Thrown Away/Twisted Roots

Chapter 14

(wc including this chapter 26,483)





Chapter 14





Brian woke to the feeling of movement. He peeked through his eyelids to see he was indeed in an ambulance. He wiggled his fingers. Still there, he thought then went on to do the same with his toes. His arms and legs were strapped to the gurney and the engine slowed, they’d arrived at the hospital.


Once he was in a room and the staff began to check him over he let them know he was awake and able to talk. After answering their questions he asked where his car would be and where his messenger bag was.


He was told the car had been pushed back on to the restaurant property. The owner said they would take care of it until he was released.


Brian argued with the doctor. “Look, I know I wasn’t able to talk. I was out of it. Now I’m fine. I don’t have any broken bones. Other than I’m sure there will be bruising, the damage was to the front panel of the car and the door. It’s a well made car and he must not have been going very fast.” The woman standing in front of him with her arms crossed and a deep frown on her face didn’t budge. “Please I need to get back to my car. I have important papers in there and I don’t want anyone looking at them. It could cause a security problem no one wants to experience.”


The woman didn’t smile. Brian slid off the bed and put his full weight on his feet. No pain, yet. He felt a stiffness in his left arm, but nothing an aspirin or two wouldn’t take care of. He lifted his arms up and down, bent his knees, squatting in front of the woman.


“I’m fine. If you can give me a prescription for pain pills in case I need them. I’ll be fine.”


She gave a loud noise of displeasure. “Okay but you’re on your own. You’ll have to sign out and I’ll have a prescription waiting for you.” Her shoes squeeked as moved out of his sight. He winked at the nurses standing around the curtained room.


“Let’s get the show on the road.” He took careful steps toward opening. It wasn’t so bad, he thought, a little sore and stiff but okay.


A cab took him to the restaurant parking lot. He stood next to his mangled rental and called the rental company. His bag wasn’t in the car. Anger and frustration rose in his body, creating a heat and antidote to his physical pain. Who took my bag and computer? His mind screamed as he waited for the customer service person to answer. At least his phone had been in his pocket and made the trip to the hospital with him.


While talking to the rental company employee, he sensed someone walking toward him across the parking lot. It was David Stevenson. In his hand, he held Brian’s computer bag.


Relief flowed through Brian’s body as he explained what happened and gave the address of the restaurant. They promised a replacement car and someone with paperwork for him to sign.


“I’ll be in the restaurant waiting. Don’t take too long, I need to get back to my hotel and rest.” Brian admonished, then hung up.


“Thank you David, for taking care of that.” Brian reached out to shake the man’s hand after he took the bag.


“No problem. We’re just glad you’re okay. Come on in and have a bite to eat while you wait. I know Heather is going to want to hear everything.” The two walked into the restaurant and in no time Heather stood before him, touching his arm.


“Are you okay? Come, sit, I get you some food. You should be resting at your hotel. I’ll have Sue make a take home bag so you have something for this evening.” She hardly took a breath.


Brian smiled. It had been a long time since someone had mothered him like that, other than Renee. Heather was his own age, but it still felt good.


She bustled off to the kitchen while a server brought him water and coffee. David sat across from him.


“Brian, there was a guy here just after the accident. He wouldn’t tell me his name until I told him I wasn’t giving any information to him but I would give the police a detailed description of him and his car if he didn’t fork over who we was and why he wanted to know what you were here to talk about.” Dave lifted the logo branded mug of coffee to his lips.


“Let me guess. He’s a reporter.” Brian frowned at not remembering the guy from the Admin office name.


“Henry. He said his name was Henry (X) do you know him?”


“No. He was at the admin office where I was looking up information on the kids. He must have bribed the woman to get information on me or just followed me. I have no idea what he wants or why he’s following me.” Brian used the flat of his hand to gently rub his left side. It was tender and He knew there would be a big bruise.


“You feeling okay? You don’t look too good.” David frowned.


At the same time Heather arrived with a bowl of soup and a sandwich. “When you’re ready to leave, there’ll be a bag for you to take with you.” She sat next to her husband.


“It was a hit and run. The odd thing is you weren’t in the lane. This guy cut across the lane and plowed right into your car.” David tapped his fingers on the table. “A guy who saw the whole thing told us, it seemed like he wanted you dead.” He let the sentence hang in the air.


Brian, took a sip of the steaming soup before answering. “I don’t know why anyone would want me dead, or hurt. It makes no sense.” He looked up to see the couple across from him look at each other in silence. “What? What do you know that I don’t?”


A long pause followed his question and Brian set the spoon back in the bowl. “What?”


“Do you know who you are looking for?” David asked.


Brian let the question germinate for a moment. “Yes. I take it you also know who the young woman who worked for you grew up to become.” The two nodded in tandem. “Have you been contacted about them recently?”


“No. About a year or so after they left Ashly came to visit us. She certainly didn’t look anything like the woman who left with Sawyer Hamilton. She looked much like she does today. Her hair was longer and dyed a darker red, more auburn. She asked us to keep her presence here a secret as if she were never here. We agreed.” Heather told him in a subdued tone.


“Did she mention the baby?”


The two looked at each other again. David nodded to heather who continued. “Yes. She said she gave the baby up for adoption.”


Brian kept his gaze on the couple. “She said those exact words.”


Heather gave him a puzzled look. “What do you mean?”


“Did she say “I gave the baby up for adoption.” Those words or words that included ‘Adoption agency’?” Brian now leaned closer over the table. He watched the two as they pondered the question.


“I don’t remember her exact words. I just assumed she’d given it up for adoption. Didn’t she?” Heather asked.


“There are no records of her having a child in any hospital around here or in Las Vegas. I checked every hospital. Her parents would have had to pay for a hospital stay or even Sawyer’s parents might have paid. I didn’t get the sense from them they paid out any money for Ashley or a hospital bill for her or Sawyer. At least not until he was sent to the asylum.”


“Asylum?” David queired.


“You didn’t know?” He continued after the two shook their head. “The drugs took a toll on his brain and he was committed to an institution. He’s been there for over twenty-five years. In reality it’s been twenty-seven years.”


“That’s not surprising considering what he was doing while he was here. I feel sorry for any baby they had. I know Ashley didn’t do drugs but Sawyer, that’s a different story.” Heather motioned for Brian to continue to eat.


“So you’re looking for the baby I take it.”


Brian nodded and chewed.


“”No record of her having a child.” Heather jumped up and headed toward the kitchen. David and Brian watched her abrupt departure.


David shrugged. “I wonder what she’s up to?”


She returned a few minutes later pulling an Asian woman behind her. The woman’s expression wasn’t welcoming.


“Sue, this is Brian Jacobi. We have a few questions to ask you.” Heather pointed to the space next to David while she sat next to Brian.


“You came to work for us about four months after you all left. You, your boyfriend, Sawyer and Ashley, and that other couple, I’ve forgotten their names all left together. Where did you go?”


Sue sat looking at Heather and Brian, her arms crossed, her lips set. She didn’t answer.


Heather leaned over the table her hand out in supplication. Just tell us where you went after leaving here.”


“We went to Las Vegas.”


“Okay. How long did you stay there?” Heather continued.


Sue thought a moment, “We stayed a few months. Tom and I got jobs and a place to stay.”


“What about the others, did they stay and get jobs too?” Brian asked.


This time Sue looked at Brian with a long measured gaze. “Why do you want to know this?”


“I get the feeling you aren’t going to answer a direct question.”


“Try me.”


Brian took a deep breath before phrasing the question. “Were you with Ashley when she had her baby?” Brian watched for her physical reaction to his question. It looked like she expected it.


“Yes.”


“Where did she have the baby? What hospital or clinic?”


“Neither.”


Brian waited for her to continue, but she didn’t. “Did Ashley ask you to not tell anyone about what happened? Did the baby die? Is that what happened?’ His voice dropped to a whisper. Please God no! He thought.


“No, it didn’t die.” Her shoulders shrugged in defeat. “What are you going to do with this information? It isn’t fair to Ashley or her baby to have all this drug through the press.”


“Oh it’s not going to come from me. There is a guy hanging around with a nose for news so be careful not to talk to him. His name is Henry (X) Don’t talk to him. He will manipulate what you say to fit what he wants to write and put your picture as the source. You can deny it all you want, but once you’re in the public eye, it’s fair game for everyone else.”


“Then what do you want to know?” Sue re-phrased the question.


Brian thought for a moment. “You’ve kept this secret for all these years, I’m going to trust you not to contact Ashley about this. She had a melt down awhile ago at her parent’s house. She let slip something about making a big mistake giving away her baby. The mother picked up on it and hired me to find out if it was true. Did she have a baby? What happened to it? That’s my job. I’m discreet.”


“Yet someone tried to wipe you out.” Sue accused him.


“We don’t know that. Or even why? Maybe it was mistaken identity.”


“What had you flying out of the parking lot like that? I saw you run past the kitchen, out the door and into the parking lot. I followed David and Heather to the front porch and saw the guy swerve to run his car into you. I got the impression as he ran away it wasn’t an accident.”


Brian shrugged then winced. “I don’t know. I have no idea who even knew I was here. No one knew why.”


“I wonder.” David added.”You visited Sawyer. Maybe someone there contacted someone to follow you. You went to the airport. It would have been easy enough to have someone there to follow you to your gate and see where you were headed.”


After thinking on that Brian nodded, “You’re right. But why? I didn’t give the hospital a true story. I told them I was a doing a study for a research organization. They’d have no reason not to believe me.”


“Somewhere, someone doesn’t want you researching this.” David took the carafe and poured coffee for himself and Brian.


Brian turned to Sue. “Run me through exactly what happened when she went into labor.”


“We were at a campsite near Lake Mead.It was a little more than a rest area with overnight parking. We set up the tents. Ashley hadn’t been feeling well and we agreed she’d get the bed in the van. I was worried. None of us knew how to deliver a baby. I hoped she’d make it to Las Vegas where we could at least call a ambulance or find a clinic.” She took a drink from Heather’s water glass and set it down. “She went into labor that night. I had to use the bathroom which was at the edge of the parking lot for the Rest Area. There wasn’t anyone in the lot but I heard moans and loud screams. I ran to see what was going on. I found Ashley on the floor of a stall. She was…” Sue grabbed a napkin and wiped the tears from her eyes. “I didn’t know what to do. I ran for Sawyer but he was no use. He’d taken a hit and was out of it. I grabbed the towels we had and headed back to the bathroom. I got there the same time a woman who must have just arrived, got to the bathroom door. I tried to get her to leave, but she pulled the door open when Ashley let out another scream.”


Sue looked around the room and took a deep breath. “We were lucky, the woman was a nurse. She ran back to her car and came back with a black bag and a tote.” She stopped taking.


“So she had the baby. In the bathroom.” Heather prompted.


Sue nodded still staring at the far corner of the ceiling.


“What happened then?” Brian added.


Sue came out of her trance. “She took care of Ashley all the rest of the night and the next day. We went into town to get more supplies. The woman gave us money. I made sure none of it got spent on drugs or booze. When we got back, the woman told us to use the camp stove and make some food for Ashley. She took her stuff back to her car. Then when we went to give Ashley the food, I didn’t see the woman or the baby. I asked Ashley where the baby was and where the woman was. All she did was cry.” Sue looked up at the group and in a hushed tone she said, “Ashley said she gave the baby to the woman. The woman had the money and a good job. She could raise the baby and she’d never know the woman wasn’t her mother. I couldn’t believe she’d do that> She didn’t know the woman. We saw she was a nurse. I went and checked out her car. It was stuffed with her things. They were nice things too.”


“What did the woman look like?” Brian asked.


“I don’t remember. She had dark hair, I think, or it may have been in the dark I didn’t notice.”


‘You looked at her car. Why? If you didn’t look at the woman, why look in her car?” Brian pushed his empty dishes to one side of the table.


“You don’t miss anything do you?” Sue gave him a wry smile.


Brian shrugged his shoulder.


“I was curious about her. She’d said she just left nursing school and was heading north. I could see she had stuff one might pull from a dorm. If she had more. She must have shipped it. It confirmed that she was a nurse. I saw her notebooks and textbooks in a box.”


“Her name?”


“I didn’t get that. We just called her Nurse.”


Brian leaned back in his chair and lifted his arm across his forehead.


“You probably need to get to your hotel. It doesn’t look like the rental company is sending anyone to talk to you. You have a car, do you feel okay to drive?”


Brian nodded. “Sue, thank you for sharing. I know you're protecting Ashley. I don’t want to hurt her, but her parents want to connect to their grandchild. By the way, you didn’t tell us what she had.”


“A girl with lots of dark red hair. I only saw her face. Nurse had wrapped the baby in a blanket and it stopped crying.” Sue dabbed at her eyes with the balled up cotton napkin. “Now all these years later, after having my own, I have cried for that little girl who will never know her mother.”


“Maybe not. That’s what I have to do. Connect her with her grandparents.” Brian chewed on the corner of his lip, “I wonder if any of the other kids there told what they knew?”


“You know Sawyer. Mark and Kristie moved to Costa Rica and live off the grid. I get a Christmas card from them every so often. I doubt they talk to anyone and wouldn’t have a reason to tell anyone, even if they remembered. They are the hippie type and still do drugs. Not the heavy stuff, but weed and whatever.”


After stopping at a pharmacy to fill his subscription, he headed for the hotel. He fell on the bed and lay there resting. A loud rapping on the door jolted him and he slowly sat up and made his way to the door. He hadn’t turned on his light so looking through the peephole wouldn’t alert whoever was out there he was there.


Henry stood in the hall. The knock came again. Louder this time and more insistent. “Brian I know you’re in there. I have something to show you. You’re going to want to see it.”


The pounding on the door matched the pounding in his head. He didn’t have time for this. Walking back to the bed he lifted the covers and slid between them. Henry left.