Chapter Fifteen. Ellie parked in front of a faded, two-story duplex and turned off the key

Ellie parked in front of a faded, two-story duplex and turned off the key. The grass in the front yard was sparse, with muddy patches fighting for dominance with knee-high weeds. She turned to Amanda. “Are you brave enough to get out of the car? ”

“I'm game, if you are.” Amanda turned her head to check out the rest of the neighborhood. The house they were in front of could be called the nicest on the block. “Listen, we still have one more place to check out, and it's in Somerville. Why don't we give this one a pass? I don't think I want to see you living in an area like this, especially alone.”

“You've got a point. Besides, I think I've realized why Parkdale has such a nice, fancy hospital.”

Amanda held onto the dash when Ellie wheeled away from the house. “Please, enlighten me. Why does Parkdale have such a nice hospital? ”

“Because it makes a ton of money from all the knifings and gunshot wounds.” She took the road that led to Somerville. “Not to mention drug overdoses.”

“Is it really that bad there? ”

Ellie sighed. “Not the wing I'm on, thankfully. But I had to get a patient from the ER the other night, and it was like a war zone.”

“Maybe you should keep trying to get a job in Somerville. I know there's several good doctor's offices, and the hospital.” When Ellie didn't say anything, Amanda tried another tact. “We really like having you at the house. Have you talked to Rodney? Maybe he knows someone—”

“No. I don't want to take advantage of your family. And just because I'm looking for a new place to live, doesn't mean you won't see me anymore. I promise.”

Amanda nodded. “Okay. Not to change the subject or anything, but I think I've got a buyer for your old house.”

“Really? That's great. At this point, I was going to start renting it out so it wouldn't stay vacant.”

“I don't think that'll be a problem. This family has one child and another on the way. They're living in a two-bedroom, one bath place at the moment, but they need more room.”

Ellie drummed the steering wheel with her fingers. “I don't even know how much to sell it for. To tell you the truth, I don't think I care.”

“That's why you have me. I can get you fair market value, and I can guarantee they'll take very good care of the house.”

“Yeah? That's good. I know that grandpa wouldn't want it to sit empty.” Ellie cleared her throat and fought off the urge to cry. “I got a letter last week from Nancy. She's enjoying living with her daughter and playing with her grandkids.” Nancy was her grandfather's housekeeper, who she let go after Travis had passed away.

Amanda touched Ellie's arm. “Travis would be very proud of you, Ellie. I know it hasn't been easy.”

“Easy? ” Ellie snorted. “He was the first person in my life who accepted me for exactly who I was. Even my step-dad, who's a great guy, didn't always know what to do with me.” She wiped at her face, where a few tears had fallen. “Why can't I get past this? ”

“Pull the car over, Ellie. Let's talk.”

At the next row of mailboxes, Ellie parked the silver Corolla behind them. She left the engine running, but unbuckled her seatbelt so she could turn and face Amanda. “You and Lex seem to have moved along a lot easier. I don't think I even remember seeing Lex cry.”

“Oh, Ellie.” Amanda unlocked her seatbelt and turned also. “We both cried almost every night for the first few months. It was extremely hard, especially when the girls kept asking what happened to their grandpa.”

Ellie began to cry in earnest. She covered her face with her hands and broke down into deep, wracking sobs, while Amanda rubbed her back. After a few minutes, she accepted a tissue and noisily blew her nose. “Sorry.”

“Don't apologize. Everyone needs to let go at one time or another. I'm just glad I was here for you.” Amanda continued to rub Ellie's back in a soothing motion. “Maybe we should skip the last place today.”

“No, I'm all right.” Ellie wiped her eyes and mustered up a smile. “Thanks.”

Amanda moved her hand from Ellie's back to her forearm. “Are you sure? ”

Ellie nodded. “The last place is a duplex on this side of Somerville. I'd like to at least know if it's livable.”

“What? You didn't like the thought of sharing with the rats and cockroaches in the first apartment? Or maybe the drug dealers and hookers at the second place? ” Amanda started to giggle. “My, you certainly are picky, Ms. Gordon.”

“Yeah, well. I'm afraid the rats would eat too much, and the hookers would charge too much.” Ellie flinched when Amanda lightly slapped her arm. “Do you abuse Lex like this? ”

“All the time, ” Amanda chortled. “She likes it.”

Ellie buckled her seatbelt and put the car in gear. “She would.”

Amanda laughed and clicked her seatbelt. “I'll be sure and mention that to her when I get home.”

“Uh, no. Don't do that. She'd kick my ass.”

“Oh, come on. Lex is a pussycat.”

When Ellie looked at Amanda in surprise, the car's tires hit the graveled shoulder of the road. “You've got to be kidding me. Are we talking about the same person? ”

“Pay attention to the road, ” Amanda chastised. “And for your information, Lex has mellowed quite a bit.”

“Uh-huh.”

Amanda started to say something more, when she saw the smirk on Ellie's face. “You rat.” She swatted the other woman on the arm, but was glad to see Ellie's mood improve. “Okay, smartass. About a mile after we enter town, turn left onto Austin, and then a right onto, ” she checked the paper that was in the top of her purse, “ Mountain View.”

Ellie guided the car per Amanda's directions, and in no time they were parked in the driveway of one side of a duplex. The red brick exterior was complemented with tan woodwork, and the yard was well kept. Ellie peeked at the paper in Amanda's hands. “Are you sure this is the right address? ”

“Yes.” Amanda opened her door. “Come on. Let's go check it out.”

#

While holding Eddie in one hand, Lex opened the back door. “Come on in, guys.” She stepped back and allowed Chet, Roy and a surprise guest inside. “Helen, hi. I wasn't expecting you.”

“I know, but once Martha told me about your little guy, I had to come see him for myself.” Helen held out her hands. “May I? ”

“Sure.” Lex passed Eddie to her. “Would you like to take him into the den? I'll bring you some coffee.”

Helen smiled as Eddie gurgled and waved his hands. “That sounds great. Thank you.”

Roy watched his wife walk down the hall. “That young'un sure takes after you, boss.”

“Yeah. I got lucky there. He could have taken after my dad's side of the family.” Most of the Walters' were short, with ruddy complexions and muddy brown eyes. Lex and Hubert both favored their mother, for which Lex was eternally grateful. “So, you guys want some coffee, or do you want to go ahead and get the furniture moved? ”

Chet and Roy exchanged glances, and Chet shrugged. Roy took the lead. “Let's warm up with some coffee. It's not like we have that much to do around here today. We took care of the stock before we got here.”

“All right. You guys go on into the den, and I'll bring in a tray.” Lex gathered coffee mugs and the carafe, and carried the tray to the den. She grinned at how close the men sat to Helen, and almost laughed at the silly things they were saying to Eddie. “Chet, stop that. You're gonna make my son grow up to sound like an idiot.”

Chet looked up and blushed. “Aw, come on, Lex.”

She handed him the tray. “Make yourself useful and help pour.” Lex sat beside Helen and stretched her legs out. “Looks like you've made a friend.”

“He's adorable, Lex. Usually babies this age are afraid of people they don't know.”

“Yeah, it's weird. Mel wouldn't let anyone but us hold her until she was almost six months old. I guess Eddie's just social.”

Helen shook her head. “From what Martha told me, I think it's more than that. It sounds like his mother didn't have much to do with him, so maybe he's just starved for attention.”

“He'll surely get more than enough of that around here, ” Roy chimed in. “From the way things are going, he won't be walking until he starts school.”

Helen shot her husband a dirty look, but didn't relinquish her hold on the baby. “Don't you have some furniture to move? ”

Lex laughed. “Does this mean you want a baby, Helen? ” She almost choked on her laughter when Roy turned white.

“Are you kidding? I have more than enough children at the bunkhouse.” Helen kissed Eddie's head. “No, I think I'll just come by and spoil this little man.”

“Sounds good to me.” Lex put her mug on the coffee table. “If you don't mind hanging onto him for a few minutes, I'll show these two what needs to be moved.”

“Take your time. We're doing just fine, aren't we, Eddie? ”

Both men grumbled, but dutifully followed Lex out of the den.

#

Amanda and Ellie exited the car at the same time. They started up the walk, which was shared by both sides of the duplex. Ellie noticed that while the flowerbeds on the right were well-tended, the left-hand side was bare. “Do you have a green thumb, Amanda? ”

“I have more of a brown thumb. My grandmother has always said I could kill a plastic fern.” Amanda unlocked the door and opened it. The musty smell of a long-empty home assailed her senses. “Ugh.”

Ellie followed her inside and wrinkled her nose. “I don't care how cold it is outside, if I move in I'm opening every window for at least a week.” She looked around the main room. “I like the size of the living room.”

“The carpet is in good shape, too.” Amanda walked to the back of the room, which opened up into an eat-in kitchen. “New appliances.”

“Not like I'll be using them much.”

Amanda shook her finger at Ellie. “I know damned good and well you can cook, so don't try that line of bull on me.” She passed through the kitchen and down a short hallway. “Wow. Two nice-sized bedrooms and a little nook where you can put a desk. The guest bathroom is a little small, though.”

“Desk? What would I want with a desk? ” Ellie stepped around Amanda and looked around the master bedroom. “Ooh. Awesome size. And look, a walk-in closet.” She turned in a circle. “If I put twin beds in the other room, can the girls come over and visit? ”

“Sure, if you're brave enough.” Amanda opened a door on the far side of the room. “Wow. The master has a nice bathroom.”

Ellie peeked around her. “That's a huge shower, and a great tub on the other side of it.”

“I bet you could get at least two people in the tub, or shower, ” Amanda teased. She laughed when her comment got the expected result, and Ellie blushed. “Oh, come on. Don't tell me you didn't see that little rainbow flag sticker on the window next door.”

“Rainbow flag? ”

Amanda rolled her eyes as they returned to the living room. “You can't be that naï ve.”

“I'm not. I just don't remember seeing any stickers.”

A knock on the door caused both women to look at each other. They were surprised when the door opened and a slender red-headed man stuck his head inside.

“Hello, there! I hope I'm not disturbing you.” He opened the door the rest of the way with a flourish. “Please tell me you're moving in. I'd love to have family as neighbors.”

Ellie looked at Amanda in confusion. “Family? ”

The man covered his chest with one hand. “Oh, my. Please forgive my manners. I live next door with my two roommates. My name is Richie Childress.” He held out one hand to Amanda, palm down. “And you are? ”

Amanda took his hand. “Amanda Walters. This is my cousin, Ellie Gordon.”

“Cousin? ”

“By marriage, ” Ellie added. “I'm the one that's thinking about living here.”

“So, you two aren't a couple? ”

Ellie laughed. “Not hardly. My cousin, her wife, would take exception to that.”

Richie clapped his hands. “I love it. Would you two like to come next door for some coffee? ”

“Maybe once Ellie moves in. I'd like to get back before my daughters get home from school.” Amanda nudged Ellie. “You are going to take this place, aren't you? ”

“I guess I'll have to, since you've already got me moved in.” Ellie shook Richie's hand. “Can I have a rain check on the coffee? ”

He pulled her into a hug. “Of course, darling. Just give a knock when you come back. Kyle, Tony and I will help you get settled.” He waved at Amanda and left the room as quickly as he had arrived.

#

The last thing to move out of the guest bedroom was a nine drawer, hand-made, heavy oak dresser. Roy took out the first drawer and set it to the side.

“What are you doing? ” Chet asked.

“I'm taking out the drawers to make the damned thing lighter. Why? ”

Chet picked up the drawer and stuffed it back in place. “If you do that, we'll have to make several more trips. I'll take one end and you get the other.”

“Have you lost your mind? This thing weighs a ton.”

Lex came into the bedroom. “What's going on? ”

Roy pointed to Chet. “He thinks we can carry the dresser down without taking out the drawers.”

“Have you tried lifting it? ” Lex asked.

Chet picked up one end and set it down. “It's not that heavy. Come on, Roy. Piece of cake.”

“Yeah, okay. But you're going to be the one walking backward.” He lifted the end and groaned. “Are you sure about this? ”

Lex moved closer. “Do you need help on your end, Roy? ”

Roy grunted. “I think I've got it. Chet, you'd better get moving.”

“Try to keep up, old man, ” Chet joked. “Boss, you might want to go ahead of me.”

“All right. But holler if either one of you need any help.” She moved in front of Chet, but stayed close as they began to descend the stairs.

Chet shifted his grip when they got halfway down. “Hold on, Roy. It's starting to slip.”

Unable to stand idly by, Lex stepped behind him. “Need a hand? ”

“No, I don't think so.” Chet started moving again, but his boot heel caught on the edge of a step. “Shit! ” He tumbled backward and Roy was unable to stop the dresser from moving with him.

Lex lunged forward and leaned over Chet. She pushed at the top of the dresser to keep it off of him. “ Roy, drop your end and grab hold, ” she yelled. She felt a sharp pain in her back, but held firm. “Chet, can you get up? ”

“Yeah.” Chet slid down a few steps and got back to his feet. He took off his baseball cap and scratched his head. “Damn, that was close.”

“I could use some help here, ” Lex growled at him. “Help me turn it on its back and we'll slide it down the rest of the stairs.”

Roy wrestled with his end, but was able to help flip the dresser. “Why didn't we do this to begin with? ”

“Hell if I know.” Lex moved out of the way while they pushed. She leaned against the banister and tried to catch her breath. “When you get to the bottom, take the drawers out. And Chet? ”

“Yeah, boss? ”

“You get to carry every damned one of them to the truck.”

#

Amanda opened the back door and waved Ellie to go in front of her. “And when I told her about the house, she couldn't jump fast enough.”

“It's crazy, your sister and her husband buying my grandfather's house. Are you sure about the price? I don't need that much, since the duplex is roughly half the cost.” Ellie took off her coat and hung it. She helped Amanda with hers.

“Thanks. Jeannie and Rodney can afford it. Besides, it's still a bargain.” Amanda took a deep breath. “Mmm. Smells like stew.” She stepped into the kitchen, and was surprised to see Martha stirring a pot on the stove, and Charlie at the kitchen table, feeding Eddie a bottle. “Hi. Um, what are you two doing here? ”

Martha removed the wooden spoon from the pot, placed it on the counter, and put her hands on her hips. “Cooking dinner, of course. What does it look like? ”

Amanda walked over and gave her a hug. “No, I didn't mean it that way. But, when we left, Lex was here alone with Eddie.” She sat next to Charlie and looked at Eddie, who comfortably reclined in his portable car seat on the table. “Is grandpa taking good care of you? ”

“Of course I am, ” Charlie huffed. He wiped the milk off of Eddie's chin with a small cloth. “How did the house hunting go, Ellie? ”

“Really well. I found the perfect place on the other side of Somerville. It's only about fifteen minutes from Parkdale Hospital.” Ellie sat on the other side of Amanda and propped her elbow on the table. She rested her chin on her open hand. “I swear, that little guy looks just like Lex.”

Once Charlie removed the bottle, Amanda took Eddie out of the carrier. She smiled at Charlie when he draped a towel over her shoulder. “Thanks.” As she put Eddie on her shoulder and patted his diaper, Amanda looked at Ellie. “Everyone keeps saying how much Eddie favors Lex. I think it's great, because Melanie looks so much like me. And the older Lorrie gets, the more she's beginning to favor Frank.”

“Did it bother Lex that neither girl looked like her? ” Ellie asked.

Amanda shook her head. “Not at all. But I've always been fond of her looks, so I'm glad one of our kids will look like her.”

Martha snorted. “Hope he doesn't get the trouble-making gene from her.”

“Well, that's true. She does tend to get herself into messes, ” Amanda agreed. “Speaking of Lex, where is she? ”

Charlie and Martha exchanged glances, and he shrugged. “She's upstairs, resting.”

“What did she do? ” Amanda stood and gave Charlie a deadly look.

“Uh, well, ” he looked at his wife for help.

Martha took Eddie from Amanda. “Go on upstairs and talk to her. Dinner will be ready in about an hour.”

Amanda exhaled heavily. “I swear, if she was moving furniture after she promised not to, I'm going to kick her ass.” She continued to mumble as she stomped from the kitchen.

Ellie looked at Charlie and then Martha. “Is there anything I can do to help with dinner? Because I'm sure as hell not going upstairs right now.”

#

Amanda stood in the doorway of their bedroom and studied the still form on the bed. Lex was stretched out on top of the comforter, dressed but without her boots. One arm was over her face and she appeared to be asleep. “What am I going to do with you? ” Amanda whispered.

“Anything you want, ” Lex answered, just as quietly. She moved her arm and turned her head. “How did the house hunting go? ”

“Great. We found the perfect place for Ellie, and it's in Somerville.” Amanda stepped into the bedroom and closed the door behind her. She sat carefully on the bed beside Lex. “What happened to you? I thought you promised not to move any furniture.”

Lex held Amanda's hand. “I didn't. Move any furniture, that is.” She frowned as she thought about what to say. “I mean, not really.”

“Lex.”

“No, wait. Roy, Helen and Chet came over not long after you left. Helen fell in love with Eddie, by the way.”

Amanda couldn't help but smile. “Glad it's not just us.”

“Yeah. Anyway, the guys made pretty decent time clearing out the guest room until all that was left was the big dresser.”

“Ooh. I'd forgotten about that monster.” Amanda paused. “Wait a minute. You didn't help them move it, did you? ”

Lex shook her head. “No. Not on purpose, anyway.” She sighed. “ Roy wanted to take the drawers out to make it lighter, and Chet wanted to hurry up and finish. So, they decided to try and move it all at once.”

Amanda winced. “Either one of them need to go to the hospital for a hernia? ”

“Thankfully, no. I went downstairs first, then Chet. Roy made him walk backward, since it was his bright idea. About halfway down, Chet stumbled or something, and Roy couldn't hang on. I was right behind Chet, so I was at least able to hold it up long enough to keep him from being crushed.”

“Oh, my god. You held up one end? With your back? ” Amanda ran one hand along Lex's jaw. “What happened next, honey? ”

Lex closed her eyes for a moment and enjoyed Amanda's touch. “Um, let me think. Chet got up, we turned the dresser onto its back, and slid the damned thing down the stairs. I think we might have scratched it up some, but it's still in one piece.”

“I don't care about a stupid piece of furniture, Lex. How's your back? ”

Another heavy sigh was Lex's only answer. She opened her eyes when Amanda tugged on her hair. “I don't know. As soon as I reached out for that dresser, I felt something, almost like someone stabbed me in the back. But since I've been lying here, it's doing better.”

“Do you want me to take you to see Rodney? ” Amanda knew the answer before she asked.

“Nah. Let me see how it feels tomorrow. If it's still bothering me, we'll go in, okay? ”

Amanda unbuttoned Lex's shirt. “All right. But let's get you comfortable.”

“Thanks.” Lex grimaced as Amanda helped her sit up. “Martha got my boots off, but I really didn't want her undressing me like a child.”

“I don't see why not. Up.” With a tug on the jeans, Amanda waited until Lex raised her hips and then carefully slid them down her legs. “You are her child. And, no matter how old you get, you always will be.” She took the clothes to the bathroom and dumped them in the dirty clothes hamper. On her way back, Amanda stopped at their dresser and took out a pair of soft, flannel boxers and a tee shirt. “Lift your arms, honey.”

Lex rolled her eyes, but allowed Amanda to help dress her. “Thanks. Um, can you help me stand up? ”

“Whatever it is, I'd rather do it for you. I don't think you're in any shape to do much.”

“Yeah, but believe me, what I need to do, you can't help with.” Lex tipped her head toward the bathroom.

Amanda laughed. “All right. But hold on a moment.” She went to their closet and returned with a pair of crutches. “Here.” When Lex opened her mouth to argue, Amanda held up a finger. “Hush. Do me a favor and use these, please? I don't think I can pick you up off the floor if something happens.”

“You don't play fair, ” Lex griped, but she stood and tucked the crutches under her arms.

“And I never will, where you're involved.” Amanda kissed Lex on the chin. “I'm going to run downstairs. Will you be okay? ”

“Sure.” Lex looked longingly at the closed bedroom door. “The girls should be home soon. Can I—”

Amanda covered Lex's mouth with her hand. “I'll send them up after we get back from the bus stop. When you see her, ask Ellie about her new neighbors.”

Lex raised an eyebrow and licked Amanda's hand.

“Ew, gross.” Amanda wiped her hand on Lex's shirt. “I hate when you do that.”

“Maybe one of these days you'll think about that before you cover my mouth.” Lex kissed Amanda on the lips. “Send Ellie up in a few minutes. I'd like to hear how y'all's day went.” She slowly made her way to the bathroom, still smiling about how much fun it was to mess with her wife.

#

Lex was still laughing at Ellie's impersonation of her new neighbor, when she heard two sets of small feet racing up the stairs.

“Momma! ” Melanie squealed as she ran toward the bed.

Ellie held out her hands to keep the girl from jumping on Lex. “Be careful, Mel. Your momma isn't feeling well.”

Melanie stopped in her tracks, a few feet away, while Lorrie came into the room with a little more decorum. “Hi, Momma.” She gave her sister a nasty look. “Mommy told us to be careful. Remember, Mel? ”

“Uh huh.” Melanie moved closer. “I just wanted to give Momma a hello hug.”

Lex opened her arms. “You still can, sweetheart. But no jumping on the bed.” She winked at Ellie as Melanie carefully climbed into her arms. “How about you, lil' bit? ”

Lorrie put her hands on her hips. “It won't hurt you? ”

“Not getting a hug would hurt worse, ” Lex promised her solemnly. She grinned as she was quickly covered by her children.

Ellie stood. “I think I'll let you enjoy the girls, and go see if I can help with dinner.” She had only stayed to keep Lex company.

“Will you play a game with us later, El? ” Melanie asked. “We haven't seen you in forever.”

“Sure thing. How about after dinner? ”

Both girls cheered, then got into an argument over which game to play. Ellie left them to decide, while she made a quick exit.

“Old Maid, ” Melanie started.

“Sorry, ” Lorrie countered.

“Old Maid! ”

“Sorry! ”

“Old—”

Lex covered Melanie's mouth, since she was the closest. “Enough! If you can't decide together, there will be no game playing tonight.” She removed her hand. “And use your inside voice, before your mom comes upstairs and gets after all of us.”

Melanie's lower lip quivered. “I'm sorry, Momma.”

“Me too.” Lorrie snuggled closer and put her head on Lex's shoulder. “Mommy said your back hurts. Are you going to the doctor to get better? ”

“Um, well, I—”

“She is, if it isn't better tomorrow, ” Amanda answered from the doorway. She came in and sat on the edge of the bed and put her hand on Lex's leg. “Isn't that right, Momma? ”

Lex bit off a nasty retort. “Yep. I sure will.” The look she gave Amanda added a few choice thoughts to her words. “Want to join us for a little while, Mommy? ”

“Oh, I don't know. Is there enough room for me? ”

Both girls answered her at the same time. “Yes! ”

“All right. Scoot over.” Amanda joined her family, taking time to tickle each girl before settling down.