle occurred. Last Wednesday when I was leaving the hospital, I happened to notice a man who was sitting in the Physical Therapy waiting area. There was something about him, so I went inside to investigate." Marlena's eyes shone, "Carrie, it was John. John Black."
Carrie's eyes went wide and her mouth fell open. "What?" Really, Marlena? You really saw him?"
"I did! I talked with him there. And I've spent time with him these last three days."
Of course, Carrie was stunned. "That's incredible! That's beyond incredible." she breathed.
Marlena laughed and hugged her again. "I felt - feel - the same way. I was so bowled over. I couldn't believe my eyes. Carrie, I'll be seeing him today at the hospital when I go in a few minutes. Come with me. But I have to warn you, John won't know you. It's a very long story that I'll tell you, just as I will everyone in the family, but he doesn't remember anything about Salem. However, I have told him some vital things, including about you. I am sure he'll want to see you. Of course, he, like us all, is older now. So don't be surprised by the gray hair. Also, he had a terrible break of his left leg, which is why I saw him in the Physical Therapy department.
When Marlena paused for breath, Carrie said, "That's a lot to take in." She looked closely at Marlena's excited face, her sparkling eyes. Carefully she asked, "When you say he doesn't remember anything, you mean he doesn't remember you either?"
Marlena's excitement dropped a few notches. "I'm afraid he doesn't." She became resolute though. "I have faith that he will though, Carrie."
Squeezing Marlena's hand, Carrie said, "I will pray for that. But it's just such unbelievable news. Where has he been all this time?"
"Oh, Carrie, I promise to fill you in, but I'm running late. You have a rental, right?"
Carrie nodded.
"Would you mind driving me to the hospital? It's a really short hop, and usually I walk, but -"
At about 9:10, Marlena left Carrie in a nearby waiting room, and hurried, by herself, to the double occupancy room Joe Catenacci shared with one of the approximately 30% of Vietnam vets with PTSD, and who received experimental treatment to curb it. Before entering, she peeked in the window, but she couldn't see much because the privacy curtains were pulled around both beds inside. She hesitated about going in. Maybe John wanted to be alone with Joe. And because she'd arrived a little late, she assumed John had already gone in. If she'd been on time, she would have asked what John preferred. Now, she would have to take her chances.
Gently she eased the door open and soundlessly stepped inside, not allowing the door to even snick when it closed again. At first she heard nothing, but then she detected a low voice:
"...Rob Wenkins? He never had another nickname. How about Tiny Tim Beaver? Stan The Hammer Wychek? You've got to remember those guys. Then there was that gangly giant kid who came into the unit late. Called him 'Dartboard' because his height made him a target in the field. Kittens, who else? I'm the guy with the memory problems. I bet you have perfect recall of all those guys…"
Marlena edged herself farther into the room until she could see around the curtain. John perched on a chair very close to Joe who sat immobile in a wheelchair right near the window. John apparently noticed her movement because he turned his head. Seeing her, he gave a slight nod of acknowledgement but nothing else. He returned all his concentration to Joe.
"Joe, it's been so long since I transferred out. Before 1980 and Operation Eagle Claw. I know the failure of that operation and the deaths out in the desert must have eaten at you. It wasn't your fault though, Kittens. You did your job."
A faint grunt came from the wheelchair. John looked at Joe. "You hear me, Kittens, It wasn't your fault. And I know I wasn't around when you went through hell in Vietnam. You did two tours there. I never went because I was still in Ranger training when the war finally ended completely for us in '75. You told me a few stories, but I always knew you kept the horrors to yourself. Hell, we all do. No point in telling anyone else about the unspeakable. But you know what, buddy? If it's so bad, so corrosive, that it ultimately paralyzes you, better rethink that tactic. I'm here. I can listen. Open up and tell me what's got you all tied in knots. Is it nightmares that won't quit? Is it something you did in combat? Or something you saw? Get it out of your system. Do you really want to live in this condition the rest of your days? I can't believe you do."
Other than that one grunt, nothing else emitted from Joe.
But then John changed tacks. "Going to tell you a story. There's this little kid I see in this hospital once a week. His name is Buddy Crickson. He's in a wheelchair just like you, buddy. He's really kind of a stick kid because he's got a terrible affliction. He was born with bones that are really fragile. He's got to be very careful because he can break those bones with barely a bump. You've had broken bones, Cat. You know what kind of agony they can be. I sure know it. Couple years ago, I busted up my leg real bad" - John waggled his left knee against Joe's leg. "Damn thing looked like a freaky pin cushion with the sharp 'needle' points stickin out instead of in. But, usually, you and I are blessed with bones that don't let us down. We've both gone through most of our lives with strong bodies. But little Buddy, who's only five, has already endured more bone breaks than both of us have. And the thing is, he's the sweetest little guy. He's not badmouthing God for the body he was clothed in at conception. He's not constantly wailing, 'Woe is me.' And he's not crawling inside of himself and curling up into a catatonic ball. He's persevering. He's scared and cranky sometimes, sure. But he doesn't quit. He doesn't quit. And I didn't think you'd quit, either, Joe."
John lapsed into silence. He watched Joe's slack face, but there were no further grunts and no other actions or reactions. Finally, John turned his head and glanced again at Marlena. Turning back to Joe, he said, "I'm hearing they're going to send you to another hospital today. I'm glad I got the chance to see you before you left." He got up and awkwardly gave his old army buddy a half hug. Moving his chair to what was probably its previous position, he straightened up and gave his friend a salute before walking, with his cane, over to Marlena.
Now that John had finished his visit, Marlena went and sat on the bed where Joe could see her if he wanted to. "Joe, it's Dr. Evans. I just wanted to say good-bye too. If you do get moved, I won't have another chance. I'll try to keep in contact with your doctors though, and if I can do anything for you in the future, I will." She touched Joe's hand and then moved alongside John. He put his arm around her shoulders and guided her to the door.
As they passed into the corridor outside, John' arm around her fell away and he waved at the other name plate underneath Joe Catenacci's. Marlena nodded. 'Quentin Albright' it read. She knew a little about his case. John told her, "I said hello to him before I started talking to Joe. He said the meds they'd given him were making him sleep all the time. I think he thought I was a doctor. He complained about it. Said he might as well be dead if the only treatment was sleeping."
"Thanks for passing that along, John. I'll leave a note for his doctor. Just a minute."
Once she'd written it, she said, "I'm sorry Joe didn't react more to you, John."
"Yeah. I guess it would be silly to think that a guy he hasn't seen in decades could get a rise out of him."
Now Marlena needed to change his focus. "John, something unexpected happened this morning. That's why I was a little late getting here - sorry about that, by the way."
"What happened?" he asked a trifle warily.
"Remember I mentioned my oldest daughter, Carrie, who lives in LA?"
"Yeah," he nodded. "She's your stepdaughter, and the one who didn't believe I was her father. Smart girl, that one."
Marlena let out a "Hmph," at that and mock-glared at him. John flashed her a cheeky smile.
"Well, I neglected to read my emails yesterday, and so I missed her telling me that she intended to come up this way today. By the time I did read it this morning, she was practically at my door already."
"She's here in Palo Alto?"
"She's here in a waiting room. John, I told her about you. And she would like to see you. Is that alright? Can I take you to her?"
John exhaled mightily. "I don't know. She's going to be disappointed that I don't know her. I could 'reminisce' one-sidedly with Joe, but she'd be the one doing the one-sided reminiscing, and that would leave us both unhappy."
"Please. I know I'm springing this on you. And that's not fair because you don't have more time to prepare. But, what can you prepare? Just see her. All right?" Marlena hooked her arm into his right one and before he could say yea or nay, they entered the waiting room where Carrie sat thumbing through emails on her phone. Seeing them, she stuffed the phone into her purse and before John knew it, she threw her arms around him.
Marlena watched a little enviously. Carrie had done so naturally what she had not yet done at all. She'd wanted to embrace him, but she hadn't done it.
"John," Carrie exclaimed. "I'm so happy to see you. Thank God you're alive."
Surprised at the enthusiasm and love from Carrie, John put his free arm around her too. "Carrie."
Marlena saw the light in his eye and the moisture. She guessed he was feeling happy in a bittersweet way that here was another person who cared about him.
The three ended up in a diner John assured the two ladies cooked tasty breakfasts. The usual patrons came in earlier, so they had the little place practically to themselves.
Carrie had questions, and John willingly answered a number for her. One in particular interested Marlena greatly. "You said you'd been here a couple months. Where were you recuperating before?"
"I spent a lot of time at the Washington D.C. V.A. Medical Center. Had a number of my reconstructive surgeries there."
"Before Marlena saw you, where were you going to go after you finished your physical therapy and the adjusting of the brace?"
John finished chewing and swallowing his current mouthful of English muffin. "I thought I might go to Santa Rosa. It's -"
He was about to explain its location in California, but Carrie quickly interjected, "I know it. Austin, my husband, has an old tennis partner who lives there. Also, it's just a few miles from Petaluma, where you lived as a boy, right?"
"That's right."
"Aren't you worried about fires? The one they had two years ago, the so-called Tubbs fire, wiped out whole neighborhoods in Santa Rosa, didn't it?"
"It did. I wasn't there at the time, but my acreage came under mandatory evacuation orders. Thankfully, it did not catch fire. The last huge fire in that area took the stage fifty years ago, so I hope we aren't due for another for some time."
Marlena asked, "What kind of property do you own?"
"It's a house on a few acres of property in the hills. It's an investment I bought quite a number of years ago when I cashed in some bonds my parents left me. I'd been renting it out. But I thought I might go live there."
"Do you have any relatives there?" Carrie inquired.
"Just one cousin left in Petaluma. Kent Snow is his name. He's the surviving son of my mother's sister. He's about eight years older than I am. He taught math at the high school his entire career. I have another cousin, Terry Darrow. But he made Florida his home when he went to college. I haven't seen either one of them since I was a kid."
"So you plan to retire there?" Carrie persisted, without any judgment. She just wanted to know.
"I was thinking about it, yes. It's usually got good weather, and with modern instant communications, I could still consult for any agencies that might ask" (John had not given Carrie specifics, just generalities, about his work). "Also, I've made some inquiries about helping coach little league and maybe other sports."
As John and Carrie conversed, Marlena again envied Carrie who hadn't let anything interfere with this opportunity to spend time with a man she'd thought she would never see again. While Marlena weighed every word, she thought Carrie felt free to speak without restraint. And John responded to that. But then, Marlena reflected, Carrie approached John from the perspective of having been a 'daughter.' Marlena's past romantic relationship with him had clouded her ability to be so unguarded. Marlena mentally rebuked herself for that. She had hung back for fear of being hurt, she realized.
John asked Carrie questions about her work, about Austin, and about her plans. "Do you two intend to make LA your permanent base?"
Carrie said she doubted it because neither of them liked the horrible traffic or some of the pretensions they had to deal with when working for high-profile clients.
"Where would you like to live?"
"What's Austin like?"
"What do you like to do when you aren't working?"
Yes, Marlena thought as she watched those two, even though John didn't remember Carrie, their old, familiar relationship could be seen reemerging. For the third time, Marlena envied Carrie. The younger woman had, in a sense, her RoJohn 'father' back, whereas Marlena did not have her lover, her soulmate back yet.
Finally, they had to part. Carrie had to get to her appointment. And John and Marlena were going to get that flight to Salem. Marlena had used part of the time Carrie and John gabbed to text Dr. Chang and ask for that change in her schedule. She told him it was a personal emergency, and assured him she would return to complete the consults. Dr. Chang granted her request without argument.
Carrie really felt badly about having such a short time to get reacquainted with John. But it was John, not Marlena, who said, "Carrie, don't worry. We'll get together again. Count on it. And there is always the phone or email."
"I wish I were going with you to Salem," Carrie lamented.
"Honey, if you can arrange it, you are always welcome at my townhouse. You and Austin. I promise to pay more timely attention to the communications I'm getting. If you text or email me, I'll do my best to make sure I read it asap."
Carrie tightly hugged them both and departed while Marlena and John headed back to the hospital.
"I thought you said Dr. Chang approved your request?" John asked.
"He did, but then I got a text from him asking me to come right away if possible. He didn't say why."
John said he'd wait in the Cherokee for her, but she persuaded him to come inside with her. She texted Dr. Chang, and in a few minutes she and John arrived at his open office door. Seeing them, Dr. Chang beckoned them inside.
Marlena introduced John, and Dr. Chang and he shook hands. Dr. Chang looked excited. "Dr. Evans, I understand you were with Joe Catenacci earlier this morning."
Marlena corrected that, "Both of us," she waved at John and herself, "were. Why? Is something wrong with Mr. Catenacci?"
"No! When the attendants came to get him ready for transfer, he gave a sharp shake of his body and let out this huge groan. Then his eyes focused and he swallowed and croaked, "Don't touch me. I'm not going anywhere."
Marlena's mouth fell open. "He's broken out of his catatonia?"
"Yes! I went to see him. He's cantankerous, but he's conscious and responding."
John broke into a wide grin, and he pulled Marlena against his side and hugged her.
Marlena quickly put her arm around his midsection and strongly returned the embrace.
Then she told Dr. Chang. "I think John is the one to thank for this." She looked up at John. "You got through to him, John. His reactions were delayed, but he heard what you said, and that probably spurred him to start existing again."
"Oh, I don't know. Maybe I helped a little, but couldn't it be a culmination of a lot of stimulation and care he's received here?"
Dr. Chang replied, "With cases like this, it is usually very difficult to pinpoint the stimulus that actually pulled the patient out of that state, but thank you, Mr. Darrow, for coming and talking to him today. You might have been that tipping point he needed."
"So he's still here?" John asked.
"Yes. We asked him if we could move him to a different room. I wanted him to have a roommate who is friendly and talkative. I'm hoping that will further stimulate his willingness to relate to the outside world again."
Overjoyed at this turn of events, Marlena and John went to the new room. The names by the door read:
Arnie Trine
Joe Catenacci
Marlena had talked to Arnie when the hospital admitted him a few days ago. When she and John entered, the privacy curtains were retracted so both Arnie and Joe could see each other and their visitors. Arnie waved at Marlena. "Hi, Dr, Evans!"
"Hello, Arnie. You seem chipper today."
"I'm feeling a lot better. My daughter will be taking me home tomorrow," he informed her cheerfully.
Marlena knew he'd been admitted with depression, and one of the reasons he'd given for it was that he could not turn to his immediate family for support. Apparently, that had changed, and the prospect of seeing his daughter and living with her had changed Arnie's outlook. Without looking at his chart (and she didn't because he wasn't her patient now), Marlena couldn't be certain, but she suspected he was also on some mild antidepressants. She smiled at him and gave him a thumbs up.
Meanwhile, Joe saw them too, of course. He growled at John, "Don't gloat. You think your story about a little kid would change my life? There are sob stories all over this globe, man."
John stood at the foot of Joe's bed, reached out and gave his foot a little shake. "Not gloating a bit, Joe. Just happy as hell that something got your operating system started again. You're a good guy, and this mixed up world needs every good man it can get. You're not surplus, Kittens." John grinned at him, even though Joe scowled.
"You want to be grumpy, Joe, go ahead," John said affably, coming around and sitting down in the chair beside his old army comrade.
Marlena came and stood by John's side. "I'm very happy about your turnaround too." She didn't introduce herself, believing that Joe had heard Arnie call her by name.
Joe lay back against his pillows. "It's going to be a while until I get solid food, they said. I want a juicy steak, but it's not happening."
Marlena nodded. "Your body needs a chance to adjust. Just like earlier today, your voice wasn't really working, was it? Now, after some water and some lubrication with your own saliva, it's coming back."
"It's still really gravelly," Joe complained.
John gave his old friend a searching look. "The main thing is you didn't give up. I'm going to be out of town this week, but when I come back, let's talk, okay? That's me saying something and you replying. You say something so I can respond. A real conversation. I hate giving monologues to my friends."
"Okay." Joe said grudgingly. Then he added, with some signs of affection, "Thanks for coming." And he cracked a little smirk.
When John and Marlena once again sat buckled up in the Cherokee, Marlena said, "Whew. Today has already been a whirlwind, and it's not even 1 pm yet!"
"That's a fact." John turned his head toward her. "Look, I made a few calls this morning, and there is a small government jet that's taking off from the San Jose Airport tonight at 10 pm. It takes about four hours to reach Chicago. That'd be about 4 am there. For a reasonable fare, we can hitch a ride on it if you want. I'll rent a car there, since I think I should have one while in Salem. How long is it by car?"
"About three hours," Marlena replied.
"Sound okay?"
Marlena nodded. They were really going to do this. She wondered if she should forewarn anyone in Salem before they descended on them. "Yes, thank you. That sounds like a good plan, John."
John deposited her at her hotel. Both of them would take the next few hours to make their separate preparations. John would pick her up later for the drive to the San Jose International Airport.
Marlena went to the front desk and explained that she would need to check out. It was already past the normal 11 a.m. checkout time, so she would be charged for this Saturday night. Then she also made a new reservation so she could come back on Sunday, October 20 and stay through the 25th. She counted herself lucky the hotel wasn't yet fully booked. But that made sense since tourist season began waning around this time of year.
In her room, she felt a tiny stab of regret that she would undoubtedly be assigned a different room next week. She really liked this one.
Marlena took off her shoes and wearily lay down on the top of the bed with just a light blanket covering her. She made sure to set the alarm. Relaxing her body, she tried to take a nap, but her mind played incessantly over so many of the details of the last few days, and projected forward into the possible scenarios when she and John reached Salem.
She debated whether to phone John and ask if they could invite Carrie to come with them. She thought Carrie had a right to be involved in more of the family 'reunion.' But, she hesitated because John barely knew her, let alone Carrie, and maybe it wasn't fair to ask him to travel with them both.
Besides, Sami would be missing the 'reunion' as well. Marlena fingered her phone. Should she call Sami and ask her to fly to Salem? Maybe she should ask both Sami and Carrie to do that? Come on their own. What reason would she give Sami? And it was nearly 11 p.m. in Switzerland. Should she wait until tomorrow? Sami probably wouldn't make it for a few days regardless, and by then many of the fireworks ought to be over with the other 'children.' But Marlena knew Sami's night owl habits. Jake, a businessman, often traveled in Europe and North America, so it was possible that Sami was home busily writing another one of her 'Sara Kingston, Ex-Pat Detective' novels. Marlena dialed, hoping she wouldn't be intruding on Jake and Sami or on Sami actually sleeping.
"Hello? Mom?"
"Hi, sweet girl."
"Is something wrong, Mom?"
"No, Sami. I know it's late there. I'm sorry. I hope I haven't caught you at a bad time."
"Not a problem. Jake's in Cologne, Germany right now."
"Okay good. Sami, I have a favor to ask you."
"Mm 'kay. What is it?"
"Would you be able to leave the kids with their nanny for a few days and come to Salem?"
"When?"
"Now. As soon as you could make arrangements and fly out."
"Uh. Mom, I know you like to celebrate Eric's and my birthday with us, but -"
"I do enjoy that, but I have another, very important reason for asking you to come. And I can't talk to you about it on the phone."
"Mom. You're not ill, are you? You didn't get some kind of ominous diagnosis, did you?"
"No, sweetie, I promise you, I'm not sick."
There was silence on the line, and Marlena waited for Sami to consider.
"When do you want me there?"
"As soon as you can come. I'm going to return to Salem too. I'm flying a red eye tonight, and will stay a week before I fly back to California to finish my obligations here."
"Can't you just tell me now?"
"No, it's, I mean, it's better if you can see for yourself."
"That's pretty cryptic, Momma. Okay, I'll see what I can do and text you back."
"Thank you, honey. Love you. Bye."
Marlena didn't like texting too much. The micro screen keypads on phones slowed her ability to get messages out quickly. She also avoided the voice option for texting because often those required manual corrections. But Carrie might be in her meeting right now, and Marlena didn't want to disrupt that. Laboriously, she formulated her suggestion that Carrie (either by herself or with Austin) come to Salem too.
Setting her phone on the nightstand, Marlena's eyes felt heavy. After a few minutes she dropped off into slumber.
Next thing she knew, she was back in the hospital, talking to a doctor who had some of Dr. Chang's features and some of Panny Green's. The doctor gave her a sheet of paper with a single sentence: FIND JOLENA. "Go do it," he ordered her.
Marlena looked in every single room, every single closet, every single space. Everyone she met, she asked, "Are you Jolena?" No one was. "Do you know Jolena?" No one did.
She left the hospital and began to canvas the outskirts of the hospital and as she moved away, the surroundings changed from metropolitan to wilderness. Bo rushed up to her and shouted, "Stay with us. Don't wander off again." But in an instant he'd disappeared. A man she didn't know brandished a gun at her, and she, irrationally, decided to follow him...at a "safe" distance. But he scrambled into the gondola of a large balloon and floated away over a river that meandered endlessly. Then one large hawk winged his way back and forth above her head. She stumbled into trees and thought she heard voices so she ran toward them, but even when she changed direction several times, she never got closer to them. They faded, and she stumbled out into a clearing. She decided to get this "Jolena" to come to her. With all her strength she shouted, "JOLENA!" A little wolf cub scampered up and when he was close enough to touch if she bent over to him, he yapped at her, "Look down!"
Marlena told the animal, "There is no 'down' here!" But just as she pronounced the words, she saw the earth in front of her give way and a long, steep ravine revealed itself. Cautiously, she inched to the edge. Far down at the bottom she saw one figure lying all askew. "John," she screamed at the inert person. How could she get to him? "Help, help," she cried, but the wilderness offered her nothing. Then a huge buzzard appeared and flew to her, flapping his wings to stay stationary, and he told her, foul breath in her face, "Throw yourself down and at least you'll be together. He's not coming back. He can't."
Defiantly, Marlena shouted, "Let me ride on your back, and take me down to him!"
The buzzard cawed at her, his own version of laughter, and flew off. But then Marlena spied a ladder, very long and very rickety. She couldn't see where it ended, but she thought it might take her to the bottom of the ravine. As she struggled down it, huge winds buffeted it and sent it careening against the side of the cliff. She thought she'd break her neck (and every other bone in her body), but she kept descending. Finally at the bottom, she frantically looked for the splayed body she'd been sure was John's. But in the spot where he should have lain, she spied only a grimy piece of paper. Partially crumpled, she saw "Jo" written on it. When she pulled and straightened the paper and then properly spread out, it read "John and Marlena, 1986, RIP.'
Marlena screamed, and threw the paper away, sinking down onto the spot and wailing. The buzzard came and hovered a mere few feet above her and again screeched out his horrible laugh, while the little wolf sat down too and laughed so hard he turned into a hyena.
With a cry and a start, Marlena woke. Shaking, she took deep breaths and reoriented herself. It had only been a nightmare. A crazy, sickening dream.
Marlena checked her text messages, but there was nothing from Carrie.
After freshening up, she went to the hotel restaurant and ordered a Cobb salad and sat by the large windows, hoping to enjoy the evening light. But, still absorbed in her thoughts, she left more than she should have on her plate, and she forgot the view outside. Returning to her room, she felt the phone buzz. Carrie would get a flight and come. Austin would join her as soon as he could.
Good! Marlena felt she'd accomplished something. The family would be reuniting.
As she packed up her things, some of the images of her dream came to her unbidden. Marlena seldom experienced such crazy dreams. And she couldn't help but feel a sense of foreboding. Because she feared most of all that John would never again feel for her what he had. Of course, she also feared he'd never remember the times with the various children either. But she didn't think they would be quite as devastated as she would be if that occurred.
When the time came, she rolled her suitcase to the lobby and checked out. She waited for John and his Cherokee.
Book One complete. Please proceed to Book Two.