"To everything there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven..."
Ecclesiastes 3:1
The direct continuation of Windfall of Life
By Atonia and Jo
Jo writing Maximus, Caroline, Bud, Marie, Lachlan, Hope, Cort, Daisy, Ben, Zack
Atonia writing Terry, Dee, Alex, Linda, Jack, Tarwyn, John, Bethany, Dino, Max, Sophia
PART 1:
Jack and Tarwyn were inside the terminal waiting for Terry’s plane to taxi to a stop. He’d called them from Houston where they had to go through customs. However the plane didn’t
stop at a gate but to an area set aside for private planes. Tarwyn grabbed Jack’s hand.
“They’re not coming in the terminal. Let’s see if we can find a way out onto the tarmac.”
Waiting by a chain link fence they saw Terry come down the steps and speak to someone on
the ground. He went back onto the plane.
“Oh, my God, an ambulance! It must be Dee.” Tarwyn’s hand went to her mouth.
However they only needed a stretcher to get her out of the plane.
“What’s going on, Terry?” Jack asked, shaking Terry’s hand and giving him a clap on the shoulder.
“Hello, Jack. Deidre is shattered. She had to get off in Houston and I had to have help getting her back on the plane. Where are you parked?”
“Over there. I’ll bring the car up to the curb.” Jack left to bring the car around.
“What’s wrong with her, Terry?”
“She’s exhausted from the flight. I was afraid it would be too much for her but she was determined to come home. She’s still taking some pain medication that makes her feel a little wobbly. How are you, Tarwyn?” Terry gave her a hug and a kiss on the cheek.
“I’m fine. Jack and I are doing well. It’s good to have you back.”
“It’s good to be back…ah, here comes the luggage.”
The trunk was full of suitcases and the ambulance drivers tucked Dee into the front seat and buckled her in. Jack drove them home.
Zack was still very weak but he was gotten up several times a day so he could try walking a little. Bud had showed up the evening before with a pair of pajamas he’d bought for Zack so
he didn’t have to wear just the hospital gown. Bud had loathed having to wear one not long
ago.
“Torture devices,” he said as he walked closely beside Zack on his first foray down the hall a short distance. There were hand rails all along the wall and Zack held tightly to the one at
his left side.
When they got to the small lounge area, the two men sat down. “I was in here myself just a
short while ago,” Bud explained. “Bad guys ran my car off the road and we had a bit of a gunfight.”
“From your private detective work?”
“No, Zack. It was the same guys who beat up Alex. Well, let’s say they worked for the same man. Lachlan was in here, too.”
“Lachlan? No one has mentioned him yet.”
“He’s the youngest of your brothers, Zack. He used to be in the air force…a pilot.”
“Is he here in the city?”
“Yes, he is. He was stabbed pretty bad by more of those guys, right in the hospital elevator.
But nothing to worry about any more. That situation has all been taken care of. So…you up
for heading back yet?”
Zack looked down the hallway. “Seems a long way.”
“It’ll get shorter each time you do it,” Bud smiled.
Terry and Jack helped Dee into the house and to her bed where she thankfully crashed. “I’m
so sorry. I didn’t want to come home like this.”
“No worries, luv. You’re home and that’s all that matters. Get some sleep, some rest, and you’ll be apples.” Terry kissed her and closed the blinds in their room. He thought about a nap himself but Jack and Tarwyn were still there.
“Terry, I’m going to run out to the grocery store for ya’ll. Is there anything in particular you want me to pick up?”
“Oh, Tarwyn, you don’t have to do that.”
“I want to. It’s the least I can do. We cleaned out the fridge and bins when we moved out.” Tarwyn left for the grocery store.
“That was awfully nice of her.” Terry sank down on the sofa.
“Is there anything I can do, Terry?”
“No, Jack. I just need to settle for awhile. I appreciate you and Tarwyn picking us up. What’s going on with the family?”
“Ah, the family. Shall I start and go back or? John and Bethany got married on Friday. Zack
is awake but a curious thing…you know, he has amnesia and is speaking with an accent like yours.”
“Aussie…that is strange. Are you sure he’s Zack?”
“Well, you will have to see him for yourself. He appears to be in looks, age, etc. There really doesn’t seem to be any other answer for him.”
“Hmm, I’ll try and get over to see him in the morning. Whenever morning is…my body clock
is truly fucked up.”
“How many hours difference is Australia?”
“Sixteen hours and a twenty hour flight, counting the time we spent on the ground in Houston.”
Jack shook his head in sympathy. “As to the rest of the family, every one is becoming homeowners, including Ben.” He slightly raised a brow. “He’s bought in with Cort and Maximus.”
“Cort and Maximus are okay now and Caroline?”
“Right as rain. Alex had back surgery on Sunday morning and came home yesterday.”
“Back surgery?”
“Ah, disk I believe was ruptured. He’s walking, I hear and is expected to make a full recovery. Lachlan is also at home recovering and Bud seems to be feeling good.”
Terry smiled slowly, “So…I wasn’t missed.”
“It will all depend on when Terry is able to get the paperwork for Cort, of course, but I wish
to make you my wife as soon as possible after that.”
“I imagine Terry’s worn out after that long flight and all the time changes,” Caroline said.
“So I would imagine,” Maximus nodded. “From what I understand even though he missed
much of the…tribulation…we experience here, he had a certain amount of stress where he
was. I am hoping, since Sid is quiet again, that we may have a time of peace here in the late autumn and into the winter. Hope is getting married soon as well as are some of the others.
We will be quite the family of husbands and wives when we gather for the holidays.”
She went up to where he was standing looking out the studio window and slid her arms around him. “We’ve come such a long way, you and I.”
“I wish to go a long way further with you by my side,” he smiled.
“Don’t forget the dog,” she grinned.
“I never forget the dog,” he grinned back.
Jack leaned back in the comfortable chair. Terry was now stretched out on the sofa with a pillow under his head. “How’s Max?” Terry asked, not having heard anything about him.
“Ah, Max, well,” Jack smiled. “Max has bought himself a winery and has a lady. We met her
at John’s party after his wedding. Her name is Sophia Vasari, Italian lady.”
“Really…Max and an Italian. Good for him. I look forward to meeting her.”
“Terry…if you want to drop off to sleep, go ahead and do it. You are not obligated to talk to
me because I’m here.”
“Thanks, Jack. I if I don’t answer the next question, you know I’m gone.”
Jack chuckled, leaned his head back on the chair and closed his own eyes. He could nap anywhere, anytime.
That night Zack lay awake for a long while, sending his mind out in searches for any information that might be lurking in the corners of his brain. It came back empty-handed. He felt frustrated that he couldn’t remember anything. Surely, somewhere, some place deep inside, there had to be…something. But search as he might, he couldn’t locate a thing. “Zack,” he said aloud. “Zachary Grant.” The name meant nothing to him other than that he was getting used to being called it by his family. His family. That was strange, too. So many brothers and he hadn’t even met Lachlan, Ben, Max or Terry yet. Didn’t his father ever sire sisters? His father. Now that was the strangest of all. The man traveled, they said, and never married any of the women whom he got with child. What sort of man did that, did it over and over and over? He had to have no morals at all, no sense of responsibility. He was curious about him but not really sure he’d ever actually want to meet him. He didn’t stick around to raise his sons. Did he even care what happened to them, what sort of men they grew up to be, where they lived, how they earned a living? Evidently not. He guessed his brothers made up for that lack by being very close and protective of each other. He’d only found out about Max today because Bud had mentioned him. It was very confusing trying to keep them all straight. Canfield had come by and said two or three more days and he could go to Cort’s house. What then? What if his memory never came back? What was he supposed to do with himself? In spite of having so many brothers,
he lay there feeling utterly lost.
Wednesday morning Terry was up early, made coffee and checked the fridge to see what Tarwyn had bought. Breakfast, sandwich meats and a couple of steaks. He was more or less rested. Dee had been up in the night for awhile but she was sleeping soundly when he got up.
With a cup of coffee in hand he padded back to his office. His phone was on the charger but already he’d had a message from Maximus. Checking his watch and figuring the general would be up early anyway he returned the call.
“G’morning, Maximus. Hope it’s not too early.”
“Not at all, Terry. It is good to hear your voice again. I hope your trip to your homeland was successful. Going home is not always an easy thing.” The thought of his burned villa flashed through his mind.
Terry smiled, homeland? “Yes, it was an interesting trip.”
“And your lady? I was grieved to hear she was injured.”
“Deidre suffered a bad fall, but is coming along.”
“There are a few matters I would wish to speak with you about, Terry. Benjamin is doing well for himself and I know you will be pleased about that. He has a dog now as well as the horse
you arranged to purchase for him and I think the two of them have done much to make him feel more at home in this time. He has the horse trailer and the truck Linda provided him for the transport of Ranger and has been learning to drive the truck. He is a fast study and needs to be able to get out and about on his own so I was wondering if a license might be arranged for him.”
“Of course, Maximus. I’ll take care of that this morning.”
“You are a good man, Terrence Thorne, and you need to know how much it is appreciated…by all of us. I have asked Caroline to be my wife, a matter I somewhat foolishly neglected in the past, and we would like Cort to officiate the small ceremony. Also Hope is getting married very soon and she, too, wishes her father to do the honors. Is there some way Cort may be provided with documentation that will permit him to do this?”
“Hmm, well I’ve never had the occasion to certify a man of the cloth, so to speak. He’s from Arizona…a priest? Or is he a minister? I just need to get the terminology correct.”
“He was a priest but I was speaking with him about this and his wishes concerning it and as he
is married he indicated it would be better for him to be certified as a non-denomination minister.”
“I’ll take care of that this morning as well, Maximus. How is Caroline?” When Terry left for Australia, Caroline was presumed dead. Her return, via Sid, was nothing but miraculous.
“Caroline is perfectly well. Whatever Sid did made it as though she had never been injured. While I am most grateful for that, he then did terrible things to Zachary which have cost him
not only physical damage, but mental.”
“Jack was telling me about him yesterday. I hope to get over to the hospital today to see him. I need to take Deidre over to see Dr. Canfield and let him check her out. She has a neck injury and is wearing a collar brace right now. We’ll meet Zack while we’re there. Are Cort and
Daisy and Ben doing well? I feel so out of the loop although I’ve spoken with John and Bud
while in Australia.”
“Ben has his own home now, which is a first for him and is taking a bit of getting used to. I
think it is good that it lies not far from my place and from Cort’s. Cort is very happy with his his new bride. There has been a world of change in him since he remarried and since he found peace with matters regarding his own soul. It has helped him greatly as well that Hope seems
to be losing all that made her connected to Sid. There seems to be no explanation for it, Terry, other than that Sid has released her somehow. She can no longer warp. I did not know if you had been made aware of that.”
“No, that’s the first I’ve heard of Hope. It can only be a good thing to be rid of Sid’s influence. While I’m finishing my coffee, I’ll fire up this computer and take care of Ben and Cort. Take care, Maximus. Hope to see you soon.”
Keeping NanoCorp’s special software on his computer was about the smartest thing he’d done, Terry reckoned. Zack would have to be taken care of, but that could wait until they knew what was happening with Zack.
He sat back and mused for a moment about the marriages taking place. Maximus and Hope, John…and him and Deidre. How long would it be for the rest of them? A moment of peace and they all turned domestic, including himself. This is what life was about, wasn’t it? If only Sid would leave them alone…if only.
Max was becoming acquainted with his new home. Between Sophie and the onsite vintner, they were introducing him to the vines and the people who worked there. This morning he was going up to the winery. He liked the winery more than the house. It was older and had a character he felt comfortable with. The vintner’s name was Harry, a Californian brought up in a vineyard.
In some ways he reminded Max of Duflot, only revealing information in drips and dabs.
The main tasting room and sales room where Max had first seen Sophie was already getting ready to open for the day. Upstairs were the offices, where the business of selling wine was conducted.
Max looked up at the old beams. “Tell me about this building. It appears to be very old.”
Harry looked up following Max’s gaze. “It is old. It was built in 1845 by a Spaniard named Renaldoza. It was the main residence here for a long time. Mr. Vasari built the house and remodeled this for its present purpose.”
“Pity.”
“Excuse me, Sir?”
“Oh, I was only thinking it was a pity it was remodeled. I like for something that is old to remain old. Much of the character has been lost to large glass windows.”
“Well, it lets in the light.” Harry continued on down the hallway to what would be Max’s office.
Maximus went into the studio where Caroline was adding some touches to the portrait of Daisy she’d been painting.
“Friday,” he said.
“Friday. I like Fridays. What’s up with this coming one?”
“Fog.”
“Ah, well, due to that low-lying bottom land at the edge of the west woods, we do tend to get a
lot of that, especially on the cool late autumn days.”
“Friday in the fog…you and me.”
“Um…you’ve lost me, darling.”
He smiled. “No, you found me.”
“In the fog? Yes, I did find you in the fog but what are you talking about?”
“Will you, my Caroline, marry me Friday in the morning fog?”
She set her paintbrush down. “So, it’s not just the tree, it’s the fog, too?”
“If that is all right with you, then yes.”
“It’s all right with me. That was the most blessed day of my life.”
“Nine. Will that do?”
“Nine is fine. Midnight is fine. I take it you’ve spoken with Terry.”
“Just now. He says he will take care of the required papers this morning. I would marry you tomorrow but the fog comes on Friday.”
Linda lay the paper down on the edge of the writing table where Alex had his computer set up. “I see your piece has been picked up by AP.”
He looked up with a little smile. “Yeah, I saw that. Not sure that’s a good thing. I’m not sure I want my name all over the place.”
“Why?” She sat down on a chair beside the desk.
“Considering who or who I am not.”
“I don’t see why that should make a difference. You can’t hide out here in this city forever. Hiding your light under a bucket. You’ve got a real talent for telling a story, Alex. You should write a book.”
“Right,” he chuckled and reached for a pack of cigarettes. “I can see my mug plastered all over the cover of a book now.”
“You could use my pictures.”
He met her eyes for a moment. “Is that what you want? You want me to put it in a book form?”
“That’s up to you. I’m behind you whatever you want to do, Alex. It might make other people, other wannabe Hawks, to stop and think.”
“Aah, not sure people like that stop and think.”
“How’s the back?”
“Back’s fine this morning. You know, a little stiffness but that will wear off.” He lit his cigarette. “If I do make a book out of this it’s only going to shine the spotlight on you again and on HAWCO. Not sure the timing is right with the new board about to take place.”
“Write it anyway. We’ll put out a statement when the division is made.”
“I’ll have to find a publisher.”
“That shouldn’t be a problem with your newfound fame at AP.” She stood up and kissed his cheek. “Love you today.”
“Hey,” he pulled her down on his lap and gave her a real kiss.
“Hello, Terry,” Ben said as he answered his phone. “You gonna have to come out this way
when you get a chance an’ see where my horse spends his days.” He said it with a smile even though Terry couldn’t see it. “I mighty appreciate what you done for me about that.”
“I was happy to find him for you, Ben. I’ll find my way out to your place soon. I wanted to let you know that I’ve taken care of your driving license. It should come in the mail and I’ll bring
it out to you.” Terry stretched his legs under his desk. “I hear you’ve bought yourself a house. That must be a new experience for you.”
“That it is, Terry. I ain’t never had myself so much stuff to set around neither. Maximus had
to help me with it the other day just to get it outta the middle of the floor. I ain’t seen Zack
since he’s been woke up an’ all. You seen him yet? I was wonderin’ what you thought of that there situation.”
“I haven’t seen him yet, Ben. I’ve talked to a few of the brothers about him. We’re heading to the hospital around 1:00 today and so I’ll see for myself. What do you think about him?”
“I find him right puzzlin’, Terry. Cort tells me how he talks like you. Be interestin’ to hear what you think of that. I done seen Zack’s movie an’ he don’t talk like you at all ‘ceptin’ in
that there one scene when Russell done forgot an’ said ‘been’ with that ‘bean’ sound when he was fussin’ at Mary for singin’ while they was pushin’ that broke up car. Just for that there second I felt like I was watchin’ Russell more’n I was watchin’ Zack.”
“Hmm, that’s interesting. I’ve heard he’s got the accent. Sounds like Sid might have stripped him down to the bones. I’ve been stripped down to my bones, too, this past month. I’ll fill all
of you in on that sometime. It was interesting to say the least.”
“Well, thank you for that there paper’ll help me drive. I been trippin’ over a few of my own bones recent like. Guess this bein’ out of what you done thought was all there was kinda gets
to a man. Hard enough when you’re brain’s hooked up right. I got no idea how Zack’s gonna handle the news.”
“Ah, so nothing has been said to him about who he really is? He must think we’re a strange lot. How many identical brothers can you have? And I ‘m not sure we ever know all there is. I’ll
talk to you later, Ben, after I’ve seen Zack.”
Zack had taken a couple of walks down the hall during the morning and was just waking from
a short after-lunch nap when a man he hadn’t seen yet came in the door. It only took one quick look to determine this was another of his brothers. He didn’t think it was Lachlan as he’d been told Lachlan was younger. This had to be either Terry or Max and he waited quietly for the man to introduce himself.
“G’day, mate, I’m Terry Thorne.” Terry walked over to the bed. He’d been quietly studying
him from the doorway. It was the beard, same as Zack’s that made him Zack, and the hair. He noted the longish hair, not as long as John’s, longer than Alex’s. “Sorry I haven’t been ‘round
to see ya. I’ve been in Australia visiting the old homeplace.”
“I heard you were coming back soon. Everyone was pleased about that. So you’re an Aussie, are you? They say Lachlan is, too. I haven’t met him yet.”
“I’m sure you will soon. We’ve been staying around Coffs Harbor, Pacific Bay to be exact, for the last week. Ever been there?”
“Um, I don’t think so. Why…why would you ask?”
Terry crossed his arms and smiled, “I recognize a fellow Aussie. And having just come from the continent the accents are fresh with me. I’d even go so far as to say you’re probably originally
a Kiwi. Your accent is a little different than mine and Lach’s. It’s fair dinkum.” Terry grinned, “You understand the lingo.”
What was in the back of Terry’s mind was that Zack had been stripped to the bones. He no longer was Zack in any recognizable way…except in looks.
“You…I…you sound more like me to me than any of the others. That doesn’t make sense.
I’m American…aren’t I?”
Terry shrugged, “I don’t know. Maybe you took the oath and became an American or maybe not. I can’t answer that, Zack. I just know what you sound like to me. I wouldn’t worry about
it. You’re not alone, you know. You’ve met most of us now. We’re all different.” It was hard
for Terry not to tell him of his origins.
“My, um, fiancé is downstairs having an MRI done. She took a bad fall while we were on holiday at Thorneton, that’s the homeplace I mentioned. They’ve got her wearing one of those unattractive neck braces. She’s not happy about it either. I hope she gets up here to meet you.
I know she wants to.”
“I hope she’s all right.” Zack went quiet for a minute, disturbed by the similarity of the way
he talked with Terry’s.
“They told me I was FBI.” His brow was knit in somewhat of a frown. “How can I be a New Zealander, Terry? I don’t understand any of this. Is there something about me I haven’t been told yet? I hoped I…”
“Ah, Terry, I see you’ve made it in to see Zack.” Dr. Canfield entered the room, catching Terry’s eye. “I was hoping I might speak with you privately first.” He smiled at Zack.
“You’re doing good, Zack. I’m pleased with the amount of walking you’re doing. Come on, Terry, and let’s talk about Dee. He’ll be back in a minute, Zack.”
Once they were out in the hall, Canfield looked very seriously at Terry. “I heard what Zack said as I came in. What triggered that? The accent?”
“Yes, did you think he wouldn’t notice? I noticed it and since I’m pretty sensitive to accents in Australia and New Zealand right now, I confirmed it for him. Why hasn’t he been told who he is? Or better still…who the hell is he, Dr. Canfield?”
“He’s Zack Grant, Terry, and he hasn’t been told he’s a character from a movie because he was almost dead when we first brought him in here and then when he finally woke up, he had amnesia. Don’t you think that’s rather enough to deal with in a short period of time? Do you think it would be of any benefit to him to find out he was scripted? And are you saying you don’t think he’s Zack? Is that it?”
“Zack Grant was an American. This guy is clearly an Australian. I can buy the amnesia, but where does the accent come from? If I had to guess who he is, I’d say he’s Russell. Sid’s stripped Zack Grant from him. I know he looks like Zack, Dr. Canfield, but he isn’t. Telling him he was scripted is…just not true at this point.”
“You have a point there, Terry, and it’s one of the main reasons I don’t want him told about
the whole movie thing right now. What if he IS Russell? Good Lord, Terry, what do we do
with that? That’s a whole new ballgame and it’s rugby, not baseball. It rather boggles my mind. He looks like Zack and I believe at one time he was Zack. Do you know how many times I’ve said ‘I don’t know’ regarding one or the other of you? Well, here it is again. I don’t know. How do you tell a man he was somebody…somebody he doesn’t remember being…but now he’s somebody else and he doesn’t remember that person either…and he’s only that other person because another variation of all the men the other person made decided to do something terrible to him that would lead him to be IN this state in the first place?”
Terry sighed, “I know it’s complicated. But…you know, the bloke is thinking and he’s wondering what the fuck…you know? How long is he gonna buy this brother thing? I know
he’s been through an ordeal. I can see it on his face and his body. Right now it seems like we’re all tiptoeing around him and he’s lying there wondering how he’s got brothers from Australia and Spain and England. This can’t make any sense to him. More confusion…we can’t lie to him. I won’t. I don’t mean I’m going to start laying out No Way Back because I’m not sure it applies to him. But somewhere along the line, the truth has to come out and soon. I’m not advocating telling him he’s anybody in particular. He’s been named Zack because he looks like him but to make him think he’s an FBI agent…nah, I can’t do that.”
“I agree about the FBI agent business. If he thinks that, he may try to track it down and set the actual FBI on his trail…and ours. It’s just so hard, Terry, to know what the right course to follow is. Right now he thinks he has a wayward father who goes around the world getting women pregnant and not marrying them. That’s where all the different last names and countries come from but, yeah, it doesn’t really wash when you get right down to it. He’d have to know about the whole movie scenario to even begin to understand the truth of all his brothers. What do we tell him…that he might have once been a movie character but we’re not exactly certain of that or which one he was if he was but it’s most likely he’s not but is actually some odd form of the man who made the movies, only not as he is now but as he was in the mid-1990’s? You take somebody who’s just coming out of real physical trauma and you tell him that and…what happens? We don’t know what happens. It could throw his brain waves so out of kilter he’d go back into that coma, maybe forever, or maybe he’d just up and die. We don’t know, Terry. That’s it…we do not know.”
Terry looked back towards the room. “When he’s up, when he’s strong, then I think we all need to get together and explain some things to him. It’s a mind blowing thing, I know, but he’s going to have to know the truth. We can explain ourselves to him and let him figure out where he fits.
I agree he’s from the mid 90’s time period. Somewhere between Cort and Sid.” Terry shook his head. “Damn Sid.”
It was a helpless feeling. He looked back at Canfield. “Now, tell me about Deidre. Is it a sprain like she was told in Coffs?”
“Yes, it’s a sprain, but a fairly serious one. She could have broken her neck in that fall. She’s going to need to take it easy a while longer, so the neck brace is a good thing in that it not only offers support but also keeps her from any sudden jerking movements that could add to the damage. I think she could benefit from some heat therapy. Do you have one of those larger-sized packs that heats in the microwave? When she’s sitting quietly, maybe watching TV with you or reading, warm that up for her. I think she’ll come out of this just fine, though, Terry.”
“Thanks, Dr. Canfield. I had faith in the doctors that attended her but I needed that confirmation from you.” Terry shook his hand. Truly he was grateful for Dr. Canfield.
Zack sat there in his bed, growing more concerned about all he didn’t know, all he didn’t understand. He spoke like he was from New Zealand or Australia? He was in Texas. He thought…what did he think? All he knew was what he’d been told by Dr. Canfield and by his brothers. There was just something…some big something… that was out there lying in wait
for his mind to grasp. Oh, God…what could it be? What could it be?
Dee came up on the elevator with her collar back on. She saw the doctor and Terry in the hallway.
“Hey, I’m all done. Is it possible to see Zack?”
Terry glanced at Dr. Canfield. “Yes, for a little while. Come and meet him.” He took her arm.
“Zack, this is Deidre.”
“Hello, Zack. It’s nice to meet you.” She went over to the bed and touched his arm.
“Deidre, I’m so sorry you’ve been hurt. I was…I was just…I…” His voice trailed off and he looked at Terry. There was something no-nonsense about the man and he was beginning to wonder if he might be the source of what Zack was beginning to think he needed to know. He turned his eyes back to the lovely redhead. “I’m sorry. I guess my mind wandered there for
a moment. So, you’re just back from Australia?”
“Yes, we took a whole month’s vacation. Unfortunately, I spent the last two weeks of it all banged up. I took a fall off a horse and then fell down a steep bank. Nearly broke my neck.”
She smiled as she told him about it. “So, I get to wear this totally unfashionable thing for
another three to four weeks. My shoulder’s just becoming something I can use again. Bet
you’ll be glad to have your hand back, too.”
“Yes.” He lifted his hand and looked at it briefly. “I can’t even button my own pajamas. That sounds like quite a fall. I fell down a long slope onto rocks by a stream. I don’t know if I was
on a horse, though. I don’t even know if I can ride a horse.” He eyed Terry again. “I don’t know much about anything actually.”
Terry moved over and slipped an arm around Dee by Zack’s bed. “Maybe when you get outta here, ya know. Maybe something will come back to you. Riding a horse comes natural if you’ve ever been on one. You take care of yourself, get well and strong. We’ll talk again. I know it’s tough right now…just be patient.” He shook Zack’s good hand. “Now, little lady, let’s go find
a hot pad for your neck.”
“Bye, Zack…take care.” Dee blew him a kiss and left with Terry.
Zack stared at the door for a while after they left. He liked all his brothers. All of them had been very good to him, very caring. Terry, though, there was something else about Terry he hadn’t seen in any of the others he’d met. Terry knew things about him and it bothered him he couldn’t tell Zack. Zack had felt that very strongly about the man even though Terry had been very careful in what he said. There was just something behind his words, something in his eyes, that made Zack believe there was more to this whole thing. But what more could it be? What were they not telling him about himself? Had he been some sort of criminal? And there was that elusive father of them all. Was he a criminal? Was that why he never stayed in one place very long, never made any commitments to any of the women who fathered his sons? Crowe. They’d said his last name was Crowe. That meant nothing to him. He knew nobody named Crowe. He closed his eyes tightly. The only people he did know were the ones he’d met in this hospital after he woke up. Who had he known…before?
ON TO PART 2
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