Conquered, page 2
I strategically chose a neighborhood where Patrick would never look for me. He won’t even sell his guns or drugs to people that live in this type of neighborhood. He’d never go driving down these streets looking for me walking home from work. Even so, I keep my head down and keep to myself. I even wear a hat everywhere I go to hide my bright red hair. Some days, it feels like a beacon, alerting everyone to who I am. It sounds silly, but sometimes I just don’t feel like the badass I want to be.
Hopefully, Patrick has moved on to other things. Or even better yet, he finally gets arrested by the ATF for weapons trafficking. My leaving and going to the shelter drew attention to him and his activities. He hasn’t forgiven me for that. Or the hundred thousand dollars I took when I left. But he has bigger fish to fry; at least that’s what I’m telling myself. Why would he care about little ‘ol me? He has plenty of money and connections to get out of the country before being arrested. And I’m sure he did just that once he realized I was nowhere to be found.
I don’t believe any of it, though. Knowing Patrick, I know it bruised his ego when I left. Robbing him wasn’t the smartest thing to do, but I needed the money for mom. The nursing home she’s in for her Alzheimer's is very expensive. It’s where all of that money goes. I haven’t used a dime for myself. But Patrick won’t see it that way. If he ever comes looking for me, he’ll want his pound of flesh. I just hope I survive it.
“Thank you for shopping at Ralph’s. Have a nice day.” I say to my customer as I hand him his change and his bag of groceries. He ignores me, which is fine. He’s the last customer for the day.
“You going to see your mama tomorrow, Mallory?” Edie, Ralph’s wife, asks me as she closed and locks the front door while simultaneously pulling the bars closed, security the store.
“Every Sunday.”
“You’re a wonderful daughter. How’s she doing?”
I pull the cash register drawer out of the register and follow her to the back of the store. “Not good. The prognosis isn’t good. They had to put a feeding tube in her this week because she stopped eating on her own.”
“I’m sorry, dear. It’s a rough disease to watch someone go through.”
I don’t answer her because she’s right. I know I’m on borrowed time with my mom. She stopped recognizing me about a year ago, stopped talking about six months ago, and stopped doing anything for herself about a month ago. It’s rapidly progressing and the nurses and doctors tell me it’s only a matter of time.
Even so, she’s my mom and I love her, so I make sure to go see her at least once a week. It’s pretty risky going any more than that because Patrick knows my mom is sick. He doesn’t know where I placed her, but he has resources if he truly wanted to find out.
I put the cash register in the vault in the back of the store and grab my things to leave when Edie hands me a bag of day old baked goods. “Here. Take these. I’ll just have to throw them away if you don’t.”
“Thank you. I really appreciate it.” If it wasn’t for Edie and Ralph, I’d be eating noodles for every meal.
“You know we appreciate you, Mallory. I just wish we could afford to pay you more.”
Shaking my head, “Don’t. You and Ralph already do so much for me already.” I smile at her and then pull her into a hug. “You guys are the best.”
Edie pulls away while wiping a tear from her cheek. “Can I give you a ride home?”
“Nope. I’m good. I’ll see you Monday.”
“Give your mama my love.” Edie waves at me as she lets me out the back door of the grocery store. I hear her secure the three different locks that are on the door. I’m by myself in the alley. Not the best place to be as a woman all alone.
I quickly make my way out of the alley and onto the main road that leads to my apartment. I do my best not to make eye contact with anyone on my way home. It’s best not to in this neighborhood. Along the way, there are a few stray dogs that I recognize and pet if they come up to me. But they’re mostly apprehensive of people. My apartment is about two blocks from the store. I pass a few boarded up former businesses that have been empty for years, a mechanic shop with a lot of broken-down cars parked haphazardly, and an empty lot of land with garbage strewn about and weeds taller than my knees.
As I walk in the door, I immediately jump in the shower to wash off the day. There’s barely any water pressure in my building, but it’s better than nothing. Once done, I make a cheese sandwich for dinner using the bread Edie gave me today and I settle in to read. I don’t have the funds for a television or a cell phone, but the library is free and I have my library card. Tonight, it’s all about romance.
A girl can dream, can’t she?
Today, I read to mom all day. We are currently going through the Nancy Drew series. The nurses say she’s not really responding to any of their commands anymore. She just lays there. I helped them change and bath her in the morning and then at lunchtime, the kind nurses brought me a meal so that I could eat with mom. Actually, the nurses just injected food into her feeding tube, but I’m trying to see the bright side of things. Mom and I had lunch together.
At some point after lunch, mom fell asleep. I take that as a sign that it is time to go home. I brush her hair back from her forehead and kiss her goodnight. “I love you, mom.” I whisper to her, hoping she at least hears me.
I collect my things and make my way to the exit when a nurse stops me. “Miss Gordon? The doctor would like to talk to you. Do you have a few minutes?”
“He’s here?” He’s never here on Sundays.
She nods, “Yes. He was on vacation last week, so he’s in checking on his patients. Follow me.”
The young nurse leads me to another wing of the nursing home and into a small conference room. “Have a seat here and I’ll send him in for you.”
“Thanks.” I take a seat and nervously tap my foot. I have no idea what mom’s doctor would want to see me about, but I can feel the dread creep into my chest. It can’t be good.
“Miss Gordon? So nice to see you again.” Dr. Roberts comes in and shakes my hand. “May I?” he points to the chair at the head of the conference table.
“Please. Is my mother all right?” The concern clear in my voice.
He takes a deep breath. “Well, she’s as well as she can be at this stage of the disease. As we’ve talked about in the past, Alzheimer’s is always fatal.”
I nod, “I know.” I hate hearing it, though.
“With the need to insert the feeding tube, I think it’s time to consider hospice care for your mother.”
Dr. Roberts warned me when I had my mother transferred here, after I left Patrick, that eventually we would need to talk about hospice care. I just didn’t realize we were there yet. “Already?”
“Well, it’s been almost two years since she’s been here, and although she had some good days at the beginning, she’s declining quicker now. The disease is starting to affect her autonomic system. She’s stopped eating and drinking. Next could be her heart or her lungs. Or both.”
I feel the tears fall down my cheeks. My mom is all I have in this world. When she goes, I’ll be all alone. “What’s entailed in getting her into hospice?”
Dr. Roberts hands me a box of tissues. “I’ll fill out the paperwork and we’ll move her to another wing of the nursing home. Since your mom didn’t fill out any end-of-life documents, you’ll need to decide what end-of-life measures you want done for her.” He hands me a pamphlet. “Read this and write down your questions. We can talk later in the week.”
I take the pamphlet and nod at him. “Is she in any pain?”
He shakes his head, “No. None. But as you can see from your visit today, she’s not connecting with anyone. The disease is wreaking havoc in her brain. It’s a terrible disease.”
I nod in agreement.
“Do you have any questions for me now?”
“Um... yeah. How long can someone live in hospice care?” I’m basically asking him how much longer I have with my mom. When will she die? But I can’t ask that question out loud.
“Some of the younger patients can live up to six months in hospice.”
“And for a woman in her sixties?” My mother had me late in life.
In typical doctor fashion, he doesn’t actually answer my question. “She’s got less than that.”
I take a deep breath and nod at him as his pager goes off. He pulls it off the waistband of his scrubs and looks at it. “I’m sorry. I’ve got to get this. Are you okay? I can send one of the nurses in to sit with you, if you’d like.”
I shake my head, “No. It’s fine. Thank you for talking to me today. I appreciate your time.”
He smiles at me, pats me on the shoulder, and then leaves me all alone in the conference room to cry.
Chapter 3 - Owen
LAST NIGHT DURING DINNER at Gabriel’s, I announced that I was in the market for a house out in Wellington, which is a high-end section of Palm Beach County, but with acreage. Matt and Piper said they were also in the market for something in that area. I watch Olivia give Gabriel a dirty look. I have no doubt there was a conversation about the impending moves after everyone left.
Bella met Brownie, Olivia’s dog, and all the kids. She had a great time running through the place, chasing the kids and the other dogs. She slept the entire night, which was a first since I got her. Right now, she’s lying in her doggie bed in my office, chewing on a rubber toy, while Erick and I catch up.
“Any pending medical flights?” I ask him as he sits in one of my guest chairs.
“Actually, yes. We have about seven scheduled for this week and four for next week.”
“That’s great, Erick.”
“Yeah. I’m hiring more flight medics. We’re struggling to keep up with the demand.” Erick watches Bella attack her toy and laughs. “She’s a cutie.”
I look over at her and can’t believe how much I love that dog already. “She is. Have you thought anymore about bringing some flight medics on staff full time instead of having a list to call from? That might ease the strain of scheduling the flights.”
He turns to me, “Yeah. I think it’s a great idea. Full benefits package, right?” He asks.
“Of course. Let’s do it.” I tell him.
“Do what?” Gabriel asks as he saunters into my office and shakes Erick’s hand. “Good Monday Morning to you, Erick.”
“Good Morning Gabriel.” Erick answers.
Gabriel sits down in the other guest chair in my office as Bella runs over and attempts to bark at him. He lowers his hand for her to smell him. Apparently, he smells fine because she returns to her bed and her toy.
“Hiring full-time flight medics.” I answer my brother. “Erick’s got a lot of flights scheduled and it seems to be the norm now, so we’re going to bring on full-time medics. Benefits and all.”
“Sounds great. Probably should have done that years ago.” Gabriel agrees, then turns to Erick. “Don’t hire my wife.”
Erick laughs. “You got it.” He looks at his watch. “Gotta go. I’ve got a meeting with the University’s Medical Center Director to set up exclusive contracts. Wish me luck.”
“Good Luck.” Gabriel and I tell him in unison as he walks out the door.
“What do I owe the pleasure?” I ask Gabriel. He never wanders down to my office unless he wants something.
“You got me in a lot of trouble last night.”
“Nice try. That’s all on you.”
“Next time you want to drop a bomb like that, warn me first. Now I have to move.”
I start laughing. “Olivia asked you to move?”
He scoffs at me, “Asks? Yeah, right. She told me she and the kids are moving with or without me. So, I suppose we’re moving now. Where exactly are you moving to? Now I need a real estate agent.”
“I need one, too. Think we can get a deal?” Matt asks as he enters my office.
“I’m glad you’re here. I wanted to talk to the both of you about something.” I tell him as I gesture to the open guest chair next to Gabriel.
“What’s up?” Gabriel asks.
I pull up the plot of land my real estate agent has been pushing for me to look at on my computer and then I send the image to the big screen on the wall of my office. “This area here,” I circle with my mouse, “is an area my agent has been trying to get me to buy. It’s sixty acres; too big for just me. I’m not looking for anything that big... by myself.”
I look over at my brothers to see if they’re picking up on what I’m saying. Matt’s the first one to get it.
“So, if we all go in, we split the land?”
“Maybe. That way we’re still close, but have our own space. The girls would love to stay close together, I’m sure.”
“What’s near this land? Any commercial or industrial zoning? Any major roadways?” Gabriel asks.
“Strictly zoned as agricultural. Mostly, all the homes in this area are horse farms.”
“Oh, god, don’t tell Piper that. I’ll own horses soon, then.” Matt says.
He’s not joking. Piper’s the type that would jump into the horse world with two feet.
“What do we do with the condos?” Gabriel asks, still looking at the map on the screen. “Zoom out a bit.”
I zoom out, “I plan to sell mine, but we could also use them for client uses. Like safe houses. Since we purchased Elite, we now have famous clients. When they come to Florida, our condos could be part of the protection package.”
I watch Gabriel nod his head absentmindedly. “We could use them for housing for the staff, as well. During the planning phases of missions, the pilots that need to rest between flights, etc.”
Gabriel turns to me. “This is a great idea, Owen.”
“Don’t sound so shocked.”
“You know what I mean. Send me the details on the land. I need to show the boss tonight.”
“Yeah, me too.” Matt agrees. “Why don’t we meet with the agent this week?”
“I’ll arrange it.” I tell them as they get up to leave.
“Hey. Mom and dad would be proud of us for sticking together.” Gabriel looks at both Matt and I.
“Yeah. They would.” I agree. “Now, get out of my office. I’ve got work to do.” I smile at them as they both call me an asshole and leave.
I called my real estate agent to tell her our plan about the property and I could hear her grinning over the phone. She insisted on collecting a few more properties for the three of us to look at once she realized what our plans were. I told her it wasn’t necessary, but she insisted. I should have some options to show my brothers later tonight.
Bella did really well as an office dog, but I highly suspect that is due in part to all the visitors she had today to play with her or take her outside. She loved every minute. But now that we’re home, it’s just her and me, and I love it. She’s chasing the ball I’m rolling on the floor. She hasn’t grasped the concept of fetch, but we’ll keep practicing.
My condo video phone rings. I swipe the remote off the coffee table and aim it at the large screen in my living room. It’s both of my brother’s ugly mugs. “You know. Both of you live in the same building. You could have just come down.” I say in greeting.
They both ignore me. “Have you looked at what the real estate agent sent over?” Matt asks me.
I shake my head, “No. Let me grab my laptop from the other room. Hold on.” I grab my laptop and open it up on my way back to the living room and there in my email inbox is the email Matt’s asking about. I open it and see not only did she send the information regarding the original property she was trying to sell me, but others in the same area as well.
“Which one are we looking at?” I start scrolling. She sent about five different options.
“Look at the third option.”Gabriel directs both Matt and me. “It’s three adjacent properties that total about seventy-five acres, but the story she put behind the sale is that a developer owned the property and built three homes to be used as model homes, but his funding ran out. He’s trying to sell them all separately to make back more of his money. Each property has ten acres cleared and then the rest is in its natural state. There’s even a lake and a small creek that runs through the three properties.”
“What are the stats on the homes?” Matt asks as I keep scrolling through everything the agent sent us.
“It looks like they’re complete, except for landscaping. All three are ten thousand square feet, four bedrooms, five bathrooms. Other than that, I have no idea. Obviously, we’d need to see them. But hey, it’s an option and we can move on this faster than building on our own. What do you guys think?”
“It won’t hurt to take a look.” I answer. “Want me to set it up?”
“If you can, that’d be great. Just remember, I may have to go to San Francisco this weekend, so if you can make it before Friday, that’d be great.” Matt asks as he picks up a crying Hannah.
I pick up Bella and hold her up to the camera. “Hi Hannah banana. Do you see Bella?” I’ve always had a way with her to get her to stop crying. She looks up from Matt’s shoulder with her thumb in her mouth and tears on her cheeks and waves at Bella. I wave Bella’s paw back at her.
“She okay?” Gabriel’s concern for our niece is clear in his voice.
Matt nods, “Yeah. She’s started teething this week. Owen, if you can make the arrangements to see these properties and then the one you first mentioned, I’d appreciate it. I’m going to go get Hannah some medicine for her fever.”
“Will do. Talk to y’all tomorrow. Night.”
“Night.”
“Goodnight.”
The screen goes dark while I’m still holding Bella. “Looks like we’re going to get you a big yard sooner rather than later. Would you like that?”
Bella licks my chin. I think she’s on board.
Chapter 4 - Mallory
