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CHAPTER 2
Tonight, I’m a chameleon
And every spot's hiding my scars
But I will survive
‘Cause I'll only let you in
When I can be sure of who you are
And you can call it a game
But it's me playing safe
And God I’m so sorry, I'm just so sorry
What can I say?
It's hard trying to stay alive
(lyrics from Surprise Surprise written: by Kara DioGuardi / Martin Harrington / Ash Howes, Sung by Celine Dion
The refueling took less time than the Major had thought it would. His friend brought them enough medical supplies, foods and bottled water to keep them in good shape even after they arrived at their final destination. The Major didn’t ask how the woman was able to get some of the medical supplies, he wasn’t sure he wanted to know. Jarod had looked a bit surprised but gave his father an approving nod, however the Major caught the odd glance his son shot his way when he hugged and thanked Joyce for all that she did. At some point he would probably need to explain to Jarod the relationship was just one of friendship between two lonely people. Surely Jarod would understand.
They were now over the blue water closing in on the safest place for Miss Parker to heal, and for the rest of them to get a game play in order. The major watched as Jarod again checked his patient, noting the troubled concerned he tried to reassure his son.
“We are nearly there Jarod, caught the right air this time. I’ve radioed the Colonel and we are set up at the island. He has things in good shape for you to get that Centre token removed from Miss Parker’s back and he’ll see that we won’t be getting any unexpected company.”
“This island is where exactly, Dad?”
The Major grinned, “We will be the guests of an old friend. Colonel Berby was in charge of the military when I was stationed here. He had done a lot of M16 work back then. You’ll like him; he’s the quintessential James Bond. We’ll be safe here.”
Jarod looked at Gemini and mouthed “James Bond”, his younger self shrugged. Distracted by the slowly awakening form, Jarod forgot his question and tried to comfort his patient as they once again began their descent from the nearly cloudless sky. Glancing out the window, he watched the long runway rise to greet them. It seemed to take up nearly the entire piece of island prompting the thought that the runway was too narrow and too short for the plane. Automatically, Jarod hugged his treasure to his chest. He braced himself to take the jolt and try to keep her as suspended and yet safely perched on the thick cushion of blanket across both his and Gemini’s laps.
It took more time than Jarod was comfortable having wasted until they got from the plane and into the home. An older man, impeccably dressed in crisp casual cotton shirt and slacks, met them at the private airport and drove them to the house. Jarod tried to listen as he and the Major spoke quietly in the front seats of vehicle, an old English Hummer. The Colonel drove professionally- without hesitation and no reservation in making the narrow turns on the dirt road.
Either the house was very close to the airport or they traveled faster than Jarod suspected because they seemed to arrive at their destination much quicker than he had anticipated. Once inside the spacious house Berby directed them to the room he had made ready for the medical procedure. It had all the appearance of a hospital examining room, there was evidence that a few newer additions had been made to accommodate their needs.
Jarod looked at Gemini, “Have you done any medical sims?”
“I was once an army medic, does that count?”
“Yes, good enough.” Jarod paused then considered the young man thoughtfully, knowing he had been through a whirlwind of emotions and new experiences within a short period of time. “Would you like to help me? If you aren’t up to it, Dad can give me hand.”
“No I want to help. This is the lady that came into my room and talked to me. If you hadn’t gotten here, she would have tried to get me out of the Centre. I like her.” He looked over to the gurney style bed that held their patient.
Jarod nodded, “Let’s get this done, then you can tell me all about your first meeting with Miss Parker.”
The major and colonel were sitting in the kitchen by the time Jarod and Gemini finished the procedure and had Miss Parker settled in her room. Jarod had taken the room next to hers as Gemini went across the hall to fling himself down on the bed.
After taking another look In at Miss Parker, Jarod stopped at his clone’s door way, “Hey, come with me and get something to eat, it’s been a long day and you’ll sleep better. I know something in the stomach always helps me sleep a bit more restfully.”
As they moved through their new home, Jarod looked around at the décor for the first time. The house was extensive and lavishly comfortable in a simple tasteful way.
When the two took the empty chairs around the kitchen table, the major quickly did a more formal introduction before asking how things had gone.
“The bullet had splintered but remained pretty much in one piece, but there is a good bit of muscle damage and the shoulder blade was chipped, we removed the tiny piece that broke off. She’s on an antibiotic and anti-infective now. I think she’ll heal with time, but she’s going to be a bear for a few days. Miss Parker hates being out of commission.” Jarod grinned at past memories of Miss Parker in a bad mood.
“And then there is the fact that she isn’t where she last was. I think bear baiting is definitely not a good idea for a while son.” The major gave his son a thoughtful but serious look with the last comment.
The colonel thoughtfully followed the exchange before setting down his tea and standing. “Well it looks like you have things under control here Charles, you know where to find me if anything comes up. I’ll keep a close eye on anyone approaching your island. There is only one other house here and it is the lighthouse, all automated now a days. What a waste.” The Colonel said his goodbyes and departed.
“Dad what island is this? And where is the Colonel staying? There certainly seems enough room here for more than one more person.”
“This is Rabbit Island, we are in Herrington Sound. Surrounded by water that is surrounded by land. We are the castle in the moat.” Charles smiled as he waved the two over to the next room. This room was filled with bookcases and tokens from around the world. One wall was a large world map with an enlarged section of Bermuda and her sister islands amongst the wide expanse of the Atlantic. The Major pointed out Rabbit Island. “No one is going to sneak up on us without the Colonel knowing, and frankly nothing goes on in these islands that he doesn’t know about. His underground intelligence makes the Centre look like the high school bathroom walls.”
The Major was smiling as he boasted his friend’s connections and ingenuity until he realized both Jarod and Gemini were looking puzzled by his explanation. He shook his head, “First thing, Gemini, you get to find a name for yourself. The colonel understands about the Centre and why we are here, but we need to be able to call you without drawing further attention to ourselves. Get some sleep; we can work on it tomorrow. I thought you and I could have the bedrooms on the other side of the kitchen, what do you think kiddo?”
“I was going to take the room across from Jarod and Miss Parker, but I don’t mind moving.”
“Well, I didn’t want that whole section to myself, what do you think, it may give Miss Parker a little privacy when she is up and around.”
“Sure, I don’t really have anything to move.” The boy simply shrugged his shoulders ready to follow the major to the other wing of the house.
“That has been taken care of for now. I had the Colonel bring some casuals over for us. Nothing too fancy, some beachwear and some comfortable casual type clothing for now should do, just enough to allow us to blend in. You and I can take the boat over to the main island tomorrow and pick up some of the more personal items. Jarod will have to list what he thinks Miss Parker will need until she can get there herself. I’ve been in women’s shops before, I think I can get a few items.”
Jarod smiled at his father’s good intentions, “Sure dad, I’ll get that to you in a bit. Right now I want to go look in on our patient. She may be coming out of the anesthesia by now.”
The room was darkened with the only exception of a small table light beside the bed. Jarod walked quietly over to the bed and checked the IV drip and then gently took Miss Parker’s wrist and counted off her pulse. Satisfied, he pulled the chair from the corner to the bedside and sat down to monitor her progress.
After a few moments he realized that merely watching wasn’t enough. He smoothed her hair out of her face and checked again that she remained well propped on her good side. He eased the blanket down and looked at the gauze-covered wound for bleeding. Everything looked good. The area around the wound remained red, but probably would for a couple of days. He took her temperature, it remained slightly higher than normal but a low-grade temp was to be expected. Jarod allowed the medical façade to slide and looked at her closely, marveling that even in this condition she was beautiful to him. He found himself touching her again, his thumb slid across her cheek and down her chin. At that moment there was a hitch in her breathing, then a moan.
“Take it easy, you’re going to be fine.” His whispered words were like balm to her confusion.
“Where am I? What happened?” her eyes moved under the lids but did not open.
“Parker, you don’t remember being shot?” she mumbled something Jarod couldn’t hear.
“Parker, you saved your father, you took the shot that was meant for him. And I believe he saved you. He allowed me to take you with us in the plane. You are with Gemini, dad and I.”
Her eyes opened, she looked at him and blinked several times trying to focus her vision. “Jarod, I’m with you? Where?”
“You are somewhere safe, where you can heal. Are you in pain?”
“No, I must be dreaming I’m with a pain.”
“Ah, I see your humor is still in tact. You are going to need it while you heal. The bullet is out but it did some damage. All you need to know right now is that you are safe here until you decide what you want to do with your life.”
She tried to move but stopped and hissed, “Do with my life? Damn it Jarod what did you do?” She tried again to sit up, this time the sound she made was a great deal louder than a hiss.
“You need to be still, I’m going to give you something more for your pain. When you wake up we’ll talk.”
The last thing she uttered as she drifted off was a muffled, ”Damn right we’re gonna talk.”
Jarod smiled as she slowly drifted off into the land of painless sleep. A part of him looked forward to spending time alone with a feisty Miss Parker. Even as a wounded bear he would enjoy pulling the thorn from her paw, if it meant keeping her close and having a chance at seeing his old friend again.
He looked around for something to read as he would keep ever vigilant over her bed. If she awoke and needed anything he would be there before she had the opportunity to undo all the work they put into patching her together. The last thing any of them wanted was an infection or complication to deal with, they needed to keep as low a profile in their new home as possible.
Each room appeared to have shelves with books. He quickly perused those in Parker’s room, finding them filled with everything from books on native flora to modern sciences and a few mysteries, biographies and historical novels all in order according to kind. He found one that caught his eye, a book of theories in psychology; it opened with “A Theory of Human Motivation” by Abraham Maslow. He settled into the chair beside the bed and began to read. He hadn’t been reading long before he left her room to return with a highlighter and pen.
The sun was peaking through the wooden slates covering the window near the bed when Jarod looked up from his book to find Miss Parker watching him. Quickly jumping up from his position to check her IV, he smiled, “Hi, did you sleep well last night?”
Her eyes followed him wearily, “Like the dead”, she croaked.
Jarod stopped and looked closely at her, “I’ll get you some ice to help with that. Then if you feel up to it we’ll talk.” He waited for her to acknowledge him before leaving for the ice. She slightly moved her in head what he took for a nod.
He met his father in the kitchen, “Good morning Jarod. I take it you didn’t get any sleep last night?” His father looked down over the wrinkled and stained clothing.
“No, I wanted to keep an eye on Parker.” He was stood looking for the freezer that was not attached to the refrigerator unit; he stopped and looked at his father, “Dad where is there any ice?”
The major looked at his son, smiled pointed to the small chest beside the refrigerator. He heard Jarod putting ice into a glass as he poured his son some orange juice. “I know it’s not large enough for a houseful of people but we will get things taken care of bit by bit. Berby is having a larger unit dropped off this afternoon. We’ll keep it in the dining room where it is the coolest. These things run on rechargeable batteries. Very unique wouldn’t you say?”
Jarod was busy looking over the inside of the unit and using his finger to measure the amount of insulation. “Yes, efficient for this type of climate and storms.” He guzzled his juice, put his glass in the sink, “Thanks dad”; he picked up the large glass of chipped ice,
‘I have to get this back to Parker before she attempts to come get it herself.”
By the time Major Charles looked up from his coffee his son was gone.
Jarod reentered the room to find Parker sleeping soundly. He quietly gathered the book and his notes putting them in a tidy stack to finish later. He sat on the chair studying his patient, her color was still pale, he took her temperature noting it was still a low grade fever, her pulse was close to normal, her blood pressure was a little low; all trademarks of the kind of surgery she had gone through, and gone through fairly well. She always did seem to bounce back from physical injuries it was the emotional scars that never healed completely. He had to admit that neither of them healed particularly well that way, was it the childhood nurturing which they had both been deprived? Jarod made a mental note to look into that, if they were to have any kind of wholesome relationship as she healed physically, later and perhaps much closer he admitted to himself, they would need to work past their usual pattern of strike and strike back.
He was studying her position in the bed trying to find a more comfortable way for her to lie while not putting pressure on the wound in the shoulder. When she was up to perhaps sitting with a special foam type cushion behind her would help, or an air mattress.
As he was pondering over the matter he noticed the major was leaning on the doorframe. “She’s a beautiful woman, just as her mother was.”
Jarod looked up at his father and smiled fondly, “She has always been the model I measured every other woman by. Even as a child she was the essence of what I thought all of the opposite sex would be. Imagine my surprise when I found out most didn’t carry a 9mm or have the witty comebacks she has. My sense of adventure came from our childhood in the dark halls of the Centre.”
“Son, I’m glad she was there for you. But, now, I will sit and keep our lovely adventurer company while you go make a list of things you need while we are here. Be sure you include some essentials for sleeping beauty or you may find yourself in another form of adventure. We want to make her as comfortable as possible until she is up to the trip over to Hamilton. So these are just the essentials or items you think would make life more comfortable for now. Plans have changed, Gemini and I will be meeting the Colonel and we are flying into Hamilton in his seaplane. I hope this will not be too much of a problem for you, I’m afraid it’s becoming more of an all day thing then we had originally decided upon.”
“Oh, I think we can manage, let me go get that list for you.” Jarod trotted out of the room, leaving the major smiling at his departure.
Jarod entered his room and found a stash of legal pads and an array of pens in the top drawer of the desk. He began listing the computer equipment he needed and a second list of substitutes if the island computer store wasn’t as up to date as he hoped. He then jotted down his personal needs, a few shirts, jeans, maybe a pair of swimming shorts, underwear… a thought went through his mind as he plunged his hand into his jeans, the same pair he had on yesterday. He pulled out the piece of cut silk and hunted for a tag, He wrote down the information off the tag, although he didn’t think that particular piece of clothing would be comfortable across the shoulder for a while, he didn’t want to take a chance of not having something if it would make Parker would feel personally deprived.
Jarod found himself considering the other items she had on before he cut them off, and he ran to the trash bag in the back of the house that held the items from the surgery. After putting on rubber gloves he rummaged through until he found the white stained slacks and the other undergarment, it too was black, apparently to match the black satiny blouse that was destroyed. He reluctantly added the scrape of material he had been carrying to the garbage bag. Did he need to put down matching underwear? Was this common to women? He wrote down the sizes and made a few notes about colors matching whatever else they bought with several question marks following. Hopefully his dad would understand. He then started back to Parker’s room.
“Dad..” he started into the room to find his father leaning over the bed talking softly to Parker as he gently slid ice into her mouth, then reached behind her to carefully tuck the stabilizing pillow more securely behind her this time moving it further down her back and away from the left shoulder blade. Jarod noted that any trepidation his father might have held about bringing Parker along was either well masked or forgotten. He smiled as he joined him beside the bed.
“I finished the list. I am unsure as to all of the items, “
His father took the list and reminded him that the numbers to reach him were on the kitchen cabinet, then patted him on the shoulder as he turned to leave. “I believe this young woman maybe ready for a bit of warm broth in a bit, I noticed there’s a container of it in the ice box, you just need to heat it.”
“Thanks Dad, we’ll see you about supper time then.” At his father’s nod he turned back to Parker.
“How’s the pain?”
“I’ll live. It’s quiet, is everyone gone then, just you and me here.”
“Yes, Dad and Gemini are going to the main island for some supplies. I gave them a list for some things for you too. As soon as you are up to the trip we’ll go and you can pick some things out for yourself.”
Her eyes narrowed, “Island? Do I know where the hell I am?” She didn’t wait for his response before she continued rambling, as though she was talking to herself, revealing her thoughts. “Good, I’m sure after seeing the fashion sense of the men in this family I’m be dying to wear something other than…” she yawned and moaned. “Damn it Jarod, did you take all my clothes?”
“Listen, you can’t have surgery and stay fully dressed, you know that, and we didn’t exactly have a full medical staff with us, so you got the best that we had. Me.” He gave her his best toothy grin, until she failed to respond.
Jarod moved to inject more painkillers into the IV. “Get some rest for now, we’ll have you up and looking every bit the fashion queen soon enough.” He moved around to look into her face. “I’m working on a way to make you more comfortable, I may have to increase your pain meds, to make it easier on you to rest. Would you rather be on your stomach for a bit?”
She nodded. He stood back and surveyed the best way to get her onto her belly with the least amount of jostling. He sat in front of her, “I’m going to help you tilt forward toward me, there is plenty of room on this side of the bed.”
Just as she began to move the injured shoulder she stopped. “No, please, let it go for now. I’ll be fine.” She didn’t look fine. She looked damn uncomfortable; her hairline around her face was soaked either from pain or effort, or both.
“Okay, hold on for a minute.” Jarod ran back into his room and took the nice full pillow from his bed. “Parker, what if I laid this pillow beside you and we gently moved you into it. You can slowly move your arm so that it cradles the pillow.”
“Fine, but I want more of your joy juice after ward.”
“That’s the spirit. If it doesn’t feel more comfortable we go back. I promise you we will find a way for you to rest better.”
She was asleep before he tucked the covers around her. He decided now was a good time to do some blood work and make sure there was nothing else happening with her. Hopefully the Colonel had stocked some lab equipment with all the surgical supplies. The fact that her sleep was short although it seemed deep; she rarely slept for more that an hour or two before waking; the medication helped keep her dopey, but it wasn’t enough, she needed the deep healing sleep.
Tonight, I’m a chameleon
And every spot's hiding my scars
But I will survive
‘Cause I'll only let you in
When I can be sure of who you are
And you can call it a game
But it's me playing safe
And God I’m so sorry, I'm just so sorry
What can I say?
It's hard trying to stay alive
(lyrics from Surprise Surprise written: by Kara DioGuardi / Martin Harrington / Ash Howes, Sung by Celine Dion
The refueling took less time than the Major had thought it would. His friend brought them enough medical supplies, foods and bottled water to keep them in good shape even after they arrived at their final destination. The Major didn’t ask how the woman was able to get some of the medical supplies, he wasn’t sure he wanted to know. Jarod had looked a bit surprised but gave his father an approving nod, however the Major caught the odd glance his son shot his way when he hugged and thanked Joyce for all that she did. At some point he would probably need to explain to Jarod the relationship was just one of friendship between two lonely people. Surely Jarod would understand.
They were now over the blue water closing in on the safest place for Miss Parker to heal, and for the rest of them to get a game play in order. The major watched as Jarod again checked his patient, noting the troubled concerned he tried to reassure his son.
“We are nearly there Jarod, caught the right air this time. I’ve radioed the Colonel and we are set up at the island. He has things in good shape for you to get that Centre token removed from Miss Parker’s back and he’ll see that we won’t be getting any unexpected company.”
“This island is where exactly, Dad?”
The Major grinned, “We will be the guests of an old friend. Colonel Berby was in charge of the military when I was stationed here. He had done a lot of M16 work back then. You’ll like him; he’s the quintessential James Bond. We’ll be safe here.”
Jarod looked at Gemini and mouthed “James Bond”, his younger self shrugged. Distracted by the slowly awakening form, Jarod forgot his question and tried to comfort his patient as they once again began their descent from the nearly cloudless sky. Glancing out the window, he watched the long runway rise to greet them. It seemed to take up nearly the entire piece of island prompting the thought that the runway was too narrow and too short for the plane. Automatically, Jarod hugged his treasure to his chest. He braced himself to take the jolt and try to keep her as suspended and yet safely perched on the thick cushion of blanket across both his and Gemini’s laps.
It took more time than Jarod was comfortable having wasted until they got from the plane and into the home. An older man, impeccably dressed in crisp casual cotton shirt and slacks, met them at the private airport and drove them to the house. Jarod tried to listen as he and the Major spoke quietly in the front seats of vehicle, an old English Hummer. The Colonel drove professionally- without hesitation and no reservation in making the narrow turns on the dirt road.
Either the house was very close to the airport or they traveled faster than Jarod suspected because they seemed to arrive at their destination much quicker than he had anticipated. Once inside the spacious house Berby directed them to the room he had made ready for the medical procedure. It had all the appearance of a hospital examining room, there was evidence that a few newer additions had been made to accommodate their needs.
Jarod looked at Gemini, “Have you done any medical sims?”
“I was once an army medic, does that count?”
“Yes, good enough.” Jarod paused then considered the young man thoughtfully, knowing he had been through a whirlwind of emotions and new experiences within a short period of time. “Would you like to help me? If you aren’t up to it, Dad can give me hand.”
“No I want to help. This is the lady that came into my room and talked to me. If you hadn’t gotten here, she would have tried to get me out of the Centre. I like her.” He looked over to the gurney style bed that held their patient.
Jarod nodded, “Let’s get this done, then you can tell me all about your first meeting with Miss Parker.”
The major and colonel were sitting in the kitchen by the time Jarod and Gemini finished the procedure and had Miss Parker settled in her room. Jarod had taken the room next to hers as Gemini went across the hall to fling himself down on the bed.
After taking another look In at Miss Parker, Jarod stopped at his clone’s door way, “Hey, come with me and get something to eat, it’s been a long day and you’ll sleep better. I know something in the stomach always helps me sleep a bit more restfully.”
As they moved through their new home, Jarod looked around at the décor for the first time. The house was extensive and lavishly comfortable in a simple tasteful way.
When the two took the empty chairs around the kitchen table, the major quickly did a more formal introduction before asking how things had gone.
“The bullet had splintered but remained pretty much in one piece, but there is a good bit of muscle damage and the shoulder blade was chipped, we removed the tiny piece that broke off. She’s on an antibiotic and anti-infective now. I think she’ll heal with time, but she’s going to be a bear for a few days. Miss Parker hates being out of commission.” Jarod grinned at past memories of Miss Parker in a bad mood.
“And then there is the fact that she isn’t where she last was. I think bear baiting is definitely not a good idea for a while son.” The major gave his son a thoughtful but serious look with the last comment.
The colonel thoughtfully followed the exchange before setting down his tea and standing. “Well it looks like you have things under control here Charles, you know where to find me if anything comes up. I’ll keep a close eye on anyone approaching your island. There is only one other house here and it is the lighthouse, all automated now a days. What a waste.” The Colonel said his goodbyes and departed.
“Dad what island is this? And where is the Colonel staying? There certainly seems enough room here for more than one more person.”
“This is Rabbit Island, we are in Herrington Sound. Surrounded by water that is surrounded by land. We are the castle in the moat.” Charles smiled as he waved the two over to the next room. This room was filled with bookcases and tokens from around the world. One wall was a large world map with an enlarged section of Bermuda and her sister islands amongst the wide expanse of the Atlantic. The Major pointed out Rabbit Island. “No one is going to sneak up on us without the Colonel knowing, and frankly nothing goes on in these islands that he doesn’t know about. His underground intelligence makes the Centre look like the high school bathroom walls.”
The Major was smiling as he boasted his friend’s connections and ingenuity until he realized both Jarod and Gemini were looking puzzled by his explanation. He shook his head, “First thing, Gemini, you get to find a name for yourself. The colonel understands about the Centre and why we are here, but we need to be able to call you without drawing further attention to ourselves. Get some sleep; we can work on it tomorrow. I thought you and I could have the bedrooms on the other side of the kitchen, what do you think kiddo?”
“I was going to take the room across from Jarod and Miss Parker, but I don’t mind moving.”
“Well, I didn’t want that whole section to myself, what do you think, it may give Miss Parker a little privacy when she is up and around.”
“Sure, I don’t really have anything to move.” The boy simply shrugged his shoulders ready to follow the major to the other wing of the house.
“That has been taken care of for now. I had the Colonel bring some casuals over for us. Nothing too fancy, some beachwear and some comfortable casual type clothing for now should do, just enough to allow us to blend in. You and I can take the boat over to the main island tomorrow and pick up some of the more personal items. Jarod will have to list what he thinks Miss Parker will need until she can get there herself. I’ve been in women’s shops before, I think I can get a few items.”
Jarod smiled at his father’s good intentions, “Sure dad, I’ll get that to you in a bit. Right now I want to go look in on our patient. She may be coming out of the anesthesia by now.”
The room was darkened with the only exception of a small table light beside the bed. Jarod walked quietly over to the bed and checked the IV drip and then gently took Miss Parker’s wrist and counted off her pulse. Satisfied, he pulled the chair from the corner to the bedside and sat down to monitor her progress.
After a few moments he realized that merely watching wasn’t enough. He smoothed her hair out of her face and checked again that she remained well propped on her good side. He eased the blanket down and looked at the gauze-covered wound for bleeding. Everything looked good. The area around the wound remained red, but probably would for a couple of days. He took her temperature, it remained slightly higher than normal but a low-grade temp was to be expected. Jarod allowed the medical façade to slide and looked at her closely, marveling that even in this condition she was beautiful to him. He found himself touching her again, his thumb slid across her cheek and down her chin. At that moment there was a hitch in her breathing, then a moan.
“Take it easy, you’re going to be fine.” His whispered words were like balm to her confusion.
“Where am I? What happened?” her eyes moved under the lids but did not open.
“Parker, you don’t remember being shot?” she mumbled something Jarod couldn’t hear.
“Parker, you saved your father, you took the shot that was meant for him. And I believe he saved you. He allowed me to take you with us in the plane. You are with Gemini, dad and I.”
Her eyes opened, she looked at him and blinked several times trying to focus her vision. “Jarod, I’m with you? Where?”
“You are somewhere safe, where you can heal. Are you in pain?”
“No, I must be dreaming I’m with a pain.”
“Ah, I see your humor is still in tact. You are going to need it while you heal. The bullet is out but it did some damage. All you need to know right now is that you are safe here until you decide what you want to do with your life.”
She tried to move but stopped and hissed, “Do with my life? Damn it Jarod what did you do?” She tried again to sit up, this time the sound she made was a great deal louder than a hiss.
“You need to be still, I’m going to give you something more for your pain. When you wake up we’ll talk.”
The last thing she uttered as she drifted off was a muffled, ”Damn right we’re gonna talk.”
Jarod smiled as she slowly drifted off into the land of painless sleep. A part of him looked forward to spending time alone with a feisty Miss Parker. Even as a wounded bear he would enjoy pulling the thorn from her paw, if it meant keeping her close and having a chance at seeing his old friend again.
He looked around for something to read as he would keep ever vigilant over her bed. If she awoke and needed anything he would be there before she had the opportunity to undo all the work they put into patching her together. The last thing any of them wanted was an infection or complication to deal with, they needed to keep as low a profile in their new home as possible.
Each room appeared to have shelves with books. He quickly perused those in Parker’s room, finding them filled with everything from books on native flora to modern sciences and a few mysteries, biographies and historical novels all in order according to kind. He found one that caught his eye, a book of theories in psychology; it opened with “A Theory of Human Motivation” by Abraham Maslow. He settled into the chair beside the bed and began to read. He hadn’t been reading long before he left her room to return with a highlighter and pen.
The sun was peaking through the wooden slates covering the window near the bed when Jarod looked up from his book to find Miss Parker watching him. Quickly jumping up from his position to check her IV, he smiled, “Hi, did you sleep well last night?”
Her eyes followed him wearily, “Like the dead”, she croaked.
Jarod stopped and looked closely at her, “I’ll get you some ice to help with that. Then if you feel up to it we’ll talk.” He waited for her to acknowledge him before leaving for the ice. She slightly moved her in head what he took for a nod.
He met his father in the kitchen, “Good morning Jarod. I take it you didn’t get any sleep last night?” His father looked down over the wrinkled and stained clothing.
“No, I wanted to keep an eye on Parker.” He was stood looking for the freezer that was not attached to the refrigerator unit; he stopped and looked at his father, “Dad where is there any ice?”
The major looked at his son, smiled pointed to the small chest beside the refrigerator. He heard Jarod putting ice into a glass as he poured his son some orange juice. “I know it’s not large enough for a houseful of people but we will get things taken care of bit by bit. Berby is having a larger unit dropped off this afternoon. We’ll keep it in the dining room where it is the coolest. These things run on rechargeable batteries. Very unique wouldn’t you say?”
Jarod was busy looking over the inside of the unit and using his finger to measure the amount of insulation. “Yes, efficient for this type of climate and storms.” He guzzled his juice, put his glass in the sink, “Thanks dad”; he picked up the large glass of chipped ice,
‘I have to get this back to Parker before she attempts to come get it herself.”
By the time Major Charles looked up from his coffee his son was gone.
Jarod reentered the room to find Parker sleeping soundly. He quietly gathered the book and his notes putting them in a tidy stack to finish later. He sat on the chair studying his patient, her color was still pale, he took her temperature noting it was still a low grade fever, her pulse was close to normal, her blood pressure was a little low; all trademarks of the kind of surgery she had gone through, and gone through fairly well. She always did seem to bounce back from physical injuries it was the emotional scars that never healed completely. He had to admit that neither of them healed particularly well that way, was it the childhood nurturing which they had both been deprived? Jarod made a mental note to look into that, if they were to have any kind of wholesome relationship as she healed physically, later and perhaps much closer he admitted to himself, they would need to work past their usual pattern of strike and strike back.
He was studying her position in the bed trying to find a more comfortable way for her to lie while not putting pressure on the wound in the shoulder. When she was up to perhaps sitting with a special foam type cushion behind her would help, or an air mattress.
As he was pondering over the matter he noticed the major was leaning on the doorframe. “She’s a beautiful woman, just as her mother was.”
Jarod looked up at his father and smiled fondly, “She has always been the model I measured every other woman by. Even as a child she was the essence of what I thought all of the opposite sex would be. Imagine my surprise when I found out most didn’t carry a 9mm or have the witty comebacks she has. My sense of adventure came from our childhood in the dark halls of the Centre.”
“Son, I’m glad she was there for you. But, now, I will sit and keep our lovely adventurer company while you go make a list of things you need while we are here. Be sure you include some essentials for sleeping beauty or you may find yourself in another form of adventure. We want to make her as comfortable as possible until she is up to the trip over to Hamilton. So these are just the essentials or items you think would make life more comfortable for now. Plans have changed, Gemini and I will be meeting the Colonel and we are flying into Hamilton in his seaplane. I hope this will not be too much of a problem for you, I’m afraid it’s becoming more of an all day thing then we had originally decided upon.”
“Oh, I think we can manage, let me go get that list for you.” Jarod trotted out of the room, leaving the major smiling at his departure.
Jarod entered his room and found a stash of legal pads and an array of pens in the top drawer of the desk. He began listing the computer equipment he needed and a second list of substitutes if the island computer store wasn’t as up to date as he hoped. He then jotted down his personal needs, a few shirts, jeans, maybe a pair of swimming shorts, underwear… a thought went through his mind as he plunged his hand into his jeans, the same pair he had on yesterday. He pulled out the piece of cut silk and hunted for a tag, He wrote down the information off the tag, although he didn’t think that particular piece of clothing would be comfortable across the shoulder for a while, he didn’t want to take a chance of not having something if it would make Parker would feel personally deprived.
Jarod found himself considering the other items she had on before he cut them off, and he ran to the trash bag in the back of the house that held the items from the surgery. After putting on rubber gloves he rummaged through until he found the white stained slacks and the other undergarment, it too was black, apparently to match the black satiny blouse that was destroyed. He reluctantly added the scrape of material he had been carrying to the garbage bag. Did he need to put down matching underwear? Was this common to women? He wrote down the sizes and made a few notes about colors matching whatever else they bought with several question marks following. Hopefully his dad would understand. He then started back to Parker’s room.
“Dad..” he started into the room to find his father leaning over the bed talking softly to Parker as he gently slid ice into her mouth, then reached behind her to carefully tuck the stabilizing pillow more securely behind her this time moving it further down her back and away from the left shoulder blade. Jarod noted that any trepidation his father might have held about bringing Parker along was either well masked or forgotten. He smiled as he joined him beside the bed.
“I finished the list. I am unsure as to all of the items, “
His father took the list and reminded him that the numbers to reach him were on the kitchen cabinet, then patted him on the shoulder as he turned to leave. “I believe this young woman maybe ready for a bit of warm broth in a bit, I noticed there’s a container of it in the ice box, you just need to heat it.”
“Thanks Dad, we’ll see you about supper time then.” At his father’s nod he turned back to Parker.
“How’s the pain?”
“I’ll live. It’s quiet, is everyone gone then, just you and me here.”
“Yes, Dad and Gemini are going to the main island for some supplies. I gave them a list for some things for you too. As soon as you are up to the trip we’ll go and you can pick some things out for yourself.”
Her eyes narrowed, “Island? Do I know where the hell I am?” She didn’t wait for his response before she continued rambling, as though she was talking to herself, revealing her thoughts. “Good, I’m sure after seeing the fashion sense of the men in this family I’m be dying to wear something other than…” she yawned and moaned. “Damn it Jarod, did you take all my clothes?”
“Listen, you can’t have surgery and stay fully dressed, you know that, and we didn’t exactly have a full medical staff with us, so you got the best that we had. Me.” He gave her his best toothy grin, until she failed to respond.
Jarod moved to inject more painkillers into the IV. “Get some rest for now, we’ll have you up and looking every bit the fashion queen soon enough.” He moved around to look into her face. “I’m working on a way to make you more comfortable, I may have to increase your pain meds, to make it easier on you to rest. Would you rather be on your stomach for a bit?”
She nodded. He stood back and surveyed the best way to get her onto her belly with the least amount of jostling. He sat in front of her, “I’m going to help you tilt forward toward me, there is plenty of room on this side of the bed.”
Just as she began to move the injured shoulder she stopped. “No, please, let it go for now. I’ll be fine.” She didn’t look fine. She looked damn uncomfortable; her hairline around her face was soaked either from pain or effort, or both.
“Okay, hold on for a minute.” Jarod ran back into his room and took the nice full pillow from his bed. “Parker, what if I laid this pillow beside you and we gently moved you into it. You can slowly move your arm so that it cradles the pillow.”
“Fine, but I want more of your joy juice after ward.”
“That’s the spirit. If it doesn’t feel more comfortable we go back. I promise you we will find a way for you to rest better.”
She was asleep before he tucked the covers around her. He decided now was a good time to do some blood work and make sure there was nothing else happening with her. Hopefully the Colonel had stocked some lab equipment with all the surgical supplies. The fact that her sleep was short although it seemed deep; she rarely slept for more that an hour or two before waking; the medication helped keep her dopey, but it wasn’t enough, she needed the deep healing sleep.
Chapter End Notes:
TBC.
As the story progresses holes will hopefully be filled in.
As the story progresses holes will hopefully be filled in.
