The Forbidden Woods

Chapter 4 Shopping

Chapter Four

Shopping

Outside the main hospital entrance, she found a swarm of reporters. Dr. Alberez was giving as vague an update on Sarah as he could. All he told them was the baby had finally stabilized, and would soon be released to foster parents. Glancing over at Amy he nodded to say hi, which, inadvertently directed the reporters’ attention to her. Not wanting to be in the spot light, Amy ducked from the cameras view and ran as fast as possible to her car.

She dashed across the parking lot, with the group of hungry reporters hot on her trail. When she got to her car, she accidently dropped the keys. Hearing the reporters close in on her, she knew she didn’t have long. She grabbed, the keys, got in, and lock the door, just as the reporters swamped the car. Their cameras peered into the windows, and reporters screamed question at her through the glass that separated them.

Wising up, the reporters headed for their vehicles. As Amy reached the exit to the parking lot, she could still see them in the rear view mirror. Getting frustrated and beginning to worry about her safety, she sped up to get away from them.

She was hopping to lose them as she dodged in and out of traffic. The other motorists thought she was crazy and yelled obscenities. She tried to shake them, but nothing worked. She cut off other cars and snaked through the side streets. The reporters were relentless.

Finally, after endless twists and turns, she found her way to the auto body shop. Once there, she pulled the car around to the back, and out of sight. She looked around for the blue van but she didn’t see it. Figuring it was probably in the shop area, she went in, to look around.

The van wasn’t there either. But Jamie was. Jamie was a short man with red bushy hair. He was an ill-tempered man but he worked hard. He and Herald seemed to have an understanding and mutual respect for each another. That reason alone, is why he resisted the urge to yell at Amy about not being allowed back in the shop area.

“Hello Mrs. Deary. What may I ask are you doing here today?” He asked while clearly forcing himself to sound pleasant.

“Jamie, where’s the big blue van? I need it.” She said.

“It’s not here right now. One of the guys took it to go get some parts. Why?” He inquired.

“I need that van right now! It’s very important.” She urged.

“Well, you’ll just have to wait for him to come back with it.” He told her.

“Jamie, I’ve always been nice to you right?”

“Yeah, what of it?”

“Well, when you got laid off from your other job at Christmas time and were about too loose your house, car, and family, who talked Herald into letting you have this job?” She asked.

“You did. But only because my wife asked you to talk to him.” He retorted.

“Maybe, but I still did it because it was the right thing to do. Now you can return the favor by getting on the phone. Tell whoever has that van to get their butts back here now.” She said in an order-like tone of voice.

“Yes Ma’am.” He said with his head lowered as he walked away muttering under his breath.

A few minutes later, the van was back. As soon as it was emptied, Amy hopped in and took off. She tried hard to settle down, but that chase got her insides twisted in knots. A mixture of excitement and fear surged through her.

Taking all the back allies Amy soon found herself at the town’s only exit and entry, old US-1. Except for a few scattered cars, the road was empty. Her trip to the next town was going to take a half hour at the least so music helped to pass the time.

Luxinburg was the nearest city, and just on the out skirts was a very large mall, which, had an expansive baby store. It was the best place to get new baby stuff at great prices.

Pulling into the huge parking lot, intensified her excitement. She sat in the van for a few minutes trying to compose herself enough to do what she had always dreamed of doing. On a sheet of scrap paper, she began writing a list of everything she could think of to get for the nursery. When she was done, she folded the paper and put it into her pocket. After one last check to make sure she had everything she needed, she locked the doors and briskly walked into the mall.

Luxinburg Mall was huge and newcomers usually needed a map to find their way around. There were four enormous levels of stores, and the mall could easily be overwhelming. It had everything and people from miles around came just to see it.

Picking up a map from one of the information desks, she scoured the list of stores. Relieved to find the store on the first level, she began to lightly jog toward it. When she arrived, she was glad to find some help from a few of the store employees.

Looking over Amy’s list they took her through the entire store and checked off things as they put them into the baskets. Amy tried to keep the prices of items within reason, but it was hard not to get caught up in the excitement. Everything was gorgeous and she wanted to buy it all. Knowing better, she tried to limit herself to the things Sarah would need right away. She reminded herself that she could always come back.

With three carts full of stuff she decided she had enough. At the cash register, as they rang up the items, she braced herself for the total.

“Your total is, $1,767.97 how would you like to pay for that?” The cashier asked her.

“With this if you please.” Amy replied, handing the woman her visa card.

“May I please see your drivers’ license?” the cashier asked.

“Yes, here.”

“Thank you, have a nice day. Would you like help getting all this stuff out to your vehicle?” she asked nicely.

“Yes, that would be a great help.”

The cashier called for the store’s stock person to come to the front. A few minutes later a young man walked up. He was in his upper teens and eager to assist any way he could. The cashier instructed him to help get Mrs. Deary’s things into her vehicle and then to bring the carts back into the store. The young man was polite and did as he was instructed. On the way out he introduced himself as David. Light chitchat filled the air as he pulled two of the carts while Amy pushed one. Never once, did he complain or grumble about how heavy the two carts must have been to pull. He seemed happy to simply help any way he could.

Once they reached the van, Amy unlocked and opened the back doors. David gladly put everything into the back of the van and was courteous enough to properly stack everything, so nothing got broke or smashed. After all the stuff was secured and tied down with bungee cords, David closed the doors and wish Amy well. Then, he gathered up the carts and walked back toward the store. Looking at her watch for the first time, she realized that she had spent three hours in one store. She hadn’t planned on it taking so long and was happy to finally be headed home. She couldn’t wait to start putting everything together.

As she turned toward Whitmore, she began to see the beginning of the Forbidden Woods. Even though it was a gorgeous, clear, and sunny day, none of that light was able to enter the woods. It was as though, any light was swallowed up before it reached the trees. The darkened woods drew a lot of curiosity. And as she drove along, she couldn’t help feeling like she was being watched. The uneasiness she felt only grew as she got closer to Whitmore.

Cautiously, she entered the town, being careful to watch out for news trucks and reporters. The last thing she needed, was for them to find out, she was the one who found the baby. Besides, if they were to find out that she was going to be taking care of her, they’d never leave her alone.

Happily she made it through the town, to her house, and safely backed into her garage. As quickly as possible, she rummaged through the stuff in the back of the van until she found the infant car seat. It took her a few minutes to figure out how to install it. Once she finished, she got into her little blue car and headed back to the hospital. She hoped that she was finally going to have the family she had always wanted.

To be on the safe side, she took all the back streets and alleys to the hospital. She didn’t want to attract any unwanted attention. Though she knew eventually, the reporters would find out everything there was to know about her. She just wanted to get Sarah home first.