My Daughter's Feet Ch. 12

One morning in June, just after turnover, Bridgette told me she was going to hit the beach to soak up some sun tomorrow. She asked if Corinne and I would go along with her. It would be good for Corinne to get out once. I told her we would wait and see what kind of day Corinne would have. Unfortunately, it would be a bad day for Corinne. The first one she would have this month. When Bridgette called, I told her we won't be making it to the beach with her. After chatting with her for a few minutes, we hung up telling each other 'I love you' and 'see you tomorrow.' The next day, Bridgette didn't make it to work. I called her cell and her house phone repeatedly and got no answer. By the afternoon, I was starting to get worried. It wasn't like Bridgette, especially lately, to not have called me. I tried both her phone numbers again. No answer. An hour later, I was making my way to an ambulance call and help out, when I spotted her car in one of the beach parking lots. I quickly wheeled around and started to walk the beach. I found her beach towel, a dead radio, and her cell phone. Nobody saw Bridgette alive again. Since she didn't belong to any church, and we had nothing of her, we didn't even have a funeral.

A new county executive was elected and the fire chief retired. Renee tossed my name into the ring to be the next fire chief. She was my secretary now. Battalion Chief Frazier was named the interim chief until a permanent replacement was to be appointed. In August, the county executive, a woman fifteen years older than me, who still had a nice pair of legs I noticed, sat in front of my desk at house 14. She was there to discuss my promotion to chief, when Renee came rushing in.

"Sorry to interrupt chief..." an out of breath overweight Renee said. "...Kayla is on the phone."

"What's wrong!" I bolted out of my chair and shouted into the phone at Kayla.

"Dad!" Kayla cried. "You need to come home! Mom can't breathe!"

"Be right there!" I slammed the phone down. "I havta...I gotta..." I was stumbling over my words while fishing for my keys.

"It's okay Brad." A calm county executive said. "I understand."

I ran out to my squad car still fumbling for the keys, when a big black hand reached in to grasp my hands. "I'll take you chief." I looked up at Sylvester, my aide. "Get in, I'll get you there." His calm deep voice assured me. I ran around the front of the car and got in.

"Light 'em up Syl." I shouted at him. When he pulled into my driveway, I was out of the car before it came to a complete stop. I ran in through the kitchen. "Kayla! Corinne!" I shouted.

"In here dad, hurry!" Kayla answered. I could hear the shallow labored breathing from Corinne when I took my first step into the kitchen. She was lying on the couch struggling to breathe. I picked her up from underneath her knees and behind her neck.

"I got you babe." My shaky voice tried to assure her, it wasn't doing much convincing for me. Sylvester opened the back door of the squad car and I darted into the back still carrying Corinne. He shut the door and ran to the driver door. "C'mon Syl let's move!" I shouted at him.

Sylvester wheeled out into the street and hit the siren. I knew he was talking into the radio because I heard his deep voice maybe an octave higher than normal, but my attention was entirely focused on Corinne. I looked up only when Sylvester came to a screeching stop, the front tire up and over the curb as he cut the siren. He jumped out and opened my door, before I noticed the ambulance, sirens wailing and air horns blasting, pull a U-turn and stop right behind us. The accompanying engine which is always sent with the ambulance for respiratory distress or cardiac calls, its Federal Q winding down, blocked the lane of traffic.

I got out and carried her to the ambulance, her labored breathing much worse. Sylvester ran in front of me and opened the curbside door. My favorite paramedic Cough Drop was in the back going through the oxygen bag pulling out supplies. I set Corinne on the cot and started to bark orders. I didn't notice Diane had a student with her, and the student's eyes went wide as I shouted at him asking why the hell he wasn't doing what I was ordering.

"Chief!" Diane yelled at me as she gripped my upper arm. "She's my patient now! This is my ambulance! Not yours!"

Hours later, I sat at the side of Corinne's hospital bed holding her hand. Her breathing returned to somewhat normal. It wasn't labored anymore, but still shallow. She was resting. She had an IV bag hooked up to her, oxygen flowing through a non-rebreather mask at ten liters, the cardiac monitor, and her blood pressure was being taken every twenty minutes. I had already contacted Katrina who was currently on her way up from Miami with Meredith. Ken was the Command Duty Officer today, and after getting a hold of Stephanie to relay the message, he called. When he finally found somebody to relieve him, he called again and said he was on his way down. Both Katrina and Ken were going to meet at the house, where spouses and children would stay, then all three were going to come here. Corinne opened her eyes and turned her head toward me.

"Hey babe." I said to her as I kissed her frail hand. "How do you feel?" She shook her head no. She reached up with her other hand and tried to take the oxygen mask off. "No no babe. You gotta keep that on so you can breathe easier." She again shook her head no and tried to take it off. "Okay. Let me help you." I took the mask off and she lightly smiled at me.

"Drink." She whispered through a raspy voice. Well, she did have a endotracheal tube in there. Not caring about the rules, I poured some ice water in a Styrofoam cup, put a lid on and a straw through, and held it for her as she drank half of it. "Thank you" she mouthed. She closed her eyes again and fell back asleep. I put the oxygen mask next to her face so she would have some blow-by. I put my hands on my head and leaned back into the chair. Her hand dropping onto my leg jarred me awake. Her eyes were wide open, but they weren't dancing at me. She motioned for me to come closer to her and put her finger to her mouth. I put my ear close to her mouth and she hoarsely whispered. "Home. Please."

"You sure?" I whispered back to her. She nodded her head yes, and put her finger to her mouth again. I put my head back down and she reached up to hold the back of it.

"Don't....want....to....die..." I turned to look at her, but she patted the back of my head, signaling to stay. "...here...home...please." She finished.

I choked back my tears before I sat up. "You got it babe. I'll get us a ride. Be right back." As I stepped out of the room, Diane was handing Sylvester a cup of coffee. "What are you guys doing here?" They both turned to look, Sylvester stood up.

"Orders Brad." Diane said. "Orders from the county executive. We are to get you whatever you need."

"Well." I chuckled. "I don't s'pose you have an ambulance waiting out front do you?"

"We can get you one if you really want one." Sylvester said.

"I do." I nodded my head. "I'm taking her home. She doesn't want to be here."

Diane went to get the reserve ambulance while I called home and gave them an update. Kayla was happy Corinne was being released, until I mentioned she wasn't, and she wouldn't be at home for long. When Diane came back, Sylvester and I went into the room and started to disconnect Corinne from the machines. A nurse came running in and yelled at us to stop. We couldn't do what we were doing without doctor's orders. We both ignored her. She went to call the police. I carried my wife to the elevator despite protests from the nurse's desk. As we reached the front door of the hospital, a sheriff's deputy arrived with his lights flashing and siren blaring. When he seen who was kidnapping a patient, he turned his flashing lights off, and helped guide me to the waiting ambulance.

All the children and grandchildren had time with Corinne. Katrina and Meredith arrived just as Ken was going up, and he let Katrina go before him. I was the last to go. As I walked into the bedroom, the baseball game was on the television, sound muted. Corinne smiled at me and shrugged her shoulders. I shook my head and went to turn it off. She hoarsely told me to leave it on. She patted the bed, and I laid down next to her. She snuggled into me and I pet her hair while we watched the game. During a commercial she asked me to announce the game for her. I put on my best Bob Uecker and started to play-by-play complete with a few jokes which would make her giggle lightly. In the top of the sixth, she whispered "I love you Brady. Forever." Bob Uecker made a little joke of it before he answered the guy loves her too and kissed the top of her head as she giggled. It was the bottom of the sixth with two outs and a runner on first, 2-0 was the count. She coughed gagged and wheezed as the pitcher checked the runner, she began to seize as he wound up, and her body went rigid as the batter sent the ball foul to some smiling kid in the left field bleachers behind third base. Her body went limp, and Bob Uecker took a commercial break. I knew I didn't have to check for life. Mr. Uecker never came back from commercial. Instead, some guy who sounded a lot like me except you could obviously tell he was crying did the play-by-play for the remaining two and a third innings for her. I hope the network fired him. He was horrible. I gently finagled myself from underneath her so I wouldn't disturb her, just like I had done so many times throughout our thirty year marriage. I haven't slept in our bed since she died. I haven't touched any of her things, or given any of her clothes or jewelry away either. Her ankle bracelet is on the table by my chair when it's not in my pocket. I have to stop myself from yelling when somebody touches her things.

I will turn down the offer from the county executive, and Battalion Chief Frazier became the new fire chief. In September I was notified the forensics lab in Fort Lauderdale positively identified the body of a middle aged woman who washed up on shore back in June. Bridgette drowned, foul play wasn't suspected. I spread the remains of her ashes in Julington Creek where she liked to waterski and sunbathe topless on my boat. No ceremony or fanfare and I did it by myself with a couple beers.

Strange things started to happen around the house. For example, I would be looking for my keys, swear I put them on the table, go look somewhere else, return and there they would be, in plain sight on the table. The same thing happened with shirts. If I was looking for a particular shirt, I would rummage through the dresser drawer or closet swearing I washed it. I would go down to the washer and dryer, not finding it there, but it would be lying on top of the other shirts in the drawer or be the first one hanging in the closet when I looked again. When I found whatever I was looking for, I would shake my head and mutter: "Dang it Cory, stop playin'." When she was really sick, I jokingly got her a small bell for her to ring and set it on the coffee table for when she would lie on the couch. "When you need me Madame, you just ring this bell and I will tend to your needs."I told her in my best English butler accent which made her laugh. She didn't laugh much those days. She never rang it. But as I'm sitting in my recliner and in between consciousness and dreamland, sometimes, the bell rings. "Stop playin' Cory. Trying to sleep here." I would sleepily mutter.

In November, it was my off day and when I was doing the breakfast dishes, I looked out the window and seen a government car pull up. Three men got out of it in full dress Army uniform, one of them carrying a bible. "Crap." I muttered to myself as I threw the dishrag into the sink. I met them at the kitchen door. As soon as they saw me standing there, they snapped to attention and saluted. One of them started the prefabricated speech I'm sure has been spoken to thousands of parents and spouses throughout the country.

"Stop." I held my hand up as the voice trailed off. "I'm not the one you're supposed to say it to." All three looked bewildered. "I'm the father-in-law of Major Erwin. I'm supposed to take you to his wife, my daughter, so she won't be alone when you tell her." After a little more explaining so they understood their orders, I got into the car with them and took them to the school Kayla worked at. On the way, I called Katrina and gave her the bad news. She and Meredith were going to take the next flight to Jacksonville. Ken was out to sea, and Stephanie would get word to him right away. Kayla was on the phone with her back turned and didn't see us come in. "Give me a minute guy's okay?"

"No problem sir." The ranking man said. I walked through the open office door, wondering to myself how I was going to tell Kayla. Mrs. Rahjes seen me enter through the window in her office, and gave me a smile and a wave. I tightened my lips, shook my head no and her smile slowly vanished. She got up from her desk, put her hand to her mouth, and slowly walked into the main office. Kayla put down the phone just as she came out of her office.

"Mrs. Rahjes..." Kayla said to her. "...You okay?"

"Kayla." Mrs Rahjes softly said. "Your father is here." She pointed to me.

"Dad?" Kayla said as she turned around with a big smile on her face. "What are you doing here?" I couldn't say it. I put my head down for a second before I looked at her again. "Dad?" I looked at the ceiling this time for a quick second. "Dad are you okay?" Kayla's smile slowly disappeared and she looked at me strangely.

"I'm sorry Kayla." I finally said.

"For what dad?" Kayla asked. I motioned with my eyes to the window. She put her hands to her mouth. "Dad...no." I moved in closer to her "Daddy please no." I caught her as she collapsed to the floor and held her as she cried heavily and repeated the 'daddy no' into my shoulder. From behind me I heard them snap to attention and salute.

"Mrs. Erwin. On behalf of a grateful nation, the President of the United States—"

It has been a long day. As word has spread about the death of a local soldier, friends have come by all day wishing Kayla condolences. The local media showed up too. Bad timing for them as Sylvester was here. "Get rid of them Uncle Syl." Kayla pleaded with him.

"Consider them gone Kayla." His deep voice assured her as he placed a kiss on her forehead, before his big black frame and voice went ghetto. "Uncle Syl got your back. They aint gonna mess with baby girl today uh-uh." He swiped his nose with his thumb. "Know what I'm sayin'? Bust some heads for you baby girl. Don't be getting all jiggy if you see some asses flyin' by the window. Know what I'm sayin'?" He lowered the volume of his voice. "Unless it's me. Better send your dad out if you see me flyin' by. Know what I'm sayin'?" It was the only time I heard Kayla laugh today. I don't know what Sylvester said to the media, but when I looked out the window thirty minutes later, they were gone.

Now it was going on eleven thirty at night. We all sat around the kitchen table not saying anything to each other. Kayla sat on my left in her normal chair, Katrina across from me, Meredith to the left of Katrina, and Stephanie across from Kayla. Ken wasn't going to be able to get here until tomorrow when his ship would pull back into port. Tomorrow we would be going by Dan's parents and figure out the funeral arrangements. Kayla held a sleeping Trenton in her lap. Her eyes and nose were red and swollen from crying all day. I took the last swallow from my soda. "Dad I have something to tell you." Kayla quietly said. A minute later, she continued. "I'm pregnant." Which started her crying all over again, and she let Trenton slip from her lap. I was able to catch him before he bounced off the floor. Nobody else moved. "I didn't want Danny to know so he wouldn't worry about me. The only person who knew I was pregnant was mom. I had an ultrasound and it's going to be a girl."

Even with the breaking news of Kayla's pregnancy, it was finally consensually agreed it was time to get some sleep. Meredith and Katrina, the only couple here, would sleep in the master bedroom, the boys in Katrina's room, Kayla in her room, and Stephanie in Ken's room. I of course stretched out in my recliner and stared at the wedding picture of Corinne and I on the wall. Like I did every night since she died. As I slipped from consciousness into dreamland, for the first time in two weeks, Corinne's bell rang. "I need you too right now Cory." I sleepily said.

I knew I was dreaming, but I couldn't wake myself up. I was sitting in the backseat of Corinne's Dodge Intrepid, in the middle, by myself. She traded this car for a Chrysler 300M four years ago. The Chrysler now sat in the garage on jacks with a car cover over it. Like most of Corinne's things, I couldn't part with it. Not yet anyway. Corinne was driving, and we were on our street. She was wearing a blue dress, but not the dress we buried her in. She saw me looking at her through the rear view mirror. She turned around to look at me. "There's my stallion! I love you so much Brady." She was as beautiful as she always was, long before cancer ravaged her body. In the passenger seat sat Bridgette. She was my young pretty sexy sister, wearing the last thing I seen her alive in. She turned to look at me as well. "Hey little brother! I miss you. Love you." Corinne reached over the seat and gave me her look, complete with the forehead press "We have a special surprise for you. We both love you." Bridgette put my arm in her lap and rubbed it. "It's in the house baby brother."Corinne expertly parked the intrepid in the garage still giving me her look; in the spot she always parked it. The Chrysler wasn't there. My Granada was parked sideways. I was lying in my chair. Corinne was on top of me riding me slowly like she ualways did when she was on top. I kissed her cheek. "Cory I love you." I mumbled into her red hair. She laughed. "I know. You always say that when I'm riding you." I held her close to me. "I miss you, love you, need you, and wish you were here with me right now."I said again into her fiery red hair. She sat up taking my entire length into her. "Awe that's sweet. I wuv you too dad. I'm hewe." Corinne's bell rang.

"Holy Mary Mother of God!" I said aloud as I kicked my legs and flailed my arms until I was sitting upright on the edge of my recliner. I was awake now. I looked around to see if I had woken anyone else up. The stairs was illuminated from the night light at the top, the kitchen from the light on the stove. The only sound in the house came from Corinne's most favorite innate object. The pendulum on the grandfather clock swung back and forth. I chuckled to myself as I put my head in my hands and rubbed my face. "Where the hell did that come from?" I got up out of the chair, looked at my watch, then the grandfather clock. They both were the same. "Why such a weird dream Cory?" I whispered to myself. "Bridge? Care to explain?" I got a glass of water and stood leaning against the doorway between the living room and kitchen staring at the grandfather clock. I again checked my watch, the grandfather clock, my watch, the clock on the stove, and the grandfather clock again. I guess it must really be two thirty-seven in the morning. I raised my glass of water to the grandfather clock. "Who the hell wound you?" I said out loud to it. Like most of Corinne's things, I haven't touched it since she died, and the clock stopped a week after.

I awoke to the doorbell. It was the local media wanting to talk to Kayla. I closed the door on them. It was six-thirty in the morning. I started to make a pot of coffee and checked my breakfast supplies. As the coffee was brewing, Stephanie came down in her bathrobe and a pair of slippers.