Chapter 9

Ling lounged on the sofa in the informal living room, using the remote control for the television to flip through channels. John watched, but she flipped so fast that he couldn’t even tell what was on any individual channel. She’d pause occasionally to watch five seconds of some channel and then return to flipping at her original pace. Since John and Ed weren’t particularly interested in the television, they weren’t bothered by her actions.

John got up and went to the mini-refrigerator to refill his iced-tea. Ed watched him for a minute. He noticed the small mannerisms that suggested John was bothered by something, but that he was trying to hide it.

Ed finally asked, “What’s the matter?”

John turned to Ed; about to answer that nothing was the matter when he saw that Ed would persist. He frowned as he answered, “I don’t like that Beth went to Los Angeles for that medical conference.”

Ed examined John carefully. Curious, he asked, “Why?”

John shook his head and said, “I have a feeling that something bad is going to happen there.”

“So let’s go there and join her,” Ling suggested as she settled on a television station at last. She turned her attention to John for the moment.

John walked to the intercom and pressed the button connecting him to Cathy’s office. When Cathy answered he said, “Cathy, arrange a jet to take us to LA.”

Cathy acknowledged the request. John turned to face the others in the room. He asked, “Who wants to go?”

Ling answered, “I’ll go. Ed should stay here so that someone will be home when Kelly gets off work.”

Ed argued, “Hold it, I’ll watch his back for him.”

Ling asked, “Who has the black belt? Whose job has been bodyguard? I should be the one that goes.”

The two of them started to debate which one would be the better one to go. John had a sudden vision of the Gods and Goddesses looking at him with great sadness in their eyes. As he realized the message they were conveying to him, John dropped to his knees screaming, “Noooooo!”

Both of the shut up immediately and looked to John. They didn’t know if he was upset with them for their debate or if something else was the matter.

John said, “It’s not fair. She was going to be a mother!”

Ed and Ling quickly moved to John’s side. They helped him to the couch. Ed asked, “John, what happened?”

“She’s dead. Beth is dead.” John replied. Knowing that she was in a better place, the shock of the news quickly passed. Now he had to deal with the fact that he would never get a chance to talk to her again. He knew there would come times when he would experience something only to think to himself that she would love to hear about it.

Ed raced over to the intercom and buzzed the garage. Bob responded with a quick greeting. Ed got straight to the point and started issuing commands, “Bob, get one of the cars and go to the hospital. We need you to pick up Kelly and drive her home. Just tell her that her presence at the house is needed.”

Ed returned to sit by Ling. John’s message began to sink in. Beth was dead. He would no longer be able to share his life with her. Suddenly, a huge hole opened in his heart. He looked up to see the tears streaming down Ling’s face and knew he was not alone in this.

Official notification that Beth had been killed in Los Angeles came before Kelly returned home. Ed and Ling had gotten themselves under a little better control, but Kelly could tell as soon as she entered the house that something was wrong. She moved to the informal living room as a sense of dread settled upon her. She froze when she saw the looks on the faces of her husbands and wife. She asked, “What is it?”

The three of them got off the couch and move to Kelly. John and Ed put an arm around her as Ling moved in to hug her. John said, “I’m sorry Kelly. Beth was killed in LA about an hour ago.”

Kelly’s legs collapsed out from under her. The two men carried her over to the couch and set her down. They joined her on the couch as Ling sat on the coffee table facing Kelly. Ling looked at John accusingly and asked, “How can you accept this so calmly?”

John sighed as he answered, “It’s simple, I have died and know that it’s not a bad thing, though I’m sad that I won’t get to share my love with her and she with me.”

Ling and Kelly looked at each other realizing that John had expressed exactly how they were feeling. They were feeling the loss for themselves and less about what Beth’s death would mean to her.

Kelly replied, “I feel so guilty because I’m thinking about myself.”

John said, “Don’t feel that way. She is fine, now. We are the ones left behind to continue without her. It’s natural that we think of our loss.”

Cathy came into the room and said, “I’m sorry to interrupt, but Beth’s father is on the telephone and he wants to talk to you.”

John turned on the speakerphone. He said, “Hello, Dr. Hayes. You’re on the speakerphone here, and the whole family is gathered.”

“I’m so sorry. We were at lunch and a car lost control. I couldn’t do anything,” he said. His voice broke as the sound of him crying came across the telephone. He sobbed, “Oh, God, I’m so sorry.”

John said, “We understand there was nothing you could do. You’ve done nothing that requires an apology. Where are you?”

“I’m in the hospital in LA.”

“Are you all right?” John asked as he looked over at Ed. Ed understood what John intended him to do. Ed stood and went to the door.

“I’ve got a broken leg and a fractured disk.”

John asked, “Where’s Mrs. Hayes?”

“She’s at home. I called her and let her know.”

Ed nodded and went to find Cathy. John said, “Ed is arranging for a charter jet to be sent to the airport to pick her up. We’ll be flying in as well.”

Dr. Hayes sobbed, “I’m so sorry. I couldn’t do a thing for her. The car came out of nowhere and that was it.”

Kelly said, “You know that you should just rest right now, Dr. Hayes. You’ll be able to deal with things better after you’ve rested.”

John added, “We will be there soon. Get some rest.”

The conversation continued for another several minutes. Most of it was Dr. Hayes apologizing for his daughters death. He felt guilty because he lived rather than her. The father had watched the daughter die.

The Carter Clan arrived at the airport within an hour of the official telephone call. They waited to take off until they were sure that Beth’s mother had boarded the jet they had arranged for her. They left in time to land within ten minutes of her arrival in LA. They made excellent time and the trip itself was uneventful.

At the LA airport, they waited for Mrs. Hayes to land. The four were very tense, as they had no idea of what state of mind she would be in when she landed. Ed had informed them that she was very upset on the telephone when he talked to her. When the jet taxied to the hanger, the four went out to greet her. The door of the jet opened and after a minute, she stepped out.

She smiled at them and said, “I could get used to traveling like that!”

The ground crew swarmed around the jet removing her luggage and taking it to the limousine that waited for them. John laughed in relief that she wasn’t upset. He said, “Yes, Ma’am. It’s very easy to get used to flying all by yourself in a chartered jet.”

He helped her off the last step of the stairs down from the jet. As they walked, John told her, “We’ve reserved the penthouse suite of a hotel that is one block away from the hospital where your husband is a patient. We want you to stay with us.”

Beth’s mother looked surprised and said, “You are too kind.”

Ling looked at her and said, “Beth was our wife and that makes you family.”

Kelly continued, “There is nothing more important than taking care of family. You will never need worry as long as any of us are alive.”

Ed said, “As soon as your husband is able to travel, we will transport him to our place. We have a doctor lined up and the best facilities in the entire state.”

John added, “We can build a separate house for you if you don’t feel comfortable in our home. Perhaps you and Dr. Hayes might want to retire there.”

Beth’s mother cried, “Beth loved you all so much and I know why. You really do take care of each other and those around you.”

They got into the limousine. The drive to the hotel was filled with conversation and talk of future possibilities. Once there, John picked up the keys to the penthouse suite. They were immediately shown to their suite with the luggage being brought up by the bellhop in a separate elevator. The penthouse was huge, with four bedrooms, large living room, spa, dining room, an office, and a built-in bar.

John said, “Okay, everyone. Pick a room. I’m claiming the office.”

Beth’s mother looked shocked and protested, “That’s okay, I’ll sleep on the couch.”

Kelly laughed at the suggestion they put Beth’s mother on the couch. She said, “Putting John in a bedroom is a waste of a bed. He sleeps on his sleeping bag. The office is perfect for him.”

Ling added, “The only time he sleeps in a bed is when he’s sleeping with someone. More often than not, he still ends up on the floor.”

Mrs. Hayes turned to John and asked, “Do you mean you can afford all of this, but you sleep on floor?”

“Yes, Ma’am.”

She went into a room shaking her head in wonder. The more she learned about these people, the more she was amazed. They could walk into a suite like this and keep their heads. They continued to be themselves regardless of the situation. Her walk around the bedroom was interrupted by the bellhop bringing her luggage. She looked for some money to give him, but he told her that it had all been taken care of already.

John stood at the door and said, “You might want to take about fifteen minutes to freshen up. We’ll go over to the hospital when everyone is ready.”

She answered, “Okay.”

The telephone in the living room rang and John answered it while everyone else was freshening up. The front desk told him that a Juan Ortiz was there to speak with him. Before John had a chance to respond the woman added that he claimed to have been a member of the John Carter Rescue Squad. John told her to send him up.

John opened the door and waved Juan into the room. Juan was dressed in a suit and tie. He looked very sharp. As Juan approached the room, John said, “Juan, it’s so good to see you.”

Juan smiled broadly as he said, “John Carter, you look magnificent.”

John asked, “What are you doing here?”

Juan answered, “When I heard about Beth’s accident, I knew that you would be coming to town. I had to come and give my condolences.”

John returned a thankful smile and said, “Thank you, Juan. I appreciate it. Now tell, what’s going on with you? You really look great.”

Juan beamed as he answered, “After that day, I took a really good look at my life. When I looked into going into a medical related field, I found that my criminal record was a major problem. To make a long story short, I ended going to school and majoring in journalism. I now own a small English/Spanish newspaper. I run lots of articles on helping yourself to get out of poverty.”

Beth’s mother came out of the room. Juan saw her and approached her. He said, “Senora, you must be Beth’s mother.”

Mrs. Hayes looked at him in surprise as she replied, “Yes, I am.”

Juan smiled. He said, “I’m Juan Ortiz. Your daughter was an angel. I only knew her one day and she changed my life completely. I’m so sorry to hear about her death. If there is anything that I can do for you, please let me know.”

“Oh, thank you.”

John called out, “Ed! Kelly! Come here, you’ll never guess who’s here.”

Ed came out of his room and looked Juan. He shook hands with Juan, saying, “Juan, how are you doing?”

Kelly entered the room and rushed over to Juan giving him a hug. “Oh, Juan. You look so sharp.”

Juan burst out in a smile. He was amazed that these wonderful people remembered him from one day that had happened years ago. Juan answered them, “I’m doing well. I’m so sad to see you again under these circumstances.”

Kelly hugged him tightly and said, “Thank you so much.”

Juan blushed. He said, “So, I have come from the hospital. Dr. Hayes is doing well. The staff told me that doctors make the worst patients, and he’s no exception.”