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Chapter Thirteen: Don’t tell me it’s not a lucky number
Do what you can, with what you have, right where you are. –Teddy Roosevelt
Cora mentally kicked herself once again. Griffin had traveled half a day to give her a card and she had forgotten about it until an hour ago when Muffin had brought it in to the dining room as a base for her dolly’s teapot. Luckily, she didn’t have many clothing options and didn’t take long to get ready. Besides, it was possible that she might be able to sneak in without feeling like a fool for being forty five minutes late to what she hoped was a thinly disguised excuse for a date.
A date! She hadn’t been this nervous in…forever. She had never felt this nervous. Her hands were shaking and she was finding it hard to concentrate on the directions had hastily written out as she walked out the door.
It wasn’t until she parked her car on a side street and started walking toward the coffee shop, located in the city center, that she realized there was something going on that was more out of the ordinary than was good. People milled around several emergency vehicles parked at odd angles.
Grabbing the arm of the first person she came across, she tried to get her question out. The wind turned, sending smoke cascading over both of them. “What’s going on?” she finally gasped out.
“I’m not sure. There was an explosion and a lot of smoke. Maybe a fire. I don’t know.”
Cora stilled her forward momentum as she noticed that the girl was holding some material, an apron perhaps, to her head. Red was already starting to seep around the edges of her hand.
“You’re hurt. Why hasn’t anyone taken care of you? You should most definitely be sitting down.”
“I’m fine. I’m all right,” she said faintly as the shock started to set in. “It’s just a scratch. A tray of cups flew out of my hands and…” Her voice trailed off as she started to sway, only staying upright because of Cora’s grasp on her arm.
“No, you aren’t okay. I think you better sit down while I go to see if I can find a paramedic.”
“They’re all so busy-“
“I don’t care! You need help.” With a final glance to make sure that the girl wasn’t going to move from the patch of sidewalk where she was now sitting against a flickering lamp post, Cora made her way through the mass of humanity. Thick, black smoke poured out of the broken windows and open door of the empty coffee shop. The famous sign proclaiming that Fresh Cookies were Available Every Morning swung haphazardly as it was buffeted by conflicting breezes. There weren’t any flames visible but yellow coated fireman moved swiftly in between the building and the truck with hoses, axes and other fire equipment.
All around her, people sprawled out on the ground, most of them being comforted by fellow sufferers. A few EMC’s were making the rounds between the worst of the victims. The hurt girl had been correct. They were very busy.
In the spotlights glare, she saw a gleam of curly red hair bent over a prone figure. “Chailyn,” she exclaimed, almost giddy to find someone who might be able to help where she couldn’t. “There’s a girl over there with a head wound and I think she might have a concussion or something.”
The girl turned to look back at her, soot coating her face. It was indeed Chailyn, looking older than even the last picture she had seen of her sister, a snapshot on the hospital’s website where she had finally tracked her sister down.
“She’ll have to wait. There are only a few of us that are able to triage out here and there are people who are in worse shape. I can only do one thing at a time.” Chailyn’s tired eyes held a mixture of bitterness, resentment – and something like fear.
The man on the ground moaned, the remains of his shirt fluttering to the ground as the nurse worked to stop the flow of blood on the worst of the lashes. His bloody back was open to the night air.
“Is there something I can do?” Cora asked, her hands fluttering helplessly. “I’m concerned that she’s going into shock.”
Another screaming ambulance made its way through the crowds, stopping almost at their feet. In a matter of seconds, the uniformed men scurried out of the vehicle and effectively scooted the girls out of the way to make room for the stretcher. Chailyn, confidant and at ease with the medical workers, gave all the appropriate information, stopping short of his name.
“I never found it out and couldn’t find a wallet. He mentioned know you, though.” She turned to her sister, the raw emotion now hidden firmly behind a neutral expression.
Cora frowned. Who would she know…oh. Dear Merciful Savior, no. She took a step toward the man on the stretcher. “Griffin?”
The only response was another moan. He was facing the other side so she moved to where she could see his familiar face. Even through the soot and blood, she could tell that it was him
“What’s his name, Cora?” Chailyn’s harsh voice broke through her distress but she felt responsible for him being here. If she hadn’t come back, or if she had been on time to the coffee shop or … “Who is he?”
“Griffin Key.” Her voice was unsteady but she continued as she let her fingers trail down his dirty cheek. “He doesn’t carry a wallet. All his information should be in his PDA. Is there any possibility of recovering it? I’m not sure if I know all her personal information other than a name and place of work.”
They all looked around to where crews of firemen were busy dragging out the smoking furniture, letting it all air out in the middle of the street.
“Let me give you my insurance card. He should be on the same plan and the company will be able to send over his medical history. I’ll be a the hospital later if they have any questions or if they aren’t able to recover his PDA.”
“And who are you?”
Cora blinked. It had been so long since she had been asked that question. Growing up, everyone had known her as the oldest Adderly. At her job, she had been dependable Cora, the one everyone ran to when they needed something. It was odd to be anonymous.
“Use your eyes, Jerry,” came the deadpan voice of her middle sister. “She’s an Adderly. You know where to find us.”
The EMC nodded, blushing at her obvious ignorance, but not letting it hinder his job. Before Cora could say anything else, they loaded the stretches and began moving back out through the wall of bystanders.
“Take me to the girl now. We’ve gotten everyone else taken care of that needs it.” Chailyn wiped her grimy hands on her even grimier jeans, wrapping the duty of her calling around her like a cloak as she tried to find the strength for one more patient. There was nothing Cora could do and even less she could say to make it better. Instead, she silently led the way back to the girl still hunched against the light. Another girl had joined her, patting her hand as she fretted about the bloody apron.
“She says she’s not supposed to move but I was going to drive her to the hospital,” the new arrival said to Chailyn as lifted the girls chin to check her pupils.
“It’s okay. Let me check her out and we’ll see what we can do for her. Honey, I need you to look at me. Looks like you took quite a hit there. Can you tell me your name?”
“Hai…Hailey.”
“I thought you looked familiar. You served me that great cup of coffee. Not that I got to try much of it. Did I tip you?”
Cora was amazed to watch her sister in action once again. While keeping up a patter of useless conversation, she checked out the inflamed skin on the girl’s forehead. Blood still oozed out from the gash but it looked less heinous than the bloody material had made it appear that it might be. The other girl swayed but stiffened as she continued to pat her friend’s hand.
“What’s your name?” she finally asked, conscious that she should try to help Chailyn the only way she could. Besides, it would get her own thoughts off the probing fingers on the obviously tender wound.
“Neesa. I’m Hailey’s roommate. I went outside to finish off my dish of ice cream because Vivienne came in and I knew she’d give Hailey grief for letting me in again with food from the outside.”
“You can’t bring anything from the outside in to the coffee shop? That seems unreasonable.”
Neesa shook her head and smiled. “It’s a joke between Hailey and I. Coffee and I don’t get along very well. Instead of just ordering something else when I come in, I bring in ice cream. It makes Hailey squirm.”
“You do it just to be mean,” the other girl answered in an airy and unstable voice. Her cheeks were so white they looked like they were made out of clay. Everyone forced out a laugh.
“I do it to be difficult. There’s a difference. I didn’t want her to get in trouble so I ducked out the door to finish it off and get rid of the evidence. The door rattled and then there were screams. It was horrible.”
Chailyn sat back on the balls of her feet; dismissing the details of the blast she had survived intact. “That’s going to hold you until we can get you to the hospital. Cora and I are heading over there and we’d love to give you a ride.”
“I can-“
“No. Let us drive you.” Neesa nodded and helped get her friend to her feet. Both girls looked dead on their feet, although there was a toughness about them that belied their strong spirit. These were people who had been dealt difficult hands by life and worked through them with such grace and aplomb that it was now second nature to stand straight and stare back at problems with a raised chin and clenched fists.
“Where’s your car, sis?” The mocking tone was back now that the task at hand was complete. There was a challenge in those eyes now, the bitterness abetting somewhat.
Cora fished the keys out of her pocket and pointed the way to her small coupe. If she had been comfortable with this stranger before her, she would have tried to talk her into going home and sleeping off the weight of the last couple of hours. As it was, she couldn’t think of a good reason to start bossing her around after all this time apart. The family reunion would have to wait for another time – and another planet altogether.
Halfway to the hospital, after a few muttered directions from Chailyn considering it was a new building in a new part of town, Cora suddenly sat up straight as she realized who would have been in charge of the blaze. “Was Dad there tonight? I can’t believe I missed him.”
With a facial gesture that had been in place since birth, the middle sister scowled and nodded. It wasn’t hard to see that she wanted to complain about her use of the family title. No matter what, a father was a father forever. “He’ll be meeting us at the hospital when the scene has been taken care of.”
It seemed odd for him to be coming to the hospital but Cora kept silent, concentrating on navigating to the proper side of the parking lot. The new building was modern and the parking lot was functional, offering a variety of parking places depending on the situation. After finding one that gave them good access to the emergency entrance, they bundled the still-pale girl toward the glowing lights. Numerous attendants came to meet them as they got near enough for the trauma to be noticed.
It was obvious that she wasn’t needed anymore, so Cora slipped through a door that led to an official looking desk. “Excuse me? I’m looking for Griffin Key. He was brought in by ambulance and I wanted to make sure that they were able to find his contact information.”
“Are you Cora Adderly?” the pretty nurse asked, checking a computer screen for any available information.
“Yes. Were they able to recover his PDA at the scene?”
She shook her head and smiled up over the monitor. “Not yet but we were able to track down his doctor through the information you provided the paramedics. He’s in surgery but should be in post op soon. It also looks like your sister should be out soon. If you like, there’s a seating area right down this hall where you can wait for the news.”
“My…sister?” Cora tried to keep from hyperventilating and then worked on even remembering how to breathe. If she had left one at the loading dock, there was only one other option. “What’s wrong with my sister?”
“I’m sorry. I thought you knew. She was one of the first people brought in and her diagnosis looks good. The doctor can let you know more when he comes out of surgery.”
She had the sudden urge to lift the smiling nurse over the desk by the cute little cats peeking out of the material on her lapel. Double speak and vague generalities. She lived her life by those, keeping her clients in the dark of anything going on behind the scenes that would scare them or keep them off balance. A happy client made for a smooth event, no matter what loop hole the catering put them through or how much WASN’T going as planned.
Smiling back at the cheerful woman, she laid her hand on the counter and attempted to extract more information when she felt the hand on her shoulder. “I wouldn’t try getting any more information out of her. She doesn’t know anything else. Let’s just go wait.”
By a miracle, she kept the smile in place as she turned to see Chailyn looking pale and beaten. Once again, she opted for silence. It was amazing how much she wanted to say; however, her mouth had other ideas as it stayed shut.
“What’s wrong with Charlotte?” she asked as they sat across from each other in one of the seating arrangements in the vast open area.
Taking a moment to close her eyes, Chailyn waited to answer. It was as if she was changing personalities at the same time. Her face became softer and her eyes seemed to be rimmed in red when she opened them again.
“Your friend was behind me in a perfect direction to shield me from the blast. He fell across me, pining me to my seat. I’m not sure what blew or how but it was mostly noise. It was enough to set the crowd off, though. If I never spent time with more than ten people again in my life, I’ll be happy.”
She paused but Cora was ready to get her back on track. “So Griffin took the brunt of the explosion which is why his back is all torn up. Where was Charlotte?”
“It wasn’t an explosion so much as things being whipped through the air. Charlotte’s chair was forced over and the table went over at the same time. It hit her leg at the perfect angle to break it. It was a clean break but that didn’t mean it was pretty. It shouldn’t be too hard to fix.”
“And are you okay?” It was a hard question to ask as she was starting to look more ghastly as the adrenaline faded.
“I will be. So will you. I don’t think you realize the picture you portraying right now. It’s not as pretty as you’d probably like.”
Cora’s hand went up to wipe the bangs off her forehead. Now that it was pointed out to her, she felt the grit sliding under her hand. Just as the night was catching up with Chailyn, the last week started to finally catch up with her.
It was useless to let the questions start again. Everything had changed tonight. The questions she had been letting eat at her brain where no longer important.
“Thank you for taking such good care of Griffin. I’ll be sure to tell him he was taken care of by the best.”
“And how do you know that? How did you know I was a nurse?” The bitterness was back in her eyes, accompanied by a strange pain.
She was saved from having to answer the questions by a hand on her cheek. “Hello, darling.”
“Mom.” A sob escaped and she found herself climbing over the back of the couch like a four year old, wrapping her arms around the slight shoulders of the person she had hurt the most – and missed with a deep sadness that cut her soul in two.
Do what you can, with what you have, right where you are. –Teddy Roosevelt
Cora mentally kicked herself once again. Griffin had traveled half a day to give her a card and she had forgotten about it until an hour ago when Muffin had brought it in to the dining room as a base for her dolly’s teapot. Luckily, she didn’t have many clothing options and didn’t take long to get ready. Besides, it was possible that she might be able to sneak in without feeling like a fool for being forty five minutes late to what she hoped was a thinly disguised excuse for a date.
A date! She hadn’t been this nervous in…forever. She had never felt this nervous. Her hands were shaking and she was finding it hard to concentrate on the directions had hastily written out as she walked out the door.
It wasn’t until she parked her car on a side street and started walking toward the coffee shop, located in the city center, that she realized there was something going on that was more out of the ordinary than was good. People milled around several emergency vehicles parked at odd angles.
Grabbing the arm of the first person she came across, she tried to get her question out. The wind turned, sending smoke cascading over both of them. “What’s going on?” she finally gasped out.
“I’m not sure. There was an explosion and a lot of smoke. Maybe a fire. I don’t know.”
Cora stilled her forward momentum as she noticed that the girl was holding some material, an apron perhaps, to her head. Red was already starting to seep around the edges of her hand.
“You’re hurt. Why hasn’t anyone taken care of you? You should most definitely be sitting down.”
“I’m fine. I’m all right,” she said faintly as the shock started to set in. “It’s just a scratch. A tray of cups flew out of my hands and…” Her voice trailed off as she started to sway, only staying upright because of Cora’s grasp on her arm.
“No, you aren’t okay. I think you better sit down while I go to see if I can find a paramedic.”
“They’re all so busy-“
“I don’t care! You need help.” With a final glance to make sure that the girl wasn’t going to move from the patch of sidewalk where she was now sitting against a flickering lamp post, Cora made her way through the mass of humanity. Thick, black smoke poured out of the broken windows and open door of the empty coffee shop. The famous sign proclaiming that Fresh Cookies were Available Every Morning swung haphazardly as it was buffeted by conflicting breezes. There weren’t any flames visible but yellow coated fireman moved swiftly in between the building and the truck with hoses, axes and other fire equipment.
All around her, people sprawled out on the ground, most of them being comforted by fellow sufferers. A few EMC’s were making the rounds between the worst of the victims. The hurt girl had been correct. They were very busy.
In the spotlights glare, she saw a gleam of curly red hair bent over a prone figure. “Chailyn,” she exclaimed, almost giddy to find someone who might be able to help where she couldn’t. “There’s a girl over there with a head wound and I think she might have a concussion or something.”
The girl turned to look back at her, soot coating her face. It was indeed Chailyn, looking older than even the last picture she had seen of her sister, a snapshot on the hospital’s website where she had finally tracked her sister down.
“She’ll have to wait. There are only a few of us that are able to triage out here and there are people who are in worse shape. I can only do one thing at a time.” Chailyn’s tired eyes held a mixture of bitterness, resentment – and something like fear.
The man on the ground moaned, the remains of his shirt fluttering to the ground as the nurse worked to stop the flow of blood on the worst of the lashes. His bloody back was open to the night air.
“Is there something I can do?” Cora asked, her hands fluttering helplessly. “I’m concerned that she’s going into shock.”
Another screaming ambulance made its way through the crowds, stopping almost at their feet. In a matter of seconds, the uniformed men scurried out of the vehicle and effectively scooted the girls out of the way to make room for the stretcher. Chailyn, confidant and at ease with the medical workers, gave all the appropriate information, stopping short of his name.
“I never found it out and couldn’t find a wallet. He mentioned know you, though.” She turned to her sister, the raw emotion now hidden firmly behind a neutral expression.
Cora frowned. Who would she know…oh. Dear Merciful Savior, no. She took a step toward the man on the stretcher. “Griffin?”
The only response was another moan. He was facing the other side so she moved to where she could see his familiar face. Even through the soot and blood, she could tell that it was him
“What’s his name, Cora?” Chailyn’s harsh voice broke through her distress but she felt responsible for him being here. If she hadn’t come back, or if she had been on time to the coffee shop or … “Who is he?”
“Griffin Key.” Her voice was unsteady but she continued as she let her fingers trail down his dirty cheek. “He doesn’t carry a wallet. All his information should be in his PDA. Is there any possibility of recovering it? I’m not sure if I know all her personal information other than a name and place of work.”
They all looked around to where crews of firemen were busy dragging out the smoking furniture, letting it all air out in the middle of the street.
“Let me give you my insurance card. He should be on the same plan and the company will be able to send over his medical history. I’ll be a the hospital later if they have any questions or if they aren’t able to recover his PDA.”
“And who are you?”
Cora blinked. It had been so long since she had been asked that question. Growing up, everyone had known her as the oldest Adderly. At her job, she had been dependable Cora, the one everyone ran to when they needed something. It was odd to be anonymous.
“Use your eyes, Jerry,” came the deadpan voice of her middle sister. “She’s an Adderly. You know where to find us.”
The EMC nodded, blushing at her obvious ignorance, but not letting it hinder his job. Before Cora could say anything else, they loaded the stretches and began moving back out through the wall of bystanders.
“Take me to the girl now. We’ve gotten everyone else taken care of that needs it.” Chailyn wiped her grimy hands on her even grimier jeans, wrapping the duty of her calling around her like a cloak as she tried to find the strength for one more patient. There was nothing Cora could do and even less she could say to make it better. Instead, she silently led the way back to the girl still hunched against the light. Another girl had joined her, patting her hand as she fretted about the bloody apron.
“She says she’s not supposed to move but I was going to drive her to the hospital,” the new arrival said to Chailyn as lifted the girls chin to check her pupils.
“It’s okay. Let me check her out and we’ll see what we can do for her. Honey, I need you to look at me. Looks like you took quite a hit there. Can you tell me your name?”
“Hai…Hailey.”
“I thought you looked familiar. You served me that great cup of coffee. Not that I got to try much of it. Did I tip you?”
Cora was amazed to watch her sister in action once again. While keeping up a patter of useless conversation, she checked out the inflamed skin on the girl’s forehead. Blood still oozed out from the gash but it looked less heinous than the bloody material had made it appear that it might be. The other girl swayed but stiffened as she continued to pat her friend’s hand.
“What’s your name?” she finally asked, conscious that she should try to help Chailyn the only way she could. Besides, it would get her own thoughts off the probing fingers on the obviously tender wound.
“Neesa. I’m Hailey’s roommate. I went outside to finish off my dish of ice cream because Vivienne came in and I knew she’d give Hailey grief for letting me in again with food from the outside.”
“You can’t bring anything from the outside in to the coffee shop? That seems unreasonable.”
Neesa shook her head and smiled. “It’s a joke between Hailey and I. Coffee and I don’t get along very well. Instead of just ordering something else when I come in, I bring in ice cream. It makes Hailey squirm.”
“You do it just to be mean,” the other girl answered in an airy and unstable voice. Her cheeks were so white they looked like they were made out of clay. Everyone forced out a laugh.
“I do it to be difficult. There’s a difference. I didn’t want her to get in trouble so I ducked out the door to finish it off and get rid of the evidence. The door rattled and then there were screams. It was horrible.”
Chailyn sat back on the balls of her feet; dismissing the details of the blast she had survived intact. “That’s going to hold you until we can get you to the hospital. Cora and I are heading over there and we’d love to give you a ride.”
“I can-“
“No. Let us drive you.” Neesa nodded and helped get her friend to her feet. Both girls looked dead on their feet, although there was a toughness about them that belied their strong spirit. These were people who had been dealt difficult hands by life and worked through them with such grace and aplomb that it was now second nature to stand straight and stare back at problems with a raised chin and clenched fists.
“Where’s your car, sis?” The mocking tone was back now that the task at hand was complete. There was a challenge in those eyes now, the bitterness abetting somewhat.
Cora fished the keys out of her pocket and pointed the way to her small coupe. If she had been comfortable with this stranger before her, she would have tried to talk her into going home and sleeping off the weight of the last couple of hours. As it was, she couldn’t think of a good reason to start bossing her around after all this time apart. The family reunion would have to wait for another time – and another planet altogether.
Halfway to the hospital, after a few muttered directions from Chailyn considering it was a new building in a new part of town, Cora suddenly sat up straight as she realized who would have been in charge of the blaze. “Was Dad there tonight? I can’t believe I missed him.”
With a facial gesture that had been in place since birth, the middle sister scowled and nodded. It wasn’t hard to see that she wanted to complain about her use of the family title. No matter what, a father was a father forever. “He’ll be meeting us at the hospital when the scene has been taken care of.”
It seemed odd for him to be coming to the hospital but Cora kept silent, concentrating on navigating to the proper side of the parking lot. The new building was modern and the parking lot was functional, offering a variety of parking places depending on the situation. After finding one that gave them good access to the emergency entrance, they bundled the still-pale girl toward the glowing lights. Numerous attendants came to meet them as they got near enough for the trauma to be noticed.
It was obvious that she wasn’t needed anymore, so Cora slipped through a door that led to an official looking desk. “Excuse me? I’m looking for Griffin Key. He was brought in by ambulance and I wanted to make sure that they were able to find his contact information.”
“Are you Cora Adderly?” the pretty nurse asked, checking a computer screen for any available information.
“Yes. Were they able to recover his PDA at the scene?”
She shook her head and smiled up over the monitor. “Not yet but we were able to track down his doctor through the information you provided the paramedics. He’s in surgery but should be in post op soon. It also looks like your sister should be out soon. If you like, there’s a seating area right down this hall where you can wait for the news.”
“My…sister?” Cora tried to keep from hyperventilating and then worked on even remembering how to breathe. If she had left one at the loading dock, there was only one other option. “What’s wrong with my sister?”
“I’m sorry. I thought you knew. She was one of the first people brought in and her diagnosis looks good. The doctor can let you know more when he comes out of surgery.”
She had the sudden urge to lift the smiling nurse over the desk by the cute little cats peeking out of the material on her lapel. Double speak and vague generalities. She lived her life by those, keeping her clients in the dark of anything going on behind the scenes that would scare them or keep them off balance. A happy client made for a smooth event, no matter what loop hole the catering put them through or how much WASN’T going as planned.
Smiling back at the cheerful woman, she laid her hand on the counter and attempted to extract more information when she felt the hand on her shoulder. “I wouldn’t try getting any more information out of her. She doesn’t know anything else. Let’s just go wait.”
By a miracle, she kept the smile in place as she turned to see Chailyn looking pale and beaten. Once again, she opted for silence. It was amazing how much she wanted to say; however, her mouth had other ideas as it stayed shut.
“What’s wrong with Charlotte?” she asked as they sat across from each other in one of the seating arrangements in the vast open area.
Taking a moment to close her eyes, Chailyn waited to answer. It was as if she was changing personalities at the same time. Her face became softer and her eyes seemed to be rimmed in red when she opened them again.
“Your friend was behind me in a perfect direction to shield me from the blast. He fell across me, pining me to my seat. I’m not sure what blew or how but it was mostly noise. It was enough to set the crowd off, though. If I never spent time with more than ten people again in my life, I’ll be happy.”
She paused but Cora was ready to get her back on track. “So Griffin took the brunt of the explosion which is why his back is all torn up. Where was Charlotte?”
“It wasn’t an explosion so much as things being whipped through the air. Charlotte’s chair was forced over and the table went over at the same time. It hit her leg at the perfect angle to break it. It was a clean break but that didn’t mean it was pretty. It shouldn’t be too hard to fix.”
“And are you okay?” It was a hard question to ask as she was starting to look more ghastly as the adrenaline faded.
“I will be. So will you. I don’t think you realize the picture you portraying right now. It’s not as pretty as you’d probably like.”
Cora’s hand went up to wipe the bangs off her forehead. Now that it was pointed out to her, she felt the grit sliding under her hand. Just as the night was catching up with Chailyn, the last week started to finally catch up with her.
It was useless to let the questions start again. Everything had changed tonight. The questions she had been letting eat at her brain where no longer important.
“Thank you for taking such good care of Griffin. I’ll be sure to tell him he was taken care of by the best.”
“And how do you know that? How did you know I was a nurse?” The bitterness was back in her eyes, accompanied by a strange pain.
She was saved from having to answer the questions by a hand on her cheek. “Hello, darling.”
“Mom.” A sob escaped and she found herself climbing over the back of the couch like a four year old, wrapping her arms around the slight shoulders of the person she had hurt the most – and missed with a deep sadness that cut her soul in two.
