The Treasure Seeker Read online

  From somewhere far away she heard her Granny Jeter say, “Come on, Ry. Be strong. You are now the Seeker. Many people will depend on you.”

  Ry focused all her attention on making her hand move. At first, all she could do was twitch one finger.

  “Yes, Ry. Come on, honey.” Kate pleaded. “Squeeze my hand and then you can sleep.”

  Ry funneled all of her energy into her hand. Finally, her muscles cooperated enough for Ry to close her hand around Kate’s fingers. The effort left her feeling exhausted. There wasn’t much energy left to squeeze.

  It seemed like it was enough, because Kate was laughing happily.

  Ry felt drops of water hitting her face. It must be raining, she thought as she drifted off to sleep.

  * * *

  The next time Ry opened her eyes filtered sunlight bathed the room. Her parents stood beside her bed.

  Horrified by the stricken looks on their faces, she tried to reach out to them but couldn’t seem to find the strength. Her father looked as if he had aged ten years. Something was terribly wrong. Why did they look so scared? She struggled to clear her head. Ry had known why they were upset, but she couldn’t remember now. She tried to speak, but there was still something in her mouth. She reached up to remove it. A hand gently stopped her.

  “You have to leave the tube in.”

  Ry blinked in confusion. Kate was leaning over her. When had Kate gotten to the cabin? Was this still a dream? She had a vague memory of dreaming about Granny Jeter. Maybe this was still part of that dream. If she could just get this thing out of her mouth, she could ask. She tried to grab it again.

  “Ry, that’s a breathing tube. It’s there to help you. Please don’t bother it.” Kate turned and disappeared.

  Ry’s eyes kept trying to close, but her parents were talking to her. She struggled to understand what they were saying. When had they gotten to the cabin? Or was she still at the house? She tried to sort things out. Something had happened. What was it? She tried to think, but her head felt as if someone had stuffed it with cotton. If only she could sleep for a while longer. She was so tired. Her eyes closed.

  A man’s voice jarred her awake. His voice irritated her. It was too loud, and he sounded like he was speaking jibber-jabber. She tried to ignore him, but he wouldn’t go away. Couldn’t he see she was trying to sleep?

  He called out again.

  Ry opened her eyes and saw a man in a white coat. He was leaning over her and appeared to be talking to her. What had he said? She could see his lips moving and hear the sound of his voice, but he was talking too fast, nothing made sense. She told herself to focus on his lips. Slowly his words came through.

  “Ms. Shelton, I’m Dr. Price. If you can hear me clearly, I want you to blink once. If my voice is not clear, please blink twice.” He watched her intently.

  She mustered her energy and blinked once.

  “Wonderful,” he said and rewarded her effort with a huge smile. “Now I’d like for you to follow this light with your eyes only. Don’t move your head. Just follow the light with your eyes.”

  Ry tried to follow the light, but it kept bouncing around. It made her dizzy.

  He squeezed her arm. “Don’t worry if you can’t do it right away. It’ll get a little easier each time.” He kept talking, but Ry couldn’t fight it any longer and closed her eyes.

  Chapter Ten

  Ry opened her eyes. Her throat ached. She tried to swallow, but her mouth was too dry. The room was dark except for a dim light to her left. She turned her head slightly and the room spun wildly. Terrified, she grabbed the side rails of the bed to keep from flying off. The room seemed to be nothing more than blurs of various shades of black. She couldn’t focus.

  A hand closed around her arm. “It’s okay. Breathe slowly.”

  The familiar voice made her feel safer. She closed her eyes and took several slow breaths. When the bed stopped spinning, she cautiously opened her eyes. The room remained stable. Her heart skipped a beat when she saw Kate staring down at her. Somewhere to her right a series of rapid beeps and pings were clanging loudly. She turned to see what had caused the commotion and set the room to spinning again.

  “Breathe slowly,” Kate said again in a low soothing voice. “Try not to move your head.” Kate went around the bed and did something to stop the machine’s pinging. Then she went back to stand beside Ry.

  “What’s happened?” Ry didn’t recognize her own voice. It was little more than a raspy whisper.

  “Do you know who I am?” Kate asked.

  Ry frowned. “Yes, Kate, I know who you are.”

  “Can you hold up two fingers?” Kate asked.

  “What’s wrong with you?” Ry was so tired she could barely hold her eyes open. Her head was pounding and Kate wanted to play games. Why was she here anyway? Maybe the new girlfriend worked long hours, too. She seriously considered showing Kate a couple of choice fingers, but was too tired to flip her off. Instead, she lifted two fingers on her right hand.

  “Can you move your arm and leg on the left side?”

  Ry began to get scared as she realized that this wasn’t Kate, her former girlfriend, talking. This was Kate the nurse. She wiggled her toes on both feet and then moved both her left arm and leg being careful not to move her head. “You’re frightening me.”

  “Don’t be afraid. You’re doing wonderful.” She touched Ry’s arm. “Do you remember what happened to you?” Kate stared down at her intently.

  Ry tried to think, but everything was such a jumble. “Granny Jeter was at the cabin, only it was dream,” she whispered. “She said there was a storm coming.”

  The blips on the machine became quicker.

  Kate put a finger to Ry’s lips. “It’s okay. Don’t get upset.” She removed her finger from Ry’s lips. “You may have a few memory gaps for a while. That’s completely normal.” Her hand brushed Ry’s cheek. “My God, Ry, you have no idea how lucky you were. I swear you must have a full squadron of guardian angels watching over you.”

  Ry’s throat ached. “I’m thirsty.” She was having trouble keeping her eyes open. She couldn’t concentrate.

  “Here are some ice chips. That’s all you can have for a while. The moisture will help your throat feel better.” She spoon-fed Ry the ice.

  Ry held the ice chips in her mouth. They quickly melted. She swallowed and opened her mouth for more. She felt as though she could guzzle a gallon of water and still be thirsty. When she had managed a couple of more swallows, she pointed to her throat. “What’s wrong?”

  “When you arrived at the emergency room you were having trouble breathing. We had to intubate you. You were still having trouble after surgery. They weren’t able to remove it until yesterday.”

  Ry’s head was pounding. “Surgery?” She couldn’t remember ever being so exhausted. She struggled to remember. Sleep began to overtake her, but she fought it off. “Why are you here? Shouldn’t you be with your new girlfriend? Where are Mom and Dad?” She didn’t dare move her head again to search for her parents.

  Kate seemed to ignore her outburst and gave her more ice chips. “Your parents are fine. I finally convinced them to leave and get some sleep. They hadn’t left the hospital since you got here four days ago. They were exhausted.”

  Ry felt even more confused. “Four days?” she asked after she had swallowed. “Have I been sleeping that long? What day is it?”

  Kate gave her more ice. “It’s Sunday and it’s around three in the morning.”

  “Sunday,” Ry repeated. “So the shooting at the estate sale house, that happened a week ago?”

  “You probably won’t be able to remember anything that’s happened since you were hurt. Can you remember anything?”

  Ry forgot and shook her head to answer. When her head moved not only did the bed spin, but her stomach gave a powerful heave.

  Kate held a pan beneath Ry’s chin until the dry heaves passed.

  The excruciating pain in her head brought tears to Ry’s eyes
. Something was horribly wrong. Panic began shutting down her body. The roar in her ears blocked out Kate’s voice. Her breath came in short, ragged gasps. The slightest movement of her head brought another wave of pain. She tried to fight the fear and the pain, but the whirling room and dry heaves weren’t helping. And to make matters worse there was a tugging pain in her groin.

  Kate’s hand caressed her arm as she leaned over the bed. Ry focused her attention on watching the movement of Kate’s lips. Slowly the roar in her head subsided, allowing the comforting sound of Kate’s voice. Ry tried to comprehend what she was saying, but the words couldn’t penetrate the pain. Ry closed her eyes and held fast to the sound of Kate’s voice. She didn’t want Kate here. Kate loved someone else. Yet, she felt certain that Kate’s voice was the only thing that kept her from slipping into a terrifying void. A tiny voice of fear told her she must have a brain tumor or had been stricken with some horrible debilitating disease. That would explain why her parents looked so devastated when she saw them earlier. That was why Kate was here being so kind to her. She was dying. When she finally managed to regain enough control to talk, she grabbed Kate’s arm.

  “What’s that?” she asked. She tried to reach down between her legs.

  Kate smiled. “You have a catheter. Try not to disturb it.”

  “What’s wrong with me?” she asked, not bothering to try to hide her panic. “Am I dying?”

  “No, Ry, you’re not dying. You’ve been hurt. If you promise to calm down, I’ll tell you everything I can.” She glanced toward the door. “If you keep this up the night nurse is going to come and kick me out.” She leaned close to Ry. “The thing you need to remember is that you’re going to be fine. All of your tests look promising. I know what a fighter you are. You’ll be up and around in no time.” She took Ry’s hand. “Will you promise to try to remain calm?”

  Ry took a slow breath. “Yes.”

  “Good. Now relax and keep your head still.” She patted Ry’s arm. “You were out by your family’s pond and someone shot you.”

  Ry froze. Had she heard Kate correctly? “I was shot?” The machine began beeping rapidly again as she frantically patted her chest and torso. “Where? Where was I shot? How bad is it?”

  “Ry.” Kate’s voice took on a more authoritarian tone. “You promised. You’re going to be fine.” Kate held Ry’s arms until she began to settle down; only then did she reset the machine. “You have to stay calm. The doctor will explain everything to you tomorrow morning.”

  “You tell me,” Ry whispered. Even as she asked, she wasn’t certain she wanted to know.

  “Do you remember being at the cabin?” Kate asked.

  “Yes.” Ry was careful not to move her head. She concentrated on recalling what had happened at the cabin. “I did some repairs to the roof and porch.” She closed her eyes. “I tried to fish, but I got tired and just fed the fish instead.” Her throat hurt. She tried to swallow.

  “Try some more of these,” Kate held out a spoon with ice chips.

  Ry eyed it cautiously. “Will they make me sick again?”

  “Maybe, but you need to try anyway.”

  Ry held the ice chips in her mouth until they melted and slowly swallowed.

  “What else do you remember?” Kate persisted.

  “I sat outside until it was dark. Then I went inside the cabin. I was tired and went to bed.” She thought of the dream about Granny Jeter. Maybe now wasn’t the time to bring it up. “When I woke, it was morning. I…” She struggled to remember. “I made coffee. There was a blue jay. He was upset about something.” She closed her eyes. “I think I was trying to call someone.” A wave of exhaustion rolled over her. She opened her eyes. “I’m sorry.”

  “You’re doing great,” Kate said, encouraging her. “Do you remember who you called?”

  Ry couldn’t think. “No, I don’t remember calling anyone.”

  “You made a call but were shot before you could say anything.” Kate hesitated. “Do you remember anything else? Did you see who shot you?”

  “No. I don’t remember anything else.”

  Kate gave her more ice. “You called Wilma Brown. She answered in time to hear the shot. When she couldn’t get you to respond, she called Victor Orozco. Victor in turn called your dad and discovered you were out at the cabin.” Kate pulled a chair closer to the bed and sat down. “Sorry, I guess I’m more tired than I thought.”

  Ry had noticed the dark circles beneath Kate’s eyes. She didn’t want to feel any sympathy or concern for her, but couldn’t stop herself. “How long have you been here?” She kept her head still.

  “Just a few hours,” Kate began. “I got here around seven I guess.” She quickly changed the subject. “Anyway, while everyone was calling around looking for you, a game warden found you.”

  “Game warden,” Ry said. She vaguely remembered the conversation she’d had with her father the morning she left for the cabin. “That’s right. Dad mentioned that Nat Zucker was having problems with poachers.” Confused, she hesitated. “A poacher shot me?”

  “That’s what they think happened, but at this time they’re not really sure who shot you. The game warden had been on her way to check the cove over to the east of the pond and that’s when she heard the shot.”

  Ry tried to remember, but there was nothing.

  “Long story short,” Kate continued, “the game warden brought you to Jackson City Memorial. After we got you stabilized, you were taken by chopper to San Antonio.”

  “San Antonio.” She forgot the rest of what she had intended to say. She struggled to remember, but it had slipped away from her. The invasive sense of weakness in her body frightened her. She tried to fight against the feeling of heaviness settling over her.

  “Ry, I need to ask you something before you sleep. Can you hear me?”

  Ry fought to open her eyes. “I can hear.”

  “How did you know where my keys were?”

  “What keys?” Ry asked.

  “Earlier you were awake for just a moment and you told me my keys were beneath my car seat in the air conditioning vent. How did you know they were there?”

  “I saw them,” Ry whispered. “Can I sleep now?”

  “How did you see them?” Kate persisted.

  “I saw…I saw them in my…my…”

  “It’s okay,” Kate whispered. “You need to sleep. Don’t worry. You won’t be alone. Until you’re stable someone will always be here with you.”

  “You didn’t stay.” Ry was so tired she wasn’t sure if she had said the words or simply imagined them. Either way, she couldn’t help but feel safer with Kate nearby. Ry gave in to the velvety softness that closed around her. As sleep overtook her, she felt warm, soft lips against hers. She experienced a small jab of panic. There must be brain damage and she was hallucinating. Kate wouldn’t kiss her. Kate was in love with someone else. Ry tried to open her eyes to see if Kate was still standing beside the bed, but stopped. What if Kate wasn’t there? Maybe she had imagined the entire thing. The same way she had imagined seeing Granny Jeter in the dream.

  “I was not a dream, young lady.”

  Ry clearly heard Granny’s voice.

  “Granny Jeter, I’m scared,” she confessed. “Why is everyone shooting at me?”

  “Don’t be scared, Ry. You have a long life ahead of you. Remember, you have to help all those people.”

  “Promise me everything will be all right,” Ry persisted.

  “I promise you everything will be fine.”

  Filled with a new sense of security, Ry stopped fighting and floated into the warm depths of sleep. Granny Jeter had never once broken a promise to her.

  Chapter Eleven

  Ry opened her eyes. The cardiac monitor next to her bed was still pumping and hissing. She supposed it was tracking her vital signs. The pain in her head had decreased significantly and it no longer felt as if it were stuffed with cotton. She found she could swallow more easily. Her throat no longer felt parche
d. She gently began to move her limbs. Everything seemed to work, but she still felt exhausted and weak.

  “Seth, she’s awake.” Her mother materialized by the bedside. “How do you feel?”

  Ry moved her head slowly to look at her mom. A small stab of pain pricked the right side of her head. The pain set off a slight tilting of the room, but nothing like before. “Hi, Mom. I actually feel a lot better.”

  Her dad appeared at the foot of the bed. He was dressed in a khaki work shirt with a Shelton and Sons logo. The shirt was wrinkled and he needed to shave. Her mom’s blouse and slacks looked as if she had been wearing them for a while as well.

  “You gave us a real scare,” her dad said.

  It startled her to see how tired and worried they looked. For the first time in her life, the realization that her parents were getting older struck her. To her they had both always been so strong and active that their aging never occurred to her. “I’m sorry I worried you guys. I guess Daniel was right. He always said my head was harder than a rock.” She tried to smile.

  “This is one time I wish it had been a little harder,” her dad said as he squeezed her foot.

  The shadows on the drawn window shades suggested it was late afternoon. “What day is it?” she asked, afraid she had lost even more time.

  “Sunday afternoon,” her father said.

  “So, it was earlier this morning when I talked to Kate?” She stopped. “At least, I think I talked to Kate this morning.”

  “Yes. You did. The doctors have kept you heavily sedated,” her mother said. “They all say you’re doing remarkably well.”

  A nurse appeared. “I’m afraid you folks will have to leave now,” she said as she began checking the monitor next to the bed.

  “But she just woke up,” her mother protested.

  “The doctor is on his way in. He’ll need a few minutes with her. You’ll be able to visit after he leaves,” she assured them.

  “We’ll be right outside,” her father said as he took his wife’s arm.

  The nurse began asking Ry the same questions as Kate had earlier. Ry knew it was easier to repeat everything than it was to try to argue. She held up fingers when told to do so, she moved her limbs as directed and she counted from one to twenty and then back to one. She was relieved when the nurse finally left.