Part 39 If Oak Trees Could Talk!

Welcome back to my Video Blog of my Romance/Suspense novel If Oak Trees Could Talk!  I was looking back as to when I first began doing the Video Blog of my book and couldn’t believe that next month it will be a year!  I actually began doing the blogs as a suggestion from my husband!  I had no idea how long it would take, but certainly going into it had no idea that it would take a year!  So I know many of you have hung right in here with me each week, and that amazes me as well as makes me so very grateful!  We’ve only got a few chapters left to finish If Oak Trees Could Talk, but wanted you to know what my next venture will be.

I am working on a new project or two and will have a new book coming soon!  I hope that you will stay “tuned” in as when it is finished I want all of you that have been so faithful to me to be some of the first to get it! I do have a few surprises up my sleeve!  Finally I really hope that you have taken advantage of my free gift to you all by downloading my free book Tell the Enemy to Scat!   This book is full of encouragement and practical advice especially if you are trying to reach what seems like an unattainable goal!

So here we go as we pick up where we left off!

Chapter 18

The Detectives!

“Have you spoken to Nurse Wanda Smith?  She was my parents nurse until today.  Sheriff Eugene took her away in his sheriff’s car after Mr. Hodges fired her in front of the residents and visitors alike.  She loved my parents and helped them. She took care of them which is probably the reason Daddy is so much better.  Mr. Henderson, my Daddy is planning on doing something from the inside.  I shiver to think what that could be.  He and my mother saw for themselves today what Mr. Hodges had planned for them.  He took us through several hallways to the end of a long corridor.  He led my parents into a “new suite” which is what he called it.  That place looked like it used to be a torture room, it was disgusting.  Mr. Hodges was going to stash my parents in there.  I stood up to him and he became furious. That is when he marched to the front and fired Nurse Wanda.  He looked at me with his piercing eyes and smirked as to say you mess with me this is what will happen!”  Amelia said as she began trembling. “What have I done?  Up until the time that Daddy ran away we never expected a single bad thing happening at Glenview, but the minute my parents left it was as though all hell broke loose! There is something else, Mr. Henderson, our new nurse, which I just met today, wants to meet me tonight.  She says she has a father who is a patient in Glenview. Of course, Mr. Hodges does not know this.  She is working there so that she can protect him because she said Mr. Hodges had a terrible reputation and was very well known in Scioto County’s Nursing Home. She knows some things about Mr. Hodges that she couldn’t share while I was there today.  Again I didn’t know if I could trust her.  She could be just trying to win me over so that she can slip my parents the drugs.  Nurse Wanda warned us that Mr. Hodges was going to give drugs to my Daddy.  This is all I know, other than the fact that Sheriff Eugene is definitely working with him.”

“Well Ms. Helen, you actually confirmed a lot of things for me that others have told me about Mr. Hodges.  Nurse Wanda Smith was no dummy.  She actually wrote me a letter postmarked yesterday about what Mr. Hodges had planned to do to Henry. He had made the sloppy mistake of telling Nurse Wanda Smith what he had intended to do to Henry on his return to Glenview.  He was in one of his fits of anger and Nurse Smith said that he threatened her with her job the night that your folks left Glenview.  She was ready to walk out the door right then, but Mr. Hodges needed to fire her in front of everyone.  She assumed that he did it so that when he makes his move, he can pin it on her and say that he found out that she was administering illegal drugs to your father.  I am going to the state attorney with the information first thing in the morning.  I think we may already have enough evidence if you are willing to testify to what you saw and Nurse Wanda testifies that we can get him arrested, but we need more. We do not want it to just be circumstantial evidence and he walk.  We need something concrete to put him away for a long time.    Right now it will be your word against his. He could claim that you stand to gain your parent’s inheritance so you and Nurse Wanda developed a plan together to drug your parents.  He is diabolical and you can bet he has already made other plans of revenge toward you and your parents.”

Amelia continued to drive as she listened to Mr. Henderson.  Shivers ran down her spine.  At first she thought it was where she had gotten wet from the rain, but no she knew it was because she had never in her life met someone so evil.  She became more and more concerned about her parents.

Mr. Henderson wanted to be dropped off at his house.  He did not want others seeing him and Amelia talking, although he knew Mr. Hodges already had possibly seen them together in the parking lot today.  Also Sheriff Eugene had seen them as well. So they agreed not to meet at the Times building at all, but communicate by telephone and by secret meeting places. 

When Amelia left Mr. Henderson, she found herself weeping uncontrollably. She needed Robert to hold her and tell her that everything was going to be okay.  All she wanted was to get her parents out of there.  She thought to herself, how just a few hours of time can absolutely change life forever. Henry’s leaving Glenview was actually a wonderful thing in that his old friend the Oak tree helped him to discover many pieces of the puzzle that he needed to solve, but on the other hand what helped him the most is putting him in danger now! She was so angry with herself at being deceived with the façade of Glenview.  It seemed to her an idea place for her parents to be restored back to health, but now the disillusion was all gone. There was nothing left to do but to get them out and get them out quickly!

When Amelia left, Nurse Applegate peeked in on Henry and Helen in the afternoon. The couple was obviously exhausted because of the adventures that they had had over the past two days.  She noticed how sweetly that they were snuggled together.  Henry had Helen tightly in his grasp as to not let her move unless he was aware of it.  Helen had her hand touching Henry’s arm as if she were doing the same. Nurse Applegate thought of her parents.  Her dear mother had passed away of pneumonia three long years ago.  Her father grieved himself right into a heart attack that practically destroyed his heart.  She hated having him in a facility, but until she had found out about Mr. Hodges, she like Amelia, was lulled into a false sense of security for her father.   She seriously thought that she was giving him the best chance at a decent life. At least at Glenview, no one knew with the exception of Amelia that her father was a patient here.  She could take care of him without anyone even knowing it. 

The storm had passed by the time Amelia dropped Mr. Henderson off and she found herself driving very quickly to get home.  She longed for the comfort of Robert’s arms and to just breathe.  When she pulled up into their drive she practically ran inside.  Robert had prepared dinner and the boys both ran and hugged her tightly. 

“We missed you Momma!  We miss Gramps and Gramma really bad too.   Bet you do to.” Dylan said as he gently patted Amelia on her back.  He had the nature of his Gramps. He was very loving and wanted to touch people he loved.  Robbie was much the same, but a little more reserved like Amelia.  Amelia however learned that life is too short.  Her parents taught her that she must show the people that she cares for, love while they are able to receive it.  She learned that love can bring healing both by giving it and receiving it.  She had also found that real love like that of her parents is like medicine.  She had watched as her parents loved one another back to health. She was determined to love that way.

            “Robert grabbed her up and hugged her tightly.  As she buried her head in his chest he kissed her tenderly on the top of the head.  She looked up and he could see in her eyes the desperation she felt.  He hugged her tighter to assure her that he understood. 

            “Feel like eating Babe?” He asked, while still holding her. “We can talk just as soon as the boys are fed okay?   They can go outside and you can tell me all that you need to tell me.” Robert stated.

            “That sounds good.”  Amelia agreed as she washed her hands to set the table.  They all sat around the table and she described for the boys what Gramps and Gramma’s suite looked like.  She made it sound grand so that the boys would not worry so much about them.

            “Sounds great Momma, but they still need to be home.”  Robbie said. 

            “Yes, Robbie, I totally agree.” Amelia said.  “They need to be home!”

She then smiled as her and Robert’s eyes met.   As Amelia looked into Robert’s warm eyes, she realized that their last passionate encounter was so short lived and seemed so long ago.  Amelia longed to be with her husband again.  She longed to love him and snuggle in his arms where she felt safe and assured that everything would be okay.   Her eyes told it all as he reached to squeeze her hand. 

Thank you once again for “tuning in” or reading along with me!  It is my hope that you have been enjoying my Romance/Suspense novel, If Oak Trees Could Talk, for it has been my pleasure to share it with you!  As always I would love to hear from you.  I want to thank all of you that have begun following my WordPress blogs.  Please continue to “tune it” as we are moving right along through the book.

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