Second Chance:

[Grand58742]

CHAPTER 18

[Cimarron]

Appreciate the story and all your work on it.

[Grand58742]

CHAPTER 17 CONTINUED

********************

[Grand58742]

CHAPTER 17


As they were driving home, Charlie spoke to Cindy about the day’s events and started preparing her for the next day’s meeting with the judge. She casually mentioned how nice it was to see someone making the voluntary choice to become baptized rather than having the choice made for them.

“I never asked, but have you been baptized?” asked Charlie.

“Twice,” laughed Cindy. “But neither time was my choice. If I remember, one needs to make the choice themselves instead of having someone do it for them.”

“What do you mean?” asked Charlie.

“Well, my father had me baptized as a Catholic when I was little and again as a Christian later on in…I think it was a Christian church, maybe Presbyterian I’m not sure. Anyway, I never made the choice myself,” she explained.

“Just how many religions have you practiced?” asked Charlie.

“Let’s see…I was a Catholic from when I was born to a little later, Jewish after that, then Christian in a Baptist church, I think Buddhism or Hindu was somewhere in there along with Scientology at some point, but not for long. And Wicca for a while, back to Christianity and finally to Islam,” she explained.

“Seems like your Dad always goes back to Christianity,” said Charlie.

“Probably not this time. He’s in far too deep and has become brainwashed. I mean, who would give up their family to a nasty old pervert?” asked Cindy.

“Very true. So you think there’s no coming back for him?” he asked.

“I didn’t say that. I just think he needs a few moments to reflect on what happened to his family because of that religion. It’s not a bad thing I suppose, being religious and all, but the way it brainwashed him makes it a terrible thing,” said Cindy.

“I want everything to work out for you in the long run,” said Charlie.

“As well as my family,” she said and the matter was dropped.

“Ready for tomorrow?” he asked.

“Yeah, big day,” she said and looked out the window.

“I probably won’t be in there with you. It’ll probably just be Mitch, Jimmy and the judge,” said Charlie.

“I would want you to go in with me,” she said.

“I understand, but this doesn’t specifically concern me. I mean it does, but it would be best for me to just wait outside,” said Charlie.

“Why so?” she asked.

He paused before answering, thinking over the subject since it was something he had put some thought into before having the conversation. “Well, honestly, I’m not sure if my being a single male having a pretty teenage girl living at my house would be something most judges would accept. If you think about it in today’s world, plenty of dirty old men are looking to prey on someone like you. And it’s probably the first thought that pops into someone’s head. So for the moment, I’d much rather just have Mitch or Jimmy say you are staying with an authorized foster family rather than have to answer more pointed questions.”

“But you aren’t like that!” she exclaimed.

“No, I’m not, but others wouldn’t believe that. And no matter what you say to others, perception is reality in many people’s eyes,” said Charlie.

“So if the subject comes up?” asked Cindy.

“You are staying with a foster family, nothing more,” said Charlie.

“You want me to lie?” asked Cindy.

“No, I’m not telling you to lie. But you need to conceal the truth since others wouldn’t understand the situation,” said Charlie.

“But you aren’t a foster family,” she said.

“I am a certified foster home now thanks to Mitch,” said Charlie.

“Okay, I understand that, but it isn’t the same as a family,” said Cindy.

“I know,” he replied and got lost in thought about how his house might have been a home had life not been so cruel to him. He stayed silent the remainder of the trip to his house, thinking of how attached he had already become to Cindy. Like the family he had never had, she had popped into his life and he had grasped at the first thoughts of being a provider and a father figure, even for a short time. The silence was unsettling to Cindy as she saw something come over him after she made her last comment.

“I said something wrong, didn’t I?” she asked as they pulled up outside the house.

“No, nothing. It’s just me,” said Charlie with a brief smile.

“What? What did I say?” she asked.

“Nothing at all. It’s…it’s just taken me a long time to get over Annie’s and Abigail’s deaths. I know I should have moved on years ago, but I just never did. You didn’t have anything to do with it,” he answered.

“But I did kind of have something to do with it. Now that I’m here, you’ve had a taste of the family life. And you found something you were missing all these years?” she asked.

“You’re far too smart for your own good,” he said evasively, but answering the question indirectly.

“A smart teenager?” she grinned.

“And a blond at that,” he teased, trying to change the subject.

“Hey!” she objected and punched him in the arm as they were heading towards the house.

“Owww, I need to scale back your muscle exercises,” he said rubbing his arm.

“Yeah right, I’d go insane,” she laughed before adding in more thoughts. “I think you would make a good dad.”

“How’s that?” he asked.

“Well, you’re kind, a good teacher, fair but stern when you need to be, caring…just quite a few things,” she replied.

“I hope you aren’t hinting at something,” he said as he unlocked the door.

“No!” she exclaimed. “I just mean you have the qualities of a good father.”

“I can accept that answer,” he said and went towards the kitchen to drop off the empty pan.

“Seems like everyone liked your beans,” she said and immediately started on the dishes.

“Yeah, they always go over good,” he said and wondered if he should make the call he had been thinking about for a while that afternoon. Cindy’s comments had kind of prompted him to think about his situation as a whole and it was late enough to be okay he thought. While she was busy getting the dishwater ready, he grabbed at his cell phone and ran through the numbers listing to a number he hadn’t called in a long time. He paused momentarily before coming to a decision and hitting the send button.

“Hello?” said the voice on the other end.

“Erica? It’s Charlie,” he said into the phone.

“Well, this is an unexpected surprise,” she said.

“I was calling to see how that girl was doing,” he replied.

“She’ll be okay. Broken arm and a pretty hard knock on the head, but otherwise should bounce back perfectly fine. She’s getting a CAT scan and an MRI scheduled for tomorrow and she’ll be in the hospital for a while, but overall the prognosis looks good,” said Erica.

“Well, that’s good to hear,” said Charlie.

“I never got the chance to thank you for your help today. I don’t think we could have done it without you,” said Erica.

“Nah, you had everything in hand when I got there,” said Charlie.

“But no way of getting her across the creek,” said Erica.

“Someone else could have done what I did,” he replied modestly.

“Why don’t you take a little credit for what you did?” she asked.

“I guess I’m modest to a fault,” he laughed.

“No matter what, you helped out a lot more than you give yourself credit for,” said Erica.

“You were the one who probably saved her,” said Charlie.

“Well, no, Toby was the one who pulled her out of the creek so the biggest credit was on him. Plus Cindy helping splint her arm which I would have had to do after the neck. But your aid kit with the emergency blanket and splint helped out. Trust me, even behind the scenes you had a lot to do with saving this girl. And by the way, the EMTs said they loved your homemade stretcher,” she laughed.

“Jokingly or serious?” he asked.

“No, seriously. They really liked it and thought it was pretty ingenious,” said Erica.

“Nothing in the world that can’t be fixed with a little duct tape and 550 cord,” he laughed.

“Well, there are a few things,” she laughed in return.

“Which are?” he asked.

“Hurt feelings. I would have liked to have had you on that hike this afternoon,” she said.

“I had other obligations,” he said.

“I know, but you don’t have an excuse the next time,” she said.

“Okay, next trip you plan out, I’ll come along,” he said.

“You promise?” she asked.

“I promise,” he replied with a smile.

“How’s Cindy taking everything?” asked Erica.

“Pretty good although we’ve not really talked about it yet,” said Charlie.

“She deserves some sort of recognition for her part. Her and Toby both,” she said.

“I’ll see what can be arranged,” he said.

“Don’t bother, I’m already on it,” said Erica.

“Just let me know when,” said Charlie. “Now how are you taking all this?”

“You know me, I’m a doctor and see things like this all the time even in Erwin. No big deal to me and it kind of was a good exercise since I didn’t have all my normal hospital stuff around,” said Erica. “But of course, your timely intervention with the additional materials was key to the success.”

“I’m fairly certain you would have figured a way across the creek,” said Charlie.

“Maybe in time, but you did it far quicker than I ever could,” she said.

“I was just the provider of the materials,” he said.

“Can you do me a favor?” she asked.

“Of course,” he said.

“Say the following words: ‘I helped out a lot more than I give myself credit for.’ Now repeat after me,” she ordered with half a laugh.

“You’re killing me,” he laughed in response.

“Ands too,” she said with a laugh. “Much as I’d like to continue this conversation, I’ve got to go check on my patient. You want to give me a call later?”

“I think that could be arranged,” he replied.

“Promise?” she asked.

“Yeah, I think I can promise to that,” he said with another smile.

“Okay, I’ll hold you to it,” she said with a laugh. “Bye Charlie.”

“Bye Erica, have a good night,” he said as he ended the call. After he turned around, he found Cindy washing the dishes with a silly grin on her face. “What’s the grin all about?”

“Nothing,” said Cindy before stifling a laugh.

“What’s so funny?” he asked again.

“Erica and Charlie, sittin in a tree, K-I-S-S-I-N-G,” she said before giggling like a teenager should. It was probably the first time he had seen anything associated with being young come from her besides the jumping she did at the store that one day.

“Oh shut it, I was calling to make sure she was okay,” said Charlie.

“Uh huh, and that big silly grin on your face came from where?” she asked.

“Erica is a friend and I was making sure she was okay after today. Just like I planned on making sure everything was okay with you too monkey girl,” he said.

“Me? Oh, don’t mind me. I’m perfectly fine. Now Doctor Chase? She might need your assistance and comfort over the situation. A pair of strong manly arms to collapse into like one of those dirty women’s romance novels,” said Cindy with a large grin.

“You’ve read those?” asked Charlie, changing the subject.

“Don’t change the subject and yes, I started reading one until my mother caught me. Probably not appropriate reading material for a twelve year old,” she grinned.

“I wouldn’t think so,” said Charlie.

“But anyway, you going to call her again?” asked Cindy.

“Maybe so. Not that it’s any business of yours,” he said.

“Okay, I’ll let you decide if you want to call back the pretty lady with a good career,” said Cindy with a grin.

“You kill me,” he said with a smile and a roll of his eyes.

“What’s for dinner anyway?” asked Cindy, letting him off the hook.

“Something simple, soup and a sandwich,” he said.

“I’ll get everything ready,” said the hungry teenager as she finished up with a pan and set it off to the side. After washing her hands, she got out the items while he grabbed two cans of soup from the pantry and got them ready to heat up. They continued talking while getting ready and Cindy started to worry about what was going to happen the next day. She knew it was inevitable, the meeting with the judge, but she wasn’t sure what the outcome was going to be. But all she knew was the fact she was finally getting help for her family. After supper, she finished up the dishes and went out to the cabin to grab the remainder of her items and move them into the house. After she returned, she went upstairs and placed her new items on the bed for later storage in the small chest of drawers in the bedroom. Heading back downstairs, she found Charlie at work on the computer, typing at something or other once again.

“Whatcha working on?” she asked and peeked over his shoulder.

“Nothing serious, just writing down some random thoughts,” he said and continued typing. He was a speed typist and was quickly filling in the pages as he went along.

“What’s it about?” she asked.

“Nothing you need to worry about,” he said.

“May I watch some TV?” she asked.

“Absolutely,” he said without looking and continued typing.

“You don’t have a problem with me moving into the house do you?” she asked while looking through the TV guide.

“No, no problems. We’ll have to work out some bathroom times though,” he said.

“Yeah, that could create a problem,” she said as she turned on the set and started flipping through the channels. She ended up on the History Channel and plopped down deep into the recliner. He was halfway listening while he continued to type, looking at the program from time to time.

“You like history?” he asked.

“Yeah, it’s pretty fascinating,” said Cindy.

“You certainly are different. I have a friend who’s a history teacher and he says it’s hard to get his students to pay attention,” said Charlie.

“I don’t know, I’ve always found it interesting,” said Cindy, continuing to watch the program on the decline of the Roman Empire.

“Good enough reason I suppose,” said Charlie as he went back to typing at his rapid rate. Eventually he saw Cindy yawning and informed her it was time for bed.

“I’m okay, I can finish this program,” she informed him.

“If you fall asleep, I’m writing nasty words on your forehead,” he said seriously.

“You wouldn’t,” she said.

“Bet me I won’t?” he asked with a laugh.

“No, you’d do it to prove me wrong,” she said and yawned again. “Okay, bed time for me.”

“You going to shower in the morning?” he asked.

“Yes, probably after you do,” she said with another yawn. “Excuse me.”

“Okay, I’ll wake you up around six or so,” he said and went back to the computer.

“Who’s fixing breakfast?” she asked as she turned off the TV.

“I’ll get it,” he said.

“You sure?” she asked.

“Yeah, no problems,” he said. “Good night.”

“Night,” she said and went upstairs to get ready for bed. She was apprehensive about the meeting with the judge the next day, wondering what the outcome would be. She also wondered what her life might have been like had her mother married someone like Charlie instead of her father. She didn’t hate her father, but didn’t quite understand what made him do the things he did, especially as of late. And she also wondered how he could have been brainwashed so easily and wondered if somehow she might have the same thing happen to her sometime in her life. She tossed and turned thinking of the situation as it stood until she finally dozed off to sleep, restless even though she was tired from the day’s events.

Charlie heard her tossing and turning in the older bed in the spare bedroom of the house. He wondered what happened to be on her mind at that particular moment in time and again wondered what it would be like to have a full time family. He thought of Erica Chase and the fact she was a nice lady and still of the age of where having children wouldn’t be a big deal. While he was almost three years older than she was, that age difference wasn’t a huge deal this day in age and she had already been through the marriage situation once before while she was still in medical school. A cheating husband had pushed her into social solitude at one point and she was just getting back into the game. By all rights she was considered a good catch by any of the eligible Unicoi County men, but she had taken to Charlie since becoming his doctor before.

And I haven’t really done anything to reciprocate those feelings have I? I could…should get back into the dating game. It’s been a while and really, I’ve made excuses the entire time about not wanting to get back into it. I’ve always used the excuse of Annie’s death for not dating and shun away any attempts at companionship…maybe it’s time I allowed myself to actually live a little once again, he thought to himself as he pushed away from the computer slightly. He was a little tired himself and was getting ready to turn in. His legs were already getting a little sore from the run he had done that afternoon and he knew he was slightly out of shape as well. Something he knew he needed to rectify in the near future.

Heading upstairs, he could still hear Cindy toss in the bed. He thought about looking in on her and figured it might be slightly inappropriate to do so. Heading for bed himself, he laid down and remembered the same feelings of having a warm body by his side and how nice the comfort of having a woman in your home really was. As he slid off to sleep, his last thoughts were of why he had never started dating again and why he should.

[Grand58742]

CHAPTER 16


“I’ve got a first aid kit! Pat, call 911!” yelled Charlie as climbed into the cab of his truck and got ready to drive the short distance to the trailhead for the Falls. He barked the tires as he slammed it into reverse and pulled out of the parking lot and again squealed the tires before heading up the road. The speed bumps jarred at the suspension on his truck, but he didn’t care about them or the posted speed limit as he got past C Loop and the start of the trail. After slamming to a stop, he quickly grabbed the first aid pack in the rear cargo box. Just as he was grabbing the kit, two more of the youth group came out of the woods.

“Which side of the creek is she on?” asked Charlie.

“The other side!” said the young girl as they continued towards the main area. Charlie grabbed at the get home back in the box and quickly emptied the main compartment before stuffing the tow rope and blanket he kept in the box. The other items he would need were already in the outer pockets. He also grabbed the combat lifesaver pack and tossed it in as well before shouldering up the lighter load and jumping off the truck.

Another vehicle was heard coming up the road, a park ranger, but Charlie didn’t take the time to explain why he was seemingly crazy in his actions. He slammed the truck box closed before beginning to run up the trail. While he wasn’t used to running that much, the adrenaline was pumping through his system as he headed up the road at a steady, but fast pace. While the terrible thoughts raged through his mind about the horrible things that had happened to Cindy, he remained focused on getting there as quickly as possible.

He heard a shout from behind him at the base of the trail, more than likely from the park ranger and he hoped someone else from the congregation was coming behind him to alert the park staff about the emergency on the trail. As he was continuing his plod up the trail, he passed several members of the youth group coming in the opposite direction.

“They are up by the crossing! She’s still unconscious!” one of them shouted as Charlie passed them. He didn’t see Cindy in the group and didn’t want to stop for further information.

“There’s a park ranger at the base of the trail! Tell him what happened! Run!” gasped Charlie as he continued up the trail, spurred on a little quicker by the information he had received. He continued thinking of what a bad idea it was to have let Cindy go along without him and how everything could have been avoided if he was with the group instead of giving the lecture.

********************

“I’ve got a splint in my pack,” said Cindy as she was ripping through the first aid items Charlie had thoughtfully packed away.

“We need to immobilize her neck,” said Erica as she continued to work on Portia Foster. “Get into my pack, I have another splint.”

Cindy ripped away the packing from the SAM splint and handed it over to Erica before moving over to the other pack and digging through to find the first aid kit. She found the other splint and started tearing away at the plastic covering. Portia’s blond hair was matted down against her face and she was completely out of it.

“I’ll get the arm, you work on the head,” said Cindy as she unrolled the item and started forming it for the broken arm.

“You know what to do?” asked Erica.

“Yes, I read a book on first aid once,” said Cindy.

“You read a book?” asked Erica.

“I have a photographic memory,” said Cindy. “Immobilize the fracture in the same position you found it in, provide a little padding, split on the wound at the joint above and below, attach bandage materials above and below the break, immobilize with a sling is possible. I’m going to do both sides since I can get under her arm.”

“Sounds good,” said Erica as she continued to immobilize the neck area, but kept a watchful eye on Cindy as she went about her work cutting the SAM splint in two and bending both pieces into shape to get coverage on the wound. A roll of surgical tape was sitting out ready to be applied.

“Not much different than the pictures,” said Cindy as she finished forming the splint and grabbing at the tape. She pulled her own knife from the pack and cut through the tape as she put some of the rolled gauze bandage on the splint for padding. She put the two sides on the wound and grabbed at the roll of gauze to wrap around and tie off.

“Toby, start looking for some branches for stretcher material,” said Erica. He had been helping the remainder of the group across the creek while the two ladies were busy doing the first aid on Portia. He grabbed at the multi-tool on his belt and went to the nearby trees to find branches appropriate for the poles of a makeshift stretcher.

“How long until help gets here?” he asked while sawing at several branches.

“Depends on how long it will take the other two to get to the group and to call in help. I’m sure some of them are going to head this way before long,” said Erica, finishing up the neck brace. She quickly checked over Cindy’s handiwork and found it was being done by the book. “Nice job.”

“Thank you,” said Cindy as she finished up tying the knot and getting out the emergency blanket to put over Portia. “Wish we could get some dry clothing for her.”

“Best to just cover her up for the moment. Lucky for us, it’s a warm day,” said Erica as she checked the pupil response of Portia by using the flashlight from Cindy’s pack. Both constricted as they should showing there wasn’t any serious brain trauma for the moment. She probably would have a good concussion, but otherwise, should be okay. Erica pulled a cold pack from her bag and broke open the inner bag to put against the rising knot on her head. The swelling would continue, but at least the cold pack would help slow it some. Cindy was busy pulling off the rings on Portia’s fingers in case her hands swelled up.

“Cindy!” yelled Charlie as he came up to the creek from the other side.

“I’m okay! It’s that girl named Portia!” she yelled back. “We need to get her across the creek!”

“Hold on!” said Charlie as he dumped his pack on the ground. “Do you need the first aid kit?”

“Throw it across, we might be able to use it,” said Erica.

Charlie stepped up to the creek and looked across. Instead of tossing the kit over as requested, he decided to go over and help out if he could. He already visualized what needed to be done by checking his surroundings and looking over to the other side. He saw the path across the creek and put the pack back on. Watching his footing, he quickly but carefully scampered across the rocks before arriving on the other side.

“Are you out of your mind!” exclaimed Erica as she saw him almost slip on one of the rocks.

“Not today,” said Charlie as he dug out the lifesaver pack and opened it up for her. Leaving the pack where he dropped it, he grabbed one item out and went over to help Toby select the branches for the stretcher. He slid the saw out of the handle on the Fiskars pruning saw and helped cut another branch for the opposite side. Toby stopped sawing and decided to strip away the small branches and leaves off the one he had cut already. Seeing the small hatchet in the pack, he put away his knife and grabbed at it instead.

Charlie started cutting at the next branch and finished up quickly, taking it over to Toby to finish up. He also cut two more short pieces before moving back towards the items to begin. A yell was heard from the other side of the creek.

“What can we do to help?” asked Mack from his side of the creek. He was puffing from the dash up the mountainside himself and had the park ranger in tow.

“Hold on, we’re making a stretcher and will need to toss a line over in a minute,” said Charlie as he grabbed the two short pieces and one of the main poles. “Toby, grab that cord out of the upper left pocket.”

Toby unzipped the exterior pocket of the pack and pulled out some military 550 cord. Coming back, he unraveled the end and handed it over to Charlie. He began lashing up the smaller pole at the base, making a crosspiece for the stretcher. Toby saw what he was doing and moved to the other end to do the same with a separate bundle of cord. Cindy wanted to help, but saw what he was doing was over her head for the moment. But she would be learning in the near future as Charlie was doing something that could potentially save lives. Charlie quickly finished lashing the short piece to the longer and grabbed at the other pole. After cutting the cord, he moved over and started doing the same on the opposing side.

“Ambulance is on its way!” called the ranger after getting a radio call. Charlie finished up lashing the second side before watching Toby finish the first.

“Looks good Toby, now do the other side,” he said and walked back to the pack. The rope was far longer than he needed it to be, but that tended to work in their favor. He quickly unraveled the large static rope he typically used for pulling stranded motorists out of the ditch during winter. Finding the tree he had selected earlier, he quickly started tying up the rope in a Yosemite bowline knot. After making sure it was secure, he went back to his pack, he grabbed a piece of the branch he had cut and tied off the end of the remaining 550 cord to it. He made sure the cord was unraveled before heading back to the creek.

“I’m going to toss this cord over and tie it off to the main line. Tie the main line off to that poplar tree behind you!” he called to Mack.

Taking several practice throws, he finally tossed the piece of wood across with the 550 following. It landed about five feet from the shore and Mack waited as Charlie tied the end off to the main line. Once it was finished, Mack started hauling over the heavier rope to the other side and running it back to the specified tree. Charlie saw all was going well and went back to finish up the stretcher.

“What now Mister Gray?” asked Toby.

“I’m going to notch the cross pieces and use those carabiners to hook up to the line. We’ll make a simple sling load for the stretcher here and pull it across,” said Charlie as he started notching out the crosspieces for the cord. “Can you make a blanket litter?”

“I can,” said Cindy as she grabbed the blanket and started to make the litter portion of the stretcher. She found Charlie’s work was right on and the blanket fit perfectly on the stretcher. He finished the first section of the cord before moving down to the bottom and repeating the process. Once it was finished, he went back and grabbed the leather case for the multi-tool out of Cindy’s pack.

“Toby, can you give me your knife pouch?” asked Charlie. He took it off without hesitation and handed it over. “I’ll buy you a new one.”

Charlie took his own Leatherman out and punched a hole in the bottom of the pouch before repeating the process on the second pouch. Cindy looked at him strangely and finally had to ask.

“What are you doing?” she asked and watched as he threaded the two into the cord.

“The cord here and the rope are both synthetic. They will heat up as the stretcher is pulled across the creek. The 550 cord can get hot enough to burn through if we aren’t careful. The leather will keep it from heating up,” he explained as he started tying off the carabiner off to one side. She helped out by retrieving the second one from the pack and waiting for him to finish up. He checked on the line tied off by Mack and found it was perfectly fine. The only thing he needed to worry about now was the stretcher tipping over as it was pulled across the creek. But hopefully it wouldn’t go fast enough for that to be a problem.

“We’re going to need to strap her down if you are getting ready to do what I think you are doing,” said Erica.

“Way ahead of you pretty lady. I’ve got some duct tape in my pack,” said Charlie. “We’re ready here.”

“She needs to be as stable as possible when we put her on here. I can’t find any neck injuries, but we need to be careful anyway,” said Erica.

“Okay, we’ll get her on the stretcher and Toby and I will hold it up. When we get it lifted off the ground, you and Cindy take the duct tape and strap her in,” said Charlie as he retrieved the duct tape from his back and started unrolling a portion.

“Okay, let’s get her strapped in,” said Erica as they moved the stretcher towards Portia. “I’ll support her head and you three lift her onto the stretcher. Cindy, you get the legs, Charlie, you and Toby on opposite sides. Ready? On three…one…two…three…move.”

The four lifted Portia up and sat her gently on the stretcher. Toby and Charlie moved to the opposite ends and lifted up on the handles so she could be strapped in prior to taking her across the creek. A standard dressing was placed on her forehead to keep the tape from being applied to her bare skin. Erica and Cindy worked quickly, doubling up the tape at her head, shoulders, waist, knees and feet. They walked her over to the rope and got ready to get her across the creek.

“Charlie, you are the one who knows what you are doing here. Cindy and I’ll take your place and you can hook it up,” said Erica.

“Okay, come take the handles,” he said and was replaced by Cindy and Erica. They maneuvered the stretcher under the taunt rope and Charlie grabbed at the carabiner before tossing it over the line and hooking it into the loop on the opposite side. Before calling it good, he made sure the leather pouches was in the correct position before repeating the process at the other end. “Okay, gently let go of the handles.”

The three started letting her down gently and let the rope take the weight. It sagged a little, but not much as Mack and done a good job of keeping it taunt while he tied it off. Charlie went back over to the side and was tossed back the 550 cord without asking for it. He quickly attached the cord to the bottom of the stretcher at the lashings and threw the remaining cord back across the creek once again.

“We’ll walk her as far as possible before letting her go,” said Charlie as Mack and several others who had appeared got ready to pull Portia across.

“Ready when you are!” called Mack.

“Take out the slack and go slowly!” ordered Charlie as they walked the stretcher as far as they could go to the edge. Erica collected her pack and started crossing the creek so she could be on the other side by the time her patient arrived.

“Okay boys, nice and easy. Don’t yank it, just gently pull. If it starts to sway, we stop until it settles and go again,” said Mack. “Let’s do this.”

The three individuals started pulling gently on the cord and moving Portia across the creek. It was slow, a foot and a half at a time, but for something like this, it was better to be slow rather than fast. The makeshift stretcher swayed slightly as it came across, but overall, was stable enough as they continued to pull her across. Soon the handles were within distance and the ranger and another man went to grab them. As they did, they unclipped the carabiner and pulled her the rest of the way across. Mack and Erica went to the head area and unclipped the final carabiner and let her down gently.

“We’ll grab everything here. You guys get her to the ambulance!” yelled Charlie.

The four took the instructions in stride and immediately headed down the mountain towards help. Charlie went over and untied the rope from the tree while Cindy policed up the trash they had made while at the spot.

“I’ll go on over and pull the rope across Mister Gray,” said Toby as he had nothing to do.

“Keep an eye on Cindy as she comes across,” said Charlie. “And be careful yourself.”

“I’ll keep an eye on you too sir,” laughed Toby as he picked his way across the creek. He had no problems making it across and stood on the other side waiting for Cindy.

“You be careful, do you hear me?” asked Charlie.

“I’ll be okay. I won’t jump like she did,” said Cindy.

“Is that what happened?” asked Charlie.

“Yeah, she jumped onto some wet rocks and slipped. But she wasn’t taking the same path we are,” said Cindy.

“I don’t care, you be careful!” said Charlie.

“I’ll be okay, I promise,” said Cindy as she started taking the same path as Toby.

“Watch that big rock, it’s a bit slippery,” said Toby as she was two-thirds of the way across.

Cindy made sure her foot was secure before making the step. It was slightly slick, but her boots held firm as she made the next steps across. Once she was safely on the other side, Charlie started making his way across as well, following the same path as before. He got over to the other side and took the coiled rope from Toby.

“Thanks for all your help Toby. I couldn’t have done it without you,” said Charlie.

“It was no problem sir,” said Toby shyly.

“All I heard was the new blond girl had fallen into the creek and cracked her head open,” said Charlie.

“Portia is fairly new. She came into school at the end of last year,” explained Toby.

“Mind giving me a moment with Cindy?” he asked.

“I’ll head on down the mountain sir,” said Toby as he took his leave of the two. After he was out of earshot, Charlie almost broke down.

“I was worried sick running all the way up here! All I heard was you had fallen into the creek and cracked your head wide open! It almost made me sick to my stomach!” he exclaimed before being able to take in a breath.

“What? They said I fell into the creek?” asked Cindy.

“Well, they said the new blond girl fell in and I assumed it was you,” said Charlie.

“There happened to be two blond girls out here today. I’m smarter than that you know?” asked Cindy with a hint of sass.

“So forgive me for worrying,” said Charlie, slightly hurt over her attitude.

“Thank you for coming up here to rescue me even though it wasn’t me that needed saving,” said Cindy and grabbed him around the neck for a hug. He was surprised at the move but hugged her back. The hurt feelings went away as he was relieved she wasn’t injured.

“It’s okay. I was just worried about you,” said Charlie.

“You actually thought I was hurt?” asked Cindy as they finished the embrace. She too was surprised at the show of emotions and had no idea where they came from. But it seemed like the right thing to do at that time and didn’t feel awkward.

“Yes, I just about jumped out of my skin when I heard about the accident,” said Charlie.

“I really appreciate you caring about me enough to run all the way up here,” said Cindy.

“Well, someone’s got to take care of you. I mean, who’s going to clean out my chicken coops if you aren’t around?” he asked with a laugh as the stress of the situation was wearing off.

“I was really scared when it was going on,” said Cindy.

“Seemed like you did just fine,” said Charlie. “I’m proud of you for helping out.”

“I just did the splint,” said Cindy.

“Which is more than anyone else did,” said Charlie. “You did good monkey girl.”

“Thanks,” she laughed as her stress level was winding down as well.

Charlie dropped the rope into his pack and the two headed back down the trail towards the park area. They walked along in silence, each reflecting on what had happened that day. For Cindy, she was surprised he had arrived so quickly and was that worried about her health. For Charlie it was the relief nothing had happened to her and she was safe and sound. By the time they reached the trailhead, the ambulance was gone and all that remained was Charlie’s truck. He replaced his bag inside and saw he would need to repack his get home bag when he got home. They headed down to the pool area where the remainder of the congregation was waiting.

After they parked and made contact with the group, Charlie was met with applause as someone had told them of his “heroic” efforts at the crossing. He blushed up slightly and took the applause in stride before waving his hands at the gathered crowd.

“Cindy, Erica and Toby are the real heroes. I didn’t do much besides give them the rope” he said with a laugh.

“And Cindy and Toby did a very good job up there from what Erica Chase told us,” said Pat. “But she also told us without you up there they wouldn’t have had a way of getting her across the creek safely.”

“I just made a simple stretcher,” said Charlie. “How’s the girl doing?”

“She’s doing okay. She woke up as they were putting her in the ambulance. Erica went with them to the hospital and might end up taking her over to Johnson City,” said Pat. “And thanks to you as well young lady. It’s nice to see someone with a good head on their shoulders being calm in that situation.”

“I didn’t really do much,” said Cindy modestly.

“Not what Doctor Chase said,” said Pat. “We are going to do the evening service a little earlier than planned in light of what happened.”

“I figured as much. Is the girl’s family aware?” asked Charlie.

“Yes, they were contacted and were headed towards the hospital. Probably the last time they let their daughter come along on a church picnic,” laughed Pat.

“We should get the papers involved. Those three deserve a little press I think,” said Charlie.

“Maybe we can arrange that,” said Pat, thinking over the idea and finding merit. It wasn’t everyday you had a member of your congregation do something so brave. And even though Cindy was a visitor, she could bask in the limelight for a bit as well. Possibly some kind of community award could be arranged as well he thought as he took his leave of Cindy and Charlie.

Cindy had put her hand into her pocket and found she had put Portia’s rings there from when she slipped them off her hand. “I forgot about these.”

“What are they?” asked Charlie.

“Portia’s rings. I took them off her hand after I splinted it up. Swelling you know,” said Cindy.

“We can take them over to her later or take them to her family,” said Charlie, looking at the rings. One looked quite older and was probably a family heirloom of some kind. Cindy didn’t mention she wasn’t on the best of terms with Portia although having just met that day. It was strange with Portia becoming possessive of Toby although he wasn’t seeing anyone. Cindy had a lot to learn about girls her age and how they could become when it came to male companionship. She never had the problems before since she wasn’t ever allowed to socialize with boys her own age and had to learn why teenage girls had to be so nasty when it came to boys.

With everything that happened, the evening service was shorter than most with a continuation of the lessons learned that morning. The hymns were pre-printed on regular paper and passed out for the short service and final call for those who chose to dedicate their lives to the Lord. As the group was singing, a voice was heard muttering from behind them “life’s too short.”

As the call was being made during the hymn, he walked to the front and spoke with the minister. Instead of waiting around, they decided to go ahead and do it right then and there without any changing of clothes or any of the waders he typically wore. Pat and the young man walked into the pool still fully clothed and performed the sacred ritual of dedicating his life to Christ. Afterwards, the younger man went to his family and sat with them for his first communion while Pat went to look for towels for the two to somewhat dry off with after the service.

After the evening service concluded, the younger man stood by and had the congregation line up to congratulate him for accepting Christ into his life. Cindy wasn’t sure about that part, so she held back while Charlie was in line. As he took his turn, he shook the young man’s hand and patted him on the shoulder.

“I’m happy for you all around today. You are a hero for saving that girl’s life and you are even more of a hero for saving your own soul. I’m really proud of the choices you made today,” said Charlie.

“Thank you sir,” said Toby Reynolds with a smile as he took the offered hand of a brother in Christ.

[Triple-sod]

I’m very impressed by the quality of this; I read the first 15 chapters in practically 1 sitting, riveting stuff.

[OR Medic]

Nice addition, Grand. Keep it coming!!

Thanks

Jim

[Grand58742]

CHAPTER 15 CONTINUED

Cindy sat silently and that was all the answer Erica needed. She figured girls would be girls no matter what the age and she had seen Portia eyeballing Toby that day. She knew Portia wasn

[Grand58742]

CHAPTER 15


Cindy woke up to the sounds of Charlie moving around in the downstairs in the kitchen. Stretching out her arms over her head, what should have been unfamiliar feelings of sleeping in another strange place were absent this time. The floor was slightly chilly so she pulled the socks she had been wearing back on before stomping down the stairs as she typically did. He heard her coming well before her arrival and chuckled at the heavy footsteps of the smaller girl.

“Morning,” he said as he sipped at a cup of coffee and stirred at the gravy in the pan.

“Hi,” she said and immediately took her place at the side of the table where she typically sat while he was cooking. The smell of the coffee was stronger this morning and she wondered exactly what it tasted like. “Can I have a cup of coffee?”

“You drink coffee?” he asked.

“I want to try it,” she said.

“The way you’re typically hyper, I probably shouldn’t introduce caffeine to your system,” he chuckled. “Use one of the tea cups and only try a little.”

“Why just a little?” she asked.

“Because if you don’t like it, I don’t want to see a whole cup go to waste,” he said.

“You could drink it if I don’t like it,” she said and involuntarily stomped over to the cupboard to retrieve one of the smaller cups. Her heavy footsteps were typically a morning thing and not indicative of her mood.

“And get your cooties? Absolutely not!” he exclaimed without turning around.

“I don’t have cooties! I got my shot last year!” she played along and went over to the coffee pot. She poured about a quarter of a cup and smelled at it before blowing to cool it off slightly. After taking a small sip, the face she made was priceless as she exclaimed “Ewww!”

“Not what you thought it was going to be?” asked Charlie.

“Absolutely not! How can you drink this stuff?” she asked and looked at the remainder of the small portion.

“It’s an acquired taste,” he said.

“Must be,” she said and tossed the remainder into the sink while getting a cup of water to wash the taste out of her mouth. “What’s for breakfast anyway?”

“Biscuits and gravy, eggs and sausage,” he said as he continued to stir the gravy so it wouldn’t scorch.

“Old Southern recipe?” she asked.

“You know it,” he said.

“What time is church anyway?” she asked. “And for that matter, what time is it?”

“Church starts at ten and it’s around six-thirty,” he replied.

“What time did the power come back on?” she asked with a yawn, still waking up.

“Around three or so,” he said. “The cabin power is back on and the water should be warm by the time you need to shower.”

“Speaking of showering and changing and everything. What should I wear to this picnic?” she asked.

“Well, it’s in a park, but like a wooded park. For the hike I would suggest some of your work pants, but for the lunch, probably a pair of shorts and shirt would be okay,” he suggested.

“The church isn’t strict about shorts and all for women?” she asked.

“No, and yours are acceptable,” said Charlie. “Ready to eat?”

“Starving!” she exclaimed. Charlie set out the table and grabbed the biscuits out of the oven. He turned down the temperature to the appropriate setting for the beans which would be slid in before they left. Everything else was almost ready to go as he put the scrambled eggs on the plates and the sausage out of the pan.

“What kind of gravy is this?” she asked as she looked into the bowl.

“Sausage gravy,” he said. “Ever try it?

“Not that I can remember,” she said as she portioned out a little bit for one of the biscuit halves. The remainder of breakfast passed in small talk as she found the gravy was another Southern thing she liked a lot. Everything was finished up and the dishes were put off on the account of church that morning, but did put some of the pans down in the water to soak while they were gone. Seeing everything was okay in the kitchen, she grabbed everything to go to the cabin to shower and change. She thought about how inconvenient it was and decided to ask Charlie to move up to the house full time if it was okay with him. She didn’t have a problem with it, but wasn’t sure if he would go along since he was still trying to be the proper single host with her.

She checked on the time and went ahead and laid out her things to go to the picnic that afternoon. The hiking items were tossed into the old pack she had brought out with her and set beside the door. There wasn’t much more she could do so she decided to go ahead and get showered and changed. Everything was already laid out and she was somewhat anxious about heading back into church. She hadn’t been in a Christian church in some time and was slightly apprehensive about it. And along with sitting in a Sunday school class with a group of teenagers she didn’t know was on her mind as well. But she pretty much knew she wouldn’t be getting forced into marriage by anyone that day so she attempted to put the nervousness into the back of her mind.

After showering and getting cleaned up, she applied some of the makeup she had bought. Not too much as she didn’t want to overdo it and it had been some time since she had been able to do such a thing. She halfway remembered the lessons from her mother from some years ago and was able to bring out her natural highlights fairly well for being out of practice. After finishing everything up, she grabbed the pack with her clothing and headed back towards the house. She found Charlie was a quick changer as well and was already busy at work finishing and printing the pamphlets he had been typing up.

“I wondered if you forgot about that,” said Cindy as she walked in.

“Yeah, got it done this morning,” he said.

“No tie for church?” she asked as she looked over his apparel.

“Not yet. I hate ties and it’s the last thing to go on,” he said. “You cleaned up nicely.”

“I try,” she said and looked over the pamphlet as it printed out on the larger printer. “Why do you have such a large printer?”

“For when I was writing books. It pretty much paid for itself when I was printing copies for the editor,” he said.

“Why not like Kinkos or something?” she asked.

“Because it was cheaper to buy a larger printer and go that route than getting it printed every time. My editors were ruthless and I had several revisions,” he chuckled as he finished everything up and grabbed at a stapler. “Want to help?”

“Sure, you have another stapler?” she asked.

“No, just organize them please,” he said and showed her the order they needed to go in. While she put them together, he added in two staples at the edges and folded them over. She quickly finished up organizing them and took over the folding duties while he stapled. Everything was finished up and he put them into a Tupperware container for later. “Okay, we’ll get headed out here soon.”

“I’ll be right here,” she said as she plopped down in a chair and read through the pamphlet. Charlie reemerged after several minutes wearing a nice tie to go along with his shirt as well as the jacket which matched his pants. “You clean up okay as well. Planning on impressing someone?”

“Nah, this is how I normally look,” he said, looking down at his suit.

“I think you are trying to impress Doctor Chase,” she said with a sly grin.

“I think you are far too young to be worrying about my love life,” he said with a shake of his head, a roll of his eyes and half a smile. “But one more thing you need this morning.”

“Which is?” she asked.

He went over to a bookshelf and looked momentarily before finding a newer looking Bible. It had seen some use, but looked relatively new. “For Sunday school and the main service.”

She took the Bible from him and looked it over before saying a soft “thank you.”

He saw her expression and wondered what she was thinking right then. “Something wrong?”

“No, it’s just been, well, I’ve never really had a choice in my religion,” she said.

“If you want, I can go alone,” he said, not thinking about the issue of leaving her behind.

“No, I want to go. And I guess that’s the big difference,” she said. “You ready?”

He looked at his watch and decided it was close enough time to drive to the church. Nodding his head towards the door, he grabbed his wallet, keys and other items before slipping them into the various pockets. After they departed out the door, Cindy asked another question.

“Are you carrying a gun into church?” she asked.

“Won’t confirm or deny,” he said as he walked around the mud spots to the truck and hopped in the driver’s side. She did much the same before getting in and folding down her dress. The drive took them into Erwin before he parked in the parking lot and saw others heading in for the services. Charlie saw Erica Chase and waved at her before heading across the parking lot to make sure Cindy knew where to go.

“Good morning,” said Erica with a smile.

“And to you, ma’am. Can you take Cindy down to Sunday school with you?” asked Charlie.

“Of course,” said Erica. “Want to come with me?”

“Sure,” said Cindy and wandered off in the other direction.

“I hope the power outage in Unicoi last night didn’t spoil your supper?” asked Erica.

“Nope, got everything in before the power went out,” said Cindy. “What are we going to be talking about this morning?”

“Ongoing lessons about different things. Today happens to be about helping ourselves and helping others,” said Erica.

“Sounds good,” said Cindy, still a little apprehensive about the Sunday school since she didn’t know anyone. At least in the main church service she could be somewhat anonymous, but in the smaller class, she would stick out far more than she wanted for the moment. But she made a promise and she hoped she could find a spot to fit in. After entering the church, Erica led her to the classroom and showed her inside where Cindy found a somewhat familiar face.

“Hi,” she said to Toby Reynolds as she saw him sitting in the chair.

He looked up and gave her a shy smile of greeting before looking away. It made Cindy a little uncomfortable, but she decided to press the matter slightly and went to the empty chair beside him. “May I sit here?”

“Please,” he said shyly before shifting over to the right just a little.

“Do I make you nervous?” asked Cindy as other youth started to come in.

“No,” he said with the same shy smile.

“Just don’t talk much?” asked Cindy.

“No,” he said with another shy grin.

“I guess this is a start of a wonderful relationship,” she said with a grin.

After several more minutes of silence between the two, Erica closed the door and got started. “We have a visitor this morning. Want to introduce yourself?” she asked as she looked at Cindy.

“Hi, I’m Cindy and I’m Charlie Gray’s niece. I’m from Ohio originally and just visiting,” said Cindy after standing up. Various looks came from around the room and nods were seen. Cindy hadn’t expected anyone to jump up and shake her hand, but the silence didn’t help her anxiousness at all. But Erica started the lesson soon after going from the book her class used. Erica had forgotten to grab a spare copy and Cindy ended up sharing off Toby’s book. The lesson was about the Christian values of helping those in need and Cindy thought it was utterly appropriate for her situation. Several verses backed up the lesson and were discussed by the class. For the most part, she remained silent, not knowing when to jump in and help out. She knew of more verses to use in this situation, but again, wasn’t sure of jumping in the conversation. So she decided to remain quiet for the most part while reading along with Toby.

The class finished up after close to a half an hour, cut short because of the planned outing of the church that day. Before leaving, Cindy gave Toby another smile and thanked him for letting her read from his book in the class. He gave her another smile and a polite nod of his head. She gave up on the lost cause of talking to him at any length until she could figure out a way of breaking through his shyness. Walking upstairs, she found Charlie sitting midway in the main sanctuary talking with someone in the pew behind him. She slipped in and took a seat to his side before being introduced to the man behind her. After the courteous introduction, she scanned the room and didn’t see anyone else she knew except Toby and a few people she had been introduced to at the supermarket the other day. The room rapidly filled up and the sermon got underway. The hymns were sung and the opening prayers were given by various members of the church until the last song was sung and the minister took his place in the pulpit.

“We all know of the picnic planned for today, so this sermon will be a little shorter than usual,” said the minister. “So my wife will get her wishes for me to shut up for once in my life.”

Polite laughter was heard as the minister got into the main sermon, a continuation of helping each other as well as helping themselves. More verses were quoted from the Bible, ones that Cindy remembered and the overall impact was positive. The sermon took on more of a community oriented preparedness aspect before coming to a close. Communion was served and although Cindy had been baptized as both a Catholic and as a Christian, she didn’t feel comfortable partaking since it hadn’t been her choice. She remembered her lessons from the Bible well and knew it was a personal choice rather than a forced decision for her. Charlie didn’t react when she passed the tray on down the pew to the next family.

After the official sermon ended and church as ready to be let out, the minister took the pulpit once again and made the announcement on the picnic that day.

“Everyone as well as friends are invited. Plus, we will be doing the evening service at the park, so please don’t show up tonight here. I’m afraid you will pretty much be alone. But either way, services will be conducted after the picnic and this afternoon’s services,” he said. “Eating will start around 1:00, so we’ll hope to see you there.”

The congregation rose for the last hymn as the minister walked out towards the front door to shake hands on the way out. Cindy and Charlie were somewhat around the rear of the group and walked slowly towards the door in line with the remainder of the congregation. Once they shook hands and departed, they both headed towards the truck and hopped in.

“You need anything else?” he asked as he quickly shed his tie and jacket.

“No, just to get into some comfortable clothing,” she said and slipped off the shoes.

“Bad?” he asked.

“Not broken in,” she said.

“Easy enough. What’s going to happen with your feet on this hike?” he asked.

“Boots are probably going to be different. The shoes cramp my toes,” she said.

“I see,” he said. “But I thought they were ‘cute’ or something.”

“They are cute, but until they are broken in, they aren’t quite so cute,” she laughed.

“Well, we’ll get you into something more comfortable soon enough,” said Charlie.

“What are you wearing anyway?” she asked.

“Shorts and a polo,” he said. “Why?”

“Just wondering,” she said and looked out at the scenery as they drove along. All traces of the rains from the night before were gone and the day was sunny and clear. But not too hot in the lower 80s that afternoon. After arriving, he hung up his jacket and tie before checking on the baked beans in the oven. They were almost ready to pull out but it gave him more than enough time to change into his clothing for that afternoon. Out of habit, he grabbed a pair of pants and another shirt in case he decided to join the nature hike and set them on the table beside the door. Cindy came tromping back into the house from where she changed after heading out to the cabin. The dress was back on a hanger and she took it back upstairs to hang up, not having soiled it for the brief period she wore it.

“Is there I place I can charge this?” she asked and held up an iPod.

“Where did you get that?” he asked, pouring the baked beans into a metal container for transport.

“I forgot I brought it with me. It died before I got here and I packed away my hiking stuff in the pack I had and it fell out,” explained Cindy.

“I don’t have a wall charger. I don’t own an iPod,” he said.

“No, I have the computer plug that recharges it, but I wasn’t supposed to have it to begin with since it had that ‘devil music’ on it. I was able to keep it hidden away from my father for the most part,” she said.

“Devil music?” asked Charlie.

“Nothing bad, I promise you. But anything pop, rock, country or with women singers is devil music to him,” she said.

“Okay, yeah, you can plug it into the computer,” he said. “Does it work when the computer is powered down?”

“I don’t know. I never tried it that way,” said Cindy.

“We’ll give it a shot while we’re gone,” said Charlie as he grabbed a can of Sterno to keep the beans warm while they were waiting for everyone to arrive. “I need to change right quick.”

“I’ll be waiting,” said Cindy as she plopped down at the computer and plugged in the device and saw the computer was already running. She wondered if he would mind if she found some new music to download since she had heard several songs on the radio lately that caught her fancy. He reappeared several minutes later and had packed a small bag as well and was carrying his hiking boots.

“You going with us on the hike?” she asked.

“I don’t plan on it, but just in case,” he said. “You got your stuff ready?”

“Yeah, but I didn’t have a t-shirt to wear except the old work shirts,” said Cindy.

“Easy enough,” he said and went back upstairs one more time and returned with a synthetic shirt. He handed it to her to put into her bag and collected up his items once again. It took two trips to gather everything, but they were settled and finally ready to go. They drove to Rock Creek Park and found they were somewhat the first ones around after parking at the pool area and getting everything ready to go. With the weekend coming to an end, many campers were leaving and pulling out of the campground, politely waving as they departed the area. Charlie and Cindy helped out with setting up the tables and chairs that were being unloaded from trucks parked in the other parking area. Eventually everything was set up and others were arriving and putting out their foods on the serving tables. Charlie set up the pan of beans and lit the Sterno fuel and placed it underneath.

“Charlie, we really appreciate you making it today and especially bringing your baked beans,” said Erica as she walked up with a large aluminum baking pan full of fried chicken.

“The same could be said of your fried chicken. It’s some of the best I’ve ever had,” he replied with a smile.

“As a doctor, I should warn folks about the dangers of the fat in fried chicken, but everything in moderation,” she smiled back and pulled the cover to observe what was inside.

“Do I get a taste test?” he asked with a grin.

“Nope! You have to wait like everyone else,” she said with a laugh. They talked for several minutes as others were coming in and setting up their dishes. After a half an hour, everyone was in place and the minister said the blessing and everyone lined up and made their way through the serving line and went over to the various tables set up to eat at. Friends and family sat with each other and caught up on social times. Charlie and Cindy made their way over to the table where the Reynolds family was sitting.

“Mind if we grab a seat?” asked Charlie.

“Yeah sure,” said Mack.

“Charlie, good to see you,” said Jennifer Reynolds.

“And you too Jen. Haven’t seen you in a while,” said Charlie. “This is Cindy, my niece.”

“Nice to meet you,” said Jen and took her hand. “Didn’t know Charlie had a niece.”

“Yeah, he abducted me from the traveling circus,” laughed Cindy.

“So this is the one that Toby mentioned,” said Jen, making her son blush up.

“I’m sorry?” asked Cindy.

“Toby said he met you the other day. This is the one right?” asked Jen. “She is as pretty as you said she was Toby.”

Toby was blushing up, but managed to shake his head at his mother. The adults in the group saw the fact he had been caught and probably liked Cindy a little more than he let on. But such was young love as he was fairly bashful about it and hoped his mother would stop the questioning and prodding. And they also saw Cindy blush up as well. While she had put the stop to the Jones brothers rather quickly, she liked Toby a little as well, although not really showing it. The small talk continued as everyone started digging into the food. They were joined by another member of the congregation after a couple of minutes.

“Can I sit here?” asked Erica as she walked up with a plate of food.

“Sure, we’ll slide down,” said Charlie as he started sliding down the table a way. They continued eating and passing the time with small talk. Toby passed more than a few glances at Cindy, diverting his attention whenever she would look his way. But apparently she was oblivious to his looks and was silent for the most part until she was asked a direct question.

The fellowship continued as Erica jumped into the ongoing conversation, currently discussing football. Charlie was surprised to find Erica was a diehard Volunteer fan and followed the school’s sporting programs almost religiously.

“Never knew you were a Tennessee fan,” said Charlie. “I knew there was something I liked about you.”

“Are you kidding me? I even have an orange bathroom!” exclaimed Erica.

Cindy looked around and saw one of the girls she had been in Sunday school with kept giving her nasty looks. She was a pretty girl, although a little slender, but more like an athletic build. Cindy had no idea why she was getting the looks she was getting from her since the girl hadn’t spoken to her at all that morning in church. She didn’t seem to have any family around and was with another girl at another table shooting glances her way. From time to time, they would lean over and whisper something while looking at Cindy. She decided to ignore the two and went back to the conversation at the table. Eventually everyone had enough to eat and pushed back away from the table to continue talking.

‘When are we going on the hike?” asked Cindy.

“Probably another half an hour or so,” said Erica. “Did you bring a change of clothing?”

“Yes, it’s in the truck,” said Cindy.

“Hike?” asked Toby.

“Yes, we’re going to the Falls. I mentioned it a few times,” said Erica. “You’re more than welcome to come along.”

“You’ve got your work boots and a pair of pants in the truck Toby,” said Mack.

“So I can go along?” asked Toby.

“Absolutely. I could use a good country boy like yourself out there. Now if I could only get Charlie to come along as well…” said Erica with a laugh as her voice trailed off.

“I would, but who would give my lesson today?” said Charlie.

“Another time then,” said Erica.

“Absolutely,” said Charlie. “You want to go ahead and get changed?”

“Sure, you have the keys?” asked Cindy. Charlie dug into his pocket and handed over the truck keys so she could grab her bag and change in the nearby bathroom. She found a stall and started removing her outfit and putting it up on the hanger she brought with her. After getting unpacked, she changed into the outdoors outfit and found the t-shirt was very comfortable. She knew it had probably been Annie’s at some point in time, but didn’t feel as uncomfortable wearing it as she was before. After changing, she put the bag back into the truck and retrieved her backpack before starting to walk back to the group. As she was headed that way, she was stopped in the small copse of woods between the parking lot and the pool.

“Hi,” said a girl as she walked up to Cindy. She recognized her as the same girl who had been giving her dirty looks during lunch.

“Hi,” said Cindy back as she turned. “I don’t think we’ve met. I’m Cindy Grant.”

“I’m Portia,” she said.

“Nice to meet you,” said Cindy, being friendly.

“I’ve got a question,” said Portia without any additional pleasantries.

“Okay,” said Cindy.

“Is Toby your boyfriend?” she asked bluntly.

“No, I wouldn’t even say he is a friend. We kind of met the other day,” said Cindy.

“So he’s available,” said Portia.

“I guess so,” said Cindy.

“Okay, I was wondering since you two were sitting together,” said Portia.

“Our families shared a table, nothing more,” said Cindy.

“So he just happened to be there?” asked Portia.

“Yeah, more or less,” said Cindy, wondering where the underlying hostility was coming from.

“Okay, well…Toby is a cute guy and if you aren’t his girlfriend, do me a favor and stay out of my way. I’m going to ask him out and I’d be really happy if you weren’t in the picture. So do me a favor and just go away,” said Portia.

“Excuse me?” asked Cindy.

“As in don’t be where he happens to be. I don’t need some ugly new girl thinking she can just come in here and take the cute guy away,” said Portia very snidely.

“I can be wherever I want to be,” said Cindy.

“Do yourself a favor new girl; leave Toby to someone who is way prettier than you are. You don’t deserve him,” said Portia.

“I think he can make up his own mind,” said Cindy.

“Listen, this is the way it works. Toby is a football player and a hot one at that. I’m a cheerleader and football players date cheerleaders. Sorry farm girl, but you aren’t good enough for him,” said Portia. “So leave him alone or else.”

“Are you making a threat?” asked Cindy through gritted teeth.

“Oh, I would never do anything like that!” said Portia very innocently. “I’m just saying you aren’t good enough for him. I mean, let’s face it, you just aren’t that pretty and Toby deserves a pretty girl like me.”

“Maybe you aren’t that pretty either,” said Cindy, not coming back with anything constructive to say in her defense.

“Oh, but I am and you just aren’t. Toby just doesn’t need some ugly girl hanging around trying to catch his attention,” said Portia with a fake smile and walked away. “And besides the fact he’s too good for you. Have a nice day.”

Cindy didn’t know why the situation had just happened and went away with tears in her eyes. Since she had been sheltered for some time, she wasn’t used to the way teenage girls treated each other. She had no idea why the situation just happened since she wasn’t really interested in Toby and had only just met him. She wouldn’t mind having Toby as a friend since he didn’t really pay her any mind and didn’t give her the leers like other boys his age, but a relationship was out of the question right then. She stood in the woods for several moments to compose herself before heading back to the table. But her mood must have shown on her face as she plopped the pack on the ground and slammed into the chair. Erica was busy lacing up her hiking boots and immediately recognized the look on Cindy’s face.

“Something wrong?” asked Charlie.

“No,” she said with a quiver in her voice while she avoided his stare.

“You sure?” he asked.

“I don’t want to talk about it,” said Cindy and turned away to keep him from seeing the look on her face. She knew she shouldn’t be upset since she wasn’t seeing Toby, but the girl had upset her more than she ever had been before. She felt the emotions running back into her head once again and she almost started crying.

Erica saw the signs and had seen Portia giving her the stare while they were eating. She knew it had to have been the issue since Portia had proceeded Cindy out of the woods moments before Cindy had reappeared. A slight shift of her head at Charlie made him get up and walk away to leave the two to discuss whatever was bothering her. He knew sometimes women could communicate far more effectively than men and figured teenage girl relations was far out of his scope.

“What’s going on?” asked Erica.

“Nothing,” said Cindy as she sniffed a little.

“It’s just us two. We can have girl time if you want,” said Erica.

“No, I’m okay,” said Cindy as her voice quivered slightly.

“It’s Portia isn’t it?” asked Erica.

[Grand58742]

I'll try to get a chapter put up in "Lucky" in the next day or two

[Grand58742]

CHAPTER 14 CONTINUED

[Grand58742]

CHAPTER 14



A car rolled into the driveway and honked the horn. Charlie and Cindy were out in the barn working on various parts for the engine and peeked outside to see who it was. Charlie immediately recognized and waved at the man.

“Cindy? Mind grabbing some of that tea and coming out to the porch?” asked Charlie.

“We have guests?” asked Cindy.

“It’s the minister,” said Charlie. “You’ve got a smudge on your face. Might want to clean that up before you come out.”

“Okay, I’ll get changed into my proper clothing,” said Cindy.

“Don’t bother, it’s just a social call. Unless you want to clean up,” said Charlie.

“He formal or anything like that?” asked Cindy.

“Nah, just a normal guy,” said Charlie as he wandered towards the house. “Afternoon.”

“Charlie, sorry I hadn’t been out here sooner,” said Pat Brown, minister of the church Charlie attended.

“No worries, I’ve been pretty busy this week,” said Charlie. “Mind if I excuse myself for a second? Need to wash up.”

“Take your time, I’m intruding on your time here,” said Pat.

“You never intrude. Have a seat on the porch and I’ll be right out,” said Charlie.

Charlie went in and washed up his hands and forearms from the dirt and grime collected from working on the engine. He also grabbed another shirt and quickly changed, but the dirty blue jeans were acceptable for the unplanned visit. He met Cindy coming in just as he was grabbing the tea and glasses before heading out.

“No, I’ve got this. Go entertain the guest,” said Cindy as she shooed him away.

“You sure?” asked Charlie.

“Yeah, go ahead,” said Cindy as she got into the freezer for ice. She had changed her shirt as well since it had gotten dirty and she wanted to look somewhat presentable. Charlie opened the front door and saw the minister sitting on one of the rocking chairs gently rolling back and forth waiting on him to appear.

“How are you sir?” asked Charlie as he shook the man’s hand.

“Pretty fair. I was out on this end of the county and decided to drop by for a visit. I would have called, but I forgot my cell phone at the house,” said Pat.

“No big deal. We were ready for a break anyway,” said Charlie.

“I noticed you have one of your workers out here,” said the minister.

“Well, she’s not really a worker so to speak,” said Charlie.

“Oh?” asked Pat.

“Long story short, I’m serving as a foster home for the moment to her. She’s from New York and is waiting on…some legal issues to get worked out,” said Charlie.

“I see,” said the minister, wondering what else was not being said.

“And if you hear folks refer to her as my niece, just go with it please,” said Charlie.

“Kind of mysterious, but I’m sure you have a good reason,” said Pat. “You get over your stomach bug?”

“Yeah, worked its way out I suppose,” Charlie lied.

“Charlie, you know you couldn’t ever lie worth a darn,” said the minister.

“I don’t feel right lying to you,” admitted Charlie.

“Don’t want to talk about it?” asked Pat.

“Can’t really talk about it so to speak,” said Charlie. “The less you know the better for the moment.”

“I can accept that,” said Pat as Cindy came out. “Good afternoon.”

“Hi,” said Cindy in her typical greeting. “I’m Cindy.”

“Pat Brown,” said the minister.

“Nice to meet you Mister Brown,” said Cindy properly and served up two glasses of tea and poured the bottle of Diet Pepsi into her cup. The minister thanked her as they all got comfortable in the seats.

“Nice day out today, not too hot and not too humid,” observed Pat.

“Yeah, forecast is for rain tonight, so I figure the humidity will pick up in a little while,” said Charlie.

”Everyone needs it,” said Pat. “I assume I’ll be seeing the two of you tomorrow?”

“For certain,” said Cindy before Charlie had the chance to answer.

“We’ll be there,” said Charlie.

“And at the picnic?” asked Pat.

“Yeah, I completely forgot about that,” said Charlie. “Who’s got the list again? I forgot what I was signed up for.”

“Erica Chase. Just give her a call,” said Pat.

“And it’s at Rock Creek Park, right?” asked Charlie.

“Sure is. Picnic starts at around 1:00 with a nature hike for the youth group up to the falls,” said Pat. “Just some other stuff between then and an early evening service by the pool.”

“Sounds like a really good time,” said Charlie. “I can’t believe I forgot about it.”

“We all have things that divert our attention from time to time,” said Pat.

“Yes, that we do,” said Charlie, thinking of the situation he was in.

“But we do want you to speak about something that has come up recently though,” said Pat.

“Which is?” asked Charlie.

“A few members have wanted to become more prepared for emergencies. Maybe you could give a short lecture on how to better prepare ourselves for a crisis if it happened,” said Pat.

“I suppose I could come up with something,” said Charlie.

“Just a generic briefing on what we could do to help ourselves instead of relying on others to help us. I mean, we can help each other, but at the same time, God helps those who help themselves,” said Pat.

“Which I do remember isn’t in the Bible anywhere,” said Charlie.

“No, but a good lesson on life. I mean, we can’t sit back and expect God to do everything for us,” said Pat.

“Okay, I’ll give you that,” said Charlie. “Just a simple brief?”

“Nothing complicated. We can always do more if the desire is there,” said Pat.

“Yeah, I’ll do up something tonight,” said Charlie. “Probably add in some government websites along the way. FEMA actually has a pretty good plan on it.”

“Whatever you think is best,” said Pat.

The remainder of the visit was spent going over small talk and general chit chat. Before the minister left, Charlie offered him up some things out of the garden as he typically did. The minister accepted and Cindy grabbed one of the baskets out of the shed to grab some things with the minister. They walked over together to the garden where he picked at some random samplings.

“How long are you going to be staying with Charlie?” he asked as he cut a cucumber off the vine with a pocketknife.

“Don’t know for certain,” said Cindy.

“Charlie’s a good guy. You couldn’t ask for anyone better to take you in during a time of need,” said Pat.

“I keep hearing that,” she said.

“You object to staying with Charlie?” he asked.

“No! He’s a great guy!” she exclaimed.

“Working you out here on the farm while he has you?” asked Pat.

“Yeah, sort of, but more like I’m badgering him to work more. I like getting physical and doing work,” said Cindy.

“Certainly sets you apart from a lot of other teenagers,” said Pat as he looked through the green peppers before picking one.

“Yeah, I’m not normal,” laughed Cindy. “We don’t have any onions out here, pulled them this morning.”

“Which kind?” asked Pat.

“The red ones and the…Valdosta ones I think they are called,” said Cindy.

“The Vidalia onions you mean?” asked Pat.

“Yeah, I seem to forget the name,” said Cindy.

“I think this is okay for the moment,” said Pat. “Please tell Charlie I’ll get the basket back to him tomorrow.”

“Okay, see you in the morning,” said Cindy as she handed the basket over. After the minister departed, she went back to the house to find him typing something up on the computer. “Are we calling it a day?”

“Probably so, but we have a little problem,” said Charlie.

“Which is?” asked Cindy.

“You don’t have a Sunday dress,” said Charlie.

“Which means?” asked Cindy.

“Well, depends on if you want to look nice for church,” said Charlie.

“Sure,” said Cindy. “Mind if I look through your wife’s things?”

“If you feel comfortable with that,” said Charlie.

“I just don’t want you spending any more money on me,” said Cindy.

“What about shoes?” asked Charlie.

“I’ll see if something matches the shoes you picked up for my other dress,” said Cindy.

“Okay, come on up,” said Charlie as he led her upstairs into the spare room. Most of the Sunday dresses were hanging on portable garment racks and covered by old sheets to protect them from dust. Charlie pulled the sheets back and let her take a look at the dresses underneath. Cindy looked over the two racks and tried to find something that would be “church appropriate.” She finally found something in the same shade of blue as the shoes and wanted to try it on.

“Sure, the spare bedroom is across the hall. You are more than welcome to try it,” said Charlie.

Cindy bounced over and shut the door before trying on the dress. It was a conservative cut, but fairly stylish for being eight years old. After slipping it on and getting it zipped up, she saw it was slightly loose, but otherwise acceptable for a loaner dress. She came back out and decided to get Charlie’s opinion on the matter.

“Am I socially acceptable?” she asked.

He hadn’t been paying attention but was gathering up the bedding to wash from his bed. Turning around, he saw the dress was slightly larger than her slender frame, but as she had noticed, was acceptable.

“Looks perfectly fine to me,” said Charlie after looking her over.

“What kind of church is it anyway?” asked Cindy.

“Southern Baptist,” said Charlie.

“We went to one of those before,” she said. “They were pretty fiery from what I remember.”

“We are a little tamer than other Southern Baptists, but we do get in some guest ministers from time to time that bring the fire in,” he chuckled.

“Are you planning on Sunday school?” she asked.

“I had planned on it,” said Charlie.

“I won’t know anyone,” she replied.

“No different than moving to a new school. I think there are some kids your age as well,” said Charlie.

“Hopefully not the twins,” laughed Cindy.

“No, they are Methodists,” said Charlie with a laugh.

“Okay, I’ll give it a whirl,” said Cindy.

“What do you want for dinner tonight?” asked Charlie.

“I was thinking something Italian. Is that okay?” asked Cindy.

“I think that’s perfectly fine. So you plan on cooking?” he asked.

“If you want me to,” she said. “But I’ll need to see if you have the stuff.”

“Yeah, you might want to check depending on what I have or don’t have,” said Charlie.

“Okay, let me get changed out of this dress and take a look. Might mean a trip to the store,” she said.

“Just a quick trip if you don’t mind,” said Charlie.

“I’ll know here in a minute,” said Cindy as she bounced down the stairs and into the kitchen. She looked around and didn’t find anything she needed to cook up the meal for the night and went into the basement to check as well. The shelves in the basement were full, but not what she was looking for. She came back up the stairs to find Charlie waiting for her.

“Find everything you need?” he asked as he was looking through the phone book.

“Actually, didn’t find anything I needed. Have to make that trip to the store,” said Cindy.

“What are you planning?” he asked while writing down a number.

“It’s a surprise,” said Cindy with a grin.

“Okay, grab your goodies and we’ll head on out,” said Charlie.

Cindy bounded out of the house once again and back to the cabin where she grabbed her wallet and the little money she had. She found Charlie getting everything ready to go.

“Can I drive?” she asked, with a smile, but halfway serious.

“Not on your life. But if we get the chance next week, I’ll give you a few lessons,” said Charlie.

“Way cool!” she exclaimed and headed towards the front door. They decided to head to the local Wal-Mart instead of going into town. She grabbed a shopping basket and headed towards the food aisle. Charlie tagged along behind her but was stopped.

“No, go away. It’s going to be a surprise,” said Cindy.

“And how are you going to pay for this?” he asked.

“I’m going to use my hard earned money,” she said.

“The same money you stole?” he asked with a grin.

“Yeah, it was hard work getting that,” she said. “But anyway, go away…go look at guns or something.”

He shook his head slightly and wandered off in the direction of the sporting goods. He knew there wasn’t much they had on the shelf he wanted, but there was always a possibility of a new shipment of ammo that came in. He hadn’t been shooting like he normally did and needed to get back out on the range sooner rather than later. He picked up some bulk pack pistol ammo and another carton of .22 ammo as well. He figured .22 was something you just couldn’t have enough of, no matter what. He also browsed the other sections taking a look for other items but not finding anything he needed to pick up. Paying for the ammo, he was approached by Cindy after she had completed her purchases as well.

“Have any left over?” he asked and peeked at the bags.

“Yes and no you can’t see what’s in them,” she said with her silly grin.

“I’m probably going to be slightly scared of what is in there,” he said.

“Nah, I won’t kill you,” she said. “But it’s not Southern.”

“Bet it’s not worth eating then,” he laughed.

“Hey! At least it’s not those crawdad things,” she said. As they walked towards the front of the store, a voice stopped them.

“Hello you two,” said Erica Chase.

“Hello, I was going to call you later to figure out what I signed up for tomorrow,” he said.

“Well, that’s why I’m out today. I have to get the stuff for me. But lucky for you, I have the list with me,” said Erica as she dug in her small purse. She scanned over the list and found his name. “Looks like you signed up for the baked beans.”

“Yeah, that’s right. I was kind of ordered to,” he laughed.

“Everyone loves your baked beans,” said Erica. “And how are you doing?”

“I’m good. Nice to see you again,” said Cindy.

“Well, I typically wait until the last minute before cooking anything up,” said Erica. “You are going tomorrow as well?”

“Yes, certainly,” said Cindy.

“It’ll be a good time. I’m leading the hike up to the falls with the teen group,” said Erica. “Are you going to be going with us?”

“How far is it?” asked Cindy.

“Oh, not far, maybe four miles. But it’s pretty,” said Erica. “Maybe you can drag Charlie along with you.”

“I was asked by Pat to give a lesson in preparedness for the congregation,” said Charlie. “I trust you’ll keep her out of trouble.”

“I’m never any trouble at all!” exclaimed Cindy theatrically.

“Well, either way, you are more than welcome to join us on our hike and in Sunday school tomorrow,” said Erica.

“I’ll be there,” said Cindy.

“Charlie, can I get a copy of whatever you’re briefing on tomorrow?” she asked.

“Of course. I’m planning on printing out some generic pamphlets in the morning,” he said. “But I did forget to grab the stuff for the beans as well.”

“Well, you’re at the store, I’m sure they have what you need,” said Erica.

“Yeah, but Cindy was the one that needed to come here. She’s apparently cooking up something special tonight,” said Charlie.

“Which is?” asked Erica.

Cindy leaned over and whispered in her hear. Erica leaned back and gave an “mmmm” of approval.

“I’m coming over and eating at your place tonight,” chuckled Erica.

“You are more than welcome to if you want,” said Charlie.

“I would, but I have to get the chicken done for tomorrow,” said Erica. “But I’ll take a rain check if the offer is on the table.”

“Absolutely. Doctors make good friends and it’s worth keeping you happy,” said Charlie.

“Sometimes we make more than friends,” said Erica and stared intently at Charlie. Charlie picked up on the not so subtle hint there and gave her a smile as he typically did. There was an uncomfortable pause before Cindy prompted the two.

“We probably need to get going, but I’ll certainly cook that up again in the future if you would like to try it,” said Cindy.

“Absolutely,” said Erica as she shifted uncomfortably with her basket. “Until tomorrow then?”

“Yes, see you in the morning,” said Charlie. They walked back towards the front of the store and grabbed another hand basket for the items for the baked beans.

“You just have women all over the place don’t you?” asked Cindy with a silly grin.

“Oh hush,” said Charlie as he headed into the grocery area and grabbed the items to fix his baked beans. There wasn’t a lot to them, but the way he mixed in the various spices made them very good. They went through the checkout line once again and he paid for the items while showing his receipt for the other things along with Cindy.

“She practically ripped her neck off trying to get a look at you,” said Cindy once they were outside.

“Who did?” asked Charlie.

“Doctor Chase. She was heading down an aisle when we came in. She made a point to check on something so she could see you again,” said Cindy.

“How do you know that?” asked Charlie.

“Because she was supposedly looking at Depends undergarments for men,” said Cindy with a laugh.

“Yeah, I suppose those weren’t for her,” laughed Charlie. “She’s a nice lady.”

“She seemed like it,” said Cindy, not wanting to say anything more since the subject was a little touchy with him.

“Okay, you ready to cook monkey girl?” he asked as they got into the truck and headed back towards the house. It was a strange feeling being with her, like she was family. He knew the day would come when she would go back home or to another home if things didn’t work out, but at that moment in time, he felt like she was a part of his family he never really had.

After they got back in the house, she put the items away and headed back to the cabin for a quick shower. After finishing up and getting changed, she headed back to the house to find he had done the same.

“Now stay out of the kitchen until I call you,” she ordered.

“Yes ma’am,” he said and hopped on the computer to get the news while she was busy banging pots and pans around in the kitchen. While looking through the news, a thought struck him and he opened a new window. Suddenly his hands started typing and the words flowed onto the document like they had in years past. He had no idea where the thoughts came from, but they continued to come and form in his head. He lost track of time before Cindy politely cleared her throat behind him.

“I’ve never seen someone type so fast before,” she remarked.

“Yeah, but my spelling is atrocious,” he laughed.

“That’s what they make spell check for. You ready for dinner?” she asked.

[Grand58742]

As stated in the other thread, I'm on leave (vacation) in the States right now and I'll try to get more up if I get teh opportunity to.

[OR Medic]

Great tale you are spinning, Grand!

Keep up the good work, can't wait for more! please don't make us wait too long.....

Jim

[Grand58742]

CHAPTER 13


“Charlie Gray?” asked the physician’s assistant at the Unicoi County Memorial Hospital. “You’re ready to be seen by Doctor Chase.”

“Actually, my niece is being seen,” said Charlie. “The reservation was booked under my name.”

“Of course, please come this way miss,” said the assistant as she led her away.

“Standard physical?” asked Cindy as they entered the exam room.

“Yes, Doctor Chase will be checking you over,” said the assistant. “But in the meantime, we’re going to be doing out standard tests and background since you haven’t been seen here before.”

The assistant went over her medical history, some family history, checked her blood pressure and drew blood for standard lab work. After about twenty minutes, the standard tests were out of the way and the doctor entered the room. She was an attractive woman in her early 30s with piercing blue eyes.

“Hello, I’m Doctor Erica Chase. How are you doing today Miss Grant?” asked the doctor.

“I’m doing okay. I don’t like hospitals though,” said Cindy with a laugh.

“Good thing for you I don’t either, so we’ll keep this short,” laughed Erica. “Blood pressure is outstanding, weight is normal for your age and height, you are also taller than girls typically are at your age and the blood work is being analyzed at this time. Anything specifically wrong you know of?”

“No, I can’t think of anything,” said Cindy.

“No history of medical conditions over the past year?” asked Erica.

“Just my annual cold at the beginning of winter,” said Cindy.

“Let’s listen to your breathing,” said Erica. “Please pull up your shirt.”

Cindy did as requested and flinched at the cold metal instrument on her back. “Sorry.”

“Don’t be, it’s my mistake for not warming it up beforehand,” said Erica. “Breathe in…exhale…inhale…exhale…and one more time…where’d you get the marks on your back?”

“What marks?” asked Cindy.

“There’s evidence of bruising on your back. Most likely from a belt or other object about that thick. Has someone been abusing you?” asked Erica.

“I uhh…” started Cindy.

“Listen, it’s okay to talk about it. I’m a doctor,” said Erica.

“It’s just…you know, I’m embarrassed,” said Cindy.

“Nothing to be embarrassed about. Sometimes it happens,” said Erica.

“It happened with my father. I was being disrespectful in his words and needed to be taught my place. He used the belt to whip me to teach me a lesson,” said Cindy, blushing up slightly.

“Just your father? There is evidence of different types of bruising,” said Erica, who had seen the pattern before.

“No, he got help that last time,” said Cindy.

“Your father had others help him abuse you?” asked Erica with raised eyebrows.

“Yes, other members of the community helped,” said Cindy.

Erica had been briefed about this beforehand, but the revelation of additional people assisting in the physical abuse caused a stir in her emotions. While the Hippocratic Oath stated for Doctor Chase to do no harm, Erica Chase wanted to get the father by the ears and knee him in the face right then.

“Charlie wasn’t one of them was he?” asked Erica.

“Charlie? No! Absolutely not!” exclaimed Cindy.

“Again, if he’s helping abuse you, you can stay in here until the police arrive,” said Erica.

“No! He is in no way, shape or form helping out! He’s been better to me than all the men combined over the past three years!” exclaimed Cindy.

“So what is your relationship with Charles Gray then?” asked Erica.

“Does the doctor patient confidentiality thingy work with this as well?” asked Cindy.

“It certainly does,” said Erica who knew it didn’t since it was her duty to report suspected abuse cases to the police. But then again, she had been contacted by the Sheriff and advised this would probably be the case.

“Charlie isn’t my uncle,” said Cindy.

“Okay, what is your relationship then?” asked Erica.

“He picked me up on the side of the road and offered me shelter. He’s the one assisting in getting things resolved with my family…more specifically my father,” said Cindy.

“So, no relation to him?” asked Erica.

“No, just a good guy who wanted to help me out,” said Cindy.

“Charlie is a good guy, I will say that. But you aren’t lying to me about him abusing you are you?” asked Erica.

“Unless you count providing me food, clothing and a place to stay in his spare cabin, no. Well, he did make me try all sorts of weird foods,” laughed Cindy.

“Such as?” asked Erica.

“Well, like something called ramps, hominy, peanut butter and banana sandwiches, fresh eggs, sweet tea. Even threatened me with something called crawdads,” laughed Cindy.

“No cornbread?” laughed Erica as she saw Cindy was joking. Laughter was a good sign.

“Yeah, that too. Never had it made from scratch before and I must say it’s ‘good eatin’ as Charlie would say,” said Cindy with a smile.

“He’s old fashioned, that’s for sure. Like an old country cook,” said Erica.

“You’ve eaten at his house before?” asked Cindy.

“Church picnic. He and I go to the same church,” said Erica.

“He does pretty well in the kitchen for a guy,” laughed Cindy.

“Yeah, he’s an all right guy,” said Erica. “He’ll make someone a good husband one of these days.”

“Well, he’s single,” said Cindy with a twinkle in her eyes.

“As most of the women in this county know,” said Erica, blushing up slightly as if Cindy figured out she thought more of Charlie than she let on.

“Okay, enough of Charlie,” said Cindy, letting her off the hook for the moment.

“Anything else you want to talk about?” asked Erica.

“I spoke with a lady State Trooper the other day, Sarah Brock,” said Cindy. “Pretty much told her everything.”

“Is that Mitch’s new fianc