Cop a plea, p.8
Cop a Plea, page 8
“You know? How?” Pete demanded. “Mom, you always embarrass me. Did you tell her I had a crush on her in high school?”
Huh?
His blue eyes turned ice cold. He didn’t give me a chance to answer, which was good because I had no words. “It’s so weird you’re here,” he said with a frown.
Weird?
My pulse raced, and I felt lightheaded, and Karen wrapped her arm around my waist. I never thought I would need or be offered comfort and support from her, but I needed both. Desperately. I was so thankful she sensed it. Maybe she needed the same from me as well. She looked as frazzled as I felt. I held her tight. My frustration with her from earlier was all forgotten.
“I had such a strange dream,” Pete said to no one in particular.
“What was it about, Son?” William asked, inching closer to the bed.
Pete closed his eyes as if he was trying to remember. Finally, he said, “Caroline and I went to my high school reunion, which was strange enough because, obviously, I would never go to one. She was dancing with a group of popular girls I went to school with. She fell and hurt her ankle. I had to carry her out. But no matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t see her face.”
My free hand rushed to my mouth to silence my gasp. Pete must have heard me retelling the story while he was unconscious. But how in the world did Caroline manage to take my place?
“What’s going on?” I whispered only loud enough for Karen to hear.
“I don’t know. But something is definitely wrong. He hasn’t been acting himself since he woke up.”
“What do you mean?” I pleaded.
“Why is Waverly here?” Pete asked.
What?
“Look who is finally up,” Pete’s doctor said as he entered the room. As he walked past me, he stopped for a second and squeezed my shoulder slightly. With a smile, he said, “Mrs. Ennis, it looks like your prayers were answered.”
I didn’t have a chance to respond. My eyes met Pete’s, whose eyes were wide with panic.
“Mrs. Ennis?” His gaze darted between his mother and father before settling on his physician. He pressed, “Why did you call her Mrs. Ennis?”
Pete
eighteen
My head pounded. I was dizzy, and my mouth felt like it was stuffed with salted sandpaper. Yet, I didn’t care. All I wanted was someone, anyone, to answer my questions!
Except not one person uttered a word.
Why? My inquiry lingered in the air like a foul odor. I sniffed. Or is that me?
The gray-haired man studied my chart. Then he checked my vitals once more. What was the point in the nurse doing the same task mere minutes ago if he was going to redo her work? Eventually, he sat down in the chair next to my bed and extended his hand, which I automatically shook.
“It is a pleasure to finally meet you, Pete. I’m Dr. Chen. Unfortunately, you took a bad fall and hit your head hard. You’ve been asleep for quite some time, but your family has been by your side every step of the way. You’re a lucky man to be so loved. I am sure you all can’t wait to catch up, but I need to ask you some questions first. Okay?”
“Sure,” I said as I processed his words. I had so many questions. How did I hurt myself? How long was I unconscious? I didn’t ask any, though. Instead, I kept my eyes fixed on the one person who didn’t belong in the room. My family?
“You have a firm grip, which is a good sign,” the doctor said. “Can you lift your legs and wiggle your toes?”
“Yes,” I said even though I wasn’t one-hundred percent sure I could manage either. I surprised myself when I successfully raised my legs under my blanket. Yay, me.
“Good.” The doctor handed me a pad of paper and a pen. “Can you write your name for me?”
The doctor frowned and looked at my parents. “Did he always have messy handwriting, Mom?”
Great. Was my doctor a wannabe comedian? Was there a camera hidden in this room? This couldn’t be real life. Right?
“Yes, Doctor,” my mom replied as she wiped a tear away from her eye.
“If you ever decide to quit the force, you’ll have a bright future in medicine with a scribble like this.” The doctor laughed at his own joke. He was the only one.
Dr. Chen shined a bright light in my eyes. “How are you seeing? Do you have any blind spots or double vision?”
I shook my head. “My vision was fine until you tried to blind me.”
“Sorry. Now, follow my finger. Excellent. How is your hearing? Do you have any ringing in your ears, or do you hear any strange sounds?”
“No.” I was getting antsy playing twenty questions with this dude, especially since I was dying for answers to my own questions.
“Wonderful.” The doctor pulled a sheet of stickers from his jacket and gave one of them a scratch. “Do you smell anything?” he asked as he placed the strip under my nose.
“Licorice, yuck.” I gagged and instantly felt guilty. Caroline had lived on licorice when she was pregnant with Clara. Clara! Where is Clara?
“Oh, you’re one of those,” Dr. Chen said with mock outrage. “I never understood why so many people hate the candy. I’m personally a big fan.” He patted my legs. “You’re doing great. I only have a few more questions. Sometimes people have difficulty recognizing objects after they’ve been unconscious as long as you were. I’m sure you don’t want me to show you a bunch of items and quiz you when you have so much catching up with your family.”
Family? He said “family” again.
“Do me a favor, Pete. Look around the room for me. Is there any non-medical object here you don’t recognize or remember the name of?”
I did as he asked. “There is nothing here I don’t recognize.” My gaze traveled to the other side of the room. I pointed my finger in Waverly’s direction. “However, there is someone who I don’t recognize, someone who certainly doesn’t belong.”
She gasped. My mother, who already had her arm around Waverly’s waist, tightened her grip. It looked as if my mom was holding her up. I squinted to get a better look. Wait! Waverly had her arm around my mom, too. Who was holding who up and why? How do they even know each other?
“Oh, my.” Dr. Chen grimaced, and the color drained from my dad’s face. “I see from your chart that today is your birthday, Peter. Tell me, how old you are?”
I narrowed my eyes at the man as I processed his words. “Today’s my birthday?”
The doctor nodded.
“It’s February sixteenth?”
“Yes, good,” Dr. Chen answered. “Now, please answer my question. How old are you?”
“Thirty-seven,” I answered automatically. Then I looked at the red balloons tied to the foot of my bed. “The balloons,” I said as my heart pounded. “They say forty. Why do they say forty? Am I… Am I forty?”
My father nodded his head slowly.
“What? How long have I been asleep? Are you trying to tell me I’ve been unconscious for over three years?”
“No, Peter. It’s only been about two weeks since your accident,” my mom said tenderly.
“I don’t understand. If only fourteen days passed, how could I possibly be forty years old?”
I grunted and used all the energy I could muster to prop myself up into a sitting position in my bed. I looked back and forth between my parents. “I don’t understand.” I pointed to Clara’s class picture that was by my bedside. “The picture you showed me before... When I first woke up… Clara… She looked so old! I know kids grow fast, but there is no humanly possible way she could have aged that much in two weeks.”
“Pete, how old is your daughter?” the doctor asked.
“She’s two-and-a-half.”
“Grandpa do you have a picture on your phone of Clara at that age?” the doctor asked.
“Of course,” my dad said as he started scrolling through his phone. He handed the device to the physician.
“Pete, is this how you remember your daughter?” Dr. Chen asked.
I enlarged the picture and smiled. “Yes. I remember this day. It was a few weeks after I transferred out of the NYPD and my first Saturday off that summer. I took Clara strawberry picking with my sister and her kids. Clara loved going on the pony rides. It was amazing to see her happy again. She’s been so sad and scared lately. I’ve been trying to make her feel better. But I keep failing miserably, probably because I am sad too. The only person who can bring some joy back into our lives is Nancy. My sister”
“What was troubling your daughter?” the doctor asked.
“Her mom died, and she’s too young to understand. She’s afraid I’m going to disappear too.” Clara must be petrified.
“How long ago did she die?”
“It feels like the funeral was only yesterday. For the life of me, I can’t recall Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Year’s Eve, or even Clara’s birthday. But if you’re right about today being my birthday, that means we’re in February, so about nine months ago…?”
But the balloons say forty. I’ve forgotten three years?
The machines I was attached to came alive. They beeped a symphony. My doctor looked concerned, but I couldn’t care less.
“Take a few deep breaths, Pete,” Dr. Chen said as he held up his hands. “I need you to try to stay calm.”
Stay calm? Too late for that, buddy! I’m wondering how three years of my life vanished into thin air, and you expect me to be calm?
“Pete, please. Don’t get so agitated,” my dad said with authority.
“No!” I cried out. I felt my eyes blaze with fury. Why is everyone making this so difficult? “Don’t tell me to relax, Dad! Mom,” I begged. “Please! Help me. What the hell is going on? I need answers. Now!”
No one uttered a peep.
“This is insane! For the love of god, will someone tell me why a pregnant Wavery Ensworth is still standing in my room huddled next to my mother like her long, lost friend, gawking at me as if I’m a creature from outer space?”
Waverly
nineteen
My heart broke seeing Pete come undone. He was so confused and agitated. Knowing my presence was causing him more distress made me distressed.
“I should go,” I said to no one in particular. “Yes. I got to go. I’m upsetting him.”
“Yeah, you should leave,” Pete said coldly, and my knees grew weak. I was thankful I wasn’t wearing heels because I would have fallen right off them, even with my mother-in-law’s support.
“No.” Karen tightened her grip around me. “Don’t you dare move, Waverly. You need to stay right here where you belong.”
“Belong?” Pete exclaimed wide-eyed. “She doesn’t belong here!”
Oh my god. Does he not remember me? Or did his feelings for me change while he was in his coma?
“Is anyone going to answer my question?” Pete demanded. “Why is she here? And where is my daughter?” He ran his hand over his face. It shattered my heart into a million pieces to see him so upset. I felt so helpless.
His blue eyes bulged with terror. “Her mother’s dead! I’m all Clara has left! She’s so young. She must feel so alone and afraid.”
I managed to find my voice. “Clara’s doing okay.” I forced a smile. “She’s here at the hospital, now. I left her coloring at the nurse’s station. Should I go and get her?”
“Yes!” Pete exclaimed. “I want to see her.”
“No,” Dr. Chen said sternly. “Let the little girl stay where she is. I fear it will be too much for Pete to see her right now. He needs to get a little more adjusted first. And given the situation, it would probably be traumatic for her to see her father like this. Let’s not frighten her unnecessarily.”
“Um… Okay,” I replied.
“Is that who you are?” Pete asked pointedly. “Did you replace Gayle? Are you Clara’s new babysitter?”
“Not exactly.” I tried to keep my voice as devoid of emotion as possible. “Although”—I let out a nervous giggle—“I guess technically, you can look at it that way.”
“This is unbelievable!” Pete muttered. “I’m asking for answers, and everyone is playing mind games with me. What the hell does technically mean? Have you been caring for my daughter or not?”
Our daughter! I wanted to scream. It wasn’t official yet, but Pete and I hired an attorney so I could legally adopt Clara. When I first learned we were expecting, I suggested I legally adopt her because I didn’t want Clara ever to feel less. Pete had loved the idea, and so did our little girl.
“Peter, relax!” Karen said sternly before I could form words. “You must calm down. You don’t have anything to worry about. Waverly has taken excellent care of Clara. They both love each other dearly.”
Did Karen just compliment me? If I wasn’t so distraught, I would be rejoicing.
Karen and I may not always see eye-to-eye. She may not have made me feel welcome in her family, but I knew I would look at her differently from this moment on. She could have easily let me stand on my own, but she stayed at my side. I couldn’t believe I thought this, felt this…I needed her. Desperately.
“Love each other? What the hell! How in the world is that possible? I don’t understand how they even know each other?”
“Peter…” Dr. Chen finally took control of the situation. “I’m sure you realize there are holes in your recollections due to the blunt trauma to your head. It appears as if a three-year block of time is missing from your memories. When you were first admitted, I cautioned your…” I’m sure he wanted to say wife but quickly changed his mind. “I warned your family this could occur. It appears you have post-traumatic amnesia. Sometimes the memory loss is permanent, but in most cases, with time, all missing recollections are regained. I will be ordering some tests for you to take tomorrow, to help me get a better gauge of the damage. Don’t worry. There will be plenty of time for you to get the answers to all your questions. For now, let’s talk about the last things you remember.”
Pete was silent for a moment. Then he held up his left hand and glanced at his ring finger for what I guessed was the first time since he regained consciousness. He twisted his hand about and studied the metal. Finally, he asked, “Why is my wedding band thick silver and rimmed with black instead of solid gold?”
Pete peered down at the jewelry case. He frowned and said, “I’m sorry, but none of these will do.”
“What do you mean?” It had taken me about fifteen seconds to find a diamond band to perfectly complement my engagement ring. “Are you turning into a groomzilla on me?”
He winked. “Probably, so you’d better watch out.” Then he turned his attention back to the young woman with lavender and blue hair helping us. “Do you have anything less ordinary?”
“Follow me.” We walked to the other side of the store. “How about something here? I prefer this section myself.”
Instead of looking at the rings, I had my eyes on my fiancé. He tapped his finger against the glass. “May I try that one on, please?”
“Of course.”
He slipped it on his finger and admired it. “This is perfect. I’ll take it.” He handed the band back to the woman along with his credit card.
I sidled up next to him. “You’re full of surprises. I thought you’d go for something more traditional.”
“Nah.” He gave me a little kiss. “I want my new ring to be unique, like you. Every time I look at my hand, I want to think about how much I love you and how thankful I am for you in my life.”
“Waverly, show me your hands,” Pete demanded as an odd look washed over his face.
“Why?” I nervously tucked them both deep into the back pockets of my pants.
Pete ignored my question. “Doc, when you came in, you called her Mrs. Ennis, didn’t you?”
“Yes, Peter. I did.” Compassion oozed from his voice.
“Wait a minute.” Pete’s eyes jutted back and forth between his parents and the doctor. “Are you trying to say somehow I’m married to Waverly Ensworth?”
Karen and William stood frozen in place like ice sculptures. I was scared even to take a breath.
Realizing he wasn’t getting the information he needed from them, Pete’s eyes met mine. He pleaded. “Please. Tell me the truth. Are we married?”
“It’s okay, Waverly.” Dr. Chen said. “You should answer his question. Honestly.”
I swallowed hard. “Yes, Pete, we are. We were wed this past June in a small, beautiful ceremony on the beach.”
“Seriously?”
“Yes, Pete. Seriously.”
“Wait?” He held up his hand. “If what you’re saying is true, and you are my wife, is that my baby?”
I nodded as I touched my stomach. “Yes. You’re going to be a dad again. We’re having a little boy at the end of May.”
Pete let out a loud belly laugh. While the sound was heavenly, it also caused my heart to stutter because of the peculiar look plastered on his face. Karen and William appeared equally taken aback as I felt, but none of us uttered a word.
After a few long moments, Pete finally composed himself. “Holy cow! What kind of drugs are you pumping into my IV, Doc? I thought my dream about Caroline and me going to my high school reunion was whacked. But that’s nothing compared to this one. Me, married to Waverly Ensworth? Yeah, right!”
Waverly
twenty
“Omigod! Sorry I’m so late!” my sister’s face appeared on the screen. Then Merritt scanned her phone around a crowded room, capturing a table filled with probably ten women, none of whom I recognized. With the camera phone once again focused on her face, she held up a martini glass. “The girls and I were just celebrating my favorite brother-in-law’s speedy recovery! What did I miss?”
“Practically everything,” Lauren hissed.
Rather than repeat the story multiple times, I asked Sydney to set up a Zoom after I got home. Along with her and her husband, Craig, Lauren and Gary, Hector, who was at the precinct with several other officers, his wife, Lisette, from their home, and my mother in South Carolina were on the call. Not surprisingly, Merritt joined late.
