Read Shackles Page 23


  Jason thought of the lives that had been altered as a direct result of him finding the box and searching for her. Tina and her Mom, Maxine and Edward Rochester, not to mention the incredible change in Stanton and the spin-off effect in Lisa’s life. His own life had been irrevocably altered, in more ways than he cared to admit.

  “You have no idea how much good has come out of this whole series of events.” He reached out and tenderly tucked a lock of hair behind her ear. “Be gentle on yourself, you’ve been through so much. Don’t expect to feel great right now. But hear me when I say, I know of at least seven people whose lives have been changed for the better, for eternity. So don’t ever think that all this was for nothing.”

  “I don’t know that I believe you, but if what you say is true, I’m glad for them.” Her lip trembled and a tear slid down her cheek. Looking completely lost, she asked in a small voice, “What about me? What now?”

  Jason got up off the chair and gently lowered himself onto the bed next to her. Carefully, so as not to hurt her or interfere with the drip in her arm, he wrapped his arms around her and drew her to his chest. I’m not letting you out of my sight again, ever. If I had my way, there’d be a minister, some witnesses and a couple of gold rings right here, right now!

  Shocked at his thoughts, what came out his mouth was, “Rebecca, you seriously have no idea who your father is, do you?”

  She shook her head and surrendered to his comfort, burying her face deeper into his neck.

  “Stanton Trent is one of the richest men in the Southern Hemisphere. He’s already got his staff getting your room ready. I’m sure you’ll have a place with him for as long as you want. The two of you have a lifetime of catching up to do.”

  She pulled away so as to look him in the eye, “Wait a moment. Are you telling me that Stanton is… my father?”

  “Uh-oh.” His nose wrinkled, “Didn’t he tell you?” Jason had put his foot in it royally.

  Rebecca shook her head, amazement all over her face.

  “Oh no. Now I’ve gone and blurted it out. Sorry. I thought he’d told you.”

  “How is that possible? How did he find me? How did he find you?”

  “You know what? When you’re well enough to get out of here we’ll have a big family meeting and talk about all that stuff. For now you need to rest, and so do I.”

  Her face fell somewhat until she saw him pull a stretcher bed out from under her hospital contraption.

  “What is that for?”

  “I’m not taking any chances, so I’m going to be right here by you until you leave. I won’t be losing you again Rebecca.” He kissed her on the forehead and stretched out on the makeshift bed next to hers. Stealing her spare blanket, he winked at her and tucked himself in. “Sleep well.”

  For the first time in weeks, Rebecca drifted into peaceful sleep with a smile on her face.

  ***

  Kenneth was dozing in a chair in the corner of a heavily sedated Claude’s private hospital room when his Dad arrived. Woken by the squeak of the handle, he jumped up in surprise.

  “Dad! I didn’t think you’d come. I’m so glad you did.”

  There was something different about his Father. He just couldn’t put his finger on what it was.

  “Kenneth.” He reached out and shook his son’s hand. “Thank you for finding your brother. How is he?”

  “His head had to be cleaned and stitched. He’s still under sedation at the moment. He’s going to be fine.” He clenched his teeth, “Though I could happily kill him myself for the stupid things he’s done.”

  “Don’t say that.”

  “Dad, this fool nearly killed himself and Rebecca. After all he’s done to her, he doesn’t deserve to live.” Burying his face in his hands, he sighed. “I wish Mom was here.”

  Edward Rochester gripped his son by the shoulders, “Calm down. I’ll be back in a moment.”

  “What’s going on?”

  “Just give me a moment, okay?” He turned and left the room.

  The door had just swung shut behind him, when Claude came to.

  Grimacing, he peeped at Kenneth through one eye, “Where am I? What are you doing here?”

  “Welcome back.” There was no warmth in the words. Since their teenage years, Kenneth’s relationship with his brother had never been close. At best they had tolerated one another, but since the time Claude had started causing trouble with Rebecca, Kenneth’s ambivalence had turned to something stronger than mere dislike. The thought of Claude treating Rebecca so badly and nearly getting them both burned alive, was enough to make smoke come out his ears.

  “You absolute idiot! What were you thinking? If you love Rebecca so much, how could you put in such danger? What is wrong with you?”

  “Kenneth, that’s enough.”

  The shock of hearing his mother’s voice shot through Kenneth. He looked to the door, and there she was, her slender frame dressed in jeans and a pale turquoise polo neck.

  “Mom?” His jaw worked up and down, but no words came.

  Claude sat up as pale as if he were seeing a ghost.

  “I won’t have the two of you going at each other on our first day back together.” Her words were stern, but she couldn’t help smiling. The tears started as she crossed the floor. Somehow managing to hug them both at the same time, she clung to them trembling with emotion.

  Kenneth was overjoyed, “Mom! Where have you been? This is unbelievable.” His jaw flapped like a fish out of water.

  Claude sat silent, staring at her as if a traitor had just been uncovered in their midst. Edward pulled two chairs around Claude’s bed and motioned for Kenneth to pull up another on the other side. Once they were all seated, he met Maxine’s eyes and prompted by her nod, he spoke, “Your Mom and I have decided that there can be no more lies or half-truths. We did what we thought was right at the time, but the outcome has proved to us that we made the wrong decision.” He took Maxine’s hand in his and continued, “Your Mom is HIV positive. When we found out, in ignorance we thought it would be safer for the whole family if she moved away. She’s been living with your Aunt Sally since her diagnosis. We’ve realized now, that with a few adjustments to our lifestyle, she’s far better off at home with us. And we are far better off with her at home.” He gave her hand a squeeze, full of affection and encouragement.

  Kenneth leapt out his chair and all but ran to his mom, mixed elation and distress making a mess of his face. Throwing his arms around her, he said, “Having you home is the best idea I’ve heard all year. I’m so sorry that you’re not well.”

  Maxine hugged him back with all the strength in her slender arms. “Thank you Ken.”

  Claude sat staring at her with an ugly sneer on his face.

  “Claude?” The inflection in her one word, held a myriad of questions.

  His answer snaked ice down Kenneth’s spine. “You betrayed me.”

  Edward sprung to her defence. “You cannot talk to your mother that way!”

  Before Claude could respond, Maxine stood between them. “It’s okay. He has a right to be angry. Let it go. Edward, come with me.” Brushing a hand through Claude’s hair, she smiled sadly at Kenneth and left the room leaning heavily on Edward’s arm.

  Not trusting himself to stay alone with Claude, Kenneth followed.

  ***

  In the lounge across from Claude’s room, Edward and Maxine were engaged in hot debate. Kenneth hung back, not wanting to interrupt.

  “Edward, there’s a psychologist here who’s interested in taking Claude on as a patient. He’s seen this sort of behavior before and he believes it’s treatable.”

  “No son of mine is a lunatic. I won’t have him treated as one either.”

  “Damn your pride! Our boy needs help.” Despite her slight frame, Maxine blazed with the fury of conviction. “Why do you refuse to see what is so obvious to all of us? It’s no shame on you or failure on your part. The doctor suspects it’s a chemical imbalance. Edward, if we
leave him now, he will do devastating damage. Mark my words; unless we stop this now, our boy is headed for prison. It’s only by some miracle that he hasn’t caused more harm already.”

  Heart in his throat, Kenneth stepped into the lounge, “She’s right Dad. Claude is completely unstable. Quite frankly, if I look at the lengths he went to, to get to Rebecca, he’s actually dangerous. I know I shouldn’t be interrupting, but for what it’s worth, I agree with Mom.”

  Edward Rochester hung his head in defeat. An eternity of silence hung thick between them. Sagging under the weight of truth, he quietly conceded, “I hear you.” His voice was thick with emotion, “It’s hard to admit something that I’ve been running away from for so long.”

  “It doesn’t matter anymore, love. As long as we make a change now.”

  He drew her close and planted a gentle kiss on her forehead. “As always, my precious, you are right.”

  Chapter 32 - Truth

  The house looked even older by daylight than what Jason remembered. Rebecca took in the surroundings, biting her lip.

  “Are you okay?” Jason’s concern for her bordered on over protectiveness.

  “Little bit nervous after your description of Lydia. Or should I call her Grandma?” With an anxious giggle, she nibbled on a thumbnail and stared at the house. “It’s pretty weird to go from being alone in the world, to suddenly having a family. Not just a family, but one with a built in feud.” Rebecca sighed. “Nothing’s ever simple.”

  Jason took her by the arm, “You don’t have to do this now. We can come back another time. Think about it, you’ve just come out of hospital, haven’t even been to your new home yet.”

  “No. I just want to get this over with.”

  “Okay.” Jason gave her arm a quick squeeze. “Just remember what I said about Lydia. Don’t let her get to you. She’s one seriously disturbed old lady; don’t hang any weight on her words.”

  “Sticks and stones, hey? I’ll try not to pay her any mind.”

  Jason cringed to see the hole he’d made in the paint on the front door during his first visit. He knocked more carefully this time to make sure that no more flaked off. Nobody responded. They waited a few minutes more, and Jason had another go at knocking on the door. Just as they were turning to leave, Jason heard the familiar shuffle and breathed a sigh of relief as Angus opened the door.

  “Jason how good to—” Bemused and astonished, he stared at Rebecca as if seeing a ghost. “Catherine? No, it can’t be. Rebecca?” He turned to Jason, delight sparkling in his eyes. “You found her! I’d almost given up hope.”

  Jason saw Rebecca being drawn in by the love radiating from this old soul. The tears flowed as flesh and blood collided in a messy, glorious family hug.

  Shackle free wrists motioned for them to go into the house.

  “Come, come. You must come inside. I’ve just brewed some homemade ginger beer. Lydia always hated ginger beer.”

  His phrasing struck Jason as odd. Brushing it aside, they followed Angus through to the kitchen.

  The cupboards were made from solid oak, but seemed to have had a very distant relationship with soap and water. There was a crack down the wall behind the oven that looked like a lightning strike on a particularly stormy night. The house and its owner matched each other year for year.

  Not wanting to pry, but needing to know – Jason asked, “Angus, where is Lydia?”

  The old man lowered himself onto a bar stool at the opposite side of the breakfast nook. “She didn’t make it.”

  “What do you mean? Why?”

  Looking haggard, Angus replied, “Do you remember how angry she was the night you came to see us? When I came back here from meeting you around the corner, I went upstairs to check on her and she wasn’t breathing. She’d had a stroke and had already passed on. There was nothing anyone could do.” He smiled sadly.

  “I am so sorry to hear that. I feel awful. Maybe if I hadn’t upset her so badly or if you’d been home instead of out talking to me?”

  Angus waved away his concerns, “Don’t waste energy beating yourself up. If she hadn’t been angry and lost her temper at you, it would have been the dog next door that never shuts up, or the bugs that keep eating her roses. Do you understand what I’m saying? She’s in a better place now.” Looking a little forlorn he continued, “I do miss her. Sometimes I’d give anything to hear her shouting at me again. But in general, I’m doing okay. I’ve got myself involved with the church down the road. They’ve been a wonderful source of comfort to me. I’ve always wanted to go, but Lydia wasn’t interested.” He reached out and took Rebecca’s hands in his, across the table. “And now I have you! My life feels brighter all ready!”

  She beamed at him. “You are going to see so much of me that you’re going to beg me to stay away!”

  “Entirely impossible, my dear! Now, how would you like to see photo’s of your Mother?”

  Rebecca gasped as if someone had presented her with a precious jewel, before planting a noisy kiss on his cheek, “Yes, please!

  The hour they spent with Angus flew by swiftly as they pored over old photo albums. Rebecca seemed intent on absorbing as much as she could of her family history, and Angus was more than happy to share all his memories with her.

  Loathe as he was to bring the visit to an end, Jason knew they still needed to get Rebecca settled in at Stanton’s. Rebecca and Angus hugged as if they’d never spent a day apart, so close was the bond that had already started forming between them.

  ***

  Jason stretched out on the rug in front of the ornate fireplace in Stanton’s lounge. Rubbing his hands over his full belly, he sighed in satisfaction. “That was the best meal I’ve ever eaten.”

  Rebecca smiled at him from the chair she sat curled up in. “I feel guilty for not doing dishes. It doesn’t seem right.”

  “Don’t feel guilty. Stanton and Lisa were just looking for an excuse to be alone together.”

  Rebecca chuckled. “You’re probably right!” As she brushed her hair back from her face, her shirt sleeve slipped down her arm, exposing her wrist to Jason. Seeing the dark cuff, he knew it was time to talk to her about his dream.

  Lazily pulling himself to sitting, he felt warmth from the fire spread across his back. “I need your brain. Look at this.” He spread out the dream diagram on the carpet. It was looking tattered and old from being hauled out and studied. Sometimes he was convinced that it meant nothing, and other times it seemed overwhelming in its importance. In spite of this, he was still completely clueless as to what it meant.

  Rebecca joined him on the carpet, keeping a careful distance from the fireplace. “What is this?”

  “It’s from a dream I had a while back. I don’t know what it means.”

  “Those bottom things look like Bible verses.” She stretched behind her and picked up her Bible from the coffee table. She’d taken to carrying it with her wherever she went.

  Looking through the index, she said, “That first one could either be Joshua, Job or John. What do you think?”

  Jason shrugged, “What I remember about the Bible could fit up a fly’s nostril. You’ll have to read them all.”

  Flipping pages, she found Joshua and read, “There, in the presence of the Israelites, Joshua copied on stones the law of Moses, which he had written.”

  She threw a questioning glance at Jason.

  He shook his head. The memory of the dream was as fresh in his mind as the moment he’d dreamt it. “The people in my dream were all chained, heading for destruction. Some of them actually held the keys to their freedom in their hands and they wouldn’t use them to get free and escape certain death. Then this thing appeared in the sky.” He jabbed a finger toward the page, “It doesn’t fit. Try the next one.”

  Rebecca flipped forwards and found Job. She paged to chapter 8. “Nope, not this one. There are only 22 verses. I don’t know if we’re on the right track Jason.”

  “Keep going. We might be onto s
omething.”

  Looking doubtful, Rebecca turned to the New Testament and found John 8. “Then you will know the truth and the truth will set you free.”

  “Rebecca – that’s it!” All the hairs down his arms stood on end as he broke out in gooseflesh. “Look, even the letters make sense.” Taking a pencil, he wrote above the equation on the left:

  KNOW TRUTH = FREEDOM

  Rubbing his hands in delight, he said, “Okay, we’re definitely onto something. What about the other one?”

  Checking through the index, Rebecca said, “This one is easy. It can only be James. The numbers are confusing, but if you separate them with commas like this—” she took the pencil from Jason and put in comma’s between 22,23,24,25, “they could be verses.” Turning to the back of the Bible she read; “Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says. Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like a man who looks at his face in a mirror and, after looking at himself, goes away and forgets what he looks like. But the man who looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues to do this, not forgetting what he has heard, but doing it – he will be blessed in what he does.”

  Jason frowned, “I’m assuming the ‘F’ is for freedom. ‘H’ and ‘D’?”

  “That’s easy. Hear and Do.”

  Jason wrote above the right hand equation:

  HEAR + DO = FREEDOM

  “How does that relate to your dream?”

  Jason spoke slowly, understanding dawning as the words left his lips, “The people with keys in my dream had HEARD the truth, but weren’t willing to DO anything with it. That’s why they weren’t getting free. The one’s with their hands over their ears hadn’t HEARD and didn’t KNOW. The last group had their hands over their eyes. I think they’d been deceived, someone had lied to them and they’d swallowed it and believed it, instead of believing the truth.”

  “That’s amazing.”

  He took her hand in his and gently traced his finger over the dark patch around her wrist. He felt nothing strange, just the softness of her skin. “Can you feel anything?”