Mr. Peter Chapman Pt. 03

Holy shit. She's pissed at me! Jim and Helen are going to hate me for abusing their chef. My God, it felt fantastic holding her last night. It was so much like holding my Ariel. Instant tears pop out.

Helen has a smirk on her face, "So. Three times, you had to choke his chicken, huh. Why not turn him over?"

The chef looks enraged as she says, "Hey! You bring in a stud. You make him sleep alone. He's got a great cock. Do you invite me to help him? Noooooooooo. You know damn well I love to suck cock. You have a stud here; he's handsome and nice. He's not cocky like many of the handsome ones are. He doesn't understand his potential. You knew damn well what I was going to do. You knew I could not resist. So, fuck you!"

She turns around in a huff, slams a pan down, and starts on the dishes.

Helen looks at me, "It's so hard to find good help these days."

I'm watching this, and I know I must look like a deer in headlights. Is she mad? Which one did I offend?

Jim bursts out laughing.

He slaps me on the shoulder as a happy Jim says, "Peter, oh my Peter. Don't ever believe anything you hear from these two regarding men and sex. Helen lives vicariously through Max, and Max loves having sex with strangers. She admitted this morning that she would not mind if you stayed around for a while. We had no idea that she liked cooking with others. We've been missing out on that for years."

Max comes around, ignoring Jim and Helen, and wraps her arms around me. She takes a half step back and then gives me one of the most amazing kisses in my life. She then leaves the room to get dressed. She is still wearing her long sleeping pajamas.

Wow, what a woman.

Helen returns me back to the conversation. She has her cell phone in hand.

Helen is now nervous-looking, "I need the cemetery name and gravesite location."

I am sure my face turned white in shock.

As if talking to a child, she takes my hand in both of hers, rubs my hand, and then says, "You have people that love you unconditionally. They know where you're going, I know when we will be there, and they want to be at the right location and at the right time to help you through this tough ordeal. I understand that not everyone has met Ariel or your son. This is stressful for them as well. Please help me."

I give her the information. Helen takes my hand and leads me out of the house. It's a beautiful day. Not a cloud in the sky. It rained yesterday, so the air is fresh. I can smell the fresh-cut grass.

Sitting on the driveway is a single, large vehicle. It's a maroon RV bus. The thing is enormous and looks almost brand new. I stop to look the thing over.

Jim shows off his pride and joy, "This baby sleeps four easy. Full kitchen, recliners, couch, king-size bed, toilet, shower, laundry, dishwasher, fireplace, air conditioning, it's got it all. Let's get in; John is driving. As soon as you sit, we're on our way."

I walk up the steps in the front. The view out the windows is fantastic. There is so much space! Two recliners, a couch, plus a dining table with bench seats. Refrigerator with beer and soda, snacks, and ice cream. This thing is loaded.

Jim adds, "The luggage is underneath. I can store enough for three months underneath or lots of toys."

As soon as I sit in a recliner, we are on the way. It drives like a city bus. On the highway, these are a dream. Once in the city, it will be less fun. Fortunately, KC is loaded with highways

For an hour, they distract me by discussing the website. I get sleepy. Helen excuses herself to use the washroom, and Jim checks the driver. The next thing I know, I'm being woken up. Helen made a light lunch, and she wanted me to eat before we arrived.

Chicken salad on croissants with potato chips, a fruit salad, and a soda. It hit the spot. Looking out the window, I know we're in Kansas City. Another twenty minutes or so before we get there. My nerves are frayed, and I'm getting flashbacks in my mind. The food is good, but I'm quickly losing my appetite.

Helen nudges me, "Hey. I want you to remember the good memories today. Think of all the funny things that happened as you grew up, having sex, and your child's birth. We'll discuss her death, but I want you to even out the bad with the good. Tell me a funny story."

I wrack my brain, "There were so many." I snicker. "There was one day that stands out. I think I was about six or seven years old. I had it bad for her. My mom and her mom were on their front porch talking and drinking something. I was there because of mom. Ariel was complaining when I got there. She wanted a puppy. Her mother ignored her. Ariel and her two friends ignored me and played tea party at the other end of the porch. It was covered, so it was cooler there. Her mother gave them some of her scarves and hats so that they could dress up."

I stopped and texted Ariel's parents with my intentions today. I would like to see them again. Her mother texted me back that my mom had already invited them; they were on the way.

I continue my story, "I was left to my own devices. I vowed to get Ariel a puppy. I checked all along the creek and found no puppies. I was devastated. OK, my next favorite pet is a frog."

Helen shouts out, "No way!"

I ignore her, "I walk through the mud and find three frogs. However, they won't stay put. I look around and find a soda cup from a restaurant. It only holds two frogs. Well, I'm smart. I load up two frogs, and then I run inside the house, up to her room, and then place them on her bed and close the door. I successfully make four trips before I hear mom scream my name.

"I can't imagine what her problem is. I'm helping my friend. I walk back to see what the problem is. There, standing on the back porch, is my mother, hands-on-hips, and she looks mad. I just needed to explain what I was doing, and that will fix everything.

"As I get closer, she yells at me, 'Did you see what you did?' I know what I did; I helped my friend. Since I'm close now, I say, 'Yes, I was helping Ariel.' Like that would fix everything. She grabs my hand, drags me inside the house, and points at the floor. LOOK WHAT YOU DID! Oops, I dragged mud into the house. Ariel and her friends are laughing at me.

"Mom asks me, 'Why did you do this? You made a huge mess!' I answer her, 'I was trying to get Ariel a puppy.' With that, Ariel screams, 'PUPPY!' She and her friends run upstairs and burst into the room. It seems she stepped on a frog, and several others were in sight. Well, she screams bloody murder, and they all come running downstairs screaming, past me, and outside.

"Her mother going upstairs to see what kind of puppy I found. She, too, comes down screaming. Mom was pissed. I scrubbed the floors, cleaned her room, removed the frogs, and still got the belt that night. It took a long time to understand what I did wrong."

I had been looking out the window, looking for landmarks as I was telling the story. I look over at my friends, who can't talk due to laughing so hard.

I add, "They never did get a puppy."

Helen runs to the washroom and comes back with different shorts on.

Helen is still chuckling as she says, "OK, no more stories from you."

We pull into the cemetery. I notice two other cars follow us in. I move up to the passenger seat to give directions. I have no idea how I know this. I don't remember the burial. It isn't hard to find the destination. I don't know how to describe it. There is a wall of what they call "standing sprays," a sizeable freestanding collection of flowers. A funeral might have a couple. There is an easy dozen here just to make up the backdrop.

There are what looks like hundreds of potted bouquets from short to tall around the graves. Literally, every square inch has a flower to the sides, between, and behind the graves. In front, there is a blanket to sit or kneel on.

I'm bawling at the display in front of me. Helen and Jim are assisting me. Ariel's parents rush me from their car. They're in no better condition than I am. Mom, dad, and Beth stay behind us. Together, her parents and I move to and then kneel in front of the graves. All three of us are crying hard. For an hour, nothing is said.

Mom and dad are the first to step forward. They hug the other parents and then me. Of course, my parents know them well, so this is almost like old times other than we're missing a person. We're all standing as we greet my parents.

I then introduce them to Jim and Helen.

I explain to Steve and Marcy, her parents, "For months, I had been thinking about a new heart procedure. I had no idea that Ariel was my patient. She was bandaged and in bad shape. Her heart gave out. I used my new procedure as everything else had failed. Several things went wrong, and I lost my Ariel."

I cry, and it takes me a few minutes before I continue, "I went over the procedure almost 1000 times in my mind to see what I could have done differently. Helen had no other options, or she would have died. I took the knowledge from your daughter and used it to save Helen and several other lives now."

Marcy hugs Helen and wails as she is in her arms. Helen holds her back and thanks Marcy for her daughter.

I reach out my arm for Beth; she rolls up in my arms.

When Marcy and Helen have finished, "This last young lady, sorry, this is hard. This young lady is Beth. I worked for her, I will be working with her on my new training system, and she is currently my girlfriend."

I stood back, not knowing how her parents might react to me finding another woman. I expect a scream of pain. She does scream, but she lunges at Beth and holds her in her arms as she cries in Beth's arms, dripping on her shoulders. Beth is stunned by the reaction but has her hard and is now in tears.

Eventually, Marcy pulls away, "Do you love him?"

Beth almost chuckles, "How can I not? No woman can resist him. But yes, I do love him with all my heart. He's awesome and has been trained so well."

Helen chuckles, "Don't ask for a puppy."

Everyone but Beth breaks out in laughter.

Marcy can see the confusion on Beth's face, "It's a long story, but when Peter was six, Ariel wanted a puppy. I said no. Peter could not find a puppy. Peter liked frogs as much as puppies. He drags a mountain of mud into my house, up the stairs, and the mud plus eight frogs ended up in her room. I can still clearly remember the scream of Ariel and her friends as if it was yesterday.

"I've been so worried that this would destroy him. I am thrilled to see someone has found him and is keeping him in line."

Helen tattles on me, "This was not his original plan. He left Ness City with no clothes, stopped by to sign over ownership of his learning system, then come here for a final visit."

Marcy launches herself at me again. She's wailing in my arms.

Jim takes over, "We, his parents, and Beth, as you can see, conspired against him. He told us the whole story." Jim is in tears now. "As you might guess, with my wife benefitting from your daughter's... experience, we are very grateful and will support Peter all the way. We have money."

Marcy is sharp, "I know who you two are. For years, you have been a thorn in my side, business-wise."

Helen is still in tears, "What do you need?"

Marcy straightens up, "We compete in a few areas. You have raw materials and won't sell them to me. I must spend much more than I like to get what I need. It's OK; it's business. You're doing nothing wrong; it's the smart play."

Helen suggests, "If you have the time. I want to show you what we're doing with Peter in Ness City. We have the bus and can talk business on the way there. We'll work something out. Your daughter inspires Peter to do so much. He's making a difference. That all started while he was with your daughter. The world will change because he met the nice people and us at Ness City. I want you to see it."

Marcy says, "I would love to see what she inspired."

I look at Beth, "Have your parents meet us there. If needed, I'll fly them in."

Jim looks hurt, "Peter. We have an airplane; we'll pick them up."

Beth laughs, "They live just outside of town. They're farmers. They can meet us. I guess it's time I tell them about us."

Marcy and I talked to Ariel about our lives for about an hour. We then spent an hour with the group telling funny stories about growing up. We then go over to the Kansas City Plaza, where we have dinner at the Capital Grille, and then Helen and Jim have two suites reserved for us.

The following day, we all have breakfast at the hotel, and then it's back home for Beth and me. We ride with Marcy, Steve, Jim, and Helen. My parents follow behind us. The first order of business is to determine how they can be business partners.

After many calls to offices and bankers, Jim and Helen buy into the company and guarantee discount access to the raw materials they need. Everyone seems happy with the deal. That leaves us with an hour driving before we get home.

Beth has been at my side the whole time. She's been quiet but at my side.

Marcy asks me, "Peter. How are you doing?"

The bus is silent. Everyone wants to know that answer.

My voice wasn't as strong as I would have liked, but they all heard me, "When I left the hospital, my plan was simple. Nobody needed or wanted me. I was going to tie up some loose ends and then ... move on to whatever the next stage is. Jim and Helen shattered that plan. At the gravesite, so many memories came back to me. Some were that bad day, but surprisingly, much of it was the good stuff. With Beth and the rest of you, I saw how moving on in my life was a good thing.

"Part of me is sad because I don't want to leave my Ariel behind. Part of me knows she can't be here with me, and even though I've lost her, I have gained all of you. That's not an equal trade, but it's the best I will get. Beth is different from Ariel yet similar as well. Both are good for me, and I can't live without at least one of them.

"Everyone says I need to move on, yet it's like part of my heart left with her after loving her for so many years. I had a void, and I felt hollow. There, in the middle of nowhere, I find a puzzle piece that fits that piece that I'm missing. It's not an exact match. In some ways, it falls short. In other ways, it outshines the last piece. She isn't a replacement. Ariel was unique. Beth is unique and has been my champion, even when I wasn't worthy. Now I can move on."

For the rest of the trip, I explain how my training system works, how it's different, and what makes it unique. We haven't told them anything about the new buildings.

We pull up to the hospital and exit the bus. In minutes we meet Todd and Mary Calhoun. I take everyone to a wall in the center of town, which is a block away. From here, you can see the three new monstrosities that have been built. We walk one more block, so we are at the intersection of the three buildings and the hospital.

I explain to everyone, "My course replaces the textbooks. This big building here is the practical arts building. It's where nurses do labs and simulate real work like taking vitals and drawing blood along with almost a hundred other skills that they are graded on."

Jim interrupts me, "Um. Peter. That's not the name of the building."

I look at him dumbly, "We had a two-hour meeting to discuss this."

Jim looks at the ground, "Um. Yes. We did. We got vetoed."

I'm getting mad, "Who veto's you?"

Helen speaks up, "I did. I changed the name because you two bungled it up. Look at the plaque; it's the Ariel Chapman School of Nursing Practical Arts Building or ACSON for short."

Mom, Marcy, and I lost it. We all rush to Helen and crush her in hugs and tears. I did not expect that.

Jim continues, "The faculty building is now the Peter Chapman Staff Housing Facility, or PeCS for short. The last building is the Helen La'Fluer Dorm, or HeLD for short. Sorry, Helen, you're a big part of this as well. Due to the three of you and the insane probabilities that made this happen, you are as vital as the other two."

Steve recorded this on his phone, and everyone is thankful for that. It was a special part of history for all of us. How we got started and our story is the first stop of the program and affects everyone that reads it. We go into the ACSON, and the first floor is for signing up and processing. The second floor is all patient rooms. The third floor is a duplicate of the hospital's third floor, with ICU and patient rooms alike. The fourth floor is a mix of OR, ER, and some specialties.

On the first floor, all the parents get a chance to try my software and are blown away. Then they see it for English, math, science, and several other 100-level courses. With all the work we put into it, mom and Marcy come up with five more ideas that will get implemented before we go live.

The dorms are the most complete. The chef is in there working with his staff to test the equipment and try out recipes. Jim told them we were coming, so we got to test out the food for lunch. It's like a four-star restaurant. It's incredible. Immediately, it's the best restaurant within hundreds of miles.

Jim smiles at me, "Students have a dinner seating, and then after that, it will be open to the public. It will be the same food."

Incredible.

Jim steps up to Steve and Marcie, their eyes red and puffy. It's obvious they had no idea. Jim takes their hands with his.

He weaves his story using a soft, somber voice, "Peter wrote the original code. My people found lists in the code of comments. A good programmer describes what a section of code does. Being an uneducated programmer, Peter used comments to track the things he needed to do. There's hardly a script that doesn't have something to the effect of 'Ariel suggested' or 'Ariel didn't like.' She was a big part of this.

"That's why we named a building after her. I wanted you to know that she was part of this, if not his inspiration. It's still in the code. Everyone knows about your daughter and couldn't wipe out the comments."

I explain, "I had just started as a resident. I thought I was a big deal. I was a doctor. I was important. I acted like I was a big deal. It was my second-day doing rounds. I walk into a room, and I see a young man cleaning up his mother's bowel movement. He had tears in his eyes and looked disgusted. His hands were as far away from him as they could be. He looked sick as he walked into the washroom to flush it away. He then took off the latex gloves and sat next to his recovering mother."

"I am mad, livid; a son should not have to clean his mother. Family is there to be in good spirits and cheer up the patient, so they want to get healed. A happy patient thrives. I go into the hallway, but nobody is around. I go looking, and down the corner and around the corner, I find her nurse getting a medication.

"I'm an important person; I confront the nurse. I berate her for making a family member do her job. I yell at her until she's near tears. Libby. I'll never forget her name. Libby looks up at me with tears in her eyes, 'I have twenty-four patients right now; I should have five. We don't have enough nurses, and two did not show up today. I already worked a twelve-hour shift. I can't go home or there will be just one nurse on the whole floor.'

"Well, you can imagine how big I felt at that moment. I was dating Ariel, of course, but I hugged Libby and had zero guilt. She calmed down; I held her at arms-length and told her, 'I'll help you by starting at the other end.' That's exactly what I did."

"An hour later, my supervisor comes looking for me. I should have completed my rounds long ago. He's been waiting for me, and he's mad. After he lays into me for fifteen minutes, he's out of breath from shouting at me. He stops. He's confused that I'm not mad for the dressing down.