Morgan maneuvered Mead’s chair into position and went to get the bag he’d hidden when he first arrived. Taking a round disc from the leather pouch he slipped it into the front pocket of Mead’s coat. Backing away, he leaned against a tree.
“I don’t know how quickly you’ll be gone, but I’ll try to explain it as best as I can. It’s a cold place, Mead. Why New York City has over 8 million people living there. Washington D.C has over half a million. You can live next to the same person for years and never know their name. Never call out good morning to them, never be invited over for a meal.
“Some people commute from the suburbs, riding a train or subway for hours and then working twelve-hour days. They get up and do it each day, year after year, maybe sitting next to a neighbor, but never speaking a word. They’re too busy texting or reading on their cell phone. It’s all about making money, and more money.”
“I don’t know what those things are, Morg, but certainly there are some small towns?”
“There are, but they’re disappearing, getting sucked up as cities spread out further and further.”
“What about women? Surely, they haven’t changed that much.”
“Women have changed. They don’t want to stay home and have families. Oh, they’ll have a child or two, but they hire someone to raise them. A nanny. And those are the lucky ones. Others have children out of wedlock and the fathers walk away, as though they owe their child nothing. More than likely the child is raised in poverty, or near enough. It’s very sad.”
“Do people still fall in love?” Mead asked incredulously. “The population couldn’t increase that much if there was no commitment. There must be families that stay together.”
“Oh there are, but they’re few and far between. People get married and divorced and married again over and over. They call these blended families. There might be four children in the house and only one of them is actually living with their mother and father. There are stepmothers and stepfathers, half-brothers, half-sisters and so many relatives they can’t keep track of them. As you can imagine, it can get pretty confusing for children.”
“Do you have any children, Morgan?”
“No, Cara, my wife never wanted children. She made that clear from the very beginning. The most important thing in her life was her career, and I can’t even say I came in a poor second. We never should’ve married, I know that now. The way I feel about Callie Mae has shown me that what Cara and I had was merely a physical attraction that quickly faded away.”
“So, if you’re already married to Cara and now you’ve married Callie Mae, doesn’t that make you some sort of bigamist?”
“I thought about that,” Morgan replied, leaning against a tree. “I suppose technically it does, but as I have no intention of returning, I don’t see how it’s a problem. More than likely Cara will have me declared dead and she’ll find she’s a very wealthy widow, which should suit her quite well. It seems pointless to go through divorce proceedings with Cara now that I’ve ceased to exist in her world. Hopefully, I’ll never have to explain this to Callie Mae,” he sighed. “I’m glad we decided to do it this way. I’ve racked my brain trying to come up with a plausible reason for leaving my wheelchair bound brother in the woods while we went on our honeymoon,” Morgan said dryly, shaking his head.
“I agree. As long as everyone accepts our story and you’re here to retrieve me on time it should work out. The more people who know the truth, the more dangerous it is for you, Morgan. Although, if something goes wrong I don’t know how you’re going to explain it,” Mead said nervously.
“Nothing’s going to go wrong,” Morgan assured him. “I may not be one of Cara’s favorite people right now, especially as I’ve done the one thing, she warned me not to do, but as a scientist she should be thrilled to see you. It will mean all of her work has been in the right direction. While they won’t actually be retrieving me, they will be getting a live human being.”
“Are you sure she’ll be willing to help me? I don’t want to end up locked away and studied,” Mead said.
“Of course, they’ll help you. Cara might have her faults, but she’s not cruel. The letter I’ve given you explains everything and I’m positive they have the technology and the skill required to take care of your injuries. They’ll whisk you away, run some tests and before you know it, they’ll have you in surgery.”
“But won’t it take months to recover? How will I be able to travel in less than two weeks?”
“Mead, I won’t even try to explain it to you, it would sound too far-fetched, but trust me modern medicine is far beyond what you can even imagine. The medications, the therapy are all geared for speedy recovery. I can almost guarantee that when you come back, you’ll be walking. Maybe with a cane for a while, but you’ll be out of that chair.”
“I hope you’re right,” Mead said wistfully. “I pray you’re right.”
I do too, Morgan thought, whispering a small prayer of his own as he looked up at the rising sun.
“Mead, try not to worry. I know…” Morgan began as he turned back to his brother, but Mead was gone. As quietly as a breath, he was gone.
Morgan walked slowly back to the wagon and climbed up onto the seat. Flicking the reins he headed toward home, his mind rehearsing the conversation he’d soon be having with his family. It was worrisome. Then he recalled who would be waiting for him, his beautiful new bride. No matter how things turned out, he would be forever grateful to Cara for offering him an opportunity to matter, to mean something to others and be accepted for who he was. He figured a man couldn’t ask for much more than that.
It went much betterthan he could’ve planned. Emma met him on the back steps and after looking for Mead in the wagon she approached her son as he washed up at the pump.
“Gracious where’d you get off to so early this morning, Morgan? We’ve been worried about you. Did you take Mead to town to spend some time with Lilly before your trip?”
“No Ma, there’s been a change of plans. Mead decided to go on ahead to Maryland. He just didn’t feel comfortable going on our honeymoon with us,” Morgan laughed wiping the water from his face. “I guess I can understand that.”
“Gracious, where is he?” Emma asked. “How can he get to see those fancy new doctors without you and Callie Mae?”
“Well, it’s funny how that all worked out. He wanted me to take him to the train station and I was against it. I argued with him nearly all the way to town, but when we got there we ran into a woman and her daughter who were headed east. Seems her husband passed away and she was going to stay with family for a while. When she overheard our conversation, she offered to see Mead safely to Maryland. Her family lives quite near the university and she felt better making the long trip with a gentleman.”
“Well, there was a piece of luck, although it seems like a lot of responsibility for total stranger to take on,” she mused out loud. “Are you sure she’s capable of seeing to his needs?” Emma asked worriedly.
“She was a very nice woman and has been caring for her crippled husband for years. Truthfully, I think she was glad for the company, and I paid her for her services. Mead was adamant about it.”
