Page 42 of The Women of Oak Ridge

I STOOD IN SILENT HORROR, watching as the doctor and young nurse worked to restrain Aunt Mae.

A second nurse arrived to administer a sedative.

Moments later, Aunt Mae’s distress ended abruptly.

Once she quieted, the doctor checked her pupils and heart rate before meeting my gaze.

I’m certain my own distress was obvious.

“A person with a concussion can become agitated and confused,” he said, his calm voice reassuring.

“Rest is vital for the brain to heal from the trauma it suffered. We’ll keep her sedated overnight, then evaluate her in the morning.

You should go home and get some rest yourself. She won’t wake until tomorrow.”

He and the nurses exited the room. Velvet moved to stand beside me.

“He’s right, Laurel. Mae will need your strength to get through this.”

I suddenly felt drained. “I hate to leave her, but I suppose there’s nothing I can do until she wakes up.” I remembered then that I didn’t have my car. “Would it be possible for you to give me a ride to the library? My car is there.”

“Of course.”

I kissed Aunt Mae’s forehead, tears springing to my eyes. “I’ll be back in the morning, Aunt Mae. I love you.” There was no indication she heard me.

We left the hospital and walked to Velvet’s car. Once we were seated, I turned to her. “Do you know what Aunt Mae was talking about? It was as though she thought the nurse was her roommate Sissy, and that the doctor was going to hurt her in some way.”

Velvet gave a slow nod. “I wondered about that too.” She looked thoughtful.

“I never met Sissy. She worked at Y-12, while Mae and I worked at K-25. Roonie and I rarely ventured into Townsite where Mae lived in one of the dormitories. The restaurants and activities in town were for white folks, so there wasn’t much need for us to take the bus there often. ”

“Do you know what happened to Sissy?”

“I don’t. The only reason I knew something strange was goin’ on was Roonie saw a notice in the newspaper, asking for information about Sissy. He recognized Mae’s name and showed it to me.”

“I read that notice in an old copy of the Oak Ridge Journal at the library. Aunt Mae never mentioned if Sissy returned?”

Velvet shook her head. “We weren’t close friends yet, but we’d chat when we saw each other at the bus stop or at the plant.

She came to my house once for coffee. I noticed a difference in her not long after that.

She’d been pleasant and easy to talk to before, but she grew distant.

Guarded, I guess you’d say. Roonie didn’t think it was a good idea for me to continue a friendship with Mae. ”

I frowned. “Why not?”

“In those days, the whole town of Oak Ridge was one big secret from the world. There were people watchin’ to make sure it stayed that way.

If anyone thought you were telling things you shouldn’t tell or knew things you shouldn’t know, you could lose your job.

One had to be careful with whom they associated. ”

“When did the two of you reconnect?”

She smiled. “After Oak Ridge opened to the public, I’d see Mae from time to time, usually volunteering here or there in the community. We gradually became friends again.”

Velvet dropped me off at my car, waiting until I was inside with the engine running and the doors locked before she drove away. Aunt Mae’s house was dark when I pulled into the driveway. A wave of sadness washed over me, and I wiped a tear that rolled down my cheek.

“Lord, please help Aunt Mae get better,” I whispered. “We love her.”

Barking met my ears when I opened the front door. I’d forgotten all about Peggy. The little dog came forward when I knelt to pet her.

“Hi, girl. I’m sorry, but Aunt Mae isn’t coming home. You’re stuck with me.”

I turned on the porch light and escorted Peggy outside, where she ran to the far end of the yard to do her business. While I waited, Georgeanne’s light came on. The older woman appeared a moment later, wearing a bathrobe and slippers.

“Laurel,” she called, motioning for me to come her direction. We met at the fence. “I’ve been waiting for you to get home. How is Mae? I was so shocked to hear about the accident.”

I didn’t ask how she knew. Roonie’s words about news traveling in a small town explained it. “She has a concussion and a broken wrist. They’re keeping her in the hospital for observation.”

“Bless her heart. I told her just the other day I’d be happy to take her wherever she needed to go, but you know Mae. Obstinate and independent. I probably shouldn’t tell tales, but this isn’t her first accident.”

My mouth gaped. “It isn’t?”

Georgeanne shook her head. “She hit a mailbox a few weeks ago. The only reason I know about it is because the homeowner is a friend. Mae volunteered to pay for the damage, so my friend didn’t alert the police.”

My shoulders slumped at this discouraging revelation. “Thank you for letting me know. My dad should arrive sometime tomorrow, and I’m sure he’ll want all the facts before making any decisions regarding Aunt Mae.”

“I’d hate to lose Mae as a neighbor, but it may be best if she went to live in Boston near your family.”

I didn’t reply. While I liked Georgeanne, she was a bit too opinionated and nosey.

I bid her goodnight and moved to the steps. “Peggy, come.”

The little dog had just joined me on the porch when a vehicle turned into the driveway, its headlights blinding me when I looked to see who it was. Everything went dark again when the engine cut off, and Jonas stepped out of his Bronco.

“Hi,” he said as he approached. Peggy let out a friendly yap before entering the house. “I stopped by the hospital after my shift. The nurse told me you’d gone home.”

Even though I was bone weary, I needed to tell Jonas about Aunt Mae’s outburst. “Do you want to come in for a cup of coffee or something? There’s a new development in the mystery.”

He followed me into the house to the tiny kitchen. We both opted for lemonade instead of coffee. Once we were settled at the table with some cookies, I told him what happened at the hospital.

“She was terrified,” I said, recalling the fright that filled Aunt Mae’s face when the doctor arrived. “It was as though she expected the doctor to attack the nurse right there in her room. Except she didn’t see a nurse. She saw Sissy.”

Jonas’s brow tugged into a frown. “That’s not a good sign. Even in a delirious state, I wouldn’t think Mae would fear for Sissy’s well-being unless somewhere in her subconscious she knew Sissy had been in danger at some point.”

I met his gaze, impressed. “You’re exactly right. It didn’t seem as though she was experiencing a dream or an imaginary event. I think she was reliving something.”

We sat in the stillness of the house, ticking from the clock on the wall the only sound.

“You said your aunt has Sissy’s security badge. Would you mind if I looked at it?”

“Not at all.”

I retrieved the badge from the box in my bedroom, then returned to the kitchen and handed it to him. “She was a pretty girl. The nurse at the hospital has the same coloring and fresh look.”

Jonas studied the front, then the back of the badge for a long moment.

“My parents still have their security badges. Everyone in Oak Ridge had to have one. Even children. You couldn’t come or go without it.

” He handed it back to me. “It would’ve been unusual for Sissy to give her badge to Mae, even if she left Oak Ridge for good.

She would’ve needed it to exit the Reservation. ”

Apprehension knotted my belly. “I believe Aunt Mae is hiding something. At first I assumed she didn’t want to talk about the past because of the secrecy involved with the Manhattan Project.

She’s always been a very private person from what my dad has said.

But then you discovered the complaint against her, followed by the trailer fire.

Now she’s out of her mind with fear and calling out for Sissy.

I can’t bring myself to believe she was involved in criminal behavior, but. .. what if she was?”

“I admit things look suspicious. Of what, I don’t know.”

Tears welled in my eyes. “I don’t want to mistrust her, Jonas.

Besides, everything we’re discussing happened over thirty years ago.

Does it really matter now? Should I just drop it?

Maybe Aunt Mae is right. Maybe things in the past should stay there.

Bringing all of this up has upset her, possibly even to the point of causing her to have a car accident. ”

He reached across the table and grasped my hand.

“I know you want what’s best for your aunt.

Uncovering long-buried secrets can bring out a lot of pain, but it can also be healing.

My instincts tell me that whatever happened all those years ago still has a negative influence on Mae today.

I think her outburst at the hospital is linked to it. ”

I squeezed his hand, then stood to get a tissue.

As I dabbed my eyes, I exhaled. “Everything you said is exactly what I would tell someone who came to me with the same kind of dilemma involving a loved one. Dealing with the past is often the key to letting go of feelings of fear and unforgiveness.” I gave a slight shrug.

“The thing is, when it’s your own family member, it’s hard to make the choice to hurt them further. ”

He stood and came to me. “When your dad gets here tomorrow, he may have a better understanding of what’s going on. Did you tell him about the MP’s report and the fire?”

I shook my head. “Everything happened so quickly following the accident. I’ll show him the newspaper articles and MP report before we go to the hospital.”

We walked to the front door where he offered a sympathetic smile. “Try to get some rest, Laurel. I’ll come by the hospital tomorrow, okay?”

“Thank you. For everything.”