Finding Rory

She heard the sound before she was completely awake. What was that? She remembered the squeal of tires and the sound of crunching metal. Am I okay? She stopped to listen. Someone was crying. Wailing. It was an uncomfortable sound. Her body felt heavy and the darkness of the anesthesia was hard to fight off. As she became more awake she realized the sobs were coming from her own heaving chest. She was crying and calling for Renny. More awake now, she was embarrassed that she was so upset and immediately tried to calm herself down.

She heard someone walking to her. "You're okay, honey. You're okay. Who is Renny?" The nurse asked and moved to check the beeping monitors.

"Renny is my sister," but she realized that was all she knew. The fog of the anesthesia was still blotting out her mind and the only thing she was sure of was Renny would take care of everything and she just needed to see Renny. She continued to calm her gasping breaths and dozed off. Minutes later, coming out of the anesthesia again she heard Renny. "Hey, Sweetie, you're okay. I've been waiting for you and the nurses said you're upset. You're okay now." Renny lovingly stroked the still sleeping foot under the blanket near her. She smoothed her little sister's hair and kissed her cheek. "How do you feel?"

Rory took a breath and did a mental check of her own body; something she hadn't thought about until just then. "Everything aches and I feel like there is someone sitting on my arms." She yawned. "I'm still sleepy." She started to doze off again and remembered the baby. "Oh, Renny! The baby! I'm so sorry!" Renny stroked her head and said, "Shhh. It's okay honey. The baby is upstairs in the nursery. You're ok. I'm okay, the baby is okay." Rory relaxed at her sister's touch and began to doze as the anesthesia once again tightened its grip on her confused mind. Moments later as the wave of consciousness took hold she tried to open her eyes. "Nurse?? NURSE!" She began to panic. She heard quick footsteps.

Renny grabbed her hand and in shock demanded, "Rory! What's wrong?" The nurse asked "What's the matter, honey?" Rory started to cry once more and said "I can't open my eyes! Why can't I open my eyes? What happened to me?"

She heard Renny begin to sniff as tears started rolling down her face. "Rory," she hesitated. "Honey, your eyes are open." 2.

Rory faced the mirror and brushed her straight shoulder length auburn hair until it shone. She then stepped back and smoothed her brown wool skirt, took one last glance at her reflection and rushed downstairs. It was a bright, sunny autumn morning and she was running late. She had only twenty minutes to get to her job at the art gallery where she had been hired to photograph the entire inventory.

She loved photography, especially portraits and black and white film, but she had to accept what offers came her way. She wasn't famous enough (yet) to accept only what really interested her. Someday though, she knew she would. For right now, the gallery manager had offered her a temporary position and she had to go where the money led her.

At twenty-seven, Rory was pretty well-known around town because of her photography, but mostly because she was Renny's sister. That was a lifelong annoyance. It took quite a while before she began to be greeted as a person in her own right instead of "Oh, you're Renny's sister. How is she?"

Renny was two years older, slightly taller, prettier, smarter, more outgoing and fortunate enough to be good at everything she ever tried. Rory was no slouch, but living in Renny's shadow had quickly become a sore point for her. She loved Renny dearly. They got along together better than most siblings; they didn't really argue about anything, tended to accept each other's points of view, and truly cheered one another on in whatever they each attempted.

Renny had the sparkling eyes, the coy smile and the figure that the boys liked, but she was friendly, sweet and smart enough that all the girls liked her too. She never had a problem meeting people or taking command of any situation. She was completely different than Rory.

Rory was shy, almost painfully so. On her first day of school Renny walked in like she owned the place and instantly made new friends. By contrast, Rory had to almost be pushed into the room and didn't talk to anyone (even the teacher) the entire first semester. She had even been put into special classes because, the teacher told her parents, it wasn't that Rory couldn't do the work. They just didn't know if she could do the work because she wouldn't answer questions.

In fact, Rory was a bright child. Nothing escaped her attention. She was quick to learn the things she didn't know; she had exceptional retention in all areas of schooling and never had a bad grade once she reached the point where children received grades for their work.

Rory, though annoyed at always being "Renny's sister", was very proud of her older sister and admired her immensely. It wasn't until years had passed and they were adults that Rory learned that Renny felt the same way about her.

Renny had told her that she was always quiet and adorable. She was so shy that people always wanted to do things for her. She said Rory always looked so innocent and cute that people were falling all over themselves trying to befriend her. Her good grades came easily, while Renny, who also earned good grades, had to work at them. Renny had told her one summer day while Rory was packing for college, "We're different people, but we're also parts of a whole. I like being me most of the time, but I always envied you."

Their parents had worked hard all their lives, and their mother passed away shortly after Rory left for college. She had only known her mother hadn't been feeling well. She didn't get to say goodbye. She didn't know how much Renny had known and hadn't asked. She didn't want that knowledge to be the one thing that separated them after so long.

Their father, while totally in love with his daughters, just couldn't function well once he lost his wife. He no longer had the quick wit, the laughter or energetic charm he had once possessed. He was lonely and dreading a future without his partner at his side. He died of a broken heart shortly after Christmas that year.

The girls became closer after losing both parents. Both lived in the same town, on the same street and in almost identical houses. Renny, at twenty-nine, was the manager and buyer for a fashion shop downtown and lived in her house on her own. She just hadn't had time for a serious relationship up till now, although she had a few men she could call and ask out when the mood struck. Both she and Rory had decided that unmarried sisters living together was old-fashioned and both girls were afraid they would get stuck with the "spinster" tag and never get married. So they each bought their own homes and supported themselves and held onto their individuality.

They called each other frequently and also met once a week downtown for lunch. Every so often one or the other of them would get bored or need to talk and they ended up having a movie night together in one of their homes giggling the night away like teenagers.

This morning Rory was rushing through her house, gathering last minute items: the outgoing mail, her sunglasses, and her camera bag and jumping into her truck to leave for work. Rory loved the drive to work. Actually, she loved the drive to anywhere. It was quiet, she had time to think and either gather her thoughts for the upcoming day or try to work out problems she was having at work or at home. She could also spend that time planning get-togethers for her sister or friends or coworkers. This Friday was Renny's birthday and she had already arranged for most of Renny's friends to meet at a restaurant downtown. Today she had to order a cake and speak again to the restaurant manager to see about decorations for Friday night. She decided to also stop at the florist's to order an arrangement to be delivered to Renny at work on Friday.

Rory spent the morning clicking away at the gallery and taking careful notes of what each piece of art was so she could label it correctly on her computer when she got home. It was tedious at times, but also fascinating. She hadn't seen such an array of artwork before and was using her cataloging chore as time to seriously look at and enjoy the art before her. She was really engrossed and almost missed taking a break for lunch. She ate quickly and spent the rest of her lunch break walking through downtown running her errands. She returned to the gallery just on time and turned her attention back to the work at hand.

Each day of the week was much the same, but Friday was spent at home labeling each photo on her computer. Well into the afternoon when she had finished labeling she saved everything onto a DVD and put it in her camera bag to take to the gallery on Monday. Then she showered, changed into something she hoped looked put together and respectable, but not something that shouted "trying too hard" and went to the restaurant to decorate the private room for the party.3.

The air was crisp and cool, the leaves were brightly colored and falling and Rory could smell autumn as she walked along the path through the park. The sun was high in the sky and sunlight sifted through the umbrella of tree branches and leaves above her head. She was holding a stick and mindlessly playing with it as she walked. Bannon had abandoned the thought of playing or walking with her and had run off to do his own thing further up the path.

Rory looked at her watch and realized this Saturday was getting away from her. She should be getting back home to do some things there, but she was reluctant to leave the serenity of the park. She took one last deep breath of wonderful autumn air and called, "Bannon! Come on, boy!"

The fluffy Old English Sheepdog came running around the next bend in the path and stopped at her feet. Rory couldn't help but smile. Bannon was just so fluffy and sweet and didn't look like he could see where he was going with all the fur in his face. He made her happy despite herself. She mussed the fur on his little head much the way her mother used to muss her hair before school, and said, "Good boy. Let's go home." Bannon licked her hand and trotted off toward the truck. Rory followed, but stopped at the ice cream cart and bought a cone which she ate on the way home.

At home in her sunny kitchen she got out a treat for Bannon while he danced around her in excitement. When she gave it to him he took it happily and disappeared in a quick jog toward the stairway. "I don't want to find that one in my closet!" Rory giggled. She just loved that little guy so much. He had been her amazing find at the pound. He was so sweet, and slightly scared, but very friendly and she had to adopt him on the spot.

Sybil, the woman at the pound, had been a friend of Rory's mother's so she just asked for references and fifteen minutes later after her friends had vouched for Rory's love of animals, level of responsibility and house with fenced-in yard, Rory signed the papers that officially made Bannon her new baby. He was four months old.

Renny loved him right off the bat too. Rory had to giggle when she saw them together. Renny was a great aunt and Bannon was a great little boy. Rory was incredibly happy.

Now that she was thirty-two and had established herself as a photographer (she had converted her garage into a studio), she was beginning to spend more and more time thinking it was time to think about finding a sweet man to settle down with and maybe have some babies who weren't as furry as Bannon. Rory was beginning to feel like she was missing something and everything seemed to point to having a family of her own.

Renny had been married just over a year this past summer. She and Dave had thrown their own party in their backyard and Rory was certain had invited everyone in town. Between Renny's friends and Dave's friends Rory was sure she had seen everyone in town that she herself had known and a few she hadn't. There were a few of the male persuasion to whom Renny or Dave had introduced her, but it didn't seem like the time or place for Rory to be picking up guys so she had a pleasant evening in conversation with different people. After a few hours and plenty of food and laughing with Renny and her friends, Rory had taken Bannon and herself home. Coming home to a darkened house was not what Rory wanted for herself. She was ready for more and she didn't think Bannon would mind either.

4.

"Rory!" Renny's breathless but very excited voice shouted over the phone, "You're an aunt! It's a girl, Rory, she's gorgeous."

"What?? Why didn't you call me earlier? I wanted to be there with you." Rory was happy, but slightly disappointed. "Oh honey, I'm sorry. Everything happened so fast. Dave barely got here on time." Renny tried to soothe her little sister's feelings and offered, "Come on over now and you can see her. Other than Dave you'll be the first one, okay?" Rory smiled and said, "I'll be right there. Let me get Bannon set up for some alone time."

She hung up the phone and got Bannon's bed cushion out of the dryer. She put it back in his basket, got out a bone and laid it next to his bed, and yelled, "Bannon! Come here, honey! Where are you?" She picked up his dishes and filled his water dish with cold tap water, and threw in an ice cube to keep it cold. She poured more dog food into his food dish and set both on the kitchen floor next to his bed.

The sleepy dog appeared in the kitchen doorway and yawned. "You were on my bed again, weren't you?" and gave him a look of mock annoyance. Bannon put his head down and Rory hugged him and kissed his head. "It's okay sweetheart, but your bed is all ready now," she said, patting the cushion. Bannon climbed in and laid down and Rory held his chin up and said, "I have to go to the hospital to see Aunt Renny. She had a baby! I'll be back soon, ok? You be good."

On the drive to the hospital Rory was putting all the baby gifts she'd bought over the past couple of weeks into one big bag. She was really excited at the thought of being an aunt, and happy for Renny and Dave. She could only imagine how it would feel to bring a new little life that you created home from the hospital. She looked at the pink stuffed bear she'd bought - she knew it was a girl! - And placed it in the big bag with the clothes, blanket, toys and cloth diapers.

Rory was just smiling to herself and trying to picture the new baby and wondering what she would look like in the clothes, and the new baby sounds she would make when she heard the screech of tires and the blare of a horn. Rory jerked her head up and had two seconds to take in the sight of the SUV coming straight at her driver's side door. She saw the man's look of surprise and panic and she automatically slammed on her brakes.

When the SUV hit her truck her door and most of the side of her truck crumpled inward. She hit her head on the side window, her head was jerked backwards when her seatbelt locked, and her left arm was broken. Her right arm which she had put up to protect her face was hit by the airbag and broken in four places. Her truck spun around and hit a parked car at the side of the street, flipped over twice and came to rest against a telephone pole.

Rory, hanging upside down from her seatbelt and covered in broken glass, weakly opened her eyes but could only see a hazy light fading into blackness.

5.

Dave walked into his kitchen and turned on the light. He stretched and looked out over his back yard and caught himself trying to picture his beautiful wife and new little girl playing back there. He could imagine Renny and the baby planting flowers, having tea parties and he even smiled at the thought of all the unimaginable pink frilly things soon to fill his football tough guy world.

He frowned wondering what had happened to Rory. She said she was coming to the hospital, but hadn't shown up before visiting hours ended. He picked up his phone and called her home number. It rang six times before the answering machine picked up. "Rory, honey, it's Dave. Give me a call, we're worried about you." Then, remembering, "Hi Bannon! Hey boy! Be good, Mommy will be home soon."

He hung up and dialed her cell phone thinking she'd stopped to shop for the baby or something and lost track of time. The cell phone went right to voice mail. That was weird. Rory always had that thing on for customers and Renny. Especially with the baby coming. He left a message anyway and hung up. His hand was still on the phone when it rang and surprised him. He jumped slightly and picked it up. "Hello?"

"Hello, I'm looking for Renny Wilson" the small tinny female voice said. Dave replied, "Oh, well she's in the hospital. We just had a baby. This is her husband; can I help you with something?" The voice on the other end of the line faltered. "This is the hospital. I'm calling with regard to Rory Flynn." Dave's heart skipped a beat. "Yes, my sister-in-law. What's happened?" The voice said, "I'm sorry to tell you this, sir, but she's been in an accident and is currently in surgery." "I'll be right there." He hung up the phone and picked up his keys and ran back to his truck.

Renny was hysterical. She and Dave were sitting in the waiting room for word on Rory's condition. Dave rewrapped the blanket around his shivering wife who came down in a wheelchair wearing just the light gown and robe all patients wore. There wasn't anyone who seemed able to tell them anything more than Rory was in surgery. They were left on their own to deal with their own thoughts and fears and Renny's mind was running wild.

"Oh Dave! She's doing so well, it's not fair! It's my fault. It's all my fault. If I hadn't called her..." Dave interrupted. "If you hadn't called her she never would have forgiven you." He held her closer and kissed her forehead. "Baby, things happen that are no one's fault. That's why they're called 'accidents'. Try to calm down and think positively, ok? Rory needs us."

They sat huddled together in the empty room for another three hours before a nurse came out, dressed in scrubs to tell them the surgery was almost over and Rory was doing well. The nurse said the doctor would be out as soon as he was finished and Rory was in the recovery room. Renny's tears began again and Dave, his eyes welling up too, said "Thank you." Even that little bit of news was a relief.

Forty-five minutes later the doctor walked into the waiting room looking very serious. Renny's heart sank and she gasped. Her mind was heavy still with thoughts of "what if" and she was scared. She had never been this afraid. She couldn't even bear to think how her life would be without Rory; those were the thoughts that were plaguing her. Dancing in her mind, just beyond active consciousness.

The doctor introduced himself and reassured them that Rory had come through surgery okay. "She's suffered some head trauma that time will have to sort out. She's been unconscious since the accident so we won't really know how she is until she wakes up. I can tell you that both of her arms were broken, and we had to put pins in both arms due to the severity of the breaks. Those will need time, but they should heal nicely. She does have finger movement and strong pulses in her arms. She had some internal bleeding which we found and stopped, and she has minor lacerations on her face and arms from the broken glass so I want you to be aware of that. She also has some bruising. However, the injury we're concerned about is the head trauma. We just won't have any answers about that until she wakes up."

Renny understood...it was just too early to ask questions or expect answers. With tears streaming down her face she gathered her courage and said, "Thank you for letting us know. May we see her?" The doctor looked them both in the eyes and said, "In a few minutes a nurse will take you to the recovery room." After he had left Renny looked at Dave and started crying again.

It was another three days before Rory woke up.