Mirror, The (40 page)

"No," Katie said. "I still don't like it."

Ginny stopped when they reached the sidewalk.

"Do you think
I
want to go?" Ginny asked. "I don't want to leave James any more than you want to leave Mike, but I know I have to. We don't belong here, Katie. We belong in 2020. We need to think less about the boys and more about getting home."

"You're right."

"I know I'm right," Ginny said. "Come on. Let's get out of here."

Ginny waited for a bicyclist to go by and then crossed the street a step ahead of her sister. She was happy to see that the street was free of cars and the park free of people. The last thing she wanted to see on this generally pleasant morning was a red Corvette parked along the curb or a disgruntled law student sitting at a picnic table.

The twins continued to Forty-Fifth and the covered bus stop. When they reached a bench that had become their home away from home, they sat down and continued their conversation.

"I take it you have an exit plan," Katie said.

Ginny nodded.

"I do."

"Let's hear it then. What are we going to do for the next two weeks?"

Ginny stared at her sister.

"We're going to fix things, that's what," Ginny said. "We're going to tie up loose ends and clean up any messes. We're going to do our best to leave 1964 the way we found it."

"You make that sound easy."

"Then you're not listening very well. It won't be easy, Katie. It's going to be hard. It's going to be really hard."

Katie sighed.

"What do you suggest we do first?"

"We've already done it," Ginny said. "We gave Mr. Greer our notice."

"Then what do we do next?"

Ginny looked at Katie sympathetically and then lowered her eyes.

"We start to disengage."

"What?"

"We start telling everyone we know that we're leaving. We tell them that we're leaving soon and won't be coming back."

Katie looked away.

"Mike has already asked for our address in Thousand Oaks," Katie said. "He doesn't understand why we can never see each other again. I haven't had the guts to tell him why."

Ginny put a hand on Katie's knee.

"I haven't told James either. I haven't told anyone but Nana where we're really going. I don't know whether we should either, but I think we should at least consider it."

"Why?" Katie asked.

"Because it's the responsible thing to do. We need to be very clear about our plans so that Mike and James can get on with
their
lives – the lives they are supposed to lead," Ginny said. "It's time to move forward, Katie. It's time to say goodbye."

CHAPTER 70: KATIE

Thursday, August 27, 1964

The room was cheery and bright despite a figurative cloud that hung from the ceiling. Sunlight poured through an east-facing window and fresh flowers and greeting cards sat atop a rolling tray table. Even the painting on the wall of a girl walking through a spring meadow made the typically gloomy venue a little less dreary.

Katie hoped it did, anyway. She wanted Mary Hayes to find at least a few reasons to smile as she sat upright in her hospital bed.

"How are you feeling?" Katie asked.

"My hip still hurts like the dickens, but overall I feel all right," Mary said. "I don't have the energy I had last week, but I'm still hanging in there."

"Do you know if your hip is fractured?"

"I don't. I should know later today when the doctor comes back with the X-rays. I don't think it's broken. I probably wouldn't be able to sit up if it was. Then again, what does it matter?"

"You can't think that way, Mrs. Hayes. You have to stay positive."

Mary paused for a moment when her eyes began to water. When she finished drying them with a tissue, she smiled and looked at Katie with admiration and affection.

"You're such a beautiful girl, Katie. Oh, how I'm going to miss you."

Katie put her hand on the hand of the woman who had taken a tumble that morning in her kitchen. She knew that Mary had maybe two months to live, but she was not about to play the gloom game. She had come to the hospital to raise spirits, not push them down.

"I'm not gone yet, Mary, and neither are you. You're going to be fine. If I have to come here every day to make sure of that, I will. It will be worth it."

Mary squeezed Katie's hand, sighed, and then turned to face the person sitting in the chair closest to her side. She looked at Mike thoughtfully with green eyes that had lost none of their luster over the summer.

"Hold onto her, son. Whatever you do, hold onto her."

Mike smiled at Mary and then shot Katie a glance.

"I'm trying to, Mom. I'm trying."

"I know you are."

Katie wanted to crawl under a rock. She hated knowing that she would soon break their hearts and gave serious thought to telling the truth about her past and plans for the future. Could telling the truth be any worse than stringing them along for another two weeks? She didn't know the answer. She knew only that she didn't have the courage to come clean right now.

"Is there anything I can do for you while I'm here?" Katie asked. "I don't have to work until tonight and would be happy to run some errands for you today."

Mary brought a hand to her chin.

"There is one thing."

"What's that?"

"Go for a walk with Michael. I plan to eat lunch in a few minutes and then take a nap, so I won't need visitors for a while," Mary said. "Go for a walk in the park across the street. Just knowing that you're enjoying each other's company will do me more good than flowers or cards."

Katie nodded.

"I can do that," Katie said. She grabbed Mike's hand. "
We
can do that."

"Then go. I'll be fine. Fractured hip or not, I'm not going anywhere."

Katie started to say something but paused when she saw a short, stocky nurse enter the room with a tray full of food. When the nurse put the lunch on the tray table and swung it toward the patient, Katie sat up and pulled Mike away from the bed.

"I think that's our cue," she said.

Mike leaned over and kissed his mother on the head.

"We'll see you in a bit, Mom."

"Take your time. Like I said, I'm not going anywhere."

Katie waved to Mary and led Mike out of the room into a long hallway. She then guided him down a flight of stairs to the lobby and the main entrance. She said very little until they walked across the street to a park that was similar in size and appearance to the one by Greer's.

"So what are the doctors telling you that your mother won't tell me?"

"You mean about her hip?"

"No. I mean about her cancer. Is there anything more you can tell me, Mike?"

Mike shook his head.

"There are a lot of things I could tell you, but they wouldn't make a difference. She's dying, Katie. There's nothing doctors can do except to make her comfortable and try to limit her pain."

"Is it really hopeless? Is there nothing they can do?"

Mike looked away to hide misty eyes.

"No," he said. "There's nothing. I don't think she'll ever leave the hospital."

When Katie heard the words, she once again wondered whether it was too late for Mary. She wondered whether she would live long enough to even consider traveling to the future, where doctors might be able to at least buy her some time. She couldn't imagine Mary leaving Patsy and her granddaughter behind, but she would worry about that when the time came.

As they walked toward a fountain in the park, Katie took a moment to study Mike's face and noticed a change. Sadness and acceptance had replaced fear in his eyes. She couldn't imagine how anyone could handle so much bad news in a short amount of time, but he apparently had. In less than four weeks, Mike Hayes had become the picture of resignation – and courage.

"I know your mom's situation is bad enough, but is there something else that's bothering you?" Katie asked. "You seem even sadder than usual."

"I am," Mike said.

"Is it because of me? Is it because I'm leaving?"

Mike nodded.

"That's one thing. I don't want you to go. I still don't understand why you have to."

Katie searched for a good answer but couldn't find one. What kind of person left the love of her life for … economic opportunity? Ugh. She didn't want to even think of using that excuse.

"I'll tell you. I just don't want to tell you today. I want to tell you a week from Saturday."

"Why then?"

"There are two reasons. The first is that I want to tell you in a place where we can be alone. We'll see how your mom feels at the time, but if we can leave her for a night, I want to go."

"What's the other reason?"

"Let's go sit on the bench first."

"OK."

Katie led him to a nearby bench, which offered a splendid view not only of the fountain and a large play area but also part of Seattle's skyline.

"The other reason is because I'm a big chicken. I don't have the guts to tell you now, but I will. I'll tell you everything and hold nothing back."

"You promise?"

"I promise."

Katie sighed and gazed at Mike.

"Now, I want you to answer a question for me."

"OK."

"What is the other thing that's bothering you?"

Mike smiled sadly and stared blankly at the fountain.

"I was hoping you wouldn't ask."

"Is something else going on with your mom – or with Patsy?"

Mike shook his head.

"No," he said. "I'm afraid this one's all about me."

"I don't get it. What's wrong?"

He turned to Katie and stared at her with the saddest eyes she had ever seen. They had dropped a notch even on the walk.

Mike reached into his pocket and pulled out an envelope that had already been opened. He removed a piece of paper from the envelope and handed it to Katie.

She took one glance at the sheet and closed her eyes.

"That was my reaction too," Mike said. "I have to show up for a physical on September 21. There are no ifs or buts to this, Katie."

Mike sighed.

"I've been drafted."

CHAPTER 71: GINNY

Friday, August 28, 1964

Ginny turned off the television, grabbed a cup and saucer near her sister's lounge chair, and walked to the kitchen. She normally insisted that Her Cleanliness pick up her own dishes, but she didn't want the place to look like a mess when James came over.

She knew she had more important things to obsess about, like how she was going to say goodbye to Nana, Cindy, and the staff at Greer's, but that didn't make this any less important. She wanted to make a good impression on a young man who now meant the world to her.

Ginny loaded the cup and saucer in the dishwasher and turned the knob to the right setting. When the appliance began to hum and fill with water, she wiped the counters and rinsed out the sink. She was about to pick up the broom and sweep the floor when she heard the doorbell ring.

"I'll be right there, James," she shouted.

Ginny ran into the bathroom and primped her hair one last time before walking briskly to the front door. She knew it probably wasn't a good idea to get worked up over someone she'd be leaving in ten days, but she didn't care. She wanted to enjoy every last minute with him.

When Ginny reached the door, she saw socks on the floor and kicked them behind Katie's chair. When she opened the door, she said, "Sorry, I'm late," and stared at the man who had come for her. Only the man who had come for her was not the man she had expected or wanted to see.

"What are you doing here?" Ginny asked.

"I want to apologize," Steve said. "Can I come in?"

Ginny pondered a question that pitted common sense against her values. She wanted nothing to do with an old boyfriend, particularly on the cusp of a date with his replacement, but she was a forgiving person and forgiving people sometimes did things that didn't make sense. After a moment of thought, she opened the door wide.

"You have five minutes."

She let Steve in, closed the door without latching it, and followed the future law student into the living room. When he stopped in the middle of the room, she walked past him to the space between the chairs. She did not want him to feel comfortable enough to take a seat.

"OK. Say what you have to say."

"All right, I will. I'm sorry, Ginny. I'm sorry for behaving badly the other day, I'm sorry for not respecting your privacy, and most of all I'm sorry for taking you for granted. I'm really sorry about that. I saw you as a possession and not a person. That was wrong. I apologize."

Ginny looked at his face and tried to gauge his sincerity. Two months ago she would have never questioned his word or his character. Two days ago she would have considered both beyond repair. Now, she simply didn't care. So she decided on the course that might get him out the door before James Green came wandering in.

"Your apology is accepted. Now, please leave."

"I will after I say one more thing."

"What's that?" Ginny asked.

"I want you back."

"You can't have me back."

"Please," Steve said. "All I want is a second chance. I know I screwed up, but I've learned from my mistakes. I'll do better, Ginny. I promise. I'll do whatever it takes to keep you."

"I'm sure you mean that. I really am. The problem is that I don't want to be 'kept.' I don't want to date you, I don't want to talk to you, and I really don't want you in my living room right now," Ginny said. "So, if you don't mind, will you please leave?"

Steve's pleading expression turned into a scowl.

"It's the black kid, isn't it? You traded me in for the hired help."

"I won't dignify that with a response."

"What's the deal? Is he better in bed?" Steve asked.

Ginny seethed.

"He's ten times better."

Steve slapped her across the face.

"You're a liar."

Ginny exploded inside as a dozen different emotions, including anger, fear, and shock, swirled through her body. She could not believe a guy nearly twice her size had struck her with his hand. What kind of monster was he?