Stella
I drove to Stella's house which was out in the country, some miles outside of town, and parked in the driveway. It was a pretty farmhouse, with two stories and a wide front porch. There were rockers and a hanging swing. I really liked the entrance.
I knocked on the door and Stella greeted me with a big hug and kissed my neck as we held each other in the foyer.
Her buss and kiss sent a chill thru my spine and I was not sure what to do. I was distraught from the hospital but glad to be in someone's arms.
"Coffee?" she said.
"Yes please," I responded, and she took my hand and led me to the kitchen.
I sat at her kitchen table which was a beautiful heavy oak antique round single pedestal with bright glossy finish. I was admiring it when Stella brought a set of china cups, creamer and sugar to the table along with a silver pot of coffee. It was all so beautiful. As she poured, all I could think of was the silver service that Madame had had in her office and how we would sit and talk about life and love, drinking coffee late at night when the house was closed for the evening and quiet. It was almost sunrise on most of those occasions, but they were vivid in my memory. I could feel the tears welling up in my eyes as I sipped the black coffee and thought of Madame.
Stella could see right thru me and left me to pine. She sweetened her coffee and looked across the table at me for a long time. Finally, she said, "Rachael I want you to know that you can stay with me as long as you need. I can see how hard this is for you and I want to be your friend if you will let me."
I burst out crying at that point, my throat was swollen up and I couldn't speak. She got up and came to me, stood next to me and pulled my face to her bosom. I burrowed into her and wrapped my arms around her waist. We held each other for what seemed like forever. I cried like I had never cried before. Thought of all the pain that Madame had suffered only to be met with cruel men on her last night in this ugly town. I made up my mind at that point that they would pay; one way or another they would pay. I could see their faces in my mind and I knew I would never forget them as long as I lived.
Stella finally broke the hold and said, "You need some rest dear, why don't I take you upstairs, and let you lie down for a while. You might sleep some and I think it would help."
We walked up the stairs and into her guest room. She undressed me, and gentle put me to bed. I felt her walk around the bed and come to lay beside me. She held me in her arms and soon I fell into a deep and fitful sleep.
When I woke up I was disoriented and didn't know where I was. The bed and its surroundings were strange and suddenly I had a bad feeling about the place. I lay there and looked at the ceiling and tried to remember what was happening. Slowly it came back to me, I was in Stella's house and Madame was in the hospital, I had to get up and go check on her.
I had slept thru the day and Stella was in the kitchen when I came downstairs. She greeted me with a hug and "How do you like your eggs?"
"I need to get to the hospital," I said.
"You need your strength and if you don't eat again today you will be next to her and comatose" she retorted.
I smiled at her and said, "Scrambled and coffee black."
"That's better, now sit down and eat."
She poured eggs in a frying pan then poured me a coffee, the eggs smelled great and the coffee better.
We had breakfast for dinner and I felt much better.
"Do you want me to go with you to the hospital?" she asked.
I thought about it and told her it wasn't necessary but that if she wanted to come I would appreciate the company. I had no idea what was in store for me and having a friend was going to be a good thing.
We drove in her car and I started to worry the minute we walked into the ER. It was the last place I saw Madame and I hoped the staff there could point me in the right direction. The nurse at the desk said that I should go to the ICU on the fifth floor and they would help me.
We found the elevator and went up to five. The ICU was right across from the elevator and I walked up to the front desk. They were very busy, and I had a difficult time explaining what I wanted. They didn't have a patient by the name of Silver in the ICU, but they had just changed shift and she may have been here for a time.
I thanked her, and she went off to check on the day shift patients. While we waited I got a strange sense of foreboding and I knew something was wrong. I started to shake, and Stella picked right up on it.
"Take it easy honey, we don't know anything for sure yet" she said.
"I am scared, I just know something is wrong"
A doctor appeared from behind a door and asked us to join him in a small waiting room for ICU family members.
"I am sorry to have to be the one to tell you, but Madame did not come out of the anesthetic after surgery. She remained in the coma, and we placed her here in the ICU to recover. About two hours ago her heart stopped and our efforts to start it again failed. I am sorry, but she was pronounced dead at about 4:30 this afternoon. I didn't know how to find you, so I just had to wait for your return."
I sat there stunned, I didn't know what to say or do. Stella asked where the body was, and the doctor told us where the morgue was located.
I nodded at the doctor and Stella helped me up and guided me to the door and the elevator.
