Chapter 5: Lynn and Erin’s Story 01 - Incoming

September – Year 2

Lynn went to the airport on Saturday. She was a little upset because Paul had not called that morning before he got on the plane and that had set Erin off. Lynn loved her wife and seeing her so distraught broke her heart.

“Lover, I will bring him straight home, no sex in the parking garage. I promise.”

“Something is wrong. I felt it this morning when I was feeding Taylor. Her eyes. Something was there.”

“I’ll be home as soon as I can. I will have Paul call you when I pick him up.”

Lynn drove to the airport and parked in the lot closest to the terminal and walked in to the waiting area. She sat in a chair facing the long glass window that ran the length of the waiting area. The monitors said that Paul’s flight had landed. She waited until no one else was walking out the departure door and a chill ran up her spin as she ran to the ticket counter.

“I need some help. My husband was supposed to be on the flight from Houston and I didn’t see him come out.”

“Let me see what I can do. What flight was he on?”

“3455 from Houston Hobby.”

“Ok, the plane has landed and is at the gate. What is his name?”

“Paul O’Dell”

“Let me see. Hmmm. I’m sorry, but Paul O’Dell had a ticket but never got checked in or got on the plane.”

“Why?”

“I don’t have that information. It could be that he got tied up in security or got stuck in traffic, and just missed the flight.”

“What do I do now? How do I find out? He was supposed to call this morning and didn’t.”

“Have you called him?”

Lynn stood there and suddenly felt really silly.

“I hadn’t thought of that. I’m sorry to bother you.”

Lynn walked into the middle of the terminal, pulled out her phone and tapped her husband’s speed dial tab. It went straight to voicemail, that meant that the phone was either completely turned off or had a dead battery. After leaving a message, she went back to the ticket counter.

“Hi. Is there any way to know if my husband is now on a waiting list or stand by?’

“If he is, it would show on the stand by list, but it is possible that he hasn’t done that yet.”

Lynn thanked the woman and went to her car to do a very hard task. She called her wife.

“Hi Erin. Paul is not here. He never got on the plane in Houston. I called his phone and it went straight to voice mail. They don’t have any indication that he is on a standby list. I am on my way home.”

“Ok.” Erin sounded very calm.

When Lynn arrived at home she ran into her wife’s arms and began to cry. They held each other for a long time before Erin led Lynn to the kitchen and got her a cup of coffee.

“You are awfully calm, sweetie.” Lynn sobbed.

“I guess I knew something was going to happen, so I am not in shock. I am worried now about where he is and what happened to him. The first thing we need to do is to find out where he was.” Erin was stroking her wife’s hair.

“He was at a place called the ‘Do-Drop-In’. I will look it up and see if they know anything.”

“Lover, you have enough money, let’s contact a private investigator. Those folks have a skill set to find missing people. We might not even see something that would be obvious to them. I know a company that we have experience with at the bar. They are always talking to us about cheating husbands. I think we should call Bosco as well.” Erin revealed.

“I will get a hold of Bobby Falk. He is the guy who helped Paul back when Adam Shout was after me. He and Bosco are friends as well.”

“Ok. You get Bosco and the PI.”

The wives flew into action. They were contacting people so fast that they almost didn’t notice a phone call from Paul’s phone. Lynn was talking on her phone when the incoming call tone chimed. She was in mid-sentence when she quickly glanced at the phone. She took the phone back to her ear and then she jerked the phone down and pressed the answer tab.

“PAUL?!?!”

“Hello? This is Officer James Polk of the Pasadena, Texas police department. Who am I speaking to?”

“This is Lynn O’Dell and the owner of the phone you are calling on is Paul O’Dell, my husband. He was supposed to come home from Houston today and was not on the plane. What is going on?’

“Mrs. O’Dell your husband was attacked at a local bar and has been admitted to Pasadena General Hospital here in Pasadena, Texas. He has a very bad concussion. It looks like he was hit from behind with a hard object like a pipe. He was robbed, and we found his phone but the battery was completely dead. We charged it, but then decided to wait to call until we had more information.”

“How badly is he hurt?”

“He is still unconscious. The doctors are watching him closely. They have determined that he has no fracture of the skull. Can I reach you at this number at any time?”

“Yes. Either I or our wife Erin O’Dell will answer.”

“What?”

“Officer, Paul and Erin and I are joined in a legal civil union. We cannot legally marry because of polygamy laws, but we have legal rights and guardianship rights by legal contract. Please give the doctor my number and we will take care of the insurance and other details. If the doctor is not sure that he will be home soon, then I will fly down there to be with him while Erin stays home to watch over our children.”

“You have kids together?”

“Yes, sir. Erin and I both had twins. All girls.”

“Well, Mrs. O’Dell that is the most unique story I have ever heard.”

“And that is neither the first nor last time I will hear that in my life. Please pass all of the info the hospital needs onto them.”

“Will do. I will leave the phone with your husband. If the hospital needs to call you they will use their own phones and they will have a 626 area code.”

“Thank you Officer Polk.”

Lynn disconnected the call and looked at Erin.

“I am never going to doubt the babies again. After Paul called us from the bar last night, someone robbed him and hit him over the head. The police said they thought that he was hit with a metal pipe. He is in the hospital and is still unconscious. They are going to call us for the insurance info and to keep us up to speed on his progress.”

“Do you need to fly down there?”

“Do you think I should be the one to go?”

“Lynn, you are the one with the money. You were also his first lover. I have the biggest milk jugs and so, I should stay home and feed the babies and you should go take care of Paul.”

“I wonder if he wakes up if they will release him and send him home.”

“Lynn, if he has a severe concussion, they will not let him fly. The changes in air pressure can cause major problems. Let’s call a cab, pack your bag and get you on a plane ASAP.”

“Ok.”

Lynn waited for the taxi, holding Erin for comfort. She had gotten online and arranged for a ticket, rental car and hotel. Knowing the hospital name was a big help. She would be very close. Her flight would route from Boise to Salt Lake and then to Houston. She would get in at about 11:30pm.

“I called the hotel in Houston and they have Paul’s clothes. He never checked out of his room and all of his things were packed.” Lynn was talking and killing time waiting for the taxi and trying to not go crazy.

“When he called he said he was going to pack and then go to the bar to save time I the morning.”

“I’ll call you from the airport before I get on the plane and when I land.”

“Ok, but don’t worry about us. I don’t get the feeling that the babies are worried about anything right now. In fact, they are very calm and quiet. I AM worried about you.” They kissed and held on tighter.

“Ok. Are you sure that you will be ok?”

“Yes! Marcus is covering the bar, so I will always be here. I will feed the babies, and you know how much I love that. I will be fine. You go take care of our man. If I need to go to the bar I will call Dara or Terri and Bosco to babysit.” Erin kissed her wife on the head.

Lynn’s phone buzzed, she looked to see a text from the cab. It was out front. Lynn opened the front door and pulled her suitcase out of the door as Erin swatted her on the ass.

“I love you forever.”

“I love you forever.”

Lynn got in the cab and in less than twenty minutes the cab dropped her off at the airport. She went to the ticket counter and checked her large suitcase. It was packed with her clothes and some for Paul. She got her claim check and her boarding passes and headed for the pre-screened security check point, she passed through and headed to her gate. The wait to board was only about twenty minutes since she had paid extra for early seating.