Chapter 2

Work again in the morning and then I had to decide whether to face Angie. I stopped at a deli and bought some tapioca pudding. This was fresh made every day and I always bought it when I was in the area. I went up to the nurses’ station, “Will Angie Simmons see me today?” There were three nurses and a couple of doctors standing there looking at files. They all turned and looked at me.

“Yes, she will. She has mentioned you several times. She actually smiles and she burst out laughing while the doctor was examining her when she related what you said to her yesterday. You definitely may see her.”

“I was a little worried my comment was out of line.”

“It wasn’t. It was the best thing you could have said to her. Go right down and open the door. She’ll be tickled to see you.”

I opened the door and looked at Angie. Her eyes were closed much like yesterday. Again I looked out the window. The emergency entrance wasn’t busy today. I turned around and Angie lay there with a smile on her face. “Jack, you came. I was worried you wouldn’t. You left so suddenly yesterday.”

“I did. I said something and you didn’t react so I thought I was over the line.”

“You weren’t. I thought about what you said and knew you were making a joke. When I realized that I smiled. When the night nurse came on last night, I rang the bell and told her about it. We had a great laugh and I had to tell the doctor. Look on my chart; the doctor put it on my chart of a way to fix my face.”

“I’m so glad you can smile again.”

“Jack, I haven’t smiled in months. I was so afraid of my husband. I won’t go into details and I know I was foolish for not leaving him. I even thought about using the gun to shoot myself. I think that is what he wanted me to do.” Angie wasn’t smiling now. “Let’s not talk about him. I would like to get serious, though.”

“Sure Angie, please do.”

“It’s about my home. Yesterday, I had almost decided I couldn’t live in it any longer. Today, I feel different about it. Have you removed the bed yet?”

“No, I did get rid of all the bedclothes, though. The mattress looks new.”

“It is less than a year old.”

“I’ll leave it then. I had the room painted to a light rose color with a faint gray trim. It wasn’t really necessary, but I thought a soft color would go better than the dark colors that were on the walls before.”

“That’s great. Jack, I hate to ask, but what about the floor. Has that been cleaned?”

“Yes, George had me do that the first thing.”

“I feel like I’m imposing on you.”

“No you aren’t. George hired me to put the property back together, waiting on what you decided to do with it. It’s just across the street and I do have the time.”

“You both are amazing. I’m going to owe you both big-time. I should worry about it, but for some reason I don’t. It’s good that I have enough money to pay both of you.”

“My bill goes to George and he is happy with what I am doing. There isn’t much left to do. I’ll keep the grounds looking good so when you come home it will be nice.”

“You will keep coming to visit, won’t you? Up until yesterday I didn’t care if I got well or not, but now I look forward to seeing you. I couldn’t wait for lunchtime today. Are you going to feed me like you did yesterday?”

“Depends on what the meal is.”

“Jack, just cut my food into small pieces, I’ll feed myself today. I’m going to do something different every day. I want to be able to take care of myself and not have to rely on others like I have been doing. I’ve been such a baby.”

“Okay, but I will sit close and hold your dish from moving when you try to scoop some onto your fork.”

“I’d like that. Jack, could you do one more thing for me tomorrow? My Mom and Dad are coming for the weekend. Would you take them shopping for sheets and blankets for the bed, then they won’t have to sleep upstairs?”

“I can do that. They won’t mind sleeping in that room?”

“I shouldn’t think so. Dad is a farmer and has to deal with mishaps to his animals around the farm. He also butchers the animals he raises for food. Mom is right in there helping with everything all the time too. I helped until I got married and moved away.

“You are really close to your parents?”

“Yes, my father especially. He has always been there for me.”

“Did they have any idea that you were being so abused?”

“Not until just before it happened. I talked to Mom a couple of days before, telling her I was worried. Brian was drinking and that was when I was the most worried. I called her again the afternoon I got hurt. A couple times before when he was like this he would hit me until he passed out.”

“Why didn’t you just leave?”

“I had no place to go. You must realize how isolated we are out here at the end of the street. Brian hid the keys to both cars. George found them after I was in the hospital.”

“You should have called the police.”

“At the time I couldn’t because my phone was in the downstairs bedroom. He caught me upstairs and I couldn’t get to it. Jack, I don’t want to talk about this anymore. Please change the subject.”

“Sure, I don’t want to make you uncomfortable.”

The food came and I cut up a boneless pork chop. I ended up feeding her everything on her plate. I got ready to leave. “So I’ll be in to see you on Monday. That way you can spend all your time with your parents.”

“You could come in while they are here. I’m sure you will find something to talk about.”

“No, you need to be with them, but I will take your mom into town to find bedding. I hope they approve of what I have done in cleaning up the room.”

“They will. I wish you didn’t have to leave. It seems like Monday is such a long time away.”

“You’ll survive. Rest when you can and get well. You did say the cast was coming off your arm next week. That’s a real milestone.”

“Maybe, but then I’ll have to feed myself and you won’t come to see me.”

“I’ll be in, that I can promise.” I turned and walked out the door. I felt sorry for the woman, but it almost seemed as if she was flirting with me. I didn’t want to get involved with her and I almost regretted taking on what George asked of me. I got my own lunch and went to work in my office and put Angie from my mind.

‘****’

I heard a car. I looked across the street and saw a car parked there. It was a Cadillac a few years old. I could see a man and woman sitting in it. They talked for a few minutes. The man got out and walked around the front of the house. He stopped on the far corner, leaned down and turned over a small rock. I thought to myself that he picked up a key. He disappeared from view and I suspected he was going inside by way of the back door.

He was absent about fifteen minutes and when he came out he put the key back under the rock. He paused and stared at my house. I don’t think he knew I was home because my car was in the garage and I had been working upstairs in the back bedroom I used for an office. Under his arm he had a folded up piece of clothing. He went around to the passenger side of his car and handed what he had under his arm through the window to the woman.

He then got into the driver’s seat and they sat there. I could see occasionally the two would speak. It was nearly a half hour later when George Johnson drove up and parked on the street. All three were now out of their cars and headed for my front door. I bounded up the stairs and into my office. Soon there was hammering on my door. They had to rap several times and were turning away when I opened the door to them.

“Hi Jack, this is Mr. and Mrs. Driscoll, Angie’s parents. We need the keys I gave you to go into the house. They are staying here tonight.”

“Sure, George, I’ll get them. Won’t you come in? How about coffee or something?”

“No thank you, we’ve just arrived. We want to see Angie before it is too late.”

“I was in at lunch time. I think she is coming out of this just fine. They will be taking the cast off her arm this coming week.”

“We’ve talked to her by phone. She says you have been a great help to her. She’s not worrying about her property. I’m so glad that ass hole is dead. I wish someone had killed the bastard long before this.”

“Now, Sadie, he doesn’t have to hear this. It’s not his business. Will we be seeing you this week end?”

“Angie wants me to drive you into the city to get new sheets and blankets to cover her bed. I got rid of everything but the furniture and had the room painted. I cleaned and washed the bedclothes upstairs too, so you can pick a room. They are ready.”

“Too bad Angie wasn’t married to someone like you instead of that bastard.”

“Sadie, enough.”

“Say hi to Angie for me. Why don’t you come for breakfast in the morning? I stocked up when I heard you were coming. Make it for eight-thirty if you can. I am finishing up my week’s work tonight so I’ll be late getting to bed. That will be late for you if you are a farmer.”

Mr. Driscoll spoke, “I am, but that’s about time I usually eat. ‘Course I’ve been up and milked the cow herd by that time.”

“That figures.”

Mrs. Driscoll, spoke again. “We will join you for breakfast. Maybe we can go shopping early and spend the rest of the day with Angie. Come on Pa, let’s get going. Remember I haven’t seen her since the bastard’s funeral. You saw her right after she was hurt.”

“Okay, okay, we’ll go. Are you going with us, George?”

“No, not tonight. I will see her tomorrow when you are in with her.”

Mrs. Driscoll spoke a last word to me, “Bye, now, young feller.”

“Bye, Mrs. Driscoll.

One fact stood out, Angie’s parents loved her. Angie was favored by her father although he didn’t say much. Sadie Driscoll had hated her erstwhile son-in-law. It sounded as if she always had. I had another feeling; George was in love with Angie. Where this came from, I couldn’t say. Maybe it went back to our first meeting.

“Do you have time for a drink?”

“Yeah, that would be great. You were working, weren’t you?”

“I was, but I only have another hour to put in and then I’m done for the weekend.”

“You enjoy what you do?”

“Very much. I especially love the hours I am able to work. I would have been finished today except for the fact I went in to see Angie.”

“You like her?”

“Sure what’s not to like? Damsel in distress sort of thing. You know she is going to come out of this great. With the right cosmetic surgeon she’ll be fine. But she will most likely develop some extra aches and pains throughout her life, she being wracked up the way she was.”

“How would you know anything like that?”

“My company makes health instruments. Part of what I do is I write copy for what we make. I’ll show you the catalog we put out. I do a lot of research. Not much I use but some of the things I read stick in my brain. You know I’m one of those men who know a little about everything, but not much of anything I can use.”

“You’re a little weird.”

“I guess, but I’m happy.”

“Ah, are you going after Angie when she is well?”

“Nah, I’ll leave her for you.”

“What do you mean by that?”

“Oh, come on; tell me you don’t have feelings for her. I’ll bet you were Brian’s lawyer before you were Angie’s. I’ll also bet you aren’t putting in very many billable hours either. Look, I feel for the woman, but that is only because she is hurt. I think she is strong too. What woman would be able to shoot her husband when as badly injured as she was?”

“She doesn’t see me as someone she could love. I have been around the two of them a lot. Brian did get into a scrape or two on occasion. He thought he was a wheeler-dealer, but treaded too close to the truth sometimes. He didn’t always win either, but I did my best.”

He stopped speaking for a minute. “I never knew that he beat Angie, but I did get the feeling she was submissive. What I mean, he ordered her around and she took it without pushing back. He showed her no respect at all even when they were in a gathering.

“Have the police made the determination if the death was justifiable?”

“Not yet. I’m a little worried about it.”

“I wouldn’t be.”

“Well, I am. Why are they taking so long?”

“Who knows, but think, there was the call to 911. A woman says she just shot her husband and they went to the address and found a woman severely injured. The man is dead with one shot. I’m guessing the police will feel that is with the last strength she had. The gun was in the house because it belonged to her father and he gave it to her. She manages to make the call from a phone which is right beside her along with the gun. What more is needed?”

“There is one piece of evidence missing. The police wanted to test a robe she said she was wearing for evidence of powder residue. Somehow it went missing. Rescue claims they don’t remember her having it on when they loaded her into the vehicle. The police don’t remember it being in the room. They took pictures and it doesn’t show in any of them. Of course the hospital had cleaned her up as soon as she got to emergency. She wasn’t tested for residue for 48 hours so no evidence was on her. That’s what is holding the police from closing the case.”

“I would think that was enough to button everything up.”

“You would think so, but it has been shoved aside, claiming that it will be looked at sometime in the future. I never was trained to be a defense lawyer. I work with deeds and property. That is where my interests lie. It is more complex and I think I am good at it.

“Much of what I do concern wills. Most wills are pretty simple and boring. If Angie had died instead of Brian it would have taken a lot to get the will through probate because her will is much more than complex. It won’t take long to settle everything because Brian didn’t even have a will. Of course it can’t be completed until after the cause surrounding his death has been determined.”

“You have two years to settle, don’t you? I’m sure you can get an exemption or an extension?”

George smiled. “That’s another one of those things you know a little about, I take it?”

“Yeah, I guess. Are you going to hang around until the Driscolls get back from the hospital?”

“I thought I would. Okay to hang out here?”

“Sure, how about another drink. I have an unopened bottle of Rye. It’s not my favorite drink and it was a gift.”

“That would be good. Rye is much better than Bourbon.” I stayed with beer. George had one drink and said that was enough. We both were light drinkers.

Two hours later the Driscolls returned. I walked across the street with George to find out how Angie was this evening.

Pa Driscoll answered, “Maggie is fine. She said with the help she is getting from you two she can get through this.”

I was puzzled at the “Maggie,” but didn’t say anything.

‘****’

George decided he would leave. I invited him for a barbecue late tomorrow afternoon. I was going in to see Angie after I had finished shopping with Mrs. Driscoll, (Sadie) but just to say hi. Mr. and Mrs. would be there all afternoon and I would have them over for supper. George promised to visit Angie at the same time in the afternoon.

After he left, I asked if there was anything I could do tonight for the older couple. “No we’re good. We’ll sleep upstairs tonight. Thanks for putting Angie’s house together. I don’t know as we will get back to see her before she is able to come home. When I get the bedding tomorrow, I’ll make up her room so it will be ready. If we only lived closer we could come more often. That’s life on a farm.”

“Pa was able to visit Angie in the hospital when she was hurt. I had to stay and manage the farm for the three days he was here. It is unusual for us both to get away at the same time. We had a neighbor that’s helps us out some, but he has his own farm to take care of. His farm is bigger than ours, so he sends some of his help over.”

“That’s what neighbors are for.”

“I know. That’s what you are doing for Angie.”

“Well, she is hurt and just went through a traumatic experience. She needs a little support. I’m able to give it to her. Besides that, she and my sister are friends.”

“We didn’t know that?”

“They were in college together. While I was cleaning the house, I spotted a picture of a group of girls in it. One of the girls looked like my sister so I asked Sis if she knew an Angie. Sammy is going to notify some of the others friends about what happened to Angie, so Angie may be seeing a few of them.”

“That’s very nice of you.”

“My sister and I think alike and that’s why I contacted her. Say, I’ll see you in the morning.”

“Good night, Mr. Summers.”

“Jack, I only answer to Jack.”

I looked at the clock and thought I would be busy the next two days, so went up to my office and completed the hour that rounded out my week. I had a couple of things to think about. My conversation with George was interesting. I just knew he was in love with Angie. I laughed to myself because I knew that Sammy would want me taking up with her friend.”