The Reason (15 page)

The ambulance arrives. I sit in a corner near the ceiling watching as the EMTs strap a blood pressure cuff on me and begin taking my vitals. None of this matters. I'm bleeding internally. My spleen is ruptured. One of my lungs is in the process of collapsing.

"Yes, this is Mayor Shy. Tell David and Sarah Moorehead to meet us at the hospital immediately. There's been a terrible accident."

I see Donn make the call, but I don't know who it's to. The details of the room are fading ... fading ... and I can't hold on. Oh, where is that stupid cord that's supposed to be attached to me? Was it severed when I took the header down the stairs?

A wall of blond hair sweeps into view. "This is all my fault," Donn says through tears. "I never should have allowed this."

Loreen is comforting her. Massimo is comforting Loreen. Celia and Becca hold hands. Taylor grips her brother.

And I'm floating free ... free of this...

There's nothing I can do to stop it. The warmth embracing me permeates me with love and joy and happiness and peace and other words I fail to find right now. I start up this long, flowing staircase—oh no, not another one!—into a white light. Its glow beckons to me like nothing I've ever seen. I hear the sweet melody of a piano accompanied by a string quartet.

I cross a small wooden bridge over a rainbow stream. A lush garden with full blooms of every flower imaginable—roses, hydrangeas, baby's breath, and orchids—dancing in the sunlight cascading through the fluffy clouds.

A familiar
meow
catches my ear and I turn to face the sound.

From the bank of the stream, a flash of black and white comes at me, furry tail up straight in the air.
Meow!
he says again.

"Smokey? Is that you?"

He breaks into a run and bounds up to me, rubbing against my leg with his cheek, neck, and tail.

How can this be? This is my kitty Smokey. The one who was accidentally run over by the FedEx truck years ago. Yet he's ... here? Where
is
here? Is this the famed rainbow bridge I've read about so many times? Where your beloved pet greets you before you both cross over into...

No.

No.

No way.

A white lattice gazebo sits at the far end of the garden, a fountain of crystal blue water on the side of it. I see the back of a woman sitting in a rocking chair, the soft breeze ruffling her gray curls. Cautiously, I approach, trying not to disturb her.

But she calls out, "Come now, Smokey."

He begins to purr and runs up ahead of me, leading me down the path to the gazebo and the woman. I automatically follow, no questions asked. My feet aren't even touching the ground in this weird float-trot I've got going on.

I approach the three stairs, and I'm suddenly reaching my hand out to the older woman.

"May I join you, ma'am?"

Her charming beauty astounds me. Perfectly preserved and ageless. Yet exactly the woman I remember she was in her late sixties.

"Of course you can, my darling Kendall. I've been expecting you."

I swallow hard. My heart seems like it will burst with all the love filling it.

"Gr-Gr-Grandma Ethel!"

And I fall into her open arms.

I
T'S THE BEST HUG
I've ever had in my life.

I push back slightly and smile into my grandmother's face.

"They told me you were coming, child, and I didn't believe them." She takes a lace handkerchief and dabs at my eyes. "It's way too soon for you to be here."

My head swivels as I take in the awe-inspiring scenery, which seems to sparkle as if it's just been buffed by an army of maids and a case of Mr. Clean.

"Where exactly is here?" I ask, biting my bottom lip.

She waves the handkerchief around in the air. "Oh, you know..."

No, I don't, exactly—that's why I asked. I hold my tongue, though. I've never felt so warm and loved and comforted and supported. It's like I don't have a care in the world as I sit in a chair next to my grandmother in this lovely locale.

I swallow hard and shift my eyes to hers. "I've missed you so much."

Grandma Ethel rocks in her chair as she folds the hankie and returns it to the pocket of her dress. "I've been watching you, my darling. You and Kaitlin are growing up so fast. You mustn't fight with each other so much. Sisters should be best friends, like Pansy and I were."

Aunt Pansy was Grandma's older sister; she lived in Boca Raton and had nine cats. For Christmas each year she used to send us logs of cheese and pepperoni from Swiss Colony's mail-order. Why I'm thinking about this right now, I have no earthly clue.

Then again ... is this still Earth?

I take my grandma's hand. "Seriously. Where am I? Am I ... dead?"

She sets her hand on my cheek and smiles at me. "My darling. You're in some sort of in-between stage. You took a terrible spill down there and your body needs time to heal. While those doctors work on you, it seems your soul wanted to take a little field trip."

"So I'm not exactly alive but I'm not dead ... yet."

"Semantics," she says with a laugh.

I'm distracted by the purring at my feet. Smokey threads in and out of my legs while he vibrates like a motorboat. I bend down and scoop him into my lap, nuzzling his warm, soft fur. "Baby kitty, I've missed you so much. Why did you run out of the house and in front of that truck?"

"He knew you were coming," Grandma says. "Keeps me company a lot. Never seen him this happy."

"Grandma, forgive me for saying this, but you're, like, dead ... and so is Smokey. If I'm still alive, how can I see you?"

She lets out a sigh as if searching for the right words. "You see a lot of things, Kendall. It's a skill and a talent that our Lord blessed you with."

I rub Smokey between the ears, and it hits me. "I thought I was just having an out-of-body experience. It's more than that. This is a near-death experience. I've read about it. The white light. The music. The sense of utter happiness." I gaze into Smokey's green eyes. "Seeing your lost loved ones."

"Yes, dear," Grandma confirms. "You're in your own version of paradise until you make your decision."

I scrunch up my mouth and lower my brows. "And what decision is that?"

Grandma says, "To cross over or return to your life."

The thump in my chest lets me know my heart is still beating. I still have life in me.

"You said it's not my time."

"I don't think so," she says.

I gather Smokey tighter into my arms and continue to pet him. He closes his little kitty eyes and curls up. He always was a little snuggle bug. I sit quietly with Grandma Ethel, unsure of how much time passes. The air is so crisp and fresh, no smog or pollution, and no dust from peanut or soybean crops. For a while, we just ... are.

Grandma breaks the silence. "Your move from Chicago to Radisson hasn't been easy on you."

I shake my head and watch my hair move back and forth. Smokey lifts a paw and swats at a long curl on my chest. "No, ma'am. It's hard being a fish out of water like that. I kind of stick out like a sore thumb. But I've made some really great friends, and I have a nice boyfriend."

Well, I
had
a nice boyfriend.

"People will come and go throughout your life, my child. The ones who really matter will stick to you like peanut butter on the roof of your mouth," my grandma says.

I snicker at her colloquialism.

"That Jason is a sweet boy."

"How? What?" Oh, right—she's been "checking in" on me. Wonder if that means she's seen us make out as many times as Emily has. A hot blush covers me from head to toe just thinking about it.

"Don't you worry your pretty little head any. He's your first love. First loves are always important. I remember my first love. Name was Homer. He was the minister's son. Used to bring me hard candy all the time."

I'm desperately fighting the image of Homer Simpson dating a teenage version of my grandmother. LOL!

"Jason's moving to Alaska," I say somberly. "I guess that means we have to break up. In fact, I think we already sort of have, since we had this big fight."

She reaches over and puts her hand on my arm. "Kendall, your first love will always be with you. Sometimes, though, first loves are simply that. They're the ones you cut your teeth on, so to speak. They're the ones that help you mature and grow and prepare for your more adult relationships."

"Yeah ... maybe," I say.

"Listen to your grandma. You're young and you have the rest of your life ahead of you—if you so choose. You have to be strong and confident. When you go back, everything is going to be different."

"I know. Jason and Taylor will be leaving soon."

Her eyes soften. "I'm not just talking about that, darling."

Cocking my head the side, I ask, "What do you mean?"

"You're a sensitive girl, and because of that, you'll have challenges in your life. You just need to pay attention to the signs around you that can easily answer the questions you have."

"What questions?" I ask with a question. Okay, she's starting to speak in riddles.

"You'll see, Kendall. You've been blessed with a gift. One inherited through your family. Use your skills wisely as you age. Cleave to those you trust and love. Never doubt yourself."

Smokey stretches and hops out of my lap. Grandma bends to pick him up. "Time for you and me to get going, kitty cat."

I reach out for them. "But wait! There's so much more I want to talk to you about."

She blows me a kiss. "There will be another opportunity. People are worried about you, Kendall. Don't keep them waiting any longer."

"Grandma! Smokey! Don't leave!"

Everything darkens. There's no sound. No light.

I don't know if she is taken from me or I'm taken from her. But immediately, I'm whisked out of the serene garden and dropped unceremoniously into the corner of an antiseptic hospital room, where I see Mom, Dad, and Kaitlin keeping watch over me.

"Guys! Over here!" I shout at them, but they hear nothing.

To my left is ... well ... me.

Holy crap! That's me. My physical body is lying supine under the tight white sheets. IVs are hooked into my arm.

My head is bandaged and my brown hair is pulled back from my face. A thick ace bandage encases my right arm. Heart monitors steadily beep away, getting information from the wires attached to my back and chest. A nurse enters to check my vitals and make notes in a chart. Mom looks beat, like she hasn't slept in days. Kaitlin seems bored as she plays with her Nintendo DSi; however, deep down she's scared shitless that her big sister is going to be taken away from her. Dad's hair is unkempt from combing it with his fingers in the time since my accident.

Accident.

The accident.

It was no accident.

I remember clearly everything that happened. Sherry Biddison attacked me, and I took a nasty-ass fall down the stairs at Mayor Shy's house.

Dr. Murphy, my mom's boss, enters the room, trying to be cheerful. "How's my favorite family today?"

Mom lifts sad eyes to the doctor. "Still keeping watch over our girl. It's been three days now and still no change."

He flips through the chart that the ICU nurse hands him. "Her vital signs are strong and her blood pressure is steady. She's recovering nicely from the simple pneumothorax she was suffering from when the ambulance brought her in."

Pnuemo-
what?
Where's Wikipedia when I need it?

Fortunately, my kid sister pipes up. "What does that mean?"

Mom touches her with her hand. "Kendall had a partially collapsed lung from the spill she took down the stairs. The doctors had to put a tube in her chest to gently suction out the air surrounding her lung so her lung could properly expand again."

Kaitlin grimaces. "Like, eww—sorry I asked."

Always the brat.

Dr. Murphy's eyes zip over my chart and he draws a quick breath of air. He then closes my chart and folds it under his arm. He removes his glasses and places them into the front pocket of his white coat. He's not part of the team of doctors that have been attending to me here at Radisson Memorial Hospital. However, owing to his closeness with my mom, he's trying to comfort my family.

"Sarah and David—do you mind if I speak with you two alone?"

Dad turns to my sister and says, "Kaitlin, why don't you run down to the cafeteria and order a milk shake."

She closes the cover of her DSi, rolls her eyes, and tromps out of the room. The nurse follows after her.

Dr. Murphy slides the door closed and then takes a chair next to my mother. "Sarah, you're a nurse, so I'm going to tell this to you straight."

"Of course, Doctor."

Dad moves closer and laces his fingers through Mom's. I slip from the corner of the room over to where my body rests. How can I get back into it? Do I lie down on the bed and hope my spirit melds into my flesh? Do I need Loreen to come tether me to my skin?

I snap my fingers—or at least I think I do. Not really sure it if works in this spirit form I'm in. In any case, I have an idea. I'll go talk to Celia. G'friend has been wanting a paranormal experience, and, boy, do I have one for her.

I stop in my tracks, though, when something Dr. Murphy says knocks me back to semireality.

"—and it seems she's going to need a further blood transfusion."

Dad speaks. "Sarah and I both gave when Kendall came in the other day. The ER nurse said it was standard for family members to donate."

Dr. Murphy sits forward. "I understand that, David. Kendall continues to have internal bleeding, even after we removed her spleen—"

Removed my what? Youch! Great, I'll be scarred for life.

Continuing, he says, "This is more serious, though. She has already received the supply of O negative that Radisson Memorial had in its bank. We can get some Medevaced out from Atlanta, I was asked to discuss this with you first because of the circumstances."

Mom and Dad exchange knowing glances. "As I'm sure you both know, Kendall is O negative, which means she can be a universal donor. However, she can't receive anything
but
O negative. And both you and your wife are AB positive. So is your youngest, Kaitlin."