Chapter Fourteen
Christie jerked slightly in surprise as Kevin's car appeared out of the fog. Realizing who it was, she turned to follow Doctor Watson to the door of Daniel's home.
Almost breathless, Kevin ran up to join the women. "What is it? What's wrong? Is Daniel all right?"
"He may be until I get my hands on him," Doctor Watson growled softly.
Kevin blinked in surprise at the doctor's ire. It took a lot to make Doctor Watson angry and it looked like Daniel had managed to do just that. "Who were those men?"
Callie and Christie froze. Fear filled Christie's heart as it leapt into her throat.
"What men?" Doctor Watson asked slowly.
"Rebecca saw some men this morning. It was still dark so she didn't get a good look at them. They were carrying someone. She said they came from the church."
"In this fog?" Christie asked even as her heart swelled with terror and loss. No! They couldn't have lost each other again! They couldn't!
"It wasn't foggy then. The fog rolled in around six."
Christie felt tears sting her eyes. "They must have found out. They took him." She groaned in anguish, wrapping her arms around her stomach. "They took him!"
"Took him?" Kevin looked at the women, surprised by the fear and horror in their faces. "Took who? What's going on?"
Callie wrapped a comforting arm around her friend's shoulders, even as she felt her own horror growing.
"I've lost him, Callie! I just found him again and now I've lost him," Christie cried, "I've lost Rollie!"
"Who's Rollie?" The police officer asked as Doctor Watson walked over to Daniel's door.
"Rollie was Daniel," she explained quietly, "I'll explain later, Kevin."
"Rollie? Daniel? Wha'... Wait a minute! You think Daniel's been kidnapped?!?" He ran after the doctor. "Don't touch anything! There might be fingerprints. Don't..." He trailed off as she opened the unlocked door and walked inside.
Christie choked back a soft sob as she followed them, Callie close by her side. They huddled together as if they could hold off the truth, change it, make it better. She looked around the small house, her eyes taking in everything, thinking she would never see him again, that this was as close as she would ever again be to the one man she loved above all others.
Doctor Watson walked over to the slightly open door of the bedroom. She paused for a moment. Looking at the others, she drew her shoulders back and pushed it open. Looking at the bed, she froze in shock.
Kevin crowded close to her heels. Seeing the dazed expression on the doctor's face, he braced himself to look. He stared wide-eyed at the sight on the bed.
Unable to bear it, Christie pushed her way forward and gasped. "Rollie?" She walked over to the bed and gaped in surprise. "Daniel?"
Tousled brown hair was all that could be seen of the two men curled in the bed together. She drew the covers back to reveal the identical twins, curved around each other. Their heads touching, looking so much like two little boys who had fallen asleep sharing secrets, it made her heart ache with love. Fresh tears ran down her cheeks, a sign of her overwhelming relief. Angie hesitated, then shook one shoulder, not sure which was which. The man stirred slightly before settling once more, deeply asleep. The other one shifted at his twin's movements and blinked blearily at the blonde woman staring at them. He started to say something and it turned into a huge yawn. He looked at the other man and snuggled against the warmth of his twin. His eyes closed and he drifted back to sleep.
"They're both here," Doctor Watson muttered. "I can't believe they're both here!"
"Neither can I," Callie responded as she took in the two men. They looked... They looked absolutely identical and the sight was absolutely... adorable was the word that came to mind. All of a sudden, she wished more than anything that she had a camera to capture this moment for posterity. Thinking quickly, she spun on her heel. "Wait here! I'll be right back." The island's only journalist ran out to her car, searching through the junk in the back until she found her camera. She darted back inside and shouldered her way into the bedroom. Kevin and Doctor Watson watched in bemusement. "Step back, Christie. I have got to get some shots of this!"
Angie Ramirez stared at her friend in surprise. Seeing the camera, her eyes suddenly twinkled. "Only if I get copies!"
"Oh yeah, you better believe it, girlfriend! I'll get you some 8 X 10's!" Callie answered happily as she snapped several candid shots of the twins sleeping together. She knew she wanted some of them as well and could think of a few others who might agree. The sight was just too perfect! "Maybe even a poster."
"Why are they here? I can't believe that... they would leave both of them here. It doesn't fit." Doctor Watson looked at the others, her brow drawn together in bewilderment.
"You're right," Christie answered. "They wouldn't let them both go. They should have taken Rollie and left Daniel in his place. So what happened? What went wrong? Why...?"
"Hey, Ange, it's been a long time, luv."
Christie spun around, startled at the familiar voice. "Dingo!?!"
"G'day, Angie girl!"
"Mangela!!!" Angie jumped forward to hug the two men that were Rollie's fathers.
"Can't believe how much he looks like my Rollie," Dingo nodded at the bed containing the sleeping twins.
"Two sonny boys, mate. You better treat 'em proper like."
"Heh. Guess you're right about that, Mangela. It was bad enough with just the one on my case." He smiled widely at them, eyes full of doting pride.
Angie pulled the closest available ear in warning. "He's a minister now! So behave yourselves! Both of you!" She tried to glare at them, but couldn't do it. She was too full of happiness to be stern.
"Wait a minute! My boy's a preacher?" Dingo looked startled and surprised.
"I told you that," Mangela responded calmly.
"Yeah and I didn't really believe you."
"Believe him. Rollie is a minister and so is Daniel. So behave!" Angie answered.
"Hey girlie! I want some of them pictures too." Dingo told Callie. He eyed his old friend and tilted his head in a question. Mangela nodded fractionally, smiling widely. "Make that two sets!"
"Uh, okay. Sure." Callie answered uncertainly, staring at the strangers. Dingo and Mangela?!? This was Rollie's father? And his surrogate father? Dingo certainly didn't look anything like Rollie Tyler. They were as different as Daniel and he were alike. Dingo was at least a head shorter than Rollie, a slender man in his early to mid sixties with thinning blond hair heavily mixed with gray. She didn't think there was anything left to shock her. The turn of events this morning were amazing! How had they found Rollie? Why were they here? Remembering what Angie had told her about Mangela, she felt goose bumps raising the hair on the back of her neck. Magic? Telepathy? How?!?
A knock sounded on the back door. Before any of them could react, Ruby and Bonita walked in. They looked at the crowd around Daniel's bedroom with concern.
"What's wrong? Is Reverend Cooper all right?" Ruby asked, walking over to the door. She looked in and gasped upon seeing the twins. "I didn't know Daniel had a twin brother!"
Bonita stared in shock at the sight. "Is he all right? What's his brother's name? When did he get here?" She looked at Doctor Watson and Kevin, waiting for answers
"Ah... I don't know," Kevin responded, his head spinning.
"It's a long story. I don't think they're brothers." Doctor Watson stated, looking at Rollie's father for confirmation. When he nodded, she continued. "It's a long story. Ruby, Bonita, please make sure that everyone knows services are canceled today." It must be almost time if they were here. She turned to check the twins and make sure they were all right. Their sleep seemed unnaturally deep.
"You a doctor?" Dingo asked.
"Yes, I am."
"Check 'em good, Doc. Rollie got a hard crack on the head from those bastards and Daniel looks like he's had a rough time with them too. They injected both of them with something." Mangela told the woman, moving to her side, gently touching first one's brow, then the other, soothing them with his fingers.
Ruby and Bonita gaped at the words. Who was Rollie? Who had given Daniel a rough time? Did this have something to do with his collapse? Ruby suddenly felt a surge of heat. Well, whoever they were, they weren't going to hurt their minister or his twin!
Doctor Watson's concern deepened at Mangela's words. She looked at everyone and said firmly, "If you'll give us some privacy so I can check them." Her gaze was pointed and sent everyone except the man at her side out of the room. She looked at him and he gazed calmly back. "Fine." She turned to check her patients thoroughly. She clucked to herself occasionally as she found bruises on both of them and dried blood behind one of the twin's ears. Rollie, it had to be Rollie from what Mangela had said. She cleaned it up and found a small cut and a dark bruise.
As Angie looked around the crowded living room, she realized that the islanders would need explanations. She just wasn't sure what to tell them. How do you explain that the man you thought was one person was actually another? That the man he'd been impersonating had been held captive apparently? At least, she assumed they'd held Daniel. Why had they released them? And how did you explain that their minister hadn't remembered he was someone else?!? Her head spun and she sat, rather heavily, on the couch.
"Angie? You okay?" Dingo sat beside her.
The others stared at them in confusion. Angie?!? Callie had introduced her as Christie. What was going on?!?
Angie groaned softly in frustration and her own confusion. She buried her head in her hands. How was she going explain this one!?! She didn't know whether she wanted to laugh, cry or scream. She really felt like doing all three. She looked up at Ruby, Bonita and Kevin. "Look, I... We will explain everything. Later. Kevin could you make sure They are really gone. I'll feel a whole lot better about all of this."
Kevin nodded thoughtfully. "Sure. I can do that. I'll check with the fishermen." He hustled out. He wasn't sure what was going on, but Angie or Christie or whatever her name was had promised an explanation. He could wait for now and somehow he thought he would feel better if he knew those men were gone too.
Ruby and Bonita exchanged looks. All right, so it seemed Kevin didn't know and Callie and Doctor Watson did. Explanations could wait for a little while, until Daniel and Rollie, whoever he was, were ... recovering. In the meantime, they needed to let the other members of the congregation know services were canceled.
"We'll just let everyone know," Bonita hastened to finish at Angie's look of concern, "that services are canceled. We can wait." She looked at her mom. "We can wait." The two women left to send the others home.
"I would really like to know how you two
came to be here," Angie said conversationally to Dingo. She raised a hand
as he started to speak. "Like they said, it can wait. Right now, I want
to know that Rollie and Daniel are all right."