It was true, even after Laura rubbed her eyes twice. Dee was standing here in front of her! She couldn’t believe it. The man was on the run from the law. The rest of the people filed from the room, giving Dee, Laura and Becca a chance to talk alone. A deputy stood outside in the hallway.
Hesitatingly, Dee walked over and gave a thin smile to Laura. He nodded his head back toward the policeman. “The officer here will not allow me the dignity of being without handcuffs, so I regret to tell you that I cannot give you a farewell hug, my dear,” he said, shrugging his shoulders. “Such is the consequence for those of us who live on the edge.”
“You sometimes fall off the edge,” Laura answered.
Dee lowered his eyes and shook his head. “Too true, youngster.”
“We’re going to do some serious time for our offense, but we felt that it was important to see you one more time,” Becca said, lowering her eyes. “I cannot tell you how sorry we are for getting you into all this. You must hate us for putting you through this ordeal.”
Laura paused for a full 30 seconds before answering. “I’ve been slowly gaining my memory back. My last name is not Saturday, I know. It’s Ward. You gave me quite a tale to follow, but little blocks of memory are stacking up now. I think I’m going to be OK. My dad’s name is Paul, and my mom’s name is Jill. That’s true, isn’t it?”
Dee lowered his eyes, and Becca nodded her head.
“My parents are having marital difficulties, I know that well enough,” Laura continued, “but I remember that I live in Maryland, and we have a large house on the Chesapeake Bay. I’m an only child with a sheltie dog and a room that is totally pink in color.”
She started to rise, but the dizziness made her sit back down.
“I went to a large youth group that had a dynamic youth leader and some really great teens, and I totally blew them off. I’m going to straighten that out. I have a lot to do to get forgiveness from my youth group. I’m going to get into lots of prayer and give out lots of sincerity. I know that much. You see, I’m getting some answers and solving some mysteries.”
Laura looked up at them.
“But something still puzzles me. Did you see that skeleton that I almost kicked over when I first came in here? I still can’t figure it out. The skeleton in the hallway is still a mystery and still could be a victim of the flu, but who knows? Lots of puzzles deep within the halls of this bunker. I think I’ve got one puzzle figured out, though. The puzzle that was my life. So, yes, I do forgive you—and in a strange way, I want to thank you.”
“My life was a puzzle itself,” Becca said, “but you brought a little clarity into it, Child. Thank you for that.”
“I can’t believe that you came back. You had a clean escape,” Laura said. “You came back to thank me?”
“Well, yes and no,” Dee said. “We realized that it was no use running from the law. Can’t live that way anymore, Cuz. We must face reality and pay our debt to society. Besides, it’s impolite to leave a special friend. You’ve turned a light on in my brain. I must ponder the words I’ve read and heard from you. Time to change, you know?”
He gave her a wink, and he nodded to the deputy who led the two of them out of the room. Just before they exited the doorway, Dee turned around and looked at her.
“I will be in contact with you,” he said. “A few questions. I’ll have plenty of time to think, now, that’s true enough.”
Changed Attitudes
Liz came over and patted her hand. “You’ve taken me through a reality check, and I appreciate it.”
Kim nodded toward her. “You’re making things clearer for me, Laura. You showed me a life without hypocrisy. I needed to see that.”
The sheriff walked in.
“The vials you broke in the front room were checked out by our boys, and you can breathe easy,” he said. “They were indeed empty, which is why our mystery man left them behind and took the full vials. Young lady, you were holding containers of the actual flu. You realize what would have happened if you would have broken that box?”
Laura nodded slowly.
The sheriff straightened and coughed.
“I took the liberty of contacting some specialists in Baltimore. Seems that Benzene can be treated if you get under the proper care. Laura, I want you to know that there is hope. You just might get a full recovery.”
Laura nodded again and said, “I’m ready, whichever way it goes. I’ve had some real face-to-face encounters with eternity these past few days. And you know, I wouldn’t have traded them for anything in the world.”
The sheriff smiled.
“Some members of your youth group are loading up the phone lines here at the camp. They want to talk to you, see how you’re doing.”
“Man, I can’t wait to get to talk to them,” Laura said. “I’m better than they may realize.”
The sheriff touched the brim of his cap and walked out. He had an idea of what she was talking about.
Laura sat in silence and thought about the day’s events, savoring the silence for once in a long while. The stillness was broken when a face popped into the room and an energetic voice called out.
“Hey, Laura,” Tracy said, “could I have a talk with you? I think I need to surrender.”
