Fogbound: A Lin Hanna Mystery (47 page)

“After missing
breakfast and having only this type of food for lunch, I can hardly wait to see
what’s in that bag,” she said. Neal removed her dinner tray and carefully set
out the food he’d brought for the both of them.

“This is
marvelous,” Lin said digging in. “Nothing like a couple of days stuck down in a
hole in the ground to give you an appetite.”

“Glad you like
it,” Neal replied. “I thought you’d be ready for a real meal.
 
How are you feeling by the way?
 
I talked to Mark and he said you went
visiting this afternoon.”

“We did.
 
He took me up to ICU,” she brought him
up to date on her visit with Sue and with Luke. “I’d really like to go back
this evening, if we can get on their visitor list again.
 
I think Luke was responding to me, even
though he still wasn’t awake.”

“We’ll
certainly go up there and try.
 
I’d
like to see Ted Whitley also, maybe they’d let him go up with us.
 
I know he wants to see Sue,” Neal said.

“And Sue would
love to see him too, I feel sure.”
 
Lin replied.

“What about
you?
 
Are you still on target to get
out of here tomorrow?” Neal asked.

“That’s what
the doctor said this afternoon, assuming I don’t develop a fever or any other
such symptoms.
 
Probably not before
late morning though—he
 
said
he’d be by here after his rounds.”

After they’d
finished eating, Neal helped Lin into the wheel chair that had been left in her
room following her earlier visits.
 
They then headed back up to ICU.
 
There was a new nurse on duty so Lin took the time to explain what she’d
done earlier in the day.

“Neither Sue
Gray nor Luke Taylor are likely to have any family members who will be here for
visits and I’d like to be able to see both of them.
 
Could I possibly be put on the list as a
visitor?
 
I’ll most likely be
discharged tomorrow, but I will come back to see them on a regular basis as
long as they’re in ICU.”
 
The nurse
looked down the list and saw that Lin had indeed been approved for visits
earlier that day, and neither patient had had anyone else to come by.
 
She decided to add Lin to the “family”
list for both Sue and Luke.

Having
accomplished this, Lin decided to try for more, “I happen to know that Sue Gray
has another close friend who is currently a patient, Ted Whitley.
 
I’m sure he would like to be able to
visit her also.
 
Could he be put on the
list as well?
 
He and I would visit
at different times, of course.”

The nurse
seemed a bit impatient with this second request. Finally she gave a grudging
consent of sorts, “I guess that might be possible; however, Mr. Whitley would
have to make this request himself in order for me to approve it.”

“I’ll take care
of that right now,” Neal spoke up. “I’ll go down and get Ted while Ms. Hanna
visits with Mr. Taylor.”
 
He moved
quickly to take Lin down to Luke’s room before the nurse could say anything
more.
 
When they got there he opened
the door and wheeled Lin inside, placing her chair next to the bed.
 
“I’ll be right back to get you, as soon
as I get Ted,” He said.
 
“If they
want you to get out of here before then, they can roll you out
themselves.”
 
Then he was gone.

Lin looked Luke
over carefully; it seemed to her that his color was a bit better than it had
been this afternoon.
 
At least she
wanted to believe he might be improving.
 
She reached for the young man’s hand, giving it another gentle squeeze, “Hello
Luke, it’s me, Lin Hanna.
 
I came to
visit you again.”
 
Once more, she
felt an almost imperceptible movement in his hand.
 
He seemed to be responding to her once
more.

Lin chatted for
awhile, talking to Luke about her own improvement and suggesting that he was
going to be OK himself.
 
She also
mentioned how important it was that he wake up so that he could talk to the
authorities and tell them what he knew about the ginseng poaching and any of
the other crimes that might have been committed.
 
She tried to be reassuring about his
grandfather and what would happen to him.
 
Lin also spoke to Luke once more about her not pressing any charges
against him.
 
Finally, she thought
of one more thing that might motivate him.

“I need you to
get better so that you can make that desk I want to give Neal for a wedding
present.
 
It’s so perfect.
 
Just what he needs and I know he’ll love
it.
 
The thing is no one else can
make it so beautifully.
 
He’s not
here right now, but he’ll be back in a few minutes so I don’t want to talk
about it any more.
 
It’s a
surprise?
 
I’m counting on you
Luke.
 
You promised you’d get this
done for me—remember?”
 
This
time Lin was sure of the response she got.
 
Luke Taylor gave her hand an unmistakable squeeze.

Just then a
nurse appeared and indicated that she had to leave.
 
Lin did so, more convinced than ever
that Luke would soon wake up.
 
She
knew he had heard her.

Neal was
waiting in the hallway to take her wheelchair. “I got Ted up here and got him
on the list for Sue.
 
He’s in there
now for his five minutes.
 
I tried
to persuade them to let you in next, but they wouldn’t buy that—only one
visitor per hour.

“That’s OK,”
Lin said. “I’ll wait.
 
Let’s go to
the lounge for a bit.
 
Let the folks
at the nurse’s station know where we are so Ted can find us when he finishes
his visit.
 
We can visit with him
there if he feels like it; then I’ll go in to see Sue in the next hour.”

They located a
small alcove off the main family waiting room where they could have a bit of
privacy.
 
Lin was already growing
sleepy again, but she was determined to stay awake long enough to spend a few
moments with her friend Sue.

Ted Whitley
appeared shortly.
 
An attractive
young nurse pushed him into the waiting room, “This fellow tells me you folks
will get him back to his room, is that right?”

“Absolutely,”
Neal responded, “and it won’t be long either.”
 
He nodded toward Lin, “this lady is
about to fall asleep sitting here, but she insists she won’t go to bed until
she sees her friend—next hour.”

The young nurse
could see that Lin was indeed quite tired. “Come with me,” she said, “I’ll see
what I can do, but you two guys have to wait here.”
 
She wheeled Lin back into the unit,
presumably to visit with Sue.

Neal turned to
Ted, “How are you feeling?”

“Couldn’t be
better,” Ted grinned. “Seeing Sue was just what I needed.
 
I think she’s got a long recovery ahead
of her, but she’s going to make it, I feel sure.
 
I’m going to continue to visit her as
much as I can while she’s here.
 
She’s some special lady.”
 
It
was clear that Sue was important to Ted.

Neal smiled, “I
can’t argue with that.
 
Lin and I
have known Sue for a little more than a year, and we both count her as a close
friend.
 
How are you doing?
 
Do you know when you might be released?”

“I’m doing very
well,” Ted reported. “Actually, my ‘surgery’ was really just removing pellets
and huge splinters—mostly from my chest and upper arms.
 
Apparently, none penetrated too
deeply.
 
I had no significant
internal injuries.
 
I did lose a lot
of blood, but I’ve had several transfusions and those helped me feel a lot
better.
 
The downside is that I have
a lot of muscle soreness.
 
The doc
says I’ll probably need some physical therapy to regain strength in my arms and
upper body—mostly from muscular damage.
 
I think he’d discharge me fairly soon if
it weren’t for the fact that I live alone.
 
If I could find some temporary help…”

Neal
interrupted him, “Who is your doctor?
 
I’d like to talk to him.
 
I’m
taking Lin home probably tomorrow, and she’s going to need some help for at
least a short while.
 
She did some
further damage to her sprained ankle and has been ordered to stay off of it for
a couple more days.
 
She’s sore from
bruises, but that’s all.
 
Maybe
they’d release you, if you could come stay at the house.
 
Sue won’t be coming home for awhile yet;
you could have her room, and I could help with whatever you couldn’t manage for
yourself.”

Ted tried to
protest, thinking that would be too much of a burden on Neal, but finally he
agreed to let Neal at least talk to his doctor to determine what level of
assistance he would actually need and for how long.
 
By that time, Lin had returned from her
visit to Sue.
 
Neal enlisted the
help of an aide to return Lin to her room while he took Ted back to his.

A short while
later, Neal appeared once again at Lin’s bedside.
 
She was still awake, although fading
fast.
 
He told her about his plan to
talk to Ted’s doctor about his being released to go to their house, and she
agreed that would be a good idea. “ He certainly shouldn’t try to go it alone,
and he could do some more research for these cases if he were at our place,”
Lin added sleepily.

Neal sat down
on the side of her bed and leaned over her.
 
He brought his lips to hers and kissed
her softly.
 
The soft touch of his
lips warmed and aroused her, and she returned his kiss, deeply and with
longing.
 
“I can’t wait to get
home,” she murmured.

“And I can’t
wait for you to be there—bruises, sprained ankle and all,” Neal
teased.
 
“I’ll be back early
tomorrow.
 
I can try to talk to
Ted’s doctor while we’re waiting for you to be released.”

Saturday
morning dawned with more bright sunshine, but the forecast indicated this
wouldn’t last.
 
Another front would
move through in the afternoon, bringing more rain and fog to the Blue
Ridge.
 
Neal arose early, eager to
get back to the hospital and to get Lin home.
 
He also planned to seek out Ted Whitley’s
doctor and determine if Ted could manage at their house when he was released.

There wasn’t
much to cook for breakfast at home, so Neal stopped by the Stick Boy Kitchen on
his way to the hospital and bought some fresh bagels and cream cheese along with
two large coffees.
 
The smell of
freshly baked bread that permeated the local shop was so enticing that he also
purchased a loaf of whole grain to take home.
 
He wasn’t sure what he would do with it,
but he’d think of something.

When he arrived
at the hospital he went straight up to Lin’s room with the food and the clothes
she’d asked him to bring.
 
An aide
was helping Lin to bathe so he dropped off the clothes and the sack of food and
left to try to locate Ted Whitley’s doctor.

He felt a bit
guilty about not bringing breakfast to Ted, but he could only carry so much, he
reasoned.
 

 
A tall male nurse was in the process of
removing the dressings from Ted’s wounds.
 
He explained that the doctor wanted to check on how well Ted was healing
when he came in.

Ted grimaced as
he acknowledged Neal’s arrival. “This is the worst part of it,” He commented.
“Hurts like hell, actually. I have more pain from this procedure than from
anything else.”

Neal gave him a
sympathetic look, “Then I guess I should get out of the way.”
 
He turned to the nurse. “I need to speak
with Dr. Richards regarding Ted’s needs when he is ready to be released.
 
Do you have any idea what might be a
good time?”

“Give us about
forty-five minutes here,” then you should be able to speak to him. Neal left
Ted to his torture and went back downstairs to have breakfast with Lin.
 

Lin was feeling
much perkier in anticipation of her anticipated discharge.
 
The nurse had already removed her IV;
she was dressed and sitting up talking on the phone, apparently to her daughter
Lucy.
 
She reassured her that she
was doing well, “I’m going home today.
 
You guys relax and enjoy the rest of your trip.
 
We can talk again later in the weekend.”

Lin sat back in
the bed as Neal organized their breakfast.
 
She was eager to get home, but she also wanted to visit Luke and Sue
again.
 
She was restless because she
needed to remain in her room to wait for the doctor to see her.
 
“I hate hospitals,” she complained.
“Everyone is always telling you what to do.”

“Then, if I were
you, I’d try to avoid them in the future.
 
You’ve had more than your fair share of hospital stays and visits during
the past year or so,” the words were out before Neal fully realized how they
sounded.
 
Lin was very quiet for a
few minutes before she spoke, “You make it sound as if it’s entirely my own
fault I’ve been hospitalized,” she finally said, not too happily.
 
“I suppose you also think I should avoid
trying to help my friends and others who might need someone on their side.”
 

Neal didn’t
know what to say.
 
He hadn’t really
intended his words to sound so accusatory, but he couldn’t deny that he did
worry about Lin.
 
It sometimes
seemed as if their lives lurched from crisis to crisis.
 
He had to be honest.
 
Sometimes he felt very frustrated.

“Lin…” he
started to explain himself but she wasn’t ready to hear it.

“Please don’t
say anything more right now,” she stammered, fighting the urge to lash out in
anger herself. “I thought we’d talked about these issues, but I guess we need
to talk some more.
 
I just don’t
feel up to it right now—but we will talk, I promise.
 
Right now all I feel like saying is that
I love you and your feelings are important to me.”
 
Lin knew that if she tried to say more,
she’d probably cry and that was the last thing she wanted to do.

Neal sat down
on the edge of her bed and drew her close into his arms. “I love you too,” he
said, “and nothing can change that.
 
Whatever issues we might have we can work on—together—when
you’re well.
 
Right now all that
matters is getting you back home.”
 
He gently stroked her hair.
 
Lin turned her face toward his.
 
She looked as if she were going to kiss him and he leaned toward
her.
 
Just then the door opened and
the doctor entered.

“Sorry, to
interrupt,” he said brusquely as Neal quickly moved away from the bed. “but I
need to check this lady over so that we can determine if she’s ready to go
home.”

“I’ll leave
then,” Neal said, “I need to speak to one of the doctors about another patient
anyway.” He quickly exited the room as the doctor loosed Lin’s shirt and began
to examine the state of her bruises.

He was grateful
for the interruption really—not sure what he really should say to Lin at
this point.
 
Neal knew that he loved
her, in fact he couldn’t imagine going back to his life before he met her, but
he also remembered how he felt when he first learned about her disappearance,
when he wondered if their life together was going to be one continuous
crisis.
 
He realized that the
situation was not yet reconciled—at least not for him.
 
He had some serious thinking to do.

Neal made his
way to the surgical floor and was happy to see that the doctor was in Ted’s
room.
 
He started to wait outside
but Ted called to him to come on in.
 
It was startling to see how Ted looked with no bandages—his chest
and upper arms were pock-marked with spots where pellets had hit him and there
were red streaks where large splinters had raked his body.
 
The doctor, however, seemed pleased.

“You’re healing
really well,” Dr. Richards commented.
 
He turned to Neal, “These wounds may not look good to you, but you
should have seen him when he first came in.
 
He’s very lucky that nothing penetrated
very deeply.
 
He still has some shot
in a spot or two that’ll probably work it’s way out over time; however, we got
most of it and, I think, all of the large splinters too.”

Neal took the
opportunity to talk to the doctor about the possibility of Ted coming to stay
with them upon his release. “What kind of care is he going to need and for how
long?” he asked.

“Actually, his
greatest need would be some help with everyday functions such as bathing and
dressing.
 
His wounds should be
tended to regularly, but we could line up home health care to do that.
 
In about another week, I think we could
dispense with the dressings.
 
Then
he can start physical therapy.
 
Some
of these muscles have been ripped up pretty good, so he’ll have to rebuild his
upper body strength.
 
I’d say, if he
had help for about two weeks he should be able to manage on his
own—provided he is comfortable enough and strong enough to drive by that
time.”
 
The doctor indicated that he
could release Ted on Monday provided there were no other complications and he
had a place to go where he wouldn’t be alone.

“He can stay
with us,” Neal smiled.
 
“I’m taking
Lin home today.
 
By Monday, she
should be much better—off crutches at least.
 
I feel sure I could help Ted, especially
if he has home health care to handle the dressings.”
 
Dr. Richards agreed and Ted, although
somewhat reluctantly, consented to the plan.

“I’ll leave
paperwork at the desk about all this,” Dr. Richards said. “I’ll do rounds Monday
morning and he should be ready to go by noon.”
 
The male nurse returned to bandage Ted
up once more so Neal decided to take his leave. “I need to get back
downstairs.
 
Lin may be ready to go
by now.”

“I know you’re
both happy about that,” Ted smiled. “I’m hoping to get back up to see Sue
shortly. “I think I can manage the wheelchair on my own now, provided both
hands are free.”

“Not so fast,”
the nurse said, “I have to hook your IVs back up now that the doctor has
finished his exam,” he sensed Ted’s disappointment,
 
“but I’ll see if I can find a volunteer
to take you upstairs, maybe after lunch.”

That seemed to
satisfy Ted, at least for the moment.
 
Neal promised that he’d be back to see him the following day and then
took his leave.

When he
returned to Lin’s room he saw that she was sitting on the edge of her bed with
a plastic bag containing only the boot for her sprained ankle. “The doc says I
can’t put this back on until Monday, provided the swelling stays
down—until then it’s back to the crutches,” she complained.

The paperwork
for Lin’s discharge had apparently been completed.
 
A nurse brought a wheelchair to take her
downstairs.

“I’m not ready
to go yet,” Lin exclaimed, much to the nurse’s dismay. “I mean, I’m ready, but
I want to see some friends in ICU before I leave.”

“Then why don’t
the two of you go there right now,” the nurse commented, “I’ll give you the
papers to take with you.
 
You can
leave the wheelchair at the reception desk when you go home.
 
Just remind them which floor it came
from.”

Neal gathered
the few items Lin had in the room, stuffed them into the bag with the boot, and
wheeled her to the elevator.
 
He was
glad to sense that her mood had lightened.
 
The tension that had been between them earlier had dissipated, at least
for the moment.
 
Still, he realized
that they had some serious talking to do—and soon.
 
After all, their wedding date was a
scant two months away.

They made their
way to the ICU where Lin wanted to first look in on Sue Gray.
 
The nurse at the desk reported that Sue
was much improved, and that she’d probably be moved to a regular room the next
day.
 
“I think your visits have done
her a lot of good,” she smiled, “but she really perks up when that handsome Ted
Whitley shows up to visit.”

Lin smiled, and
reached for Neal’s hand, “Nothing like a handsome guy to make you want to get
out of a hospital bed.”
 
She was
certainly in a good mood, Neal thought.
 
I hope it’s not just because she’s going home.
 
I hope she’s not so upset with me
anymore.
 
He left Lin to talk with
Sue for a few minutes. “Be sure to tell her about the arrangements we’ve made
for Ted.
 
Tell her we expect him to
be discharged on Monday.”
 
Lin
nodded her agreement as the nurse rolled her into Sue’s room.

Lin was pleased
to see Sue much improved and happy that her status was to be upgraded
soon.
 
They chatted briefly about
Ted’s plans also. Sue was happy that he’d be with Lin and Neal.

“Take good care
of him,” Sue spoke clearly but quietly, “I think he may be a keeper.”

Lin smiled, “I
agree, just like…” she started to say ‘just like Neal,’ but suddenly she was
overcome by emotion and tears began to stream down her face.
 
“What’s wrong! ” Sue said, “Did you two
have a fight?”

“No, not
really,” Lin replied, “but I’m afraid we may have one coming.”
 
Now that the cat was out of the bag, she
couldn’t avoid telling Sue what had happened. “I really thought we’d already
gotten past this.
 
We talked about
this when he first proposed and really it hasn’t come up since then—now
I’m not sure how he really feels.
 
I
don’t know what to think.”

“Don’t make too
much of it,” Sue said, “Neal loves you and he wants you to be
safe—always—he’s just afraid of something bad happening; he doesn’t
want to lose you.”

“I don’t want
to lose him either,” Lin said, regaining some of her self-control, “but there
are no guarantees in life.
 
Things
happen, but we can’t stop living, and I can’t stop being who I am.”
 

Sue reached for
her friend’s hand.
 
Lin felt
foolish. “Here I am supposedly trying to help you and you are comforting me,”
she said.

“That makes me
feel better—at least I can be of some use to someone,” Sue grinned. “Try
not to worry too much about this.
 
Sure, you and Neal need to talk.
 
You both need to work out your feelings about this, but don’t give up on
him.
 
I feel sure you’ll only
strengthen your relationship moving forward.
 
Now I’m getting tired and I’m sure your
five minutes are up so get out of here.
 
I need my beauty nap before Ted comes back this afternoon.”

Lin wheeled
herself back to the hallway where Neal was seated, waiting for her. “Let’s go
check on Luke,” she suggested. “Hopefully, he’s making more progress.”
 
They were disappointed to find Luke’s
room was empty.
 
Lin was afraid he
might be worse—maybe had to have more surgery.
 
They went to the nurse’s station where
they were both relieved to learn that he was simply undergoing further tests.