Chapter Thirty-Nine:
He'd held his granddaughter in his arms. Talked with her. Played with her. He wondered if it was real. Hoped it wasn't a cruel trick of his imagination. No, he thought. It was real. True. Her sweet scent lingered on his clothes. Her mother's perfume hung in the air. Real, he thought with a bittersweet smile. But he couldn't reveal to them his true identity.
He crossed the room. To the place he kept the precious few reminders of his past and studied the picture again. Like he did everyday. "I met your family, Son. You've raised a fine daughter. Chose such a wonderful, caring woman to share your life with. I'm so proud of you," he said to the smiling face of his son. As he had been so many years ago. "I just wish I could tell you. Face to face. I..."
His thoughts, his words, were interrupted by the sound of frantic knocking. His heart pounded at the noise. Something was wrong. Terribly wrong. He could feel it. His worst fears were confirmed when he opened the door to find a woman. So distraught she could hardly get the words ut. "A car...nearly hit us...head-on...swerved off the road into a tree...woman...little girl."
He grabbed her by the shoulders. Trying to calm her when he felt anything but calm himself. "Where? Can you tell me where?" Her green eyes looked tortured. Guilty as she told him. Confused by his reaction. "Just up the road. A mile or so..." She tried to yell. Catch his attention. Ask what she should tell the paramedics. The location. But he was already gone. Running in the direction she had just come from. She found the phone. Dialed 9-1-1. And shakily said, "There's been an accident."
He heard her desperate cries. Louder and clearer the closer he came. "No! Mommy! I want my mommy! No!" she screamed. Kicking. Frantically trying to escape the man's arms. Go back to the car. Where her mother slumped across the wheel. Unconscious. No, he thought as he saw the blood trickling from a gash in her forehead. Not again. God let her be alright. "Martin!" Ali wailed. Finally succeeding in breaking the man's strong hold.
"Martin! Help my mommy! Please!" she cried. He grabbed her up in his arms. Squeezed her tight. Then pulled back. Gently wiping the tears from her big worry-filled blue eyes. "Listen to me, Ali. Your mommy's going to be fine. I won't let anything happen to her. The ambulance is on its way, and the doctors will make her all better. You hear me, sweetheart? I promise. You believe me, Ali?" She looked at him with trusting blue eyes and nodded her head. "I believe you," she whispered. He hugged her tightly once more and left her in the man's care as he hurried to Sheridan's side.
Sheridan, he thought as he felt for a pulse. Hang in there. You're a fighter. You've come this far. "Don't break my son's heart again. Don't leave him to raise my granddaughter alone." "Oh," she moaned softly. Coming to. "It hurts." "That's it," he said with a smile. "Wake up, darlin'. Show Ali her mommy's okay. Don't make a liar out of me," he laughed. "I promised her you'd be fine. I don't want to break her heart. I can't stand to see tears in those pretty blue eyes of hers. Did I tell you how much she looks like you at that age? You could easily pass for twins."
"She was right," she whispered. Gasping as though the mere task of talking, breathing, caused her pain. "What's that?" he asked. Keeping her talking. Lucid. "Daddy's Papa," she grimaced. "Smart as a whip that daughter of yours. Proud to call her my granddaughter. Proud to call you," he said, brushing her blond hair off her forehead tenderly, "a daughter of mine."
"How? Why?" "Shh. Later," he said. Moving away to let the EMT get to her. "I promise," he said as her hand slipped from his. And they loaded her into the ambulance. I promise, he thought. As he took the cell-phone offered by a concerned bystander and dialed a number from memory. Praying it had not changed. His heart lodging in his throat as a much loved voice answered.
"Sheridan? Is that you, Mija? Are you and Ali okay? Sheridan? Sheridan?" Please protect them, he thought as he took a deep breath. And spoke to his wife. For the first time in a very long time.
He'd held his granddaughter in his arms. Talked with her. Played with her. He wondered if it was real. Hoped it wasn't a cruel trick of his imagination. No, he thought. It was real. True. Her sweet scent lingered on his clothes. Her mother's perfume hung in the air. Real, he thought with a bittersweet smile. But he couldn't reveal to them his true identity.
He crossed the room. To the place he kept the precious few reminders of his past and studied the picture again. Like he did everyday. "I met your family, Son. You've raised a fine daughter. Chose such a wonderful, caring woman to share your life with. I'm so proud of you," he said to the smiling face of his son. As he had been so many years ago. "I just wish I could tell you. Face to face. I..."
His thoughts, his words, were interrupted by the sound of frantic knocking. His heart pounded at the noise. Something was wrong. Terribly wrong. He could feel it. His worst fears were confirmed when he opened the door to find a woman. So distraught she could hardly get the words ut. "A car...nearly hit us...head-on...swerved off the road into a tree...woman...little girl."
He grabbed her by the shoulders. Trying to calm her when he felt anything but calm himself. "Where? Can you tell me where?" Her green eyes looked tortured. Guilty as she told him. Confused by his reaction. "Just up the road. A mile or so..." She tried to yell. Catch his attention. Ask what she should tell the paramedics. The location. But he was already gone. Running in the direction she had just come from. She found the phone. Dialed 9-1-1. And shakily said, "There's been an accident."
He heard her desperate cries. Louder and clearer the closer he came. "No! Mommy! I want my mommy! No!" she screamed. Kicking. Frantically trying to escape the man's arms. Go back to the car. Where her mother slumped across the wheel. Unconscious. No, he thought as he saw the blood trickling from a gash in her forehead. Not again. God let her be alright. "Martin!" Ali wailed. Finally succeeding in breaking the man's strong hold.
"Martin! Help my mommy! Please!" she cried. He grabbed her up in his arms. Squeezed her tight. Then pulled back. Gently wiping the tears from her big worry-filled blue eyes. "Listen to me, Ali. Your mommy's going to be fine. I won't let anything happen to her. The ambulance is on its way, and the doctors will make her all better. You hear me, sweetheart? I promise. You believe me, Ali?" She looked at him with trusting blue eyes and nodded her head. "I believe you," she whispered. He hugged her tightly once more and left her in the man's care as he hurried to Sheridan's side.
Sheridan, he thought as he felt for a pulse. Hang in there. You're a fighter. You've come this far. "Don't break my son's heart again. Don't leave him to raise my granddaughter alone." "Oh," she moaned softly. Coming to. "It hurts." "That's it," he said with a smile. "Wake up, darlin'. Show Ali her mommy's okay. Don't make a liar out of me," he laughed. "I promised her you'd be fine. I don't want to break her heart. I can't stand to see tears in those pretty blue eyes of hers. Did I tell you how much she looks like you at that age? You could easily pass for twins."
"She was right," she whispered. Gasping as though the mere task of talking, breathing, caused her pain. "What's that?" he asked. Keeping her talking. Lucid. "Daddy's Papa," she grimaced. "Smart as a whip that daughter of yours. Proud to call her my granddaughter. Proud to call you," he said, brushing her blond hair off her forehead tenderly, "a daughter of mine."
"How? Why?" "Shh. Later," he said. Moving away to let the EMT get to her. "I promise," he said as her hand slipped from his. And they loaded her into the ambulance. I promise, he thought. As he took the cell-phone offered by a concerned bystander and dialed a number from memory. Praying it had not changed. His heart lodging in his throat as a much loved voice answered.
"Sheridan? Is that you, Mija? Are you and Ali okay? Sheridan? Sheridan?" Please protect them, he thought as he took a deep breath. And spoke to his wife. For the first time in a very long time.