Four Hundred Sixty

Four Hundred Sixty
I fold up the letter and bury my face in my hands. Anthony sits across my desk and looks sad.

"She left me a letter in case she got sick or hurt or didnt"...

"I believe she will be okay".

"What if she's not? What if she doesn't make it"?

"You can't put that energy out there.

Congratulations, man! I heard she made you part owner in her art gallery".

"News travels fast"?

"Hmmm... She left letters for all of us, Jonathan".

"What"?

Yeah... She left letters for all of us in her vault. Kenny delivered them all today.

Not some typed shit either. She wrote individual letters to all of us".

"What's the update on Cecily"?

Anthony takes a seat on the couch and rubs his hands down his face. He lets out a deep sigh.

"Well... there's a reason her father didn't come looking for her".

"He's in prison"?

"No. I had Marco scope him out because I ordered a hit on him. Turns out I'm not the only one to do so.

Fucker owed the wrong people money. He was wacked a few days ago".

"By who"?

"The less we know the better".

"But you know"?

"I do".

"So it's not some fake shit? He's really dead"?

"Yes. He's not in witness protection. I had Detective Markson look into it".

"Ok so... Cecily can come out now and"...

"Nope".

"You just said"...

"The person who wacked him... there's talk that they're gonna be looking for his daughter in fear she knows something she shouldn't".

"Fuck".

"She's at the house with Cheryl. Marco is working on an identity for her and Detective Markson is also in on this with witness protection".

"Fuck! Anthony??"

"She's covered on both ends. My father wants to know all about your mother's siblings".

"You're going with the angle of her being a relative of mine"?

"Yes".

"So she will be a Russo"?

"Yes"

"We need to time this just right. Cheryl is going to be your mother's niece. Cecily is her daughter. We've told your father what's going on. We need to act quickly.

We should have her new Identification, birth certificate, and social security card in a few days".

It's been a week and Alicia is still in the hospital. Lisa said she had an important update for me.

I finally tore myself away from being at the hospital and going to the gallery. I'm a bit scared and nervous stepping foot into this place without her, but I know it is important to her that I do this.

"I'm... amazed at this space. It's beautiful"!

"I keep forgetting you've never been here before", Jameson laughs.

"Wow... this is incredible".

"She wanted it to be completely finished, before you saw. Her logo... her sign was just delivered".

The Alicia Hutchinson Art Gallery.

He leads me into the open space and I'm immediately greeted with a familiar canvas.

There's a large canvas on the wall with a side view of Alicia's face with swirls of red and black.

"Wow".

"Yeah"...

The walls are black exposed brick and the floor is a dark graphite gray concrete.

The ceilings are exposed with steel duct work, and I feel... overcome with emotion.

Jameson walks me through the space and there's various random areas where there are sitting areas with couches.

"This whole space... its like"...

"Her personality", he nods.

"Are these the students paintings"? I nod at a stack of canvases leaning against the far wall.

"Yeah. We didn't want want to place them on easels. We were instructed to hang them on the far wall with the best natural light. She wanted you to hang them"?

''Me"?

"Yeah. Her letter"... He slaps my shoulder. "Come on. There's more to see".

He leads me down a corridor and into Alicia's office. "The vault is there", he says as he pushes a button under her desk. A hidden door opens in the wall behind her desk. "Try your code".

The vault opens and I am greeted with about a hundred canvases of various sizes.

"Your desk will be delivered tomorrow", he says. "You two will be sharing this office". We exit the office and head to a second office. "This is a shared space".

"Your office"?

"Yes. I will be sharing this space with Irene. Darkroom is here".

"Jameson I don't know about this. I don't know if I am good enough".

"You are what she wants and what she needs for this to be a success. Well lets jump in shall we"!

I spend several hours meeting with Jameson, Irene, and Teresa, and it is with Teresa's help, that I am able to hang the students canvases.

"I think that is perfect", she smiles. "You have two more".

"That's not all"?

"No. These two are Avery's".

"I think she should be the one to hang these".

"Maybe you're right"!

"Where's your canvases"?

"Mine"?

"Well yes. You should have at least one or two displayed".

"I never really thought about it".

I think she would want you to display some of your stuff. You taught her how to paint.

I gotta get ready to go to the hospital. Lisa wanted to talk to me".

"I hope it's a good update".

"Me too... She should be here".

"She will".

"You want to come with me"?

"I'm gonna stay here and set up a few more displays and work on the photography section". She gives me a hug. "All will be okay".

........

I get to the hospital and Jeanette is all smiles.
"Lisa is examining Alicia"!
"How is she this morning"?
"Her color is a lot better and I don't know... I think she's turning around".
"We head into Alicia's room. Lisa is sitting in a chair by Alicia's bed and is writing in her chart.
"Jonathan... Jeanette! Alicia's latest x-rays shows much improvement with her lungs".
"Oh, thank god! Sissy does look a lot better".
"Because she is" She stands up, turns on the light board, and hangs up the lung x-ray.
"There's one area that shows a trace of fluid, but compared to this"... She hangs the first set of x-rays side by side.
"I would like to extubate her and remove the urinary cathether. I would like to continue her medications through her iv though".
"So you're going to wake her"? Jeanette asks.
"Yes. I've lowered her sedation and I expect her to wake up, but it's a gradual process. I want to ease her into things. I expect her to be awake by tomorrow at the earliest".
"Thank God", I sigh. "So she's able to breathe on her own"?
"She's been breathing on her own the majority of the time for the past three days. Now of course we want to keep a close eye on her oxygen saturation".
"Of course. Lisa... thank you".
"Absolutely".
"Oh! Jonathan! this is wonderful"! Jeanette laughs. "The best news ever!"