Lilli bounced back from her injuries rather quickly. The abrasion on her cheek was nearly gone and replaced by a bruise, and both her leg and her arm were responding to the ointment and healing nicely. She was back to full throttle in a few days. Bo, however, was still confined to bed.
Nora helped Lilli into her jammies and combed her tangled curls after her bath. “Now, go choose some books and we’ll see Daddy.”
Lilli scampered quickly to her room and then back to her parents’ bedroom with two books and her Lamby. Since Bo couldn’t get out of bed, they had adopted a new bedtime routine. Lilli would lie beside Daddy while he read her bedtime stories. This also gave Nora a break and time for a bath.
Nora returned from her bath and sat by her vanity to comb her wet hair. She could hear Lilli “reading” to her Daddy. Lilli was so familiar with her books that she sometimes liked to “read” instead of being read to at bedtime. Nora smiled listening to her daughter’s piping voice as she turned the pages.
“Wuntst upon a time there was a Little Chicken…”
Bo interrupted, “I think it was Chicken Little…”
“Dat’s what I said, Daddy, da Little Chicken!”
Put in his place, Bo nodded.
Lilli continued, “So da Little Chicken felt something drop on her and she said to all her friends, ‘Da sky is falling! Da sky is falling! Run like hewell!”
“LILLI!” Nora said quickly.
“What?” came the child’s innocent response.
Bo started to chuckle then bit his lip to keep from laughing, especially after Nora shot him a look.
Nora continued in a gentler tone, “We don’t say ‘run like hell’ honey…”
“Papaw says it,” Lilli replied, clearly not believing anything her beloved Papaw said could be wrong.
Nora shot Bo another look.
“Well...you shouldn’t always say things the way Papaw does. Instead, you should say something like...“Run really fast!”
Lilli looked at her Mommy obviously not convinced that ‘run really fast’ would create quite the desired effect...but she complied. “Run realwy fast evwybody!” she continued with her story.
Bo smiled at Nora over Lilli’s tousled head. She turned away to keep from smiling herself.
* * * * * * *
Once Lilli was tucked in for the night, Nora returned to the bedroom bearing a tray.
“What’s all this?” Bo asked as she approached the bed.
“You were complaining about your whiskered face, so I brought your shaving supplies. I’ll prop up this mirror for you so you can shave, but first you need to take your pills.”
“I’m tired of those pills,” Bo began, “they make me feel woozy and…”
Nora interrupted his groaning. “You need to keep taking them if you want to...how did the doctor put that?...oh yes...if you want to ‘regain the full extent of your body movement.’ She smiled. “Now... I for one would like to see you ‘regain the full extent of your body movement’,” she said enticingly. “How about you?”
He ran his eyes over her body and replied resignedly, “Give me the pills.”
Nora laughed. “I knew I could get you to take your medicine,” she teased as he downed them with a glass of water.
She gently plumped his pillows up behind him.
“Now...do you think you’re sitting up straight enough to do this shaving?” she asked as she placed the tray of supplies across his legs.
“I think so,” Bo said beginning the process. While he did so, Nora checked his catheter. The catheter bag was not full, so she just sat on the edge of the bed to watch Bo shave. Soon they noticed the wind kicking up outside their window.
“Looks like a storm is coming,” Nora said. “Maybe I should close the window.”
“Not unless rain starts coming in. That breeze feels good,” Bo answered.
“I’ll check.”
As Nora approached the window, she heard a rustling sound outside. She glanced both ways through the glass, but saw nothing. Chet smashed his body tight against the wall and held his breath hoping she wouldn’t see him. Just the brief sight of her in her nightgown made him ache to have her.
Assured that the rain wasn’t coming in, Nora returned to the bed where she found her frustrated husband blotting a cut on his lower jaw.
“Here...let me do this,” she told him taking the razor. “I can see better what I’m doing.”
“Have you ever done this before?” he asked as she began cautiously.
“No...but I can’t do any worse than you were doing,” she commented. “Stop talking and turn your head a little.”
Bo complied.
In only a few moments he said, “You know, I really hate this...you having to do everything for me...changing that bag and shaving my face…”
Nora continued the shave, “In sickness and in health, remember? Besides…” she said dipping the razor in the bowl of water, “if the tables were turned, you’d do the same for me.”
“Shave your beard?” he asked, grinning. Then he raised his eyebrows and said, “I guess I’d have to if you were bearded, honey, because…” He stopped speaking but ran a finger along her jawline down her neck and shoulder and along her rounded breast where it came to rest, “...I like my women smooth,” he finished.
“Oh...you know what I mean,” she replied trying to concentrate on the job at hand rather than the touch of his hand upon her body. She finished one side of his face.
“Now look at me. Oooh...smooth…” she said running her hand along his cheek and giving him a little kiss.
Bo ran his finger up under her strap as she began shaving the other cheek and jaw. “This is pretty,” he murmured. “Is it new?”
Nora leaned her head to peruse her work as she answered, “Maggie made it for me for Christmas, remember? I just haven’t worn it yet. It’s not all that sexy, so I didn’t think it would create a temptation.”
“Your body makes everything sexy,” Bo said fingering the bodice of the gown.
Nora smiled, “It’s your mind that makes everything sexy. Just remember, Mister, that you are out of commission until the doctor says you’re okay.”
She toweled his face dry. “There! You’re done! Putting hands on both his cheeks, she said, “Niiice...smooth as a baby’s butt...” She leaned closer giving him a kiss...then another...and another...and another, each kiss more stimulating than the last. Bo breathed a helpless sigh, wanting her but knowing he could do nothing about it.
In their preoccupation with each other, they failed to notice the intensity of the storm outside. A sudden wind swept the room causing the sheer curtains to billow and flap in the breeze. Rain started blowing in, and a loud clap of thunder sent Nora scurrying to close the window. The thunder was followed by a flash of lightning making it like daylight outside; and in that brief moment, Nora saw someone...someone scrambling out of the bushes and sliding in the wet grass as he ran across the lawn…someone who had obviously been spying through their window…someone that she thought could only be... Chet Palmer…
* * * * * * *
The following morning after breakfast, the doctor made another visit and finally removed the catheter, convinced that their was no internal bleeding. He had no more pain pills to give Bo, but gave Nora a prescription to fill at Carver’s Drug Store. Bo enjoyed watching Nora dress for her trip to town. She held bobby pins between her teeth as she pinned on her hat.
“You look nice,” Bo complimented. “Wish I could go with you.”
“I wish you could too, but it won’t take me long. Maggie is going to be helping you if you need anything, and Helen is taking care of Lilli.”
“And you know where Carver’s is, right?” asked Bo.
“Yes, Bo, we’ve passed it a million times. It’s on the corner of Main and Belmont.”
“There’s cash in my wallet...take extra in case the truck needs gas...and be careful…”
“I will.”
She came to the bed to kiss him goodbye. “ And you, Mister! Behave until I get back. I know you feel a new sense of freedom without that bag, but please wait until I’m back before trying to get out of bed. Promise me.”
He hesitated.
She pointed a finger at him. “Promise! I should be back in two hours or less. You can wait til I get home to get up. You still can’t move very well. Promise?”
“Okay, I promise.”
“Good...now, do you want me to bring anything back for you?”
“Just you.”
“I meant anything like a magazine or…?”
“Nope.”
“Okay then...I’ll see you soon. I love you,” she whispered giving him a kiss.
“Love you too.”
* * * * * * *
Nora hadn’t shared with Bo what she had seen when she closed their window the night before. She knew it would anger and worry him, and that he was helpless at this time to do anything about it. Besides...she wasn’t positive herself who she had seen, just had a strong suspicion. After a restless night, she had decided it was time to take matters into her own hands. Before going to town, she was going to confront Chet.
She saw him by the barn door as she put her purse in the truck; but, when she approached a moment later, she realized it was Tate, not Chet, that she had seen.
He turned at her approach. “Mornin’, Ma’am,” he said with a brief nod of courtesy.
“Good morning, Tate.”
“What can I do for ya?” he asked politely.
“Nothing, actually...I just wanted to speak to your brother. Where can I find him?”
“I haven’t seen him yet this mornin’. We don’t ride together anymore. I can give him a message when he comes if you like.”
Nora was disappointed. She really wanted to get this confrontation out of the way, now she had to wait. Tate could see something was on her mind.
Finally she answered him, “Just tell him that I’ll be around to speak with him sometime today.”
“Yes, Ma’am.”
Nora started toward the truck, then turned around, “Tate?” She hesitated. “Can I ask you something?”
“Sure,” was his brief reply.
She hesitated again. “I hate to even ask this, but...at the risk of sounding vain...does your brother have some kind of interest in me?”
Tate took his eyes off Nora to throw another bale in the truck. Finally, he responded, “Yes...I’m afraid so.”
Nora sighed. “I had a feeling.” She shook her head slightly. “Is it something I’ve said or done? Because I, for the life of me, can’t think of anything I’ve done or said to encourage him…”
“No, you didn’t do anything, Ma’am. It’s just that...oh...nevermind…”
“What? Please tell me...if I’ve done anything that could be misconstrued…”
“No...you didn’t. It’s nothing you’ve done. It’s...who you are.”
“I don’t understand…”
Tate sighed. He really didn’t want to get into this, but now he was stuck. “You remind him of a lost love...her name was Ellie. You are the spittin’ image of Ellie…”
“Oh…”
“It’s uncanny how much you look like her.”
“I see. But, I’m not Ellie...surely he can figure that out...or Ellie can straighten him out…”
“No ma’am. Ellie’s gone...she left and no one knows where she is or what happened to her. When she left Chet...it nearly killed him. He’s not used to losin’ a woman, as you can imagine. He had a breakdown over it...was in the hospital psych ward for six months...it was bad…”
“I’m sorry to hear that,” Nora murmured. This shed a new light on things. “Well, Tate...thanks for clarifying some things for me.”
“Yes, Ma’am...and, I’m sorry for anything he’s done or said to make you feel uncomfortable...I’ve talked to him about it.”
“Don’t worry about it. I’ll talk with him. I’ll just handle it a little more gently than I originally planned. Thanks for the answers.”
“Yes, Ma’am,” Tate said as she turned to walk away.
As Nora drove toward town, her mind was processing all of this new information. It’s true...Chet does have feelings toward me… I look like his lost love… he had a breakdown… how am I going to handle all of this?... I should tell Bo… no, I’ll just handle it… what will I say?... how should I say it?...
The thoughts tumbled in her mind as she rolled along the road to town and were only broken when she heard a loud POP. The truck began thumping along the pavement. She pulled to the edge of the road wondering what could possibly be wrong. When she got out to investigate she found the problem. Her back left tire was completely flat.