A Time in Heaven (29 page)

“Hello, mom.  I’m glad you got home OK.
  Was it a good flight?
”  Katie wanted to sound strong.

“We are fine.  What do you want?” her mother asked curtly.  “Are you ready to forget all that Danvers nonsense and come home?”

“No, I’m staying here.
” She took a deep breath.
“
I need to ask you a favor.” Katie listened for an answer. When she didn’t get it
,
she continued, “I don’t have any money
here at the hospital
with me.  It was left behind with my other things at the cabin.  I was wondering if you could have Karl send me a thousand
dollars
by
Western Union?

“I don’t know where you
think I can get
a thousand dollars.” Her mother told her.

Kati
e was getting irritated.  “Mom,
I had over twenty thousand dollars in my savings account when I left.”

“
Oh, t
hat’s pretty much gone. When you didn’t come back, we used most of it to remodel the house.  Got new cabinets and carpeting.” 

Katie was trying real hard to control hersel
f.  “How much
of it
is left?”

He mother told her that she probably had a couple thousand left.  Katie wasn’t even going to ask abo
ut her retirement fund
.  She just needed a thousand for
right now
.

“Please mom, call Karl and have him send me a thousand
dollars
right away
,” Katie insisted.

Her mom
continued to try
to make Katie just give up and come home, but Katie wasn’t about to leave Jesse.  Her mother finally agreed to have her brother make the arrangements for Katie to get the money she needed.  She told her mother to have Karl send it to the hospital. She thought for a second then remembered Jesse’s room number.
“Have him send it to me at the hospital; room 4397.  Please, Mom, I need you to do this right away.”

“Alright, I call him.” Her mother said.

She told her mother thanks, and then goodbye.  There was just a click on th
e other side of the line
. 
Dealing with her family as well as the ordeal she and Jesse had been through, Katie
was exhausted.
She sat down on a chair next to the desk and held her head in her hands for several minutes.

When she
returned
to Jesse
’s room
, he was still sleeping.
  Katie sat down beside the bed and hel
d Jesse’s hand as she watched him sleep
.
  Soon she nodded off
,
too.

Katie’s money
arrived
the next day.  She
told Jesse she was going
to do some shop
ping.  More importantly she wanted
to see Sadie. 
When she got to the veterinary clinic, the technician went to get Sadie from her pen. They had an ecstatic reunion. Katie played with her outside in the yard for over an hour. Katie told the technician she had to get back to the hospital and asked if Sadie could stay a couple of days longer.  As she started to leave, t
he poor lab looked at Katie so sadly.  She didn’t understand why
she couldn’t leave with her master.  Katie told her it wouldn’t be long until they would be together all the time again.

Over the next couple of days, Jesse grew stronger.  The nurses had him up in a chair the first day.  After that Katie and he would walk up and down the halls.  The doctor told them that he was healing nicely and should be able to go home soon.

A week after Moss shot
Jesse;
Katie had gone out early to visit with Sadie and to do some shopping.  She had
already
bought herself a few things so that she would have a change of clothes, but this time she wanted to get Jesse some things.  She was sure he would be leaving the hospital soon and he needed everything.

Jesse
had improved so much in the past few days, s
he was sure the doctor would let him go home in a day or so.  The only question i
n her mind was where he would
want to go
.  He hadn’t said a thing about the location where he would want to
go to
recuperate.  Katie just figured it w
ould be Los Angeles or Colorado, or maybe somewhere tropical. 
For a fleeting second, she asked herself if he would take her with him.  She quickly shook off that thought and headed back to the hospital.

Katie brought
her purchases
to the rear
to the hospital.  She had become accustomed to entering through a back door to avoid the reporters.  They were annoying but it made Katie feel good that Jesse could generate such excitement in the press. 
She imagined that his career would do just fine once he left the hospital and got his strength back.

When she arrived at Jesse’s room
,
Jim
was there.  She was surprised to see that Jesse was dressed and sitting on the edge of the bed. 
He was on the phone.
From the conversation, she could tell that Jesse was talking to his mother. He had told her that he was feeling fine and he would see her soon.  When he had hung up, Jesse
looked at all Katie’s
packages and then at the packages on the bed.  “Looks like we
’re
going to have enough new clothes.”  He laughed. 
But,
I bet you and
Jim
don’t have the same taste in clothes.”

Katie went to Jesse and kissed him. He took her hand as he was explaining
that
Jim
had been taking very good of his finances
while they were on the island
.  He told her that after he was declared dead in the crash, his second wife contested his will.  Litigation had held up any division of Jesse’s property. 
Then extra money came in because with his “death” came a renewed interest in Jesse’s music.  Sales soared, but nothing like they had in the past week.  It seems that risen music stars sell
even
more music that dead ones.
 

Katie
listened to what Jesse was telling her but
wasn’t interested in
finances or
new clothes
at the moment.
“Why are you dressed? Does the nurse know?”

Jesse responded, “She knows and so does the doctor that just released me from this place.”

“You can go home?”  She hugged him.
  “You can go right now?”

Jesse nodded his head. “As soon as they bring a wheelchair for me.”

Katie got a concerned look on her face.  “But where?  Where will we go?”

“That’s a surprise my sweet
lady.” Jesse gave Kati
e a wink as the nurse brought
a wheelchair for him.

Katie
was concerned with them leaving
without knowing where they were going, but she
quietly
took her packages and followed the nurse pushing Jesse’s chair.  They went out the emergency entrance doors.  There was a limousine waiting.  Katie
’s attitude changed when she
saw the driver holding Sadie on her leash.  The lab was jumping straight in the air out of excitement.  Katie
dropped her packages, kissed Jesse and ran
to the dog.
 

While Katie was fussing with Sadie, Jesse carefully got out of the chair.  He felt well but his side was still very tender. 
Jim
helped him into the limo.  He then went to Katie and Sadie
saying that it was time to go
.  He helped get Sadie into a crate in the back
of the limo
.  She didn’t like being separated from Katie again, but it was best in case she would
accidently
jump on Jesse.

With everyone in the car, they headed for the airport.  Jesse still wouldn’t tell Ka
tie where they were going.  As they drove up to the airport
she saw the float plane
. S
he had a pretty good idea.
She smiled at the thought of it.

There were several men loading boxes onto the Otter. It was a blue, ten-seater sea plane
. And from the looks, was packed
full
of supplies.  There seemed to be only enough room
left
for its passengers.

“She’s a beauty isn’t she?” Jesse asked Katie as the limo came to a stop.

“It’s a nice plane.  But where is it taking us?”  Katie asked.

“Home
, “was
all Jesse would say.

They all got out of the limo and proceeded to the plane.  Katie took Sadie in
to the plane
first and secured her before
Jim
helped Jesse board
.  Two of the men that had been
loading the boxes also got in.
One
took
the pilot
seat
.
When they were all buckled into their seats, the plane took off.

Nobody said much as they flew.  Both
Jim
and Katie asked Jesse if he was comfortable.  Katie saw the sparkle in his eyes as he said that he had never been better.
  She knew where they were going – to Heaven!

Soon, Jesse was pointing out the plane’s window, “Look Katie, we’re coming home!”  Below they could see the island.  Katie wanted to go to her love, but the plane was landing, so she had to wait.  “I love you Jesse Danvers!”  He gave her a thumbs-up
.

As soon as the plane came up alongside the every so familiar dock, everyone got off the plane.  The
two men started to unload the
supplies. Katie let Sadie jump down from the plane.  She ran off the dock and back again.  The lab was glad to be home.

Jim
gave Jesse a shoulder to lean on to get down the step onto the dock.  Katie was waiting for him.  They looked at each other and laughed.  “We are home Katie.  This is where we will live forever.
”  He gave
Jim
a slap on the back. “And thanks to my buddy,
Jim
, we own this place.  He made all the arrangements and all we have to do is sign the papers.”

Katie’s mouth dropped open with the news. 
“You bought this?  You bought Heaven?
”  She was speechless.  Tears ran down
from
her eyes as she kissed Jesse.  He grabbed her and hugged her. She hugged him back but was careful of his wound.  He pulled back and
they
looked at each other and kissed again.
They stood back and admired all the familiar beauty of the place.  The sun was high in the midday sky.  Puffy cumulus clouds sailed across the blue.  Across the bay they could see the reflection of the autumn’s gold aspen leaves.  A salmon jumped near the dock
. The splash brought them back to each other’s eyes.

Sadie was running around like a crazy dog.  Her barking made the couple think she was just as excited
to be home
as they were.

“Let’s go show
Jim
the lodge,” Jesse
told Katie as he took her hand and started down the path.  Katie remembered the lodge lobby the way it was the night Jesse was shot.  She wasn’t looking forward to seeing it again.

As they turned the side of the building, the doors were wide open again.  They smiled at
each other.  The group went in.
T
o their s
urprise
,
the place looked great
. 
Jim
told them that he had the place cleaned.  He didn’t think they wanted to come home to Moss’ blood on the floor.  Jesse gave his friend a hug and Katie kissed him on the cheek. 

“Looks like the wolves were here to welcome us back,” Katie said as she pointed to the set of muddy tracks across the lobby.

Jesse was getting a bit weary so Katie helped him to a chair.  Sadie came and
lay
by his feet.  Katie stood back and looked at the scene before her.  She had never been happier or more content.
  She covered Jesse with a blanket from the couch.  He took her hand and kissed it.

The rest of the day Jesse spent resting. 
Jim
told her that he and the other men would be staying to help out for a few days.  Katie appreciated all his help.  He was a good friend.

Jim and the other men brought the
supplies from the plane. 
Most were meant for their cabin so the men neatly stacked them in the lobby.  O
ne of the boxes contained still another surprise Jesse had arranged for Katie.
Jim carried that box into the dining room.  Katie was curious about what was in it.  Jim told her she would just have to wait.