Pieces of My Life

Chapter 13

Days, weeks, months, concerts and sleepless nights, all blurred together. This year, Loretta wasn't with her sweetheart on Valentine's Day, another one she missed to add to the list.

At least three of her children went out on the road with her. But one was looking after the ranch, the other at home with her children and the last was gone forever. Loretta talked to Elvis on the phone most days, but all he and Lisa ever said was that they were fine. Fine stopped sounding like a word to her long ago.

Many nights Loretta lay awake and wondered how she could ever balance her family, her career and her relationship with Elvis.

When she returned, everything seemed to have changed.

Elvis held her in his arms in front of the house for close to five minutes, drinking in her image like a man who had gone for days without water. His arms were strong and his heart beat in his chest, sounding as though it never failed him. For a glorious moment, there was nothing but her and him in the world.

"Did they reduce your hours at the hospital?" Loretta asked.

"Oh, yeah. Can't wait until it's not Monday through Friday anymore. They sure didn't reduce my hours with the nutritionist, though."

He hadn't mentioned Miss Shepherd on the phone more than once or twice. "So you're gettin' along okay?"

"That depends on how you define okay. Come on, let's get your bags inside. Guys!" He hollered for them a couple of times before stalking inside to get them.

Before making the journey to Graceland, Loretta dropped all of her laundry off at home and packed a new bag. Having way too many clothes came in handy sometimes. They already decided weeks ago that Loretta would be staying at Graceland until she had to go back to work. She didn't want to at first, but Elvis wanted it so much.

"You got a room ready for me?" Loretta asked as he linked his arm through hers and led her inside.

"Yes, mine."

"Yours?" She chuckled.

"Yes, of course. I thought that you knew."

"Are you sure that you wanna see me when my hair's a mess and I don't got any makeup on?"

"You saw me after my heart attack. I just want you next to me at night. You can have your own covers and if you want, you can have a nightlight."

Loretta tried for a glare, but had to smile when she caught the smile on his face. Whenever she had to sleep somewhere on her own, she'd sleep with the light on. Even back in Washington, providing that they had electricity at the time. When they didn't, and Doolittle wasn't home, she made up excuses to sleep with the kids. Ernest and Cissie, the youngest at the time, were always happy to sleep left and right to her.

"That's only if I gotta sleep alone," Loretta said after a long pause, though it wasn't quite the truth. At the hotel, they also slept with the en-suite bathroom light seeping through the open door. It suited Lisa Marie, who kept on waking up, though.

"I hate sleeping alone," said Elvis. "That's why I want you to sleep in my room."

"I'll sleep without a nightlight if you'll turn that TV off when I'm goin' to sleep. I can't sleep with it runnin'."

"I think that we could manage that."

The guys took her bags up to the master bedroom, which she'd only seen twice.

"I'll clear some space in the closet for you," Elvis said. But he had so many clothes, it would be close to impossible. Besides that, Loretta didn't mind leaving her clothes in her bag. She was so used to living out of suitcases, sometimes she even came home and didn't bother unpacking the clothes that didn't need washing at the time.