When Seashells Sleep

By Clay Alexander

Life can be demanding, but it’s the challenge, not the mundane, that imbues it with richness.

David depended on the heart-shaped seashell given to him by his deceased little sister, Grace. It supported him in tough times and was a tangible reminder of their devotion to each other. What magical situation would allow such a talisman to be returned to its birthplace?

• Language: English
• Publisher: BookBaby
• Release date: Jan 25, 2016
• ISBN: 9781483560748

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Author

Chapter One

2006

It was Saturday morning, and Karen Lloyd was hunched over a big bowl pulling the pork apart for sandwiches to be served later for lunch. Her mind focused on David. He was her son, so she wouldn’t interfere, but she had no love for Robyn. His girlfriend was wild, and possibly unstable. Was David actually thinking about marrying her? The doorbell rang and she wiped her hands and walked to the front door. Janet was standing there with a big grin and gripping a tote holding three bottles of red Zinfandel and one Sauvignon Blanc. She put the wine on the kitchen counter and the two women hugged.

Janet said, I’m here early because I want to lend a hand. It’s the least I can do to thank you for hosting this luncheon for Nicky. I’m so grateful to him for finding Grace … not to mention you and David.

I never thought I would say this, but I owe Nicky for you too, said Karen.

I can’t believe I delivered Grace by myself in a motel room. I must’ve been crazy. There was a moment of silence and then Janet said, Our lives are certainly different now.

Good things happen to good people, said Karen. You were smart and way beyond gutsy.

The women smiled at each other. Karen made her own special dressing and sprinkled in salt, pepper and Italian seasoning. She’d toss it with the lettuce later.

This salad is a meal all by itself, said Janet, covering the bowl and putting it in the fridge.

I’m sure David and Mal will have suitable appetites when they get here.

Janet said, I’m glad you and Malcolm are still friends after being divorced for so long. I know he’s devoted to the family.

Karen said, Yes … Grace calls him Uncle Mal and they have a good time together.

Janet said, I’m glad David’s got a girlfriend now. I think they love each other and hopefully it will make a difference in his life. She’ll be here today. And I’m thrilled he’s opening more of his Swift and Savory restaurants here in San Diego and even Northern California.

Karen glanced over at Janet, and then quickly turned away before the other woman could see the expression on her face when Robyn was mentioned. Yes, I’ve been worried about David. ‘All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy’. She was about to change the subject when the doorbell rang again.

Malcolm was standing there with Grace, who’d been playing in the front yard. David and Robyn were getting out of his car. Much hugging and kissing ensued and, of course, everyone ended up in the kitchen. Finally Karen had enough and told them to go into the living room until lunch was ready. Only Janet stayed to help.

Karen said, When did you tell Nicky to get here?

I said twelve thirty and told him we didn’t need anything except his family. Nicky has two daughters, but only one can come; his oldest is in college. I’ve never met his wife or children and I want them all to know how grateful I am. Janet turned aside, feeling the same emotions she had when Nicky located the daughter she’d left in front of a church a decade before. The pastor was away and if David hadn’t found newborn Grace on the steps, she might have been lost forever.

Karen saw how moved she was and said, Janet, go join everyone in the living room. I’ll be there in a jiffy.

Janet walked into the living room and gave David a hug. She smiled at Robyn and kissed her on the cheek. You look great and I’m so glad you’re both together again. Sometimes being apart for a while helps in making a decision.

David turned and looked at Robyn, his eyebrows raised. Unfortunately, we’re still too much apart as Robyn wanders the world looking for the ultimate cure–all.

This was a sore subject for Robyn and she had trouble keeping an edge out of her voice. She looked at Janet and said, I’m at the mercy of the MedFlora Institute and have to go where they send me. I spend every waking moment I can—and some ‘not-awake’ moments—with David and he still complains. Maybe you can talk some sense into him.

David sighed and said, Robyn loves adventure and will travel anywhere for the thrill of it. That’s not to say she doesn’t have an important job to do, but I think she’s being taken advantage of. Surely the Institute could allow a smart woman, with a PhD degree in biochemistry, to spend some time in the laboratory.

It would drive me crazy.

Janet could see this was a thorn for each of them and said, You both care for each other and I’m sure you’ll work it out. I’m going to give Grace a hug before Nicky gets here. She walked over, gave Malcolm a quick pat on the shoulder and then leaned over and hugged her daughter. Good heavens, Grace. I don’t have to lean over very much anymore. Are you the tallest girl in your class?

Oh, Mom, there are two girls taller than I am. I get teased because everyone thinks I’m too skinny.

Kids are often slender at your age. Don’t worry; you’ll fill out in a couple of years. It’s much better being the way you are rather than the other way around.

Mal glanced out the window and announced that Nicky was walking up the path with his wife and daughter. Nicky had been a police detective and was now a private investigator.

Nicky introduced everyone to his wife, Isabel, and his seventeen-year-old daughter, Tess. Janet told Tess how grateful she was when her father finally found her daughter. Grace had been living with Karen since she was three days old, so the lucky girl had two mothers now. Tess started laughing and said, Cool.

Isabel pretended to look distressed and jealous and said to her daughter, Do you want me to go out and find another mother for you?

Everyone laughed and Tess jumped up and hugged her mom, saying, Certainly not.

Karen announced the lunch was ready and for everyone to grab a plate and help themselves. The pulled pork was placed between lightly toasted hamburger buns and the guests had a choice between a spicy brown Texas barbecue sauce and a light, subtle North Carolina vinegar sauce. There was only a little salad left after everyone had taken their share.

David reached into his pocket and squeezed the little heart-shaped shell that had been given to him by his biological sister, the original Grace. Eight years younger, she died when she was twelve in the car accident that almost killed Karen. He kept the shell on his keychain and its presence supported him in stressful times. David rose and said, Nicky, when you first came into my office and showed me Janet’s DNA, it was all I could do not to throw you—or myself for that matter—out the window. Now, I deeply respect and admire you and want to thank you, once again, for finding Janet’s baby. After I met Janet, I came to the realization that the best thing for Grace would be to have both Karen and Janet in her life.

When David sat down his eyes were full and he started fiddling with his fork. Janet stood, raised her glass to Nicky, and said, I thought you were only going to find my daughter. Neither of us knew you were also finding a special family for me. Janet exchanged smiles with Karen, David and Malcolm and they all began to eat.

Towards the end of the dessert—sliced honeydew and cantaloupe melon—Nicky stood up and said, I need to tell everyone here how unexpected and wonderful finding Grace was for me. You can imagine what most of my work is: divorces, research for criminal trials, bribes, extortion and so forth. Being involved with meanness and criminality was slowly eroding my faith in humanity. I had never been asked to find a missing three-day-old baby. To find myself being part of the joy in uniting two families and transforming the lives of all of you has changed my life. Now I approach my work with hope and enthusiasm. Thank you, Janet, for picking me.

Everyone at the table could see Isabel’s arm move so she could hold her husband’s hand after he sat down. Janet stood up and came around and stood between Nicky and his wife. She leaned down, and turned to Isabel, saying, With your permission?

Isabel chuckled and said, Of course.

That broke the spell and when Janet leaned down and kissed Nicky on the cheek; the whole table erupted in laughter. It was a good time, broken only by Karen’s furtive appraisal of Robyn, as they relaxed after the meal.

Chapter Two

Janet was in her second year of OB/GYN training at the Mar Vista hospital in San Diego. She was taking courses in oncology, pelvic reconstruction, family planning, endocrinology and infertility as well as an intense exposure to general obstetrics and gynecology. Her time in the delivery and operating rooms was exciting and occasionally nerve-racking. She knew, after her fourth year, she would be out on her own and was grateful to work with skilled and experienced teachers.

Janet’s time with Grace was limited as her training included being on call every other night for emergencies. Once, when she took her daughter out for dinner, her pager went off ten minutes after the meal was served. She had no choice, but to drive her back to Karen’s house. Unfortunately, Karen, counting on Janet to take care of Grace for the evening, went to a movie with a girlfriend. Their cell phones were off. Grace couldn’t be left alone so Janet, in a panic, called David and left her with him before racing back to the hospital.

The senior resident, in his fourth year, had a mother with fetal distress already in the operating room. When Janet finally arrived, he was furious. The surgery had started and a nurse was assisting him with the cesarean section. By the time Janet scrubbed her hands and was gowned and gloved, the abdomen was open and the resident was beginning to cut through the uterine wall. Janet changed places with the nurse and spread the muscular tissue so the baby could be removed. Every second counted. The resident mumbled, I’ll talk to you later, as he plucked the baby girl, blue from lack of oxygen, out of the uterus and handed her to a nurse. She quickly passed her to a neonatal pediatrician, who had set up his equipment in a corner of the OR. Janet, trembling slightly and avoiding the senior’s eyes, helped him sew the uterine tissue together and then the abdominal wall. He told Janet to close the skin incision while he went over to check on the baby. Janet could hear the newborn starting to cry, muffled by the oxygen mask, and she glanced over and saw the little girl’s skin was now pink. Her pulse, which had dropped to fifty, was now a hundred and fifty, normal for a newborn.

The anesthesiologist turned off the mother’s anesthetic and the baby was moved to the pediatric recovery room. The senior resident reminded the recovery room nurse to tell the new mother that her baby was fine. She might have to hear it several times until she was fully awake. He then turned to Janet and motioned for her to join him outside in the hall.

Fetal distress is an emergency and you need to be back in the hospital in a reasonable time. What the hell were you doing? You know the rules.

I was having dinner with my daughter and I left immediately and drove to the home of the woman who’s taking care of her. She wasn’t there and I had to call a friend to look after her. I drove as fast as I could.

When you’re on call, you have no right to put a patient and her unborn child at risk because you failed to provide adequate coverage. The fact that your babysitter was not home is no excuse. The duty to your patient—your profession—comes before anything else.

Janet was barely holding it together. The thought that she had risked the life of a baby, because she forgot to make sure Karen was available, was mortifying. A vision of her own daughter as a newborn flashed briefly in her head. She looked up and said It will never happen again.

The surgeon could see that guilt had affected Janet deeply and he said, I have worked with you off and on for the last couple of years and you’ve been outstanding and very responsible. Tonight’s lesson will be between the two of us. He put his hand on Janet’s shoulder and squeezed it to let her know he cared and respected her. The pediatrician will care for the baby. Thank God she’s doing well. You’ll need to sleep here tonight and check on the mother in a couple of hours. Be sure to write a note in the chart now, and whenever you see her and the baby. If there are any problems, call me. I can be with you in less than a minute. With that, he turned away and walked down the hall.

Janet took deep breaths to calm herself and went into the recovery room to check the mother’s vital signs. She ordered a blood count to make sure she didn’t need a transfusion. Then she checked on the newborn and sat with the mother as she woke up. Janet gave her the good news about her baby girl before leaving and going to the on-call room. There, she thought about the senior’s admonition and his kindness in not reporting her. She vowed never to forget it; she would be in his position in her final year.

On the way to the hospital, Janet had called Karen’s number and left word that Grace was with David. Nevertheless, Karen was upset that her son had to drive Grace back home past her bedtime. When Janet later called to apologize, Karen said, I understand that the medical profession can be a stern taskmaster, but Grace should not have to pay the price. She didn’t add, For your irresponsibility. She didn’t have to as Janet knew exactly what she meant.

Janet told Karen what happened at the hospital and the dressing down she got from the senior resident. I’m sure David is going to have something to say to me too. I’m not scatterbrained and take full responsibility for scheduling the dinner when I was on call. Trying to head off more criticism, Janet immediately called David.

I’m so sorry, Dave. I was on call when I took Grace out for a quick dinner. The whole fiasco was my fault and I got a major chew-out from the senior resident when I was late for an operation. Karen already gave it to me so don’t feel you have to beat on me too. I only called to say I’m embarrassed and sorry about the whole thing. It never happened before and won’t happen again. There was silence on the other end and Janet steeled herself for a lecture.

I was going to call you, Jan, to thank you for bringing Grace over to see me. I have a new project in mind—a new sauce and a marketing idea—and we were able to work on it together. We haven’t had a chance to bond in a kitchen that often. She’s a good taster.

Janet thought she might cry if David was angry at her, but they both ended up laughing. She said, Thanks, Dave. I love you for that.

Chapter Three

David knew that starting a franchise might be premature, but he was anxious to expand quickly. The copycats would be coming and he was already in talks with a law firm specializing in the business. It was expensive and only two of his six restaurants were paid off. However, good publicity would help him get new loans from his bankers and he had an idea that could help with that.

David had been working on a special sauce that would go well with his bestseller, chicken, as well as with shrimp, beef and pork. He had been working on that when Grace was dropped off at his home. He had a large first-class kitchen as part of his office complex, but preferred working at home in a smaller kitchen which was set up especially for making sauces. Everyone knew the idea of a marketable sauce was not original, so it was vital that both the product and name be appropriate. Even though many people didn’t know about David Lloyd and his fast food restaurants, the fact that sauce marketing had been done before would actually help.

Grace was at school and doing other activities and Janet was competing with David for her time. As busy as he was, being an active part of Grace’s life was a priority. David thought if he could get her interested in cooking, or even the business end, he could do both things at once. He was going to make three final batches of original sauces this afternoon and hoped Grace had time to join him after school. When five thirty rolled around, he dialed Karen’s number.

Hi Mom, have you forgiven Janet yet for her fiasco at the hospital?

She’s a dear girl, but that was an irresponsible thing to do. After the movie, I called home thinking that she and Janet would be home. When there was no answer, it scared me. Then I found the message Janet left on my cell phone, saying that there was an emergency at the hospital and she’d left Grace with you.

I was happy to see her and she was excited to work with me on my new sauce. I have an idea that I think will interest you and Grace. It will expand her education and give me …

David, you’re changing the subject. What if you hadn’t been home? Where would she have put Grace then?

Mom, you’re freaking out about something that didn’t happen. Stop with the ‘What ifs’. Janet made a mistake which is totally uncharacteristic of her. It’s a lesson she won’t forget. I know you’ve never made a mistake yourself, but I have and it’s really nice to be forgiven.

Sarcasm is not like you. That situation was … Karen thought about how ridiculous it was to think about an ending that didn’t happen. She took a deep breath and said, You’re right of course. I need to put this thing to bed. Now, what were you saying?

I have three finalists in my kitchen competing for ‘Sauce of the Century’. I’ve prepared small plates of chicken, shrimp, beef and pork and will make a decision this evening as to which one I’m going to start producing. I would really like Grace to come over for a magnificent ‘tasting’ dinner and have her help me make the decision. And don’t worry, I’ll have a salad too.

Well, said Karen, I’ll agree if you’ll bring her home afterward. I’m studying for a continuing education certificate in nursing that needs to be updated every three years. Grace has homework to do, but she has the weekend to work on that. Janet is taking her to a Museum tomorrow afternoon.

That’s great … thanks Mom. I’ll be over in half an hour.

Wait a minute, David. What were you saying about manufacturing a sauce?

That’s highly secret at the present time. I don’t want to be embarrassed if this whole thing goes down the tubes. Once I make my decision, I’m going to call an internationally known chef I’ve become friendly with. If he OKs it, I’ll let you in on my plan.

For heaven sakes, I’m your mother. I won’t tell a soul.

David laughed and said, I’m highly superstitious and I’m afraid telling anyone would jinx it.

Karen hung up the phone, laughing at David’s clever way of refusing without offending her. She walked upstairs to tell Grace where she was going to have dinner tonight. She’d be thrilled.

Ten minutes after David hung up the phone, Robyn called. It’s Friday night, David. Let’s boogie. We haven’t had time to make a night of it since I got back from Africa.

David’s mouth tensed and he took a moment before answering. Oh dear, I’m really sorry. If only you’d called fifteen minutes earlier. Grace is going to be over here with me this evening. I’m going to make dinner and then we’re going to taste sauces.

Taste sauces? What’s a kid got to do with haute cuisine?

David hated it when she called Grace a kid. The woman is out of the country half the year and gets jealous when I’m with my second sister for one evening. I feel badly, Robyn, but she’s counting on it. How about Saturday night?

All right … I’ll wait ‘till tomorrow. You’re lucky I don’t have a date. What am I supposed to do in the meantime?

Read a good book and hone your anticipation for our get-together.

That wasn’t the answer I was waiting for, David. I took a vibrator to Africa, but I didn’t expect to have to use it here too.

David loved this woman, but her possessiveness and need for affection were unsettling. And what about her job at MedFlora Institute? If they married, would his children be spending half the year with a nanny? He hadn’t proposed and that was a talk they had only hinted about so far. Saturday night was not the time. Try to hold off, Robyn. I’ll make it up to you.

You’d better! The phone went dead.

David went back to his stovetop and tasted each of the three sauces again. The pot on the right was still his favorite. It was exquisite, and he hoped other people could taste and smell the love he had poured into this rich mixture of ingredients. It was almost too rich when it was reduced, so he added a bit more stock and a touch of olive oil. He was anxious to get Grace’s opinion as he hoped young people would be as likely as older generations to choose it over the competition.

David began the dinner for both of them. He decided to make it a tasting rather than the usual meal with a single entrée. He had rare roast beef, shrimp, a pork loin and a chicken breast. He took some of each and put them on the four corners of a square plate. They would be served cold. Rather than a salad, he cooked thin white asparagus al dente, and orzo mixed with garlic and Parmesan cheese. The strong cheese would beautifully balance the sauce on the other plate.

Before the dinner was served, David wanted Grace to make a decision on the three sauces, as he planned to pour a warm dash of the ultimate favorite over the meats on the square plate. For the tasting, he made a batch of spaghetti and placed a small amount in three bowls. Tasting each sauce by itself would be overpowering, so mixing the starch with a dash of each sauce should isolate the flavors. He put his favorite in the middle bowl.

Karen, when she brought Grace to her son’s home, was so fascinated with his plans that she wouldn’t leave until after Grace was fully instructed about the tasting. She wanted a sample of all three to take home so she could also have a hand in the decision. David expected to be exasperated with the delay and was surprised when he felt excited. He smiled to himself as he filled, and labeled with numbers, small containers from the three sauce pots on his stove. He gave his mother the samples, a big hug, and shooed her gently out the door.

Grace wandered about her brother’s home, looking at paintings, the furniture and his books. She pulled one of his smaller books off the shelf, and flipped through the pages. It was called Shuffle Deal Cook and dealt with cooking for parties. It wasn’t the food that interested Grace, it was the picture of cards on the cover. Do you play cards, Dave?

Not very often … especially since I’m trying to expand my fast food business. Wait a minute, I didn’t say that quite right. I meant VAST food empire.

Grace giggled and said, What games do you play?

"I played Old Maid when I was five, gin Rummy when I was your age, and now I play