The Rescuer (12 page)

"Sure."

Kate got up from the table and staggered.

Marcus shot out his hand to catch her arm. "Whoa, sit back down."

She sat and he pushed her head between her knees.

"Here." Marcus pressed her water glass into her hand.

She lifted clammy hands and gripped it hard.

"I saw what you didn't eat, so that's not what's causing this. Why didn't you let the doctor check you out last month when this started?"

She bobbled the glass and nearly spil ed the water. "I don't want to hear I've got cancer like Jennifer."

His hand tightened on the back of her neck. "I wish you had said something to Dave." She looked up. Marcus looked like she'd punched him in the gut.

"Dave would have just taken me to see a doctor."

"What do you think I'm going to do?"

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She lowered her head and tried to take deep breaths, knowing the day had just moved out of her control.

She'd been trying so hard to keep Dave from seeing one of these spel s. She should have known her luck would run out around Marcus.

"Seriously, can a doctor make you feel any worse?"

The light-headedness faded and she forced herself to sit up. "Cal Meghan. Maybe she'l know the name of a jpod doctor who has a decent bedside manner."

Between the headaches, the waves of light-headedness, and the recurring nausea, her symptoms were growing steadily worse. She couldn't avoid the reality any longer. She groaned and laid her head down on the table. "I feel awful."

"I'l be right back."

Meghan thanked JoAnne for the ride to Lake Forest, caught hold of Blackie s handle, and turned toward Dave and Kate's house. She was glad she'd already been in town when her mom passed along the cal .

"Thanks for coming, Meghan."

"It's my pleasure." She walked toward Marcus's voice, grateful there was something she could do for the O'Mal eys for a change. Blackie led her up two steps and into the house.

Marcus clasped her hand with his. "You look real y good."

"Thank you. How's Kate doing?"

"I talked her into lying down upstairs."

"Take me to see her?"

"Sure. Can I get you a drink or something first?"

"I'm fine for now." She motioned Blackie to fol ow him and walked up the stairs, out of habit silently counting them. They reached the landing. "Let me see her alone."

Marcus hesitated. "Sure. Her room is the second door on your left."

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Meghan squeezed his arm and walked down the hal , trailing a hand along the wal to the second doorway.

She tapped on the door. "I hear you're feeling pretty awful."

"Like someone is trying to take out my guts from the inside out," Kate replied. "The bed is six feet straight ahead, then there's a chair on your left."

Meghan let Blackie escort her to the chair as she smiled at her friend. "That symptom sounds descriptive. What time's your appointment?"

"One o'clock. And you don't need to make sure 1

actual y get there."

"JoAnne and I were in town shopping. I was ready for a break." Meghan reached for Kate's wrist, checked her pulse, and

^'; then rubbed her arm.

"Don't bother. I'm dying."

Meghan settled back in the chair but kept her hand on Kate's. "You're not dying. I've seen a lot of the flu this year that is laying out grown men. You could be slightly al ergic to the type of cologne Dave uses for al we know, but we'l eliminate the obvious things first-stomach flu, a reaction to your birth control pil s, the start of an ulcer. Do you real y think you've got cancer like Jennifer?"

"It crossed my mind a few times," Kate muttered.

Meghan squeezed Kate's hand, understanding just how hard it was to push away irrational thoughts when it came down to scary what ifs. "We'l let Sandy sort it out. I promise you'l feel better tomorrow, if only because you won't need to worry about it anymore."

"I'm scared, Meg. And I am never scared."

Meg turned Kate's wedding ring. "You're not going to lose everything you love just because for the first time you have happiness with Dave, a job you enjoy, and peace with God. It's not about to get ripped away from you. I promise you that."

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"Jennifer died. Stephen left. And the fear eats at me because I'm never sick and something is wrong."

"Jennifer's waiting for you in heaven, and Stephen wil come back. Depend on God, and the fear wil find its right size. He's bigger than whatever is wrong."

"Dave's going to meet us at the doctor's office. He'l have to break the speed limit to get back in time, but hes**determined."

"He loves you."

"I know, Meghan. I'm depending on that." Kate sighed.

"I'd better change and get ready to go." She eased to the edge of the bed. "You'l keep Marcus company in the waiting room?"

"I wil ," Meg said. "He's worried about you."

"Good. It serves him right for tel ing on me to Dave."

Meg laughed.

Meghan sat beside Marcus and listened to the sounds in the waiting room. She could hear pages quickly turning in a magazine- Marcus wasn't pausing to read anything. "Would you relax? Kate's going to be fine."

"She looked awful."

Meghan patted his arm.

She missed this, the pace and flow of patients. She faintly heard Kate's voice saying good-bye to the doctor. "Marcus, cal Dave again and tel him not to bother to park but to come around front to the circle drive. Kate and I wil meet you in the lobby."

She heard him set down the magazine. "You're right; she's coming and her color is better."

"I think she would prefer talking with Dave downstairs rather than here in a crowded waiting room."

"A good assumption, Meg. I'l go intercept him. Meet you by the entrance downstairs."

A few moments later Kate col apsed into the seat Marcus just

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vacated. Meghan turned toward her. "What's the verdict?"

Kate struggled to get the words out. "I'm pregnant."

Meghan reached over and gripped her friend's hand.

She'd been hoping that was the case. Kate's hand turned in hers and about cut off the circulation.

Kate sighed and then laughed. "Dave is going to be thril ed. World class thril ed."

"How far along did she think you are?"

"Eight weeks? Ten? I didn't hear much of what she said after the word pregnant." Kate leaned forward. "Am 1

going to be this sick the entire nine months?"

Meghan smiled as she rubbed Kate's back. "Cheer up.

You've only got seven months to go."

Kate groaned.

"The first trimester is normal y the worst of it. Are you happy about this?"

"Yeah. I think I'm going to start blubbering soon. What do I know about babies? I have no idea how to be a mom."

"You'l learn how just like everybody else. Marcus went to find Dave. He'l meet us at the entrance."

"He's going to pick me up, whirl me around, and I'm going to lose the crackers I had down the front of his shirt."

"Toast, hot tea, no caffeine. I'l take you through a whole list of things that wil help." Meghan got to her feet and offered her hand. Kate took it. "You're going to make a great mom."

"At least my son or daughter wil have two parents who never leave."

Meghan wrapped her arm around Kate's waist and hugged her, hearing the absolute promise. "And I'm going to throw you the biggest baby shower you've ever seen."

"Meg, don't you dare."

Meghan laughed. "I bet your fel ow cops would come.

What are friends for, if not to embarrass you?"

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esee

ARIZONA

Stephen drove back to the motel Friday night, one hand on the wheel, the other rubbing a blister forming on the side of his left thumb. Next time he volunteered to help instal a garage door opener, he would make sure he had on better gloves. Homemade bread stil warm from the oven rested in a sack beside him, fil ing the cab with a wonderful aroma. He'd miss this barter system after he moved on to a more formal job in Texas. He pul ed into the motel parking lot and felt a jolt. Marcus was leaning against a BMW waiting for him. Stephen parked and shut off the truck. The solemn focus on his brother's face warned him.

"It's Kate," Stephen said, guessing what would send Marcus halfway across the country without a warning phone cal .

Marcus just nodded.

Stephen picked up the sack and shut the door of the truck feeling like a very old man. He'd known a day like this would come when she walked into a crisis and got into serious trouble.

"She's pregnant, Stephen."

He stopped halfway across the parking lot at the quiet words. "Kate?"

An easy smile played at the corners of Marcus's mouth. "That was about her reaction too. Does this town have somewhere you can get a good meal?"

Stephen shifted the sack. "Grandy's down the road a bit."

"There's no close airport and I've been driving for hours. We need to talk."

Stephen drove him to Grandys, taking along the homemade bread. They settled at the back table. "Is she doing okay?"

"She's sicker than I've ever seen a lady get and struggling to accept the change this wil mean at work.

She kept her promise to Dave-she's moving over to work robbery and fraud. Her days

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as a hostage negotiator are over. She's hoping an opening in homicide wil become available."

"Kate is going to be a mom." Stephen tned to get his thoughts around that new reality and found it a stretch.

"I didn't even know she wanted to start a family right away"

Marcus smiled. "She came out of the doctor's office in a bit of shock. She didn't even suspect it."

"Dave is okay with it?"

"Walking on air and so proud you'd figure the baby was already born."

Stephen could see that; Dave was head over heels in love with Kate and the type of guy to celebrate the fact that he'd soon be a father. Stephen thought about Kate being pregnant and the image caused his smile to grow. "When's she due?"

"The doctor gave her a date in mid-July."

"I appreciate your coming to tel me in person, but you could have cal ed."

"And miss out on seeing your expression when you heard the news?" Marcus opened the ketchup for his French fries. "I also figured I could talk you into showing me a good fishing spot so I could get a day out on the water before I fly back. I've seen those recent pictures you sent Jack."

"I can provide a great couple hours of fishing," Stephen promised, pleased to hear Marcus would be able to stay.

Marcus's smile turned serious as he started his meal.

"This is me asking, not Kate: Did you get through Christmas okay?"

Stephen thought about it and shrugged. "The day passed. It was sadder than the day Jennifer died and so incredibly long. Every time I thought about past Chnstmases, she was always center in the memories.

You?"

"Shari and I spent it with her family in Virginia, and I tried not to slow down long enough to think."

Stephen hesitated, then said quietly, "I went to church the

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Sunday after Christmas and sang a few songs. It seemed the thing to do."

Marcus looked over at him for a long moment and then nodded. "Thanks, it means a lot. And Jennifer would have real y appreciated it too." Marcus picked up his sandwich. "I saw Meghan the other day. She asked about you."

"Is she doing okay?"**

"She seems to be. She mentioned that Ken was teaching her to ski."

Stephen tore off a chunk of bread. "That's a nice way to break her neck."

"I told her that. She laughed and said when she could see she inevitably closed her eyes, so it wasn't much different."

"She mentioned at Christmas that she was buying a house."

"She's moved in. Kate saw the house and said it's wonderful. It's been good for Kate to have Meghan back in her life."

"Meg's a good friend to have."

"I wish you had gotten serious about her years ago. I like her."

"A few months ago you were hoping Ann and her boys would be the right fit."

"Ann's a great lady and her boys are priceless, but you dated her and settling down didn't cross your mind, which rather disappointed me as wel as Jennifer,"

Marcus remarked. "You were restless then and you're stil restless."

"I don't know what I'm looking for, Marcus. If I knew, I would have already found it." Stephen picked up his glass. "Ann seems pretty content the last couple times we've talked. I heard Gage was over at her place for Christmas, helping her boys with their new bikes." As surprised as he was at Gage's involvement, he knew it was a good development. Gage had lost his wife and son in a fire. For him to have found peace enough to spend time with Ann and her boys-Stephen knew his sister Rachel would

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be relieved at that turn of events. And surprisingly he thought it would be a good fit for both Ann and Gage.

"True enough." Marcus twirled ice in his water glass.

"I'd like you to come home."

"I'l be there if I'm needed, you know that."

"That's the other reason I'm here. You're needed. Kate is worried about you, and that I would like to end."

Stephen winced. "I don't know that I ever planned to be gone this long. I'm sorry if it caused you problems."

Marcus shrugged. "It gives me something to do."

"I'l head home after I finish up a roofing job here."

"Thanks, Stephen." Marcus took a drink of his soda.

"Think I'l get a homecoming party?"

Marcus laughed. "With Jack around? You'l be lucky not to get a parade."

"So maybe I shouldn't advertise my return date..."

"You can try, but you'l never surprise him." Marcus finished his meal and tugged out his wal et to leave the tip. "Come on; let's get me a place to crash and plan to meet for an early morning of fishing."

They returned to the motel. Stephen saw his brother settled in a room near his, then said good-night.'

He tossed his keys on the table in his room and looked around. He dug out his suitcase from the bottom of the closet and began to pack. It would take a couple weeks to finish the roofing job and sel the boat, but it was time.