The Sleeping Lion - Chapter 12 (Conclusion)

Kelly cussed under her breath as she picked up the pieces of broken light bulb that had fallen on the floor near the window of the apartment. There really had been no other damage, and she herself had broken the bulb when she hit the intruder with the lamp_.

The phone rang. She picked It up and cradled It awkwardly on her shoulder as she bent to pick up a drawer that had been yanked out of the dresser. "Hello?"

"Are you feeding the cat?"

"Izzy!" She put the drawer carefully back on the floor and sat down. "Gosh, it's so good to hear your voice! How are you feeling?¹'

"Like shit. But that's okay. It's better than the alternative."

"I came by to see you, but you were out. I've been holed up in a motel room for days. I'm sorry I wasn't there when you woke up."

"It's okay. They had me doped up for the pain. I probably wouldn't have been too entertaining. Now they've decided that I can live with the pain, and they've lowered the dosage. It hurts like hell! How are things?"

Kelly paused. "Izzy, I'm so sorry..."

"Sorry? For what?"

"Oh, come on. You know it's my fault you're in there."

"Hey!" Izzy said. Kelly could almost see the authoritative scowl on her face. "Okay, I want you to listen to me, and listen good. This was not your fault! I want you to completely forget that idea. Some lunatic took a shot at me. How could you be responsible for that? Now you promise me that you will never, ever bring this up again, or when I get out of here, I will come home and kick your ass, BUT GOOD! You got that?"

Kelly sighed. "Yeah, yeah, yeah. Okay!"

"Okay?"

"Okay, okay!"

"You promise! Give me your word, dammit!"

"Yes. YES! I promise!" Kelly was laughing now.

"Good." Then, happily, Izzy said, "Now, tell me, how are things?"

"Things are good. I got sick of hiding like a rat in a hole, and I went public with the story."

"So I've heard! I watched the news this morning. You really ripped into that flyboy! Nice going!"

"Well, the down side of it is, now I'm considered a wacko. I got fired today."

"What!"

"Yeah. Anne called me. I felt sorry for her, actually. They really put her in an awkward position. I guess that's you get when you go into management."

"Those sons of bitches!" Izzy said. "Nothing like kicking you when you're down!"

"Yeah. Well, you know how that place is. They do have an image to worry about."

"Oh, screw their image! Kelly, what are you going to do now?"

"I've got a little money saved, thanks to you. It's not much. I'm going to have to look for another job right away."

"Listen, you can stay with me as long as you need to. Don't you worry about a thing."

"Izzy, you're too good to me." She was unsure of how to thank her friend, all the while knowing she didn't need to. Finally, she said, "I'm coming to see you tomorrow. Can I bring you anything?"

"Yeah!" Izzv said. "I want some real clothes! These hospital gowns are, like, so horrible."

"Okay."

"How is Art?"

"He misses you."

"Oh, my poor baby!" Izzy whimpered. "I miss him too! You would not believe how much I miss that stupid cat. I'm just not used to lying down on a bed without him sticking his nose up my nose. You probably think I'm crazy."

"We're all a little crazy." Kelly said.

Izzy laughed. "Hey, how Is therapy going?"

"Yeah, well, I don't want to hold the corner on the market. It makes me too insecure."

Kelly snorted. "You? Insecure? That will be the day! Anyway, I quit going."

"You quit? Did Sharon, like, dismiss you or something?"

"No. But I figured once I started talking about flying saucers, she'd have me committed! I just stopped going when all this stuff started happening."

"Do you think she helped you? I mean, was it worth it?"

Kelly paused. "I don't know."

BANG! BANG! BANG! An insistent pounding at the door interrupted the conversation.

"Oh, someone's here. I'll see you tomorrow!" Kelly hesitated, then added, "I love you!"

"I love you back. ya twerp. Go answer the door."

"Bye!" Kelly hung up the phone and ran to the door. Hesitating, she pressed her face against the surface to look through the peephole. It was Edgar. She quIckly unbolted the door, and he charged inside.

"Kelly, I have wonderful news!"

Without even waitIng for a response, he continued. "I've gotten a call from the United Nations! The ambassador for Belgium says that their satellite photographed the pod In space. They know It was NOT a meteor! And they're demanding to know what It Is!"

The room seemed to swim In confusion. Kelly wasn't sure If she was understanding it all. "What?"

"Did you HEAR me? Do you know what this means? You're vindicated! They know you are telling the truth."

It couldn't have been that easy. She didn't expect it to happen so fast. But It must be true. It was goIng to be over! The whole thing was going to be over, and she would soon have her life back. The thought was overwhelmIng. She felt a tide of emotions rising, and made an attempt to quell it, but it was useless.

She exploded Into tears. "Oh, thank God! Thank YOU, Edgar! Thank you!"

She collapsed Into hIs arms, sobbing with relief. No more motel rooms! No more living in fear!

Edgar patted her awkwardly for a moment. Thinking she had made him uneasy, she pulled away and smiled up at him, her face wet with tears. She hiccuped, then giggled with embarrassment. "I'm sorry, Edgar. I cry about everything!"

"It's okay," he said. He pulled a tissue out of his pocket and handed it to hen "Really. Here you go."

"Thanks," she said, taking it and wiping her nose. "I wish I could be more like Izzy. She's so strong. She never cries."

"Hey," he said. "Crying is good for you. It cleans out the system, my mother used to say. How is Izzy, anyway? I haven't been to see her yet. I sent some flowers but I'm going to try and go in tomorrow, if things don't get too crazy."

"She's good. She sounded tired, but she's really doing good. It's a miracle, as far as I'm concerned. I am so glad this whole thing is going to be over soon!"

Kelly sat down on the sofa. "Maybe I'll get my job back. They canned me, you know."

"You got fired? Really?"

She heaved a tired sigh and wiped her eyes. "Yeah. I got the call this morning. They said I had been missing too much work over this thing. Reporters kept coming around and it was disrupting the place. I wonder though, If they thought I was a nut. Maybe all the press was creating a bad image for them."

"Well, those dirty -- You know," Edgar said. "It may not be legal. You could probably sue them!"

"I know. I will, if they don't take me back. I like my job. ­I like my boss. It's the higher-ups that made the decision. I guess they thought I would just lie down and take it. But now, I'm going to call them."

She gave him a teary, determined smile, rolling the tissue between her hands. "They WILL take me back, and they WILL give me a big raise!"

Edgar laughed. "Atta girl! If you need any help, just let me know."

He looked around. "It looks like you've been cleaning this place up. It was sure a mess."

"Yeah. It's taken me all day. I swear that guy went through every stitch of clothing we had. He completely emptied the closets. I'm not sure what to do about the darkroom. I picked things up as best I could, but I know Izzy will have to reorganize it all."

Edgar walked through the room, looking around, and then sat down in the chair across from her. He leaned back, his arms folded across his wide barrel chest. "Boy, that really bothers me about your job. It's just the opposite with me, Kelly."

"What Is?"

"Well, the Irony of the whole thing is that I'm making a fortune off your story. Remember when I said this would be the scoop of the century? Well, it is. I've had offers from other papers. Talk shows want me. It seems I've become one of those instant temporary celebrities. Pat and I don't really want to move. But the Sun wants to keep me, and they're paying to do it. I'm making a lot more money now."

He ran his fingers through his hair, agitated. "It doesn't really seem fair, does it? You're the one who saw the thing and I'm the one who is benefiting from It. Hey, if you need any money -"

"It's okay, Edgar," Kelly said.

"No, really. I'd like to help you out. I see you as, well," he looked down at the floor, embarrassed. "You're my friend, okay? You and Izzy both. I owe all of this to you guys. So If you need any help -"

"Thank you, Edgar. You have helped me. More than you know." Kelly got up and went over to him, and kissed him on the forehead.

She surely would have never gotten through this whole thing without him. He had to know that But she couldn't tell him the other pan; that he had restored the faith in men that Joe had destroyed almost completely. Because of Edgar, she knew that there were men who were honest, men who were decent and kind. There were men who didn't need to dominate, who were, well, just regular folks. Izzy and Sharon had been right.

Kelly smiled down at him, patted his head, and walked over to the window. She paused, looking out at the snowflakes that whirled down from the grey sky.

"So what happens now, Edgar? With the pod, I mean?"

"Now we're out of the fight. There are bigger forces taking over. All we have to do is sit back and wait, and I'm betting that It won't take long. Of course, some of the U.S. citizens aren't going to like it, but they are the minority."

"What? Some of our people don't want the facts revealed? Why not?"

"They're scared. You know, Ignorance is bliss."

"Are you kidding me?"

Edgar sighed and said, "I wish I were. You should hear some of the ridiculous calls I've been getting. They're mostly about your Infamous book. People don't know what the strange symbols mean, and they don't want to know. They would rather the whole thing had never happened."

"Really!"

"Yeah. I guess it just got too big too fast. It has grown from something that affected the community, to the country, and now the whole world. Maybe It's too much information all at once. People don't like change. It scares them."

"Maybe this kind of fear was part of the reason for the government's secrecy,"Kelly said. "They were afraid of mass panic; another 'War of the Worlds' type of thing..."

"That could be." Edgar chuckled. "I'm not about to start trying to second guess the government. Who knows what they're thinking? Sometimes, I honestly think this country Is being run by lunatics."

"Really?" Kelly said. She hesitated. "I don't know much about politics."

"You're probably better off," Edgar said. "Like I said, ignorance Is bliss. And when you say politics, you're talking the name of the game. It's all about power. Greed. Money. The system has become so corrupt that when I vote, I try to pick the candidate that I think lies the least!

"Anyway," he added with a tired sigh, "Don't get me started. It wIll ruin my good mood."

"Sorry!" Kelly said. "It just surprises me that something like this would happen, and people don't want to know about it. I think that's crazy."

"Well, they have no choIce in the matter now. The thing Is spinning on its own momentum." He stood up. "I've gotta go. I have a hundred things to do. You can count on something big happening tomorrow. I'll be surprised if they wait any longer. I'll call you later and let you know what the story is."

"Thanks, Edgar. See you later."

He left her then, sitting amidst the mess, her thoughts as jumbled as the clothing she had not yet picked up.

***

Izzy sat quietly in the bed, flipping through some of the photography magazines that Edgar had brought her. She was beginning to feel as if she had always lived In this hospital. She was anxious to go home, and had begun to be irritable with the nurses. They told her that she was lucky to be alive, that she had lost a lot of blood. The bullet had passed right through her, shattering the lower edge of her collar bone In the process.

She was very sore, but was quickly gaining her strength back. The food was the pits. They gave her slop on a tray. The mashed potatoes were like oatmeal. It reminded her of airline food. She would really love a burger about now. She wished she had told Kelly to bring her one. She closed her eyes, and in a moment of self-torture, allowed her thoughts to dwell on a juicy hunk of beef dripping with cheese, sizzling on a soft, fresh bun...

She wondered if she could send telepathic messages to Kelly.

The door to the room swung open and in walked Kelly. Izzy grinned happily and said, "Hi! What do you know? I was just thinking about you!"

"I brought you a surprise!" Kelly carefully looked around before closing the door behind her. She carried a bulging duffel bag, which she set on the bed.

Izzy set the magazine down and watched her with delight. It seemed like years since they had seen each other. Kelly was radiant, beaming brightly.

Isabel said, "I have to ask this. It's not by any chance a burger, Is It?"

"Sorry!"

Izzy looked at the duffel bag. "Oh, some real clothes!"

"Yep. But that's not all!" Kelly bent and slowly unzipped the bag. Suddenly, Art's head popped out.

Izzy squealed with delight. She held out her one useful arm. "My baby!"

Kelly pulled the cat out and deposited him carefully on her friend's stomach. The cat chirped, arched his back and began marching rhythmically with his front feet, lunging his head enthusiastically toward Izzy's hand as she petted him.

Izzy laughed. "Hasn't changed a bit, has he?"

"Nope. I can't believe he rode all the way up here in that bag, and never made a peep. He's a lot of fun. He's been keeping me company."

Kelly reached into the bag. "Here, I brought you some makeup."

"Oh, thank you! You are truly an angel of mercy! A saint!" Izzy reached eagerly for the compact and flipped It open. She looked into the mirror. "Oh, God!"

"Hey, It's not so bad." Kelly looked at Izzy. Her skin was pale, her lips colorless. Her hair, usually spiked, now fell softly around her face In auburn waves.

"Izzy!"

Izzy, frantically patting powder across her cheeks. looked up and said, "Huh?"

"Izzy, my gosh! Your hair is absolutely gorgeous!" Unable to resist, Kelly leaned over and touched it. "I never realized It before. Why do you spray It? You should keep It this way"

"You think so?" Izzy squinted critically Into the tiny mirror, turning her head this way and that.

"Yeah!" Kelly said.

Izzy shrugged. "Maybe I will. I'm due for a change."

She put the compact down and rummaged through the cosmetics. "I need some lipstick, like, desperately!"

Kelly sat down on the edge of the bed. "So when are you bustin' out of this place?"

"Thev said tomorrow if I'm good."

"I guess that means next week sometime," Kelly said. They laughed.

"Hey." Izzy said. "Guess who I saw yesterday."

"Who?"

"Your boyfriend." Izzv was smug.

"Who? What are you talking about?"

"Thor, of course. Remember? That Nordic god you were playing doctor with!"

Kelly grinned. "Really?"

"Yeah. My doc brought in a group of med students. He was one of the med students. They were utterly fascinated with my gunshot wound." Izzy examined her eyes in the mirror. "How am I going to get my mascara on with only one hand? This Is, like, Impossible!"

"Here," said Kelly. She took the mirror, and held it. "How's that?"

"A little to the right - that's good! Anyway, I got his name. Steve Kline. He is a looker!" She whistled.

Kelly laughed. "I don't believe you. You got his name?"

"Yeah, of course. What kind of friend would I be if I didn't collect this kind of information?"

"How did you get his name?"

"I asked him, silly! I was kind of dopey. They probably thought I was delirious."

"Did he remember you?" Kelly asked.

"I don't think so. Why should he? He was looking at you the whole time we were there. Besides, I looked like hell yesterday."

"Oh.

"So, now you know who he is. And if you don't go for It, you're nuts!"

"Well," Kelly shifted uncomfortably.

"Oh, don't start In with this, 'men are pigs' crap! That's just an excuse."

"You're right. It was an excuse. I was scared. But. Izzy. you know what? I think I want to just try being on my own for awhile."

"You're chickening out again?"

Kelly smiled. "No, It's different this time. I think I just want to see what life is like without a guy. Someday maybe I'll hook up with a nice man. But not right now. It's too soon. I have to wait for the dust to settle first."

Izzy leaned back from the mirror, and looked at her. "You're really serious!"

"Yeah. I really am."

Izzy smiled. "Well, that's cool! I mean, I can understand it. Hell, you've still got to figure out where you're at. No sense having to worry about someone else. too."

"Yeah, that's right." Kelly was grateful for her frlend's understanding. She sighed.

"Hey, did you talk to the office yet?" Izzy asked.

"Not yet."

"Well, If you need me to vouch for you I'm here. Those assholes better be willing to take you back!"

"Thanks, Izzy. But I think this is something I'll have to handle on my own, you know?"

"Yeah. I know what you mean." They were silent for a moment. "So, I hear you caught a crook."

"Huh?"

"Didn't someone break into my apartment? I hear you busted a crook over the head with my floor lamp."

Kelly grinned. "Oh, that seems like ages ago! Well, I actually didn't hit him on the head. He deflected it. Unfortunately. I hit him on the arm. Who told you?"

"Edgar was bragging about It," Izzy said. A little smile played around her lips, and her eyes gleamed with admiration. Kelly blushed, looked down at the cat, and suddenly noticed the blanket he was sitting on. It was soft, carefully knitted In small delicate squares and lacy patterns.

"Where did you get this?" Kelly asked, taking it between her fingers and feeling the yarn.

"Edgar's wife made it for me. He brought It by this morning, with some homemade cookies. Here, you want one?" Izzy reached over and grabbed a Tupperware bowl off the bedside table and held it out.

"What do you know? A little hospital visitation bonus! And chocolate chip, to boot! Thanks," Kelly said, taking one.

Izzy laughed again. "Edgar is so funny; a typical Italian. He shoves food at you. It shows on his daughter, but his two boys are so skinny! I don't know how they do it!"

"Oh, you mean Thing One and Thing Two?"

Izzy looked at her friend In surprise, and then said, "Like in the Cat In the Hat? Is that what you call them?"

Kelly nodded while Izzy collapsed back on the bed and crowed with laughter.

"So vou've met them." Izzy said when finally she collected herself. She giggled and wiped her eyes.

"Oh, yes. One night in a restaurant. It was bizarre, like a sitcom or something."

"That's exactly how their home is, all the time! Hilarious. You can't laugh out loud at them, of course. It's a real test in self-control. I had dinner there one night."

Izzy paused a moment, and then said, "You know, Edgar's wife used to hate me. I can't believe she made this afghan for me. I guess she felt badly that I got shot."

Sitting there, looking at her friend, Kelly suddenly felt a lump In her throat. She was nearly overwhelmed with gratitude. Izzy was happy, smiling, petting her cat, seemingly unruffled by the fact that she had been so close to death. She had not changed a bit.

Izzy looked up. "Hey," she said. "Don't start that!"

"What?"

"You've got that mushy look on your face. You're going to bawl."

"No, Izzy, I'm not. I promise." Kelly decided to change the subject. "So, why don't you have your TV on? There's a big press conference In Washington right now. They're supposed to reveal what the book says."

Izzy waved her hand In disinterest. "You can watch it if you want to. I'm sick of the whole mess!"

"Izzy!"

"Okay, I'm sorry. Go ahead and turn it on. I am pretty curious, actually."

Kelly sat still. She looked down at the floor. "Well, I can't say as I blame you for not wanting to hear any more about this. You've been through a lot. I look back and I can hardly believe it all happened to us. I guess that's why I want to see It through to the bitter end."

"Kel, you don't have to explain it. It's okay, really. This is a big deal. I do want to know what the book says. Everyone does. I guess a part of me just likes the mystery of it,you know?"

The mystery of It. That was just like Izzy. Drama, suspense; the spice of her imaginative life. She probably loved the fact that she had been shot! Kelly could picture her wearing tube tops under the flannel shirt from now on so she could easily show people the scar.

She realized then that the room had fallen silent. Izzy sat quietly, deep in thought, staring up at the lifeless TV which hung high on the wall. She stroked Art absently. There was a tenseness about her that seemed to infect the whole room.

Kelly felt her throat go dry. What could the message be? She could imagine the whole world waiting as they were; quietly, anxiously waiting. It was as if a collective breath had been drawn and all of humanity had stopped to listen. Then time itself had hesitated, and the earth hung in suspense.

What could possibly be so important that people --beings -- from other worlds would want them to know? She had visions of cries for help from dying planets; threats of alien takeovers; the history of unknown cultures. God, it could be anything.

Her heart was beginning to thump in her ears. The backs of her knees had a tingly rubbery feeling. This was a little overwhelming. Perhaps they should wait. Maybe It would be better to just be quiet for a while. Maybe they had both been through too much.

Finally, Izzy spoke.

"Go ahead," she said softly.

Well, they would have to find out sooner or later. Kelly could no longer control the urge to know. She got up and reached up for the switch on the TV

There was the sound of applause as the screen cleared to reveal the President stepping down from a podium.

"Oh, too bad!" Kelly said. "We just missed his big explanation about why his cronies lied to the entire world and now -"

"SHHH!" Izzy hissed.

An announcer's voice, crisp and professional, was saying, "...In a moment, the computer will reveal its interpretation of the hieroglyphic writIng. The creators of this book -- whoever they were -- used an ancient Egyptian hieroglyph and combined it with a mathematical code. There is no doubt that whoever sent the message knew how to communicate with us. Scientists say that solving the code riddle was relatively simple."

"Wow," Kelly smiled nervously and glanced over at her friend. "They didn't waste any time TODAY, did they?"

They waited in silent anticipation as the screen went blank. The moments seemed to drag until finally, there it was. Letters flashed across the screen; words familiar since the world was born:

"In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth. Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters..."

A gasp escaped Kelly's lips. She tore her eyes away from the screen to look at her friend, and saw that Izzy had begun to cry.

The End