After a few weeks Brandi was discharged from the hospital. During her stay she hadn't said much and didn't want to talk about Mark.
Dottie got her home and helped her to her room. Brandi walked slowly with the aid of a cane and her mother's support. Dottie got her into bed and propped Brandi's right leg up on some pillows from the sofa. She also made sure she had enough pillows behind her back as well to keep her from lying flat. "You okay like this? Is this comfortable enough?"
Brandi smiled, "Yeah, it's fine. Thanks, mom."
Dottie smiled back for it had been a while since she'd seen her smile. "You want something to eat?"
"Nah, I'm not hungry."
"Okay, maybe later." Dottie turned on the TV and handed her the remote. "I'll be downstairs so just yell if you need me. And NO getting up out of that bed without help, you hear me?"
"Yes, mom, I hear you. Believe me, I couldn't get up by myself even if I wanted to."
Just as Dottie turned to leave the room she heard Ricky's voice at the front door. "Come on in Ricky."
He came into Brandi's room holding a huge bouquet of flowers. "For my girl." He handed her the flowers and bent down to kiss her on the cheek.
"They're beautiful, Ricky. Thank you."
"I'll go get a vase for them," Dottie said as she dashed out of the room.
Ricky took a seat on a beanbag chair in the corner of the room. "So they finally let you out, huh. I hate hospitals. When I was six I had to have my tonsils out and they made me stay there for three days. It was torture, pure torture."
Brandi laughed, "Yeah, it's definitely not the Ritz."
Ricky felt awkward at the sudden silence between them. "Ya know, I don't want to bring it up to upset you but I don't want to appear as if I don't care. But I just want you to know I'm sorry about Mark."
Brandi was able to keep herself from busting out into tears. "Thank you."
Dottie came back with a vase filled with water. She took the flowers from Brandi and arranged them in the vase and set the vase on her desk by the window. "They're gorgeous Ricky," she said as she smelled them.
"Any news on who the shooter is?" Brandi asked.
Ricky looked at Dottie and wasn't sure whether he was supposed to answer but he did anyway. "No. They have a few leads but nothing has panned out yet from what I hear."
"Hey mom, I'm kinda hungry now. Can you get me a sandwich or something?"
"Sure, sweetheart. You want bologna and cheese or ham and cheese?"
"Whichever, doesn't matter." Dottie disappeared to the kitchen leaving Ricky and Brandi alone to talk. "Any chance you could get me a copy of the report?"
Ricky's face contorted, "Noooo, you don't want to go and do that."
"Ricky, I wouldn't ask if I didn't. Come on. Help me out here."
"Your mother will have my head!"
"Please. I need to feel useful somehow. I can't just lay here and wait around for them to catch this guy." She sighed in frustration.
Ricky didn't want Dottie to be mad at him but he understood how Brandi felt. "Okay. Fine. But DO NOT, I repeat DO NOT tell anyone you got the reports from me."
"I owe you big time!"
"Yeah, yeah. Some day I WILL collect."
"How fast can you get them?"
"I have someone that owes me some favors down at the station. I'll go over there now and see what I can get. How can I get them to you without your mother knowing? If I come back later she's going to wonder what's going on."
"See if they have them in electronic files then email them to me. If not, just stick them under the mat at the front door or something."
"How are you going to go out there and get them? You can hardly walk and you're certainly not going to be able to bend over and get them. I'll just make up some excuse that I had to come over again."
Brandi laughed, "I really appreciate this Ricky."
"Yeah, yeah I know. Well, I better get going and let you get your rest. I'll be in touch." He bent down and gave her a kiss on the top of her head. He passed Dottie in the hall as she was brining up Brandi's sandwich. "I'll be back tomorrow to check up on the patient."
"See ya later Ricky. Thanks for stopping by and bringing the flowers." Dottie came into Brandi's room and handed her the plate. "You need any help?"
"Mom, I'm not two years old. I can manage."
"I'm not trying to baby you, just concerned. There's a difference."
"A thin line. A very thin line." Brandi set the plate on her lap and picked up the sandwich, taking a small bite. She had to set it down in order to channel surf. "It does suck only having one hand to work with. Trying to eat and channel surf at the same time is a bitch."
Dottie laughed, "She's back to her old self! Well, I'll be in the kitchen if you need me. Tiny is supposed to be coming over in a little while."
"I should be fine, stop worrying."
"I can't help it, it's my job," Dottie said as she left the room.
Brandi put the sandwich aside because she really wasn't hungry. She was eating it to satisfy her mother. She kept thinking of Mark and the time they had spent together. She wondered if she'd ever be able to move on.
Later that night Brandi received an email from Ricky:
"Brandi,
Attached is a copy of the police report. Remember, you DID NOT get this from me. Delete this email after you read it. And also don't forget that you owe me one!
R."
Brandi downloaded the attachment and then opened the file. She had begun to read it when Dottie knocked at the door and then entered. "I'm heading to bed so I'll see you in the morning."
Brandi shut the top of her laptop to hide the screen, "Mom, do you ever wait to see if I'm going to say 'come in'? No, you don't. You always barge in."
"I'm sorry. Next time I won't do that I promise. What are you working on? It's pretty late. You should get some rest."
"That's all I've done is rest. I'm just emailing some friends that I haven't talked to in a while. I'll probably turn in in a half hour or so."
"Okay, but don't stay up too late. Did you take your pain medication?"
Brandi rolled her eyes, "Yes, a few minutes ago."
Dottie looked at her to make sure she wasn't lying. "You better have, young lady. I know you hate taking them but doctor's orders."
Brandi nodded, "I know, I know."
Dottie gave her a kiss goodnight. "I love you, sweetheart."
"I love you too, mom."
Dottie left the room and closed the door behind her. Brandi opened the laptop up again and began to study the police report. She read over the list of potential suspects and none of the names rang a bell but she did keep going back to one name: George DeWitt. The effect of the drug was starting to kick in as she yawned and found it hard to focus on the computer screen. "George DeWitt," she kept saying over and over. She couldn't put her finger on why that name stood out.
She saved the files onto a floppy disk and shut off the laptop. With a bit of a struggle she set the computer onto the floor beside the bed. She turned off the light and then tried to get comfortable, which seemed nearly impossible. Within a few minutes she was fast asleep.
Brandi woke with a start when she heard Dottie calling to her through the door. "Brandi? Brandi are you up yet?"
She looked at the clock and saw that she had slept most of the morning away, "Yeah mom," she said groggily, "Come in."
"I'm going to be heading out for a while but I wanted to check on you first and help you change those bandages." She set down some gauze pads, tape and ointments on the nightstand.
"Mom, I'm fine. I can manage, I'm not a baby."
"Brandi will you stop it. Stop thinking that you can always take care of yourself. It's okay to have someone do something for you once in a while. Don't be so stubborn." Brandi huffed and let her change them. Dottie felt sick to her stomach when she took the first bandage, the one on her leg. The skin was bruised and red. The stitches made it look even worse. "Oh, Brandi," was all she could say.
"It looks worse than it feels," Brandi said. She lied.
Dottie applied some of the ointment and heard Brandi gasp as the alcohol in it stung and burned. "Sorry. I'm trying to be gentle."
Brandi bit her bottom lip as the pain subsided, "It's okay. That stuff burns like hell."
Dottie applied a fresh bandage and taped it up. She repeated the same thing for the entrance wound and exit wound on Brandi's shoulder. "There. Does that feel any better?"
"A little bit. Thanks."
Dottie gathered up the supplies and headed for the door. "I should only be gone for an hour or so. When I come back we're gonna start those exercises that the doctor wants you to do."
Brandi rolled her eyes, "Do we have to? Can't it wait just another few days?"
"No it can't." Dottie gave her a motherly look. "If you need anything you call me on my cell phone."
"So where are you off to anyway? You seem like something's up."
Dottie hesitated for a moment, "Um, I have to do some errands for Tiny. He's at the bar all day and can't get away."
"Ugh huh." Brandi wasn't buying it.
"I'll be back soon." Dottie left and Brandi waited to hear her car drive away before she picked up her cell phone from the nightstand.
"Hey, Ricky. Listen, is mom coming to see you right now?"
Ricky got the same tone in his voice that Dottie just got, "No. What makes you think that?"
"Quit bullshitting me. What's going on? Mom just bolted out of here and said she had errands to do but I don't believe her."
"Brandi! That's terrible to call your mother a liar," Ricky yelled.
"If the shoe fits. Now what gives?"
She could tell Ricky was wearing a hole in the linoleum as he paced back and forth. Whenever he was nervous he'd walk back and forth a short distance. "Okay, okay. She's coming to see me because we're meeting with Forbes. There was another shooting last night, a guy and his wife. Down by the pier. It happened around midnight."
"That's about the same time our shooting happened. And the pier isn't far from where we were. Do you think there's a pattern?"
"Whoa, whoa wait a minute. You're supposed to be recovering not solving a case from your bed."
"Ricky, you know I need to be involved in this. I need to do it for Mark." Brandi's voice had a quake in it when she said Mark's name. "I looked at the report last night and for some reason one of the guys names seemed familiar. George DeWitt. Know anything about him?"
Ricky sighed and plopped down in his chair. He didn't want to be discussing this with her but under the circumstances he felt he had no choice. "I can probably get some info on him this afternoon when Forbes comes by."
"Great. Email it to me later."
"You know, if your mother finds out I'm dog meat."
"She's not going to find out. Don't worry about it," Brandi assured him.
"Your mom wants to nail this guy as much as you do you know. She's been on Forbes case non-stop to get him to keep moving on this one."
Brandi wanted to cry but gathered her composure. "I don't want her involved in this. I don't want her getting hurt. Please tell me you won't set her up on any undercover assignments or anything with Forbes."
"No way! Besides, I can't set that sort of thing up. I'm just helping them out so they can get more manpower on the case. But I'll have a talk with Forbes this afternoon and make sure he doesn't put your mom in any danger."
"Thanks Ricky. I owe you two now."
"Consider this one a freebie." Dottie walked into Ricky's office and Ricky felt like a kid caught with his hand in the cookie jar. "Yeah, well, you tell him either he finds him or he's not going to see a thin dime." He slammed the phone down and looked at Dottie, "Damn bounty hunters. They're not efficient like you and Brandi."
Brandi looked at the phone and then realized that her mom had probably walked into Ricky's office so he had to think fast. She set the phone back on the nightstand and figured she'd try and get up. After a bit of a struggle she sat upright and then eased her feet onto the ground. She took a moment and let the pain wash through her. After it subsided she managed to stand with the help of her cane. She was determined to get to the bathroom on her own. It took a while but she eventually made it there.
An hour or so had passed and Dottie had just pulled into the driveway when she saw a man at the front door. She got out of her car and approached him slowly, "Can I help you?" The man turned around, making Dottie jump when she saw his face. He looked exactly like Mark.
"I'm sorry, I don't mean to frighten you. You must be Mrs. Thorson." He extended his hand and she shook it.
"I...I um. It's just that you..." she couldn't help but stare at his face.
"I'm Steven Farrell. It goes without saying but I'm Mark's twin brother."
"I'm so sorry about Mark." Steven just nodded and bowed his head. "So what brings you by?"
"I came by to see Brandi. Mark left her something and he wanted to make sure she got it. I rang the doorbell once but she hasn't come out."
Dottie took him by the arm and led him away from the front door. "Oh, well...Brandi can't get around too well yet because of her leg so she has strict orders to stay put when she's alone." He looked at her and wondered why she was dragging him away. "Look, um, Brandi's had a hard time dealing with Mark's death and if she saw you I don't know how she'd react. Ya know what I mean?"
Steven put a hand to his forehead, "How stupid of me. I'm so sorry. Honestly I didn't mean to come over here and make things hard for her. One of the officers told me that Mark left instructions to give this to her and they figured I should be the one to deliver it."
"I know you didn't mean to." Dottie looked at the small white box tied with a red ribbon that Steven was holding. "Is it okay if I give it to her?"
Steven looked at the box and thought of his brother, "I think that would be okay. I don't know what it is, they didn't tell me. Unfortunately, Mark and I weren't close."
Dottie didn't know what to say and just put a comforting hand on his arm. "I'm sorry to hear that. Mark was a great guy. Very honest and caring, he loved Brandi very much."
"Well, I better be going. Thank you for being there for Mark."
Dottie gave him a hug, "Keep in touch." After breaking the embrace she searched through her pocketbook for one of her business cards to give to him. "Here's my card, our number is on it. If you need anything please call."
"Thank you, I appreciate that."
As he climbed into his car Brandi happened to be walking by the window. She couldn't believe her eyes, "Oh my God, Mark!" She tried to walk quickly to the door, "Mark! Mark wait!" The pain in her leg was furthest from her mind. She got to the front door and opened it, finding Dottie on the other side.
"Brandi! What the hell are you doing out of bed?"
Brandi tried to push past her, "Mark! Mom, tell him to stop. Mark!" she yelled. Steven's car disappeared down the street. Brandi got as far as her car and had to stop. Tears rolled down her face.
Dottie was quickly by her side, "What do you think you're doing?"
"Mom what is going on?" Brandi was out of breath, beads of sweat formed on her forehead.
"Let's get you back inside and I'll explain." Dottie helped her back into the house and sat her down on the couch. "First tell me what you're doing out of bed when I specifically told you NOT to move until I got back."
Brandi leaned her head back on the couch as the pain lessened and her breathing returned to normal. "I just wanted a quick shower."
Dottie shook her head and gave her a stern look, "DON'T do that again."
Brandi wiped the remaining tears from her eyes. "Am I seeing things or was that Mark outside with you in the driveway."
"That was his twin brother Steven."
"Twin brother? Mark never mentioned anything about having a twin brother."
"Well, he can't be lying because they're identical. He said they weren't close so maybe that's why he never mentioned it."
Brandi ran her hand through her wet hair. "I thought I was going crazy. I don't want to be one of those women who sees their boyfriend's face everywhere. So why was he here?"
"He um, he came by to see that you got this," Dottie handed Brandi the white box. "He said that Mark wanted to make sure you got it."
Brandi stared at the box and felt a chill sweep down her spine. "I'm afraid to open it."
"You don't have to open it now if you don't want to. You can open it when you're ready."
Brandi continued to stare at it. Part of her wanted to rip it open while the other part wanted to wait a while. But after a few moments she found herself untying the ribbon. Dottie watched, holding her breath with anticipation. Brandi tossed away the ribbon and then slowly took off the cover to the box. Inside was another small box. "Ugh, leave it to Mark. It's like one of those nesting dolls," Brandi said as she took out the small box. She untied the small ribbon and then lifted the top off, exposing a diamond ring sitting on a bed of cotton. She covered her mouth and began to cry, "Oh Mark."
Dottie peered into the box and saw the engagement ring and began to cry as well. "Come here." Brandi leaned towards Dottie and she hugged her gently. She held her for as long as Brandi needed her to.
Dottie got her home and helped her to her room. Brandi walked slowly with the aid of a cane and her mother's support. Dottie got her into bed and propped Brandi's right leg up on some pillows from the sofa. She also made sure she had enough pillows behind her back as well to keep her from lying flat. "You okay like this? Is this comfortable enough?"
Brandi smiled, "Yeah, it's fine. Thanks, mom."
Dottie smiled back for it had been a while since she'd seen her smile. "You want something to eat?"
"Nah, I'm not hungry."
"Okay, maybe later." Dottie turned on the TV and handed her the remote. "I'll be downstairs so just yell if you need me. And NO getting up out of that bed without help, you hear me?"
"Yes, mom, I hear you. Believe me, I couldn't get up by myself even if I wanted to."
Just as Dottie turned to leave the room she heard Ricky's voice at the front door. "Come on in Ricky."
He came into Brandi's room holding a huge bouquet of flowers. "For my girl." He handed her the flowers and bent down to kiss her on the cheek.
"They're beautiful, Ricky. Thank you."
"I'll go get a vase for them," Dottie said as she dashed out of the room.
Ricky took a seat on a beanbag chair in the corner of the room. "So they finally let you out, huh. I hate hospitals. When I was six I had to have my tonsils out and they made me stay there for three days. It was torture, pure torture."
Brandi laughed, "Yeah, it's definitely not the Ritz."
Ricky felt awkward at the sudden silence between them. "Ya know, I don't want to bring it up to upset you but I don't want to appear as if I don't care. But I just want you to know I'm sorry about Mark."
Brandi was able to keep herself from busting out into tears. "Thank you."
Dottie came back with a vase filled with water. She took the flowers from Brandi and arranged them in the vase and set the vase on her desk by the window. "They're gorgeous Ricky," she said as she smelled them.
"Any news on who the shooter is?" Brandi asked.
Ricky looked at Dottie and wasn't sure whether he was supposed to answer but he did anyway. "No. They have a few leads but nothing has panned out yet from what I hear."
"Hey mom, I'm kinda hungry now. Can you get me a sandwich or something?"
"Sure, sweetheart. You want bologna and cheese or ham and cheese?"
"Whichever, doesn't matter." Dottie disappeared to the kitchen leaving Ricky and Brandi alone to talk. "Any chance you could get me a copy of the report?"
Ricky's face contorted, "Noooo, you don't want to go and do that."
"Ricky, I wouldn't ask if I didn't. Come on. Help me out here."
"Your mother will have my head!"
"Please. I need to feel useful somehow. I can't just lay here and wait around for them to catch this guy." She sighed in frustration.
Ricky didn't want Dottie to be mad at him but he understood how Brandi felt. "Okay. Fine. But DO NOT, I repeat DO NOT tell anyone you got the reports from me."
"I owe you big time!"
"Yeah, yeah. Some day I WILL collect."
"How fast can you get them?"
"I have someone that owes me some favors down at the station. I'll go over there now and see what I can get. How can I get them to you without your mother knowing? If I come back later she's going to wonder what's going on."
"See if they have them in electronic files then email them to me. If not, just stick them under the mat at the front door or something."
"How are you going to go out there and get them? You can hardly walk and you're certainly not going to be able to bend over and get them. I'll just make up some excuse that I had to come over again."
Brandi laughed, "I really appreciate this Ricky."
"Yeah, yeah I know. Well, I better get going and let you get your rest. I'll be in touch." He bent down and gave her a kiss on the top of her head. He passed Dottie in the hall as she was brining up Brandi's sandwich. "I'll be back tomorrow to check up on the patient."
"See ya later Ricky. Thanks for stopping by and bringing the flowers." Dottie came into Brandi's room and handed her the plate. "You need any help?"
"Mom, I'm not two years old. I can manage."
"I'm not trying to baby you, just concerned. There's a difference."
"A thin line. A very thin line." Brandi set the plate on her lap and picked up the sandwich, taking a small bite. She had to set it down in order to channel surf. "It does suck only having one hand to work with. Trying to eat and channel surf at the same time is a bitch."
Dottie laughed, "She's back to her old self! Well, I'll be in the kitchen if you need me. Tiny is supposed to be coming over in a little while."
"I should be fine, stop worrying."
"I can't help it, it's my job," Dottie said as she left the room.
Brandi put the sandwich aside because she really wasn't hungry. She was eating it to satisfy her mother. She kept thinking of Mark and the time they had spent together. She wondered if she'd ever be able to move on.
Later that night Brandi received an email from Ricky:
"Brandi,
Attached is a copy of the police report. Remember, you DID NOT get this from me. Delete this email after you read it. And also don't forget that you owe me one!
R."
Brandi downloaded the attachment and then opened the file. She had begun to read it when Dottie knocked at the door and then entered. "I'm heading to bed so I'll see you in the morning."
Brandi shut the top of her laptop to hide the screen, "Mom, do you ever wait to see if I'm going to say 'come in'? No, you don't. You always barge in."
"I'm sorry. Next time I won't do that I promise. What are you working on? It's pretty late. You should get some rest."
"That's all I've done is rest. I'm just emailing some friends that I haven't talked to in a while. I'll probably turn in in a half hour or so."
"Okay, but don't stay up too late. Did you take your pain medication?"
Brandi rolled her eyes, "Yes, a few minutes ago."
Dottie looked at her to make sure she wasn't lying. "You better have, young lady. I know you hate taking them but doctor's orders."
Brandi nodded, "I know, I know."
Dottie gave her a kiss goodnight. "I love you, sweetheart."
"I love you too, mom."
Dottie left the room and closed the door behind her. Brandi opened the laptop up again and began to study the police report. She read over the list of potential suspects and none of the names rang a bell but she did keep going back to one name: George DeWitt. The effect of the drug was starting to kick in as she yawned and found it hard to focus on the computer screen. "George DeWitt," she kept saying over and over. She couldn't put her finger on why that name stood out.
She saved the files onto a floppy disk and shut off the laptop. With a bit of a struggle she set the computer onto the floor beside the bed. She turned off the light and then tried to get comfortable, which seemed nearly impossible. Within a few minutes she was fast asleep.
Brandi woke with a start when she heard Dottie calling to her through the door. "Brandi? Brandi are you up yet?"
She looked at the clock and saw that she had slept most of the morning away, "Yeah mom," she said groggily, "Come in."
"I'm going to be heading out for a while but I wanted to check on you first and help you change those bandages." She set down some gauze pads, tape and ointments on the nightstand.
"Mom, I'm fine. I can manage, I'm not a baby."
"Brandi will you stop it. Stop thinking that you can always take care of yourself. It's okay to have someone do something for you once in a while. Don't be so stubborn." Brandi huffed and let her change them. Dottie felt sick to her stomach when she took the first bandage, the one on her leg. The skin was bruised and red. The stitches made it look even worse. "Oh, Brandi," was all she could say.
"It looks worse than it feels," Brandi said. She lied.
Dottie applied some of the ointment and heard Brandi gasp as the alcohol in it stung and burned. "Sorry. I'm trying to be gentle."
Brandi bit her bottom lip as the pain subsided, "It's okay. That stuff burns like hell."
Dottie applied a fresh bandage and taped it up. She repeated the same thing for the entrance wound and exit wound on Brandi's shoulder. "There. Does that feel any better?"
"A little bit. Thanks."
Dottie gathered up the supplies and headed for the door. "I should only be gone for an hour or so. When I come back we're gonna start those exercises that the doctor wants you to do."
Brandi rolled her eyes, "Do we have to? Can't it wait just another few days?"
"No it can't." Dottie gave her a motherly look. "If you need anything you call me on my cell phone."
"So where are you off to anyway? You seem like something's up."
Dottie hesitated for a moment, "Um, I have to do some errands for Tiny. He's at the bar all day and can't get away."
"Ugh huh." Brandi wasn't buying it.
"I'll be back soon." Dottie left and Brandi waited to hear her car drive away before she picked up her cell phone from the nightstand.
"Hey, Ricky. Listen, is mom coming to see you right now?"
Ricky got the same tone in his voice that Dottie just got, "No. What makes you think that?"
"Quit bullshitting me. What's going on? Mom just bolted out of here and said she had errands to do but I don't believe her."
"Brandi! That's terrible to call your mother a liar," Ricky yelled.
"If the shoe fits. Now what gives?"
She could tell Ricky was wearing a hole in the linoleum as he paced back and forth. Whenever he was nervous he'd walk back and forth a short distance. "Okay, okay. She's coming to see me because we're meeting with Forbes. There was another shooting last night, a guy and his wife. Down by the pier. It happened around midnight."
"That's about the same time our shooting happened. And the pier isn't far from where we were. Do you think there's a pattern?"
"Whoa, whoa wait a minute. You're supposed to be recovering not solving a case from your bed."
"Ricky, you know I need to be involved in this. I need to do it for Mark." Brandi's voice had a quake in it when she said Mark's name. "I looked at the report last night and for some reason one of the guys names seemed familiar. George DeWitt. Know anything about him?"
Ricky sighed and plopped down in his chair. He didn't want to be discussing this with her but under the circumstances he felt he had no choice. "I can probably get some info on him this afternoon when Forbes comes by."
"Great. Email it to me later."
"You know, if your mother finds out I'm dog meat."
"She's not going to find out. Don't worry about it," Brandi assured him.
"Your mom wants to nail this guy as much as you do you know. She's been on Forbes case non-stop to get him to keep moving on this one."
Brandi wanted to cry but gathered her composure. "I don't want her involved in this. I don't want her getting hurt. Please tell me you won't set her up on any undercover assignments or anything with Forbes."
"No way! Besides, I can't set that sort of thing up. I'm just helping them out so they can get more manpower on the case. But I'll have a talk with Forbes this afternoon and make sure he doesn't put your mom in any danger."
"Thanks Ricky. I owe you two now."
"Consider this one a freebie." Dottie walked into Ricky's office and Ricky felt like a kid caught with his hand in the cookie jar. "Yeah, well, you tell him either he finds him or he's not going to see a thin dime." He slammed the phone down and looked at Dottie, "Damn bounty hunters. They're not efficient like you and Brandi."
Brandi looked at the phone and then realized that her mom had probably walked into Ricky's office so he had to think fast. She set the phone back on the nightstand and figured she'd try and get up. After a bit of a struggle she sat upright and then eased her feet onto the ground. She took a moment and let the pain wash through her. After it subsided she managed to stand with the help of her cane. She was determined to get to the bathroom on her own. It took a while but she eventually made it there.
An hour or so had passed and Dottie had just pulled into the driveway when she saw a man at the front door. She got out of her car and approached him slowly, "Can I help you?" The man turned around, making Dottie jump when she saw his face. He looked exactly like Mark.
"I'm sorry, I don't mean to frighten you. You must be Mrs. Thorson." He extended his hand and she shook it.
"I...I um. It's just that you..." she couldn't help but stare at his face.
"I'm Steven Farrell. It goes without saying but I'm Mark's twin brother."
"I'm so sorry about Mark." Steven just nodded and bowed his head. "So what brings you by?"
"I came by to see Brandi. Mark left her something and he wanted to make sure she got it. I rang the doorbell once but she hasn't come out."
Dottie took him by the arm and led him away from the front door. "Oh, well...Brandi can't get around too well yet because of her leg so she has strict orders to stay put when she's alone." He looked at her and wondered why she was dragging him away. "Look, um, Brandi's had a hard time dealing with Mark's death and if she saw you I don't know how she'd react. Ya know what I mean?"
Steven put a hand to his forehead, "How stupid of me. I'm so sorry. Honestly I didn't mean to come over here and make things hard for her. One of the officers told me that Mark left instructions to give this to her and they figured I should be the one to deliver it."
"I know you didn't mean to." Dottie looked at the small white box tied with a red ribbon that Steven was holding. "Is it okay if I give it to her?"
Steven looked at the box and thought of his brother, "I think that would be okay. I don't know what it is, they didn't tell me. Unfortunately, Mark and I weren't close."
Dottie didn't know what to say and just put a comforting hand on his arm. "I'm sorry to hear that. Mark was a great guy. Very honest and caring, he loved Brandi very much."
"Well, I better be going. Thank you for being there for Mark."
Dottie gave him a hug, "Keep in touch." After breaking the embrace she searched through her pocketbook for one of her business cards to give to him. "Here's my card, our number is on it. If you need anything please call."
"Thank you, I appreciate that."
As he climbed into his car Brandi happened to be walking by the window. She couldn't believe her eyes, "Oh my God, Mark!" She tried to walk quickly to the door, "Mark! Mark wait!" The pain in her leg was furthest from her mind. She got to the front door and opened it, finding Dottie on the other side.
"Brandi! What the hell are you doing out of bed?"
Brandi tried to push past her, "Mark! Mom, tell him to stop. Mark!" she yelled. Steven's car disappeared down the street. Brandi got as far as her car and had to stop. Tears rolled down her face.
Dottie was quickly by her side, "What do you think you're doing?"
"Mom what is going on?" Brandi was out of breath, beads of sweat formed on her forehead.
"Let's get you back inside and I'll explain." Dottie helped her back into the house and sat her down on the couch. "First tell me what you're doing out of bed when I specifically told you NOT to move until I got back."
Brandi leaned her head back on the couch as the pain lessened and her breathing returned to normal. "I just wanted a quick shower."
Dottie shook her head and gave her a stern look, "DON'T do that again."
Brandi wiped the remaining tears from her eyes. "Am I seeing things or was that Mark outside with you in the driveway."
"That was his twin brother Steven."
"Twin brother? Mark never mentioned anything about having a twin brother."
"Well, he can't be lying because they're identical. He said they weren't close so maybe that's why he never mentioned it."
Brandi ran her hand through her wet hair. "I thought I was going crazy. I don't want to be one of those women who sees their boyfriend's face everywhere. So why was he here?"
"He um, he came by to see that you got this," Dottie handed Brandi the white box. "He said that Mark wanted to make sure you got it."
Brandi stared at the box and felt a chill sweep down her spine. "I'm afraid to open it."
"You don't have to open it now if you don't want to. You can open it when you're ready."
Brandi continued to stare at it. Part of her wanted to rip it open while the other part wanted to wait a while. But after a few moments she found herself untying the ribbon. Dottie watched, holding her breath with anticipation. Brandi tossed away the ribbon and then slowly took off the cover to the box. Inside was another small box. "Ugh, leave it to Mark. It's like one of those nesting dolls," Brandi said as she took out the small box. She untied the small ribbon and then lifted the top off, exposing a diamond ring sitting on a bed of cotton. She covered her mouth and began to cry, "Oh Mark."
Dottie peered into the box and saw the engagement ring and began to cry as well. "Come here." Brandi leaned towards Dottie and she hugged her gently. She held her for as long as Brandi needed her to.