Chapter 8

Booth watched Lydia’s face after the doctor told her that she was paralyzed. He could see disbelief on her face as well as bits of anger. The thing that the doctor didn’t know or seem to understand was that she was healing. Just this morning, he’d noticed that she could wiggle her toes. A large feat if you asked him about it.

“Do you have any questions, Lydia?” She just stared at the doctor. “I know this is a great deal to take in, but we’re all here for you should you think of something later that you have questions about. We’re here for you.”

The doctor was gone for a good twenty minutes before she turned and looked at him. There was pain there, not from her body but from her heart. She asked him what was going to happen to her now.

“I’m not sure what that means.” She told him that she wasn’t going to be able to walk again, not to mention to have sex. “Yes, well, I’m not sure that you have to worry about any of that. I told you yesterday that you wiggled your toes. I think that once I’m able to claim you, as my gorilla really wants to do, then you’re going to see vast improvements all over your body.”

“How do you know.” He touched his finger to her toe and asked her if she could feel it. “Yes, but that’s just my toe, not my legs. I wouldn’t count that as a big win when I’m not going to be able to do anything other than to just sit around in a wheelchair for the rest of my life. And from what you told me yesterday, that’s going to be forever.”

The day before yesterday and last night again, they’d talked about her being his mate. She sometimes had to have him repeat it several times, but he thought for sure that she understood that now. Sometimes, she’d ask him a question that he’d answered before, but that was all right as well. It was a great deal to take in, and a lot of stress going along with it. Today was just for him answering questions after the doctor left. He didn’t much care for the man. He seemed like he had more important things to do other than to answer questions for her but with Falkner around most of the time, they were understanding more and more about what was going on than when he’d been explaining it to them.

Just as he was thinking of his younger brother, he walked into the door with not just food for the three of them, but he told her that he had good news for them as well. There wasn’t any time for them to eat as Lydia was peppering him with questions about what he’d been able to find out.

“There is swelling along your spine that is causing the paralysis. I’m not entirely sure where he got that you had a broken back, but it looks like the swelling is going down.” He looked at her with a wink. “There was a break in your spine, but since Booth has been hanging around with you more and more, it looks as if you’re healing on your own. With his magic, I guess.”

“I’ve been meaning to ask you something. Do you heal your patients when you’re around them?” Good question, he thought and waited on his answer with Lydia. “I mean, he’s just been hanging around, as you said, which I have to say, he must have more important things to do other than that, but he won’t leave, and I guess I’m fine with that too. He’s like some old mold. He’s beginning to grow on me.”

“I’m betting that he loves hearing that too. But no, I don’t heal them because they’re not my mate. Nor have I claimed them as my family.” He laughed. “I actually thought of that as well when I first started out. But no, I don’t heal them unless it’s by prescription or other means. But that is a great question. How are you dealing with all of this?”

“I have no idea. One minute, I’m all right. The next, I’m upset that that man hurt me and thinks that he should be treated special because of what he is. Bastard. I wonder how he treats his family.” Booth answered that question for her. “Just as I thought. He’s a bastard to everyone he’s around. His poor family must be happy that he’s in jail right now. I know that I am.”

By the time Falkner left, she was able to bend her ankle. Being told to take it easy so that she’d not be sore, she told him that she wanted so badly to get out of bed and dance. Not that she could, but that was what she wanted to do more than anything. Just get out and move.

After Falkner left them, they didn’t speak for a while. Booth did hold her hand. There was something so comforting about it that he watched as she started to drift off. By the time she was sleeping soundly, he was getting tired himself. It had been a long few days, and he wanted to take her home with him and heal her completely. But this way was better. She’d be healing a little at a time and that wouldn’t make anyone suspicious about her being better so quickly.

Getting up to walk around, his body becoming stiff just sitting there, he went to the window and looked out onto the gardens below. There were staff out there having their lunch, and he watched as they fed the birds some of their crumbs. Laughing when one of the bolder birds landed on the table they were sitting on, he managed to get away with nearly half a slice of bread and take it to the trees where he was sure his family was. Animals were a great distraction when it came to having to think about the bad news that this entire thing could have been.

Booth thought about the translations he was doing for the government. They’d been able to find more papers in the small room that had been discovered. For their cooperation in letting the government have the paperwork that they’d found, they were paying for the renovation of the house for the couple. They were more than a little pleased with the arrangements and Booth was happy about it as well. It seemed like they were all coming out ahead on this.

“Did you know that you talk to yourself?” He turned and smiled at Lydia. “I thought that you were talking to me, but then I realized that you weren’t. What are you talking about that seems so important to you?”

He told her about the papers that had been found and anything else about the work that he was going to cheer her up. He also told her that he’d been able to find several more recipes in the same hand and that he was going to find someone to cook them for him. The one that he really wanted was the roast quail with pine nuts.

“I don’t think that I’ve ever had quail of pine nuts, but the little bits of notes that they put in the lines of ingredients that make me think that I’ll like it.” She asked him about the notes. “It’s funny really. It talks about how an aunt doesn’t care for the nuts, so they have to leave them out for her and that one of the nephews doesn’t care for quail, so they tell him that it’s chicken and he’s been devouring it.”

“My grandma used to do that to me. Tell me it was chicken when it wasn’t. We had lamb one year for easter. I don’t have to tell you what a disaster that was for us. My questioning mind wanted to know why there were these large lamb chops when I hadn’t ever seen a chicken with a chop before. Turns out she finally had to tell me the truth, and I never trusted her about chicken or food for that matter ever again.” He told her about broccoli and how he had hated it until he tried it. “Yes, I can see a kid doing that. Broccoli does look odd, and to think that it’s a vegetable is really off-putting. For me, anyway.”

They talked about their childhood, getting around to her injuries as well. When she seemed to be drifting off again, he didn’t say anything to her but watched as her eyes closed slower and slower. When it seemed that she was out, he pulled himself over a chair and began reading some more of the transcripts.

The notes, like he’d observed before seemed to have been jots of notes that someone wrote down to remember something for later. The author, a man by the name of William S. Prater, would also cut out clippings of the paper and put them into his notes as well. There were a great deal of misspelled words as well as his translation of things, like the billboards that he would read, was a bit off but he usually got the drift of things and did a good job. It was enjoyable to him and to Jamie about how much the man seemed to have an opinion about nearly everything, from politics to the growing of apples.

Reading a passage about the weather, it was cold, and the snow was piling up. He went on to explain how he was going to go through his wood before the season was nearly over. Also, he seemed to have a good accounting of the people in town, too. The man was a savant gossiper as well as someone who was free with his opinions about how people raised their children.

Since he did mention several times that he had none of his own, it was also funny to him that he thought that he could do a much better job than anyone else when it came to disciplining them as well. He was a ‘spare the rod, spoil the child’ sort of man.

There were prices of cattle, pigs, and corn that he would ruminate about as well. He felt that if he were in charge of such things, the country would be better off not paying the farmers for their product because it was for the good of the country. Booth had to laugh when he figured out on his own that it was farmers who kept the world going and that not paying them could and would lead to harder times. He also didn’t mind admitting when he was wrong either. Which, by Booth’s accounting, wasn’t all that often.

When he had about enough of William, he’d turn to looking things up on the internet. Nothing as profoundly as what he was reading but just little tidbits of things that he thought were interesting. Nothing to do with politics or the price of grain. He liked thinking that he was living in a time when he could afford to be a part of both and not have to worry about the consequences of talking about either or both of them.

Like his brothers, he loved to go to auctions and found one on Saturday that he might want to go to. There wasn’t any real estate for the auction, but he did look it up when it mentioned the realtor. Finding out the name of the place that was representing the family involved, he called them up and asked about the house. It was for sale, but she, a nice woman said that she thought that they were asking entirely too much for the house and it wouldn’t sell without a lot of work done on it too.

“The kitchen dates back to the eighties. There is carpet throughout the place that should have been replaced decades ago. Also, the roof needs to be replaced as well as the furnace and air. I’d not buy it for the asking price. I know that it’s a sale for me but they’re asking prices of the place when it was a booming town. We’re not that anymore around here.” He asked her the price. “Nearly half a million. Also, I forgot to mention that there is nothing in the way of land either. A quarter of an acre is all. It’s not going to sell unless they drop the price to about a tenth of that. And maybe not even then.”

“What can you tell me about the contents?” She told him that the last that she’d heard, they had a minimum price on everything, and even that was too high. “I see. So there is going to be a lot of standing around and no one getting any good deals. I’ll pass.”

“I don’t blame you, Booth. But wait a moment. If you’re looking for a house, I have one that’s not even on the market yet. The family just decided last weekend that they wanted to sell. Let me get the paperwork for you.” When she came back on the line not only did she have an address but told him that she’d meet him out there if he wanted to go. “I’m supposed to meet another couple out there in an hour, but they’ve been changing the time for the last several days. If you want to meet me there in about half an hour, I can go over the house with you even if they don’t show up.”

“Great. I have to get someone to watch over my mate here, so I’ll meet you there.” He reached out to his dad and told him what he was doing. When he said that he and his mom were in town, they were there before he got off the phone with Bonnie Andrews. “I have someone coming in. As soon as they arrive, I’ll drive out.”

Lydia woke up just as he was leaving. After telling her what was going on, she wished that she could go with him. While she knew that she couldn’t he did promise her that he’d take lots of pictures of the place so that he could show it to her. Once he was at the house, he thought for sure that he had the wrong place. The front lawn of the place looked like it was doubling as a trash heap, and there were garbage bags all over the front of the street as well. He was ready to leave when Bonnie showed up.

“I swear it didn’t look like this when I was given the paperwork on it.” She handed him what she had. “Look? There isn’t even a front porch on the place much less this mess. There has to be a mistake here, and if you give me a few minutes, I’ll get to the bottom of this. I have a feeling that no one has been out here since these pictures were taken a few months ago.”

He stayed near his car as she talked to her home office. While waiting, he pulled out his phone and began looking at the other auctions that were going on. He wasn’t going to go to the one that had a price listed for items, but now that he’d thought about it, he wanted to hit one up, if for no other reason than to get out and around people who would be excited to be there.

People, as far as he could understand, were of two minds when it came to auctions. They were there to either flip the stuff they bought or were looking for a good deal on things for their own home or someone else’s and were tight with their cash. He was in the latter of the two. He wanted a good deal for a good item.

He found three that he had earmarked for this coming weekend and Bonnie had found out that the address had been printed wrong on all the paperwork. Even the contracts that had been from the other couple had been wrong. She pointed to the correct house, just one street over, and they headed that way.

As soon as he pulled into the drive, he was in love. Sending a picture of the front of the house to Lydia via his father’s phone, she called him right away. He was laughing even as he got out of his car and telling her about the mess up.

“Good. I mean, I love it when a person admits that they made a mistake. I’ll be happy to work with someone like her.” He told her that he would as well and put the chat on video so that she could see the house as he did. It was a good deal more exciting than he thought it would have been buying himself a house.

~*~

Lydia was glad that he was making her a part of the buying of the house. Not that she was ready to move in with him yet, but it was fun to think that they were this far along in their relationship. Not that they had one as yet but they were slowly working on it.

“I don’t much care for the front doors. They’ll have to go.” She asked him what was wrong with them. “They’re all right in that they’re double doors, but they’re just wood, and if I were going to be greeting people when they come to the house, I want to see them first.”

“Now that you mention it, that is a good idea. And I can almost see a glass-fronted door decorated at Christmas, too. With all kinds of lights and such.” He said he’d never decorated at Christmas before as he only lived in an apartment. “We’ll have to go all out if we get the house. Or any house, for that matter. I’ve not had a good Christmas in about a decade. Not to mention, your brother Cullen will be home this year so that’ll be fun to go all out with him around.”

“I love that idea.” The kitchen in the place was going to need some work. It looked as if someone had started on it and then gave up about halfway through the project. He told her that he cooked and asked her if she did. “Not so much as I’d depend on me cooking for us nightly. I can only cook things that I have a good recipe for, but nothing while trying to wing it. Your mom was telling me that she has a nice herb garden that she uses year-round, and Waylon is going to have one put in for him as well. I don’t know that I’d venture that far.”

They talked about the house and the yard. There was a fenced in backyard but no pool. Neither of them knew if they wanted one or not but thought that they could get to that later. They both liked that it had six big bedrooms and bathrooms as well as a back porch that was completely screened in with a dry bar and large grill. That was something that he would look forward to more than anything.

“The house has a new furnace.” Bonnie told them both of all the new things that the house had, as well as a couple of things that it would need immediately. The grounds would need to be brought back up to something manageable as well as the garage. There was an apartment over the garage that would serve as a nice office, but since he didn’t really need one and he didn’t know what it was that Lydia did for a living, they let it go for now. He’d find out that information later when they were talking more together.

They decided to make an offer on the house right away before the other paperwork was given to the other couple, and she said that she’d get back to him. He didn’t know if the offer would be accepted. It was far below what was being asked but with the work that needed to be done, it was good for him. He asked her about auctions.

“I’ve never been to one before. Garage sales? Yes, plenty of them. My sister used to clothe her children with those all the time. I don’t know what she does now as she’s moved to Europe with her husband and kids. I’ve not seen her in years. I think that we get along better that way.” He told her he did wonder if she had family. “I do. A sister, whom I’ve mentioned, as well as an older brother. He’s nearly old enough to be my dad. Shawn and Lynn. Both are married, though, like I said, I don’t see them much. My parents are in Europe as well and I’ve not spoken to them in longer than my sister and brother. We don’t really see eye to eye about a lot of things.”

“I’m sorry to hear about that. I don’t know what I’d do if I didn’t have my family around all the time. Do you expect them to know about your accident? Or that we’ve met?” She told him that she doubted that they’d care one way or another. They really didn’t get along. “That’s so sad. Like I said, I love mine.”

They talked about the house and other things on his way back to the hospital. When he arrived, Dad had gone out and gotten them food. Lydia could now bend her knee, and the doctor knew about it. He’d tested her reflexes and found out that she was finally on the mend. They were all happy about that, and she was happy the most. She’d be walking before too much longer and that was something that they could all get behind.

Even though she’d seen the house with the chat, he showed her the pictures that he had taken. Mostly, it was the kitchen, and she agreed with him that it needed to be the most worked on. About the time his parents had left, saying that they’d go with him to the auction on Saturday, they’d heard back from the family that owned the house, and they made a counteroffer.

“I’d say that you should turn him down. Even though what he’s asking isn’t too much off of what you offered, I’d still wait on your price. It’s a good offer, and with the work that you need to pay for, I think he’s going to be lucky to get as much as you’re offering. However, if he looks as if he’s going to walk away, I’ll counter with something more reasonable for you.” He told her that he liked that idea after talking it over with Lydia. “Also, he’s not going to pay for insurance on the house. The kind that if there is something major that needs to be done that wasn’t disclosed, it’ll pay for it. I’d demand that if I were you. It’s a lovely home, and I heard your wife decorating for Christmas, but it’s not going to be worth it if you have to put in an entire septic system three days after you close on the house.”

He loved Bonnie. And he was going to suggest to everyone that he knew to use her as she was honest and upfront with him about the things going on in the house. She also told him about the other couple canceling on her again, even after giving them the new address of the house.

“I think they just like the idea of buying a house instead of actually buying one. I run into people like that all the time. They like to play at it and not really have the funds nor the wherewithal to get a house no matter what kind of price they get for it.” She laughed. “My in-laws are like that. Wanting a new home simply because they’re sick of the one they’ve lived in for the last thirty or so years but don’t have the money to move or to be moved. I believe that happens to a lot of older people, too. They realize that they have a house that is much too large for the two of them, and the kids don’t want it.”

It was late, too late, he thought, for them to hear from the couple that owned the house, so he made his way home after telling Lydia good night. She was doing so much better and he was glad to see that the doctors were making her take it easy with her moving her body. He would claim her soon, just to make sure that all her other wounds were healed. Dad he was glad was able to tell them about the senator and his woes about what was going on with him and the accident.

“He’s been arrested and without bond. The amount of coke and things that he had in his truck made them think that he wasn’t going to be an easy person to hold in town. So they put him in jail, took his passport from him and his wife, and seized his bank accounts. The man is in for a great deal of money because of the deaths that he caused—two more people have died as a result of the accident, and that’s not setting well with anyone.” Lydia asked about her situation. “He caused the accident. It doesn’t matter if you healed or not. He was the cause of a great deal of anguish and suffering on your part. Not to mention all the damage that he did to that intersection. There were a great many people hurt solely because of him running a red light.”

After Dad and his mom left, Lydia looked pensive. Like she was afraid of the man getting away with basically murder. She asked him what he’d do if it came to her pressing charges or not.

“You did the movement that he ran you into the oncoming traffic, and he caused the accident. You can sue him, too, as well, for what my dad was saying about it but I’d think that there is no way he’s going to be getting off the hook anytime soon. If ever. The man is a horrific person, and the sooner he has to pay, the better off the roads, and people driving on them will be safer. Dad seems to think that he’d done something like this before. Maybe not killed anyway, but he’d bet that he’d been responsible for a lot of people injured. He was having his name put out there in other states, too. That might not bring anything, but it might, too. You never know about people.” Lydia said that she hated that he had a family that was going to be dragged through all of this. “I bet, if I were them that they’re glad that it’s out in the open. Like I said, he’s more than likely done this before.”

On his way home, he thought about the house and the accident. He hated that someone had to be killed in order for him to find his mate and a house where he could live with her in, but things were working out better for them. He only hoped that once this was all cleared up and everything put to rest, the two of them could start to live their lives better all the way around. He was just happy to have found her when he did. Booth had been having a terrible few days before meeting her, and he didn’t like those feelings.

Suffering from depression, like most people did, he thought, he didn’t much care to be alone with his own thoughts. They were getting him into deeper darkness and he wanted to be out of it as soon as he could. Even if she could only be there to hold his hand for a little while, he thought that it would do him a world of good. Sometimes, that was all it would take for him. To talk to someone or just hang around with them without talking. It brought him out faster than any other thing when it was one of his family that would help him out.

The day that he’d met her had been one of those days. A day when he couldn’t seem to get out of his funk in any way. It was like that at times when he just couldn’t shake the bad thoughts, but now—he hoped he’d be able to find her and simply hold her hand, and that would help him a great deal. That’s what he wanted someone to hold his hand when he needed it most.

There was a message on his house phone when he got home. The couple, like they’d been told, had turned down their offer. Nor were they going to offer insurance on the place. He and Lydia had talked about it, and while he could afford it to have the house repaired if something major came along, they were going to demand at least that much.

Not bothering to call her back, knowing that she had things under control, he went up to his bedroom and took a long shower. After getting in bed, he turned his phone to silent so that he’d not be awakened anytime before nine. He’d been not sleeping well, thanks to the paperwork he’d been doing, and he wanted to be able to be rested when he went to the hospital again tomorrow. Then, the next day, they were going to go to the auction, and he was looking forward to that as much as he was about Lydia coming home. They had a lot to catch up on and a good deal more to talk about, and he couldn’t have been happier than he was right at this moment.