Free Bouquet: Sequel to 'In Full Bloom': The Trilogy of the Rose (Volume 3) by B. A. Beers Page A

sadly.
     
    “Out again?” she asked.
     
    “Yes and no,” Mark answered truthfully.  “It is not the same.  It is no ‘watchdog’ this time.  This time she is conscious, but totally unaware.”
     
    “Mark?” Grandma Jo asked, obviously distraught.
     
    “I know,” he replied.
     
    “Will she come back?” she asked.
     
    “I really don’t know,” Mark confessed.
     
    “What is the meaning of all this?” Gus asked.
     
    “She has escaped inside herself,” Mark offered. “She has shut down completely.”
     
    “Nonsense.  Mumbo jumbo,” Gus stated. 
     
    “No, it is quite possible,” Mark retorted. 
     
    “She just needs a real good kick in the ass like Hank used to do,” Gus remarked.
     
    “Excuse me?” Mark asked, stepping onto the porch and adjusting Sami in his arms.
     
    “Yeah, saw him do it a couple of times,” Gus shared.
     
    “Great.  Add abuse to her list,” Mark barked.
     
    “No, not abuse.  Just a firm hand,” Gus offered.  “Kid had a wild side.”
     
    “Sami?” Grandma Jo cried.
     
    “Don’t let her appearance fool you.  She was a hellion in her teen years,” Gus offered.
     
    Mark recalled the ‘Mrs.  Carter’ side of Sami and cringed.  He could see her rebellious side.  He wondered just how far back this personality split went.  Did the death and hiding of her twin split her?   “You need to share more with me,” he said to Gus.  “I need to set her down first.”  Mark walked into the cabin and called, “Place a blanket over the couch.”
     
    Seeing Grandma Jo move to do his bidding, he waited until it was positioned before placing Sami on the blanket.  As Grandma Jo secured another blanket over Sami, Mark directed, “Please make more coffee for us.  I need to make a call.”  Moving to the door, he reached for his cell and called out, “Gus, make yourself comfortable.”
     
    Back on the porch, Mark spotted the two dogs at the bottom of the steps eyeing him.  “Not your fault.  Go in and get warm,” he suggested.  As the two dogs darted into the cabin, Mark closed the door and dialed the clinic. When Mrs.  Mills answered, he ordered, “I need Jon, now.”
     
    Mark paced the porch while he waited for Jon to pick up.  His mind was racing.  The completed puzzle was far from done.  The added pieces were coming fast. Prioritizing everything was key.  Her physical needs were at the top; he had to get her back to Phoenix into the hospital as quickly as possible.  And, he needed to get in touch with her attorney.  Mark had bankrolled the ER care for her arm, but admitting her to the hospital?  He needed to know if she had insurance, and his exploration of her wallet provided no evidence of insurance.  Jon would need to be his point on finding out this information for him.  Plus, he needed to talk to Gus.
     
    When Jon’s voice sounded on the phone, Mark informed his former mentor of the current situation and his need.  Without hesitation, Jon assured him that all would be arranged by the time Mark returned to the valley.
     
    ***
     
    Pleased with the outcome of the call, Mark reentered the cabin.  His eyes immediately went to Sami. As if. . . , he thought.  S he is gone until you work your stuff , he hoped.  He knew of cases where the soul never re-linked with the world, resulting in bodies kept alive by machines.  He prayed that Sami’s current state would not last very long.  Shifting his eyes, he spotted the two dogs before the fire, stretched out, but watchful.
     
    The sound of soft voices behind him caused him to laugh softly.  “You don’t have to whisper,” he directed. “You won’t disturb her.”
     
    “Oh, Mark,” Grandma Jo gushed.  “He was there.”
     
    “Where?” Mark asked, moving over to the table and taking a seat.
     
    “At the accident scene,” Gus answered.  “Used to be a voluntary fireman up here.”
     
    “Tell me,” Mark requested.
     
    “First on the scene, after the