Forever Country (25 page)

Savannah Mae walks up to me and hugs me again
before I leave. “Thank you, Abel Lee.”

“
You’re welcome, Savannah
Mae. Call me if you need me or if there’s any changes.”

When I get home, I do the chores and shower
before bed. Momma and Pops go to bed early, leaving me to my
thoughts. It’s still cold, so I add another log on the fire before
turning in. I lie awake and think about Sawyer Jackson. I can’t get
the feeling of helplessness out of my head. I wanted so much to
help him, and I couldn’t do anything. I never wanted children and
this is the reason why. It’s hard to want to help a child and
there’s nothing you can do for them.

I also think about the anonymous letters I’ve
been getting. I have no clue who sent them, although I know several
people who could have a vendetta against me. Being a professional
boxer isn’t easy. You go into the ring knowing there is the
possibility that you may not come out alive. It’s something you
know and you accept. You just pray that fate will be on your side
and you’ll live to see another day.

I’ve been very lucky in my boxing career, but
others I fought haven’t been so fortunate. I once killed a man in
the ring. It was almost enough to make me hang up my gloves
forever. However, my trainer and coach pushed me to continue. While
I was seeking counseling for killing a man, they were promoting me
and scheduling my next fight. The next fight didn’t happen right
away. Boxers were frightened to go into the ring with me. I was
thankful because I needed that year to heal. I took a man’s life.
Although it was unintentional, it weighs heavy on my heart, and on
my mind.

I set up a financial account to help the
family with funeral and living costs, I sent flowers to the funeral
home, and I also sent a letter of condolence. I took a man’s life,
and no money will ever replace that. I just wanted them to know I
was sorry.

If someone had killed my brother, Levi, would
I be mad enough to go after them? I wouldn’t hesitate. I’d beat
them down and not even think twice about it. The letters must be
from that man’s family.

The next morning after church, Pops and I go
to work and Momma goes to the hospital to see Savannah Mae and
Sawyer Jackson.

“
Tell Savannah Mae I’ll be
there as soon as I can.”

“
I will, Abel, but I’m
hopin’ that they’ll both be home by then.”

“
He was pretty sick, so I
doubt he’ll be home anytime soon.”

“
You’d be surprised what
antibiotics can do.”

Pops and I fill the cooler
with drinks and the thermos with coffee before we head down to the
old schoolhouse. Johnny is already there waiting for us, just like
yesterday. All the guys who were here last night show up for work
today. Danny from the church
brings hot
breakfast sandwiches.

“
I heard about Savannah Mae
and her son. I figured you didn’t get much sleep last night,”
Danny
says, handing me a cup of
coffee.

“
Thank you, I didn’t.” I
wonder how word spread so quickly about Sawyer Jackson.

“
How is he?”

“
He was pretty sick last
night. I haven’t heard anything yet today.”

“
Pastor Jenson said he was
going’ to start a prayer chain for him. Send out a group e-mail to
everyone in the church. Hopefully, he’ll start feelin’ better
soon.”

I take a drink of my strong black coffee and
watch as the other workers help themselves to the breakfast
sandwiches Danny brought. “I hope so. He was pretty sick last
night.”

“
Never underestimate the
power of prayer, Abel.”

We get to work and Johnny and I finish
cutting down the trees and then we haul them over to Savannah Mae’s
house. I’m pleased to see the stockpile she’s starting to get.
Although it’s the beginning of March, it’s still cold in Ohio.

Pops, who is a certified electrician, and a
few guys start tearing out the electrical wires while the other
people are removing the old doors and cabinets. “We’re makin’
pretty good progress,” Johnny says.

“
Yes, we are. It still
looks bad, but not as bad.”

We both laugh and he looks around at the
interior.

When all of the wood is cut and stacked over
at Savannah Mae’s house, Johnny and I go inside and help the
others. At lunch, I call Dena’s Floral Design in Zanesville and
order something for Sawyer Jackson and a little something for
Savannah Mae so she knows that I am thinking of her. I haven’t
heard anything, so I’m hoping that’s good news.

By the end of the day, all of the windows and
light fixtures are removed from inside the building, and Pops and
Danny have started removing the old wiring. We all agree that we’ll
get the building power washed tomorrow, before we do anything
else.

After work, Pops and I quickly shower. I stop
by Savannah Mae’s to check her mail from yesterday and to gather a
few things for her before heading to the hospital.

Savannah Mae

Mom, my sister, and Nelly have been here all
day. Sawyer Jackson is still very sick and they continue to run
blood tests on him. He sleeps, but he doesn’t throw up. He hasn’t
eaten anything since we’ve been here. No tellin’ the last time he
ate; he was with his dad yesterday. The way he looked when I picked
him up last night I don’t think he ate anythin’ most of the day.
Ethan hasn’t called or stopped up to see Sawyer Jackson. I thought
he would have stopped by, but he hasn’t.

I haven’t left Sawyer Jackson’s side. I’ve
never seen him this sick before. I can’t bring myself to leave his
side, even to eat. Mom, Nelly, and Samantha Marie stay in the room.
They are quiet and are here for support. I just want my boy to get
well. Shouldn’t he be awake? Shouldn’t he be cryin’? He’s just lies
there and sleeps. He’s so lethargic.

I pray and hope for him to feel better, to
get better. The doctors and nurses come in frequently. They keep
tellin’ me he has an infection, but they aren’t sure where.
Shouldn’t the tests reveal something? When will they know
something?

The hospital door opens and I can tell right
away that it’s Abel Lee without even lookin’ his way. His woodsy
scent gives him away. I love the smell of Abel Lee. Woods and
leather, he smells like a workin’ man. Nothin’ has ever smelt
better than a guy who works hard to provide for his family.

“
How is he?” Abel Lee asks,
pulling a chair up next to me. He lightly strokes my arm with his
fingers lightly and I shiver.

“
No change.”

“
They don’t know anything?
They ran tests, right?” He kisses my left temple and I lean into
him.

“
They have,” I whisper.
“Nothing else is comin’ up abnormal but his white blood count.
They’re still givin’ him IV antibiotics to treat his
infection.”

“
Has he been asleep all
day?”

I stare at Sawyer Jackson and I don’t look
back at Abel Lee. “He wakes up for only a few minutes at a
time.”

“
Where’s Ethan? Has he been
here?”

“
No, I left him a couple
messages, but he didn’t answer my calls today.”

“
I’ll be back.” I hear the
chair move and Abel Lee walks out the door. I didn’t have time to
ask where he’s goin’. Maybe he forgot something in the car. No one
says anything, they all remain quiet. I focus my attention on my
sick boy.

A short time later, Abel Lee comes back into
the room and a doctor and a nurse is right behind him. The doctor
tells me he would like to do a spinal tap on Sawyer Jackson and
that they believe he may have meningitis.

My mind runs through everything I know about
meningitis. Stiff neck, seizures, vomiting, headache, and fever.
Meningitis is either viral or bacterial. Has he complained about a
stiff neck recently? He was with Ethan when he got sick. Did he
complain of a stiff neck with his dad? I know kids have died from
meningitis. My hearts races, and I begin to feel sick.

“
I need to call his
father.” I can’t think straight. Ethan and I always made big
decisions together. Where is he? Why hasn’t he been
here?

Abel Lee comes up to me and speaks softly, “I
think we should let them do it. The sooner they know what’s wrong,
the sooner they can get him the right treatment.”

Mom and Samantha Marie come over with Nelly
and stand on my other side. “Savannah Mae, it’s been long enough,
let’s not wait any longer,” Mom says.

“
Shouldn’t Ethan have a say
in this?”

Mom says, “If he were here, yes, but he
isn’t.”

“
I’ll go call him again,”
Nelly says.

“
Again?” I look up at
Nelly. “You’ve already called him?”

She looks sad. “I’ve called a few times
today.”

“
Where is he? What did he
say?”

“
I left a message with
Heather Sue, and I left other messages on his phone. I didn’t
actually get to speak to Ethan.”

My heart hurts at the thought that Ethan knew
his son was sick and didn’t come to be with him. I’ve called him a
couple of times throughout the day and thought maybe he didn’t
answer because he didn’t recognize the number. Surely he would have
come after he heard my pleading messages. I look at the nurse, the
doctor, and then Abel Lee.

“
What would you do if he
were your son?” I stare Abel Lee in his eyes. I want the truth, and
I want to know he’s tellin’ me the truth.

“
If I were lucky enough to
have Sawyer Jackson as my son, I would want to know what’s wrong so
they can fix him.” Abel Lee looks sad as he returns my
stare.

I know he’s tellin’ me the truth. I know he
wouldn’t put my son in danger. I know the benefits outweighs the
risks of the spinal tap.

“
Okay, we wasted enough
time, let’s do this.”

I speak with the doctor and the nurses about
the risks of the lumbar puncture. I cringe when they explain the
procedure. I know it’ll be painful for Sawyer Jackson, I just hope
he sleeps through most of it. They get Sawyer Jackson ready to take
him to the treatment room where the procedure will be done. Bud,
Levi, Mia, and my daddy show up. I’m happy to see them but
disappointed when it isn’t Ethan.

After the procedure, when I finally get to
see Sawyer Jackson, he is awake and crying. I want to hold him, but
I am instructed that he needs to lie flat on his belly for awhile.
“He may suffer a headache but other than that, he’ll be fine,” the
doctor says. “As soon as we get the results, we’ll notify you.”

I walk beside the bed, holding Sawyer
Jackson’s hand, on the way to his hospital room. Abel Lee and our
family are behind us. We all waited outside of the treatment room
for Sawyer Jackson. It wasn’t surgery, but it was a sterile
procedure.

Once inside the room, everyone kisses and
talks to Sawyer Jackson, before he dozes off to sleep. I try to be
polite and visit with everyone, but my attention is on my sleeping,
sick son. Abel Lee takes a place beside me and doesn’t move. I try
to join their conversation, but my mind can’t focus on anything but
my boy.

When I hear Mia say she had a doctor’s
appointment today, I can’t help but look up. She and Levi are
smiling.

“
Our
son
is growing as
he
should be,” Levi says
proudly.

“
She’s
weighing over a pound already,” Mia says, laughin’ when
she
corrects the gender,
as she pats her large belly.

Neither one of them knows
for sure the sex of the baby. If Levi calls it a
girl
, Mia calls it
a
boy
. If Mia
calls it a
girl
,
Levy calls it a
boy
. It’s funny and always brings a smile to my face when they
fuss over the sex of their baby. I’m happy to see they’re excited
about the baby and not focusing on what may be wrong with him or
her. “I’m glad
he
or
she
is
growing as
it
should.”

“
Us, too,” Levi says.
“Really we just joke about the gender.”

Mia says, “All we want is a
healthy baby. A
boy
or a
girl
, it
doesn’t matter.”

Mia and Levi have told only a few people
about the possibility that their child may have Down syndrome. I
hope the tests are wrong and their baby is born perfect.

Soon after, everyone stands to leave. Abel
Lee stands with them. “I’m going to walk them out. I’ll be right
back.”

“
There’s no need for you to
stay. You should go home, too.”

“
Do you need anything on my
way back?”

I look at Abel Lee and say, “You’re not
leavin’ yet?”

“
No, not yet. I want to
spend some time with you and Sawyer Jackson.”

I lean into him. “Neither one of us is very
good company tonight.”

“
I don’t care, I just want
to be close to you both. I stopped by your house and brought you
your mail.” He lays a small stack of mail on the bedside table. It
mostly looks like junk mail.

“
Thank you, Abel Lee.” I
snake my arm around his waist and he holds me tightly.

“
Have you had
dinner?”

Before I can say anything, Nelly says, “She
hasn’t eaten anything all day.”

I look up at Nelly and my stomach growls. I
don’t have time to reply. He frowns at me and says, “I’ll be back
with something hot for you to eat.” He kisses me and turns to
leave.