Part 21:
Finals.
Won’t be long now, Gaele thought as she scribbled on a sticky-note to
add to the collection that sprouted from her thick textbook. Another night
of this, and then the final exam... her papers were completed, and before
long, she’d be graduating...
Her cell phone chirruped beside her elbow, and she picked it up. "Yeah,"
she said casually.
"Gaele?" Don’s voice.
"Well hello, stranger! How’s it-"
"Gaele, no time to chat, I’m right outside. Would you let me in?"
Don’s voice sounded strained.
"What’s wrong?"
"Just let me in, please, and then we'll talk."
"Uh, okay, just let me get my robe..." Gaele pulled her bathrobe down from
its hook and went out into the hallway, struggling to get it on. She bounded
down the stairs and saw Don through the glass window by the front door of
the dorm, and so shut off her phone.
He took a hold of her shoulders and gravely looked into her eyes. "You need
to get ready to leave right away."
"Why?"
"Let’s go up to your room first."
"Don-"
"Come on, no time to waste. Let’s go."
They got to her room, and Don closed the door. "Gaele, sit down."
"What IS it?"
"Your dad and sister were in a very serious car accident."
Gaele’s mouth fell open. "Oh?"
"I got a phone call from your mother, earlier today, when I happened to be
in the city, and so I flew out here to pick you up. There’s no time
to waste..."
"I’m on it," she muttered, as she grabbed a duffel bag out of her closet.
"God, please don’t let it be too bad..."
"Your mother said your dad was still in the OR, she was waiting on the doctor,
so she doesn’t know his status, yet. Your sister doesn’t seem to
be too badly off, a bit shaken... Here, you need this?" He pointed to her
backpack.
"Uh, yeah, I guess," she said absently as she stuffed clothes and toiletries
into the bag. She looked at the boxes that were already taped shut. "Those
will be shipped home, eventually... uh, okay, I need to get these books into
that box, was gonna do that tomorrow after the... Aack!" She straightened,
and tugged at her hair in frustration.
"What?"
"The rest of my finals..."
"You can make them up later, this is a good enough excuse to miss them. You
ready?"
She looked down at her sweats. "Well..."
"You can change on the flight home. There’s plenty of time for that.
The pilot’s filed his flight plan already, so we’d better go right
now."
"Okay," Gaele said, numbly allowing Don to pick up her backpack and duffel.
She glanced back at her room, her home for so many months, and was now leaving
it so suddenly... there wasn’t even time to think. She shook herself
a little, and followed Don downstairs.
"Please don’t worry about the exams. It won't affect your grade." Don
said as he helped her into the waiting car.
"Yeah, okay..."
Now with nothing to do, her mind wandered, as she stared without seeing,
at the darkness and passing lights outside her window. Why was it that things
always happened so suddenly? One minute life went along, usually at a mundane
pace, and the next, it was as though someone had reached into the room and
turned the lights out. Like the jokes Devon used to play on her, as kids...
it usually left her feeling a bit disoriented and confused. Daddy had trained
her to not be taken so easily by surprise any more, but- this was
different...
Don stirred, and reached into his pocket, pulling out his cell phone to answer
it.
Gaele watched him, until he looked at her and shook his head slightly. She
sighed and went back to pretending to look out the window, as he talked quietly.
This went on until they reached the airfield, and pulled up in front of a
small passenger jet.
Don answered his phone again, shortly after takeoff. Again, he gave her a
negative shake of his head to her inquiring, hopeful look. She wondered how
many phone calls he got in a day.
"Doesn’t that drive you crazy," she asked as he pressed the talk button
off for the fourth time.
He grinned a little. "I’m accustomed to it," he said. He looked thoughtful
a moment, then looked up at her. "Actually, you might need to get used to
it, yourself. The trick is-"
Her phone chirruped as though on cue. "Figures," she said as she fumbled
for it. "Hi?"
"Gaele?"
"Oh, mom!" Gaele came fully awake, then. "How are you- how’s Dad, and
Ri?"
"Still waiting," her mother sighed. "Riahna seems to be fine, but they want
to keep an eye on her for a day or so, as a precaution."
"Ohh..." Gaele let out her breath, and remembered to take another. "But-
what happened?"
"Are you on your way?"
"Yes, we’ve been flying for about half an hour."
"Oh, good, you are on your way, then."
"Are you doing okay, mom?"
There was a short silence. "I... I don’t know yet," she said softly.
"I’m sorry... Is there anyone with you?"
"I think so."
"Who?"
"Riahna has her... friend here, and... I’ll be fine, Gaele."
"Mom?"
"What, dear?"
"What happened?"
"There was an accident. Your father was bringing Riahna back from an appointment,
and someone came down the wrong side of the road. He's been driving the red
car, and now it looks... it doesn’t even look like a car any more."
At the strain in her mother’s voice, Gaele’s throat drew tight.
"Did you see Dad? What did he..."
Don’s hand squeezed her arm, and she looked up. His mouth was pressed
tightly together in a mixture of disapproval and suppressed emotion.
"No, they had taken him in, already... Gaele, I’m going to go now, I
think I see the doctors coming out."
"Oh! Okay, mom... I’ll let you go. Call me back when you can, okay?"
"Yes, dear..."
They hung up.
"What was that for," she asked him, as she rubbed her arm.
"Your incessant questioning," Don said. "That really wasn’t
necessary."
"Well, excuse ME, your majesty, I should THINK I have a right to know
what’s going on."
"You could have at least considered your mother's feelings, and allowed her
to talk, instead of playing Twenty Questions."
"Don’t tell ME what to do, DON." Gaele got out of her seat, and went
toward the back. "I’m not exactly in the mood for lessons in social
protocol, OKAY?"
Don calmly opened up a portfolio of papers at the small conference table
in front of him, and began looking through them, as though he hadn't heard
her.
Of all times to act like a total SNOT, she grumbled to herself in the bathroom.
What was wrong with asking a few questions, for heaven’s sake? I have
a RIGHT to know... who does he think he IS, talking to me like that?
He was busily talking on the phone again when she came out, and was writing
something on a digital message pad. She pointedly ignored him, and decided
to sit in a seat farther away from him. Her throat was now in a painful knot,
and she was too wound up to sleep. She sat and ground her teeth, as she stared
at the dark glass of the window. She scowled even more when she saw nothing
but her reflection. She felt hateful and ugly, and her head was beginning
to pound.
She felt eyes on her, and she hunched more into her seat. The air stirred
nearby, and she turned more toward the window. She could see Don’s
reflection behind her. "Leave me alone," she muttered. The reflection disappeared
as the glass misted from her breath.
"Gaele, it might help if we talked."
"Oh, really? Seems you talk plenty enough, seems all you ever DO is talk,
on that stupid phone of yours. I’d feel sorry for your wife, IF you
had one. If you ever WILL get one, who knows how long THAT will take?" She
turned to see the look on his face, as he gazed down at her.
Ouch, I can’t believe I said that, she berated herself as she tried
to swallow a sob, and ended up choking. She suddenly curled up, and pressed
the heels of her hands hard into her eyes, to block the tears. She felt his
arm across her shoulders, and it triggered an outpouring of fear and pain,
and she was caught up in it like the crest of a breaker, that rolled her
over and over, until she lost her emotional equilibrium.
"Please don’t leave me, Daddy, PLEASE," she wailed. "I don’t want
to lose you!"
Don patiently held her till she fell into an exhausted sleep.