Lemmon's Journey

Chapter Seventeen

“Lem . . . Lem . . .”

The voice sounded like an echo permeating the wall of darkness that surrounded him. He couldn’t tell at first if it was his name being called or someone else’s. He chose to ignore it; preferring to wallow in his pain and remain lost inside the darkness. But the voice hollered his name again, louder this time for him to know it was his. Cracks suddenly streamed through the darkness, shattering the wall, letting in thin streams of light. The walls continued to shatter till it was no more. The bright light caught Lemmon naked curled in a fetal position. He raised a hand to his face against the blinding light. The voice hollered his name once more. It was a woman’s voice—it sounded like Abby calling him. Lemmon scrambled to his feet and walked toward the voice.

He walked into the light.

Lemmon’s eyes fluttered open. Everything appeared at first blurry—all he could make out was a facial outline hovering about him. The outline took solid form for him to recognize the worried look of Detective Mariam Quintez staring down at him, calling his name. Everything behind her was white. A smile creased her lips when she realized he’d come awake. She told him not to move but instead blink his eyes twice. Lemmon obeyed, fearing everything was a dream and if he blinked too hard it would all vanish and he’d find himself back inside the dark cave. But the dream notion disappeared when he stretched his hand toward Miriam and she shook it.

“Hi, Lem,” she smiled at him.

It some effort for him to work his tongue to speak. His voice sounded groggy, his throat squeaked with dryness.

“I heard your voice. I thought you was my wife.”

That produced a laugh from her. “Glad to know you’ve got some humor in you.”

He tried to look past her to get a view of the room. “Am I in heaven?”

“Sorry you ain’t onboard the gravy train. This here is Mount Sinai hospital in East Harlem.”

“Hospital,” he murmured. “For real?”

“Of course, for real,” she said. “Heaven’s going to have to wait. You gave us all quite a scare at the dock. For a while I thought we’d lost you. How’re you feeling?”

Lemmon couldn’t think of an answer. How was he supposedto feel? One minute he’d being lying in darkness, presumed dead, soon to be reunited with Abby. Now to his astonishment, he was alive and well from all indications. How was he supposed to feel: disappointed, saddened . . . relief? Yes, that sounded a lot better.

Lemmon wanted to see more of the room. He tried to pull himself up but groaned from the shot of pain that ran through his neckline and shoulder. Miriam told him not to move. She settled the pillows under his head and pressed a button on a remote handle that adjusted his bed to pull upright. Now seated properly, he had an affordable view of the room. A monitor stood beside his bed making brief pinging noise. Lemmon appraised the tubes that connected his wrist to the machine, and another that provided oxygen to his nostrils. He felt like he’d being turned into a lab experiment during his blackout. Miriam went and pulled back the curtains to reveal a gorgeous day in the city. Lemmon instantaneously loved the sight and thought he’d never seen anything more beautiful since he arrived New York. He ran his free hand over his face and felt the cut on the side of his head. A souvenir from his final night with Wilkes.

The thought of Wilkes sent a spike through his heart and he turned to Miriam who was rearranging some flowers on a cabinet on the other side of his bed, acting like she wasn’t only a cop but as well moonlights as a nurse.

“Wilkes,” Lemmon croaked the name. “Where . . . What happened to Wilkes?”

“First you need some water in you.” Miriam came to him with a glass of water that was on the table beside his bed. She brought it to his lips and held the glass while he drank some of it. “Better?” she asked.

Lemmon nodded. A glass of water had never tasted so good to him as it did now.

“Great.” She dropped the empty glass and wiped water off his chin. “Wilkes is dead, Lem. He’s being dead going three days now.”

Lemmon frowned. “Three? Wait a minute . . . what day’s today?”

“Thursday, still the month of June. You’ve being here three days, courtesy of the New York Police Department for humanitarian services rendered. Thanks to you, we took down Shawn Wilkes and shut down his business permanently.”

Lemmon closed his eyes and tried to remember much of what he’d seen that night at Wilkes’ warehouse. It came to him in snatches.

“I remember being with him inside the warehouse,” he recalled. “I saw him rip a hole in a bag that had rice in it. The bag had brown packages inside . . . ”

“Filled with eighty percent pure-grade China White,” Miriam added. “He was shipping them across the Bering Straits into Canada with a stopover in Nova Scotia. The drug enforcement guys are working with the Canadian authorities and right now going after his clients and distributors across the state and beyond.”

“Your friend with the doo-rag. What happened to him?”

“Jones? He’s doing great. He took down Wilkes. He’s still doing his undercover bit, but I know he’d loved to drop by and see how you’re doing. We never would have achieved anything if not for your help, Lemmon. I can’t thank you enough for that.”

Lemmon gave her a weak nod of his head. Tiredness was creeping back into him and it was apparent in his voice. “Randall. What about my grandson?”

“Your grandson is fine,” she said. “Shontelle’s been looking after him while you got healed up. Matter of fact, I saw him downstairs enjoying a chocolate sundae. They’re probably out in the corridor right now. He too has been dying to see you.”

“Is Shontelle still mad at me?”

“She’s pulling through, and that’s what matters. The way things are right now, I doubt you’ll be worrying about her being upset with you anymore. The good thing is Wilkes is gone and she can be happy again. You know for someone your age, you’re damn lucky to be alive.”

He turned his head to soak in the city’s beautiful morning outside his window. It reminded him a lot about waking up in Sheffield, back he still loved his work and looked forward to returning home to Abby. Hard to imagine that part of his life as no more and here he was starting on the fresh page of another. No way would he have comprehended how drastic his life was going to undertake the moment he left his house bound for New York. It was like stuff out of a novel, one not even the greats would have thought to pen down.

“Some crazy luck,” he said. “I thought I was dead. That night when Wilkes had his gun to my face, I thought I saw my wife’s face appear before me.”

“Did you?”

He looked at her. “Did I what?”

“Your wife’s face, did you see her?”

“I thought I did, but . . . I don’t think so. I’m used to seeing her most times in my dreams. This time I really wanted to see her, but she never came to me. Thinking back on it now, I guess it wasn’t time to join her.”

Miriam took his hand and squeezed it gently. “You’ve got a kid out there who loves you, Lemmon. It wasn’t your time at all. Take my advice and learn to let go of her and move on, even though it’s hard.”

“I’ll try. One day at a time, I will. Thank you.”

“No, I’m the one who should be thanking you. You were very brave what you agreed to do. I’d better leave you now. I know Randall will be dying to come spend time with you here. I’ll swing by and check on you later and bring you a cheeseburger, if the nurses will allow.”

She waved at him before leaving the room, closing the door behind her. A minute later Lemmon thought he’d slipped back to sleep when he heard what sounded like running feet approaching his room. The door opened and Randall poked his head and looked inside with a smile on his face.

“Granddad!” Randall ran to him and nearly jumped on his bed to hug him. Lemmon caught hold of him and hugged him back. His tiredness couldn’t keep away the happiness he was feeling.

“Randy! Oh God, I thought I wasn’t ever going to see you again.”

“I thought so, too, granddad. I’m happy you’re alive.”

“Me too, Randall,” Lemmon gushed amidst his teary eyes. “Me, too.”

* * *

His stay in the hospital was supposed to last another five days, but Lemmon was getting weary of home and didn’t think he could spend another week in the city. Every hour he laid in bed made him feel like an invalid with the nurses checking on him like they expect he won’t be where they left him. Being helpless ate at his nerves. He wasn’t fully strong, but still felt compelled to leave. He checked out on Sunday. Shontelle and Randall assisted him, while Miriam waited downstairs to give him a ride back to his hotel. It was with effort they made it from his floor to the lobby. Lemmon thought the afternoon sun baking his face had never felt so good as he shuffled down the hospital’s steps toward the parking lot.

Miriam told him she’d already notified the clerk at the hotel of his current whereabouts so he needn’t worry about finding his property on the street. They got to the Pennyview hotel and Lemmon was happy seeing the building again, like he’d missed a friend. Miriam and Shontelle helped him out of the car and into the lobby. Afterwards he returned to complete his outstanding bill with the clerk and asked about Kiara. She and her daughters had left a couple of days back. Lemmon was sad hearing this. He sure would have loved to say goodbye to her.

He spent his last three days in the hotel getting reacquainted with his grandson. There was still a lot going on besides him getting ready to leave. The cops had raided Wilkes’ home and confiscated every tangible item they could find. Miriam had resourcefully packed two bags filled with Randall’s clothes, toys and books and brought them to Lemmon the day after he quit the hospital. Lemmon called up his friend back home and shared the good news with him. He gave Randall the phone to speak with Marley for a minute before resuming his conversation.

He took Randall for walks in Central Park, to the familiar spots he’d ventured to when with Kiara. They ate popcorn and had ice cream after visiting the Central Park zoo. The second day gave them a surprise visitor. Lemmon had taken Randall to a restaurant for breakfast when they met Shontelle sitting in the hotel lounge. Lemmon gave Randall the room key and told him to go upstairs.

“How’re you feeling?” Shontelle asked after they’d sat down. “You’re looking stronger compared to the other day.”

“Thanks. I do feel stronger, and lot better too, especially now I have Randall.”

Lemmon saw the hurt look on her face before realizing what he’d said. “I didn’t mean it that way, Shontelle.”

She nodded. “I know you don’t. And I forgive you for Reggie. I’d give anything to have him in my life again, but I know that’s never going to happen.”

Lemmon said nothing. His heart grew heavy for her loss.

“But I’ve got some good news,” she fought to smile. “I’ve quit my job, and I’m going back to college.”

“That’s great. I’m happy for you.”

“Reggie always wanted us to quit New York for Florida. I still don’t know if ever I’ll make that happen, but we’ll see.”

It hit Lemmon that night with a bout of sadness that they would quit the city and this all would be his final memories of New York. He wished it were possible to bottle up the moment to look back on later. If only he could.

The day arrived and Miriam showed up at the hotel to drop both of them at the New York Port Authority station; the time was 10:34 A.M. She had suggested him taking a plane, but Lemmon was against it. He had arrived New York, he declared. It was only fair he left the same way. Randall didn’t mind as long as they were together. Miriam helped Randall with his bags downstairs. Lemmon picked his up and took one final look at the room. He gave it a silent thanks for the comfort of stay before closing the door one last time and headed downstairs to sign off the key. He joined Miriam and Randall and then they were off.

Miriam pulled into the front concourse that was Eight Avenue, in front of Penn Station and told them which direction to go to find a bus going their way. Lemmon got their luggage out before giving her a hug.

“Thank you for getting my grandson back to me.”

“The pleasure was all mine,” she smiled, then turned to Randall and hugged him, too. “You take care of your granddad, okay?”

“I will,” he said.

They waved one last time to her before following the crowd into the building.

They bought their tickets at the bus counter then went to sit someplace and grab some breakfast. They had two hours to burn before their bus was scheduled to depart. Lemmon purchased a copy of the New York Postand read the headlines while he sipped a cup of coffee. Randall munched a hamburger and French fries. The hub and bustle of the station went on around them nonstop. Everyone appeared like they had a destination to get to, or just looking lost.

“Granddad, what’s Sheffield like?” asked Randall.

Lemmon looked up from his newspaper. He rubbed sweat off his nose before pushing up his glasses. “You don’t remember Sheffield?”

Randall shook his head.

“You were little when your mom took you away. Sheffield is lovely—you’re going to love it there. I only wished your grandma was around to see you.”

“Yeah. I wish she was around, too.”

Neither said anything for a while. Lemmon returned to reading his paper. Randall sipped his glass of fruit juice.

“Will I go to school in Sheffield?”

“Yes, you will.”

“I will make new friends again?”

“Yes, you’ll make lots of new friends.”

Randall fell silent. Lemmon couldn’t think of anything else to say. The kid had gone through a lot; it would take him a while to adjust to his new life in quiet Sheffield, away from all glamour that was New York. Lemmon would try his best to ease him along every step of the way. They were going to walk down this uncertain road together, no matter what.

They sat there for another half hour after they were through with their meal before riding the escalator down to join the small crowd lengthening their line and waited. Their bus pulled into their slot at the scheduled time and minutes later they deposited their bags in the undercarriage compartment before boarding. Lemmon had a window seat and he and Randall waved goodbye at the high-rise buildings as they cruised out of the city.

They made a scheduled stop outside New Jersey to have lunch. The evening came while they were on the road and the sky grew darker. Randall dozed off with his head reclining against his granddad’s arm. Lemmon buttoned up his jacket so he wouldn’t catch a cold. As nighttime approached, he folded away his glasses and tried to catch some sleep. His ears listened to the droning sound of the bus as they cruised along the highway cutting through a different city.

He dreamed of Abby, of exciting moments they’d shared together. He flipped through flashback moments of the time they’d swam in the lake after he’d proposed to her.

The bus drove over a bump on the road and Lemmon’s eyes flirted awake. Randall’s head moved against his arm. Lemmon turned on the overhead light and properly adjusted him before turning off the light. There was an onion rind of a moon high in the sky. Lemmon assumed he wouldn’t be able to find sleep again, but he was wrong. Sleep came for him minutes afterwards and this time, he didn’t dream at all.

* * *

The sun was high in the sky when their bus rode into Sheffield. Lemmon pointed out to Randall the rolling hills of farmland they passed along the way. Roaming white clouds hung in the perfect blue sky like floating ice caps. It was a direct contrast to the city they’d left behind.

They pulled into the bus station sometime past 10:17 A.M. They alighted down with the small crowd that traveled with them and took a moment to stretch their backs before retrieving their luggage. There wasn’t anyone in the station to greet them—Lemmon hadn’t notified his friend of their arrival date, preferring to surprising him instead. They found a taxi to take them home. The house was still there was he’d left it; he waved at his next door neighbor who was at the moment wetting her garden flowers as Lemmon and Randall pulled their bags toward the front porch.

“Home sweet home,” Lemmon announced as he unlocked the front door and stepped aside for his grandson to enter. The air inside smelt of lavender. “What do you think?”

“It’s lovely,” Randall said.

Lemmon presented him his room—Gloria’s former room. The bedside cabinets and closet were empty except for a couple of cloth hangers. He helped Randall offload his bags and put away his clothes before leaving him to freshen up. Lemmon went downstairs to open up the living room and kitchen windows, glad that the cleaning crew had been taking care of the place, before dragging his bag to his room.

“I’m home again,” he muttered as he brought his bag on the bed and unzipped it. He didn’t bother opening the windows yet.

Lemmon took out his daughter’s urn and held it in his hand. He didn’t realize the shadow standing by his doorway. He heard a knock and turned to see Randall standing there.

“Is that mom?” asked Randall. He stepped further into the room.

Lemmon returned to the urn in his hands, looking sheepish as if caught red-handed doing something he shouldn’t be doing.

“Yes, it’s her ashes,” he said. “All what’s left of her.”

Randall came to a stop beside him. His eyes were glued at the urn.

“You want to hold it?”

Randall didn’t answer. He had a glimmer of awe in his eyes as Lemmon passed the urn to him. Randall held it like one would a sports trophy. Lemmon dropped to his knee and Randall gave the urn back to him.

“What are we going to do, granddad?”

“We move on, Randy,” Lemmon said. “We bury the past and then we move on.”

Randall came into his granddad’s arms. Lemmon comforted him, told him everything was going to be just fine.

They had each other.

* * *

Lemmon took Randall to his friend Marley’s home that evening. Marley was stunned when Lemmon called him hours earlier letting him know he was back in Sheffield and he wasn’t alone.

Marley raced home early to tell Sarah the good news. She too was ecstatic. Aside from Marley, Lemmon didn’t need to announce his return to the rest of the town. News of his arrival was already making the rounds in Sheffield, and everyone was itching to congratulate him and meet his grandson. The news got to Sherriff Cannouk and called up Marley Simmons to confirm if it was true. Marley was gushing with happiness when he answered that it was true all right.

Hank picked up his hat and drove to Marley’s home an hour after his guests had arrived. He shook hands first with Lemmon and then the lost face in Sheffield whom he’d returned home with. The night didn’t seem to want to end for Lemmon and Randall.