"Sarah is going to be so spoiled if you keep calling her Princess," Elaina
said to Frank.
"Like she isn't already." Frank put his arms around her waist.
"Are we going out tonight? I think we could use some social time."
"Bored with my company?"
"Never" Elaina kissed him. "I just would like to go dancing and have a few drinks. Maybe see some old friends."
"Now see, you're bored with just me to talk to." Frank sounded dejected.
"No, I have Hank to talk to too, so that shot that theory," Elaina teased.
"Ok. I'll take you out but no heavy drinking you been drinking way too much lately."
"I have? Doesn't seem like it to me. Or are you afraid I'll turn into an alcoholic like Maria?"
"No, but you got drunk at the party you and Sab had for going back to work, you got drunk at the reception, and you were a little tipsy after the wedding."
"I see your point, 2 beers and nothing more, deal?" Elaina put her hand out to shake on it.
"Deal but we seal it with a kiss." Frank kissed her.
"That's the only reason you make deals with me to just have another excuse to kiss me."
"I'm married to you. I don't need an excuse."
********
Frank and Elaina went to their favorite bar. The Ole Saloon owned by an old family friend, Gus Howard. Elaina saw Gus right away and made a beeline toward him.
"Hey Gus! How's business?" Elaina hugged the big burly owner.
"Well hello Elaina, Frank. I heard you were in town. Also heard he made an honest woman out of you, again."
"Well I married her again. Don't know about the honest part." Frank laughed.
"Ok, we came here to dance, so lets go. Two beers Gus have them waiting on us," Elaina ordered over her shoulder as they went to the dance floor. They danced for a couple of songs but Elaina couldn't keep her mind on dancing.
"Ouch! Can't you stay on your own feet tonight?" Frank complained.
"Sorry, I just keep thinking about the phone call from Andy. I'm really worried about Maria," Elaina said.
"I'm sure they're doing their best to find her. The sheriff is looking around here, so why don't you put your mind on something else."
"Like what, our son making out?" Elaina asked.
"I knew calling was a bad idea. Now you're going to worry the rest of the vacation about him and Maria."
They went to sit down at the bar to have their drinks. "No bar fights tonight," Gus warned them.
"Would we do that?" Frank asked, innocently.
"Yes, you would and have before, if I remember right." Gus laughed as he went to another customer.
"Do you think there's more than what Derek told us?" Elaina asked.
"Knowing our son there probably is but let's not think about that right now," Frank said taking a drink.
"Just one more thing and I'll drop the topic. If and I hope it's if, if they've gone all the way and she turns up pregnant, they're on their own in my eyes. I'm not going to help them out. He was old enough to make the baby he's old enough to support them. If her parents feel different fine but not me, I hope you agree."
"I do agree. I think it's a wise decision. Of course he'll try everything in his power to get us to help."
"Let him try, it won't work," Elaina said, firmly. Elaina looked around at the people that were there.
"You looking for someone?" Frank asked.
"I just feel as if I'm being watched. Never mind I'm just paranoid," Elaina said turning again to her drink.
"Hey Sis! What are you two doing here?" Reese greeted his sister with a hug.
"We decided to have a night out. I'd ask you to join us but that's up to him." She leaned her head on Frank's shoulder.
"Let's go to a table. He can dance with you next. You can use his feet a while," Frank said, getting up from the bar.
"My mind wasn't on dancing and I stepped on him a couple of times," Elaina explained after seeing the confused look on Reese's face.
"Are you worried about Maria?" Reese asked.
"Not really. Derek and his girlfriend have been closer than we want," Elaina told him.
Frank proceeded to explain to Reese what happened and Reese started to laugh but stopped when Elaina kicked him from under the table. "Ok Sis it's a serious situation. I hope you handle it with out hurting him."
"I'd never hurt him, you know that." Elaina gave him an icy stare.
"I was just kidding," Reese apologized.
Gus introduced the band and it was Brice, a friend of Reese and Elaina's. When he saw Elaina he tried to get her to come up on stage to sing but she wouldn't do it.
"Why not Elaina? You're just sitting here worrying why not go up and have some fun," Reese urged her.
"I don't want to and that should be enough of an answer.", Elaina snapped at Reese.
"Ok! I won't say another word. You don't need to get snippy about it." Reese took a drink of his beer.
"I'm sorry, Brother I just have a lot on my mind is all." Elaina put her head on Frank's shoulder again and he put his arm around her. They listened to the band and saw that they were getting a lot of requests between songs.
The waitress gave Brice another note, he read it and then looked at Elaina. "Well it looks like we have another request that's also a dedication. Elaina this is for you and the note says that you're to pay attention to the words. Hope you know what that means." Brice saw that she was puzzled and added. "No signature on it."
"I wonder who's dedicating a song to my wife," Frank tried to see if he could tell who it was.
"I don't know but I'm suppose to listen, so shut up," Elaina said.
When the band started playing the song Elaina listened to the words. It was the song: When You Come Back To Me Again. "I know this song, it's from Maria's favorite movie," Reese stated.
"She must be here but where?" Elaina looked around as did Frank and Reese but they didn't see her. "I'm going to talk to the waitress."
Elaina went over to the waitress and she pointed over in the dimly lit corner but saw that there was no one there now. She walked back over to the table and sat down. "It was Maria but she's gone now. The waitress said the lady resembled me a little."
"Why would she dedicate that song to you?" Frank asked.
"The song is about someone lost wanting help to get back to how they used to be. She wants our help but won't ask for it out right for some reason," Elaina explained.
"Does she have a split personality or what?" Reese asked.
"I'm sorry I should've told you. Maria has a brain tumor that's affecting her personality. The doctors want to try medication to shrink it before they operate," Elaina explained. "Reese, does Maria still own her family home in Billings, that you know of?"
"As far as I know she still does. Do you think she's there?"
"I think we should go look. It's getting late though she may not have drove all that way?" Elaina was frustrated.
"We should go check it out. She has to be there, were else could she have gone?" Reese said.
"You're right let's go." Elaina picked up her jacket and stopped. "Frank, if she's there, would you mind if we cut this trip short and took her back tonight?"
"You must be worried about her if you're willing to fly at night. So, no I don't mind. I think we should go pack our things first, that way we'll be ready to go."
"That's a good idea. Reese can you have the plane ready then?"
"Yeah! I'll call and have it fueled and ready to go. I'll fly you back myself."
"I hope when we find her she's in her pleasant mood and not fight us," Elaina said.
"We'll take it one step at a time, Elaina. We need to know she's there first," Frank told her.
"I'll meet you at the road leading to the house. An hour good enough?" Reese asked.
"That's fine. I want to go alone to the house first. If she's there, it will be least stressful, if she doesn't feel ganged up on," Elaina told them.
"Like she isn't already." Frank put his arms around her waist.
"Are we going out tonight? I think we could use some social time."
"Bored with my company?"
"Never" Elaina kissed him. "I just would like to go dancing and have a few drinks. Maybe see some old friends."
"Now see, you're bored with just me to talk to." Frank sounded dejected.
"No, I have Hank to talk to too, so that shot that theory," Elaina teased.
"Ok. I'll take you out but no heavy drinking you been drinking way too much lately."
"I have? Doesn't seem like it to me. Or are you afraid I'll turn into an alcoholic like Maria?"
"No, but you got drunk at the party you and Sab had for going back to work, you got drunk at the reception, and you were a little tipsy after the wedding."
"I see your point, 2 beers and nothing more, deal?" Elaina put her hand out to shake on it.
"Deal but we seal it with a kiss." Frank kissed her.
"That's the only reason you make deals with me to just have another excuse to kiss me."
"I'm married to you. I don't need an excuse."
********
Frank and Elaina went to their favorite bar. The Ole Saloon owned by an old family friend, Gus Howard. Elaina saw Gus right away and made a beeline toward him.
"Hey Gus! How's business?" Elaina hugged the big burly owner.
"Well hello Elaina, Frank. I heard you were in town. Also heard he made an honest woman out of you, again."
"Well I married her again. Don't know about the honest part." Frank laughed.
"Ok, we came here to dance, so lets go. Two beers Gus have them waiting on us," Elaina ordered over her shoulder as they went to the dance floor. They danced for a couple of songs but Elaina couldn't keep her mind on dancing.
"Ouch! Can't you stay on your own feet tonight?" Frank complained.
"Sorry, I just keep thinking about the phone call from Andy. I'm really worried about Maria," Elaina said.
"I'm sure they're doing their best to find her. The sheriff is looking around here, so why don't you put your mind on something else."
"Like what, our son making out?" Elaina asked.
"I knew calling was a bad idea. Now you're going to worry the rest of the vacation about him and Maria."
They went to sit down at the bar to have their drinks. "No bar fights tonight," Gus warned them.
"Would we do that?" Frank asked, innocently.
"Yes, you would and have before, if I remember right." Gus laughed as he went to another customer.
"Do you think there's more than what Derek told us?" Elaina asked.
"Knowing our son there probably is but let's not think about that right now," Frank said taking a drink.
"Just one more thing and I'll drop the topic. If and I hope it's if, if they've gone all the way and she turns up pregnant, they're on their own in my eyes. I'm not going to help them out. He was old enough to make the baby he's old enough to support them. If her parents feel different fine but not me, I hope you agree."
"I do agree. I think it's a wise decision. Of course he'll try everything in his power to get us to help."
"Let him try, it won't work," Elaina said, firmly. Elaina looked around at the people that were there.
"You looking for someone?" Frank asked.
"I just feel as if I'm being watched. Never mind I'm just paranoid," Elaina said turning again to her drink.
"Hey Sis! What are you two doing here?" Reese greeted his sister with a hug.
"We decided to have a night out. I'd ask you to join us but that's up to him." She leaned her head on Frank's shoulder.
"Let's go to a table. He can dance with you next. You can use his feet a while," Frank said, getting up from the bar.
"My mind wasn't on dancing and I stepped on him a couple of times," Elaina explained after seeing the confused look on Reese's face.
"Are you worried about Maria?" Reese asked.
"Not really. Derek and his girlfriend have been closer than we want," Elaina told him.
Frank proceeded to explain to Reese what happened and Reese started to laugh but stopped when Elaina kicked him from under the table. "Ok Sis it's a serious situation. I hope you handle it with out hurting him."
"I'd never hurt him, you know that." Elaina gave him an icy stare.
"I was just kidding," Reese apologized.
Gus introduced the band and it was Brice, a friend of Reese and Elaina's. When he saw Elaina he tried to get her to come up on stage to sing but she wouldn't do it.
"Why not Elaina? You're just sitting here worrying why not go up and have some fun," Reese urged her.
"I don't want to and that should be enough of an answer.", Elaina snapped at Reese.
"Ok! I won't say another word. You don't need to get snippy about it." Reese took a drink of his beer.
"I'm sorry, Brother I just have a lot on my mind is all." Elaina put her head on Frank's shoulder again and he put his arm around her. They listened to the band and saw that they were getting a lot of requests between songs.
The waitress gave Brice another note, he read it and then looked at Elaina. "Well it looks like we have another request that's also a dedication. Elaina this is for you and the note says that you're to pay attention to the words. Hope you know what that means." Brice saw that she was puzzled and added. "No signature on it."
"I wonder who's dedicating a song to my wife," Frank tried to see if he could tell who it was.
"I don't know but I'm suppose to listen, so shut up," Elaina said.
When the band started playing the song Elaina listened to the words. It was the song: When You Come Back To Me Again. "I know this song, it's from Maria's favorite movie," Reese stated.
"She must be here but where?" Elaina looked around as did Frank and Reese but they didn't see her. "I'm going to talk to the waitress."
Elaina went over to the waitress and she pointed over in the dimly lit corner but saw that there was no one there now. She walked back over to the table and sat down. "It was Maria but she's gone now. The waitress said the lady resembled me a little."
"Why would she dedicate that song to you?" Frank asked.
"The song is about someone lost wanting help to get back to how they used to be. She wants our help but won't ask for it out right for some reason," Elaina explained.
"Does she have a split personality or what?" Reese asked.
"I'm sorry I should've told you. Maria has a brain tumor that's affecting her personality. The doctors want to try medication to shrink it before they operate," Elaina explained. "Reese, does Maria still own her family home in Billings, that you know of?"
"As far as I know she still does. Do you think she's there?"
"I think we should go look. It's getting late though she may not have drove all that way?" Elaina was frustrated.
"We should go check it out. She has to be there, were else could she have gone?" Reese said.
"You're right let's go." Elaina picked up her jacket and stopped. "Frank, if she's there, would you mind if we cut this trip short and took her back tonight?"
"You must be worried about her if you're willing to fly at night. So, no I don't mind. I think we should go pack our things first, that way we'll be ready to go."
"That's a good idea. Reese can you have the plane ready then?"
"Yeah! I'll call and have it fueled and ready to go. I'll fly you back myself."
"I hope when we find her she's in her pleasant mood and not fight us," Elaina said.
"We'll take it one step at a time, Elaina. We need to know she's there first," Frank told her.
"I'll meet you at the road leading to the house. An hour good enough?" Reese asked.
"That's fine. I want to go alone to the house first. If she's there, it will be least stressful, if she doesn't feel ganged up on," Elaina told them.