THE LONG AND WINDING ROAD
By Atonia Walpole
(Picture creations also by Atonia)
Part 10:
Terry checked them into the Pacific Bay Resort. A wheelchair was provided for Dee. It hurt Terry to see her in a wheelchair. It was only temporary and he knew it but the chair reminded him that he’d failed her by not watching after her as he should have.
Once in their suite he started the whirlpool bath. “There’s a day spa here too, luv. Massages and such.”
“I don’t think I want anybody massaging my body right now. In a few days some of the soreness will wear away.” She let him help her into the bath. It was heavenly.
After a week of soaking in the whirlpool, Dee felt well enough to walk around and sit out on the balcony of their room. She had an appointment with the doctor and hoped for permission to travel.
The doctor examined her and removed the sling she’d carried her arm in. Her shoulder area was still sore but the nasty scrape was healing. She still had to wear the collar but he released her to travel.
“If I could jump up and down I would,” she commented as they left the hospital.
“You’re ready to go home, aren’t you?”
“I am, Terry, if you are.”
“I’m ready, Nolia. I found what I came looking for and more. I think we’ve had a pretty good holiday except for your accident.”
“Oh, I do too, and the accident was bad but I survived. I’m a tough old bird, you know.”
He opened the car door for her. “I’ll give Linda a call and get that plane over here.”
Dee was now able to take advantage of the day spa. They couldn’t touch her shoulder but they worked on her back with deep massages. Terry took the opportunity while she was in the spa to visit Cody.
“I wondered when you’d lob in,” Cody greeted him.
“Sorry, with Deidre injured I’ve been..."
“Yeah. Why didn’t you call me when you got here?”
“Was I supposed to check in with you?”
“You’ve been away from here for too long. Yabber all proper now.”
“Well, Cody, there aren’t too many Australian blokes in the SAS and even less in Texas. I guess something stuck to me somewhere.”
“Whyn’t you come home when you mustered out?”
“I got tied up in a different business. K&R.”
“What’s that?”
“Kidnap and ransom. I’m a negotiator, negotiate the ransom demand.”
“Hmm.”
“What are you doing now?”
“Whatever I can. I do a little tour work. Taking folks around. I keep an eye on Thorneton.” He licked his lips. “I go out there.”
“And? I appreciate your looking after the place.”
“Funny about that place, you know. Sometimes I’d swear you’re still there…like you were in the next room or just around the corner where I can’t see ya.”
“Old houses are like that,” Terry replied.
“There was a rumor a while back, a rumor that you’d been killed. I heard it in Sydney. Then I got that call from you about the cousin comin’ down. I was glad I got that call and I put the rumors to bed.”
“Good. Look, um, since you’re looking after Thorneton, how about if I set up a special bank account for you. The house is going to need some repairs along the way. I wouldn’t expect you to spend your own money on running back and forth and..."
“Hah, you’re gonna give me money?”
“I’m talking about making it available for your expenses.”
“My expenses…Terry, you know me…I’d just drink it up.”
“I don’t think so.”
“You got that kinda money now?”
“I’m comfortable. I wouldn’t want the old homeplace to fall into disrepair.”
Cody grinned and leaned back in his chair. "That’d be nice.”
Terry left Cody’s and went straight to the bank and set up an account for him. He felt good about that. What Cody did with the money, he didn’t really care. He knew he’d look after Thorneton.
“You look relaxed.” Terry bent over Dee and gave her a kiss.
“I am blissful.”
“Blissful.” He smiled and leaned on the balcony railing. “The spa worked?”
“Like a dream. Why don’t I do this at home?”
“Good question. You can do anything you want to when we get home.”
“Speaking of doing…I’ve been thinking. You go off and do your K&R stuff and I…I don’t do anything anymore. It was different when NanoCorp was in business. I can only clean the bathrooms so many times a week.”
“What do you want to do, go back into the field?”
“I think so. It’s not a full time thing just like your business isn’t. I feel like I’m wasting away. My mind is going to be jelled if I don’t do something. That is…if Sid will leave us alone.”
“From what I heard from Bud, he’s been pretty busy since we’ve been gone. He did a number on Cort and Maximus and then did a very strange thing for him. He brought them back. According to Linda, he’s dropped, and I mean literally dropped, another brother into our midst. Zack Grant was found on Maximus’ property…half dead and brain whacked.”
“Good God!” Dee closed her eyes. “Will it never end?”
“I don’t know.” He turned and looked out over the ocean. “We can’t live our lives in fear of him. I spoke to John today. He’s getting married on Friday. He and Bethany are expecting a baby, you know.”
“That’s great for him. It’s what he needs. He needs to be grounded and I think Bethany is a great girl. They suit each other.”
“Jack’s going to get married, too. He’s asked Tarwyn but they haven’t set a date.”
Dee smiled, “Must be something in the water. When are we? Spring?”
“If that’s what you want. Spring would be good…give you plenty of time to change your mind.”
“As if I would. Maybe I’ll be out of this damn collar by then.”
“Only three more weeks, luv. I’m glad to see you up and walking around.”
“I feel pretty good. I’ll feel better when I get this bandage off my shoulder. Terry, I think this trip has been good for us. We’ve kind of…oh, reconnected. At home we were jumping from one crisis to another. We never had time for us.”
“That’s going to change. Sid is not going to rule our lives. I won’t allow it. Jack and Tarwyn have moved out, and the house is ours again.” He squatted down beside her. “Just us…you can run naked through the house anytime you want to.”
She grinned lazily. “The only reason I can think of for me to be running naked through the house is if you’re after me…and I wouldn’t be running from you.”
Their eyes met and held. He began playing with her breast, teasing her nipple with his fingers.
“Terry, I can think of something that would just complete my blissfulness today.”
“Are you up for it? I’ll try not to hurt you.”
“Help me out of this chair and I’m yours.”
Terry made one last trip out to Thorneton the day before they were to leave. Dee didn’t go with him. She wanted another day at the spa being pampered and massaged. He found the key under the stone and opened the door. A stillness greeted him he hadn’t felt before when they were staying there. He went through each room, looked again at the photos that were displayed. He checked the kitchen to make sure Marthene had cleared out the fridge and cabinets. All was bare and clean. The bed where they’d slept had been stripped.
At last he walked into Major Thorne’s bedroom. He’d begun to think of it as such even though he felt at home in the room. It clearly wasn’t his.
He wasn’t there. Terry realized he could sense his presence. However, he’d left something for him on the desk. “How did you know I would return?” he said aloud. There was no answering marble across the floor or writing on the pad of paper left on the desk with a leather bound book.
I think you might return here and if you do this is for you. It means nothing to me now, though I have looked through it again. It’s your childhood. May as well be yours as mine now. I would not want anyone else to stumble upon it. I like to think of you out there living as me. I’m sure Rusty named you and had some input into the script. We were mates a long time ago. You know a lot but not all of it. Best that way. We are alike in some ways. I wish you the best, Terry.
The book was a journal and one that he would read and treasure.
Terry bit his lip and looked around the room. Carrying the journal he let himself out the front door and locked it behind him. He walked around to the side of the house and out by the stream. He threw in a pebble. “Thank you.”
A pebble hit the water from the flat rock.
“You’ve made me a complete person. I hope you know that. It’s difficult being what I am without a history, knowing all my memories are someone else’s. You knew I’d come back here alone because that’s what you would have done. I’m leaving in a few days…going back to Texas, a place you would never have gone. I wouldn’t either except I didn’t have a choice. I’ll try to come back someday.” Terry nodded in the direction of the rock and left.
“Did you say goodbye?” Dee asked.
“Yeah. He gave me this, a journal…says it’s my childhood. You know, Nolia, this has been a long and winding road back to Thorneton. At first I felt I didn’t belong there. I’d never been there and experienced all the things that were in my memory. I don’t feel that way now. In a way I'm living out his life, the life that was denied to him. I think you were right about me. There’s a lot more of him in me than he likes to admit. I think Russell took the things that were strong in his mind about him and used that to create me. For the first time I feel…whole.”
Dee put her arm around him. “You’ve always been whole to me but I know what this means to you. What do you say we go for a walk on the beach?”
“Sounds great, a good way to end the day.” Terry kissed her and with an arm around her waist they left the room and entered the elevator.
In two days they would board Linda’s private jet, stopover in Singapore, and fly home.
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