Revelation of Hearts (Stacey and Shane Mcleod, #3) (3 page)

Lora had met a few air force wives.  She knew they lived in dread of their husbands being sent to Viet Nam, so she guessed she was lucky that Michael was just going to Guam for three months.  For the next few weeks, Lora and Michael loved passionately and slept in each other’s arms.  Lora wasn’t aware of the danger of this mission, however, Michael was.  He didn’t tell Lora, because he didn’t want her to worry. 

On the morning of March tenth, Michael kissed her goodbye and said, “I’ll see you in June.”

Michael was so good about writing.  The first week, Lora received four letters. The second week she received nothing and that worried her, but the third week she received five letters in one day. Her air force friends told her, “That’s how it is when your guy is over seas.  Sometimes you won’t get a letter for days at a time, then one day you’ll get a whole backlog in one day.”

The weeks went by slowly. Lora kept herself busy with work and visiting her parents.  She loved visiting them.  They always wanted to hear how Michael was doing.  Talking about him always seemed to bring him closer.

O
n May sixteenth, at eleven p.m. Lora received a phone call from the Dallas police. Her father was dead; he was shot and robbed as he closed the drug store at ten p.m.  Her mother was in a bad way, could she come right away. Lora made a couple of phone calls and was on her way to Dallas to her mother. Bradley, her oldest brother, assured her that he and his wife Jackie would be in Dallas within a matter of hours.

When Lora arrived at her parent’s house, her mother was asleep.  She’d been given a sedative and a nurse was with her.  A police officer was there too.  He asked many questions but that Lora couldn’t answer, she felt numb.  How could this be, she kept asking herself?  What kind of maniac would do a thing like this?  Lora spent what was left of the night by her mother’s bedside in a rocking chair. 

Bradley and Jackie arrived early that evening.  They had left the children with her parents and had driven straight through.  Douglas would be up from Lake Charles sometime in the afternoon.  The loss of this good man was a catastrophe to all of them. The funeral was on Saturday. Their mother told them the house was heavily mortgaged.  They all felt guilty because they knew it had been mortgaged to help pay for their education.  Bradley and Jackie asked his mother to come home with them.  She seemed so hurt and lost they didn’t want to leave her alone.        

“No my darlings,” she said, “but thank you for asking.  I must stay here and make arrangements to sell the house and the drug store.” 

Lora stayed a week with her mother and helped all she could, then went back to work. She had three letters from Michael, and then she heard from him no more. About a week later, Lora was just getting off duty when Michael’s squadron commander, Colonel Devon, came to see her. “I wanted to talk to you before you hear it from someone else,” the colonel said.

“What?” Lora asked. “It’s Michael, isn’t it?  Tell me, please!” 

“Captain Patterson’s plane didn’t return to base,” Colonel Devon said. “He and his crew are missing-in-action.”

“How can that be? He’s in Guam,” Lora asked with tears in her eyes.

The colonel explained to her, “That’s where they fly missions out of to Viet Nam.”

Lora latched on to the only hope she had left. “Then you don’t know for sure he’s...you said, missing-in-action that means he could still be alive.” 

The colonel felt sorry for this young woman. He knew how much Captain Patterson was in love with her. He didn’t want to dash her hopes. Sometimes that’s all you have. “Yes,” he said, “There’s always that possibility.”

Lora knew from the look on the colonel’s face, he didn’t put much hope in that possibility. Well she would; there was no way God would take her father and Michael in the same month. How much did he think a woman could stand?    On Lora’s next day off, she went to see her mother. Mary Beth knew something was drastically wrong when she saw her daughter’s face. Lora’s mother held her in her arms as she told her about Michael.  The month of June came and went.  There was no news of Captain Patterson or his crew.  As the weeks, passed by Lora struggled to hold on to hope.  She spent so much time on her knees praying, that sometimes it was painful to walk. Lora’s mother called to tell her she had sold the house and the drug store and was going to put the furniture in storage.  She was very quiet for a bit, and then asked, “Sweetheart, may I stay with you for awhile, until I decide what I’m going to do?”      

“Yes, of course, Mom,” Lora said, “but as you know the apartment is small.”

Lora talked with Dorothy.  She told her that her mother would be with them for a week or so.  That it would be best if her boyfriend, Matt did not stay over while her mother was with them.  It was no hardship for Lora giving up her bedroom.  She had not slept in her bed since the colonel had told her about Michael missing-in-action.  There were just too many memories.

She remembered how Michael would run his fingers through her hair and tell her she was his fiery beauty.  That he was glad she didn’t spray that gunk in her hair. Lord, she missed him so. Her mind and body ached for him.  Her mother seemed to understand when Lora told her, “I’m really more comfortable on the sofa.” One day it dawned on Lora, if I see my mother as Mary Beth Flemming, and not as my mother, I’m sure she is feeling much the same as I am.  I know she loved my dad.

Bradley, asked his mother again, to come stay with them. “Maybe later on, darling, I think Lora and I can help each other right now.”                 

“Okay Mom, just let us know, when and how, we can help.” One afternoon when Lora came home from work, her mother seemed to be preoccupied, and asked, “Sweetheart, what do you think about us moving to Houston?  I know every time you see a man in uniform it reminds you of Michael.  I feel sure Bradley and Jackie could use our help.”   

Lora thought it over, but what if Michael came back and she wasn’t here?  She talked to Michael’s Colonel, and then gave two weeks notice at the hospital.  She left her forwarding address with Colonel Devon, the base hospital and Dorothy. Lora wrote to Michael’s mom and dad to tell them she was moving and where she could be reached. She sold her old car, then she and her mother headed to Houston.

They arrived in Houston on August tenth.  Bradley and Jackie had a four-bedroom house and five kids. Lora and her mother would share a bedroom. Mary Beth had a few thousand dollars from Winston’s insurance. Very little was left after everything was paid.

“I know it’s crowded here darling,” Mary Beth said. “We’ll stay here just long enough to find us a place of our own.”

They had been there three weeks when the house caught on fire in the middle of the night. Thank god, they all got out safely, but with only the clothes on their backs.  Bradley took them all to a hotel. The fire chief called ahead so the hotel would admit them.  The Red Cross came and brought each person a change of clothes. That same afternoon a patient of Bradley’s, a Mr. Barrington came and took the entire family to his house.  It was a big bluish, gray granite mansion with white columns. 

“Talk about going from rags to riches,” Lora told her mother.

Mr. Barrington, and his chauffeur Mr. Mosses, actually seemed happy to have them there. The place was huge and it easily accommodates all of them.  Bradley and Jackie have five kids.  The older boys, Daniel and David, age eleven are twins. Jessica, nine, Suzanne, five and Tracy age two.

Mary Beth took right over. She told Mr. Barrington, “Thank you for your most uncommon hospitality. What can we do for you, sir?”

“Dear lady, just having you here brightens up my life.”

Mary Beth went to Mr. Mosses and asked what he had in the freezer?  She found a chicken and a small beef roast.  She told him, “I can manage supper; however, we’ll need to go grocery shopping tomorrow.” 

Jackie had her hands full with the children, so Lora and her mom took over the cooking.  Mr. Barrington and Mr. Mosses sat with grins on their faces as Mary Beth served roast beef and roasted chicken with creamed potatoes, corn, green beans and a peach cobbler for dessert.

The next day Mr. Barrington and Mr. Mosses took Mary Beth grocery shopping. Lora and Jackie took the children shopping for clothes, as well as for Bradley, Mary Beth and themselves. 

“How could our lives get so turned upside down in five months?” Lora asked Jackie. 

“Don’t look to me for answers,” Jackie said. “I have none. It’s like god takes away with one hand and gives with the other.” 

“I wish he would give me Michael back. I would never ask for anything again.”

Within a few weeks, life seemed to be quite normal living in this big beautiful house.  Jackie went back to her music teaching.  There was even a music room on the ground floor.  The three older children were in school and Suzanne was in kindergarten.  Bradley was at his office and Mary Beth had the house to run.  Everyone seemed to have a place except Lora.

In November, Lora went to work at Coast Plaza hospital.  She worked the eleven p.m. to seven a.m. shift.  It wasn’t the busiest shift, but it was busy enough that she could sleep when she got home. The nights in bed were the hardest.  Bradley’s, practice was not doing all that well. Mr. Barrington took him out to NASA. Six weeks later, he was hired as a doctor for the space program.  Bradley loved it, it was interesting and challenging at the same time. 

Lora kept thinking about getting her own place, but everything was so convenient and comfortable at the mansion.  When she brought the subject up, Mr. Barrington would act as if he was losing one of his chicks, therefore she kept putting it off, now she was glad she had.  In the winter of nineteen-sixty-seven, Mr. Barrington died from viral pneumonia.  In his will he left the house and grounds to Bradley and Jackie and the guesthouse out back, he left to Mr. Mosses. In the spring of nineteen-seventy, Mr. Mosses passed away sitting behind the wheel of his car in the driveway.

In May of the same year, Lora made up her mind to find her own place closer to the hospital.  New condominiums were for sell a few blocks over from the hospital. Lora felt sure with her savings as a down payment and her salary she would qualify.

When they had first moved into the mansion, the third floor rooms were bare of furniture. Mary Beth had brought her furniture down out of storage from Dallas. She asked Lora, “Would you like your old bedroom furniture for your new place? Actually you’re welcome to the living room and dining room furniture too darling, if you want it.” Lora thought it over and decided, why not.  There would still be plenty she would need to get started.

The month of June slipped upon her before she knew it.  Lora had made it a policy for the past few years to work double shifts the month of June.  She wanted as little time as possible to think. Michael’s memory was still strong on her mind. Lora had been asked out by plenty of guys; however, she just couldn’t bring herself to go. In nineteen-seventy-three, the war was over and prisoners of war were being released. Lora hoped and prayed Michael would be among the prisoners. That prayer wasn’t answered either:

In nineteen-seventy-five, Lora’s niece Jessica was entering her final two years of nurses training at Coast Plaza hospital.  Lora invited her to stay with her. That would put her closer to the hospital than commuting from, the castle, as the kids called it.  In June of the same year, Lora received a letter from Michael’s mother.  She wanted to let her know the military had sent her a letter informing her that Captain Michael R. Patterson’s dog tags had been found at the crash site.  Lora read and reread the letter.  Now she knew all her hopes and prayers had been in vain.  Michael’s remains were being sent home for burial.  There would be a memorial service. Should she wish to attend, she would be more than welcome.

Lora thought about it and decided to go.  She didn’t see how she could do any less. Michael had said, “I want to know you’ll be here waiting when I get back.”  Well, God knows she had been waiting.  She would go to New Hampshire and hope somehow, that Michael’s spirit would know she was there. 

Chapter-5

The Memorial Service

Lora called the airlines and made reservations. She arrived in Concord a few days later. She took a taxi to the church where the service was being held.  Michael’s father noticed the tall slender redheaded young woman dressed in a black suit with a wide brim black hat and sunglasses. Matthew Patterson asked his ex-wife, “Do you know the young woman dressed in black?”          

Eunice Deveraux turned to look, “No, I don’t,” Michael’s mother said.

Lora didn’t want to draw attention to herself or intrude into the lives of Michael’s family. She noticed the tall handsome man in his sixty’s, she would guess.  There was no doubt in her mind that he was Michael’s father. There was a great resemblance.

After the services, Matthew Patterson came to Lora introduced himself and asked, “Are you Lora Flemming?” “Yes I am,” she replied. “How did you know?” 

“My son’s letters were full of you.  He referred to you as his ‘Fiery beauty.’ Even with your hat on, I couldn’t miss that red hair.”  Lora smiled and shook hands with him. 

He said, “You must come meet Michaels other family. It will do his mother good to know you’re here.  We all know how much Michael loved you.”

Matthew introduced her to Michael’s family.  His mother, Eunice Deveraux, his step-father Jack Deveraux, his brother Charles and twin sisters, Jan and Joy. They invited Lora to the house for coffee or drinks. 

“Thank you, but I don’t want to intrude.”

“You will not be intruding, my dear,” Michael’s mother said. “You will be giving us a part of Michael’s life we were not privy too.”

They were all so kind, Lora couldn’t say, “No.”  They all told stories of Michael.  They each remembered funny things he said and did.  Lora told of how they met and the funny things that happened in the ward.  How much the other men liked and respected him.  She shared her happiness of Michael with them and her deep grief of losing him. 

She looked at her watch and told them, “I must go. I have a ten o’clock flight back to Houston tonight.”