Just Breathe Again (2 page)

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   Vince and Jeannie ran away and got married one Saturday afternoon without telling anyone. They moved into a one bedroom apartment, adopted a cat, and started their life. It didn’t matter that they had no money. The only thing that mattered was they were together.

  A young couple just out on their own, they knew with hard work and their love, they would make their marriage work. At the time, money didn’t matter. They were young and in love and what they had was much more important. Their bedroom became their entertainment on the weekends and they were perfectly happy with spending their free time in bed.

  Vince’s parents were dead, and he was an only child, so he liked the idea of starting a family soon. They wanted a log cabin and he wanted to build their home himself. It took him a few years to get the cabin built and a little longer for the kids to come. After long hours of doing the work themselves, they moved out of their one bedroom apartment into their dream home three years after they married. Vince had his own contracting business and Jeannie worked right with him every day around the clock. She took over the promotional part of his business, pushing him to create a website and advertise on his truck. Her great marketing skills helped to grow the company faster than expected. He had to hire a few guys to help him and he had contracts that were going to force him to hire a team of men. They worked right beside each other until Franklin Construction became a household name around town.

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  That day, two hours later after Jeannie finished decorating and picking up Lydia from horseback riding, she answered a call on her cell phone. A strange number lit up on the screen, but something inside her gut told her to answer the call. Her heart sank into her stomach when she heard and unfamiliar voice on the other end.

  “May I speak to Mrs. Franklin please?” asked the man on the other line.

  “This is Mrs. Franklin,” she hesitated. Jeannie closed her eyes.

  “Mrs. Franklin, I’m Officer Marks from the Hanover county police department. We found your phone number in Vince Franklin’s wallet.”

  “Ye…Yes, he is my husband.” Her face ignited in a heat traveling through her body.

  “There has been an accident,” he said.

  She became lightheaded as she dropped the phone on the floor, anticipating what he would say. She picked up her phone and closed her eyes waiting for the rest of the news.

  “Hello, Mrs. Franklin are you there?”

  “Yes, I’m here. Is he alive?” If he was alive, he would be okay. Nothing could hurt this strong man. Three years ago, he came down with pneumonia. When he recovered quicker than expected, the doctor nicknamed him The Tank. When he fell off a roof one time, he bounced back within a few days and worked with a broken arm. Nothing could take this man down.

  “Yes, Mrs. Franklin, he’s alive. We’re sending him to St. Cecelia Hospital by helicopter. Someone hit him, on Route 38 and left him there. The accident happened a while ago and a jogger spotted him lying in the ditch. Are you able to drive?”

  “Um yes. Oh my God. I have to get someone to watch the kids. Yes, I will be right there.” She was shaking and thinking out loud to a perfect stranger.

  “Please be careful, Mrs. Franklin. He’s in good hands at the hospital and racing here isn’t going to change anything,” said Officer Marks.

  “Yes, okay,” she said. Jeannie ended the call and grabbed on to the kitchen counter, closed her eyes and counted to three. She had no idea picking up the phone that day would change her life forever.

  “Lydia?” she yelled, trying to keep herself under control so the kids would not get upset.

  Flying down the steps from her room, Lydia yelled. “Mom. What’s wrong?”

  Jeannie searched for her keys on the counter.  “It’s Daddy. He’s in the hospital after an accident on his motorcycle. I have to get to him. I need you to stay here with Michael. I don’t want him upset. I’m going to call Marsha and have her come over.”  

  “Mom, I want to go with you. Is he okay?” asked Lydia, in tears. She was daddies little girl from the moment he saw her. They were inseparable. In fact, he was the one she went to when she had an issue or something bothered her. When she got sick, Vince comforted her. To Lydia, he was everything.

  “Baby, it’s going to be okay. I need you to stay here until I find out how Dad is. Everything is going to be okay, I promise.” The tea kettle whistled loudly on the stove forgotten about when the policeman called.

“Please feed your brother and check on him. Make sure he takes a shower and washes his hair, if I’m too long. He’s in his room playing a video game. I don’t want him to know what’s going on till I find out more. If he asks where I am, just say I went to the store and I told you he could play his game longer. That should keep him preoccupied for a while. I’ll call you when I get there,” said Jeannie, hugging her crying daughter.      

  “Pray to Mary. She will listen. It’s going to be okay.” She was trying to convince herself more than her daughter.

 Lydia wiped tears from her eyes with the sleeve of her shirt.  “Tell Daddy I love him, Mom.”  She didn’t want to let go of her mom as she continued to hang onto her. 

  “I will, sweetheart. Stay by the phone and remember to pray. I have to go.” Jeannie squeezed her tight and ran out the door and down the driveway in record time.

 Pulling onto the busy highway, she picked up her cell phone and called Marsha, her best friend and one person other than Vince she trusted.

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  The two of them met when Vince built their house. They were the only other people on the road at the time. Marsha, outgoing and friendly with anyone, had to come over and introduce herself the instant she saw them one afternoon working on their house. 

  “Hey neighbors,” she yelled, still in the car with her hand waving.

  Both Vince and Jeannie were sitting under a tree resting and having something to drink when she arrived.  Jeannie, shy and quiet, was in no mood for socializing.  She was tired, hot, and in need of a long shower after working on the house all morning.

  “What’s this?” she whispered to Vince.

  “It’s the neighbor, I think. Smile and be nice,” he whispered back through gritted teeth.

  “She looks like something from Woodstock,” Jeannie replied, forcing a fake smile as Marsha approached them.

  “Hey, I’m Marsha Felton. My husband John and I are your only neighbors. I’m so happy to see someone else out here, man. We have been here for ten years with no neighbors and I’m ready to go out of my mind with loneliness. Now, I have new friends. I’m so excited.”

  Ready to go out of her mind, Jeannie thought, she was already out of her mind. Jeannie took in her outfit, thinking to herself this woman must be mentally disturbed. She had on bell bottom jeans, a peace t-shirt, a bandana tied in her blond hair, and an arm adorned with bracelets. She reeked of patchouli oil and incense.

  Reaching his hand out to shake, Marsha was already on the ground kneeling in front of them. “It’s nice to meet you, Marsha. I’m Vince Franklin, and this is Jeannie, my wife,”

  “Hi,” whispered Jeannie, afraid to make eye contact with this strange woman.

  Marsha didn’t shake Vince’s hand. She reached over and gave him a hug and a kiss on the cheek. Before Jeannie could stand up and run, Marsha also embraced her in a bear hug.

  “Wow. I’m so excited to have you both here. I want you to come over for dinner tonight. John will be ecstatic to know he has another man to hang around with. I’m making my famous shish kabobs on the grill. What do you say, around six?” asked Marsha.

  Jeannie tried to get Vince to read her eyes as she bore into his pleading to get him to make up something.  

  “Dinner sounds great. We can run home and get cleaned up. What should we bring?”

  “Not a damn thing, man. I invited you. I will leave you two alone and go home and get ready. I can’t wait. Jeannie you and I are going to be best buddies. My psychic told me last week, someone was coming in my life. Mamma, he meant you,” she pointed at Jeannie and winked. She walked back to her car which was a yellow vintage VW bug and slid in.

  “I can’t wait to show you around here. I will see you cats around six,” she yelled, waving her arm out the window. As she sped off, Janis Joplin blared out the open window.

  Jeannie let Vince have it as soon as the car was gone.

  “Are you crazy? I don’t want to go over there. She’s nuts. She referred to us as… cats. You can go alone.” She yelled.

  “Stop, Jeannie. She’s nice and it’s someone to talk to other than me.” His gaze was calm and cool.

  “I don’t need anyone to talk to but you, Vince. I’m too busy trying to make us successful. I don’t have time for peace and love and that hippie shit,” she yelled again.

 “You need to lighten up, Jeannie. You’re sounding like your mother, and remember I promised to tell you if you did. She looks like she’s going to be fun to hang out with tonight. We can leave if it’s too weird and they want to have an orgy or something, or we can stay and learn something new.” He smiled wiggling his eyebrows up and down.

 “It’s not even funny, Vince. If it’s a freak show over there I’m leaving,” she yelled.

  A freak show it wasn’t. Jeannie prepared to walk into a messy home full of furniture from the 1970’s, with animals running around everywhere, and macramé hanging on the walls. The place was a mansion in comparison to the home Vince built. The furniture, bought from one of the expensive furniture stores, Jeannie dreamed she would have one day. Their house was at least twice as large as theirs. Each room, decorated to a theme and the place, even had a guest house.

  The night was wonderful, sitting on their back patio with a fire place, a complete kitchen, pool, waterfall, and stocked bar. After a couple drinks, Jeannie sensed Marsha would be a perfect friend. She also liked to talk dirty, swear like a man, and she smoked a cigar. They say opposites attract, and she and Jeannie were two polar opposites.  She became someone Jeannie depended on for anything. She was the first person Jeannie called on her way to the hospital.  

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  “Hey Jeannie boo Beanie. What’s up, Momma?”

  “Marsha I have a favor to ask. I’m sorry to bother you. Can you go over and check on the kids later. Vince was in an accident on his motorcycle and taken to St. Cecelia’s. I’m on my way there now,” Jeannie cried. 

  “Oh baby. Yes, I will take care of everything. Dear God. Are you driving in this condition? Is he going to be okay?” she asked. 

  “I have no idea, Marsha. They life flighted him, which isn’t good. A jogger found him in the ditch and you know he won’t wear a helmet. I’m so afraid. I can’t lose Vince, Marsha. He’s my life.”

  “Stop it, honey. He’s a tough cookie. He’ll make it. I will take care of the kids. Don’t worry. You settle down and get to the hospital in one piece. Do you want me to call your mother?” she asked.

  “No, I will call her. I’m sure she will be on the next plane here to help, right. You know how concerned she is with my life,” said Jeannie.

  “This time will be different. Give it a shot, baby. Remember, I’m here if she can’t come. I have it covered. Be safe, beauty.”

  Jeannie dreaded the call to her mom. As soon as she picked up the call, she made it clear she was busy.      

  “Jeannie, hi honey. Boy, you caught me at a crazy time. The contractor and I were outside going over plans for an addition on the house.”

  Jeannie tried hard to keep herself together and not start crying while on the phone with her. “Mom, Vince has been in a terrible accident today on his motorcycle and they helicoptered him to the hospital in town. I don’t know if he’s going to live.”

  “Dear God.  What happened?”

  “I don’t know yet until I get there. I’m on my way to the hospital now. I thought you needed to know, just in case.”

  “Yes, thanks for calling honey. Please keep me posted as soon as you find out. I will have my phone with me. I can’t leave, but if you need me, please let me know,” she said.

  She had to be kidding. If Jeannie needed her? Her husband was in critical condition and she had two children at home confused and scared. Jeannie heard the excuses before and they were nothing new.

  “Okay, Mom. I will let you know.” That was all her mother ever gave her.

                                                                                                                                                        
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       Finding the parking garage, she followed the arrows up to the top for a free space. Not locking her car, she rushed inside taking the stairs two at a time. As she raced to the front desk, she lost her shoe, and had to back track. She forgot her purse in the car, and decided to leave it in there, even if she didn’t lock the doors. By the time she made it to the information desk, she was drenched in sweat. 

  “May I help you?” asked the lady at the front desk. Jeannie noticed her name tag said Beatrice. She had bright unnatural red hair, black eyeshadow, and was eating cookies when Jeannie came up to her.

  “I’m looking for Vince Franklin. A motorcycle accident and they brought him in by helicopter,” she said, with a shaky voice. 

  Beatrice did a few heavy taps on her keyboard and squinted at the screen as she chewed. She told her where to find him and Jeannie took off down the hall. Once inside his room, she found out Vince’s prognosis had worsened. In fact, he had not gained consciousness since he arrived and they placed him on life support. He wasn’t responding, and a brain scan showed little activity at the time. Vince wasn’t wearing a helmet when he had his accident, and his head hit the ground sustaining a devastating blow. His brain bruised from hitting the road, swelled in his skull, and they were planning to cut open his skull to give his brain room. Never in her life did she think about something like this affecting them. This didn’t happen in real life. Accidents like this were something that happened on the news or in movies. How could this be?