Read My Lips: Restricted Version

RML: Chapter 35 (R)

Chapter 35

Late the next morning, Linc stood by his truck, packed up and ready to head back to Amber.  He’d gotten up early with Wil and Sally, and helped out around the farm, feeding the chickens, checking the fields, clearing some brush out by the river that had washed up during a recent storm.  It had felt good to work again.  He’d broken a sweat, and several times, he paused to look over the land and think about how much he missed this.  Working from sunup to sundown, stopping only for a quick lunch and to banter with his brother.

Their relationship had turned a corner.  Linc could now look at Wil and not feel the tension slicing at them like an axe through a log.  And Sally was great, always teasing him like the sister he never had, and the woman never stopped moving.  Always busy, always bustling from one activity to another, her blond hair tied up in a mess and gloves on her hands.  Linc caught Wil frowning at his pregnant wife several times, but he only mumbled under his breath and hovered as close to her elbow as she allowed.  Linc had to smile at the couple.  It amazed him that they’d only been married a month.  To him, it seemed as though they’d known each other forever.  And it made him hope for that kind of closeness in his own future with Amber.

When Wil and Sally weren’t arguing over nonsense things, such as the bathroom door still not latching properly, they were completing each other’s sentences or agreeing in that way which only led to more arguments...or touching and kissing or looking at the other with “that look” in their eyes, and in one particular bout of too-long gazing over a late hearty breakfast, Linc had to excuse himself out of the kitchen to give them some privacy.  He went upstairs to wash his hands and stand around in the guest bedroom for a moment, until the giggles followed him, along the upstairs landing and into the adjoining bedroom.

These farmhouses did not have the best soundproofing between walls.  Linc could still hear the creaking of bedsprings, even now, an hour later, waiting for his brother and sister-in-law to bid him a farewell.  A rosy color graced Sally’s cheeks as she exited the house with a paper sack in her hands.

“In case you get hungry,” she said, tossing it into his truck.  Wil followed behind his wife, a silly grin on his face, and still tucking his shirt into his jeans.

“Don’t let us run you off,” Wil said, propping an arm around Sally’s shoulders.

“I’ve got to get back.  I have a date tonight,” Linc explained.

“Did you get everything?” Sally asked.

Linc tested his pockets.  “Crap, I left my cell phone on the charger.”  He started toward the house, but Sally stopped him.

“I’ll get it.  You two can say your goodbyes.”  She headed into the house, through the backyard, and Linc faced Wil.  He wasn’t quite sure what to say.  And Wil had the same confused look on his face.

Clearing his throat, Linc finally said, “I hoped to be getting married soon...”

Wil cocked an eyebrow.  “That’s fast.”

“I’m not giving this one a chance to get away from me,” Linc said.

Wil laughed, because he knew Linc didn’t mean anything negative about the statement.  “I don’t think she’s going anywhere.  She’ll be hauling you to the alter.”

“I don’t know about that,” Linc said, frowning a little.  “She’s kind of set on this independence thing.  She may not be ready to give up her freedom just yet.”

“Nah...Amber’s got it bad for you.  She won’t make you wait too long.”

“God, I hope so,” Linc breathed out.  “I’ve never needed anyone like I need her...you know what I mean?”

His brother chuckled.  “Yeah, I know exactly what you mean.  Crazy how a woman can do that to a man.”  He turned to look at the house.  Sally hadn’t come back yet.  “Speaking of women...where the devil is mine?  Probably stopped to eat more of that cake.  I swear...thirty pounds, the doctor told her.  She’s already gained half that, and big months haven’t even started.”  Wil marched back to the house, shouting at Sally.  Linc followed behind.  Maybe she couldn’t find his cell phone, but it was right beside his bed.

“Sally!  Where are you?  Linc’s gotta get!”  Wil stomped through the house toward the stairs.  “Sally!”

Her weak cry came from the master bathroom.  “Wil?  Wil, I...”  Something in her voice had both men glancing at each other and rushing up the stairs.  

“Sally!  Honey, what’s wrong?”  Wil burst into their bedroom and flew into the bathroom.  Linc skidded to a halt behind him.  He saw Sally standing there, stark terror in her golden eyes.  Blood seeped through her jeans from between her legs.

“Oh, fuck,” Wil cursed, and pulled her up into his arms, cradling her body against his chest.  “Linc...the hospital!”

Linc was already down the stairs, Wil coming a little slower with his wife in his grasp.  “What happened?” Wil asked, his face pale, his eyes wide.  “Did you fall?  Are you in pain?”

“It just...it just started,” Sally said, holding tight to Wil’s neck.  “I don’t...I don’t know...Wil, the baby!”

“I know, honey,” he soothed her, getting her out of the front door since it was closest.  “I know...we’re going to the hospital, everything will be fine.  Linc, you’ll have to drive.”  Wil’s eyes pleaded with Linc, as though to say, Don’t abandon me now...we’ve been through this before.

Linc opened up the passenger side of his truck.  “Don’t worry,” he told his brother.  “Just give me directions.”

Wil’s expression crumpled with soul-wrecking relief.  “Get back on the interstate.  Go east.”

Sally started crying, and Wil did the best he could to ease her fears, when Linc could tell his brother wanted to cry right along with her.  Linc fled down the country road to the interstate and raced past other vehicles and semi-trucks once he hit the higher speeds.  Even then, it took twenty minutes to slide into the emergency drive of the nearest hospital.  Wil climbed out of the truck before Linc braked completely, and hauled Sally out behind him.  The two disappeared through double sliding doors, and Linc began to pant as though he’d not taken a full breath during the entire drive.  His fingers were locked around the steering wheel, and every muscle in his body tensed to the point of pain.

Please let her be okay, he prayed. Don’t do this to them...not Wil...not Sally.

Haunting memories slammed into him.  Linc was no stranger to the pain of losing the woman carrying his child.  But he did not think about Macie right then.  He thought about Amber, and he thought about Wil, and how his brother did not deserve this.  Sally is going to be okay...she will!  The babies will be okay.  Wil won’t have to feel that body-numbing grief...he won’t!  They’ll be fine.

Linc managed to pull himself together to slowly pull his truck out of the emergency drive and find a parking space.  He glanced over to where Wil had cradled his wife during the drive.  There was blood on the seat.  Linc climbed out of the driver’s side and headed back toward the hospital, his head numb as though it had been knocked off his body.

Three hours later, Linc was on his fourth cup of hospital coffee, and sitting in a waiting room -- he wasn’t sure which -- staring blankly at television screen in the corner.  A little while ago, Wil came stomping out of the back of the emergency room, nearly purple with anger, to tell him that Sally was getting a sonogram right now, and he’d been forced to leave because he yelled at the technician.  But then, he calmed down and sweet-talked a nurse into letting him go back to see his wife.  Linc hadn’t heard from or seen him since.

He checked the clock on the wall and groaned.  He’d never make it back to Kansas City in time.  But Amber would understand.  He’d just have to send her a text--

“Ah, shit!” he yelled, gaining him a warning look from the woman behind a desk.  His cell phone was still back at Wil’s house.  He had no way of contacting her, letting her know he won’t make their date tonight.  He could use Wil’s -- if his brother ever showed up again -- but Linc couldn’t remember Amber’s number.  That’s what smartphones were for...to remember the stuff he couldn’t.

Standing in anger at himself, he walked over to toss his empty cup in a trash can.  There was no doubt in his mind that Amber would understand why he never contacted her and didn’t make their date, but he’d have to get past her ninja moves to get her to read his lips.  And in all actuality, he really didn’t mind doing that.  It was the disappointment in her eyes he’d never be able to handle.  He could see her now...seven o’clock would come and go, and she’d be dressed up beautifully in a gown and her eyes glowing with anticipation, and then her date never showed up...didn’t text her to say he’d be late, or to say he couldn’t make it...just didn’t show up.

Linc understood enough about Amber’s past to know that this would hurt her greatly.  She might never forgive him.

Wil walked through the doors into the waiting room, looking better, less angry and more calmer.  “How is she?” Linc asked.

“She’s fine,” Wil said, a weak smile adorning his words.  “The baby is fine, too.”

Linc let out a breath, vaguely registering that Wil said “baby” rather than “babies” and that Sally had somehow managed to keep the knowledge of her twins from her husband.  Women!

“What did the doctor say?”

Wil collapsed in a chair, rubbing his hands through his hair.  Somewhere in this whole mess, he’d lost his hat.  His only one, too.  “The doctor said it was a blood pocket from the baby hitting a blood vessel.  Said it happens sometimes, but she’s gotta stay off her feet more...and no more sex, just in case.”

Linc knew a lot about pregnancy, especially in horses, so this news was welcoming, if not easy to swallow.  “I’m glad...I was worried...I...”

“I know,” Wil sighed.  “Man, I know.  Scared the crap out of me, too.  They’re gonna keep her overnight, just to make sure everything’s going okay.”

Linc looked at the clock again.  He’d never make it back in time, even if he took a plane, since there was no guarantee he could get a direct flight.  “You going to stay with her?”

“Yeah, there’s a chair in her room I can camp out on.”

Linc nodded.  He’d just have to go back to the farmhouse and call Amber from his cell phone.  “What time do you think they’ll let her leave tomorrow?  I can come get you guys.”

Wil tilted his head up and furrowed his brow.  “I thought you had a hot date tonight.”

“I’ll never make it,” Linc said, sitting down next to his brother.  “And my phone is back at the house, so I can’t call Amber until I get back there.”

Wil stared off to the wall, then brightened immediately.  “Give me two minutes,” he said, and pulled out his own cell phone.  The conversation he had with the other line sounded odd to Linc, but it didn’t take long for Wil to rush over to the desk, grab a piece of paper and pen and jot down a note.

“Thanks, man,” he said into his phone, “I owe you big time.”  Wil turned to Linc with a grin. “Sally’s buddy, Mike, pilots his own plane.  He said it’ll take awhile to get a flight plan approved, but he can get you to Kansas City by seven.  You’ve just gotta get to the airport in thirty minutes.  Here’s his name.  He said he’ll meet you at the security gate.”

Linc snatched the paper from Wil’s outstretched hand, gave him a quick hug, and said, “Give Sally a kiss for me,” as he ran out of the hospital.  Wil yelled after him, “Give Amber a kiss for me!”

Linc flipped him the bird, and Wil’s chuckle followed him all the way to his truck.

*****

Saturday night approached.  Amber had not seen, nor talked to, Chloe since their fight at lunch the day before.  She spent two hours getting ready for the charity ball, not exactly sure when, or if, Linc got back into town.  But one good thing came from her abrupt departure from her sister.  As she walked aimlessly on the sidewalks, she came to a dress shop, and there in the window was a gold silk gown, asymmetrical layers of more golden fabric gathered up on one hip and a lace bodice that anchored over one shoulder.  It was stunning and unique, and she had to have it.  She’d already bought a simple black gown for the ball, but this one...this one was her.

It reminded her of the day she spent with Linc, trying to describe the life of a deaf person by comparing herself to a goldfish, and she knew Linc would notice the significance, too...or he maybe he won’t, and that would be just another clue leading her to the conclusion that he might never fall so deeply in love with her that he couldn’t think straight whenever she was around.  Like she felt.

The gown fit Amber perfectly, emphasizing her curves in all the right places, and she curled her short hair into ringlets, clasping them against the nape of her neck with an ivory comb, letting soft tendrils to fall and swing with abandon.  Her make-up was simple, since she rarely wore much anyway, and she’d purchased a pair of gold heels which wrapped her toes and ankles in strands of yellow gemstones.

Looking in her mirror, she felt like a princess -- Cinderella, about to embark on a night of romance -- but her Prince Charming...he was going to need more than a winning smile and smooth dance moves to charm her tonight.  A bitterness had settled inside her.  Chloe was right.  If he loved her, she’d know it for sure by now.  And she thought she did, once upon a time, but now...he couldn’t say the words.  He couldn’t let Macie go.

She’d gone back to the cemetery that morning.  Her note to Macie was right there where she left it, and another bouquet of flowers rested next to it.  Linc had been there...probably Friday before he left town.  Had he read her note?  If so, what did he think?  Was that why he left?  Because Amber was pleading with a dead woman now, since her efforts to convince him had gone unrewarded?  Did he feel she overstepped herself?

Amber closed her eyes and made herself breath.  She didn’t want to give him an ultimatum, but it was coming.  Sure as the sun would rise in the morning, along with her heartbreak, it was coming.

She waited for him there in her apartment, pacing in those ridiculously high heels.

And waited.

He was late.  And she couldn’t wait any longer.  She had to be there for the revealing of the library’s exhibit.  It was her job.  With an exhausted step, she made her way to the elevator and down to the bottom floor.  She’d look odd crossing the street in that evening gown by herself, but she was beyond caring at this point.

*****

“Mike, if you ever need anything -- anything at all, you let me know,” Linc told the pilot of the plane.  

“I’ll keep that in mind,” Mike said with a grin, reaching across the cockpit to shake Linc’s hand.  “Sorry about the detour, but the weather doesn’t always give you a heads-up.”

“That’s okay,” Linc said, unbuckling his seatbelt.  “I’ll be a little late, but at least I’ll be there.”

“This lady of yours sounds very special.  Good luck.”

Given the clearance to exit the plane, Linc ran across the tarmac, into the airport and out again.  He hailed the first cab he saw -- “Dang, sugar, what got a hold of you?” -- and told the lady driver to take him to the main library as fast as she could, which, thankfully, wasn’t that far, just across the river.  But halfway there, he looked down, saw his faded jeans -- the ones with the hole in the knee -- and his chambray work shirt, and grimaced.

“On second thought,” he told the woman, “I need to make a quick stop.  There’s a men’s store on Main.  I need to stop there first.”

“Not a problem, sugar,” the woman said, winking suggestively at him through the rearview mirror.  Linc grinned in return, not above a little flirting to get him into Amber’s arms as quickly as possible.

The cab pulled up at the curb next to the store.  Linc hopped out, gave the woman a twenty to make sure she waited, and ran through the double doors.  Inside, he grabbed the first pair of dress pants and shirt he could find in his size, paid for them, and hustled back out to his flirtatious driver.  Without caring what she thought, Linc began to change clothes.

A block from the library, the cab could go no further due to the traffic congestion for the charity ball.  The lady in the driver’s seat parked at an intersection and turned around just as Linc was buttoning up his new shirt and trying to shove his old boots on his feet at the same time.  It was an odd combination, but it would just have to do.

“Here you go, sweetie,” she said with a twinkle in her brown eyes.  She was a nice-looking woman about the same age as him, and as her eyes traveled down the expanse of his chest still exposed, Linc tipped her another grin, just because she’d been so sweet.

He slipped her some money, more than enough to cover the charges, and said, “Thanks, you’re a doll.”

Curling her fingers around the bills and his hand, she sighed and replied, “Oh, honey...for you, I’d be a whole lot more.”

“Tempting, but I’ve already got a woman waiting for me.”  He tugged out of her grasp.  

“Shame,” she said mournfully, though didn’t sound upset.  “All the good ones are taken, but I enjoyed the peepshow.”

Linc got out of the backseat, and she leaned out of the window.  “You gonna take your other clothes?”

“Nah, keep them, or give them to the homeless,” he said, starting to trot up the sidewalk toward the library.  He heard her say, “Mmm, I’ll have some good dreams tonight.”  And he chuckled.

Another problem presented itself as he approached the front entrance to the library.  He didn’t have his admission card with him.  Slowing down, he advanced on the man at the door, and said, “Lincoln Martin...I’m here with Amber Hayes.”

The man eyed Linc’s clothes, and his busted nose and black eye, and asked, “Your card, sir?”

“I don’t have it with me, but if you’d just call Amber--”

“I’m sorry, sir, but the unveiling ceremony is about to start, and Miss Hayes is already on the stage.  If you care to wait a few minutes--”

Linc walked away.  He didn’t have a few minutes.  Amber was about to speak, and he knew she was anxious about that.  He should be there for her.  He’d have to find another way in.  

With luck smiling down on him, he found a waiter standing by a side entrance, having a smoke break, and bribed the young man a hundred dollars to let him in.  And finding Amber wasn’t difficult either.  Linc just followed the ray of sunshine that lit up his world...and there she was, her hair curled up in ringlets, falling around her face, her eyes bright and fearful, and her mouth -- that same mouth he’d been amazed by since the first time he saw her -- was parted slightly as she walked up to the podium for her speech.  She wore a golden gown that hugged every delicious curve, and all Linc could do was think, My little goldfish, she’s beautiful.  I love this woman.

*****

About the same time as Mike and Linc circled the airport, waiting for permission to land, Amber hurried across the street with her dress hiked up to her knees.  Gentlemen, dressed in their finest, and ladies, looking beautiful in an array of gowns and jewels, crowded the area outside of the front entrance to the library.  A line of limousines waited to drop off their passengers, and Amber spied familiar faces of co-workers as she picked her way through the mill to get inside.  She saw her boss, Director Jones, and his wife greeting guests as they entered, and they waved at her.  Lucy was already there, wearing a lovely sweetheart gown in a pale green color, and spotted Amber quickly.  She had Brian with her.

“Look who I ran into this morning while jogging!” she exclaimed, a hand curled around her date’s arm and a rainbow of joy in her smile.  Lucy glanced at the empty spot beside Amber and signed, ‘Where’s Linc?’

Amber just shook her head.  Lucy’s smile faded.  ‘I’m sorry.’

“It is okay,” Amber said, and turned to Brian.  “Hi, I am Amber.  It is a pleasure to meet you finally.”

Brian smiled and shook her hand.  He was a cute one.  “It’s nice to meet you, too, Amber.  Lucy talks about you all the time.”

“All good things, I hope?” she asked with a raised eyebrow.  Brian laughed.

“Yes, all good things.”

“I need to check in with the unveiling,” she told them.  “I will see you around, okay?”

“Okay,” Lucy said.  “And I’ll keep a look out for you-know-who.”

Amber wanted to tell her not to bother.  She’d been stood up.  But she was sure she couldn’t get the words out, and her hands would shake so badly, she’d look like she was having a seizure.  Simply smiling, she walked away to the back of Kirk Hall, scanning the crowd for Linc’s tall form and handsome face, despite her confidence that he wasn’t coming.

In time, the party got on its way, the string quartet began playing and couples waltzed around on the dance floor.  Television crews littered the corners for the best angles of the night’s events.  Champagne floated through the room on silver trays, and the buffet tables were opened.  Amber drifted in the background of it all, watching the dancers, remembering the night Linc took her to that honky tonk, and sipping on too much white wine.  Her feet ached in her shoes before an hour passed, and soon, it was time for the speeches, the awards for various charitable donations, and the library’s prize exhibit for the rest of the year.  Amber approached the dais on her cue and looked out at the sea of faces turned toward her.  Her fear of public speaking closed up her throat.  Her stomach churned with anxiety, and her knees knocked together under the layers of gold fabric.

She had her speech ready.  Her words of thanks to all the contributions of song lyrics for the library.  Her pleasure at working for the Kansas City Library.  Her hopes for expanding the archives.  But the words on her note cards swam before her eyes, and she watched the swirl of strangers and their curious eyes focused solely on her.

I can’t do this.

Then she saw him.  Linc.  Standing next to one of the Hall’s great columns, his gaze warming her and encouraging her, he wore a simple white dress shirt and a pair of dark pants.  He had a bandage across the bridge of his nose, and sported a black eye -- What happened?  The person in front of him moved aside and Amber spotted his scuffed, dirty cowboy boots peeking out from the hem of his pant legs, and she smiled to herself as she stared directly at him, speaking the speech she tried so hard to memorize these last few days while preparing for this night.

He smiled softly at her, boosting her confidence, praising her silently, and she smiled back as the guests applauded and filled the long hall with a thunder of sound she couldn’t hear, only see, like a goldfish in a bowl, and the white cloths fell away from all the display cases.  Amber clutched the edges of the podium, thankful it was over, concentrating on Linc as he picked his way through the bodies admiring the exhibits.

“You are late,” she breathed out as he climbed the dais steps and took her hands in his.  She scanned his bruised nose and colored eye socket, but it didn’t matter right now...he was here.

“I know...I’m sorry,” he said, his brown eyes delving straight into her heart and soul.  “It’s a long story.  I’ll tell you about it later.  You look beautiful, it hurts my eyes, you’re so beautiful.”

“Linc,” she whispered, tears gathering in her own eyes.

He pulled her into his arms, tilted her chin up with his finger in that special, tender way she loved so much.  “I love you, Amber Hayes,” he said.

She knew her mascara ran down her cheeks with her tears, but she didn’t care about that either.  She smiled a wet smile and said, ‘You do?”

He chuckled, wiping away the tears.  “How did I know you’d cry on me?”

“Tell me again, Linc.”

He bent his head, kissing her sweetly before saying, “I love you...I love you so much.”

“Oh, Linc!  I love you!”  She threw her arms around his neck and hugged him tight.

Director Jones appeared in her peripherals, visually clearing his throat with a fist to his mouth.  Amber removed herself from Linc’s embrace and sheepishly looked at her boss.  Director Jones grinned at them and said, “You’re still standing in front of the mic, Miss Hayes.  Everyone could hear you.”

Amber’s head whipped around, curls swinging as she stared, horrified, at the crowd of people below her...and the tv cameras pointed right at her, broadcasting hers and Linc’s declarations.  They were all grinning, and another round of clapping erupted.

Linc’s finger touched her chin, turning her face to him.  He was smiling, too.  “Ah, cheeks as pretty and pink as that mouth of yours,” he said. “Now the whole world knows I love you,” and he kissed her again.

*****