Episode 4.18

The Garden’s Hotel

The curtains were open wide, the breeze from the ocean blowing them into the room from the balcony. The bed hadn’t been slept in at all. On a nearby table sat a glass of scotch, most of it had been consumed already. The scent of the local flora filled the room already engulfed in sadness. The truth had yet to sink in. Any moment that door would open and they would be reunited. God couldn’t be this cruel. To pull them apart when only a few days before they had been married.

The door opened and the hotel manager entered with Larry Williams. Both looked at the room and it was understandable. Who could imagine that this had happened? After all it had been a honeymoon, the start of their lives together. A life together that only lasted a few short days.

Larry walked over to the chair and put his hand on the occupants shoulder, he sighed deeply. The words would not come to him. How could they? Never in his life did he ever imagine he would have to say anything like this. “Conner, they found Maggie.”

Conner looked up, hope gleamed in his eyes until he looked into Larry’s. “No, it can’t be, It just can’t be!”

Larry crouched down so he was eye level with his son-in-law, “I don’t want to believe it either. But Conner, she’s gone. Maggie’s gone.”

Conner stood up, grasping the glass in his hand before throwing it against the wall. All within an instant he sunk down to the floor, crying, his fists pounding the cushion on the chair as his mind tried to grasp the idea that his new wife was already dead.

Davis Hall 817

Amanda lay next to Jack on her bed. Both still dressed from the night before as they watched Runaway Bride on DVD. The blinds were closed blocking the early morning light from entering the room. Amanda’s stomach was in knots. She never did anything like this. Never before in her life had she spent all night talking to a guy. She would close her eyes and remember walking around campus with him in the dark night, holding hands, talking. Watching the sunrise around the Mountains. This night was burned in her memory forever.

As she opened her eyes she saw Jack staring at her. He brushed her hair away from her eyes and leaned in closer. His lips pressed against hers in the most perfect kiss imaginable. It was a moment that lives inside a young woman even when she’s no longer a young woman but a woman with only a few moments left on this earth and the only thing that makes those moments comfortable are the memories of the past.

Even though she was twenty-one years old, this was her first real kiss. Never before had she put herself out there that this could happen. So as she pulled away, she blushed and tried to focus on the rest of the movie.

The door opened and Cassie came in with Eric right behind her carrying her shoes.

“Morning.” Cassie spoke as she took her shoes from Eric and tossed them into her closet.

“You’ve got a voice mail on the room phone.” Amanda sat up and chewed on her fingernails.

“Thanks.” Cassie picked up the phone and dialed the voicemail from the instructions that were taped on the wall. She leaned against her desk, nodding along with the voice until she suddenly stopped.

“Cass?” Eric noticed the color drain from her face.

She hung the phone up and immediately went to her closet and pulled out a pair of jeans and pulled them on under her skirt, which was quickly discarded and thrown into the hamper basket.

“Cassie?” Amanda got up from Jack’s arms and stood next to Eric.

Cassie pulled out a gray Fort Lewis sweatshirt that was quickly pulled over her party top. “Eric, I need a ride. I have to get to my mother’s house. Ariel called and said something happened in the Bahamas. My Dad went down there, and we’re going to find out when he comes back.” She ran her fingers through her hair, “Maggie probably just broke her ankle trying to get off a jet ski or something.”

“Yeah that’s probably it.” Eric reached into his pocket and took out his keys and looked over at Amanda and Jack, “We’ll see you later.”

Jack waved a farewell as Amanda sat down next to him on the bed, “Weird, very weird.” Amanda finally spoke as she lay back down next to Jack.

“I would say so.” He pulled Amanda closer to him and kissed her once more.

General Palmer Hotel—Durango, CO

Adel looked out at the town, tourists moved up and down the streets while traffic stood at a standstill as the train made its way out of town. Her stomach was in knots. Jeff hadn’t returned yet from Pinõn Hallow. Not that it mattered, Doug wouldn’t follow unless he was sure she was close.

Isabella cried and Adel turned to see the child trying to reach her stuffed animal that lay on the floor.

“Adel?” Jeff opened the door and quickly made his way in.

“Thank God your back. How did Doug take the news?”

Jeff shrugged, “Better then Chad did.” He picked Isabella up from the floor. “I did get a call from a doctor. He can see you. Find out why you never had one of your own. But we have to go back to the Dominican Republic.”

Adel looked out the window, “When do we leave?”

“Tonight.”

208 Shavano Court

Cassie threw open the front door of her Mother’s house as Eric followed after her. Ariel was putting Hardy down in a basinet just as Gary tossed a goldfish cracker into the air before catching it in his mouth. “What’s going on?” Cassie asked as Allie came in with a pot of coffee and cups.

Ariel and Allie exchanged a glance before Allie spoke up, “Sit down Cassie.”

Confusion swept over Cassie’s face as she looked from her mother to step-mother and sat next to her brother.

“You’re Dad got a call from the Bahamas. There was an accident yesterday.” Allie poured a cup of coffee as her hands shook. “I just spoke to him.”

“Seriously what’s going on?” Cassie leaned forward looking at her brother who was starting to understand this wasn’t a normal accident.

Allie walked over to her fireplace and touched the small picture frame that held the image of a very young Maggie with an even younger Cassie, “Maggie and Conner went to go jet skiing. Maggie was out in the water.” Allie picked up the frame and looked at the picture, her eyes focused on the smile of her daughter. She choked back a sob, “The jet ski exploded.”

Cassie looked at her stepmother, and then to Gary. “Maggie’s alright though, right?”

Hardy began to cry and Ariel went to take care of him.

“Honey, I’m sorry.” Allie moved over to her daughter and took Cassie’s hands in hers.

Cassie threw her mother’s hands away from her and stood up. She looked around the room. “No, you are not telling me this.”

Eric moved behind Cassie and put his hands on her shoulders.

“Maggie is not dead. She can’t be. She’s my sister. If she were gone. I would know it.” She pounded her chest over her heart, “I would know it in my heart.”

Silence flooded the room for a moment before the phone rang. Allie quickly retrieved it before handing it to Cassie, “Its your father.”

Cassie grabbed the phone, “Daddy, tell me it’s not true.”

Sobs escaped from the deepest regions of her soul before dropping the phone and finding herself burring her head in Eric’s chest as his arms wrapped around her protectively.