The Luck Charm Chapter 5

Anna put the blood pressure cuff aside and wrote down in her chart what the numbers were. Rose was sitting in bed wearing a red silk nightgown. She helped pull up the blanket and smiled as Rose took a deep breath.

     “How are my numbers?” Rose asked.

     Anna sighed. “They’re a little high. How are you feeling?”

     “I’m a little dizzy.”

     “That’s natural because your blood pressure is high. Lie down on your left side. I’m going to put an extra pillow for you.”

     Anna got up and retrieved a pillow from the cabinet. She placed it underneath Rose’s head. “Rest and if you need anything, please let me know.”

     “Thank you. Oh, by the way, I called Dr. Chang. He’ll drop by tonight to meet with you.”

     Anna smiled. “Thank you. Good night.”

     She walked out and down the stairs where she found Judy cleaning up in the kitchen. She grabbed a towel and reached for a dish in the sink.

     “You wash and I’ll dry,” Anna said.

     “Thank you.”

     “No problem. Is it always this quiet around here?”
     “It is. There’s just the two of them and when Jedidiah works late, which he does most nights, it’s just Rose at home.”

     Anna set the plate away and grabbed another dish. “You live in the house out back, right?”

     “Yes, I do.”

     When the dishes were finished, Judy excused herself to go home and Anna found herself wandering in the den where she found the piano sitting in the corner. She walked over and hit one of the keys. It sang a deep sad tune. Pulling the chair out, she sat down and began to play a childhood song Laurie taught her. When she was finished, she felt tears enter her eyes. She stopped and wiped them away, feeling the loss hit the nerves of her body. She pushed the chair back and stood up only to find Jedidiah standing at the doorway staring at her with his hands in his pockets.

     “That was one of Hans’ favorite songs to play,” he whispered.

     She stared at the piano and then back up at him. “I’m sorry. I didn’t know. It was a song my mother taught me.”

     Jedidiah walked in. “Hans used to fill these walls with that song. At the time, I hated it because it was so annoying and loud. Since he died, I haven’t heard its sorrowful sound. Tonight, it haunted me more than I thought.”

     “I apologize.”

     He shook his head. “No, it’s ok. It was nice hearing it. Perhaps you might play again?”

     She nodded. “If you want me to.”

     Before he could answer her, the doorbell rang. He walked away to answer the door and she heard a male voice conversing with him. Anna was pushing the chair in when Jedidiah walked in with a tall man with broad shoulders, short black hair, and chestnut eyes. He was wearing a gray business suit and he had a soft smile on his face.

     “This is her, Dr. Chang,” Jedidiah said.

     The man walked forward, his right hand extending. “Hello Anna, it’s nice to meet you. I’m Dr. Thomas Chang.”

     She took his hand and smiled. “Hello, it’s nice to meet you too, doctor. Rose had mentioned you were going to stop by.”

     He released her hand. “Yes, when she called me and told me she’d picked a nurse, I was very happy. With Jedidiah being away at the office, I’m glad she has you to rely on.”

     “I’ll leave you two,” Jedidiah said as he left the room.

     Anna gestured for him to sit. “You’re a lot younger than I expected.”

     Thomas smiled. “My father used to care for Rose and when he retired, I took over.”

     “I see. Your father, he’s well?”

     “He is very well. My parents are in Italy right now and they’ll be home in a month. With my busy schedule, I can’t fit any vacation time to visit them. But I’m glad you’re here. I have been pestering Jedidiah to hire a nurse for a while. When Rose called me and told me she’d hired you, I was beyond thrilled. With Jedidiah being away at the office and sometimes away on travel, I am fearful of Rose being on her own.”

     Anna sighed deeply. “Her pressure was a little high tonight. Based on the prescription you prescribed, it seems her dosage keeps increasing. It seems her blood pressure is getting worse.”

     He nodded. “It is, but Rose wouldn’t let that get her down. She’s been fighting it for years now, but just now has it finally caught up with her. She’s also having some insomnia, so I’ve prescribed her some sleeping pills. It helps her relax and so far she hasn’t mentioned any problems with it. But if you do notice any side effects, let me know.”

     “I sure will.”

     Thomas cocked his head and then a soft smile spread over his handsome face. “I looked you up when I heard Rose had hired you. Your last name is Lee, yet your parents are American. How is that possible?”

     “Well, Grant and Laurie are my foster parents and their last names just happened to be Lee.”

     “Oh. And your biological parents?”

     She shrugged. “I’ve never met them.”

     “I’m sorry.”

     “It’s alright.”

     “And Rose told me your foster mother just passed?”

     “Yes, from cancer, a little over a month ago.”

     “I’m sorry. The passing of a loved one is hard.”

     Anna nodded. “Thank you.”

     He leaned forward on his knees. “Rose is a strong woman. If and when she’s in pain, she won’t let you know. You’ll learn that you may have to dig deep to find what is hurting her. She’s not willing to let anyone fight her battles for her, even when it comes to her own health. Being her doctor for the past four years, I’ve learned that I have to sometimes pressure her in order to get the answers I want. Don’t let it misguide you into thinking she’s stubborn. She just doesn’t want anyone worrying about her, especially Jedidiah.”

     Anna nodded. “I understand. I’ve dealt with a lot of people just like her and I know the situation. I understand that your health is one thing you don’t want your family to worry over. But Rose is a woman with a good head on her shoulders and I know that she’s also a responsible one. If she’s willing to pay me for the work I am doing, I know that she will tell me when she’s not able to endure anymore and I know the signs to look for if she should be in more pain than necessary.”

     Thomas smiled, impressed, and straightened up. “I see why Rose hired you. You think exactly like her.”

     “Thank you, but I didn’t say this to impress you.”

     “Which is why it did; by the way, I have to warn you about Jedidiah. He’s a bit stubborn and arrogant. If he should give you any trouble with Rose, let me know and I’ll take care of it. Jedidiah and I are good friends, but I also take care of his grandmother too.”

     “Thank you, but I believe I can handle Jedidiah.”

     He smiled. “I have no doubt about that. Well, I’ve taken up your time.”

     They both stood. “It’s alright. Let me walk you to the door.”

     They walked to the door and Anna opened it up for him. He smiled at her, stepped out, and then turned back around, walking back in.

     “This might come as a sudden attack of awkwardness, and let me know if I am stepping over the line, but…would you like to have dinner sometime?” Thomas asked.

     Anna smiled, touched. “I would love to.”

     “Great, how about I pick you up tomorrow night?”

     “Seven?”

     He smiled. “Great! Good night, Anna.”

     “Good night, Thomas.”

     Anna closed the door, locked it, and turned around to find Jedidiah walking toward her. She ignored his gaze and walked past him, toward the stairs. When she reached the first step, what he said, stopped her.

     “You’re not only trying to win over my grandmother, but also her doctor with your good looks and fake charm?”

     Anna stopped and turned around. She walked down the stairs and crossed her arms. “What fake charm? As far I as I know, all I did was answer honestly. And you’d know it too seeing as how you were eavesdropping.”

     “This is my house so I have the right to hear everything if I should want to.”

     Anna smiled. “Really? Well then, the next time Dr. Chang comes over, I’ll be sure to put us on speaker so you can hear us from wherever you are in the house. This way, I won’t have to worry about you getting hurt trying to hear our conversation.”

     He walked to her and grabbed her shoulders. “You’re kind of cocky for being someone who committed a crime.”

     “I learned from you.”

     He shoved her and she fell down, but got back up. She looked up at him and cleared her throat. Without saying a word, she turned and walked back up the stairs.

     “Are you some sort of zombie? I’ve just shoved you down and you’re just going to get up and walk away? What, you ran out of words to say?” Jedidiah asked.

     She turned to him. “Of course not, Jedidiah, but unlike you, I like to kill my enemies softly. Have a good night.”

 

 

     Anna heard the sound in the middle of the night and woke up running out of her room almost smacking Rose down. She had been sleeping when she heard the loud growling; it made her heart sink with fear that something awful was happening. Rose was pale with fear as she steadied the woman.

     “What’s wrong?” Anna asked.

     “It’s Jedidiah. It’s his nightmares. He has them when he’s stressed. I can’t hold him when he’s like this. Will you do it? Do you mind?” she asked.

     “Go back to your room, Rose. I’ll take care of it.”

     Anna entered Jedidiah’s room and turned on the lights. Jedidiah was on the ground, twisted around his blanket, thrashing on the ground. His fists were pounding on the floor; his eyes were rolling back and forth, his mouth wide open with saliva hanging out of the corners of his mouth. His blue button down pajama shirt had become undone revealing his hard chest. She rushed down to him and tried to pry the blanket out of his legs when he threw a punch and it landed on her cheek. She gasped as pain numbed her cheek down to her neck. But she pushed it aside and ripped the blanket from his hold.

     “Jedidiah! You’re having a nightmare!” Anna cried.

     “Leave me!” he howled.

     She reached for him again and this time got a hold of his hands. He squeezed her fingers until she felt they would fall off. He howled and thrashed himself against her and her back hit the bedpost. Then he turned and slammed her down, pinning her to the ground. He roared like a wild animal and the necklace swung into view. She gasped when she saw the cross. He was dripping saliva onto her face but all she saw was the necklace around his neck. Then he grabbed her and shoved her against the bed frame. She let out a breath of painful gasp and grabbed his arms, shaking him to wake up.

     “Wake up!” she cried.

     He howled again and this time his whole body jerked backward and he fell to the ground. Everything was suddenly silent as she panted beside him, afraid he’d wake up again. But he was breathing normally again and she slowly crawled to him. She pushed him onto his back and found him sleeping peacefully. She let out a breath of relief and ran her hands through her hair.

     “Anna?” Rose asked walking into the room.

     Anna looked up, exhausted. “He’s back to sleeping.”

     Rose knelt down and ran a hand over his hair, covered in sweat. “Poor kid, he’s always fighting his nightmares.”

     “Does this happen often?”

     “Only when he’s stressed, which is most of the time, I’m afraid. After an episode like this, he’ll sleep forever before he wakes.”

     Rose looked up at her and then frowned. “Did he hit you by mistake?”

     Anna touched her cheek and winced. “It’s alright.”

     Rose walked to her and shook her head. “I’m so sorry. Come on, let him sleep it off. Come with me. I’ll put some medicine on that so it won’t bruise in the morning.”

     Anna looked at Jedidiah sleeping soundly on the ground and followed Rose to her room. She walked to sit on the couch and Rose returned with a medicated balm in her hand. She sat down next to her and opened the top, dipped her fingers in it, and brought it to spread the medicine on Anna’s cheek. She felt the pain and winced.

     “I’m sorry,” Rose said.

     “No need to apologize.”

     She closed the balm and set it aside. Then she took Anna’s hands. “Thank you for helping him. It’s times like this that I am frightened for him. Although I have to admit, I haven’t seen one this bad before.”

     “You don’t think me coming here has anything to do with it, does it?” she asked.

     Rose shook her head. “These dreams aren’t of Hans. It’s of his parents.”

     Anna blinked, unsure of what she heard. “What? I thought…thought they were of his brother.”

     “No, they’re not.”

     “How did they die?”

     Rose stood up and walked to the window where the curtain was drawn. She opened it and stared at the moon in the sky. Then she let the curtain dropped slowly. She turned back around and there were tears in her eyes. She took a deep breath and walked back to sit down.

     “Jedidiah’s father, Bruce, was a very abusive man. When he married my daughter-in-law, Mary, he practically made every single bachelor envious. She was a beautiful woman, flawless in her beauty, and smart too. My husband, Bruce’s father, never raised his hands to me, but I don’t know where he got the idea that being abusive solved problems.

     “When Bruce realized that Mary was still attracting attention even after marriage, he kept her closed up. At that time, our business was just blossoming and we were expected to attend public charity events to give money so we could get money in return. Each time they attend an event and came back home, Bruce was beyond jealous and accused Mary of cheating, even though she clung to his arm the entire night. I thought that it would stop after she gave birth to the boys, but it just progressed. Hans and Jedidiah grew up watching their father abuse their mother. There were nights where I would keep them locked up in my room for fear of them seeing their father beat their mother.

     “We tried to get Bruce help, but it just didn’t do any good. It progressed to the point where Mary wanted to divorce him. And each time she threatened him, he would plead and beg for forgiveness and because she loved him, she would relent.”

     Anna swallowed hard. “But it would continue again?”

     Rose nodded. “Yes, and each time, it would get worse. When Jedidiah was six years old, he witnessed the death of his mother. He walked in when his father shot his mother and then took his own life. Hans was just a bit older than he was and tried to stop Jedidiah, but being the curious boy he was, he walked in and witnessed everything.”

     Anna shut her eyes, wondering how it must have felt growing up, knowing your father killed your own mother. “How awful.”

     “He closed it off, refusing to believe it. He told himself his parents died in a car accident and believed it to the point that it drove him crazy. When he was ten years old, he was put into therapy to help him confront his fears.”

     “Has he admitted to seeing his father kill his mother?”

     “Yes, but it took eight years in therapy before he could admit it. He seldom talks about it and on nights where he is stressed beyond limits, he will dream about it. You witnessed the little boy inside that is still afraid of the father he grew up with. I can’t reach him when he is like this.”

     “I’m sorry; I shouldn’t have asked.”

     “No, it’s alright. You have the right to know and I’m not ashamed to talk about it. My son was sick. He needed help and I felt responsible because I didn’t do enough to get him the help when he needed it. I lost my daughter-in-law because I didn’t do enough. I have had to live with that for all these years.”

     Anna reached over and took her hand. “Don’t blame yourself. Like you said, your son was sick. It was an illness that took control of him.”

     Smiling, she said, “I think if Mary was alive today, you would be good friends with her. She was a very loving girl with a lot of goodness in her. She tried to save Bruce, she did.”

     “I’ll sleep with an open ear tonight. I’ll go check on him before I go to bed. But why don’t you go to bed? Do you need anything before I go?”

     She shook her head. “No, I’m fine.”

     “Let me help you to bed.”

    

     Anna entered Jedidiah’s room and found him sleeping in the same position as she’d left him earlier. One of his hands was over his head and the other over his chest. She picked up the blanket and set it on the bed. His bedroom was just as large as the one she was sleeping in, but his room was decorated in blue and white. There was a desk in the corner that was covered with piles of folders and papers. She walked to the bathroom, filled up a bowl of warm water, and brought it back. She set it down beside him and turned him on his back. She unbuttoned his shirt and pushed it aside. She fingered the cross around his neck and wondered why he kept it if he hated her as much as he claimed.

     She dipped the cloth in the warm water, squeezed the excess water out, and began to wipe his body. He let out a painful breath and she stopped, wondering if he was going to wake. But then his breath fell back to normal and she continued wiping. When she finished, she emptied the bowl and grabbed a pillow from the bed to put under his head. She buttoned his shirt and pulled the blanket over him. She turned out the lights as she left and walked back to her room.

     Once in her own bedroom, she thought back to her necklace. For the longest time, she was upset for losing it. She’d wondered over and over again how it was that she’d lost it that night. She called the officers to see if they had found it, but they told her they had combed the entire area and found nothing. All this time, it was in his hands. How did he get it? He had blamed her and hated her with every fiber of his being. Why did he keep it? And why did he wear it? Was it to remind him of his brother’s death? Or was it a reminder of the woman who took his brother away? She closed her eyes, shaking her head, not getting any sane answers in her mind.