Far Country (36 page)

           
David held himself in disciplined stillness, the rigidity of his jaw the only
indication of the turmoil raging in his head.

           
He LIVED
!

           
Dismay at the knowledge quickly turned to disgust.
He was Recon, for
Chrisakes
!
 
How could he have botched such a
simple op?

           
And the bomb shells just kept coming.  He could barely focus on the words
as his father quietly informed him that all his carefully executed maneuvers to
cut Steve out of Sarah and Gracie’s lives had been discovered! And, while they
didn’t approve of his actions, they could understand how at the time, David
could believe he was doing it all for the welfare of the family.

           
“You and Steve were best friends, David.  He was like a second son to me,”
his mother reminded him, her eyes and voice anxious as she studied his face for
some sort of emotion.  “I can’t believe you can’t find it somewhere in
your heart to get past the accident – for Sarah’s sake. He loved your sister,
and Sarah loved him! I know she would hate it that you let an accident destroy
your friendship.”

           
David studied his mother.  She really didn’t understand.  But she
wasn’t a twin.  Perhaps she couldn’t understand what having half of your
soul destroyed by the one person you had entrusted to care for it, did to
you.  The void was unimaginable.

           
Richard chimed in as well.  “Son, I expect you will want some time to get
used to the idea, but you need to understand that your mother and I  have
welcomed Steve back as part of our family, and as Gracie’s father.  She
loves him already, and, to tell the truth, with our age now, and your mother’s
brush with cancer, we are relieved that Steve wants to be a real father, that
he will be there to raise Gracie.  We believe that is what Sarah would
have wanted.”

           
David absently played with Gracie’s jet black curls, so much like his sister’s
. He didn’t look up as he spoke. “You didn’t need to worry about that. You know
that I wanted to take Gracie.” Richard was taken aback by the resentful
intensity of David’s voice.

           
“She’s Steven’s daughter. It is his right to raise his own child. You were
wrong to keep him from her,” Richard admonished his son.  “I’m glad that
you love Gracie enough to want to be there for her, but she is not your
daughter. She should be with Steve.”

           
For a moment, David lost control. “She is a Bolton!” He hissed adamantly, his
fist slamming down on the table and making the dishes rattle. Gracie startled
in her sleep, then relaxed back onto David’s arms peacefully.

           
Richard eyed David uneasily for a moment, suddenly catching a glimpse of how
deep David’s hatred had grown for his former friend. “No,” he told his son
slowly, “actually, she is a Williams. Steve acknowledged paternity. The lawyers
are completing the paperwork this week. Gracie has agreed to the name change,
too.”

           
Rage shuddered through David. “I can’t believe you’re doing this!” He shouted,
lurching to his feet with Gracie still clutched in his arms. Richard and Lee
Ann stared in shock at each other, dismayed that David still harbored so much
anger in his heart.

           
Richard rose to his feet also, speaking firmly, in hopes of calming David’s
outburst. “David, son,” he soothed.  “Sit down so we can discuss this
rationally.”

           
“There’s nothing to discuss!” David shot back sarcastically. It sounds like the
three of you have settled everything already!” 

           
Startled awake the commotion, Gracie began to cry in confusion and fear. 
David ignored her sobs, even as he shifted the child onto his hip. 
“Gracie is ours!” He barked, stabbing a finger at them emphatically. “She is
ours, and you are NOT going to give her to that murderer!”

           
Grace was fully awake now. “Daddy is NOT a murderer!” She yelled hotly, tears
still streaking her cheeks.  “It was an accident! You’re wrong Uncle
David. Daddy loves me and he loves mommy! He’s not a bad man like you told me!”

           
David stared down at his niece. “You’ve brainwashed her!” He said
disgustedly. 

           
“David, you’re scaring her, sit down and
lets
talk
calmly…” Lee Ann told him sharply.

           
“I won’t discuss this calmly, mother!” David replied heatedly. “He has no
business trying to see Grace. You’ll be sorry you let him come back! You’ll be
sorry all over again!”

           
“David! Either calm down, or give me Gracie! You are scaring her!” Lee Ann told
David again, reaching for the child.

           
David ignored her request but looked around, remembering where they were. The
entire restaurant was staring. The pudgy host was on the phone and talking
animatedly into the receiver, glancing repeatedly in his direction.  No
doubt the police were on the way.

           
A new, more disturbing thought suddenly struck him
. If Steve was alive, then
what had he told them about that day on the mountain? Had they believed
him?  Was that why they were giving him Gracie? 

           
“What did Steve tell you?” David demanded harshly. “Did he tell you that
I
cut the rope? Is that why you are taking his side against your own son?”

           
“Cut…the rope?” Richard repeated in bewilderment.

           
Lee Ann stepped around the table and reached for the struggling Gracie. “You
are talking crazy, David,” she told him firmly. “We didn’t know you would have
this much trouble with the truth after six years. If we had, we would have
waited until another time to speak with you about our decisions. Give Gracie to
me. Let’s just let it go for tonight and we’ll talk about it tomorrow at home.”

           
David swore in fury and thrust the screeching Gracie into his mother’s
arms.  He plunged his hand into his pocket and tossed a $100 dollar bill
on the table.

           
“Go ahead and dote on your precious Steve! He’s the son you always wanted,
anyway. I’m done with you!” He turned on his heel and stalked out of the
restaurant.  Richard and Lee Ann stared after him in stunned silence, Lee
Ann automatically patting Gracie’s back and making soothing noises to quiet the
child.

           
The host hurried to their table. “Are you all right?” He asked them, his dark
eyes showing genuine concern.

           
“Yes, yes, we’re fine,” Richard muttered distractedly.
“Did he tell you I
cut the rope?”
Richard felt sick. David couldn’t mean…! Resolutely, he
pushed the thought away. His son would never do anything like that!  He
had simply misunderstood David…

           
 He flashed a weak smile at the host. “My apologies, though, for causing a
scene…we had no idea…” his voice trailed off.

           
He looked from his wife to his still sobbing granddaughter’s tear streaked
face. “Let’s get Gracie home,” he told Lee Ann tiredly.  

           
Still apologizing to the little host, they followed David out the door.

           
Beth heard the doorbell downstairs and peered blearily at her alarm clock in
disbelief. 
Seven o’clock? Who would be at her door this early on a
Saturday, unless…Steve?
 She frowned guiltily at the sleeping figure
sprawled on the bed beside her.  David had polished off nearly the whole
fifth of Jack Daniels before passing out around two…chances were it would be
past two in the afternoon before he woke up - unless that doorbell managed to
filter through his stupor! It would be just her luck, though, and Beth didn’t
think it would be a good idea for the two men to meet each other on her front
porch.             

           
The door bell rang again. Sighing, Beth tossed on a robe and hurried downstairs
to answer the door.  Her mouth tasted like cotton balls and her head
ached. She had only sipped on a couple of drinks throughout the evening, but it
had been a long time since she had drunk anything at all, and the whisky had
gone right to her head.

           
She opened the door just as Steve was reaching for the buzzer for a third
time.  “All right, I’m up!” She grumbled.  “Lay off the bell.”

           
Steve took in her appearance. Beth was pale and puffy eyed.  She squinted
at the brightness outside as if the light hurt her eyes.  “You look
awful,” he said truthfully.

           
“Thanks for the news bulletin,” she snapped grumpily.

           
“No, seriously,” Steve replied, looking concerned. “Are you sick? Need me to
get you anything?”

           
“No,” she answered, much of her annoyance draining away at the obvious concern
in his voice. “I’m okay – I’ve just been getting to bed late.” 
That
was no lie…

           
“Then I guess you’ll want to skip the dive today,” he told her in an
understanding voice.

           
She had forgotten. “Yeah, maybe we should,” she agreed wearily.

           
Steve nodded.  “Maybe when I come back to visit Gracie, we can go one
morning.”

           
Beth looked up, startled. “Come back? Are you leaving?”

           
Steve grinned, his excitement shining through his eyes. “Yeah, the doctor
finally declared my leg fit to walk on!  I’m heading back to Hanging Rock
at the end of the week.

           
“Umm,” he shifted a little self consciously.  “I didn’t really think you’d
want to go out today,” he told her truthfully.  “But I didn’t want to
leave with us out of sorts with each other, either.  You helped me a lot
this summer, Beth, and I’m grateful to you. Making me get my
diving
license was the best thing I’ve done in a long
time.  I’ve got you to thank for it.”

           
Sadness washed over Beth. “I’m going to miss you,” she said sincerely.

           
Steve smiled. “I’ll miss you too, Beth.” He stepped through the door and gave her
a farewell hug. “I’ll let you get back to bed,” he said.  “Good bye, for
now.”

           
Beth reached out and touched his arm suddenly. “Wait,” she said, glancing up
the stairs. David would never know she had been gone, and she was tired of
hanging around the house watching him drink. They could go and be back long
before he ever woke up, if today was anything like the last few days. Why waste
this opportunity?

           
“I can’t skip your last chance to dive for who knows how long,” she told him. “I’ll
get my suit and be right out.”

           
Steve looked surprised and pleased. “Are you sure you’re up to it?” He
cautioned.

           
“Just fix me a couple pieces of toast while I change, okay?” She asked him,
ignoring his implication regarding her appearance. Then she ran up the stairs
to grab her suit and a t-shirt.

           
A quick peek into the room confirmed that David was still very much out of it.
She knew from experience that he would sleep for several more hours. Beth
squelched a wave of annoyance. Only one email since he had gone back after
Sarah's death, no phone calls at all, and now hardly sober since he’d returned!
It had been the same every day for nearly two weeks.

           
She had been pleased and hopeful when she had answered the door that first
night. Beth hadn’t been sure when, or even if, she would see him after he got
back. They had been together for a couple of days when David had come home for
the funeral, talking late into the night about the boy who had betrayed his trust
and killed his sister, and how he had arranged it so Steve Williams would never
find out about the baby Sarah had borne him. But then he had just disappeared!
She had been confused and disappointed, but she waited, and hoped that once his
grief had lessened, he would come back to her again.

           
How excited and hopeful she had been when he had appeared on her doorstep the
same night he had returned home! Now, she didn’t know what to think. This was
not the same David she had fallen in love with eighteen months ago. This David
brooded. His words were often sarcastic and cruel.  The only places they
ever went out to together was to a couple of bars to hang out with some of his
drinking buddies. Most nights, though, he sat in the living room methodically
draining a bottle of Jack. He still had a couple more days until he had to go
back on duty, and Beth felt sure that David had no intention of sobering up
until that Tuesday morning at oh six hundred. 
This wasn’t the way
she’d pictured their reunion…

           
She closed the door firmly, and hurried back down the steps. Steve met her with
a plate of toast and a tall mug of steaming coffee. “You looked like you could
use it,” he said apologetically.

           
She gave him a beatific smile as she inhaled the coffee aroma.  “Bless
you,” she told him gratefully, taking a huge gulp and closing her eyes in
pleasure as the hot liquid flowed through her. She sighed in appreciation and
then she smiled at Steve with a flicker of her old spirit.  “Now let’s get
going!”