Welcome to Epilogue III/Chapter 14, or as I like to call it, "Return of the Jedi".... wait, that doesn't sound right. Anyway, you might want to read the preceding chapters lest you be lost. Unless you like being lost, some people are into that. I don't judge. This started out as a project to vent a few sexy stories, and has become more of a novella. Entering in the middle of it would probably be frustrating. It is a quasi memoir, the names and locales have been changed and some parts embellished. Okay, in the epilogues a lot has been embellished. I am still enjoying writing it, so will continue until I no longer do. I truly appreciate any feed back, as I think most folks that post on here do. I also appreciate that you are taking the time to read it, especially you folks that started last summer at the beginning.
Finally, another shout out to my editor, Tangentjoker. If you don't read his stories you are missing out, especially the one involving the minister (hint hint, that one needs to be continued! just sayin'). The other series I am writing should begin soon, but writing these chapters has distracted me from it. It is easier to write for developed characters than ones I still need to develop and it is easier to write about things I know and embellish rather than things I just make up. I would have thought it the other way around. Oh well, enjoy!
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I remembered when I was in sixth grade, I had a teacher who had taken her husband to the doctor for some supposedly simple tests. I never heard what nor would I have understood at that time. When they got home, the phone was ringing. It was the hospital telling her to bring him right back and not to say why. When they arrived, as he walked across the lobby - as the story went - a vessel in his brain had ruptured and he was dead before he hit the floor. This was the first thing I thought of when my mother Donna knocked so early Monday morning with my doctor, her apparent boyfriend, in tow behind her.
"Jessica, we need to talk," she said, and the blood drained from my face with fear over that memory. Only something truly threatening would have brought her and my physician over unexpectedly like this so recently after I had been hospitalized for the second time following the wreck that had left me in a coma. I feared the worse. That was the only explanation I could imagine.
"What's wrong?"
"May we come in, Jessica?" Dr. Riley politely asked.
"Of course, of course. What's wrong?"
"We, well, I need to talk to you, and there hasn't been a good time, but.." Donna said, as she looked to Dr. Riley for guidance. "Well, let's sit down and I'll try to explain it all."
We sat on the couch and the initial fear began to alleviate, but was replaced with a sense of impending doom.
"Where is Brent?"
"He's still asleep. Should I get him? Is everything okay?"
"No, no, for now, let him sleep. I think I'd rather talk to you alone for now, if that's alright."
"Sure, I mean, if it's something that affects me, though... Well, we have no secrets."
"Oh, well, I just hate to,,," She looked at Dr. Riley and asked, "Where should I begin?"
"I'd start a little over three years ago," he thoughtfully said, "Then go back further. But, well that's what I would..."
"No, that's probably best. Jessica, I was a terrible parent and a lousy mom. I'm so happy to be part of your life again. I don't deserve to be but, well, I've told you all that. I hope you have forgiven me," she said quickly in a near whisper, as if it hurt her to say it. Her eyes filled with tears.
"Mom, that's okay. It's water under the bridge. We can't change the past. And if it wasn't for all that stuff, well, I wouldn't be who I am, and with Brent, or... Well, it's over with. We need to just move on."
"I know, I know. But I've been needing to tell you some things about the last few years and there hasn't been a good time. Every time I made up my mind to, well, something would come up and, well, I need to tell you now. Before anything else comes up." She took a deep breath and I could have sworn Dr. Riley cracked a smile for just a second. Like he heard an inside joke no one else was privy to.
"So, you know I got arrested, and why,.. and why I lost you. You know all that. And you know I dedicated myself to fixing what was wrong with me. And somehow earning a relationship, some kind of, well, any kind of relationship back with you. But you need to know how, I guess. When I was in jail it was like a six month detox. I came out drug and alcohol free for the first time in years. I had no place to live, I didn't know where you were. I had about twenty dollars to my name, the office address of a probation officer, and a flyer from AA I grabbed on the way out of the jail. I had been to a few meetings over the years when judges made me, but I didn't believe it. I wasn't a junkie or an alcoholic. I could stop if I wanted to. I just didn't want to. That was how I thought. But once I was dry, I could see that every problem in my life went back to it. I had hit rock bottom. So I called the AA hotline from the phone in the lobby of the jail. They were nice enough to come get me. I went to my first real meeting and a nice lady there that night took pity and let me stay in a spare room she had until I got back on my feet. I went to meetings every night. I got a sponsor, and he helped me get into an inpatient program. Unlike before, this time I took it seriously, I had to fix myself. I had, uh, messed up and lost you and I couldn't go on like that. So this time I worked the steps and worked them hard. My sponsor saw how serious I was. Then he helped me find a job and a school that I could get a two year RN degree from. He helped me study. He took care of me emotionally when I thought it was all too much. He gave me the occasional butt kicking about school, life, and sobriety when I needed it, and helped me work the steps. When I was having trouble with anatomy and pharmacology, he was there making me learn it. When it came time to apply for my license and take my boards, he went to bat for me. He got his friends that knew me to do so as well and got the board to overlook my past so I could actually be a nurse. Well, so, we, uh..." her voice tapered off.
"We became very close," Dr. Riley finished for her. "Yeah, I'm an alcoholic. I haven't drank in 23 years, since college, but I work the steps everyday."
Donna reached over and took his hand. "So, yes, in answer to your question yesterday, Mike and I are involved, and we have been for almost two years now. He is the only man I've seen since, well, then. Other than you, he's the most important person in my life, I should have told you this when you woke up, but the time never seemed right. I didn't want to talk about it all in front of everyone yesterday. It seemed like something I, well, we, should tell you privately. It wasn't a coincidence when the wreck happened I had them fly you to his hospital. In fact, he was the one that ordered the helicopter there."
"That's wonderful! I was scared you two came here to tell me you found something on my x-ray and I was about to die or something! I'm so happy for you!" I beamed.
"Why would you think that? Didn't you believe me at the ER Saturday?" Dr. Riley asked.
"No, no! I mean, yes, I did! I just, well, you both being here startled me!"
"Sorry, that wasn't what we intended." He grinned. "Donna, you should tell her the rest."
"Well, uh, Jessica, I, well, like I said, I was a terrible parent to you. And I know you say it's water under the bridge and all that, but well, it isn't now, well, because something is, uh..."
"Is something wrong? Are you okay?" I asked.
"Yes! I'm fine! Better than fine! I'm in the best health of my life! It's just..."
"Well, stop scaring me! I thought you had a tumor or something. None of that old stuff matters. You and I are family and always will be. I'm over all that. Please, don't ever bring it up again."
"Uhhh, I don't have a tumor, no, but I do have an, ummmm, unanticipated growth," she said.
"Oh no! What, is there anything they can do?" I asked Dr. Riley. I knew nothing about medicine, but "Unanticipated growth" didn't sound good to me.
