Abbey Burning Love. Donan Ph.D. Berg
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“Fortunate to be in the chapel trying to locate a box of pledge cards left on a pew. Couldn’t get back into the ballroom against the crush of people. It was horrible. Hope you haven’t turned on the TV.” Melissa shook head no. “Good. Don’t. Ghastly pictures. Fire killed fourteen people. Another dozen or so, hanging on by God’s mercy. Area hospitals jam-packed. The radio news estimated a hundred nursed non-life-threatening injuries. Many with extensive burns or broken bones. Lucky ones have plain ol’ bumps and bruises suffered in the fire’s panicky stampede.” Carol moved from the room’s window to the hallway door. She gazed past the doorjamb for several seconds as if she expected someone.
“What about The Abbey?” Melissa’s whisper scratchy.
“Gone. But don’t fret about it.” Her sister gazed to the ceiling. “Only a building, wood, stone, and glass.”
“It’s more ... more than a building.” Adrenaline surged through Melissa’s veins. “It’s Father’s dream. A dream he struggled to realize all these years.” Hoarseness deepened her voice. “The chapel ... a pampered child to him. He agonized when birds crashed into the stained glass windows. Remember when separated carpet seams underneath the last row of pews unglued him. For Father ... we’ll rebuild.” She kicked both feet up and hard to loosen the tucked in sheet restricting movement. “Please check the closet. See if I have clothes.”
Carol peeked behind the closet door. “Nothing here. Did a fireman strip you to examine for injury?” Melissa, exhausted, let out a raspy cough. Her heart gladdened taking in Carol’s elfish grin. A knuckle cracked when Melissa stretched and flexed the left hand.
Carol’s flippant comment regenerated Melissa’s vague introduction recollection and a blinding spotlight. Then darkness, smoke, and strong, slightly calloused hands gripped like a vise. If they removed clothes, she’d no present recall. “Don’t know.” She paused for a deep breath. “We’ll have to powder and dust the back of my legs for fingerprints. What do you say? You started this.” Carol spoke not a word, lifted hands, palms up at the waist. “Line up the entire Boulder Isle Fire Department and all male EMTs. Enough.” Melissa inhaled, exhaled in painful spurts. “Can’t talk.” She scribbled a note on a nightstand pad for Carol to pick up clean underwear and sweats.
Carol closed the closet door and pocketed the note. “Sure. Need a key. Stopped to feed your dog and obviously found the house locked.”
“Omigawd, my purse!” Melissa stroked throat. A painful cough cleared mucus and left the throat momentarily tingling. She wrote a second note stating Gala night purse had been left at the rear of The Abbey stage.
“What purse?” Carol gazed again at the hallway and back at her sister.
Melissa tore off pad sheet to write: “BE&D.” Lined the abbreviation out and wrote: “Black, pearl studs.” She motioned for Carol to bend close to her. Melissa’s voice cracked, “Fake eight-inch rock in garden. Key’s inside.”
Carol stood upright. “I’ll find it. Be back tomorrow with clothes.”
The nurse entered to turn out all lights, except a nightlight. Melissa gazed at the ceiling. Dear Lord, shine your protective light over my father. Heavenly Father, safeguard all your faithful...
* * *
Sunday afternoon a cheerier Carol stood in Melissa’s hospital room doorway with a brown grocery bag to announce, “Brought your clothes.” Before Carol could open the closet door, a knock on the room’s doorjamb interrupted the two sisters. Carol waved one hand’s fingers forward as a signal.
Overjoyed to see her two best friends, Sarah and Alice, Melissa felt chin and cheek pain as she tried to stretch mouth into smile. At the gala, Sarah, directing parking lot traffic, should’ve been outside at time of explosion. Melissa didn’t remember where Alice might have been. Today, a dark-blue, cloth sling held Alice’s casted right forearm snug below breasts.
“You doing okay?” Sarah asked.
“Better. Say, Alice, what happened?” Melissa asked, ignoring throat.
Alice edged closer to Melissa’s headboard. Sarah, attracted to a leafy flowering violet, exposed her back to Melissa to read the attached get-well card.
“Nothing serious,” Alice explained. “Fractured a bone. I was in, you know, the basement storeroom. A terrible boom and I fell to the concrete when the posts and ceiling shook. You know the stairs; well, scrambled up them to the vestibule. Then these two guys elbowed their way, you know, through a gap in the crowd. Plowed straight into me. Knocked me down. That’s when this terrific stabbing pain. My forearm, you know, hit the floor first.” Alice rubbed the exterior sling cloth. “Laying on the tile, saw, you know, an upside down lady in a black dress, wildly swinging arms, head dangling.”
“You saw what!” Melissa’s throat constricted to barely allow a whisper. She grimaced while heart muscles pounded against her rib cage. “Describe.” She coughed. “The carrying person, who was it?” With adrenaline pulsing, she stared at Alice. “Tell me! ... Please! ... Who or what he looked like.” Melissa strained to raise her head and let it flop back onto the pillow.
“You know, hard to tell. Couldn’t see a face. Maybe short hair. Looked like a man.” Alice rubbed palms against cheeks. “Sorry ... That’s all I recall.”
While Sarah shuffled next to Alice, Carol poured Melissa a glass of water.
Melissa raised head. “His face? What’d he look like?” Captor interest subdued throat pain as she struggled to verbalize words. She sipped water through straw in glass held by Carol.
“Couldn’t see it.” Alice grinned. “Lady’s bouncing butt in the way.”
Disappointed, Melissa regrouped. “That’s okay. You had your own pain.”
“Melissa,” Carol interrupted, “I have to go.” She set Melissa’s water glass on the nightstand. “I’ll take Fluffy to my house if she doesn’t nip at me.” She waved to Sarah and Alice.
A determined Melissa tried to fully lift her left hand, but couldn’t. “Thanks, Sis,” she mouthed, as Carol walked out of sight. “Alice, think harder. A fireman?” Melissa exhaled a deep breath.
“Think hard,” Sarah suggested. “Could be Melissa’s Prince Charming.”
Not risking further throat pain, Melissa stared at Sarah. Let her tease. I haven’t divulged I sought out Rob Campbell at the gala. I can still do that. Omigawd. His reservation table was near the kitchen. Why can’t I think straight? Why is Alice looking at me? She gazed at Alice. “Sorry. Without warning migraines scramble my mind. You notice anything? A tattoo?”
“Don’t remember anything out-of-the-ordinary. He wasn’t, you know, a uniformed fireman. He moved fast. Oh, don’t know. Could’ve used, you know, a hunk to carry me to safety … or beat up those jerks who knocked me down.”
“Right on, Alice,” Sarah interjected, stretching her slim, five-foot-eleven. “This town’s got more then its share of jerks. Point them out to me sometime so I can avoid dating them.
Melissa started coughing again.
“You okay?” Alice asked.
Melissa swallowed. “Hadn’t expected this unscheduled past-thirty, lonesome sisterhood meeting would bring up dating.” She glanced at the bedside stand. “Sarah, pour me a half glass of water. Leave the straw in.”
While Melissa sipped, Sarah retrieved the card on a holder inside the bouquet next to the water pitcher. ”I see Mark brought flowers.”
“Yesterday.”
“What?” Alice exclaimed. “Thought he outlived, you know, his welcome. That the billowy clouds and songbirds of love either floated or been driven away.” Alice wiggled four left hand fingers as she lifted it slowly upward.
“Yeah,” Sarah said. “Isn’t