The High Calling (30 page)

CHAPTER TWENTY

A Call for Help

The phone rang abruptly, breaking the silence. Kat sat straight up in bed and looked at the clock. Eight forty-five. She had worked until midnight last night and had been sleeping soundly. She picked up the phone as her head started to clear. “Yes? Who is it?”

“Katherine? This is Parker.”

At once Kat grew alert and lost all grogginess. “What is it? Is something wrong?”

“Yes. Really there is.”

“Tell me!”

“Well, it’s several things all come together. You heard about my crash yesterday?”

“Oh yes. I’m so glad you were all right.”

“Stupid thing to do. I can’t believe I forgot to put my landing gear down. The greenest pilot in the squadron can laugh at me now.”

“How do you feel?”

“Not too bad. But I’m having trouble with my vision and I feel pretty tired. The flight doctor grounded me for a week, so I’m recuperating at home. I’m wondering—” He broke off and then continued in a voice tight with strain. “The twins are sick, Katherine. I don’t think it’s serious, but you know how kids are when they’re sick. They require a lot of care, and of all things, my father is down too with bronchitis, and the housekeeper had to go off and help her daughter, who’s having a baby. Sounds like a bad movie, doesn’t it?”

“Oh, I’m so sorry, Parker. Your poor mother. Would you like me to come over and help?”

“Could you?” he asked with relief. “Even for a day or two until we can find somebody.”

“Don’t worry about that. I think I can get off from the mission, and I’m not due to work any shifts the rest of this week at the hospital. Has a doctor seen the twins?”

“Yes, and he says it’s the mumps. Not serious, but they’re very fussy.”

“I’ll come at once.”

“Did you have the mumps when you were a child? We wouldn’t want to expose you to something you haven’t had.”

“Yes, I think I had them when I was seven or eight.”

“That’s great. Then I’ll send Joseph into town to pick you up. Say, in about an hour?”

“All right, Parker. I’ll be ready.”

“Katherine . . . ?”

“Yes, what is it?”

“I hate to ask you to help like this, but I can’t think of anybody else.”

“Don’t worry about that. I’ll pack a bag so that I can stay long enough to see the twins get their bearings.”

“Thank you, Katherine. I’ll be here waiting when you come.”

****

“Let me hold this umbrella over you, Miss Katherine. You’ll get soaked.”

“Thank you.” Kat got out of the car, and Joseph held the umbrella over her as they made their way to the front door. “Now you’re getting soaked, Joseph.”

“No matter, miss. I’m just glad you could come. Mr. Parker has been worried half to death, and Lord Braden and his wife too.”

The two of them reached the shelter of the porch, and the door opened at once.

“Terrible weather,” Parker said. “You must be soaked.”

“No, Joseph took very good care of me.” She turned and said, “Thank you very much, Joseph.”

“You’re welcome, miss.”

“Joseph, you can take Katherine’s bag up to the guest bedroom,” Parker instructed.

“Yes, sir.”

“The only good thing about this rain is that there won’t be any raids by the Jerries,” Parker said. “Come in and let me take your coat.”

“How are you feeling, Parker?” Kat asked as she slipped out of her coat.

“Well, my eyes still trouble me at times, but not nearly so much. Come into the drawing room. We’ve got a fire going in there. It’s terrible to get you out on a day like this.”

“No. It’s no trouble.”

“Of course it’s trouble, but as I said, I didn’t know anyone else to call.”

The two went into the drawing room, where Cooper was putting a log on the fire.

He smiled at her and said, “Good morning, miss.”

“Good morning, Cooper. My, that fire looks good.”

“It feels good on a day like this.”

“Could you bring us some tea, Cooper?” Parker asked.

“Certainly, sir.”

As the butler left the room, Parker said, “Stand by the fire and get some of the cold out of you.”

“You say your father’s sick?” Kat said as she backed up to the fire and felt the heat soaking in.

“Yes. Bronchitis.” He shook his head, and his brow furrowed. “He’s had it before, and it always worries us. It could go into pneumonia so easily. It’s all Mother can do to take care of him.”

“Perhaps we should get him to the hospital.”

“He hates hospitals.” He shoved his hands deep into his pockets. “The doctor is doing his best to keep him comfortable.
He says just don’t let him go outside or tire himself. He’s hard to keep down, though.”

“That was a pretty bad bump you took.”

“It split my forehead open. I had to have twelve stitches.” Parker reached up and touched the bandage on his forehead. “Good thing I hit my head, where I’m toughest.”

“You must feel pretty bad with a concussion like that.”

He smiled slightly. “Now that you’re here, I feel much better.”

“Are the twins awake?”

“Oh yes. Once I told them you were coming, there was no getting them to take a nap.”

The two of them went up to the twins’ bedroom. “Well, here she is,” Parker announced. “I hope you two will be nice.”

“Mith Kat, I hurt!” Paul complained.

Kat went over at once and sat down on the side of the bed, and Paul crawled up into her lap. Of course, Heather demanded equal space. Kat adjusted them both until they were all fairly comfortable, and she could feel they had fevers. “I’ve come to take care of you two, so you’ve got to be very good.”

“I’m good,” Paul announced, “but I hurt.”

“Well, I’ll tell you what. Why don’t you both lie down and I’ll read to you.”

This pleased the twins exceedingly. “I can handle this, Parker, if you have something to do.”

“No. I don’t have anything to do. The doctor said I shouldn’t do anything except work on recovering. Do you mind if I stay?”

“Get in bed with us, Daddy,” Heather called.

“No. I’ll just come and sit on the other side.” He came over and sat down. “Let’s be very quiet now so Katherine can tell a story.”

Kat began making up an outlandish story and soon she was rewarded by seeing the children grow sleepy and also by Parker’s smile as he listened to her impossible concoctions.
When both of the children were asleep, she got up. Parker did also, and the two of them pulled the covers over the twins and moved silently out of the room.

Parker closed the door silently. “You are so good with children.”

“I just like making up stories. I’ve never had an adult listen to one of my stories before.”

“I’d like to hear how this one comes out.”

“I haven’t thought ahead to the ending yet. I just make it up as I go.”

“Let’s go down and fix a sandwich or something.”

The two of them went down to the kitchen, where they found the cook making tarts. When Kat admitted she hadn’t had breakfast, Parker asked, “Could you fix up a nice breakfast for our nurse, Cook?”

“That I can and for you too, sir. You sit right there. It won’t take long.”

When the breakfast was delivered, Kat ate heartily. She noticed that Parker was only picking at his food and made a mental note to see to it that he ate better. “If you don’t clean your plate, you’ll be a bad boy and Santa Claus won’t come to see you.”

Parker laughed but then quickly winced. “Ow, that hurt my head! You mustn’t be so amusing, Katherine.”

“All right. I promise to be as dull as possible.”

After they ate, he showed Kat to her room. “Why don’t you take some time and lie down, if you’d like? You’ll probably need the rest later on.”

“No, let’s just go down and sit in front of the fire. I may doze off there.”

The two went back to the drawing room and found Parker’s mother there. She greeted Kat warmly, her relief evident. “I’m so glad you’re here, my dear.”

“I hope I can help.”

After Grace gave Kat an update on her husband’s condition,
Kat encouraged her to lie down and take a nap while she had a chance.

“You know, I believe I will,” Grace said.

“Is your husband awake?”

“No, he’s not.”

“Well, I’ll check in on him later to see if he’s awake or if he needs anything. You go rest.”

“Thank you, dear. You’re a godsend.”

As Grace left the room, Parker said, “Mother’s about reached the end of her rope—and so have I.”

“Well, maybe you need to go rest too.”

“I will after a while. Tell me what you’ve been doing.”

The two sat down, and Kat began to speak of the activities that filled her life—helping to provide food and shelter for the homeless, taking food to the airfield for the fliers and mechanics, and nursing the sick and wounded.

The fire crackled pleasantly in the fireplace, and a large clock on the mantel made a slow, regular ticking. Outside, the rain was still coming down, making the coziness of the room all the more welcome.

“I love your home, Parker. I know it’s expensive to maintain, but it’s so lovely.”

“It is nice, isn’t it? I really don’t mind spending the money.”

“How’s your family’s aircraft business?”

“Father says there’s more business than we can possibly handle. Of course, he hired a new manager when I left to join the RAF, and apparently the man is doing a fine job.” He sat quietly for a time staring at the fire, and once he picked up the poker and rolled a log over, sending golden sparks flying up the chimney. He sat back down beside her on the couch that Cooper had pulled over in front of the fire.

“This is nice,” she said.

“Yes, it is, isn’t it? I’ve been thinking lately about how odd life is. You never know what’s coming. One day’s fine—the birds are singing and the sun is shining—and the next day the monsters come out from under the bed and out of the closet.”

“No monsters today.” She leaned over and squeezed his hand. “Just a nice warm room with a welcoming fire.”

“And with you here to take care of us all.”

The smell of burning wood was sharp in the room, and they sat there talking, both of them relaxed. “I read something the journalist Malcolm Muggeridge said once,” Parker said. “I wrote it down and memorized it.”

“I’ve heard of him. He’s British, isn’t he?”

Parker nodded.

“What did he say?”

“‘Every happening, great and small, is a parable whereby God speaks to us, and the art of life is to get the message.’”

She smiled at him. “Hmm. Interesting. No wonder you memorized it.”

“It is good, isn’t it? Sometimes it’s hard to get God’s messages.”

“I know. He doesn’t send Western Union telegrams telling us what to do. I’ve often wondered why He’s so cryptic in His commands to us,” Kat commented. “I’ve always thought that He likes to honor those who seek Him.”

“You’re probably right. I’ve always admired those who know the art of finding God. I’ve read about several of the great believers who would pray all night.” He turned to her and smiled. “I tried that once.”

“Did you? How was it?”

“All I discovered was that I can sleep in any position.”

Kat giggled. “I had about the same experience. Every time I’ve ever tried to fast for a long period it doesn’t work.”

“You mean you can’t think of anything but eating?”

“Yes. I’m not very spiritual, I’m afraid.”

“Me either.”

They sat silently and listened to the fire crackle. “Do you think about your home a great deal, Katherine?”

“Sometimes I do, but lately I’ve been so busy I haven’t even had time for that.” She leaned forward, staring into the fire and listening to the sibilant sound of a log releasing its
moisture. “Have you heard of the new book
You Can’t Go Home Again?
”

“Yes, I did hear something about it. It was written by Thomas Wolfe, wasn’t it?”

“You know of him?”

“I don’t know much about him, but I do remember hearing this book was published after he died.”

“Yes, that’s right. I haven’t read it yet, but I keep thinking about that title. You can’t go home again.”

“What does that mean to you?” he asked.

“Why, I think it means much like the philosopher who said, ‘You can’t step in the same river twice.’”

“I haven’t heard that one.”

“Well, you see what it means. The river that flows today will be different tomorrow. The water you stepped in yesterday has now gone down to the sea.”

“And you feel that way about going home? I’m surprised.”

“This is the first time I’ve ever really been away from home, Parker.” She leaned back and twisted to face him. The flickering tongues of flame from the fireplace threw a yellow corona of light over his cheek and highlighted the bandage. He looked more rested than he had when she had come in the door, and she was glad to think that, perhaps, it was due to her. “But things change so quickly.”

“Yes. A fellow can bend over to tie his shoes, and when he straightens up the whole world’s changed.”

“Well, I never thought of it like that, but I think if you try to go back, you may rediscover an old path and wander over it. But the best you can do is say, ‘Oh yes, I remember this place.’ Yet it’s somehow not the same.”

Parker reached out and put his hand on her shoulder. She turned quickly to him, and he said, “All the words in the dictionary, and I’ve been trying to think of some way ever since you came this morning to say how much this means to me and to all of us.”

“Why, I was glad to do it, Parker. You’d do the same for me.”

He removed his hand at once, and they sat quietly for a time. “Do you like living in the country?”

“Yes, I like the country. Even when we lived in New York City, I was always trying to get my dad to take me over to Central Park so I could feel like I was out in the country. Back in Georgia I’d get up every morning and go to the window, and I’d see the sun. And I’d always say, ‘You son of a gun, you did it again!’”

Parker laughed. “What a thing to say!”

“I know. I’d hate for you to see the diary I kept when I was in my teens. I went back and read it before I left for London and couldn’t believe any human could be that foolish.”