Dreams~Shadows of the Night (13 page)

He whirled to face the English speaking guide standing over Orlando with a wisp of smoke curling around the barrel of his rifle. Blood, bright and red seeped its way across the dead man’s chest staining his dirty shirt.

Jenny stepped from behind a tree and ran to
Douglas
.

Josh stood staring down at Orlando’s body and pointed a shaking finger.

“He was the one who kidnapped us.”

Douglas
went ghostly white.

“My God, I hired him to protect us!”

The guide eyed Josh closely.

“Sit down while I get a flask of brandy out of my pack.” He glanced at Douglas’s and Jenny’s strained expressions. “For you as well.”

Josh sank gratefully to the ground and sat there watching the gaudy sight of
his tormenter’s blood draining into the soil. He’d made a grab for Orlando’s throat wanting to kill the man, but had been saved the trouble when the guide’s bullet found its mark
.

Douglas touched a hand
to his head making Jenny gasp
when she saw the blood. “Oh
Douglas
, why didn’t you tell me you were hurt?”

She rushed over to the tent and returned with a handful of gauze pads.
Moving his hand, she pressed the material to the wound. She looked at Orlando before tearing her eyes away. “I saw him jab you with his rifle,” she said to Josh. “What a horrible man.”

“More than you know,” he said, fighting to control the fresh feelings of
loathing.

The guide returned with the brandy.

“Are the other men okay?”
Douglas
asked.

“Two were knocked out as they slept. They will be coming to any moment now.”

“And him?”
Douglas
pointed to the guard on the ground.

“He was not as fortunate, I’m afraid. A knife was used on him.”

Jenny shuddered and buried her face in her hands. “Oh, God!”

They sat huddled in a circle passing the
brandy
around. Josh drank and wiped a hand across his mouth
.

“What was he going to do with me?
”

“My guess is that he thought he’d keep you close by if his attempts to take her failed.”

He pointed to Jenny.

“If nature hadn’t called, I would have been in the tent. He must have hit you, Doug, but thank God that’s all he did.”

He put his arm around her trembling shoulders.

“How is it that you managed to
keep clear of that monster?” he asked the guide.

“I have been suspicious of him from the beginning
,
and when he didn’t return to the boat last night I decided to come ashore and watch for him.”

“Thank the good Lord you did.”

The other two men had buried their fallen colleague and were busy breaking camp. One of them signaled when everything was ready. The guide stood up.

Jenny pointed to
Orlando
’s body. “What are you going to do about him?”

“He stays just as he is for the animals to peck at. The Devil’s spawn does not deserve a Christian burial,” he said in a cold voice.

Cruelty had its own payback and none of them felt compelled to argue with the harsh judgment. They walked away leaving
Orlando
’s blood stained corpse behind.

Josh sat in the boat, as they pulled away from shore. He’d come close to dying here. The odds of him escaping had never been in his favor. The greed and cruelty of some had brought him to the brink of hell, while the kindness and compassion of others had plucked him from death itself.

Josh knew he wasn’t the same man who’d left home in what seemed like a lifetime ago
. Besides his lack of physical stamina, he fel
t the lingering fragility
of his me
ntal and emotional state
.
He shifted
and felt the scars on his chest stretch. They were a harsh reminder
of
what his thirst for excitement ha
d cost him. But all
he wanted to do
now was get back home.

H
ome! He never thought that word would ever
mean so much
to him
.

>>>>dreams<<<<

Catherine stood in Ryan’s living room studying several framed photos displayed on a table
.

Ryan came out of the kitchen and handed her a glass of wine.

“Thank you.” She
smiled and
pointed to one of the pictures. “Is that your daughter?”

“Yes. Her
name
is Kiren.
S
he’s ten.”

“She’s beautiful.”

“She favors her mother.” He nodded toward the photo of a dark haired woman.

“I see a lot of you in her, too. I like her name; it’s unusual.”

“It was my wife’s maiden name.”

They crossed to the sofa and sat down.

“She must miss her very much.”

“She does, but her two grandmothers have been wonderful. As a matter of fact, she’s at my in-laws right now. I don’t know what I would have done without them.”

“I’m sure it’s been very hard for all of you.”

“It’s one thing to deal with death the way we have to sometimes when a patient dies, and it’s never easy, but nothing prepares you for when it hits you personally.”

“No it doesn’t,” she said quietly.

“You’re very beautiful, Catherine, and I’m happy that you accepted my invitation, but I can’t help wondering why you don’t have s
omeone special in your life.”

She treated him to a ghost of a smile.

“There was someone once. His name was Josh Dallas. He was working along the Amazon when he and a female colleague were
abducted. She died, but no one knows what happened to him.”

Ryan’s breath came out in a rush of sympathy.

“I’m so sorry. You read about that kind of thing in the news, but it never seems quite real. I can’t imagine how difficult it must be for you. The not knowing must be unbearable.”

Ryan set their glasses on the table and took her by the hands.

“I know
what you’re saying. The first time I kissed my wife I knew I wanted to spend the rest of my life with her. We never really get over losing someone we love. We may move on, but they’ll always be there in our hearts. It’s the little day-to-day things that remind
us of
what we had
and how nothing will ever be the same again. But I have to believe there is still a life out there waiting. We can’t exist solely on memories hoarded from the past.”

“A friend told me pretty much the same thing.
That’s why I accepted this date.
”

“I’m thankful they did. I understand about loss and I know this won’t be easy for either of us,” he said gently. “But I hope you’ll give us a chance, Catherine.”

She looked at their joined hands and pushed thoughts of Josh away.

“I’ll try.”

>>>>dreams<<<<

Catherine lay in bed that night and thought about how much she missed Josh and how Ryan still mourned his late wife. She fell asleep wondering if either of them would be able to get over their loss enough to help
each
other. She was still pondering the question when t
he t
elephone’s shrill ringing broke through her slumber. Her hand fumbled for the receiver. She sat up and listened in disbelief to Tom’s frantic voice.

>>>>dreams<<<<

Catherine stared at the tiny infant and smiled at the tuft of soft fuzz that topped his small head. He’d arrived a bit ahead of schedule, but thankfully in good health. A rush of tenderness flowed through her as she stroked a gentle finger along the l
ength of his downy back. He made a soft mewing noise, bobbed his head, and went back to sleep.

As Nancy’s illness progressed so did the stress to the baby until the danger posed to her unborn child forced the decision for an emergency cesarean section. One of the hazards in working with the public was being exposed to unwanted germs. No one could say for sure, but some customer might have unknowingly passed this illness on to
Nancy
.

Catherine’s
stomach rumbled with hunger reminding her that she hadn’t eaten in hours. Taking one last look at the baby, she
told one of the nurses where she’d be and took the elevator down
to the hospital caf
eteria. But once there the smell of food made her stomach roll in queasy waves and she ended up settling for a cup of tea and a plate of dry toast
.
She sat sipping the tea and ignoring the toast when Ryan joined her.

“They told me I’d find you here,” he said pulling out a chair across from her. “I wish I could say something to ease your distress, but any words that come to mind seem like tired clichés.”

“That’s how I feel every time I’m around Tom.”

“He’s taking this very hard.”

“He can’t help it.
Nancy
means everything to him. She’s his life.”

“In that case he’ll take close watching if she doesn’t pull out of this.”

She looked at him with sudden alarm.

“Are you suggesting what I think you are?”

“I’m merely stating a possibility. When two people are that close they don’t always handle it well when something happens to the other. You know that, Catherine.”

“Yes, but Tom will have their baby. He could fill some of the void for him.”

“That will depend on Tom. The baby may not be enough.”

She looked at him, her eyes dull with worry and
fatigue.

“He’s got to be.”

Ryan reached across the table and laid his hand over hers. “You look like you could use a good night’s sleep. I know your aunt is planning on staying here. Why don’t you come and stay at my house tonight?”

Instant color flooded her pale cheeks and she jerked her hand away.

“I hardly think that would be appropriate right now.”

“Kiren is spending the night at a friend’s. I was offering you her bedroom and the door has a lock.”

“Oh. I didn’t mean to imply that you were suggesting anything improper,” she said, knowing that she’d done exactly that.

“Yes you were, and I’m not sure which one of us should feel the most upset by your assumption.”

“That was very rude of me. I’m sorry, Ryan.”

He pushed his chair back and stood up.

“So am I.”

She watched him walk away and felt mortified by her careless words.

Chapter Twelve

While Nancy’s health continued to decline, her baby grew strong enough to be released from the hospital. Priscilla went ahead to set up what she would need for her grandson, as Catherine convinced Tom to drive her and the baby home. Although the child wouldn’t know, she wanted one of his parents to be involved in his homecoming.

Tom stood
in deep thought,
silently
staring at his son lying in the bassinet Nancy had so lovingly chosen before her illness. He
abruptly
turned to
face
the two women.

“I have to go
,” he murmured.  “
Thank you for taking him.”

Priscilla touched his arm.

“It’s just until Nancy is well again
,”
she said.
“
Then you’ll both take your
baby home with
you.”
S
he spoke softly while blinking back
fresh
tears
.

He seemed to shrink away from her offer of sympathy, as though he couldn’t bear her personal grief coupled with his own.

Catherine, watch
ing
him
and
seeing his
anguish, remembered how Nancy had cried telling her about Tom’s troubled family life. He’d been an unwanted child treated with indifference by his father and scorned by his mother. He’d always thought he was unworthy to receive love until he met Nancy.