Truths Unveiled - By Kimberly Alan Page 0,96
was simply that. It just seemed like the right thing to do. After all, they would soon be her stepsons. She really disliked that term. It made her recall an old episode from the Brady Bunch. Bobby got the off-the-wall idea that stepparents couldn’t love their stepkids as much as their “real” kids, so he ran away. When he returned, Carol Brady showed him the steps leading upstairs. She told him, “These are the only steps in this house.” And that’s how Pam felt.
****
“I don’t know what I should do,” Tom said later.
Immediately, Pam understood what he was talking about. From their places, Eddie, Rebecca, Pam and Tom watched the boys in the adjoining room playing a game of Monopoly with their cousins. T.J. Jr. led the group, clearly enjoying his role as banker.
“What do you mean?” Eddie asked.
“I haven’t seen them in almost two years, and here we are acting like nothing happened. Should I try to explain? And what about Pam here? Should I be having them make an effort to get to know her?”
Pam had no idea. Sure, under ordinary circumstances she’d like that. But this was such a delicate situation.
Fortunately, Rebecca came to the rescue. Wiping barbeque sauce from her fingers, she said, “You’re doing fine. And they’re doing fine. Just leave them be. There’ll be plenty of time to get serious later.”
That sounded good to Pam. She just hoped Rebecca was right about there being time in the future. What if tonight was just a ruse to catch Tom off guard and try to interfere in their celebration? Then she stopped. Even if that was Susan’s intent, it had failed. It was a beautiful party.
With that thought in mind, Pam reminded herself she was not in control. All she could do was pray and do her best. God would handle the rest. She swallowed. From past experience, she knew sometimes that was easier said than done.
“Have you set a date yet?” Katie walked up and asked. “I know you mentioned sometime after Christmas, but everyone wants to know when.”
Pam’s gaze flew to Tom. Secretly, they had spoken earlier about the possibility of eloping. But now seeing all the trouble his mom went through for this evening and the hopeful look in her eyes, Pam gave Tom a look that said, She wants a wedding. A real wedding. She’d be crushed if she and your dad weren’t there.
Nodding, Tom placed his hand over hers. “How about March? The weekend that falls closest to the 17th?”
“It’s the anniversary of our first date,” Pam added, feeling her face flush.
Katie jumped to her feet. “Well, let’s get out the calendar.”
“My mom said there won’t be a wedding.”
All eyes focused on the innocent nine-year-old boy who had entered the room.
Truths Unveiled
Chapter Forty-One
“Two men?” Eddie questioned. “At the accident? Since when?”
Perplexed, Tom tossed a pen down on his desk and paced the length of his office at the rescue station. “Since Friday night. One of the staff shrinks approached Pam at MMC’s dinner dance. Out of the blue, he floored her by seeking her out and telling her Ryan Collins wasn’t drinking the night of the accident.”
Eddie let out a troubling whistle and took a chair at the small, round table. “Well ain’t that just grand? We’ve got a medical report and a police report that say something different.”
“No kidding.”
“Go on,” Eddie urged, unwrapping a meatball sub. “What happened next?”
“That night, Pam had a bad dream. A very clear dream of the accident. Way beyond what she recalled during the first hypnosis session.”
Tom continued to fill him in on the details. “A few days later we got an emergency session with DeOreo, the hypnotist guy. He was able to sort out the events in the dream when he put Pam under.”
Eddie swallowed a mouthful and washed it down with a big gulp of soda. “Surprise, surprise.”
“You’re telling me.” Scowling, Tom reached for his coffee mug. “I knew there was more to the accident. Pam told me so after the first session. She thought she might have missed something. Or that something wasn’t quite right. Still, she was able to accept all of what she did recall. That’s what helped her to handle the situation and to move back here. But Tedford’s remark, followed by the new dream, the break-in, and discovering that there were two strangers at the accident scene…” Shaking his head, he frowned and scratched his head. “The situation is even more confusing than before.”
“And she has no idea who these guys are?”
Tom made a aggravated face. “No.”
“Okay. I’ve heard enough.” With that, Eddie rose to his full height and reached for the phone. “There’s too much missing here. Too many holes. Too many sudden revelations. And both you and I know there were more than three photographs taken at the accident scene. Somebody’s playing games.”
Tom nodded. “I know. And the idea makes me sick. At this point, I’m open to any suggestions.”
Eddie dialed a number. “And I know someone who may be able to offer a few.”
****
Pam parked her Volvo in her new parking space at the medical center and switched off the ignition. Glancing at her watch, she estimated the entire trip, to and from the bridal shop and mall, took just under five hours. Going seventy most of the way. She rolled her eyes. At least she’d bought most of what she needed. Shoes, garter, and lace thigh-highs. Even gifts for her maid of honor, Tom’s best man, and the ushers.
Stepping out of the vehicle, she smiled and stretched. Hills and fields, dotted with silos and animals, surrounded her for miles. Then she gulped. Okay. So things weren’t perfect. Someone was trying to scare her away and the accident didn’t happen the way she’d originally thought. And Carl Tedford said that Ryan Collins wasn’t drinking that night. But hey, who said life was meant to be perfect? She twisted her lips into a smirk. Hey, God. I hope you’re getting all of this.
With that thought in mind, Pam closed the door and caught a glimpse of her wedding gown draped across the back seat. She thought of the wedding. All the arrangements had been made. They’d decided to hold the reception at Tom and Eddie’s restaurant downtown. Tom’s mom had handled the church, managing to convince the minister he could let Pam and Tom take a crash course in the marriage class instead of the long, drawn-out version. That meant they would be busy every night this week.
Katie also took care of the invitation list. Close to all of the one hundred guests had already responded. That left the music. Dan, Tom’s cousin, volunteered there. His band played all the local places and had just cut their first CD. Last, Eddie volunteered to videotape and Rebecca offered to take photographs. What more could I want? Pam asked herself. Uttering a small prayer, she headed inside.
Greeting the staff, Pam noted the ED was quiet. Good. Though her shift didn’t start for another few hours, she’d feel compelled to help out if they needed an extra hand. Now she had time to grab a sandwich from the cafeteria and make some phone calls.
“Dr. Harrington? I have a message for you.”
Pam turned and headed back to the nurses’ station. “Thanks.” Reading the pink slip, she frowned. The call was from Susan. Pam released a snarl. I forgot to add her to the not so perfect list, she thought to herself. What could that woman want?
Pam decided to go directly to the cafeteria. Dealing with her fiancé’s ex-wife required fortitude. Maybe she should reach Tom before she returned the call. If she decided to return the call. He might know what it was about.
Pondering Susan’s motives, Pam prepared to enter the elevator as the doors opened.
“Isn’t this convenient?” the cool redhead greeted. “You’re just the person I’ve been looking for.”