Tomahawk'd Part 18

The girls waved. "Thanks!" they said in unison.

Jackson picked out a two-pound container and had the deli woman fill it with her favorite side dish. When it was handed to her, Jackson asked for a plastic fork. She immediately opened the container and put a huge forkful of the salad in her mouth. Eyes closing in absolute pleasure, she moaned loudly.

Erin paid the patient woman behind the counter and apologized. "Sorry, can't take her anywhere."

"Thank you," Jackson mumbled through her full mouth, and waved her fork at the amused woman as they exited.

They thanked Roy for watching the boat and he helped launch them on their way.

"I actually thought you'd wait to eat that with lunch. Silly me," Erin joked, putting the key into the ignition.

Jackson swallowed. "This is the breakfast of champions, Hawk! It has been so long since I came over here. I didn't realize until I saw Roy that it's been at least a year since I've had this stuff." She smiled happily into her plastic container.

Erin drove the boat much slower on the return trip, just enjoying the feeling of being on the water again. "You've been a little busy."

Jackson's head bobbed. "Yeah, I guess I have." She looked at Erin with grat.i.tude. "Thank you for being here, Hawk. Not just for the potato salad, but coming to see Jackie. I know it means so much to her."

"No thanks necessary, Jack. I wanted to come. I'll do everything I can to help you through this. Whatever you need, it's yours. You know that, right?" Erin looked over at Jackson, who was staring out into the water. Her hair was blowing wildly in the wind kicked up by the boat, and Erin thought she'd never seen anything more beautiful.

Jackson turned her head and their eyes met. Even now, the love they felt for each other was evident. "I do." She reached over and touched Erin's shoulder. "I really appreciate it."

The rest of the trip was spent in silence as the two let their thoughts carry them most of the way home.

After the boat was moored safely back in its slip, Jackson carried her booty into the house with Erin right by her side. The nurse rose and extended her hand to Erin. "Hi, I'm Janet, Jackie's day nurse. I don't think we've met."

Erin smiled at the plump, black-haired woman. "I'm Erin, nice to meet you. Jack speaks the world of Jackie's team."

"Well, that goes both ways. We love these ladies." She smiled warmly at Jackson. "We'd just wished we'd met them in different circ.u.mstances."

Jackson was touched by her words. "Thank you, Janet. I couldn't imagine better people taking care of Jackie."

"She's awake right now. Her doctor just left, but I suspect you know the substance of her findings."

Jackson nodded solemnly. "I do. I just want to make sure she's not in any pain for her last days."

Janet put a rea.s.suring hand on Jackson's forearm. "Don't worry, she will go peacefully, I promise."

Jackson looked at Erin. "Wanna go say good morning?"

"Sure."

Jackson gently touched the small of Erin's back, leading them into Jackie's room.

A light beeping noise came from a new heart monitor that had been brought in by the doctor. Jackie's pallor had worsened since Erin had seen her the night before. She knew from the looks of her, it wouldn't be long before Jackie took her leave from this world.

"h.e.l.lo, suns.h.i.+ne," Jackson greeted cheerfully, bringing a small twinkle to Jackie's eyes. "How are you feeling today?"

Jackie shrugged, not able to bring words forth just yet.

"Jackie, look what Hawk got me!" She showed her the plastic container she hadn't put down since its purchase. This brought a slight sound from Jackie and a small smile. "Ah ha! I knew that'd getcha." Jack looked around and, not seeing Janet, pulled the mask off of Jackie to put a small liquid smear of the salad into her aunt's mouth then quickly put the mask back on.

A light smacking of Jackie's lips and a low hum of approval made Jackson laugh. Her aunt was as much of a sucker for this stuff as she was.

Erin watched as Jackson proved once again the amazing compa.s.sion she had in her heart. She knew Jackson thought of Jackie as her mother and knew all too well how awful it was to lose a parent you loved. The tenderness Jackson showed Jackie was almost painful to watch. The memories of her father's last days were tangible as she watched the two interact.

"I'm hogging all of your stage time and poor Hawk traveled so far to see you. Let me go fill up your water jug and I'll be right back."

Erin took the spot Jackson had vacated and lightly grasped one of Jackie's hands. "Hey, lady." Jackie gripped her hand a little. She saw a book on her nightstand and asked, "Do you want me to read to you a little?" Jackie blinked slowly and lightly squeezed Erin's hand. Erin picked up the book and smiled at the t.i.tle. Moby d.i.c.k. "Jack always did want to catch the big one, didn't she?" Jackie's eyes sparkled and Erin turned to the first page. "Call me Ishmael..."

Erin began to read the cla.s.sic. When Jackson reentered with the full water jug, she quietly put it down and sat in a corner chair to listen, potato salad safely stored in the refrigerator for later. She closed her eyes and let the sound of Erin's voice soothe her wounded soul. The more she listened, the more she heard Erin's voice from the past letting her go, and she realized that she needed to know the whole story. She'd thought that she wanted to wait, but she wanted all of her pain at once rather than getting through one loss only to have it followed by another. I just want this hurt to go away.

After an hour of reading, Erin quietly rose and put the book down. Jackie had fallen asleep. When she turned to talk to Jackson, she, too, had nodded off. She silently walked over to Jackson, grabbed a light blanket draped over the armrest and covered her. She stirred a little, but easily went back to her dreams.

When Erin entered the living room, Janet looked up from her needlepoint and asked, "How's our girl doing?"

"Well, both of our girls are sleeping right now. I started reading to Jackie and they both went out," she snapped her fingers, "just like that."

"That does it every time. Maybe Jack was read to as a child, but I know whenever I read to Jackie while she's in there, she goes out faster than Jackie."

"You know, I'll have to ask Jack that when she wakes up to see if there is some Pavlovian effect going on there." Janet smiled warmly at the woman. "It's a beautiful Sat.u.r.day out there, so I think I'm gonna take my sketchbook and head on out to the pier."

"That sounds like a fantastic idea. I'll let them know where you've gotten to."

"I appreciate it. It was nice to meet you, Janet. Hopefully Jackie's pain will be over soon."

"I feel the same way."

Erin sat on the pier happily drawing another landscape. Her fingers were chalky from the pastels she was using. An older man was fis.h.i.+ng on the pier with his grandson and she'd asked if they would mind being her subjects for a while.

"We'd be happy to, young lady. After all, unless we get a fish on the hook, we'd just be sitting here waiting anyway."

Chuckling at his answer, Erin completely lost herself in her work. When she was adding the final touches to her picture, a shadow fell over her paper. Jackson sat down next to her on the wood of the pier and remained quiet. Occasionally, she'd look at Erin and when she was caught, she'd look away. This happened several times before Erin finally stopped and said, "Is there something on your mind? You're like a little kid waiting for me to ask you to speak."

"I just don't know if I want the answer."

"What's the question?" she asked quietly.

"Will you tell me what happened?" She didn't have to expand. They both knew exactly what she meant.

Erin stared at her for a few moments. "Are you sure you want to do this now? I thought you wanted-"

"I know what I thought, but having you here and not knowing is about to drive me crazy."

Erin thought for a moment. "Can you wait until tonight? I need to make a call to my event host, Kim. I just want to make sure she doesn't have any questions about the pieces for the show and whatnot."

Jackson agreed. "Sure. I'll meet you after dinner. Can we talk on the roof? That's always been a good place for us to communicate."

Erin swallowed nervously then answered, "Of course we can meet there. I haven't been up there since I got here, so I hope I can still get up the ladder." She laughed, trying to diffuse the intensity from Jackson.

"Oh, please, if I can still get up there, I know you can."

"All right, then. I'll meet you later."

Jackson got up and walked away. Erin was so full of emotion she wasn't sure what to do with it all. The question had come as a surprise to her. She thought she'd have a few more days to plan what she wanted to say. If Jackson wanted to know, then she was going to get an earful.

Finished with her drawing, she signed the bottom and pulled it out of her book. She collected her things and walked to the other side of the pier where her subjects were still waiting for a bite.

The older man looked up at the friendly woman. When she gave him the drawing, his eyes became wide. "This is just beautiful! May I have it for my grandson?" he asked, excitement clearly in his voice.

"Yes, please. Enjoy it." With a wave, she left the man on the dock unaware of the price that an original Erin Hawkins picture would draw if sold in any gallery.

She went into her cottage and sat on the couch, pondering the evening ahead. "Oh, boy, here we go," she whispered, closing her eyes, not looking forward to reliving that time.

Chapter Twelve.

1995 The NorthwoodsIslandCity When Erin awoke the next day, her eyes burned from crying and the etching on her chest burned. She slowly got out of bed, opened her bag and pulled out the rubbing alcohol. Lifting her s.h.i.+rt over her head, she then applied the antiseptic to the tattoo. I wonder if Jack's is feeling like this too. Memories sent a flood of heat through her, memories of their bared chests while she created, Jackson's eyes blazing into her own, and Jackson's mouth on hers.

"Oh, my G.o.d," she breathed. "Jack."

She could feel a slow inferno building inside her. Thinking of their half-naked torsos touching was sending all sorts of warmth throughout her body. Her next thoughts were less exhilarating as they proceded to the shouting match that ensued when she returned to the cottage. Katie had been out of control and Erin was actually a little afraid. Her mother had been irrational before, but last night was different. She was just grateful her father had walked in when he did, even if he had been disappointed in her. That was an awful feeling for Erin. He'd always been proud of her, and to have that image marred was troubling. One thing she knew, she could always talk to him and she would surely do that today.

Putting her s.h.i.+rt back on, she opened her door and went to use the bathroom. The couch was empty and her mother's door was still closed. Dad must have gotten up early and gone out fis.h.i.+ng. She walked into the bathroom and closed the door. Looking at her image in the mirror, Erin lifted her s.h.i.+rt to view her design from a different perspective. When the tomahawk came into view, she couldn't help the smile that appeared on her face. She was very proud of her creation, regardless of what her mother thought.

She used the facilities and turned on the shower. Erin got into the spray and sighed as the warm water trickled down her body. As thoughts of Jackson sifted through her mind, she began to hum, smiling unconsciously as she lathered her body. The tattoo stung a little, but that subsided when she rinsed off the soap. As she grabbed the bottle of shampoo, she heard the door to the bathroom open. Her heart raced when she saw her mother's silhouette on the other side of the shower curtain.

"Mother, I'm taking a shower. Can't you wait?"

When no answer came, she began hearing the strains of the string arrangement from the movie Psycho in her mind. Before another second went by, the curtain was unceremoniously pulled open, baring her naked form to her mother's angry eyes.

"What else has she marked on you?" Her mother began pawing at her like a crazy person. "Show me!"

"Mother, stop it! What is the matter with you!"

"I don't want you near that girl! She is the devil's sp.a.w.n!"

Not knowing how best to deal with the irrationality, Erin pushed her mother away and aimed the showerhead; the water drenched her. "Get out of here! I can't believe you would come in here and do this!" Erin screamed. "Look at yourself, Mother!" When her mother didn't move, she yelled again, "Get out!"

Her mother gave her a glance of fury, grabbed a towel and left the bathroom. Erin quickly jumped out of the shower, locked the bathroom door, and began to cry. She sat her wet body on the toilet seat and wept into her hands. "Jesus Christ."

When Erin had finished her shower, she hurried from the bathroom to her bedroom. She closed the door and began to dress rapidly to prevent another examination by her mother. Disbelief for what her mother had done was still racing through her mind. When she was dressed, she dragged a comb through her wet hair, slipped on her thongs, grabbed her pack, and opened her door. Her mother was sitting at the kitchen table, unmoving. Anger bubbled inside of Erin. She desperately wanted to lash out at her mother for such an invasion of her privacy. The cowardice in her won and she opted not to say a word. She shouldered her backpack and turned toward the door.

"I'm serious, Erin, I don't want you around her anymore." The voice was icy.

Erin turned to face her mother. "I'm going to hang out with Jack until I leave, Mother. If she hasn't cast an evil spell on me in the last three weeks, one more day isn't going to kill me."

They stared at each other for a long time before her mother looked away. "You'd better be home before ten tonight if you know what's good for you."

"Mother, I'm going to be twenty in about three weeks. I'm a little old for a curfew. I'll be home before midnight, as usual. I'll confer with Dad when I see him on the docks."

"I'm sure you will," she snapped.

Erin turned abruptly and left her mother alone in their cottage. As her feet hit the gra.s.s, she spotted Jackson on the dock talking and laughing with her father. Her mood instantly brightened and her step became lighter. Erin's stomach did a little flip at the sight of Jackson wearing only shorts and a bikini top.

The two of them waved at Erin and her anger vanished as she smiled and waved back. Jackson ran down the pier to greet her. "Hey, you," she called, adding a discreet wink, causing a small blush to color Erin's cheeks.

"Hey, back."

Jackson noticed the red r.i.m.m.i.n.g around Erin's eyes. "Hawk, what's wrong?"

Erin shook her head. "Not in front of my dad, okay?" she whispered. "I'll tell you later."

Jackson nodded. "Your dad wants to take us fis.h.i.+ng since it's your last full day here. You up for that?"

"Yeah, Peanut. Let's catch that elusive muskie today, whaddya say?"

His exuberance was addictive and she couldn't help but agree to go. "Well, what are we waiting for then? Let's go get it!"

The afternoon was spent in the warm sun and after an hour of fis.h.i.+ng, the girls put their poles down and went to the tip of the boat to lie in the sun. Their bodies were side by side and their smiles toward each other were warm. Joe couldn't help but notice the s.h.i.+ft in their demeanor. Their heads were closer when they spoke, the tone of their voices was softer, and as they bathed in the sun, he didn't miss the brief squeeze Erin gave Jackson's hand. He turned and continued to fish while his mind absorbed the new information. It wasn't a surprise, it was just different to be thinking something than to see it outright.

The dinner hour eventually arrived and Joe, as usual, took his family to Bosaki's for dinner. Katie absolutely refused to have Jackson sit at their table for another meal and after the shower incident, Erin was not going to go to battle with her mother, so it was just the three of them. Dinner was a quiet affair, and in Erin's eyes, it was the most peaceful time she'd shared with her mother in days.

When they returned home, Erin grabbed her sack and went toward the door. She turned to her father who was sitting on the couch. "I'll see you before midnight, Dad," she said, not addressing her mother at all.

"Okay, Peanut. Have fun."

Without sparing her mother a glance, she left the cottage.

Jackson was waiting for Erin in the boathouse loft. When she heard footsteps getting closer, her heart began to hammer. When Erin's red head appeared, a large smile spread over Jackson's face.

"Hey," Erin greeted.

"I've been waiting for you forever," Jackson said with a pout.

"What for?"

"So I could do this." Jackson pulled Erin to her and kissed her pa.s.sionately. Their lips fused together and soon their tongues began to dance. A moan escaped Erin's throat, which ratcheted up Jackson's already insatiable desire for Erin. They stayed that way for several moments, reacquainting their mouths. They pulled away slowly and Erin was the one to breathe out in wonder.

"Wow. My G.o.d, you're good at that." She giggled. "Why don't you have a girlfriend, again? They don't know what they're missing."

"I've been waiting for you," she said seriously.

Erin met her eyes and knew she wasn't teasing. "Wow."