idioms...sayings understood by native speakers part seventy three
(Earlier in the day, after John had left...)
Chris finished his donation and was walking out with orange juice and a cookie as A.J. and Martin came out of their van. The three brothers looked pale to say the least.
"Where is John?"
"Ah, he got out of it with that questionnaire." Chris muttered then looked at the other two. "How did you guys get to donate?"
Both of Chris's older brothers stopped and stared at him. "Like we would have told the truth?"
Chris considered that answer and kept walking towards the limo. It had already been a long day and he kept thinking of that sixteen year old orphan...
---
"What are you doing here?" The nurse blurted out. "Miss Hauser, you need to go back to your room. I told you that physical therapy had to be the first to get you out of bed. You have had a serious operation."
The girl looked bewildered. Holding the key tightly in her hand, she said, "Please I need to talk to this man just for another five minutes. Please."
"Not on your life. The Cardiologist will have my hide."
Charlie stated, "Come see Charlie tomorrow. Okay?"
No one noticed two house keepers entering the room picking up trash and cleaning the bathroom.
---
Charlie returned to his "sleep" state. Praying for all concerned in the accident; for Li Li; for Katie Hauser; for Rick, Carl, his uncles Larry and Joey; Jenny; the doctors.... even the evil Matthews family. He did not understand all of what Rick had said when he explained things to Carl, but that did not matter. God knew what it meant. He just had to ask for help. Someone had told him that prayer is the least and the most you can do for someone... he wasn't sure what that meant, but it seemed right. And so Charlie prayed.
The prosecutors entered Charlie's room, after gaining permission from his nurse.
"I don't know if he will talk to you. He seems to be a heavy sleeper."
Stanley sighed and shook Charlie.
"Hi. My name is Stanley Kuzavich. I am the prosecutor for Lansing County. This is Miss Allison...."
The Attorney General stopped him in his tracts. The boy opened his eyes.
"Does that make you good guys or bad guys?"
Stanley looked at him with surprise, thinking I guess that depends on how you look at it.
"We are the good guys. Just call me Allison. I am the Attorney General for the state."
Charlie squinted his eyes at her, then saluted, as he brought himself to sit on the side of the bed.
Stanley stifled a smile. This was a child in a man's body. He started again.
"Charlie, we are here to talk to you about the night when Sara Matthews got hurt."
Charlie nodded.
"Can you tell us how you got there?"
"In Carl's car."
The Attorneys both looked at each other.
"How about this. Tell me what happened from the time you got in the car with Jenny Lundstrom and Carl Matthews."
"Um, Charlie opened the window in the roof. Charlie felt mommy kisses."
The two attorneys took a simultaneous deep breath, this was going to be a long interview, as Stanley pulled out his recorder to let the boy talk.
---
Dejuan had followed the girl's return to her unit. He stopped just outside, noting the number to her room when he saw there was a man clad in a business suit sitting on a chair. He grabbed a spray bottle and started to clean the window just outside of Katie Hauser's room.
"Um, who are you?" The sixteen year old asked, as the nurse assisted her back into bed.
"I am Aaron Christopher Matthews. I am one of the board members of the Matthews Toy Company."
Katie looked at the old man in front of her. He was balding with grey hair and dark brown eyes. He was not fat, but not skinny and short in statue. He wore thick horn rimmed glasses.
"And why would you be here in my room?"
Chris liked this girl. She had the straight forwardness of her father, and seemed older than her years.
"I am here to tell you how sorry I am about your father."
"My father?"
"Yes. His loss will be felt heavily by the company."
"His loss is felt heaviest by me. What do you want, Mr. Matthews?"
"I want you to consider me as a foster parent."
The petite black haired girl looked at this strange man.
"Why would I consider you? My father was all I had in this world. Now that he is gone...I will become independent."
"And how will that happen? You have no income."
"I have his life insurance through the company."
"Ah, but your dad did not die of natural causes, and he did not have any accidental death insurance. His death was chalked up to a robbery that went bad."
Kate stared at the man.
"So there are no benefits?"
"Well, his retirement fund did not name you as beneficiary. He left it all to his wife.... your mom? I hear she is dead too. I guess he never got around putting it in your name."
"Then I will get social security benefits."
"But not if you are living by yourself."
Katie closed her eyes.
"Look... I don't know who you are. Just get the hell away from me."
"Miss Hauser. You are only sixteen. I am only asking to be your sponsor to see you through the rest of high school and college, if you decide to go."
"What are you? A daddy long legs?"
"Excuse me? I don't know what that term means."
Katie shrugged. "Look it up on the net. I am not an encyclopedia."
This girl's insolence made Christopher smile. She would be a gamble indeed.
"Here is my card and phone number. Just know that you are not alone. Okay?"
"Put it over there in my night stand. Okay?"
"Well, I think this was a very good first meeting. I will look forward to hearing from you."
"Hey, before you leave, what is in it for you? I mean, if I let you help me."
"Nothing. Just the fun of raising a child."
"Fun?"
"Yes. I never wanted one before. Women, diapers, sleepless nights... that all seemed to messy for me. But you are only a couple of years from being eighteen."
"And I am toilet trained."
"Exactly. Good day, Miss Hauser."
"And good day to you, Mr. Matthews."
The man left and Katie pulled her covers closer around her. The room seemed a little warmer now that he was gone. She looked around and pulled the chain holding the key off of her wrist. She had wound it there to look like a bracelet. She nervously pulled her necklace off and opened the locket.
---
Chris had made his errands and was heading home. He was calculating the cost of renovating a room in the mansion for his new "pet". His cell phone went off. He picked it up immediately.
"Yeah, John, what seems to be the problem?"
"What? Come bail you out?"
"I will get a hold of A.J.'s lawyer. What happened?"
---
Deshaun met up with Dejuan. They changed quickly in the restroom and dumped the clothes in a bin. As they headed out to the old van, Dejuan felt his cell phone go off.
"Yeah, Scott. What is it?"
---
Rick felt his cell go off and he answered.
"Hey Dejuan."
"I know. But I did not want to bother you guys."
"I know you think of Lynn like a sister in law. Could you stop yelling at me? It has been a really tough day."
"She is critical. No one is allowed to see her except close family members."
"Look, Charlie is at Charity. Why don't you guys take Larry and Joey to see him? Carl is with me and there is no one there for him. Think you could do that?"
---
Rick woke up startled. He rubbed his eyes realizing as he looked around that this was the reality. He sighed and closed his eyes remembering the beautiful dream he had. Sitting at the table in his kitchen, laughting...with the pretty brunette and her brother.... They were a package deal. Rick was not about to give up on either of them. He swallowed hard and then stretched as the night nurse came in.
"Sir, you should go home. Miss Johnson won't be allowed to wake up for a least a day. We will be weaning her off of the coma drug soon. It will take a while to clear."
"Is there any word on her kidneys..." he asked trying to find some hope.
"She is still producing urine, but it is at a fast rate.... It could be a sign of high output kidney failure."
Rick nodded. He stood up and leaned over whispering something in Lynn's ear.
"Please take care of her. She is a very special woman."
"I will." She watched him leave.
"Miss Johnson, naw, I am gonna call you Lynn. You have got someone very special waiting on you. So, please wake up soon." The nurse kept talking non stop to her as she started to clean her up.
Rick yawned again and made it to the waiting room. He started to walk past when he was greeted by Carl and Jenny. He jumped at the sound of his name.
"Any word? How is she doing?" Carl asked.
"Still the same. But her kidneys might be failing."
"Rick?" Jenny asked, "Are you all right?"
"I don't want to leave her behind." He sat down tiredly on the chairs, feeling like he had aged fifty years.
"And you think you can drive back like this?"
Jenny and Carl accompanied him to the car after grabbing some coffee out of the vending machines.
"I will drive. Jenny will keep me awake. Besides... I think I had better tell you what happened."
"Something else happened? I don't know if I can take much more."
---
Katie pulled out the little folded up paper.
"Daddy." As she looked into the locket and saw a picture of her mother and father on one side and a picture of her as a baby on the other, she laid the locket down carefully beside her and started to unfold the note.
to be continued....
