William Redman Carter: Chapter 25

Posted: January 24, 2006 - 11:26:41 pm



Spreading margarine on the slice of toast with long smooth motions, William was

getting ready to enjoy breakfast. Lucy watched him, waiting for him to cut his

slice of toast along the diagonal. Rich enough to afford butter, it always

amazed her that he actually enjoyed margarine more. William looked up from his

toast and winked at her.

Rock, the nighttime bodyguard, was watching him with narrowed eyes. The other

three bodyguards were seated at the far end of the table eating their eggs.

Taking a seat at the table, Ling asked, "What time did he get home last night?"

"Two in the morning," answered Rock.

"He was missing for ten hours and sits here with without any remorse for all the

worry that he caused," Ling observed.

"Of course not," William said winking a Lucy.

Watching William like a hawk, Rock said, "It appears that our young charge was

out last night playing games with Missy. They took her to the hospital. From

what I understand, she had a major nervous breakdown."

Lucy looked at William in surprise at the idea that he would harm someone.

Shrugging her shoulders as if it was exactly what she expected, Ling said, "It

doesn't surprise me. He's been driving me crazy for years."

The comment brought a few chuckles around the table. While cutting his toast

across the diagonal, William asked, "Did I miss anything?"

Deciding that she would talk with him later about what he had done, Lucy said,

"Kelly and I took Jan out to buy some new clothes. She's moved in with us to

stay."

"Good. I was going to suggest doing that," said William. Breaking the yoke of

his fried egg with the corner of his toast, he said, "I assume Cole came over

and dealt with everyone."

No one answered as he ate his breakfast and William decided that was what had

happened. Looking up from his empty plate, William said, "I told Fat Fred we

were going to have a picnic around four this afternoon. Ken, I'd appreciate it

if you could arrange for enough food to feed fifty from the Barbeque Barn. I

think that ribs, chicken, brisket, potato salad, Cole slaw, baked beans, and

rolls should be appropriate. Colt and I will stop by the store and fill an ice

chest with ice and soft drinks."

In all of the excitement created by his absence the previous night, Lucy had

forgotten that William had suggested they host a picnic in the park. She was

pleased that he had remembered it and that he had scheduled it for after her

last class of the day. She said, "I'll be there. Can I arrange for dessert?"

"That would be great," answered William.

"How about you and I put together some Peach Cobbler," suggested Lisa wanting to

get in on the picnic.

"Oh, that sounds good," Lucy said.

Feeling energetic, William said, "Let's get to it."

Everyone left the table except William and Colt. Before the bodyguard could say

a word, William said, "Don't quit."

Colt glared at the young man. William smiled and said, "Things will be a lot

quieter around here for a while. I'm going away to write my Dissertation. You'll

like it there. Lots of fishing and outdoors activities with very few people

around. Lucy will be here, but the major threat against her is gone."

The fact that the kid knew what he was going to ask was one of the reasons that

Colt wanted out. Frowning, he said, "I don't mind the excitement, but you're one

scary guy."

"Why? Because I can see a little of the future?" asked William.

"Yes," Colt answered. It was that and the reports that he'd heard about what

William had done the previous night. The Chief of Police had mentioned the

little episode with the pistol. The story had sent chills up and down his spine.

"You do it, too. In fact, everyone does it."

"No I don't."

"You don't get nervous and irritable just before something bad happens? You

don't get this feeling along your spine when things are just about to spin out

of control?"

"Well, yeah," Colt answered while shifting uncomfortably in his chair.

"So you do see a little of the future," William said taking a sip of his coffee.

Smiling, he looked at Colt in the eye as he said, "You've come to trust and rely

upon those feelings."

Slumping back in his chair, Colt said, "Yes, I have. It's why I'm as good at my

job as I am."

"I know. You just haven't figured out how to develop that little talent even

further," William said.

"Did you enjoy what you did last night?" Colt asked. He wasn't going to work for

a sadist who could and would destroy the mind of another.

"Yes and no," answered William. Colt raised an eyebrow in response to the

answer. It wasn't what he was expecting. William explained, "Last night, the

skills and talents of my red blood and my white blood worked in concert with

each other. I could ghost through my enemies like a warrior of old. I could see

the future like the Druids of the past. It was an amazing feeling and I enjoyed

it. Even though it was the best course of events for her, I didn't enjoy what I

was doing to that poor young woman."

"What do you think about the whole thing?"

A bitter laugh escaped William at the question. He answered, "I can't use my

gift to protect Lucy, but I can use it to create the best future possible for

the woman who tired to kill her. Ironic, isn't it?"

Their discussion was interrupted with the arrival of Jan. After a good night's

sleep on a real bed, the woman looked twenty years younger. Taking a seat at the

table, Jan could see that she was the last to wake. Gesturing to the remains of

breakfast, she said, "I guess I overslept."

"Overslept? I wouldn't say that. I'd say that for the first time in a long time

you slept as long as your body required," answered William. The transformation

that had come over the woman was amazing. Lines that had appeared to be

permanently etched in her face had smoothed out. Her speech, rough and broken,

had become more formal. Her posture and manner had become more confident.

"Thank you," Jan replied picking up the last piece of toast on the platter in

the center of the table.

"That piece of toast is stone cold and hard as a rock. Let me fix you something

for breakfast," William said.

"Don't put yourself out for me."

"No problem. What would you like?" William asked as he rose out of his chair.

Colt watched his employer surprised that the young man was willing to prepare a

meal for a woman who had been homeless only the day before.

"Cereals would be nice. I haven't had cereals in years," Jan answered.

"That's easy enough," William said. It took him a minute to get a bowl, the

milk, and three boxes of different cereals. Looking over the boxes, Jan poured a

bowl of the cereal that Tim liked. Looking sheepish, she said, "It's been a long

time, but I remember this one."

William nodded his head in understanding and smiled. He could understand her

choice. As she prepared her cereal, he said, "By the way, welcome to the

household."

Smiling in appreciation for the welcome, Jan replied, "Thank you. It is very

nice of you to take me in."

"Did you and Lisa work out acceptable arrangements for you?"

"Not really. We discussed sleeping arrangements last night. I mentioned that I

wanted to keep a little distance from the rest of the household. I'm not used to

be around a lot of people all of the time."

"I can understand why you might want to live by yourself for a while. I can see

where being surrounded by people and living in a place where lots of strangers

drop in for visits would be stressful. How about we pick up an RV this morning?

We can park it to the side of the house and it can be your private place."

Looking at William in amazement that he would do that for her, Jan said, "That

would be perfect."

Colt shook his head at the contradiction between William's actions the previous

night and those of the morning. He had tortured that woman last night and now he

treated a homeless woman like a queen. He hoped that he never angered William

because he didn't think there was a chance for him to escape the young man's

wrath.

The RV lot had a lot of the low-end models parked along the front. These were

the kinds of RV appropriate for a weekend trip to the local lake and were on

display with a boat trailer, motorcycle trailer, or snow mobile trailer

attached. With the invention of fusion motors, power was not a concern. Gone

were the days of propane tanks, manual levelers, and cloth awnings. Instead,

even the low-end RVs were loaded with electrical appliances and features that

made them homes on wheels.

The dealer watched as William walked past all of the low and medium priced RVs

before heading directly towards the most expensive item on the lot. Although he

had seen William get out of the Hugger, he didn't think there was much chance of

making a sale. After all, he had other two people with him. The middle aged

woman with him was old enough to be his mother. The man with him was probably

his brother. Taking a sip from his cup of coffee, he decided that the young man

was window shopping with his mother.

With a sigh, the man levered his body out of the chair and made his way across

the lot. Giving voice to a line that his coworkers often thought ironic

considering his business, he said, "God, I hate tourists."

He reached the RV and examined the trio looking at the RV. William was actively

examining the RV. Colt was not concerned with the RV, but was watching everyone

else on the lot. Jan was looking at the RV with an expression of wonder on her

face. Turning to her, he asked, "What can I help you with today?"

"You need to talk to William," Jan answered pointing to the young man who was

walking around the outside of the RV.

"What can I do for you, young man?"

"Do you have this in double width?" William asked without even bothering to

greet the salesman. He stuck his head in a storage container built into the back

of the RV.

"Yes," answered the man raising an eyebrow. The double width version was

basically the same as the single width version except that one side could extend

out to provide for a living room. That particular model had come out several

years earlier and was the best selling model on the lot. Rumor had it that a

Druid had designed it.

"Good, I'll take it," William said as he held out his debit card to pay for it.

"Don't you need to look at it?" asked the salesman.

"No, my brother-in-law designed it as his senior project," William answered.

The man looked at the card with a raised eyebrow and accepted it. Glancing at

the name on it, he recognized the Carter last name. Rather than act foolish, he

said, "We've got two of the doublewides over there. After you pick out the one

you want, I'll take care of running this through the bank. We'll have a crew get

it ready for you. It shouldn't take more than about three hours. You can wait or

I can have someone deliver it."

William was impressed that the man didn't make an issue out of his age. Nodding,

he said, "That would be excellent. I'll have Jan pick it out. I'm sure that

she'd like to stay here while they prepare it for her."

Nodding her head, Jan said, "That would be nice. You don't need to stay here."

"I wasn't planning on it. We've got to get ready for the picnic," William said.

"What picnic?" Jan asked.

"Ah, we are having a picnic at the park for all of the folks who helped Lucy

yesterday," William answered. He said, "Of course, you are invited. In fact, I'd

say that you are the guest of honor."

"Thank you," Jan said wondering what the people at the park would say about her

changed situation. She hoped that they would be happy for her. She rubbed her

head in memory of the blow to it knowing that she had risked everything for Lucy

without understanding why she had done it.

Turning back to the salesman, William asked, "Will there be any problem with

your person delivering it to the house with Jan as a passenger?"

Having dealt with many rich people in the past, the answer was automatic, "No

problem at all."

"Why don't you go with..." William said to Jan before turning to the salesman

and saying, "I'm afraid that I didn't catch your name."

"George Jones."

"Thank you," William said before turning back to Jan. He said, "Why don't you go

with Mr. Jones and pick out which RV you want? Please, don't worry about the

cost. I've got it more than covered. Just make sure that it is the one you want

since you will be living in it."

Lucy had warned Jan that she was to ask for what she wanted without regard to

the cost. William would be more upset to know that Jan had settled for something

less than she wanted than over spending more money. When Lucy had said that Jan

should only start to worry if he was talking more than ten million dollars, Jan

hadn't believed her. She nodded and said, "Thanking you for doing this for me. I

really appreciate it."

"You're quite welcome." William and Colt watched Jan go off with the salesman to

check out the RVs. Turning to Colt, William said, "Put appropriate security gear

in the RV. She risked her life for Lucy and I don't want anything or anyone

hurting her."

"I understand," Colt said fully realizing how much William would reward anyone

who helped him.

Frowning for a second at the amount of work facing him, William added, "I'd like

to find someone to teach her how to drive."

"Let Natalie do that. She's one of the best drivers that I know," Colt said.

Seeing the question on William's face, he added, "She'll enjoy teaching Jan how

to drive."

"Okay," William said. He watched Jan enter one of the RVs amazed at the

difference that a single day made in her. She was suddenly much more

comfortable. Rather than acting as if she didn't deserve what she received, she

had learned to accept gifts graciously. He said, "We'll be leaving in a couple

of weeks for Arkansas."

Colt didn't know why William was skipping from topic to topic. He asked, "What's

on your mind?"

William's sight seemed to turn inwards for almost a full fifteen seconds. His

attention returned to the here and now. He answered, "I just have so much to do

over the next few weeks. We need to get Jan settled. I've got to pack up my

research material. I'd like to give the four of you a quick vacation. Cole needs

to finish up and get out of the house. The e-clones will be coming for a visit."

"The e-clones?"

"Ed and Eddie," William said.

There was a large crowd of people loitering around the picnic area in the park.

The majority of the people were homeless, but a few police stopped by when word

of the picnic had spread to the police department. With the Carter household

present, the number of attendees just reached fifty people.

Two tables that had been loaded with food still attracted significant attention.

The aluminum trays that had been piled high ribs, brisket, and chicken were now

empty except for a few scraps of meat. The containers that had held potato

salad, Cole slaw, and baked beans were empty. Richie the Roach had grabbed the

container that had held the potato salad and worked over it until it appeared

that it had never held any food. All that was left were the two huge pans of

Peach Cobbler and the line for that assured there wouldn't be any left.

William knelt beside one of the coolers. Fishing through the water filled with

ice, his hand was turning numb from searching for a ginger ale. He knew that was

Fat Fred's favorite soft drink and had bought a six pack of them. Looking up at

the big man, he asked, "How many have you had?"

"One," answered the big man. He held up the nearly empty can in his hand and

added, "and this one."

William looked at Fat Fred and noticed that his coat pockets were bulging. He

judged that the man had four more cans stuck in his pockets. Raising an eyebrow,

William said, "And you have four in your coat."

"I guess I forgot about those," the big man answered with a grin. He held a

plateful of food that William had saved him in his left hand.

"So why am I looking for a can of ginger ale if you've got them all?"

"I just like watching you freeze your hand off."

William laughed and pulled his hand out of the ice chest. Shaking his head, he

stood and said, "You've got a sick sense of humor."

"It's half your fault," Fat Fred said while he made his way to an empty space on

one of the picnic tables.

"Why?" William asked.

"You and Happy Harry taught me how to laugh." The big man grinned and burst out

laughing at the look on William's face. He put the plate down and sat straddling

the bench of the table. He was too fat to sit in it in the normal fashion.

A very well dressed Jan came over to the pair and asked, "Is Fat Fred giving you

a hard time?"

"No. He's just reminding me that the best intentions often have horrible

consequences," William said.

Fat Fred looked at Jan for a moment with a puzzled expression on his face.

Waving a chicken leg around in the air, he asked, "Have we met?"

"I'm Jan. Don't you recognize me?" asked the woman. She had been asked that

question several times during the picnic.

"Just Jan?"

"Now, I'm just Jan." The difference in how she spoke the word 'just' was enough

to convey the difference in meaning.

Fat Fred stared at the woman barely able to believe his eyes. The previous day

he had seen her and she was just an old bag woman. It wasn't that she looked

like a bag woman; she had been a bag woman. She'd had the posture, manners,

appearance, and sound of a woman who had been beaten down by life. Twenty-four

hours later she looked like a middle class housewife who was ready to take the

kids off to soccer practice. Shaking his head, he said, "Damn, you are a fine

looking woman. I didn't recognize you at all."

Blushing at the complement, Jan said, "Thank you."

"So what's going on with you?"

Amused, William watched Jan and Fat Fred talk. Fat Fred was paying more

attention to Jan than he was to his food. He stepped back and found that Lucy

was standing next to him. In a soft voice, he said, "I think Fat Fred is

impressed with Jan."

"He should be," replied Lucy. Lisa had spent a lot of time with Jan to make sure

that she looked good for this picnic.

William sighed as he led her away. In an even softer voice, he said, "Her life

changed in a big way yesterday. It may have changed even more than she

realizes."

"What do you mean?"

Frowning, William considered Jan for a moment and then said, "She has been

living with a chemical imbalance in her brain for years. Yesterday she was

kicked in the head and healed by a Druid. I think there is a good chance that

the part of her brain responsible the chemical imbalance was damaged and then

repaired. It's hard to tell the full extent to which the healing was made."

"Are you suggesting that she may not need her medication any more?"

"Yes. Watch over her very carefully for the next few days. You might want to go

to the Fusion Foundation Clinic with her to see what would be the consequences

of her taking medications that she doesn't need," William answered.

Lucy examined William with a puzzled expression and then asked, "Don't you

know?"

"Pardon?"

"Don't you know if she's healed?" Lucy asked. There were times when he knew

things that should have been impossible for him to know and other times he

didn't know the obvious.

"No. I suspect she is, but it is nothing more than a suspicion."

"Why don't you know?" Lucy asked. She hadn't come to the realization that he

hadn't known that she was being attacked the previous day.

Pointing at Jan, William answered, "The fact that she's walking around today

rather than lying in a hospital bed is the result of an act by the Goddess. I'd

never try to place limits or expectations on the Gods and Goddesses."

"I guess that makes sense," Lucy said. She grinned at William and said, "Since

I'm your human Goddess, remember those words."

Seeing that the homeless had nearly polished off the Peach Cobbler, William

said, "Time to thank everyone for their help yesterday. Would you like to do it

or would you like me to say a few words?"

"Both of us," Lucy answered.

"I knew you were going to say that," William said with a wink.

William went over to the crowd of homeless men and women. He shouted, "Everyone,

Lucy Diamonds has something she would like to tell you."

All eyes turned to look at Lucy. Nervous at speaking in public, Lucy said, "I'd

like to thank everyone here for their help yesterday. I'm overwhelmed that so

many of you came to my defense. I'm humbled that all of you, and especially Jan,

were willing to risk serious injury on my behalf. Thank you."

William knew from the tears welling up in her eyes that she wasn't going to be

able to say much more than that. William put an arm around her and looked at the

faces in front of him. In a surprisingly gentle voice that carried across the

park, William said, "It is said that a friend during a time of need is a friend

indeed. Yes, there is something about knowing that when help was needed that a

friend was there to provide it. I stand here and it is with a heart filled with

emotion that I look upon my friends knowing that they risked everything to save

my true love from certain harm."

When William had called them friends, everyone in the crowd held their breath.

He continued, "It is also said that a man measures his wealth by the company he

keeps. It is humbling to know that I have friends such as you in my life. I know

I'm the richest man alive."

One of the men, trying to hide his emotions, kicked the ground in front of him

with a toe. Looking down at the ground, he said, "Damn, Half Feather. You can do

better than us."

"No I can't. No man can ask for better friends than the men and women gathered

here," William replied.

His words affected the gathered people. One of the homeless men turned to Ling

and said, "He means it, you know. He doesn't say things that he doesn't mean."

"I know."

One of the homeless women, tears running down her cheeks, nudged Ling and said,

"He's done right by Jan. She looks happy."

"You can say that again," said the man who had first spoken to Ling. He added,

"William takes care of all of us according to our needs. It doesn't matter to

him that we're just bums."

Ling looked at the faces of the people around her. They were staring at William

with undisguised awe and affection. There were no doubts in her mind that they

would die for William or Lucy if that was necessary to protect them. For half a

second, she wondered what manner of man he was to inspire such emotions in the

people around him. She knew the answer almost as soon as the question had

entered her mind. He was his father's son.