[Intertwined Souls 05.0] No Good Deed Read online

  “Um, no. She tried, but she couldn’t focus properly and she threw it on the ground. She’s got Jasper on her lap at the moment,” Zoe replied. Tessa met Zoe’s gaze and Zoe shrugged. “I don’t think she’s going to give you any problems, but it won’t hurt if you gently followed up what I said to her.”

  “Was it difficult to get her to agree?

  Zoe sighed and stopped shucking the beans. “She was so angry yesterday that she couldn’t even look at me. She refused, again, to use the wheelchair, and she came into the kitchen with those damn canes.”

  “I see you had consensus on what to do with the canes and seeing that they are out on the lawn, I’m going to guess that the talk with her went well?”

  “I threw them out and told her the only way she was getting them back was if she was able to go down those stairs on her own,” Zoe explained. “That wasn’t what I was going to do, but the idea just hit me and out the canes went.”

  “That doesn’t matter. I get patients angry with me all the time, and if it gets them to do the right thing, they can stay angry at me.”

  “You’re not married to your patients, Aunt Stella.”

  Tessa made a noise halfway between a snort and a cough, making Zoe look up. “She is married to one of her patients.”

  “Yes, and my favorite patient no less.” Stella turned to look at Tessa and blew her a kiss. “My favorite patient refuses to listen to me as well.”

  “Not all the time, angel,” Tessa responded and laughed.

  “Must be a Mitsos trait,” Zoe muttered.

  “You’re not far from the truth, Zoe. Stubbornness is one of their beautiful qualities,” Stella responded, only to have Tessa poke out her tongue at her. “She’s in her wheelchair, so that’s a start, and she’s not using the canes. We don’t have to worry about her slipping. I’ll go over and see to my second favorite patient.” She walked out of the kitchen.

  “She did her hand exercises this morning even without me saying anything.” Zoe smiled at Tessa. “I’m not sure if she’s doing it so I won’t get upset again, or if she’s doing it because she wants to.”

  “A little of both,” Tessa replied and sat down next to Zoe. “After Stella gets her annoyed, I’ll have a chat with her.”

  “Evy’s wearing her sunglasses, so Aunt Stella’s brightness won’t induce a migraine.” Zoe giggled.

  ***

  “Tag, I’m it,” Tessa quietly announced when Stella came back inside twirling her yellow stethoscope in her hand. She allowed Stella to pass through the screen door and then walked down the steps leading to the back yard.

  Tessa glanced at the canes lying haphazardly on the grass and quietly walked over to where Eva was sitting. Stella had left the wicker chair she had taken from the porch.

  Eva looked up and sighed. “I see Zoe called in the big guns this morning.”

  Tessa smiled. She sat down and faced Eva. “Normally I would take you by the hand and be gentle.”

  “But? I sense a ‘but’ coming.”

  “Yes, there is a ‘but’ coming. It’s time to stop behaving like a child, Eva.”

  Eva sighed heavily and looked away. Tessa was having none of that, so she reached out and gently turned Eva’s face towards her.

  “You are a thirty-year-old woman and you’re going to be a mother, but you are behaving like a two-year-old. When your daughter is two, are you going to tell her that she can throw things when she doesn’t get her way?”

  “Not fair, Aunty. I’m not throwing a tantrum.”

  “You are doing that. You got away with it since you’ve been back from the hospital, but it has to end today. Life isn’t fair, but look at what you do have. You have a woman that loves you so much she is willing to put up with your stubbornness.”

  “Have you met the woman I love? She’s the queen of stubbornness!”

  “I have met her and she is getting in a lot of practice on being a mother with you. She doesn’t need to be a mother right now. She is your wife, the woman who is going to give birth to your babies, and when that time comes, she will be a mother as you will be. Right now, she’s not your mother but your lover. This woman has done so much for you.”

  “I’ve been there for Zoe… Are you saying I haven’t?”

  Tessa took Eva’s hands and held them. She reached out and cupped Eva’s cheek. “You know what I’m about to say is said out of love and not to hurt you. You have not been there for Zoe. She’s pregnant with twins and trying to keep you in line. That’s a difficult job even with the help she is getting from all of us.” Tessa gazed into Eva’s eyes through the sunglasses. She took off Eva’s glasses and put them on her lap. “I want you to look at me; don’t look away.”

  “I am looking at you.”

  “Eva, I love you dearly, but you are one of the most stubborn people I have ever met. You have to stop resisting. You are not warring against your stepfather but against Zoe.”

  Tessa saw Eva wince at the mention of her stepfather and knew it was the right comparison to make. It got through to her stubborn niece. “You can’t heal if you are not prepared to listen to your doctor and to take your medication.”

  “I am listening. I’m doing my exercises…”

  “You’re not taking your medication, you’re not resting, and you’re walking around with those canes. Zoe worries so much about you that she hasn’t got time to take care of herself.”

  “I didn’t know Zoe came to you to tell you our dirty laundry,” Eva muttered as she looked away.

  Tessa waited for Eva to turn towards her, which she eventually did. “That was uncalled for. Zoe doesn’t air your dirty laundry with me, and taking that defensive tone isn’t going to make me go away.”

  “Sorry,” Eva mumbled. “The canes are over there.” Eva waved her hand to indicate where the canes were lying. “Zoe threw them out last night. I suppose she told you that.”

  “What made Zoe so mad she threw them out?”

  Eva looked up into the heavens and sighed. “I wasn’t using the wheelchair and she is worried that I would slip and hit my head.”

  “What do you think would happen if you fell and hit your head?”

  “It wouldn’t be good.”

  “It would be catastrophic for you. You had a brain bleed, Evy. Your poor brain can’t take any more injuries to it. Don’t you understand that?”

  “I do.”

  “You say you do, but your actions say otherwise. Have you thought about what it would do to Zoe if you got hurt again?”

  “No.”

  “Let’s not find out, alright? You are to use the wheelchair.”

  Eva nodded and looked away. She sighed and closed her eyes. “I didn’t hurt myself,” she said and turned to Tessa. “I fell over the other day in the bathroom.”

  “You were lucky this time.”

  Eva let her head drop and shook her head. “I know.”

  “When we leave, you are going to tell Zoe the truth.”

  “Isn’t she under enough stress? Do I have to add to it?”

  “I thought the two of you didn’t have secrets?”

  “We don’t but…”

  “You either have secrets or you don’t. This is a huge secret, Eva. She will be upset with you and she has every right to be, but you have to tell her.”

  “Alright,” Eva replied softly.

  “As for medications…”

  “Are we going through everything now?”

  Tessa raised her eyebrows, and Eva hung her head and indicated for her aunt to continue.

  “Zoe is worried about you so much she’s not getting the rest she needs. She’s pregnant with twins. Do you know how hard that is on her body? Have you stopped to think about that?

  “It’s a lot of effort.”

  “Yes, it is, and you are not helping.”

  “I’m the one with morning sickness.”

  “Yes, but that doesn’t mean she isn’t feeling it. Being pregnant is hard, Evy. When I was pregnant with Tommy, I felt
awful most of the time. Zoe is handling this so well. I’m surprised she didn’t throw out those canes weeks ago.”

  “I know she’s having a difficult time; I’m not stupid.”

  “No, you’re not, but you are feeling so despondent that you don’t know how to deal with Zoe’s discomfort. One way is to stop resisting and just do as you are told.”

  “Yes, I know. I promised Zoe I would.”

  “Good. Now don’t go back on your word. Why are you so despondent? It’s taking time for you to heal, but that is normal. You can’t go back to how you were in a matter of weeks.”

  “My skin feels itchy and I get chills all the time. The drugs are making me see things—I’m seeing things like books flying, dead people…”

  “What? You’re seeing dead people? Who?” Tessa felt uncertain if it was Eva’s head injury or if it was the gifts.

  “I saw my mother yesterday. I talked to her like she was still alive and in my room.” Eva paused before she shook her head. “She touched me and it felt so real. My chest hurt because I knew it wasn’t real. Was it real?”

  “No, it wasn’t real,” Tessa said and hoped it was just Eva’s medication that was causing her to hallucinate. An appearance by her dead mother would indicate Eva’s gifts were far stronger than they thought. Eva’s gifts were there, but they were weak compared to Irene’s or Tessa’s.

  “See? I knew it.”

  “Oh, Evy.” Tessa put her arm around Eva’s shoulders. “I know this is hard and I’m not trying to make you feel worse. I love you dearly and I’m only doing what’s best for you and for Zoe.”

  “I know, but it’s not just hard; it’s maddening. The other day I forgot Ourania had kittens and I saw Uno—”

  “Uno?”

  Eva shook her head slowly. “Zoe has named the kittens after Italian numbers. I don’t know why, but they’re um…Uno, Due, Tre, Quattro, and um…”

  “Cinque,” Tessa supplied. “You actually did quite well for someone with memory problems.”

  “Yes, well, I’m getting quizzed on them every day by Zoe. It’s a good thing Ourania didn’t have more than five kittens. I really don’t know who is who because they all look the same to me, but Zoe knows. I just guess a name and hope it’s right,” Eva said and shrugged. “I saw this kitten roaming around and I’d forgotten why we have kittens and where they came from.”

  “That’s not a big thing.”

  “No, it’s not. The other day I wanted to call out to Zoe and I couldn’t.” Eva looked away. Tessa watched her trying not to break down and her heart went out to her. Eva turned back and wiped her eyes with the back of her hand. “I forgot her name.”

  Tessa looked down at the rabbit in Eva’s lap. “I wish I could say that this will be over soon, but it won’t. It will take time. You have to be patient.”

  “Yes, I have to be patient and…”

  “And?”

  “I don’t want to discuss it,” Eva mumbled. She looked away, but Tessa gently tipped her face towards her.

  “What is it?”

  “It’s…um…nothing…” Eva responded. A pink flush infused her cheeks, which made Tessa smile. Eva sighed. “Do you have to do that?”

  “I haven’t done anything other than sit here. It doesn’t take a gifted one to see you want to talk about sex.”

  “Aunty!” Eva exclaimed and covered her face with her hands.

  Tessa pulled Eva’s hands away from her face. Eva stared back at her with such a comical look on her face that Tessa couldn’t help but laugh. “Oh my goodness, you are adorable,” she said and hugged Eva before she sat back down.

  “What is it that you want to ask me?”

  “Nothing.”

  “Come on now. Do you want me to call Ste—”

  “No!” Eva said quickly and shook her head. “Um…when I’m not seeing dead people or flying books or forgetting names, I’m…um…”

  “I think the word you are looking for is aroused.”

  Eva dropped her chin to her chest and groaned. “You are not making this easy.”

  “Thank you,” Tessa said and patted Eva’s knee feeling very pleased with herself that she got Eva reacting to her rather than concentrating on things that were making her so despondent. “I’ll stop teasing you if you tell me what you want to ask.”

  Eva did a quick look around before she turned back to her aunt. “I know I shouldn’t, but I’m finding Zoe so gorgeous and so…”

  “Sexy?”

  Eva’s groan rumbled in her chest as she nodded. “Yes, if you want to use that word.”

  “Pregnant women are very sexy, or so Stella tells me. She used to tell me every day and show—” Tessa found herself with Eva’s hand over her mouth. She smiled.

  “I don’t want to know what Stella did,” Eva said slowly as she pulled her hand back.

  Tessa’s smile widened. She took Eva’s hand into her own. “It’s alright to feel the way you are feeling. It’s been a while since you made love to Zoe, and you are feeling more yourself, or near enough.”

  “Will I hurt the babies if we make love?”

  Tessa shook her head and tried not to laugh. “No, not if you are gentle with her, but things may be different. Zoe is learning how to deal with her own body at the moment so…what she found arousing before she may not like now,” Tessa said delicately. Eva was still blushing. “Let Zoe lead.”

  “’kay,” Eva mumbled shyly.

  “Do you want me to change the subject?” Eva nodded her head like one of those novelty items Tessa had seen of a giant head with a spring attached to them. “Are you up to seeing some art?”

  “Oh, no, not your art, Aunty. I don’t think I can handle seeing more of your art right now.”

  “Tsk, would I show you art that will upset you?”

  “Tough love,” Eva muttered and smiled at Tessa. “No, I guess not.”

  “Good.” Tessa reached into her handbag and brought out a folded piece of paper. “I drew this in 1945,” she said and opened up the folded paper. She looked down at the art with a smile. It was a scene of pure love. It depicted Zoe sitting on a rocking chair with a baby cradled in her arms, a bassinet before her. Another bassinet was at her right side. Behind her, Eva was burping another baby, her head wrapped up in a colorful scarf. She handed the paper to Eva.

  Eva fell silent. She looked up at Tessa and then back down at the artwork. “That’s us.”

  “It is,” Tessa added. “It’s so beautiful.”

  “You even added Mutti,” Eva whispered and traced the image of Daphne, who appeared to the left of the art. “Was that wishful thinking?”

  “More than likely,” Tessa replied.

  “Who’s that?” Eva pointed to the tall woman beside her mother.

  “I don’t know who that woman is, but she has shown up many times in my artwork.”

  “She has? How many times?”

  “I’ve been drawing her since I was able to draw, and she has appeared so many times I’ve lost count. First time I drew her I was ten.”

  “That’s quite a mystery… Maybe it will finally be solved.”

  “I wouldn’t count on this mystery being solved.”

  “Why?”

  “This woman has shown up in my art before and I haven’t met her, even when what had transpired in the art occurred.”

  “That’s perfect. Zoe can try and figure this out and forget how much of a trouble I’ve been to her.”

  Tessa shook her head slowly. “Evy, there are not enough mysteries in this world to make Zoe forget anything having to do with you.”

  “Let’s hope I don’t wake up one day and forget her,” Eva said in a whisper.

  “Sweetie, you have a temporary memory loss. You haven’t got dementia.” Tessa chuckled.

  CHAPTER 27

  Eva sat outside just where Tessa had left her. She still felt acutely embarrassed having asked her aunt about making love to Zoe. She sighed heavily knowing she wasn’t going to be doing anything of the sor
t for some time.

  When Tessa played ‘tag’ with Stella, Eva knew she was going to get her aunt’s straight talking—no nonsense opinion. That is exactly what she got. It left her feeling metaphorically bruised. Tessa was right, of course—she was behaving like a child and being unfair to those who were nursing her, and more importantly, to Zoe.

  Eva didn’t have a chance to think about Tessa’s intervention when she heard a noise behind her. She turned to see Henry ‘accidentally’ tripping over her canes. She watched her best friend playing with the canes for a moment as a smile creased her lips. His broken leg from the accident had healed and he was looking quite healthy. Henry tapped the canes with his foot and picked up one of them before he continued towards her. He smiled as he leaned down and gave her a kiss on the cheek.

  Henry took the seat that had been vacated by Tessa and sat down. “Well, isn’t it nice under this tree?”

  “I take it Zoe called you as well?”

  “Good morning, Henry, how are you? How’s your leg? I’m feeling better, Evy, thank you for asking. My shoulder has also healed up nicely.” Henry’s teasing earned him a wry smile from Eva. “Now that the cast is off your leg, would you like the canes that are lying on the grass over there? It would be such a waste not to use them.” Henry continued the imaginary conversation.

  “Stop that.”

  “Why? I’m enjoying our little chat.”

  Eva put her sunglasses on, wrapped the shawl tighter around her, and scowled. “Did Zoe call you?”

  “No, Zoe did not call me. I called Zoe and she told me you were being your usual moody self when you’re ill. Zoe suggested you might like to hear all about Lambros Steel and the construction,” Henry responded and tapped Eva on the leg with the cane.

  “She did? I do want to hear about it.”

  “My lovely bride-to-be also told me what a splendid patient you are and how co-operative and easy you are to nurse. I was so shocked; I thought she may have taken a few of your pills.”

  “Henry…”

  “Yes, Evy?”

  Eva shook her head. “Does she think I’m just too difficult?”