In Full Bloom: Sequel to 'The Crying Rose': The Trilogy of the Rose (Volume 2) (13 page)

“I see your point, Dr. Stevens,” David replied, “but, I know that too much of this stuff could kill a horse.”

Mark laughed at David’s reaction. “I know your concern, David, but believe me it is for the best,” Mark supported his decision.

“You’re the doctor,” David chirped back, feeling a little better. “How is Mrs. Carter?” he asked, expressing that very concern in his voice.

“Actually, she appears pretty pathetic, to tell you the truth. She looks like she has been in the ring with a prize fighter, and was on the losing end.” Mark grimaced at the thought of Sami’s battered body. “You already know that the forearm is broken. The x-ray showed a clean break, and it was easy to set. Now, we just have to wait for it to heal. The rest of the injuries are what I would call ‘road rash’, and should be easy to clean. Hopefully, tended to correctly, they will not leave any permanent scars. So, in a short time and without any more problems, she will be back leading her normal life.” Mark flinched at the thought, and spotted David’s facial expression revealing his error.

“Normal?” David questioned.

“Okay, you got me there,” Mark laughed.

David returned the laugh, which eased some of the pent-up emotions Mark had been experiencing.

“How about,” Mark dropped his voice to a level of a conspirator’s whisper, “instead of a normal life, let’s say – a better connected life?”

Laughing again, David replied, “Now, you have it right.”

Mark was suddenly glad that David had entered their circle, yet he also felt that the circle was not complete enough to ensure Sami’s complete recovery. Two important participants were lacking and still needed to be added. Jon was arriving on Friday, and the other had not been contacted yet. This little accident of hers had granted him a few days to gather forces before the treatment began.

Thinking about the accident, Mark turned to David. “I understand that you were following her,” he stated in a serious tone.

Hearing the switch in Mark’s tone, David knew what was coming. He closed his eyes and only nodded in response, not trusting his voice. He saw her fall again in his mind for the umpteenth time since the accident. Mark witnessed David’s changing expressions.

“Tell me about it,” Mark urged.

Keeping his eyes closed, David again recalled the scene. “She had a head start on me, or I would have caught up with her before she fell,” he stated emotionally.

Mark saw in his expressions and heard in his voice, that David was being tortured by the fact that he felt it was somehow his fault. “Don’t blame yourself, David, it was an accident,” Mark explained softly.

Opening his eyes, David stared at him. “I should have been closer,” he stressed.

Mark could see his pain. “David, what has happened is done. We need to deal with the outcome, not dwell on the accident.” Mark kept his tone even, reassuring David with every word.

“Dr. Stevens,” David continued, after taking several deep breaths, “she was flying. I thought several times that she would gag the poor dog running behind her. In her flight, she narrowly missed a couple of power poles and fences. It appeared that she was running blindly.”

What David had described supported and confirmed Mark’s earlier suspicions regarding the cause of her injuries. “David, I am thankful that you were able to get to her quickly after the fall. Without your presence, who knows how long she would have lain there or where she would have ended up,” Mark expressed, reaching over and touching David’s shoulder.

They both heard Grandma Jo’s voice at the same time.

“Coming,” Mark hollered back.

As he stood, Mark noticed the sacks on the table. He grabbed the one that had a local drug store logo, deducing that it held the necessary bandaging material. Eyeing the other one, he dumped it out on the table. Two new set of sweats tumbled out – dark purple and bright red. He groaned as he noticed that the tops were long sleeves, knowing that they would not fit over the cast. Mark decided that one of his own T-shirts would be better, and turning to David, Mark requested that he race to the last bedroom on the right to fetch it for him.

David was only too happy to have the assignment, and he rushed out of the room.

Mark grabbed the purple bottoms, and headed back to Grandma Jo and Sami.

***

Entering the bathroom, Mark placed the drug store sack on the counter, and closing the lid on the commode, dropped the pants on top. Finally, he turned and glanced at the tub. Grandma Jo was seated on the rim of the tub holding onto a large bath towel.

“Ready?” he asked her.

“Yes, I believe that I have gotten all the dirt and grime off her,“ she said, looking at the condition of the water that surrounded Sami. Mark gazed at Sami and found her still dazed. “I will need help washing her hair,” Grandma Jo stated.

Mark noticed that the barrette that he had placed there earlier was still securely holding her hair. “No, leave it for now,” he suggested. “I believe it is more important to get her out of the now tepid water.” Mark couldn’t help but notice the effect the cooling water was having on her body.

Behind him, he felt the breeze of the T-shirt being tossed in the bathroom in the general direction of the commode. “Thanks, David,” he said, seeing the shirt land. To Grandma Jo, he directed, taking his T-shirt off, “Unplug the tub and let’s get her out now.”

Grandma Jo pulled the plug out of the drain and stood back, holding the towel. Mark stepped closer to the tub and reached forward to remove Sami.

In order to protect her arm from major movement, he had to sit down on the rim to reach around her middle. With her damaged left arm behind his waist, he pulled her into his arms. He was unprepared for the contact of their bare skin. He had to bite his lip to focus his thoughts as his body reacted to this intimate hold. He found himself keeping the hold a little longer than was necessary, rationalizing, in his mind, that he needed to secure the hold before lifting her. Turning his head to visually check that the left arm was positioned correctly, he felt her bury her head next to his. She moaned softly as her right arm slid around his neck. Knowing that the uninjured side of her face was against his, he tightened his hold as he glanced quickly in Grandma Jo’s direction. He was unable to see Grandma Jo’s face hidden behind the towel she held in front of her.

He stood carrying Sami, convinced that the scene had not been  witnessed. Suddenly, he realized that her feet were still trapped within the mouth of the tub. He had to get Sami to help him. “Sami?” he whispered in her ear, squeezing her a little harder, “Please, lift your legs over the rim.” He was startled and thrilled at the same time as he felt her respond to his request.
Good
, he thought,
she is coming out of the drug’s affect. Hopefully, I can get her to respond to other requests
.

Now, with her legs free, he turned and walked a few paces to the waiting towel. Grandma Jo’s arms came in around Sami just below Mark’s arms. He released his hold on her, but was unable to move because Sami’s right arm held a death grip around his neck. It worked before, so he tried another request. “Sami, let go,” he said in the same whisper as before. This time it worked in reverse. She clung tighter instead of releasing. Mark spotted Grandma Jo and seeing her merriment, he stuck out his tongue at her. He smiled as she answered him in kind.

Using his left arm, he reached up around his neck and captured her hand. Pulling away, he had to dip his head in order to release himself from her. This maneuver did the trick, but he found his face precariously close to the part of her body that had been pressed against him. Again, he bit down hard on his lips. Released from her, he stepped back toward the tub to clear his thoughts, and chastised himself.
It’s been too long – way too long
, he thought.

Mark was thankful that he had opted for his baggy sweats when he changed his clothes. Scanning down, however, he realized that, in helping her out of the tub, he had proceeded to cover himself with water, making the pants cling to him. He quickly looked over his shoulder and noticed that the T-shirt he had taken off earlier was only a few feet away. He reached for it and put it on, and it roughly covered his betraying body. He always preferred baggy casual clothes, and at that moment, was extremely pleased with his selection.

With his current problem concealed, he turned and saw that Grandma Jo had Sami propped against the wall while she dried her legs. Viewing Sami’s face, he saw that her eyes were wide open and boldly looking at him. Wondering if she was actually seeing him, he smiled at her. His heart skipped a beat as her battered face returned the smile. He pinched himself to make sure he wasn’t dreaming. The pain of the pinch did little to calm him. Grandma Jo took that moment to rise to her feet. Mark saw Sami’s smile disappear and her eyes close at this movement. Mark felt dazed and pinched himself a few more times to regain his composure.

“Mark, hand me the bottoms, will you?’ Grandma Jo’s voice came to him dimly. He automatically reached back for the pants and handed them to her.

With his other T-shirt in his hand, he stepped around Grandma Jo as she guided Sami’s legs in the proper openings. As she pulled the pants into position, Mark stretched the T-shirt’s armhole over the cast. While Mark held Sami’s left arm away from her body, Grandma Jo was able to slide on the rest without much effort due to the large size of the shirt.

Grandma Jo grabbed the sack on the counter and walked out of the room. “Let’s bandage the wounds with her seated in the other room,” she said, not waiting for an answer.

Mark crossed over in front of Sami, and holding onto her right arm, he guided her in the direction of Grandma Jo’s voice. Entering the hall, he saw David standing a little farther away. “Grab a pillow off any bed and follow us,” he instructed.

David disappeared into the nearest bedroom and returned before they had managed to take just a few steps. Each step they took, Mark heard Sami whimper. Stepping into the living room, he saw Grandma Jo arranging the items from the sack on the coffee table she had moved nearer to the chair. The chair itself was now covered with one of the many knitted afghans Grandma Jo created herself. Mark motioned David to place the pillow on the arm of the chair. David rushed ahead of them as they made their way slowly to the chair, hampered by the two worried dogs at their feet.

“It’s the left arm, David,” Mark said in a tone that showed his mounting frustration.

Grandma Jo frowned at the sound of Mark’s tone. David only nodded and placed the pillow properly, stepping back quickly. Mark noticed Grandma Jo’s reaction and David’s hasty manner and swore at himself for snapping at him.

“David, could you please get a glass of water and her pills?” he asked, in a kinder voice.

Without answering, David shot in the direction of the kitchen. Finally reaching the chair, Mark turned Sami around without releasing her, and lowered her into the chair. Mark bumped into David as he backed away, not knowing that he had returned so quickly. Mark viewed David closely. Guilt was written clearly on his face. “David, relax,” Mark ordered. “I told you before, it wasn’t your fault.

“I know; I just want to help,” David explained. Mark was deeply touched by David’s willingness to be of assistance.

For the next couple of minutes, all three tended to her injuries and tried to make her as comfortable as possible. With that job completed, David and the dogs were assigned to watch her as Grandma Jo headed to the kitchen to prepare food, and Mark headed to the bathroom to clean it up.

Sidestepping the bathroom, Mark headed first to the bedroom to change out of the now cold, wet clothes. Stepping into the bedroom, he made his way to the bed and sat down on the edge. He was thankful to have this moment alone to ponder what had transpired in the bathroom. “What’s wrong with me?” he asked his refection in the mirror over the dresser. “I am acting irrationally, not like a doctor.” Frustrated and unable to think straight, he slammed his fists into the bed.