A NEW LIFE – CHAPTER TWO – FACES OF THE PAST

Pain.

It was the first thing that Kaley Heller noticed as she woke up. Pain was everywhere-her arms, her legs, her back. Was she at home? No, she couldn't be. This felt nothing like the fold-out couch she slept on. She was lying at a slight angle. As she became more aware of the sounds around her, Kaley heard a faint, steady beeping. What in the world? She thought.

"Kaley?"

A voice, calling her name. The voice was soft, gentle, and female. Mom? Kaley thought. It didn't sound like her mother.

"Kaley, can you hear me?"

Definitely not Mom. Kaley thought. Who is this? Where am I?

"Kaley, if you can hear me, just open your eyes."

Kaley forced her eyes open. What the heck…a hospital room? She thought. How did I get here? She was hooked up to monitors and tubes of every kind. A woman with short black hair was standing over her. Swallowing, Kaley forced herself to talk. "Where am I?"

The woman smiled. "You're at Baltimore General Hospital." She said. "I'm Katelyn O'Connor, your day nurse. Do you know how you got here?"

Kaley tried to shake her head, but the pain was too great. "No." She said instead.

"What's the last thing you remember?" Katelyn asked.

"Um…" Kaley racked her brain. "I was in the car with my mom. Going to hockey practice."

"OK." Katelyn said. She looked like she wanted to say something else, but was unsure how to say it.

"So how did I get here?" Kaley asked.

"You were in a very bad car accident, Kaley." Katelyn said. "You have a broken ankle, wrist, collarbone and sternum, a sprained wrist, a mild concussion, and multiple scrapes and bruises."

"Ouch." Kaley said. "Is the concussion why everything looks kind of blurry?"

"Yes, that's why." Katelyn said. She looked at her watch. "Oh, goodness, I have some stuff I've gotta take care of. You just stay there and rest, Kaley. I'll be back soon."

Stay here and rest. Like I can go anywhere. Kaley thought, looking at the tubes sticking from her. Then she thought of something. "What about my mom?" She asked. But Katelyn was far enough away that she couldn't hear the call. Not like Kaley could yell very loudly anyway. Why had Katelyn run off so quickly like that? It made Kaley suspicious. But she was too tired to think about that now. So she just settled back into her bed and listened to the steady, unending cadence of her heart monitor.

Bzzzzz…

Gordon jerked awake. What was that? Where was he? After a few moments, he remembered that he was at Ashley's apartment in Baltimore. The buzzing sound was his pager vibrating on the end table. Gordon hadn't felt comfortable sleeping in Ashley's bed, so he'd sacked out on the couch. But the couch didn't give him the world's best sleep, so he decided that no matter how awkward it felt, he was sleeping in the bed tonight.

"Shut up." Gordon muttered to his pager, turning it off. Rubbing his eyes, he looked at the number. It was the hospital. Gordon jumped to the telephone and dialed the number. "Is Kaley awake?" He asked as soon as Gordon answered."

"Yes, Mr. Bombay, Kaley is awake." Phil said. "According to my nurse Katelyn here, she's somewhat groggy but there doesn't seem to be any permanent brain damage. She remembers who she is, how old she is, all the important things."

"Does she know about her mother?" Gordon asked.

"No." Phil said. "According to her nurse, she hasn't asked yet."

"Can I come down to see her?" Gordon asked. "I mean, if that's OK and everything?"

"Yes." Phil said.

"Thank you." Gordon said. "Thanks, I'll be right there."

Gordon was shaking with nerves by the time he reached the hospital. What will I say? What will I do? He thought.

When the elevator reached the ICU, Gordon took a deep breath and forced one foot in front of the other and put those thoughts out of his head. He was here. There was no turning back now. "Can I see her?" He asked Phil.

"Yes." Phil said. "But first you have to put on these." He held out a pile of green cloth.

Gordon studied the fabric. "Scrubs?"

Phil shrugged. "It's the rules."

Gordon quickly threw the scrubs on over his clothes. "What is this, a one-size-fits-all thing?" He asked, looking down at himself. The scrubs were far too big.

"Pretty much." Phil said. "I personally think it's a stupid rule, but it is the rules."

Gordon adjusted the facemask. "I feel like a walking laundry bin." He said.

Phil gave a slight laugh. "This way." He said.

Gordon followed Phil down the hallway, trying not to look in the rooms he passed. But nevertheless, his eyes managed to catch a few things. One small boy was getting dialysis. Another boy was bald-Gordon guessed from chemotherapy-and holding onto a teddy bear and crying. One girl was lying on a bed hooked up to a ventilator. Another boy was covered with burns all over his body. These poor kids. Gordon thought, thinking of all the times he could have wound up in the same situation when he was their age.

"Mr. Bombay?" Phil asked. "Here we are."

"Oh, right." Gordon said, coming back to reality. "Sure."

Phil opened the door. "Kaley? Someone's here to see you."

Gordon stepped in. "Hi, Kaley." He said, trying not to let his nerves show.

Kaley turned half-open eyes towards him. "Are you the spirit whose coming was foretold to me?"

Gordon allowed a small smile to flicker across his face. "You could say that." He said.

Kaley's eyes studied him for a moment. "You look really familiar to me." She said.

Gordon stiffened. "Really?" He said.

"Yeah." Kaley answered. "Like this guy in a picture my mom showed me once. She said the guy was my father." She looked at him a little more closely. "Nah, it couldn't be you." She said. "Mom always told me my dad was a jerk. You seem way too nice for that."

Gordon wasn't sure how to respond to that. "Well, thank you." He said.

"So you know my mom?" Kaley asked.

"Well, I knew her." Gordon said. "We haven't been in very close contact lately." He was fudging a little, but he didn't want to spill the whole story on Kaley all at once.

"Do you live here?" Kaley asked. "In Baltimore?"

"No, I'm from Minnesota." Gordon responded.

"Minnesota." Kaley repeated. "My mom used to live there."

There was an awkward silence for a few moments. Then Kaley asked the question Gordon had been praying she wouldn't. "So how is my mom, anyway?"

Phil and Gordon looked at each other. Phil cleared his throat. "Kaley…" He started.

"What? What is it?" Kaley asked, panic rising in her voice. "Is she OK? What's wrong?"

"Kaley, we tried everything we possibly could to save your mother." Phil said. "But there was simply too much damage. Even if she had survived, she would have been severely retarded."

"So what? At least she'd be here!" Kaley said, tears beginning to fall from her eyes. Gordon fought the urge to reach out and hold her, but he figured that wouldn't be the best thing to do.

"What's gonna happen to me now?" Kaley asked. "Am I going to a foster home?"

"You'll be taken care of by an old friend of your mother's." Phil said."

"Who?" Kaley asked.

"Me." Gordon said quietly.

Kaley looked at him. "What's your name?"

"Gordon Bombay." Gordon said, trying to keep his voice steady.

Kaley started to gasp, but then grimaced in pain. "Take off your mask." She said.

Gordon looked at Phil, who nodded. Slowly, he lowered the mask.

"It is you!" Kaley exclaimed. "You're…you're the guy who left my mom! You…you're…"

"Kaley, calm down." Phil said. "Please let your father-"

"He's not my father!" Kaley said. "Get out of here." She said, turning a glare on Gordon.

"Kaley-" Gordon tried.

"OUT! NOW!" Kaley screamed, eliciting a few stares from nurses and patients in neighboring rooms.

Not knowing what else to do, Gordon backed out of the room. Phil followed him. "I'm sorry about that." Phil said.

"It's not your fault." Gordon said. "It's mine."

"No, no, it's not yours either." Phil said reassuringly. "Kaley's heard nothing about you her whole life except for how you left her mother. Now that she's met you, she naturally thinks you're out to get her."

Gordon nodded slightly. "Perfectly understandable." He said. "When should I come back?"

"Why don't you try tomorrow?" Phil said. "Mr. Bombay, please don't be surprised if Kaley is a little hostile toward you. She needs to see proof that you've changed, not just hear you say it."

Gordon nodded, quickly taking off his scrubs. "Thank you." He said.

For hours after Gordon left, Kaley lay in her bed, staring at the ceiling. She couldn't believe it! This was the man her mother had chosen to take care of her? From everything Kaley had ever heard, Gordon Bombay was a jerk. A fool. A loser. Her mother had also used various other words to describe him, most of which Kaley could not repeat.

But the man who had just come to see her didn't seem to fit that description. He had seemed kind and concerned for her. But her mother had always told her never to trust first impressions. But then, her mother had never trusted anyone. All of her boyfriends left because she was so commitment-phobic. She'd dated one of them all through Kaley's elementary school years, and the guy had eventually left because Ashley wasn't willing to commit to anything more. Kaley had always heard that men were scum and not to be trusted with anything.

But some part of Kaley had always wondered what was so bad about trusting some man with something. After all, most of her friends had parents who were perfectly happy together. Maybe she could try this Gordon Bombay. See if he was worthy of her trust. If not, what would happen? She'd go to a foster home and wait for someone to adopt her.

I'll give him a shot. Kaley thought. But if I think even for a second he's gonna treat me badly, I'll be outta here faster than you can say "slap shot."