Re: Say The Words - ch. 13 -- The Dr. Quinn Medicine Woman Fan Exchange

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Date Posted: 06:13:47 03/26/03 Wed
Author: dqfan
Subject: Re: Say The Words - ch. 13
In reply to: dqfan 's message, "Re: Say The Words - ch. 12" on 06:08:38 03/26/03 Wed

CHAPTER THIRTEEN

"Oh, Ezra, I'm glad you're here," Stephanie exclaimed, cornering Ezra the moment he entered Oakhaven's heavy front doors.

"I've decided to put you in charge of publicity for our annual fundraiser," Stephanie announced on her way out to the hospital.

"Charge?" Ezra gulped at the thought that anyone would put him in charge of anything.

"Relax, Ezra," Stephanie reassured him. "Everything's already in place. We're having an air show this year. One of our residents, Ted McFadden, is a former RAF pilot. His old squadron is donating their time in his honor."

"So, what do I do?" Ezra wanted to be sure he understood his instructions.

"See those posters over there?" Stephanie pointed to several large boxes of flyers stacked inside her office. "I need you to distribute those to all the businesses in town. Get them to put them in their windows, tape them to lampposts, anything to get people's attention. The better the turnout, the more money we'll raise."

"Got it?" Stephanie finished hopefully. She was running late; she had to be at the hospital in twenty minutes.

"Got it�" Ezra nodded confidently, relieved by her explanation. "But, is it all right if I visit with some of the residents first?" he asked her.

"What�?" Stephanie wasn't really paying very much attention as she rummaged for her car keys.

"Well, Daisy's coming by soon. There's a couple I wanted her to meet," he answered vaguely.

"Oh�uh, sure," Stephanie replied, finally locating her keys. "As long as you don't forget about the posters."

"No problem, Doc, you can count on me," Ezra oozed sweetly.

"Good." Stephanie nodded, thankfully ending their discussion.

Still, as she closed the door behind her, Stephanie couldn't help wondering why it was that all of her conversations with Ezra somehow left her slightly confused�

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

The wooden bench beneath the tree was empty as Ezra looked down from the balcony. "Great," he mumbled, "now I'm going to have to look all over for them."

Quickly Ezra scanned the patio and the card tables arranged in circles on the lawn�nothing. Maybe he should continue his search inside?

As Ezra turned and placed his hand on the glass doors, something inexplicably drew his glance once more toward the bench. And, what he saw there, made Ezra blink twice to be sure. Incredibly, the old couple was seated right there, where they hadn't been a minute ago.

"This is too weird," Ezra thought to himself, wishing Daisy would hurry up and get there. Somehow the weird and unexplainable didn't seem quite so scary when Daisy was around.

Slowly, Ezra made his way toward the bench, never taking his eyes off the couple - sure they would disappear right in front of him if he did.

"Well, hello, Ezra," the woman greeted warmly as she worked on her sewing.

"E.Z." the man nodded, pleasantly enough, though he hardly looked up from his carving.

"Should you have that?" Ezra wondered aloud, seeing the small knife in the man's steady but aged hands.

"This little thing? You're afraid of this," the old man chuckled, mischievously pointing the knife in Ezra's direction, knowing it would elicit a reaction.

"Oh, honestly," the woman sighed exasperatedly, snatching the pocketknife from her husband's grasp. "Can't you see he's just concerned for your safety?"

"That's very commendable of you, Ezra," she complimented as she whisked the knife securely into her sewing bag before Ezra could suggest he hold it for safekeeping. "You have a real talent for this line of work."

"I don't know about that�" Ezra smiled, impressed by her sleight of hand. He was growing fonder of the woman with each passing minute.

"Well, I do," she interrupted, asking curiously, "Why don't you tell me what that volunteer over there is doing?"

Ezra looked over toward the volunteer, who was about to give an old woman a glass of milk. "Oh that's Mrs. O'Rourke," he answered. "She's�"

Clearly something was wrong as Ezra ran swiftly to speak with the volunteer.

A few seconds later, Ezra returned, frazzled but pleased nonetheless.

"What happened?" the woman asked anxiously.

"Oh, Mrs. O'Rourke takes an anti-inflammatory for the swelling in her legs. She's supposed to have it every morning with a glass of orange juice. See, the orange juice helps boost the potassium the medication depletes�" Ezra stopped abruptly, fearing he was babbling.

"So, a glass of milk was not the proper beverage for her at this time�" the woman finished his sentence with a strange sense of authority in her voice.

"You probably think this is boring�" Ezra apologized.

"Nonsense!" the woman scoffed, prompting her husband to interrupt slyly, "My wife's always had an interest in medicine�"

The woman just smiled beguilingly and turned the remark back to Ezra. "And it seems you do as well. How is it you're so knowledgeable about pharmaceuticals?'

"Ahhh, pharmaceuticals and I are old friends," Ezra admitted. "I've tried it all, from mushrooms to cleaning fluid�"

"Oh dear�Ezra, I'm so sorry. No wonder you were worried about the knife," the woman began to understand. She had seen suicidal depression before, after all, in dear sweet Horace.

"I just know what it's like to feel unwanted�to lose hope, and sometimes I think they do, too," Ezra commiserated sadly, looking about at so many lost souls.

Then, realizing he could be speaking about friends of hers, Ezra fumbled to correct himself, "I mean�not everyone�."

"I know exactly what you mean, Ezra, and I think you'll make a wonderful doctor someday," the woman beamed.

"Doctor? No, I don't think so�" Ezra had never even considered such a ridiculous idea.

"You never know�Why don't you keep it in mind?" the woman smiled as she patted Ezra's hand encouragingly.

"C'mon, let's go fer a walk," the old man started to rise from the bench, taking his wife's hand in his.

"No!" Ezra shouted, instantly regretting his raised voice as the old man glared menacingly toward him. "Um�I mean�please don't. I'd like you to meet someone."

"I don't know�" the man hedged. Then, with a mischievous wink to his wife, he added, "We need our�exercise."

"Stop it," the woman blushed. "We'd love to meet your girlfriend, Ezra."

"Did I say it was a girl?" Ezra pounced suspiciously.

For a moment, Ezra could have sworn he saw a look of panic pass between the couple but it faded almost instantly as the woman clarified breezily, "Oh, I just assumed it was your girlfriend. Am I wrong?"

"No�yes� I mean, she's a girl but she's not exactly my girlfriend. Not yet�" Ezra was experiencing a bit of a panic now himself.

Curiously, the old man was intrigued. "What's the problem, Son?" he asked gently.

"He's not a problem exactly�" Ezra stammered, immediately regretting his statement.

"IT! I meant it's not a problem�" he covered poorly.

"Another man, huh?" the old man sympathized.

Ezra nodded glumly, "David�."

"David?" the old man practically spit the name back at him.

"David!" the old woman caught her breath.

"Yeah�why?" Ezra was baffled by their reactions.

"Nuthin� No reason�" they answered simultaneously, both suddenly avoiding eye contact.

"Am I interrupting?" Daisy blithely appeared at Ezra' side.

"Hard to tell," Ezra shook his head, not sure what had just happened.

"This is my friend, Daisy," Ezra introduced.

"A pleasure to meet you, Daisy," the old woman greeted cheerfully.

Ezra waited anxiously, dying to see if the woman would introduce herself. He and Daisy had worked out a plan if she didn't. He would raise his eyebrows nonchalantly and Daisy would ask�

"Ezra didn't tell me your names, I'm afraid�"

The woman smiled amusedly, watching Ezra's eyebrows twitch rather uncontrollably as she replied, "Oh, but he's told us all about you. We are so glad you could visit�Won't you sit down?"

^^^^^^^^^^^^

"You see them, right?" Ezra demanded, pulling Daisy momentarily out of earshot.

"Of course, I see them," Daisy was beginning to think Ezra was losing his mind. "They're a very sweet couple�"

"They're weird!" Ezra insisted in a desperate whisper.

"Ezra!" Daisy had never seen him quite this spooked.

"They appear and disappear�they keep repeating names over and over. Ezra�Ezra. David�David," he muttered.

"You told them about David?" Daisy's eyes twinkled, unable to resist tormenting Ezra just a little.

"That's not the point, Daise," Ezra changed the subject quickly. "We still don't even know their names�"

"Oh, yes, your little plan worked like a charm," Daisy deadpanned.

"Did you bring them?" Ezra demanded mysteriously, ignoring her quips, refusing to accept defeat.

"Yessss," Daisy wasn't sure this was a good idea.

"Please, Daise, do it for me?" Ezra begged.

"All right�" she groaned, turning back toward the tree and the couple who had yet to vaporize into a cloud of smoke.

"Aren't you coming?" Daisy asked, when he didn't follow her.

"I can't�" he sighed.

"What?" Daisy was becoming annoyed.

"I have to put up some posters for Dr. Burke�air show fundraiser. I'll be back as soon as I can�" he promised.

"Aren't you just the slightest bit worried, leaving me with�the weird ones?" Daisy lowered her voice to its spookiest level, just to scare him.

"I'll be thinking about you every minute," Ezra weaseled his way out quickly. "Good luck�"

"Chicken�" Daisy grumbled, watching his back.

^^^^^^^^^^^

"Hello�again," Daisy greeted the couple hesitantly.

"Daisy�that's a lovely name," the woman complimented. "Isn't it?" she nudged her husband.

"Real pretty," he agreed. "But, we should be goin' so it was nice meetin' ya, Daisy."

"Oh, can't you wait until Ezra gets back? He just has to put up a few posters about some silly air show," Daisy explained, hoping they would agree.

"Air show?" the woman's demeanor changed noticeably. "Oh no�" she whispered under her breath.

"What's wrong?" Daisy worried, seeing the woman pale.

"My wife ain't much fer flyin'," the old man answered swiftly.

"We should be goin'," he repeated forcefully, this time more for his wife's benefit than Daisy's.

"No, please, stay for just a little longer�I'd like to�" Daisy really didn't think this was a good time to ask but she'd promised Ezra.

"To what?" the old woman asked curiously.

"To�read your cards," Daisy spit it out quickly.

"Our cards?" the old man questioned confusedly.

"Tarot cards�maybe you've seen them�" Daisy pulled a deck from her coat.

"Oh, you're a fortune teller," the woman understood now. "We had a fortune teller come to town once�Nothing but a charlatan. I'm sorry, Daisy, but I just don't believe in that sort of thing."

"That's fine," Daisy reassured her. "I won't say anything."

"Let's just see what comes up�for fun," she suggested blithely. "How about three cards? You both choose one and I'll choose the third�"

"I don't like it�" the old man's voice warned his wife.

"I suppose�for fun�" The old woman found Daisy quite enchanting and was on the verge of relenting despite her husband's disapproval. "Only three, you promise?"

"Absolutely," Daisy agreed willingly.

With renewed confidence, the old woman reached for her husband's hand, encouraging him to join her. Putting aside his misgivings with a shrug, he sat back down beside her. His blue eyes sparkled with affection as he wrapped his arm snugly around her shoulders.

It was quite apparent to Daisy that the old man still relished indulging his wife. But, there was something in his simple hug that she found oddly familiar. Strangely enough, it reminded her of Peter. Come to think of it, the man's eyes sort of reminded her of Peter's, too - they were the same perfectly clear, cobalt blue that dazzled so brilliantly in the bright winter sun.

"Daisy, are you all right?" the old woman asked, concerned by her sudden lack of concentration.

"Uh, oh, yeah, sure�go ahead�pick a card." Daisy abandoned her bizarre train of thought and held the deck face down for the woman to select.

"Oh my," the woman smiled, turning the card for her husband and Daisy to see.

"The Lovers," Daisy nodded with a sly grin. Why wasn't she surprised at the appearance of that particular card?

Offering the deck face down once again, Daisy invited the old man to choose this time, "And you?"

Though he didn't approve, the old man reluctantly drew a card. His selection brought a cocky smile to his face and a hearty chuckle to his lips. He was obviously amused.

"The Lovers?" Daisy couldn't hide her surprise as the old man managed to draw the same card as his wife. This was definitely unusual�

"Why don't you try now, Daisy," the old woman suggested, enjoying their little game.

Daisy sighed and chose a card at the far end of the deck. As she flipped the card over, Daisy's face dropped and she found herself agreeing with Ezra's suspicions for the first time since she'd arrived.

"The Lovers�" she reported with amazement, turning the card for them to see.

"Guess we know our future," the old man couldn't hide his laughter.

"I think it's rather embarrassing," the old woman blushed.

"Nooo�it's rather impossible," Daisy corrected pointedly. "I have never seen the same card come up three times in a row�"

"You have now," the old man reminded her gently as he took his wife lovingly by the hand and they stood to leave.

"Pleasure meetin' ya, Daisy," the old man bid a polite farewell.

"Yes, do come again, Daisy," the woman agreed charmingly.

Except, Daisy wasn't really listening. Stunned, she had lowered her eyes, staring incredibly at the three identical cards, spread before her like a fan upon the bench.

"What? Oh, yeah�" Finally, Daisy lifted her head to say goodbye.

But, when she looked up, the couple was gone. She had only looked away for a second, but they were nowhere in sight.

"Bye," Daisy whispered softly to herself.

Waving to no one in particular, Daisy felt her thirst for the supernatural decidedly quenched for one day�

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Replies:

Re: Say The Words - ch. 14 -- dqfan, 06:16:42 03/26/03 Wed
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