Detour, Chapter 10
Disclaimer: I do not own any of the original characters or places. But I do own the Clemms.
Bosco groaned and pulled the pillow down over his head to shield his eyes from the bright sunlight. "Ahhhhhhhhhh, my head."
"Maurice""Ohhhhh…..not now, Ma. Sleeeeep." He mumbled.
"Maurice?"
Bosco squinted his eyes as the edge of the pillow was lifted up. Once his eyes adjusted to the light, he finally focused on Wanda Sue's concerned face.
"Maurice, are you ok? Ma wanted me to come check on ya."
"Ummmm…head hurts." Bosco groaned as he rolled over onto his back, pulling the pillow down to his side. "What time is it?" He asked when he noticed how bright the room was.
"It's almost noon." Wanda answered. At Bosco's look, she continued "Pa decided to let ya sleep late since you was so sick last night. Ma Clemm ain't too happy with him for lettin ya drink that much."
Bosco wasn't really happy with him at the moment either.
ccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccc
By the time Bosco managed to get himself upright and dressed, Ma and Grandma Clemm were serving lunch.
Bosco picked at his food for a while, but ate very little. He noticed that Pa Clemm didn't eat much either. He was never more grateful than he was to see Ma Clemm drop two aspirin down on the table next to his plate. "Thanks." He muttered.
"Maurice" Pa Clemm spoke in a low voice. "There's still some more bush hoggin to do. I got a bit of a late start myself this morning. So if ya want to give that ole tractor a try, you're welcome to."
"Ummm…sure." Bosco mumbled, still not thinking very clearly. Immediately he regretted that answer.
ccccccccccccccccccccccccccccc
"Now, Maurice, ya have to be a mite careful with her. The steerin wheel gets stuck sometimes if ya turn it too far. If it does that, just hit the clutch and the brake to slow it down and rock the steerin wheel back and forth a few times until it straightens up. Now the brake's a mite touchy sometimes. So ya may have to stomp on it pretty hard. "
Bosco was busy trying to figure out a way to get out of this latest little adventure and failed to digest Pa Clemm's warnings. His head was still throbbing, and the afternoon sun beating down on him wasn't helping. Sweat trickled down his back. But more than that, he'd never driven a tractor or anything similar to it, although he refused to tell Pa Clemm this. He sighed, trying to reassure himself 'Ok, clutch, throttle, brake. It can't be that much different from driving my mustang.'
He made sure that the tractor was in first gear and let off the clutch. The tractor lurched forward much faster than Bosco expected, jarring his throbbing head. But soon, he was moving along with ease. Pa Clemm nodded in approval, then went on to finish some other chores.
'Ok, so this is not that hard.' Bosco was thinking. 'I can do this. It's even kind of fun.' Bosco even found himself whistling a tune.
Glancing up, he noticed Wanda Sue watching him from under the shade of the mulberry tree. Smiling, he lifted his right hand from the steering wheel to wave at her. But just as he did, the front wheel of the tractor hit a large rut that was hidden by the tall grass. Feeling the tractor lurch to the right, Bosco jerked the steering wheel to the left trying to get it back under control. When he did, the steering wheel became stuck and Bosco soon found himself driving around in a tight circle and going much too fast for his liking. A couple of times the outside wheels of the tractor almost felt as if they were going to come off of the ground. He tried pulling back on the steering wheel to straighten it up, but it didn't budge. Then he tried hitting the clutch and break to slow the tractor down. Much to his dismay, the brake didn't seem to work.
"Oh crap." He mumbled. Looking back up at Wanda Sue, he noticed her chuckling. "Help! It's not funny. I can't stop this thing." He shouted, but Wanda Sue could not hear him over the loud roar of the old motor.
"Maurice, quit being silly! You're going to hurt yourself!" Wanda Sue shouted.
She could see that Bosco was trying to shout something back at her, but couldn't tell what it was.
Bosco was focused on Wanda Sue, trying to get her to understand that he needed help, when suddenly he hit a hole in the field, a natural pothole so to speak. The jar from this caused the steering wheel to release and the wheels to straighten out. Bosco was momentarily relieved, until he looked up and saw that he was headed straight for the woods. He hit the clutch and began to pump on the brakes, but they didn't respond. And Bosco, his reflexes still slightly slow from his hangover, failed to duck. As he entered the woods, several small tree limbs slapped his face. "Arrrrrrgh" He moaned.
Wanda Sue, seeing Bosco and the tractor disappear into the woods, finally realized that Bosco was not playing around. "PA! PA, COME QUICK!" she shouted, frantically calling for Ezra Clemm.
ccccccccccccccccccccccc
"Ohhhhh. Ahhhhhhhhhh. Ouch." Bosco whined.
As if being repeatedly slapped in the face by tree branches wasn't bad enough, Bosco and the runaway tractor had managed to go through an overgrown thicket. Then, the tractor ran into a small ditch and tilted over, dumping Bosco unceremoniously on the hard ground.
Slowly pushing himself into a seated position, Bosco looked down at the torn and tattered overalls he was wearing. Several huge briars stuck out of the pants legs. From the pain in his legs, he knew that many of them had fully penetrated the thick cloth.
'Maurice'
"Maurice! Maurice! Are you ok?" Wanda Sue shouted as she approached him. Dropping down on her knees beside him, she looked him over. "You poor dear." Taking Bosco's head in her hands, she tilted his face up toward her. Pulling out a handkerchief, she dabbed at the cuts and scratches made by the tree limbs. "Pa should of warned ya about that old tractor."
Wincing as Wanda Sue probed one of the cuts on his face, Bosco reached up and grabbed her right wrist.
"Sorry" Wanda Sue muttered, looking into Bosco's deep blue eyes.
"It's ok." Bosco answered quietly. Then he did something that he never expected and didn't really understand. Leaning forward, he reached out with his right hand and pulled Wanda Sue toward him, capturing her lips in a kiss.
Wanda Sue, apparently also caught up in the moment, didn't resist. In fact, she wrapped her arms around Bosco's neck, kissing him long and hard.
"WANDA SUE CLEMM!" Pa Clemm screamed, grabbing Wanda by the arm and pulling her away from Bosco. "YOU LET GO OF THAT YANKEE!" Pulling her to her feet, he looked at her in disbelief. "What's gotten into you girl? I thought you'd learned your lesson."
Wanda Sue stood in shock, unable to speak.
"It's not what you think, Sir." Bosco tried to come to Wanda Sue's defense.
"Not what I think. NOT WHAT I THINK?" Pa Clemm shouted as he turned toward Bosco, his fists clinched and the vein on his forehead standing out. "Why you dirty stinkin lowdown polecat! I trusted you. Took you into my home. Gave you a bed to sleep in, food to eat, and even let you drink my best moonshine. And this is how you repay me. By takin advantage of my little baby girl. Not what I think…hmph. I'm gonna break every bone in your mangy little body, boy!"
And with that, Pa Clemm lunged at Bosco, swinging with all his might.
"PA! PA, STOP! YOU'LL KILL 'EM, PA! MAURICE! MAURICE!"
'Maurice!'
"Maurice. Maurice, baby. Open your eyes. It's ok. That's it. Open you're eyes, baby."
"Ma" Bosco mumbled, as he struggled to open his eyes. Squinting up, he could see a white tile ceiling and a bright light. Then seeing his mother's face, he thought at first she might be an angel. Maybe Pa Clemm had killed him. But then again, why would he hurt so much if he was dead? "Ma?" he rasped.
"Shhhhhh. It's ok, Maurice. You're going to be ok." Rose soothed, pushing the hair back from Bosco's forehead. Seeing the confused look on his face, she tried to explain what was happening. "You're in the hospital, Maurice. There was a plane crash. Do you remember?"
"Pl…plane." Bosco squeezed his eyes closed, remembering the plane, the engine trouble, Polly Bennet, the crash…..Ezra Clemm. His eyes jerked open as he heard a familiar voice.
"Well, it's good to see you're awake, sonny." Ezra Clemm commented, looking down at Bosco.
Seeing the panic in her son's face, Rose Boscorelli tried to calm him. "Maurice, calm down, baby. You're ok. Dr. Clemm is here to help you."
'Dr. Clemm?' Bosco looked up at Pa Clemm, studying him. He was definitely Ezra Clemm, but he wasn't wearing overalls and he didn't look angry. He was wearing a dress shirt and tie and had a white coat on over it. A stethoscope hung around his neck. He looked at Bosco with concerned and spoke with a quiet voice.
"That's right, Officer Boscorelli." Dr. Clemm replied.
Bosco looked back and forth between his mother and Ezra Clemm, obviously distressed. "Pa? Wanda Sue?" Bosco questioned, looking at Rose for help.
"Oh, sweetheart." Rose smiled down at him. "You've been so confused. You've been in and out…dreaming…" Rose began to chuckle. "And you've had some pretty interesting adventures."
"Dreaming?" Bosco questioned, looking back over at Ezra Clemm.
"Yes, Officer. You've been dreaming, even hallucinating at times. You sustained a minor head injury in the crash, along with a broken arm, and several pretty serious burns. I think it was the combination of the injuries, along with complications with infection, and the pain medication that we've had you on that's had you so confused. I'm glad to see that you're more alert today."
Seeing the still hesitant look on Bosco's face, he added. "Maybe I should introduce myself again. I'm Dr. Edward Ezra Clemm, the third." Dr. Clemm reached out, patting Bosco on the arm rather than attempting to shake his hand since one arm was casted and the other one bandaged. "I'll let you rest now, but you have Myrt call me if you need anything." And with that, he left.
Bosco looked back up at Rose, who was still grinning slightly. "Myrt?"
"Myrtle…she's one of the nurses here, Maurice. I don't know what we'd have done without them. They've all been so good to you. And to me."
Bosco closed his eyes, trying to comprehend what was happening. Pa Clemm was Dr. Clemm and Myrtle Clemm was Myrtle, the nurse. He apparently had been dreaming about Clemm Creek. But he was in a plane crash and he was injured. Opening his eyes, he glanced down at the bandages on his arms. A blanket covered his legs, but he could tell by the slight pain that he had despite whatever pain medication they had him on, that they were injured. Burned he guessed.
'Polly' He suddenly remembered Polly and her knitting. Looking up at Rose, he asked about her.
"She's in another room on the next floor up, Maurice. I've met her and her husband. You saved her life, Maurice…somehow you managed to pull her from the plane despite your injuries. They're both very grateful. Her husband is a planter. And he's offered to have us flown back to New York in his private plane when you're better." Rose, seeing the weary look on Bosco's face, added. "You rest now, baby."
ccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccc
"Some-where the sun is shin-ing, Some-where the song birds dwell; Hush, then, thy sad re-pin-ing, God lives, and all is well."
Bosco slowly opened his eyes and glanced around the room. He saw another familiar face standing at the foot of the bed, writing on a clipboard. "Wanda?"
"Oh, hey there. I didn't mean to wake you. I'm in a habit of singing when the day is going along ok." Wanda Sue replied.
"S'ok." Bosco answered. "It's pretty."
"Thanks" Wanda Sue commented, her cheeks turning slightly red. "How are you feeling? Can I get something for you?"
"Um…no. Where's Ma?"
"Oh, she went to get some lunch. She should be back in a few minutes." Wanda answered, then added. "I'm surprised that you recognized me this time. I must have introduced myself to you at least a dozen times. But you were so in and out. Anyway, I'll be back to check on you in a little while. Just push the call button if ya need anything."
"Ok" Bosco mumbled, then drifted off once again.