Forget Me Not. Crystal B. Bright
her eyes shut for a quick moment to collect her thoughts. “I have a plan to get Flowers Galore more customers.”
“Really? How’s that?” As usual, doubt filled her mother’s voice.
“There’s a flower competition. I’ll enter and win.” Janelle smiled as she thought about the plant she’d been cultivating for months.
“How much do you get for first place?”
“I don’t know. 350 dollars, I think.” Janelle believed she’d seen that amount on the application, but she hadn’t paid a lot of attention to it.
She knew what winning the prestigious Virginia Flower Show contest would draw true flower and plant admirers to her store. She would be taken seriously in her field. The new perception would give her publicity. Then she would be able to see the payoff. It had to work. She had no other options except close the store.
“So wait. Winning this contest won’t get you enough money to pay off your bills? Sounds like a waste of time.” Ida pushed a disapproving grunt through the phone.
“I wouldn’t expect you to understand, Mom. Your plan for me is to find a rich guy. Coming from you, that advice is surprising. It’s not like you’re hooked up with Warren Buffet.” Janelle didn’t mean to hit her mother with a low blow, but Ida had been shooting down her dreams for as long as Janelle could remember.
“So you think your one and only boyfriend makes you some sort of expert? Men need to be used. They have no problem in using women, now do they?”
Janelle shook her head. Some traits she didn’t want to inherit from her mother. She’d already gotten her height, lithe body, and her huge backside. Janelle wouldn’t take on her hatred of men.
“You gave me your advice. I’m telling you what I’m going to do. As always, thanks for the support.” Janelle disconnected the call before their discussion ended up as it always did, in an argument.
Janelle pulled up to the store and parked in her usual spot at the farthest corner of the lot. She wanted to leave plenty of space for potential customers. She unlocked the door and scanned the contents of her place.
“I need a miracle.” Janelle went behind the counter and stowed her purse and coat.
Before Penny showed up for work, Janelle went to the back room where she kept her baby. With all the lights on and in a heated glass cabinet, sat her swamp hibiscus. She opened the door long enough to check the moistness of the murky, muddy water she had the plant’s roots in. Out of habit, she took a sniff from one of the closed buds. The fragrant aroma soothed her. This would be her ticket.
Janelle stroked one of the leaves. For its unappealing name, the petal tickled the pads of her fingers. This would be her salvation. She closed the cabinet door and checked the thermostat to make sure it remained at the right temperature. Everything had to be perfect.
Until something great happened, she would continue to work hard until…well, until the bank forced her to stop what she loved in this space.
* * * *
After a few hours of restless sleep and a long, hot bath, Gideon changed into something comfortable, got into his garage-kept car and sped down to the hospital. He didn’t drive anything fancy or special. As a matter of fact, he’d picked this crossover vehicle because it resembled a station wagon. He liked the wholesome feel he got from being in something that looked like his mother would drive.
What was he thinking? His mother had owned a Cadillac, and now had a small Mini Cooper. She could never be described as typical…thank God.
Gideon got to the hospital and approached the information desk. “I need to see Gunnar Wells.”
The older woman at the desk peered up at him over her wire-rimmed silver glasses. “Are you family? We’ve had a lot of fans up here looking to see the man.”
“Yes. I’m his brother.” He took out his Virginia state driver’s license and handed it to her, thankful that she didn’t know him as the Gideon Wells.
She handed his license back to him and then took his picture for his temporary visitor’s pass. She handed him the sticker. “Wear this while visiting him. He’s on the fifth floor in room 522.” She smiled.
“Thanks.” Before leaving the counter, he affixed the sticker to his shirt, not his jacket. He planned on being there for a while.
“Mr. Wells?”
Gideon turned back to the woman.
“Great game yesterday.” She gave him a thumbs-up sign.
His heartbeat slowed as he smiled back to her. For a brief moment, he had only been Gunnar Wells’s brother and no one else.
He loved being a football player. Yet he could never appreciate the notoriety that came with being a star quarterback.
Gideon got up to the floor and strolled down the hallway in search of Gunnar’s room. A couple of the nurses gasped as he made his way to the correct room. To lessen the excitement that could be generated with his presence, he didn’t acknowledge any of their whispers or looks. He kept his head up and continued walking until he finally came across the room.
With the door closed, Gideon knocked first before entering. His heart stopped for a moment when he saw his older brother, his hero. For all of Gideon’s life, Gunnar Wells had seemed invincible.
As children, Gunnar had been the one to protect him and Thane against their abusive biological mother and horrible foster families. Once they’d gotten with Queen Elizabeth, Gunnar had squared off against their adoptive mother’s former husband. Gunnar seemed destined to fight for the rest of his life. Seeing him now made Gideon think someone had taken out Superman.
Gunnar appeared to be sleeping. The big man’s head had been elevated in the bed. IVs had been hooked to his arm. A constant beeping greeted Gideon as he stepped inside and closed the door behind himself. Although the lights in the room had been extinguished, the opened blinds allowed the room to be illuminated in sunlight.
Gideon peered at the whiteboard across from him. He read Gunnar’s doctor’s name and the name of the attending nurse and nurse care partner taking care of him today. On the scale of his pain, Gunnar had listed it as a one, which meant for a normal human being, it would rank as a ten.
Gunnar never wanted to admit his pain or that he needed help, something Gideon understood. The throbbing in his knee hadn’t stopped at all since arriving in Virginia. He would have to see someone about it soon.
Gideon stood at the side of the bed and put his hand on Gunnar’s shoulder. He didn’t expect his brother’s eyes to flutter open, but it sure made Gideon smile when he saw Gunnar looking alert.
“Hey, man. How are you doing?” Gideon patted Gunnar’s shoulder.
“Been better.” Gunnar smirked. “Oh, shit.”
Gideon’s eyes widened. “What?” He searched for the nurse call button in case his brother needed medical assistance right away.
“I missed your game.”
Gideon exhaled. “Don’t worry about it. You’re all that matters.” He pulled up a chair next to him. “So what happened?”
Gunnar reached for a cup on a raised tray that had a bendy straw inside. He took a long sip before answering. “I got a message on my phone that the alarm was going off at the salon. I went down there, expecting to meet with the police. No one was there yet. I went inside—”
Gideon groaned and leaned back. “You should have waited for the cops.”
Gunnar rolled his eyes. “Now you sound like Mom.”
“She’s right. Look at you.”
Gunnar peered down. “I have seen better days, huh?”
“You think? You could have been killed.” Gideon grabbed Gunnar’s