18

This story was edited by ErikThread and DaveT with my thanks and appreciation. Any errors are mine alone. Previously posted on another site.

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Chapter 16 Discovery

I slept that night, exhaustion and a lack of sleep the night before having finally caught up to me. I didn't remember my dreams although I'm sure I had some. We had eaten at a nearby restaurant that served exactly what we expected, a meat and potatoes menu. This was cattle country and there was no place on the menu for that sissy west coast fare. Thomas and I laughed about it. It was the first time we'd laughed at anything since I discovered Georgette was missing.

Before we retired, I called the highway patrol station and was assured by the night duty officer that there was nothing new in the search for Georgette. We watched the news on the local channels and as far as we could tell, all of them broadcast the missing persons alert for Georgette, showing both her picture and the SUV she had rented. They had done what they had said they would. Now we had to wait to see if anyone recognized her and knew of her whereabouts.

The next morning I flicked on the news while Thomas was in the bathroom, and once again the missing persons report was there. I watched to see if there was anything about the search for Georgette, but it was just a repeat of the previous night's message. I was about to switch over when a story about stolen rental cars came on. I stopped to watch.

Apparently, the rental car companies were putting GPS tracking devices on their units in some cities where theft was becoming a chronic problem. Some of their higher end units were particular targets of the "strip and ship" gangs. I could feel my heart start to race. Did Georgette's SUV have such a unit installed? If it did, could they locate it?

I picked up the phone and called the 1-800 number for the rental agency.

"Can you tell me if a rental unit from Boise, Idaho would have your GPS tracking unit installed. The person who rented it is missing and we're trying to find her."

I was talking to a woman who was unwilling to divulge very much information. I argued with her, but the upshot was that I would have to have the highway patrol contact them to get the answers to my questions. I gave up in frustration as Thomas came out of the bathroom.

"I heard part of that. What's happening?"

I told him about the tracking devices and I could see his eyes widen in surprise. Seconds later we were on the phone to Sergeant Kranowski, our contact at the highway patrol.

"The rental agency won't release the information to us, but they will to you. This could really help us find my fiancée," I pleaded.

"I'll get on it right away," he assured me. "I'll call you back to bring you up to date," he promised.

"No point in us going off on a wild goose chase if they can locate the vehicle for us," Thomas said.

I nodded in agreement. Once again we were forced to sit and wait. We headed off to a local chain restaurant for breakfast and talked about what we would do if this was another dead end. If it wasn't, what would the highway patrol be willing to tell us?

"You can't say there've been many dull moments since you got involved with this family," Thomas said with a rueful grin.

"I feel like most of it is my doing, Thomas. I mean, I was the guy that got Brad all uptight about being with Georgette in Tahoe. It was me that he was after when he came back to San Francisco. Now ... it's my project that she was helping with that caused this. Maybe I'm a bad omen for your family," I said sadly.

"You can't think like that, John. Brad was going to be a big problem one way or another. If he'd taken Georgette and she'd resisted, what might he have done to her? He thought nothing of beating her. No ... you can't let yourself think that way. And now, we don't know what's happened to her, and blaming yourself is not going to bring you any satisfaction. We just have to wait and learn what comes next."

We were walking slowly back to the motel room when Thomas's phone went off.

"Hello?"

(pause)

"Great! What have you learned?"

(pause)

"How long will it take you to get there?"

(pause)

"Call me as soon as you do, please. We've got to know."

(short pause)

"Thank you," he said, signing off. "They've found the SUV. It did have a tracking device and they located it near a wildlife refuge not far from Great Falls."

I didn't know what to say. Obviously there was no word on Georgette and equally obviously there would be units on the way.

"Are they sending the helicopter?" I asked.

"It's on its way along with a couple of patrol cars that were in the area. We'll know soon enough, John," he said, answering the unasked question.

Now I was really tense. Would Georgette be there? Was she alive? If she was alive, was she injured? I didn't make it to the room before I lost my breakfast.

"Sorry, Thomas, I'm a basket case right now. I need to sit down."

"I understand, John. I'm not too stable myself. Let's just hope they find her and she's alive. That would be enough right now."

We sat quietly in the air conditioned motel room, silently waiting for Thomas's cell phone to ring. He sat staring at it, almost willing it to ring it seemed. I knew exactly what he was thinking. What news would it bring? Could we handle it?

When it finally did ring almost an hour later, we jumped as if we had been given a jolt of electricity.

"Hello?" Thomas gasped.

(pause)

"How is she?"

(pause)

"Is she going to be all right?"

(pause)

"Which hospital?"

I watched him write down a name as he listened. Already I could feel my heart racing once more.

"Thank you, we're on our way."

He hadn't shut the phone off before he turned to me.

"They found her. The car had left a dirt road and apparently rolled over several times. She was trapped inside, too injured to work her way out. They're airlifting her to some place called Benefits Healthcare on 26th Street South. Let's go."

I was at the door before Thomas, and we raced to our rental SUV. While Thomas got us on the way, I punched in the name of the hospital and within seconds we were getting directions. We weren't that far away as it turned out, and we quickly parked the vehicle. I could see a MHP helicopter on the nearby pad and assumed it was the unit that had brought Georgette in.

It let Thomas do the talking, since he was her father. He signed the paperwork they insisted on before we headed for the emergency waiting room to await some news. I could see the worried look on Thomas's face and I'm sure I didn't look any brighter. If she were alive, there was a chance. Once again, we were forced to wait.

I saw Thomas start and then pull out his phone. It took me a moment to realize he was phoning Sarah to let her know what was going on. At least now we had some news, although there was another nerve-racking wait ahead of us.

I couldn't hear all of Thomas's conversation with Sarah, but from the sound of it he was trying to calm Sarah down. I could imagine how upset she was now, learning that Georgette was in the hospital and we didn't know her status. I blanked my mind to everything but praying that Georgette would be all right. I could handle it if she was badly hurt, as long as she lived. That's all I cared about at that moment.

"I think I've got Sarah calmed down temporarily, John. What about your parents. They don't know anything about this, do they?"

"No, I've been afraid to call them after what they went through in Tahoe. I think I'll wait until we know Georgette's condition before I phone."

It must have been at least an hour after we arrived before a green cloaked man walked into the waiting room and asked Thomas if he was Mr. Fulton.

"Yes, I am. This is John Smith, my daughter's fiancé. What is her condition, doctor?"

"She's in serious but stable condition. She has a compound fracture of the left humerus," he said, pointing to his upper arm. "She has a cracked scapula and is also concussed and severely bruised about her upper back and lower jaw. Most of the damage is on her left side."

"Is she awake? Can we see her?" I asked immediately.

"She is not conscious and I'm not anxious to have her wake up just yet. I'd like to do some scans on her cranium to make sure there are no fractures. According to the highway patrol, the airbags deployed, but she must have been injured in a secondary event. It's hard to tell, but we'll keep her under observation while we get a grip on what's happened to her."

"Is she going to be all right?" Thomas asked, milliseconds before I did.

"Well, her bones will heal and the bruising will heal, but it's too early to tell about the effects of the concussion and any other hidden trauma. We'll be spending a good deal of time looking for any other problems, just to make sure."

"Is there any chance we can see her tonight?" I asked.

"Yes, but she won't be awake and I doubt she will be for some time, probably more than a day. Come with me and I'll take you to her room."

We followed down a long corridor to a single-bed room in the I.C.U. When I looked at the person in the bed, I didn't recognize her as Georgette. Between the cast, the bruising, and various tubes and monitors, she looked like an alien. Thomas and I walked to the side of the bed and looked down at her.

Her face was swollen and a mixture of black, blue and yellow tones. Besides the cast on her arm, her upper body was trussed up somehow, probably to prevent her from further damage to her shoulder blade. I leaned over and gently kissed her forehead.

"Get well, my love," I whispered, tears now coming.

I didn't want to leave and yet I didn't want to stay. To see her like this was almost too much. She was a beautiful woman in the prime of her life. Now, she was battered and bloodied in some horrible accident and I only wanted her to get better. I didn't know what to do.

"Let's go back to the motel, John. I need to phone Sarah and you need to phone your parents. The doctor is sure nothing will change in the next day or so. We can come back tomorrow. Let's go," he implored.

I nodded. He was right. There was nothing we could do except watch and pray. There would be plenty of time to sit with her in the coming days. In the meantime, we had a duty to perform.

The phone call to my parents was long and painful. I carefully explained what had happened, first to my mother, then once again to my father. They were, quite naturally, shocked and deeply distressed. They had come to think of Georgette as their daughter, even though we had yet to formalize our relationship. They had also bonded with the Fultons and the desBiens in a manner that I hadn't expected.

My mother was all set to fly to Great Falls to be with Thomas and me, but I asked that she wait until we knew more about Georgette's condition and future. When would we be taking her back to San Francisco? How long would her rehabilitation last? Would she be whole, without permanent injury? All these were questions yet to be answered. The only thing that seemed certain was that the wedding would be postponed. I think above all other things this did more to deflate my mother than anything else.

"How is Sarah?" I asked Thomas as he returned to our motel room.

"Very upset. I've arranged for her to fly here tomorrow. I tried to talk her out of it, or at least delay until Georgette was conscious, but she was insistent. Nan will be coming too. It's probably just as well. The more moral support we can give her, the better chance of a full recovery. In the meantime, we'll put Nan in Georgette's room and I've rented another room for Sarah and myself."

"My mother was all set to come too, but I talked her into waiting until we knew what Georgette's condition was. This is going to be hard on both our families, Thomas. I'm no longer surprised at how close we've become, but that makes it that much more difficult to accept what's happened to her."

He nodded. "I understand. Once again, we're forced to wait and see what hand fate deals us."

It was another night with little or no sleep. More than once the tears came. More than once I thought about getting up and taking a cab to the hospital and sitting in Georgette's room. Just being with her and watching her breathe and knowing that she was alive would be some comfort. I didn't, but I was determined I would stay with her during the day if they would allow me.

"I'll probably ask you to leave if something requires our immediate attention, Mr. Smith," Doctor Hettinger told me. "Normally, only close relatives are permitted short visits in the I.C.U. rooms. You'll have to be completely quiet as well. If someone else comes into the room, you'll have to leave. Understood?"

"Yes," I nodded.

It was better than nothing. Thomas and I would alternate for an hour or so at a time until Sarah and Nan's plane arrived. I didn't want Georgette left alone for any length of time at all. If somehow, she knew we were here it might bring her back to us sooner. If there was any possibility she might know we were here, I wanted that thought to be with her.

It was early afternoon when Sarah and Nan arrived at the hospital with Thomas.

"She's going to be all right, Sarah," I said embracing her. "I just know she will. We've found her and the doctors are going to make her well again."

She nodded with a grim smile and said nothing, tears streaming from reddened eyes, dark circles showing under them.

I turned to Nan. "She's a fighter, Nan. You know that. She won't give up. She's got two families on her side."

For the first time since I'd known her, I could see tears in Nan's eyes and the deep concern she had for her granddaughter. Gone was the light-hearted, carefree woman, replaced by a very worried one, frightened for Georgette's future.

Thomas had taken Sarah and Nan to the motel to get them settled. Nan was happy to stay in Georgette's room as she felt it kept her close to her wounded granddaughter. Sarah would have Thomas to comfort her while this drama played out. I, on the other hand, would be on my own once more.

We alternated being in the room with Georgette, one of us at a time, the rest of us in the waiting room or walking around the grounds of the hospital, trying to keep a positive attitude and waiting anxiously for something to break in Georgette's condition. By the third day, I was beginning to worry that it might be a very long time before she regained consciousness.

I was drowsing as I sat in the slippery hospital chair, my butt gradually sliding forward until I would wake and pull myself back more upright. I wondered at times if the hospital bought these chairs from the same supplier as the firms that furnished the airport terminal buildings.

"She's waking up," I heard Sarah say as she rushed into the waiting room. "Her eyelids are fluttering. She's waking up."

The excitement in her voice was unmistakable and for the first time I saw the hint of a smile and a look of optimism on her face. I think Thomas beat me to my feet by less than a second, but I had shaken off my lethargy and was now wide awake.

"I called the nurse and she's sent for the doctor," Sarah gasped, holding onto Thomas with a look of expectation.

We waited impatiently for the doctor to arrive and give us an update on Georgette's status. As the minutes ticked by, we became more and more restless. The little bit of activity that Sarah had seen might not have been what we hoped for; that she was waking. I paced and then I sat. Then I rose and paced again. I had no thought of the others in the room at that point. My thoughts were focused on Georgette.

It seemed like hours before the doctor came into the waiting room to address us.

"I have some good news for you," he began. "She's awake and responding to our questions. She seems to be lucid and is asking for you. I think it's best that no more than two of you go in to see her at one time. Please do not get her excited or ask her too many questions. Keep your tone even and controlled. I'm still unsure of the consequences of the concussion. She's quite groggy due to the medication, but as I said, she is reasonably alert. Please, no more than five minutes each for now. It's going to be a while before she's completely with us."

"Oh, thank you, Doctor," Sarah said with more tears. "We're so grateful for all you've done."

He smiled and left the room, taking Sarah and Thomas with her. I sat back with a sigh of relief, taking Nan's hand in mine and giving it a gentle squeeze.

"I hope our prayers have been answered," I said to her.

"She's going to be fine, Johnny, just you wait and see. She's strong and she's got everything to live for. She'll be fine."

She spoke with a tone of confidence that I wish I felt. There was still a lot to learn and a long way to go. But, I now had some hope that this would turn out better than my worst fears. Nan was telling me to be positive and that was good advice.

My cell phone rang as we sat there and I looked to see who was calling. It was a local number.

"Hello?"

"Mr. Smith?"

"Yes."

"This is Sergeant Kranowski at the highway patrol office. I've been trying to get ahold of Mr. Fulton to talk to him about his daughter's accident. Is he still in Great Falls?"

"Yes. My fiancée has woken and he and his wife are visiting her right now. He won't be long. I can have him call you."

"Yes, please. We need to talk to him about the accident."

"I'll make sure he calls you. Would you mind telling me what this is about?"

"Let me talk to the closest relative first, please. That's procedure."

"I understand. I'll make sure he gets your message."

We rang off and I wondered what that was about. Neither Thomas nor I knew anything about the details of her accident. How could we help?

It wasn't long before Thomas and a weeping Sarah returned to the room. In this case, the tears were of relief that her daughter was alive and talking.

"She's very woozy, John," Thomas said. "She recognizes us and knows she was in an accident, but her thoughts are a bit scrambled, so don't get too detailed with your questions."

"I'll keep him in line," a now more upbeat Nan said.

I told Thomas about the phone call from the highway patrol and gave him the number Kranowski had used. He walked out of the waiting room to make the call.

Sarah and Nan hugged before it was my turn for kiss and a hug. I could sense the relief in Sarah and that was good medicine all on its own. I led Nan down the corridor to Georgette's room.

Her eyes were closed when we entered the room and I wondered if she had dropped off again, but they opened when she heard us approach.

"Nan ... John ... oh I'm so happy to see you," she said in a very weak voice.

"Not as happy as we are to see you awake and talking," Nan smiled. That woman could brighten any room and that's exactly the effect she was having on her granddaughter.

"I had an accident. (pause) I crashed the rental car. (pause) I broke my arm and shoulder. (pause) I hurt like hell. (pause) I'm going to be all right, aren't I?"

It had taken a supreme effort for her to get it all out. But the fact that she knew what had happened and where she was injured gave me great hope that she was going to be okay at some point.

"Don't worry about any of that right now, love," I said. "Concentrate on getting better. The minute we can, we'll get you back home so you can recover in the comfort of your own place. I'll be right there with you, too. Your whole family will be there."

"But what about your exams, John? (pause) What about our wedding? (pause) I've ruined everything now."

"No ... no ... nothing that can't wait. It was an accident and accidents happen. Think about getting better. I can write the exams any time and we can get married any time. First things first. You get well."