Lost And Found

When she opened the door to her room she was shocked to see Charlie Ford sitting in the easy chair by the window, a glass of whiskey in his hand and a mile-wide smile on his face. "Hi, Babe, I just had to surprise you," he greeted her, rising and walking toward her.

"Charlie, what are you doing here? I asked you not to come now, it isn't a good timphp...." Her last word was muffled as Charlie planted a kiss on her lips and drew her in for a hug.

"I know what you said," he replied, softly. "But this is the first week I've been without you since we got together, and I couldn't take it any more. Robert doesn't need to know I'm here until he's ready to accept the news."

She gently pushed him away. "I'm tired. It has been a long and stressful day. I'm not up for a serious conversation right now," she told him, looking him straight in the eye. "I want a glass of wine, which should be on its way up now. I want a hot shower and I want to go to bed. But I will tell you this. I am Robert's wife. We made promises to each other, which I hold dear. You have been a great comfort and help to me while he was missing, and I did not know if he was alive or dead. I will always be grateful to you for that. But now he is found, he is alive, he is still my husband, and I intend to return to being his faithful wife."

Charlie began to protest, but she held up her hand to stop him. "I told you I am not up for a serious conversation tonight. I asked you not to come, and you ignored my request. I am pretty sure there are other rooms available in this big hotel, so I suggest you go down to the registration desk and see what kind of arrangements you can make. Or go to Motel 6. I don't care."

Just then room service knocked on the door. While Peg took care of accepting her bottle of wine and tipping the young man, Charlie got his suitcase, gathered up the few items he had taken out, but made no move to leave.

"Peggy, you know you love me, and you know I love you. From what you've told me and from what I already know, Robert is in no condition to be a proper husband to you, and probably doesn't even want to be. I don't appreciate being dismissed this way, and I don't intend to go away quietly. I have too much of my heart and soul invested in this relationship.

"That said, I will go get another room. I'll see you tomorrow, and we can talk then." He picked up his bag and walked out.

Peg stood, staring at the door. Her mind was in turmoil - relief at having found Robert, shame at having let Charlie seduce her, worry about what the future might look like, if she and Robert really would have a future, and an overwhelming fatigue.

She quickly poured a glass of wine, took a big sip, then undressed, held her head high, and headed for the shower. She was a strong woman, and had always been a good problem solver. She would sort out this situation, she knew. She was asleep moments after her head hit the pillow.

****

In the morning she skipped breakfast in the hotel dining room. She did not want to have to deal with Charlie, so she slipped out the side entrance to the parking garage and drove toward the hospital. She drove through at a coffee shop and got coffee and a cheese Danish, then proceeded to see Robert.

At the nurse's stand they told her he had slept through the night and had awakened for breakfast. He seemed to be increasing his alertness, and the doctors were hopeful that his head injuries would not lead to additional mental impairment.

A nurse was just finishing taking his vitals when Peg walked into the room. Her scent immediately told him she was there, and he tensed up. She could see his body clench and an anxious expression appeared on the part of his face that wasn't covered with bandages.

"Good morning, darling," she said with a gentle voice. She bent over the bed and kissed him lightly on the cheek. "They tell me you are doing much better today, and that you will recover well."

"Yes, I do feel better. They've backed off the pain meds a bit, and I'm able to think more clearly. Which still brings me back to the question, why are you here?"

"I'm here because you are my husband. I love you, I have worried about you and missed you every moment of every day for seven years, and I am eager to bust you out of here as soon as you are ready and take you home and resume our life together."

He didn't answer her. He was suddenly overwhelmed with fatigue. "I'm tired, Peg. I can't talk now. I need to rest." He turned his head away from her and went silent - she believed he was asleep.

She felt her phone vibrate in her purse. She stepped out into the hallway and spoke softly. "Charlie, good morning... I'm at the hospital... He has been awake, but he just dropped off for a nap ... No, do not come up here. My presence upsets him, and I'm sure having you in the room would be too much. I'm leaving soon, because I can tell he doesn't want me here right now. Lisa will be here later and maybe he will open up to her about what's bothering him ... I will call you later when I get back to the hotel."

Between her soft speaking and the racket from all the monitoring machines in his room, Robert had not been able to hear most of what she had been saying. But he knew she was talking to Charlie, he now knew Charlie was in town, and he heard nothing to change his belief that they were together.

She came back into the room and sat down. He played possum until sleep really did overtake him. When Peg heard him snoring softly, she gathered her things and left the hospital.

Peg did not know what to do. She did not feel ready to confront Charlie. What she really wanted to do was to go down to the homeless encampment and find Mary. She wanted a better idea of what Robert's life had been like, why he might want to return to it, and just how close he and Mary had become. Had Mary replaced her in his life? Or was it as he had said, that they were friends who "helped each other" when they were physically needy?

But the overriding question - the problem that ate at her every moment, was why Robert would be afraid of her and Charlie. What had happened that would cause him to believe that they had it in for him? Did he really believe that she had had something to do with his accident? Sure, Charlie had been pushy about trying to get into her pants. But Charlie was Robert's best friend. Could he really believe that Charlie had tried to kill him? Where would such an idea have come from?

She called Charlie and they had lunch at the little diner she had discovered. They had a nice time visiting, but avoided the obvious question of what the future was to be like. Charlie tried to bring it up, but Peg put him off, saying there was simply too much uncertainty about Robert's condition, his own wishes, and whether and how they might renew their loving relationship. "Before anything else can be settled, I need to understand why he is afraid of me, and you," she told him, shutting down the topic.

Soon it was time to go to the airport and pick up Lisa. Peg hadn't seen her since spring break, so in addition to the circumstances of the situation, it was a reunion for a mother and daughter who had a special relationship. Peg had raised Lisa and Laura as a single mother for the past seven years - with Charlie's help, of course - and the mystery of Robert's disappearance had drawn them closer.

After the hugs of greeting and reports on her finals (they had gone well, Lisa thought) Peg briefed her on the situation with her dad, his condition, his hopeful prognosis, his recent living arrangements, his friendship with Mary, and, most troubling, his fear. "I'm his loving wife. Charlie's his best friend. Why would he think we would hurt him?"

"Wait, Mom, you mean the Uncle Charlie you've been shacked up with for the past seven years? The guy who sold his house and moved in with us, taking Dad's place in your bed? That guy?"

"Well, yes, but your father doesn't know about that. Until your father disappeared, I turned Charlie down flat. But somehow he believes that we've been together. But even with that, it doesn't mean we'd have it out for him, to want to bring him harm. It makes no sense. I'm hoping he will open up to you so I can understand it."

"So you want me to be your spy? Real nice, Mom."

"No, I don't mean that at all. I want you to let your father feel the love of his daughter and his family after all this time apart. I want you two to be able to reconnect in a way that I haven't been able to, yet. I want him to come home and be my husband and your father again."

"What about Uncle Charlie? Where does that leave him?"

"It's complicated. I have let Charlie know that if your father will come home, then he's out and he'll have to find another golden goose."

"Golden goose? Is that what you are to him?"

"Oh, I'm sure he genuinely cares about me. He certainly worked hard to become part of my life. But I also think he enjoys the comforts and luxuries that our family's money provides. And if it comes to that, I don't think he'll give it up easily."

They drove to the hotel, dropped Lisa's bags in the room, and went to grab a bite to eat on the way to the hospital. Peg had half expected to find Charlie lurking around, but he was nowhere to be seen. They enjoyed conversation over their meal, then on to the medical center. Peg gave Lisa directions to Robert's room, then found a quiet corner in the lobby to wait.

****

"Hello, Daddy," Lisa said, "I've missed you so much." She walked to his bedside and bent down to hug him, unsure of where it was safe to touch between all the casts and bandages. Finally she just kissed him on the cheek and took his right hand in both of hers.

"Hello, Pumpkin," he tried to say, the words catching in his throat. "The hardest part of this entire ordeal has been being away from you and Laura. How have you been? Is everything alright? I'm so relieved you remember me."

"Oh, Daddy! We all have missed you and wondered and worried about how and where you were. Nothing has been the same without you."

She spent the next two hours trying to tell him everything he had missed - school, boyfriends, field hockey, graduation, college life ... all she could think of. She did not mention Charlie, except to remember how he and Peg had searched and searched for him after he left the hospital. If he was going to hear about how Charlie had moved in, he'd have to hear it from her mom. Finally, it was clear that no matter how much he wanted to hear about it all, he was simply too tired to go on. And his head ached so much!

Lisa went down to the lobby to meet her mother, and found her sitting with a woman she knew had to be Mary. After introducing them Peg explained that Mary had called, and she had gone to pick her up.

"I'm sorry, I think I wore him out with stories. He was falling asleep when I left," Lisa told Mary.

"That's okay, I will just sit and watch him sleep," she said. "He'll wake up sometime."

Peg reached into her purse and gave Mary some cash. "We can't stay, but when it's time to go, call a cab. Please don't wait for a bus at this hour."

As they walked to the car Lisa explained to Peg that she had done most of the talking during the visit, telling her father about events in the girls' lives since he left. "I'm sorry, Mom, but he really didn't ask about you. I only mentioned Charlie a couple of times and did not mention living arrangements."

****

Mary sat and watched her friend as he slept. She was unsure of so much: Would he recover? Would he return to the encampment, or go back to his comfortable life in Ohio with his wife, leaving her behind? And why was he so afraid of Peg? She seemed like such a nice lady - nothing like the evil woman he had told her about.

*****

Meanwhile Charlie was on the phone. "Pedro, I'm going to need you out here. Catch the next flight. And bring Maria. I'm not getting any from the bitch."

****

*** The next day ***

Peg had come to a decision. Robert had regained enough of his faculties to be able to give her some straight answers. So, after having breakfast at a restaurant across the street from the hospital - once again eluding Charlie - she and Lisa walked in ready to have a serious conversation with Robert. As they walked into the lobby Lisa asked, "Mom, why are you avoiding Uncle Charlie?"

"Something is off. He showed up after I asked him not to come. He pressed me to commit to him and leave Robert behind. And things Robert has said make me think that he has some reason to believe Charlie and I had something to do with his accident. I know that I did not, so that leaves Charlie. Your dad is a smart man. He may not have been on top of his game after that bike accident. But he's no fool, and there must have been some reason for him to be so convinced that Charlie and I were together and wished him harm."

They were silent riding the elevator to Robert's floor. Checking in at the nurse's station, they were told that he had had a peaceful night - his second night of sleeping through since he had awakened from his coma. "I think it was because his friend Mary was there through the night. She seems to calm him," the nurse said.

When they got to the room a nurse was taking vitals, and Mary slept peacefully in the chair beside the bed. They entered quietly, and as Peg took the remaining side chair, Lisa wandered down the hallway looking for a spare chair to bring in.

Once the nurse was finished with her business, Peg said softly, "Robert, Lisa and I are here. Good morning Sweetheart, how are you feeling?"

"Well, I hurt in most of my body, but not as much as yesterday, so I guess I'm healing," he replied. "As much pain med as they're giving me, I can't lose this headache. I've had headaches ever since the bike incident, but this is new and worse. Anyway, good morning, Lisa. Peg, I always know when you have come into the room, because I can smell your perfume and that 'Peg scent' that I loved for so long. Where's Charlie?"

"I don't know where he is. Back at the hotel, I suppose." In the dark of the night, as sleep eluded her, Peg had resolved that she would lie no more. She resolved that she would be truthful to Robert no matter what, even if it was painful - although she would try to say things in the kindest way possible.

"Robert, knowing how upsetting my presence has been for you, and how strongly you have reacted when Charlie was mentioned, I asked your best friend to stay away for a while, until I could understand why you have reacted the way you have, and why you believe that Charlie and I have it out for you. He flew in anyway, and is waiting at the hotel for me to tell him that a visit from him would be welcome."

"If that's the case, he'll be waiting when Hell is frozen over and men are walking on Jupiter," Robert replied. "You keep referring to him as my best friend. Best friends don't try to seduce their friend's wife. Best friends don't plot to get their friend out of the way."

To that, Peg was consternated.

Just then, Mary began to stir in her chair. Peg knew from when she had been keeping vigil with Robert after his bike accident that those reclining hospital chairs may look comfortable, but they really aren't, so much.

"Good morning, Mary," Peg said cheerfully. "I bet your back is sore after sleeping in that awful chair."

"Not so bad, really," Mary replied sleepily. "Much better than sleeping on the ground. And I didn't get rained on," she said, looking out the window at a spring downpour.

"I know you need the bathroom after a long night," Peg said, reaching into her purse. "Why don't you and Lisa walk down the hall, and then after you've done your business Lisa will go with you down to the cafeteria for breakfast." She handed a wad of cash to Lisa. She spoke quietly to her daughter, "Make sure she takes her meds when she has some water. We all need for her to be on a level plane."

Once they were gone, Peg turned back to her bandaged and bound husband.

"Robert, it's time for us to clear the air. I need to know why you think I have wished you harm, and why you are so bitter toward your best friend. I know you realized that he was coming on to me before your accident, but I rebuffed him. If you could have seen his concern and worry after the accident as we drove up and down every street in town looking for you after you left the hospital ... I was a basket case and he was my anchor. We searched and searched day after day, night after night. He was as determined as I was that we would find you and bring house home."

"Peggy, Peggy, Peggy - I have thought many things about you over the years, mostly good, some not as flattering, but I have never thought you to be naive. Charlie is a good time companion. He is fun to party with, he can be helpful with projects around the house. He always made sure our cars were promptly serviced.

"But Charlie Ford is a car salesman. He is a pro at presenting himself well, making a positive and powerful presentation, and neglecting to mention the downside to any situation. Charlie always has an ace or a trump card up his sleeve. He is a guy to have fun with. He is not a guy to trust with your life - especially" (and Robert got very animated) "especially when there is money on the line. And he is smart enough to have sniffed that you have family money. We have never mentioned it, but he knows."

"Okay," Peg responded, "I know that he has enjoyed the benefits that our friendship has brought him. But, knowing this, and allowing for it, why does that make you think he has it out for you? And - more to the point - why do you think I would have it out for you? I have never done anything since we got together other than love you. Even after you disappeared and I did not know why, or if I would ever see you again, I loved you. Frankly, for you to suppose that I might wish you harm in any way is very hurtful. But I love you so much that I am willing to overlook the hurt, so long as you are willing to tell me where it comes from."

Lisa and Mary had come back into the room. They had overheard Peg's impassioned speech. "Tell her, Bobby. Tell her what you told me," Mary said, quietly. "I think she deserves to know."

"Please, Daddy. I need to know, too," Lisa chimed in. "What made you disappear from my life, just when I and Laura needed you for our teenage years? Why did you abandon us?"

Robert took a deep breath. Although his eyes were covered, the women could see the color begin to rise in his cheeks. "Alright, I'll tell you. And then you can try to convince me that I'm wrong.

"After Charlie started spending more time around us, hanging around at our house and joining us for evenings out, I could see the familiarity between him and you increasing. I could see how there was chemistry between you. It began to feel like instead of him being the third wheel in our relationship, that I was. And it hurt. I still trusted you to be my faithful wife, but I did not trust Charlie.

"And then that day that I wanted us to go for a ride, and Charlie said he wasn't up for it, and you agreed with him, and the two of you decided to stay behind and let me go riding by myself, I was upset. It felt like the two of you had some sort of agreement that you wanted to be alone. But it was just a feeling, and I had no proof, and you had always loved me, so I grabbed my helmet and headed out and climbed on my bike for a ride. I hoped you'd change your mind and come after me, but you didn't. The door closed behind me, and whatever was happening on the other side of it was happening without me.

"I had only made it a couple of miles out of town when a blue pickup truck swerved into the bike lane and the rear view mirror smacked me in the back of the head and knocked me over. As I went down I looked and I recognized Pedro's truck, and Pedro behind the wheel. Then I guess my head hit the tree and I was out."