Fires of Autumn (45 page)

Casey
stared at him, her growing apprehension evident. “So why are you telling me
this? You didn’t have to tell me anything.”

“Because I
thought you should know. If he… well, if he doesn’t come back, I just thought
you should know.”

Surprisingly,
Casey didn’t burst into hysterics. She just stared at him like he had two
heads.  Peter gazed at her apprehensively, waiting for the explosion, but
nothing happened. She just stared at him.  She took a step back from him and
then another.  Then, she suddenly turned around and started walking.  He
trailed after her.

“Where are
you going?” he demanded.

Casey’s
composure was holding together by a thread. She waved a vicious hand at him.
“Leave me alone,” she roared. “Get away from me and leave me alone.”

“Casey, I
can’t,” Peter was behind her, pleading. “You know I can’t.”

Casey
swung a fist at him, barely missing him. “If you don’t get away from me, I’ll
scream. Go away, Peter. Just… just leave me alone. I swear to God you’ll be
sorry if you don’t.”

They had
reached the corner of Pennsylvania Avenue and 17
^th
Street.  Peter
came to a halt at the corner, watching Casey as she turned south on 17
^th
Street and continued walking. 

“Casey!”
he called after her. “Please don’t walk off. Please!”

Casey
didn’t respond to him; she just kept walking, storming off blindly in ninety
degree heat with one hundred percent humidity.  Peter couldn’t follow her; he
had to get back to the White House. Breaking into a dead run, he sprinted his
way back to the West Wing.  From there, he sent out four uniformed Secret
Service officers to bring her back. He figured she might return with someone
other than him, someone she wasn’t desperately angry with.

Two hours
later, they still hadn’t found her.  When the President found out she was
missing, and why, he yelled at Peter for a solid hour.

***

Scott had
been to Charlie Palmer steakhouse a dozen times in as many weeks.  It was right
across the street from the Capital and a hip joint to drink and discuss
politics after hours, only tonight, he wasn’t here to discuss politics. He had
come over to the restaurant because his aide had called him earlier in the
evening, sounding rather concerned, and asked him to stop by because there was
a problem.  Kurt really wouldn’t say much more than that so, intrigued yet
slightly impatient, Scott obliged and swung by before heading back to
Georgetown. His son was expecting him and he was irritated at the delay.
Leaving his Jaguar with the valet, he entered the busy, dimly-lit
establishment.

It was
crowded with people as he pushed through the clusters in the lobby, looking
over towards the bar area in hopes of locating Kurt.  As his gaze scanned the
crowd, someone suddenly grasped him by the elbow.

“Senator,”
Kurt was standing beside him. “Thank God you’re here. I didn’t know who else to
call.”

Scott was
perplexed. “Call about what? What’s going on?”

Kurt
crooked a finger at him and pulled him away from the hostess stand and a large
group of patrons.  When they were moderately alone in a corner of the plush
waiting area, he turned to him.

“I came
here a couple of hours ago and found Casey Cleburne sitting in the bar,” he
said in a low voice. “She… she’s despondent or something. She was sitting
there, drinking hot tea and just staring off into space.  Senator, did you know
she’s pregnant?”

Scott
looked at him, shocked. “No,” he replied. “But what’s the problem? Why did
you…?”

“She’s
spacey and out of it,” Kurt interrupted him. “Look, I know she’s a big girl and
all that, but I’ve known Casey for a little while and that woman is never
anything other than completely together.  I’ve been sitting with her for the
past two hours and she’s barely said five words to me. She just sits there and
stares at her hands. Something’s wrong and I just can’t leave her like that. I
didn’t know who else to call.”

Scott
still wasn’t over the pregnant part.  He stared at Kurt as his mind absorbed
the news. After several long moments, he sighed heavily and began to look
around, as if he could spot Casey in all of the bustle.

“I don’t
know what I can do,” he said honestly. “Where is she?”

Kurt
silently motioned him to follow.  They moved through the bar area and into a
corner where a woman sat, all tucked up into the corner of the booth.  Scott’s
gaze fell on Casey’s lowered head and he felt his heart jump, just like it
always did when he saw her.  She was staring at a half-full cup of lukewarm
tea.

“Casey?”
Scott said softly.

Her head
came up, the violet eyes fixing on him, and he smiled. “Fancy seeing you here,”
he tried to be light about it. “I just stopped by after work and Kurt said he’d
found you here. How are you?”

Casey just
looked at him.  She was pale, with most of her make-up gone, but she was still
the most beautiful woman in the room.  Her luscious caramel-colored hair was
messy, the signature bangs pushed aside and stuck together.  She didn’t look
anything like her usual self, which put Scott on immediate edge.

“Hello,
Senator,” she said dully. “I’m okay.”

Scott
watched her closely, eventually sliding into the booth opposite her. “Have you
eaten?” he asked. “Maybe you’d like to eat with Kurt and me. We haven’t….”

Casey was
shaking her head before he even got the invitation out of his mouth. “No, thank
you,” she said. “I should be going home, anyway.”

“Why?”
Scott wanted to know. “What’s your rush? Kurt and I would love to have dinner
with you.”

Casey was
back to looking at her tea again.  As Scott and Kurt watched, tears began to
rain from her eyes into her tepid tea water.  Kurt slipped into the booth next
to her as Scott reached across the table to gently grasp the fingers holding
the tea cup.

“What’s
the matter, Casey?” he asked gently. “Can we help?”

Casey
shook her head and the sobs began to come.  Then she seemed a little panicked,
trapped by Kurt as he sat next to her and blocked her swift exit.

“I really
need to go home,” she wept softly. “Please… just let me go.”

“Casey, we
just want to help,” Kurt insisted softly. “Please tell us what’s wrong. I’m
sure there’s something we can do.”

“You
can’t,” she choked and shoved at him, pushing him out of the booth. “I really
have to go.  Thank you very much for your concern, but I really have to go.”

Kurt
reluctantly stood up and they both got a look at Casey’s round pregnant belly
as she climbed out of the seat.  Without another word, she picked up her purse
and scurried from the restaurant.  Scott told Kurt to hang back while he went
after her.  He caught up to her as she moved for the taxi stand outside.

“Casey,”
he came up behind her. “Please, honey, don’t run off. I’m not trying to be a
bother, but I’m really concerned about you.  Kurt said he’s been sitting in the
restaurant with you for a couple of hours. How long were you in there before he
showed up?”

Casey took
a deep breath, struggling to stop the tears. “I don’t even know,” she said
after a moment.  She wiped at her cheeks, composing herself as she turned to
look at him.  “I’m really sorry. I’m not trying to be difficult or a drama
queen, but there’s just a lot going on with me right now. No one can help.
Thank you for your offer, though. I appreciate it.”

Scott’s
gaze remained calm and warm upon her. “Congratulations on the baby,” he said
softly. “I guess now I understand why you didn’t want to go out with me.”

Casey
instinctively put her hand on her belly. “I…,” she stammered, looking sorrowful
and torn. “The baby had nothing to do with it, honestly. It’s what I told you.
I was already seeing someone.  I mean I
am
seeing someone.”

“Sheridan.”

She looked
him in the eye. “Yes. But you already know that.”

“Is he the
father?”

Casey
almost told him it wasn’t any of his business, a natural response to the
query.  But she relented.   It didn’t really matter if he knew or not.

“Of course
he is,” she murmured, averting her gaze.

Scott took
a step closer and lowered his voice. He was attempting to be comforting but in
his own way, he was probing her also.

“I heard
he was reassigned to the European Secret Service Bureau,” he said. “At least,
that’s what I heard. But that’s not the truth, is it?”

Her head
snapped. “Why do you say that?”

He sighed
faintly. “Casey, I know he’s not in Paris,” he murmured. “Colt walked out of
his assignment as the President’s Special Agent in Charge six months ago and no
one knows what’s happened to him.  You and I have had discussions about him,
Casey.  I… I just don’t want to see you wasting your life over the man.”

She
hardened. “I’m not wasting my life,” she snapped. “Look, I appreciate your
concern, but it’s really not necessary. I can take care of myself.”

She
started to walk away from him but he would let her go so easily. “Who’s going
to take care of the baby?” he wanted to know. “You’re a young, single,
beautiful woman with two young children and another on the way. Who’s going to
take care of the baby, Casey? Not Sheridan. He’s no where to be found.”

She
stopped in her tracks and turned to him. “So… what?” she was irritable and
snappish. “You want to take care of me and a baby that isn’t yours? What in the
hell are you driving at, Scott? You’ve spent so much time trying to woo me away
from Colt but the reality is that these attempts make you look desperate and
manipulative.  I love Colt, he loves me, and when he returns, we’re getting
married and raising this baby together. End of story.”

Scott
didn’t rise to her emotion. “If that’s true, then why were you in the bar
wallowing in misery?”

She
stomped her foot. “Because it’s
my
misery to wallow in and it’s none of
your business.”

He could
see how fired up she was getting but he remained cool. “You know he’s not
coming back,” he whispered firmly. “You know that you’re going to raise this
baby alone, right? Colt Sheridan is as shady as they come, Casey. I’ve told you
that. You
know
that.  Why do you insist on thinking well of the man when
all he’s done is lie to you, get you pregnant, and run off?”

She shook
her head and turned away from him, telling the valet to call her a cab.  Scott
walked up behind her.

“I’m not
trying to be manipulative,” he whispered. “I just want to treat you the way you
deserve to be treated.  I want to put you on a pedestal and keep you there. I
told you once that the first moment I saw you was the first moment I had felt
alive in over twelve years. It just kills me to see you wasting your life over
someone like Colt Sheridan.”

She turned
to look at him. “Talking disparagingly about him isn’t going to get me to
change my mind,” she hissed. “It’s only going to infuriate me.  Although I
appreciate your concern, Senator, I really have nothing else to say to you on
the subject so I’d appreciate it if you’d just let it go.  Nothing you can say
is going to turn me against Colt.”

Scott
could only acknowledge that he understood her, not that he agreed with her.  He
had no intention of giving up. As Casey returned her attention to the taxi
stand, she suddenly lost her balance and tumbled back into Scott.  He caught
her so she wouldn’t fall to the ground but as he tried to put her back on her
feet, he realized she was doubled over.

“What’s
wrong?” he demanded softly.

Casey
couldn’t help the grunt that escaped her lips. “I… I don’t know,” she was
trying to stand up and pull herself away from him. “I just got a sharp pain in
my gut, like someone stabbed me with an ice pick.”

“Are you
okay?” he asked with concern.

Casey
tried to stand but the pain was intense. “I… I just need to get home,” she
gasped softly. “I need to lay down.”

“Are you
sure?”

“I’m
sure,” she said, then suddenly grunted again and grabbed her belly. “Oh… my,
God….”

It was
apparent that something was happening to her and Scott was on the move. He
emitted a piercing whistle between his teeth, waving over the nearest cab as he
practically carried Casey to the car.  He firmly, gently, pushed her inside and
climbed in after her. 

“Walter
Reed,” he boomed to the cabbie. “
Go.
”

The cabbie
floored it.

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

“She’s got
some complications,” the doctor said. “Maybe we should all sit down and discuss
it.”

It was
well into the night on the sultry July day. Although the doctor had been
speaking to Riley, there was also a collection of other people standing around
her, listening to the doctor’s words.  Russ, Tracy, Scott and Peter were
standing in a nervous bunch as they went to sit on a pair of blue cloth couches
in the waiting room of the Perinatal Unit at Walter Reed Medical Center.