Of Course, Mrs. Ellington
Chapter 1
Some thirty years earlier
Neal had been coughing the last few days. Maggie promised she would take him to the doctor. Ellen would have done it herself, but she had a meeting with the Marshals that couldn't wait. When she called to check, his mother said the doctor put him on antibiotics and cool baths for a mild fever he developed. The fever worried her. She said she would be home tonight.
She sat next to Neal's bed. He was curled into a ball, his breathing way too quick, too shallow. She lifted him to get a better look, his clothes were damp. He was shivering.
"Maggie wake up! Maggie, did you give Neal his medicine?"
Her face was creased with sleep. She looked as if she had no idea where she was, eyes dazed and blinking. A bottle of prescription pain killers and Lord knows what else was overturned on the nightstand.
"What time is it?" she pushed her hair back from her face.
"It's five."
"He was sleeping and I didn't want to wake him. I lost track of the time."
"What does that mean Maggie? Did you give any of it?"
"I meant to. I'm sorry. In a voice flooded with narcotics she choked out, James said everything was going to be all right, but it's not. He didn't love us. Did he Ellen?"
"God! Maggie. You can't keep doing this. The fury that had been mounting in her, eased looking at the ruin in her face. Listen, get dressed and meet us. I'm going to take Neal to the hospital."
She hurried down the hallway to the bathroom, she knew Maggie kept the thermometer there. Neal had rolled back into an even tighter ball.
"Hey sweetie. How are you feeling?"
"My head feels funny. Like there bugs in it. Where's mommy?" She managed to let him slip the thermometer under his tongue, it was taking way too long to beep. 104 degrees. Her heart clenched. She picked up the little boy, holding his head against her shoulder.
"Are we going to your house?" he asked her.
"No honey, we are going to the hospital."
"I don't wanna go," he whimpered.
"Shh, it's okay baby."
She can feel the heat from his small body through her jacket. He's limp by the time she gets him inside the car. Ordinarily a safe driver, she screamed out of the driveway. Years of police training, like muscle memory held her shaking hands to the wheel as she raced to the hospital. She abandoned the car, still running at the ER entrance and ran with her precious charge straight to the desk.
Handing him over to strangers was harder than she ever imagined. She followed behind the gurney as far as they would let her. Neal was crying for her.
"Can't I stay with him? she begged. He'll calm down if he knows I'm there."
"I'm sorry, the nurse said. You'll have to wait outside."
A woman standing in the waiting room approached and offered her a seat. She said it would be okay the doctors there were really good. They were taking care of her husband. She was grateful for the momentary distraction.
She spotted a payphone when she came in. Where the hell was Maggie? Her purse was open on her lap, she searched for change. The coins kept slipping through her fingers, as she struggled for control. The door opened and a doctor approached her. She stood on rubbery legs.
"Is it bad?"
"Your little boy is very sick. We are trying to get his fever down. He had a seizure."
Her purse fell to the floor.
"We need to get him started as quickly as possible on a new course of antibiotics. My nurse is going to have you sign the consent forms."
"I'm not his mother."
"Where is his mother? His body can't fight this much longer. If he has another seizure...look it, we need this consent."
"Miss, Miss, are you Okay? Did you hear me?" the doctor was looking at her anxiously. She did. In a moment of panic, her mind couldn't comprehend losing this child who felt like her own.
She found a bank of phones down the hall.
"Hello?"
The voice coming back to her sounded under water. It couldn't be.
"Maggie?" Her heart sank. She was still at home.
"Maggie, listen to me. Neal is very sick. The doctors are working on him now, but they need you to sign the consent forms. You need to get here now. I'm sending a cab for you."
"Okay. I'll be there."
"Get dressed. Do it now!" she felt sick to her stomach.
They had been working on him for an hour when Maggie showed up.
"Where is he?
"Back there. They won't let anyone in."
"He's going to die, isn't he?" She begins to sob.
"Listen, you have to get yourself together. Now is not the time. Neal needs you. The doctors are doing everything they can, they need you to sign these papers."
"Okay, she snivels as snot runs down her nose. She has on a sleeveless dress and shivers against the antiseptic cold of the ER. Ellen offers her jacket, her hand shakes as she signs the informed consent. Ellen isn't sure if it's out of fear for the small boy fighting for his life or the drugs leaving her body. Life is messy, it can be cruel, and we do the best we can. But Neal was four and he deserved so much better than this. She couldn't be an accomplice to Maggie's life anymore.
She can't take care of him. She can't even make sure he gets his medicine. "As soon as Neal is better," she thinks. But then what, she has no standing. Damn James Bennett, Damn him to hell. How could he have done this to his family, to her.
It's been hours since they took Neal in. Maggie sits dozing in the chair next to her.
"Mrs. Bennett, Mrs Bennett, the nurse called as she emerged from the back. Are you here with Neal Bennett?"
Ellen felt like her gut was punched.
Maggie what have you done. You know we can never use those names again. In a drug induced haze, she had given the men who would stop at nothing to kill a road map straight to them. Her investigation uncovered the corruption extended all the way to the top of the government, the FBI itself. Now they had the means to track them.
"We have his fever down and he seems to be responding to the new antibiotics. He should make a full recovery. But we'll need to keep him for the next few days. Anytime a child has a brain event, we need to monitor closely," his doctor looked relieved.
"Can we see him?"
"Sure. I'll have the nurse take you back. He's a tough little guy, but he's been through a lot. He needs to rest."
"Maggie you go ahead. I need to make a phone call. I'll be there shortly." She had to call the Marshals.
Maggie sat down on a stool next to her son's bed. He seemed smaller to her. It shouldn't be hard to take care of him. She bent her head to her knees and started crying again. It took all the energy she had.
The marshals came and moved Neal to another area of the hospital. They placed guards at the exits. As soon as the doctors cleared him, they would move again. Ellen stayed with him that night and most of the day, leaving only to gather up some of their things.
It was day three and Neal was recovering nicely, although sometimes he would cry when people came into the room, remembering needles, scary machines and the cold hands of strangers. He didn't want her to leave. She hated leaving him last night. Maggie was there and she promised no pills.
"Hey baby. Dr. Hill says you can go home tomorrow."
"Yay. Can we go to the zoo? You promised."
"I know baby, but we have to move."
"Why? he asked.
"We will go to the zoo when we get to our new place." He knew it wasn't true.
"Be a good boy for mommy now. Aunt Ellen is going to come live with us and help."
He wants to make her happy, but nothing is working. If he thinks about it too long, it makes his head hurt the way it did when he was sick. Is it his fault his father is dead and his mother cries all the time. He tried not to believe it, but it was hard. Sometimes he just pretends everything is okay.
His breathing is deep and even as she watches him. He opened his eyes and looked directly at her, smiled and closed them again. "Are you sure you can do this?" Her heart had been pounding as she gathered their belongings, her own life as thrown about as the bundles of clothes she packed in card board boxes earlier. Yet somehow there was an unidentifiable calm of purpose growing in her like an oak, as she watched over Neal.
When he wakes up Ellen is holding his hand.
"Is mommy coming back?
"Of course, sweetie."
"Are you gonna leave?
"You can't get rid of me. We're stuck like glue," she reached over and tickled his tummy until he laughed so hard his face turned red.
"Stop it Ellen, he squealed with delight.
"You two are having way too much fun, the nurse entered with Neal's last dose of antibiotics, an awful red syrupy concoction. Sorry buddy, but down the hatch. Now get some rest," she smiled knowingly at the two of them.
The power of suggestion causes Neal to immediately feel sleepy "I saw my daddy," he says to Ellen. This never gets any easier she thinks. She can not stand the fact she has to lie to him.
"I know you miss your daddy. I miss him too. Our minds play tricks on us sometimes when we miss someone. We want to see them so much, we think we do. Your daddy's not coming back."
"I did see daddy. He was talking to a man."
"Your tired baby, go to sleep now."
"His name was Vest," the little boy yawned.
"What did you say Neal?" she tried to control the fear in her voice.
"He called him Vest."
A shiver went down her spine. Vest was the nickname of a small time criminal with aspirations to the big show. She and James busted him on racketeering charges. Facing considerable jail time for a money laundering scheme, he turned states evidence against his former associates... the Flynn organization. Part of his deal, to work undercover as a confidential informant. To throw off suspicion and provide cover, he was assigned to OPR. If she was ever more afraid she couldn't remember.
She stroked Neal's hair and whispered.
"It was just a dream sweetheart."
In the morning Neal won't remember his dream or what he had seen.
To be continued.
Thanks everyone for the great reviews and encouragement with this story. For those of you I couldn't contact personally, much appreciation.