Fade to Grey (18 page)

Royce looked over at Donna.

“No, there won’t be any insurance paperwork, Doctor. I’m paying cash. The details were on the fax I sent you.”

Peering into Royce’s good eye, the doctor was quiet. “Yes, my scheduling clerk told me about that. I’m not opposed to doing it that way, it’s just unusual. Since I know your family, Donna, I will do it, but you know I’ll require post-surgery checkups also.”

“Yes, I understand.”

“I’ve had a few Amish patients in the past who have come here from northern Indiana and as you know, they don’t have insurance either. They shop around for bargains and good doctors and they pay cash. Some of them even fly to India and the Caribbean to get hip replacements.” He stood and shook Royce’s hand. “Young man, you and Donna go to the lab down the hall and they’ll draw some blood, start a little pre-op file on you. Then go to the scheduling clerk on your way out and she’ll set you up for a surgery time. You’ll soon be seeing twenty-twenty with both eyes! No more eye patch!”

Royce replaced his eye patch and stood. He felt quite a thrill at hearing the doctor’s encouraging words. “Thank you so much.”

Doctor Kravitz smiled as he gathered Royce’s paperwork. “You might want to get in some sight-seeing in before the surgery. You won’t want to be going outside in the wind and dust for a while after I replace your lens.”

After he left and shut the door, Donna hugged Royce.

“I’m excited, too! We’ll go take in the Shedd Aquarium today and I want to show you the Picasso statue downtown. Chicago has a lot of tourist stuff for a visitor to see.”

“You’ll have to be still, Royce so I can squirt these eye drops in your eye.”

“Donna, this inactivity is boring. I’m using to being more active.” He fidgeted, dabbing at the eye drops that spilled a bit from his eye. “When did the doctor say I could work again?”

“It’ll be a while. Remember, he said you don’t want to be bending over. And no picking up heavy objects.” Donna thought how confusing all the restrictions and medical procedures must have seemed to Royce.

“I didn’t know I’d have all these rules afterward. I thought he would just slice it off and then I could see.”

“That’s sort of what he did. He lasered it off and then implanted a new lens on top of your cornea. It’ll stay there the rest of your life.”

“Isn’t that magical? And he said my left eye was perfect. So when this is healed, I’ll have great vision—even better than before.”

“Yes, having to wear an eye patch would have thrown off your balance and perception through the years. You’ll be seeing things quite different when it’s healed.” Donna recapped the bottle. “Is there anything particular you want to do now?”

“Can we watch the game shows? They’re so amusing.”

“Of course, you have to take it easy anyway.” She walked to the television and turned it on.

“I’ll catch up on paperwork out here.”

She hadn’t told him yet, but she was falling in love with him. Caring for him had made her realize this. After the surgery he was at her mercy, and needed assistance in doing so many things. Though he wasn’t in any real pain, he was in some discomfort and had to have her help in doing little things such as dressing and shaving and washing his face. She had never cared for anything or anybody except herself in a personal manner before. She never even thought she could play the role of nurse. But bustling around her apartment, fetching pillows and slippers and food made her feel worthwhile. It was different than her career; this was taking care of another human being. She felt happy and fulfilled.

“Donna, I want to tell you something.”

“Yes, what is it?” Donna sat shuffling papers at the kitchen table.

“I want to go back to eighteen-sixty-five. To show my mother my eye. And tell her about the miracles here in the future. Then to set things up for her if I never go back. Do you think we can use your brooch?”

“I don’t know, Royce.” Donna left the table and walked over to the recliner. “When you came with me I was unsure what would happen. I liked you, of course, but I hadn’t developed deep feelings yet. Now everything is different.”

“Are you saying you love me?” Royce asked softly.

“I don’t want to say it until the time is right. But my feelings have changed for you over time.”

“I’m glad. I don’t want to push you to say something you don’t want to say.”

Donna gulped. Suddenly, this was turning emotional fast. “We can try to travel back. I just wonder if the surgery will undo itself. You know, make the cataract grow back?”

“I’ve been thinking about it. Though I’m not a man of science, I noticed things about you that did not change. The little black things in your teeth are still there. Your ears are still pierced. Your tattoos are still on your skin.”

“Good point. But these things were already done before I time-traveled and locked in. Your surgery is fresh.”

“Yes, but the lens is set forever the doctor said. I could wear some kind of protective helmet or shield.”

“Perhaps I could get you a pair of safety glasses. I’ll think it over. Royce, I liked the past. Saint Joe was exactly the place I could live in forever and work and grow. I wouldn’t mind being there permanently if I could work out the logistics. Things were so much simpler.” She thought back to the quietness of Fallow Field, the home cooked food, and the bucolic nature of life. Living there was peaceful and rewarding.

“Donna, I love the future. The speed of things, the entertainment, the medicine and science. There are so many things I would love to learn about.”

“But we would need jobs, money, a place to live in the past,” Donna said. “We would have to work it out.”

The sounds of bells clanging and canned laughter came from the television.

“So, we are at odds of what time we will live in.” Donna felt like laughing. “People joke about bi-coastal couples and sometimes living and working in two time zones. But never about what century to live in.”

“Donna, I want to say one more thing.”

“What?”

“I want to have babies with you, whatever time we live in. And I want them all to resemble you.”

* * * *

Donna was pleased that Royce’s surgery turned out so well. The doctor said he was a model patient, and his recovery would probably be quick. He told Royce he could resume his normal duties within a month. His only warnings were to keep his eyes, face, and hands clean and avoid any type of dangerous sports that might involve objects flying at him. Other than that, he could go on with his life.

She was glad his recovery was going smoothly, because now she had to deal with Royce’s request to travel back in time. Since he wanted to travel back to 1865, Donna thought how she would set the wheels in motion again. She thought the simplest plan would be the easiest. Since her parents were still out of the country, there was really no one she had to answer to, outside of a few clients. All of them could be postponed for all sorts of plausible reasons. While Royce was recuperating, she had been contacting people she had to tie up loose ends with, wrote up some business plans for new clients, and looked at her scheduling calendar to see how long she and Royce could feasibly stay in 1865. Oddly enough, she found she could block out up to four weeks of time, give or take a few days. If she worked in another vague business trip to tell her mother about, it would work. A quick trip to Florida or the coast of Georgia wasn’t unheard of for a cold Chicagoan.

They decided it would be best to do their time traveling in the dark. Though it wasn’t entirely necessary, it would be difficult to explain if someone came up. And Donna said she would hide her car so it wouldn’t be conspicuous either. They would wear all black clothing so they would immediately blend in if someone was at the stable. Since Royce still had clothing at his cottage and Donna had a change of clothes there, they were all set as far as changing. Donna was glad that Royce had grabbed up his duffle bag at the last minute when they left for the future. He had brought some items that may or may not have had a use in the future, but they were meaningful to him. Donna hoped they would tie them to the past, perhaps grounding them to where Royce lived. After all, didn’t her heirloom brooch tie her to 1865?

They had gone over the items the night before. He had brought a crumpled 1865 calendar, his scrimshaw tools plus a few pieces he was working on. Additionally he had brought his father’s pocket watch, a wooden whistle, and a spare knife besides the one he kept strapped to his belt. He said he didn’t think anything of what he had done; he just always carried a small bag with him when he went to town or traveled out. Sometimes things came in handy to have and not have to go to a dry goods store to purchase something when you needed it. So they were on their way. They stopped in Gary, Indiana to get a hearty meal in a diner.

“Royce, you appear a bit tense. Are you worried about something?”

“Just that—perhaps—oh, I must say it. Donna, I would hate to lose you in the trip.”

“You won’t! Didn’t we travel together the first time? It turned out alright.” Donna scraped up the last of her mashed potatoes.

“It’s just that I think what would happen if you died and I was alone.”

“Then you would do just fine, Royce. It’s not as if you would have to live in the future. You would be in your time and everything would be as it was.”

“All right. If you say so. I’ll just be glad when it’s all over.”

The waitress came and left the ticket for their meal. Donna dropped a twenty on the table and they left in the darkness.

* * * *

As they approached Fallow Field, Donna was glad to see nothing was amiss. It had been a scant two weeks since they had been there and she had been hoping that nothing had changed. She parked her car deep in the pear orchard, behind a large clump of briars and tangles. Even with the leaves off the trees, the undergrowth was so dense no one could have seen her car unless they deliberately went searching for it. The brown color helped too. Then she and Royce walked back up to the stables.

They arranged themselves as closely to their departure stances as they could remember. Donna sat atop the cleaning rack and Royce sat directly behind her, his arms clasped tightly around her waist.

“Are you ready?” Donna asked, clutching the brooch.

“As ready as I’ll ever be. Go ahead and stick yourself, darling.” He buried his face in the nape of Donna’s neck. Then with his duffle bag slung around his neck he closed his eyes and felt the swirling motion overtake him.

Gasping, they were both jolted back to consciousness as they hit the hard floor. Shaking his head, Royce felt stunned and then quickly grabbed Donna. She appeared breathless, but opened her eyes and smiled.

“We did it, Royce! We’re back!” With this, they hugged each other.

“What time do you think it is?” Royce peered out the dirty windows.

“Twilight is falling. Perfect. We can go to your cottage and I’ll change my clothes then sneak back into the house.”

“Good. Then perhaps tomorrow morning we’ll wrap up our business here. I’m just glad nobody’s around and we can blend in to our old surroundings.”

“Let’s get going while we have just a smidgen of light.” Donna hopped up and began dusting herself off.

* * * *

She changed in Royce’s cottage and had him quickly braid her hair. Then posthaste, they walked up to the Brandenton house in the gloom. They waited outside for a minute, hugging, before Royce peeked in the windows to make sure the coast was clear. The maids had gone to their cottage for the night and all lights had been extinguished.

“Do you know the floors well enough to get up to your room?”

“Yes, but I’ll light a candle anyway. I think it will be more awkward if they come upon me and I am walking around in the dark. Having a candle makes more sense.”

“Good thinking. I’ll be in my empty bed tonight, thinking of you!” He brushed his lips against Donna’s.

“It won’t be long and we’ll be together always, Royce.” She opened the door slowly and slipped inside. The smell of the evening meal, a baked roast was still in the air.

“I’ll wait outside until I see the candle from your window. Then I know you’ll be in your room.” With this, he shut the door.

Donna found the drawer with candles in it in the kitchen cupboard. She slipped one into a holder, and then lit it with the hot coals still red in the fireplace. Tiptoeing out into the hallway, she began her walk up the staircase. It appeared that everyone had gone to bed, all the better. Her room was exactly as she left it, even down to her bed covers being tidy. She held her candle to the window and signaled Royce. Though she couldn’t see him, she knew he was there and felt better. Unbraiding her hair, then undressing, she pulled a gown on and then slipped between the covers. She wondered what tomorrow held.

Donna was up early, hoping to get the jump on Lilly preparing breakfast and the maids arriving. She dressed quickly, and then went downstairs to see if anyone was stirring. Luckily, the household was still asleep. She peered out the windows at the sunrise, noting a heavy coating of frost on everything. Fall was always short in Michigan and winter was around the corner before you knew what hit you. As she knew the morning routine, she went to the kitchen to start the fire in the cook stove. Not that she was especially hungry, but she wanted to warm her hands.

Shutting the stove door, she peered out the western window and saw Lilly coming up the path from her cottage, stepping quickly because of the cold air. She thought she would step outside to greet her and see if she acted strange or gave some sort of sign that she realized Donna had been gone.

As Lilly reached for the handle to open the back door, Donna opened it. She saw the look of surprise on the maid’s face.

“Well, uh, good morning, Miss! I see you’re back! You certainly had the household in a tizzy!!” She took off her knit cap.

“Yes, I’ve been back since last night. I woke early from a bad dream and since I couldn’t go back to sleep I came down to the kitchen. I took the liberty of starting the fire for you.”

“Thank you! Then all I’ll have to do is the biscuit baking and bacon frying!” Lilly seemed appreciative but still had a puzzled look on her face. “Royce was gone too. The Bradenton’s thought the two of you had run off.” She acted embarrassed to bring it up. As she busied herself cracking eggs into a bowl, she hummed nervously under her breath. “I guess I’ll just fry some up for you first, and wait until the missus and mister wake up to make anything else.” Suddenly, she dropped an egg on the counter. Donna noticed her hands were shaking.