Chapter 67

For a long time no one spoke. We ate in careful silence, until I decided to draw our waitress out.

"Excuse me," I said. "Your accent is unusual. If you don't mind, where are you from?"

She smiled like my question pleased her to no end. "I moved here from very southern Minnesota. My parents' farm is just over from the Iowa state line, close to the field where Buddy Holly crashed in the plane. We all talk funny up there." She was in her early twenties, stout, and had a very pleasant smile. I doubted very many people even knew she existed, much less talked to her about her.

Rebecca spoke up, "Are you here because of the music? Do you sing, or are you a musician?"

"No," She said. "My folks' farm is not very profitable, and I needed to get out of the house to lessen the strain on them. It's hard enough to feed the other five, but since I can work and am the oldest, I needed to leave the nest and give them a break."

I shot a look at Colleen, and she nodded back. Before I died, that family farm would be put on solid financial footing, and those six kids would have access to funds for a college education. It makes no sense to be filthy rich if all you do is hoard it.

When she moved on to other tables, Colleen followed and soon had all the important details. Rebecca caught on and smiled her version of the hundred-megawatt smile, making me weak in the knees. Mrs. Bell had no idea what just transpired, but Mr. Bell whispered to her, earning me another beautiful smile.

Colleen returned and gave us a report on the salient facts and how she'd handle taking care of them. It seemed to break the tension, and we all enjoyed dinner much more, with the awkward stage behind us.

Mrs. Bell was first to broach the subject of my health. "Brian Dear, are you in pain? I don't see the things I thought I should see if you are nearing the end. What am I missing, son? What should I be seeing that I'm too dense to notice?"

For a minute I thought about her question. Rebecca was far more qualified to explain this than me, but I supposed it was my news to tell, so I did my best. "Mrs. Bell, when the truck hit my mother and me, the pain was terrific. As I understand it, my blood pressure skyrocketed and stayed way too high for far too long, damaging the blood vessels in my head that were already weak.

"The damage was irreversible, and it was only ever a matter of time before things started to fall apart for me. My brain has bled several times, and each time the repairs caused as many complications as the injuries. On top of all that, my body doesn't seem to be able to repair the damage to my circulatory system much, if at all.

"The bleeding has begun again. But this time, I've got tiny bleeds in several places, not just one. Actually, there are more than several. The doctor offered to have me come in for a new set of scans, but the last ones are quite clear, and they predicted this right down to the tiniest symptom. I've been expecting this, because Rebecca reinforced it for me several times. Her reminders have made dealing with this so much easier, because I've kept it in the forefront of my mind.

"There is only so much one brain can withstand, and I'm already way past that. The surgeon flatly refuses to try to operate. With all the trauma I've endured, he says it is impossible for me to survive more surgery. There's no timetable for this. I'll die when I die, but the surgeon says by the time I'm experiencing these symptoms, it's pretty late in the game.

"The good news is that so far there's no pain. I remember how bad it was that night when I got sick at your house.

"My best shot has always been to live as much as possible and to make sure all my affairs were in order for when things start to go wrong"

I needed to change the subject.

As things crossed my mind, I knew I'd better throw them out on the table in case the end came suddenly, instead of in stages. "Mr. Bell, my boat is parked at the dock behind Jerry's house in Florida. I also have a brand new Lexus SUV sitting beside his garage. Now that I know I won't be returning to continue my trip, can you figure out what's best for disposing of them?

"I'm not really ready to share my news with Sherrie and Jennifer, just yet. That girl needs to go to Sweden and get better without an emotional set back.

"After ... well, just after, you can let Jerry know, and he'll have to figure out how to break the news to her.

"Maybe you can use the Beth Ann on the lake, but that would mean figuring out how to take enough of it apart to move it, and I suspect that's a bad idea. You could park it somewhere else, and hire a marina to operate it as a rental, though.

"The Lexus is brand new, and I'd love it if you had it shipped home and used it yourself. I drove it once, right after I bought it. The next day I talked to the surgeon, and he said driving might be a bad idea, in case things got worse all of the sudden, and I lost motor control while driving.

"People die. That's what happens. If you live long enough, you get to get old and die. I'm not going to experience any of that, but I've lived a lot since I found out about my special problems, and I got to fall in love with the two of you," reaching out to touch Rebecca on the face and Colleen on her arm. "Other than the four of you, I have no one to notify. There's no family anywhere, so no one will be coming looking to inherit anything.

"So, you're it. Please enjoy being rich. Do some good with the money, but don't make it your life's work. Life is for living, and I want you all to have wonderful lives.

"Technically my father is still alive, but he washed his hands of me before I was born. When the first accident happened, my mother tried to notify him, but he refused to come to the phone and never tried to call back. When my mother was killed, I didn't even try. He's hurt us for the last time.

"There is a bank account at Grayson's bank, oddly enough, that my father used to put a little money in, but I've not even thought about it until right now. It's in my mother's name, if you want to close it."

Mr. Bell spoke up, "Brian, we discovered that account and transferred the contents into your cash account at Wells Fargo. Colleen, did you notify the depositor about future deposits? If not, then he got a pass once the bank closed."

Colleen thought about it for a while, then said she'd look into it. "Please don't," I said. "If you do anything that gives him an excuse to try to make contact, he might come after the trust. I would rather you withdrew all the money and burned it, rather than let him get his hands on it."

"Mrs. Bell, you are absolutely the nicest person I've ever met, with the exception of my mother. From the first time I met you, there has always been a special place in my heart for you. In case time slips away and I don't get a chance to tell you, thanks for being so sweet, kind, and gentle.

Knowing you and Mr. Bell helps me understand so much about Colleen. She is truly a combination of what's most beautiful about you and most special about Mr. Bell. Even though you didn't intend to do it, thank you for saving Colleen for me. Our time together has been sweet, and fun, and exciting, and ... mine. Thank you."

I guess I laid it on a little too thick, because she started to cry and left the table to go to the ladies room. As she bustled away, I turned to Mr. Bell and said, "I didn't mean to make her cry. Please tell her I said I'm sorry."

Rebecca grabbed my hand and said, "You didn't make her cry. You let her. Sometimes women need to cry. Why are you men so dense?"

"Well I Love You TOO!" I said, laughing. "You sounded just like Jennifer. I can still see her grab her head and try to sound just like her mother, 'Honestly, I just don't know what I'm going to do with you men... ' Remember?"

We laughed until I excused myself to walk to the men's room. I met Mrs. Bell coming back. Just as we smiled at each other, I felt the floor shift under me and reached out, and took hold of the doorframe to steady myself. For just a few seconds I concentrated on remaining upright, and that was all it took for Mrs. Bell to signal Rebecca.

When it passed, I found Rebecca, Mrs. Bell, Colleen, and Mr. Bell surrounding me like mother hens. Their concern was obvious, and I felt ridiculous being cared for like an invalid. "It's Ok," I said. "It was nothing, and it's past now.

"I'm going to go upstairs and rest for a little while. See you all when you come back upstairs, or in the morning."

Rebecca latched onto my arm and said, "I'm coming with you, mister." She had 'the look.' I knew there was no arguing.

"Daddy, I'm going with Rebecca and Brian, just in case he needs a little help. Come on up when you're done and we'll have a cold drink before bed." Colleen added.

"Please. Please go back and enjoy dinner. Just because I feel a little weak is no reason to break up the party. I'm fine. I promise." They weren't buying it. It was written all over their faces.

"I'm finished with dinner, Brian." Rebecca was very stern all of the sudden. "Now I'm going upstairs with my boyfriend. Got it?"

Yep. I got it, in spades. Colleen said nothing but held tighter and stepped even closer, her arm possessively circling my waist. Mr. and Mrs. Bell trailed along with us, and Mr. Bell stopped just long enough to sign for dinner. As we turned towards the elevators, I caught our waitress watching us with the saddest expression on her face. I wondered what upset her so, and promised myself to ask when I saw her the next time.

All four followed me into the suite. Mr. Bell insisted on helping me remove my jacket and shirt. No amount of assurance convinced them I wasn't too weak to be left alone, so they took shifts. Colleen showered with me. She and Rebecca bracketed me in bed, and when I slid out to use the bathroom, Colleen followed me in and sat on the edge of the tub until I finished, used the commode herself, and then followed me back to bed.

We cuddled for a little while and whispered about inconsequential things. Then she surprised me. "I think my mother has a crush on you," she said, giggling.

"What in the world gave you that idea?" I was laughing, too.

"When she came back from the ladies room and saw you when you felt weak, she came to get us. Rebecca about flew out of her chair to go help you, and when she was gone, Mother said to me, 'I can see why you two are just crazy about Brian. If I was twenty-five years younger and single, I'd be up for sharing him, too.'

"Brian, I'd have fallen off my chair, if I hadn't been already standing. My mother has the hots for you. Can you believe it? I can. You're fourteen, and yet the only thing on my mind is getting your clothes off and finding out if you know any tricks you haven't showed me, yet.

"Daddy would just split in two if he had heard Mother say that. He still thinks you're the love child of Mother Teresa and Billy Graham. If he thought my mother was thinking about what's under your shorts, he'd just lose it."

Her giggles woke Rebecca, who was first worried that I was sick, then joined in and added to my shock. "Brian, did you see how our waitress was watching us as we headed towards the elevators? I left my shawl on the chair and went back to retrieve it. She was still on duty. Her name is Margaret, but people call her Maggie. She asked me all kinds of questions about you. When I told her you were not only taken, but quite ill, she started to cry.