VoyForums
[ Show ]
Support VoyForums
[ Shrink ]
VoyForums Announcement: Programming and providing support for this service has been a labor of love since 1997. We are one of the few services online who values our users' privacy, and have never sold your information. We have even fought hard to defend your privacy in legal cases; however, we've done it with almost no financial support -- paying out of pocket to continue providing the service. Due to the issues imposed on us by advertisers, we also stopped hosting most ads on the forums many years ago. We hope you appreciate our efforts.

Show your support by donating any amount. (Note: We are still technically a for-profit company, so your contribution is not tax-deductible.) PayPal Acct: Feedback:

Donate to VoyForums (PayPal):

[ Login ] [ Contact Forum Admin ] [ Main index ] [ Post a new message ] [ Search | Check update time | Archives: 1, [2], 3, 4, 5, 6 ]

[ Next Thread | Previous Thread | Next Message | Previous Message ]

Date Posted: 03:26:52 04/04/03 Fri
Author: dqfan
Subject: Re: Ghosts - ch.15 & 16
In reply to: dqfan 's message, "Re: Ghosts - ch.14" on 03:15:56 04/03/03 Thu

CHAPTER FIFTEEN


"Yer late," Sully noted, barely lifting his eyes from the Gideon bible he was reading when Michaela appeared in Peter's hotel room.

"Yes, I know. I apologize. It took longer than I expected…" Michaela flustered.

"So…how is he?" Sully asked snidely, suddenly snapping the bible shut.

Michaela sighed. Apparently old jealousies never die. "Hank is…Hank." She chose to report as briefly as possible on her visit.

"What's he gotta say fer himself?" Sully barked.

"Now, Sully…" Michaela began sternly, "Hank is as surprised by this turn of events as we were…"

"He never shoulda involved us, Michaela," Sully argued. "Givin' Katie that damned locket! You shoulda told me!"

"If you recall, you were busy planning the uprising at Palmer Creek at the time!" she shot back automatically, instantly regretting the harshness of her words when she saw the hurt look on Sully's face.

"Sully…" Lovingly, Michaela breathed his name and placed her hands on his chest in apology. "I'm sorry…" she whispered, relieved when she felt his arms circle her back.

"I knew Hank wasn't telling me everything," she sighed, "but the locket seemed such a harmless gift at the time."

Michaela recalled Katie's first birthday as if it were yesterday…

^^^^^^^^

"Cake's good, Grace," Robert E. had commented.

"Dr. Mike made it," Michaela remembered her dear friend announcing proudly.

"Don't look so surprised…" Mischievously, Hank berated the guests whose forks had stopped midway to their mouths.

The gesture was so typical of him. Michaela smiled as she thought back. Hank was often on her side, even when he didn't appear to be. He was as protective of her as Sully was, in some ways, and she never quite knew why. She'd hoped it was respect. Sully always told her it was love. But then, according to Sully, every man in town had loved her, from Preston, to Jake, to Hank.

Maybe it was true. She didn't know and she didn't care. It had all happened so very long ago. Her baby girl's first birthday…

In spite of Sully's worries over Cloud Dancing and even in spite of Wolf taking a bite of the cake, it had been a glorious day.

Michaela had opened Katie's gifts with her, one by one, until, in a quiet moment, she noticed Hank standing alone, watching them together: mother and child.

"Hank?" Michaela scooped Katie up into her arms and approached him. "Is everything all right?"

"Sure. Fine," he answered a little too quickly.

Gently, Hank teased Katie's cheek with his finger and watched her smile with glee. "What's the matter, Cutie? You run outta presents?"

"You always could make her laugh," Michaela observed wryly.

"Yeah, I have that effect on women…" Hank tried to joke but his heart simply wasn't in it.

Seeing Michaela with Katie just reminded him too much of Lila and her daughter. Lila was probably as good a mother as Michaela, Hank thought. Maybe better, he considered, since she wasn't near as likely to go off on as many fools' errands as Michaela - at least not on such a regular basis.

And Chava… Did she look like Katie? he wondered.

"Would you like to hold her?" Michaela offered, hoping to cheer him.

Katie giggled as Hank lifted her, enjoying her ride up into such tall arms. Hank hadn't spent much time with Zack when he was a baby. And he'd never had a little girl. Katie's giggles sounded like music…the happiest music Hank had ever heard…the closest he would ever come to hearing Chava's voice.

Impetuously, Hank placed Katie on his hip and reached inside his pocket. "Got somethin' fer the birthday girl…" he decided, there and then.

He couldn't keep on like this. Ever since Zack had told him about Lila and Chava, Hank hadn't been able to get them out of his mind. More than once, he'd visited Denver - ostensibly to find some new talent for the saloon - when, in reality, he'd scrounged for leads on Lila. He'd found the hospital where she had worked…and the boarding house where she had lived…but the trail went dead after that. No one had seen her. And there was just so long any man could chase after a ghost.

So, with Katie in his arms, Hank said a final goodbye to all the "might-have-beens" and relinquished his last, tangible, link to the second family he'd managed to lose in one lifetime.

"Keep this…" Hank spoke directly to Katie, the silver locket catching the light of the late afternoon sun. "A girl can never have too much jewelry…"

Stunned, Michaela hardly knew what to say. "Hank, this is an exquisite piece. We couldn't possibly accept…"

"Mind your manners, Michaela…." Hank warned teasingly. "And say thank you."

Michaela smirked and examined the locket more carefully, turning it over to reveal the initials. "L.C.?" she questioned, suspiciously.

Hank thought fast. "Little Cutie…" he winked.

"You don't really expect me to believe that, do you?" Michaela laughed.

"No, but that's what you can tell her when she grows up," Hank chuckled.

"Hank…" Michaela was still hesitant.

"It's a family heirloom, okay?" Hank snapped in exasperation, wondering how Sully managed to live with all these questions on a daily basis!

"Never thanked ya fer savin' Nana's life," Hank fibbed just a bit. "Thought this'd cover it…"

"Did Ilsa give you this?" Michaela's heart softened at the mention of Hank's dear, sweet, Nana.

Hank considered forgetting the whole thing. He considered lying further. But, with Michaela's question came the perfect opportunity to ease her mind and put an end to this awkwardly personal conversation.

So, with just a hint of melancholy in his voice, Hank handed Katie gently back into her mother's arms, and shrugged, "Who else would love me that much?"

Before Michaela could say another word, Hank had crossed the meadow into town. Michaela brushed a wisp of blonde hair from Katie's eyes and watched him stride back toward his comfortable viewing spot aside the saloon hitching post.

Michaela shook her head and smiled a sad smile. "So many people, Hank, if you'd just give them half the chance…"

And with that, she placed the necklace in her pocket, gave Katie a big bear hug and returned to the warmth of her family and friends.

^^^^^^^^

"So what're we s'pose t'do now?" Sully questioned angrily. "Just let Peter pay the price o' Hank's generosity?"

"Sully, don't you care about Charity at all?" Michaela tried her best to calm him. "She's taken care of Peter - loved him, as if he were her own flesh and blood. Doesn't she deserve our support now?"

"Course she does…" Sully grumbled, pacing the room. "But you ain't seen what's goin' on down there, Michaela." Sully pointed to the floor and below, signaling the general direction of Gus' restaurant.

"Is it that bad?" Michaela grimaced.

"Worse…" Sully shook his head.

"Well, we'll just have to help," Michaela's voice was steely determination.

"Help?" Sully eyed his beautiful wife with a sideways glance. He knew that tone in her voice and it usually meant trouble.

"I'm sure Peter and Sophie will exonerate Charity," she told him.

"And if their relationship suffers any tiny misunderstandings as a result…" Michaela refused to be deterred. "Well, you and I will just have to take care of that…"

With a deep breath and a brush of her skirt, Michaela hoped her optimistic outlook was as convincing as it sounded.

Sully smiled indulgently and pulled Michaela into a tight embrace. He loved watching her champion any cause; and, when that cause was her family's happiness, Michaela's fiery passion was even more breathtaking to behold.

"Gonna be as easy as that, is it?" he whispered, his lips against her ear.

Sully grinned when he heard her sigh. She always did melt with a little gentle teasing.

"Well, I didn't say it would be easy…exactly," Michaela played along with Sully's game, her eyes shining and her head dipping back just enough to keep his lips from reaching hers.

Undeterred, Sully slowly began to massage her temples with his thumbs, rhythmically stroking her hair backwards until Michaela closed her eyes and moaned softly.

"Michaela," he sighed, as she willingly offered all that he'd been seeking.

"Yes?" she breathed against his neck.

Sully chuckled low, enjoying the delights of his victory.

"Told ya I like a challenge…"

^^^^^^^

CHAPTER SIXTEEN


Gus punched the elevator button for the fourth floor and Sophie relaxed a little, doubting they were on their way to his bedroom. Gus Leighton was a penthouse man, all the way, of that she was certain. Still, she was nervous, and more than a little curious, when he walked her off the elevator to stand before an oversized clown, guarding a doorway.

"Pull his tie…" Gus instructed, smiling.

"Oh, I don't…" After her run-in with Peter and Ivy, Sophie wasn't much in the mood for games.

"C'mon…Ronald McDonald's got nothin' on this guy," Gus insisted. "Now, pull his tie."

It seemed so ridiculous! In a hallway, decorated tastefully with Louis XVI furniture, gilded mirrors, and Damask fabrics, there stood a ten-foot-tall sculpted clown, plopped seemingly from out of nowhere, like an alien from another planet.

Deciding her evening couldn't possibly become any more surreal, Sophie pulled the clown's tie and waited as the door swung open.

"Welcome to the Sahara Sandbox!" the clown's computerized voice intoned. "Leave your parents on the doorstep and come on in!"

"No one over the age of ten admitted without someone under the age of ten," the clown continued in mock-seriousness.

"Shall we?" Gus invited charmingly.

Sophie smiled in spite of her mood. "But the clown said…" she teased.

"You're fine…you're with me…" Gus laughed. "Last time I checked, I was eight."

Upon entering, Sophie's senses were assaulted with the sights and sounds of childhood dreams turned into reality: a combination of Oz and Never-never-land, she marveled. There were several sandboxes, as the name suggested, along with arcade games, sports equipment, dolls, and a painter's easel. There was even a small carousel filled with antique horses. The Sahara Sandbox spanned almost the entire fourth floor of Gus' hotel and held every fantasy any little boy or girl could ever dream of.

"Kids play for free up here while their folks spend all their money at the craps tables downstairs," Gus admitted with a guilty shrug.

"Nice…" Sophie complimented with a disapproving smirk.

"I am a marketing genius." Gus boasted with a grin.

Suddenly, the bright lights began to dim and Gus looked down at his watch. "Damn, I forgot she's closing early tonight…"

"She?" Sophie looked around the empty arcade.

"Hi ya, Gus…I mean, Mr. Leighton…I was just leaving." A cheerful, sprightly, older woman, with gray hair suddenly appeared, wearing a baseball cap on backwards, and an oversized t-shirt that read, "Coach."

By her side was a young boy, about five-years-old, sporting a tired but happy smile and a chocolate rimmed mouth that was in serious need of washing.

"Alvin, here, is the last one. His folks decided to see "O" tonight so I'm delivering him upstairs to his Grandma. I can come right back if you need me," she offered gladly.

"No, thanks, Dolores," Gus smiled and gave the woman a peck on the cheek. "Sophie and I'll be just fine."

"Your hotel…suit yourself," she chuckled. "Have fun."

"We will. Night Alvin..." Gus waved.

"Night…" Sophie waved, too, enjoying the most "normal" moment she'd experienced since arriving in Las Vegas.

"Dolores is a doll," Gus explained, leading Sophie through the maze of toys, towards a partitioned alcove in the corner. "We go way back. She's a retired schoolteacher. Used to drive to Vegas every day to play the slots. So, I asked her if she'd like to run the Sandbox for me and live here full-time. She even has her very own slot machine in her room now, with her name on it and everything. She'll show it to you sometime, for a fee, of course…" he laughed.

Gus flipped a couple of switches and the lights came back on, a little less garish than before.

"And "O" is?" Sophie questioned, curious.

"Our headline show. Cirque de Soleil," Gus explained with a grin. "Wild sets, daring acrobatics, skintight costumes. Though why they couldn't give it a real name instead of just one bloody letter of the alphabet… Looks like Hell on the marquee!"

Sophie found herself relaxing, in spite of her day. "I never realized running a casino was so stressful," she smiled.

"You have no idea," Gus winked. "Which is why I come - here!"

With another flip of the switch, a huge pink-and-orange sign descended slowly from the ceiling and began flashing the words "Dolores' Dreamy Desserts" in brightly colored neon lights arched directly above Sophie's head.

Ice cream truck music began playing through the speakers and a see-through refrigerator with bowls labeled "marshmallow," "cherries," and "pineapple" started revolving in time to its rhythm. There were 30 flavors of ice cream stored in a countertop case and bright red barstools, which swirled high and low, to amuse both the shortest and tallest kid at heart.

"It is physically impossible to be unhappy here," Gus promised, breaking out the hot fudge. "I know. I've tried…"

Gus looked deeply into Sophie's eyes. "So, what's your pleasure?" he asked softly.

Sophie felt goosegumps up and down her arms as Gus leaned forward from across the counter and took her hands in his.

Maybe this wasn't such a good idea…

Sensing her nervousness, Gus let her off the hook for now and winked. "Chocolate, right?"

Before Sophie knew it, she was sitting on one of the barstools watching Gus create the world's most perfect banana split, in one of those old-fashioned boat-shaped glass bowls. It had taken him almost twenty minutes but it was a masterful piece of confectionery. Impressed beyond words, Sophie gave him a hearty round of applause as he placed the final cherry on top.

"You first." Gallantly, Gus offered Sophie a spoon.

Sophie eyed the banana split with delight. Gus was right. She hadn't touched her dinner and she was starving. Plus, for almost the past half an hour now, she done nothing but try to rid her mind of the image of Peter and Ivy together. Was he drinking? Was he touching her?

She couldn't take it any more. Maybe it "was" time to drown her troubles in some foolproof high-octane sugar.

Sophie took a bite of the dessert and moaned, "Yumm…this is incredible."

"See, you look happier already," Gus beamed.

Before she knew it, Sophie had eaten about eight spoonfuls of hot fudge and accepted Gus' invitation to check out the spa tomorrow.

The investigation was going well; but, the more Sophie enjoyed Gus' company, the guiltier she felt. Was this only about Charity? Or was this about her and Peter, too?

With another spoonful halfway to her lips, Sophie's hand stopped in mid-air. Suddenly, she remembered the night of the power blackout - the night she and Peter had shared a giant hot fudge sundae from Horizon's industrial-sized freezer.

That night had been so special…so intimate. Sophie recoiled to think she could be sharing such a similar moment with Gus.

Dismayed, Sophie dropped her spoon and swirled away from the counter, feeling suddenly sick to her stomach. "I'm sorry, I have to go…"

In her haste, Sophie misjudged the height of the barstool and stumbled, but Gus reached her just in time. "Hey, it's okay," he whispered, holding her close. "I'll walk you to your room."

"No…no…thank you. You've been wonderful. I just have to go…" Sophie stammered, sidestepping toys and balloons as she raced towards the door.

The incongruously cheerful music still played in the background as Gus watched stone-faced, his frustration building. He wasn't used to having women run out on him. But, then, Gus knew all too well that women like Sophie Becker didn't come along every day of the week.

Gus took a deep breath and pounded his fist solidly against the countertop. The force of his blow toppled the glass banana boat and sent it crashing to the floor in a million pieces.

Careful to avoid the shards, Gus reached for the phone. "Maintenance, this is Leighton. Yeah, send somebody up to the Sandbox. There's been a little accident."

Gus stared down at the gooey mess on the floor and shook his head with a frown.

"Sophie…You'd better be worth it."

[ Next Thread | Previous Thread | Next Message | Previous Message ]

Replies:

Post a message:
This forum requires an account to post.
[ Create Account ]
[ Login ]
[ Contact Forum Admin ]

Forum timezone: GMT-8
VF Version: 3.00b, ConfDB:
Before posting please read our privacy policy.
VoyForums(tm) is a Free Service from Voyager Info-Systems.
Copyright © 1998-2019 Voyager Info-Systems. All Rights Reserved.