Yesterday's Giant

An Accident?

THE ACCIDENT

Lily was aroused from her troubled sleep by the screeching sound of an ambulance speeding by the cabin on the way from the local airport to the little hospital down the hill. She ached all over from the previous night's attack. She decided not to wait for Johnny's return before reporting the rape to Sheriff Don Anderson.

She was determined to see Ralph Ogden behind bars by nightfall. She picked up the phone and dialed 911. The sheriff answered on the first ring. "Sheriff Anderson, it's Lily Hunter, I want to report—"

"Lily, thank God. I was heading up to your cabin. The hospital just called. Johnny has been badly injured in an accident. He is in surgery right now."

Lily started to cry. "How bad is it, Sheriff?"

"I don't know, Lily. I'm sending up a car for you right now. I'll meet you at the hospital, and we'll get the whole story."

The beeping sounds of hospital equipment coupled with the eerie green glow of shaded night lights, made the private room seem even more frightening to Lily when she stood with Sheriff Anderson, staring down at the unconscious form of the man she loved. Even in the dim light, it was impossible not to focus on the emptiness in the bed where Johnny's right leg should have rested.

"Do you know what happened, Sheriff?"

Don Anderson was a kindly man. He put his arm around Lily's shoulders. "The early reports state that Johnny had scaled a large tree to make measurements of its height when his safety harness failed. There will be a complete investigation, of course."

Sheriff Anderson felt sorry for the young couple. It was obvious that even with rehabilitation, Johnny would never earn a living as a logger again. "Do you know if Johnny has any insurance, Lily?"

She shook her head. "No, Sheriff. We have no insurance of any kind. We couldn't afford it. I don't know what we will do now. I don't even know how we will cover this hospital stay, never mind the operation itself."

The sheriff arranged for his deputy to take Lily back home. When Lily felt the full impact of the day's events, she sat on her bed and cried. Her mind reeled with all of the tragic happenings of the last twenty-four hours. Although her first concern was for the well-being of her husband her second concern was her planned revenge on Ralph Ogden for his unspeakable attack.

Sitting on the unmade bed, Lily noticed some blood stains and unmistakable signs of other bodily fluids still the bedsheet. She had cut her attacker. She was positive the bloodstains would prove that Ralph Ogden was the culprit. After some time, she calmed down and began to ponder all the uncertainties that she and Johnny were faced with for the rest of their lives. A bleak future with no insurance and little income.

Sometimes, you have to forget your values and do the right thing. When she finally made a bitter and fateful decision about their future lives, she was troubled but resolved. She walked slowly to the kitchen and retrieved a sharp pair of scissors and the morning newspaper.

She used the scissors to cut out a one-foot square piece of the bedsheet. She placed the stained bedsheet beside the morning newspaper, then took a photograph with her smartphone. The digital image clearly showed the incriminating stains, alongside the date on the paper. Lily had her ammunition. Now she prayed she was strong enough to carry out the hardest part of her plan.

Although it was early afternoon, Ralph Ogden was still at home, wandering from room to room in his pajamas. He had a massive hangover and a paralyzing sense of guilt. Ralph Ogden was not everyone's favorite man, but deep down, he was not truly a bad person. He blamed his behavior at Lily's cabin on a combination of alcohol, loneliness, frustration, and a warped fascination with Lily herself.