Bird Watching Redux

"I've moved out of the house. I don't know what else I can do."

Felix leaned back in his chair. "I think there is still something that you are not telling me, Brian. All the pieces don't fit together. Just watch your back."

I went straight to see Emily. She agreed to go for lunch, and I was glad she liked Sushi. I tried to explain to her what was going on, but I was being a little too cryptic. There was so much I wanted to tell her but couldn't. She gave me a few quizzical looks at times, and instead of explaining, I would change the subject. It was a long lunch. She didn't have any trouble talking me into coming over for supper that night. I apologized to her for talking gibberish, and she just laughed it off. I felt comfortable with her.

The next morning I decided I was ready to get back to work. I had a good time the night before with Josh and Terry. Emily and I planned a big weekend together and I was looking forward to it. Funny, but I didn't miss Donna at all. If fact I was relieved that I didn't have to face her anymore. It was only a short drive to work, and I had a big grin on my face as I pulled out in the Hummer. Things were going well.

The big monster picked up speed nicely, but as I started down the first hill, I noticed something strange. The brakes were not responding at all. I have seen movies where this happened, and I always thought how stupid the drivers were because they couldn't stop the car. I reached up to turn the key off but couldn't because it was in gear. You have to be in park to turn the key off. The Hummer was going faster. I calmly grabbed the shift level and pulled it from drive to low. That caused a lurch and a shutter but it still kept picking up speed. I was approaching traffic and a lot of cross streets. I was going a lot faster now. There was a cemetery on the left side with a grassy bank going up, off the street. I steered for the bank and yanked on the hand brake at the same time. The Hummer did a 180 and as soon as it hit the bank, it flipped over. Everything went black. There was no pain.

For the second time in a month, I was waking up in a hospital room. I heard myself moan and sensed some commotion around me. Instantly, a nurse was looking into my eyes, and then there was a lot more commotion in the room. There was now pain, a lot of it. I was glad I was getting attention but, at the same time, I wanted everybody to leave me alone. What a confusing mess. At last, it appeared that someone of stature had arrived, a qualified doctor I was guessing. I struggled to open my eyes and look around the room. There was a flurry of white coats, but down at the end of the bed was Emily. I felt better. There was a lot of adjusting and checking and all of a sudden, I was sleepy as hell.

The next time I woke up, everything was quiet. I tried not to make any noises because I wanted to avoid the commotion. I slowly opened my eyes and peeked out. It was nighttime and things were relatively calm. The room was empty except for Emily, asleep in a chair at the side of the bed. Everything in my body hurt. I turned my head toward Emily.

"Hey, are you awake?"

She looked up and smiled. "No, I am fast asleep and dreaming."

"Thanks for being here."

"No problem."

I closed my eyes and went back to sleep.

When morning came, I woke up normal but still hurting.

There was a full medical team in the room, but no Emily. I had not expected to see her at all. The doctors were full of questions; does this hurt, does that hurt, can you see this? I answered all their questions, but no one was there to answer questions for me. I ask about Donna. She showed up at the hospital to sign the admission forms but no one had seen her since. I was in the hospital two days before I woke up. Emily was there every day. Felix Greene checked on my status daily. I had a concussion, broken collarbone, broken left arm, and three broken ribs. There were various internal injuries but nothing life was threatening. Their biggest concern was that I was unconscious for two days. I was hungry as hell and finally got somebody to bring me some soup. I was able to feed myself and drink a little ginger ale. My throat felt like raw meat.

Felix showed up a little later.

"I thought you were watching my back."

"Sorry, we didn't see that one coming.

"Do you have any idea what happened?"

"Well, someone cut all the brake lines on the Hummer and then disconnected the airbags, front and side. You went through the windshield, and the seat belt broke three of your ribs while you were leaving. The good thing is nothing caught on fire. The bad thing is that the Hummer is totaled."

"Hell, I didn't like it anyhow. I just bought it to spite Donna."

"Speaking of your wife, do you know where she is?"

"I haven't seen her since the day before the accident. They said she signed the admission forms here at the hospital. How did she know to do that?"

"I went to the house and got her. I tried to call her, but she didn't have any phone service. She wasn't too happy about that. After signing all the papers, a uniformed officer took her home. I ask her if she wanted to see you, and she said it wasn't necessary."

"Well, it looks like you saw her since I did. Did she leave town?"

"We went to the house and looked around. Her purse was there with a lot of money, almost eight thousand dollars. She left her driver's license, credit cards, and all her personal stuff. I don't think that she would leave town empty-handed. We just think she is missing."

"Any idea how the hummer got screwed up?"

"We have no idea."

"Bobby Terrell?"

"No. Believe it or not, Bobby Terrell was in a hospital in Philadelphia. It seems that a couple of goons snatched him and took him to Philly. They explained to him that they did not want anything to happen to you. Who do you know in Philadelphia, Brian?"

"Damn. Felix, I don't know anybody in Philadelphia, honest. I have no idea who you are talking about."

" I believe you. Look, I got to run. If you need anything, let me know?"

"How about a guard on the door."

We both laughed a little. As Felix left, Emily came in.

"Hi."

"The doctor said that you could leave tomorrow as long as you have a place to go. I told him you would be going to my place. One of the nurses gave me instruction sheets, so I know how to take care of you. I'll be able to change your bandages and stuff. A visiting nurse will come by once a day to see how things are going, and the doctor will see you in a week. Okay?"

"Sounds good to me. Who is going to give me my sponge baths, you, or the visiting nurse?"

"Your choice, I guess."

At least both of my legs worked. I could go to the bathroom by myself and I could sit up and eat at the table like a regular person. The pain medication made me sick, so I tried to wean myself off it as soon as possible.

Emily and the boys were a joy. I enjoyed my recovery. We didn't go outside the first week and then I had her drive by the old house. The landlord was there, and he was anxious to talk. He had not heard from Donna and wanted to know what to do about renting the house. Our things and her things were still there. He needed to have them removed so he could rent it. We made arrangements that were satisfactory to both of us.

Marge came to see me at Emily's house. She had been to the hospital daily and got to know Emily pretty well. They seemed to hit it off. I was getting ready to go back to work, but I was going to be staying with Emily and the boys for a while longer.

I healed up pretty well. I remained living with Emily and the boys. After about three months, the relationship changed from platonic to romantic. I moved into the master bedroom with little fanfare. Josh and Terry seemed to think it was natural. We were going out together and attending social functions. I even started going to the PTA meetings. The only problem was, we were not married. I was still married to Donna. I checked with Felix regularly and he never had any news. Finally, I decided to partition the court to have her declared legally dead, so I could marry Emily.

I took her to a small, romantic Italian restaurant. After a nice bottle of wine and a great meal, I was ready.

"Emily, I realize it has not been very long for either of us, but I seriously believe I would like to spend the rest of my life with you. Would you consider getting married?"

"Is that a hypothetical question, or are you proposing?"

"I am proposing. Will you marry me?"

"Yes. But we have one small problem."

"What is that?"

"You have to meet my family in Philadelphia."