by Celya Bowers
“Another time. It’s too long and boring. In a nutshell, my marriage made me stronger. I had to for the kids. I grew emotionally, mentally, financially, and Paul seemed to be stuck in some gear for the last eight years. He thought he should still be able to hang with the guys all the time, clubbing, taking trips. In short, I divorced a child stuck in a man’s body. Paul didn’t want any responsibilities. After too many fights to count, and just as many broken promises, I had had all I could take. So I figured if I was doing it all by myself, then I needed to be by myself.”
“I wished I had your courage when my marriage tanked,” Tristan said.
“Since you brought it up,” she said, “What happened? I mean you were married for fifteen years.”
“I asked myself the same question almost daily. During the course of our marriage, we were both into our careers, and were workaholics. Months turned to years, and before I knew it, we hardly saw each other, and I didn’t care. The divorce wasn’t a surprise. I didn’t love her, probably never did.”
“Oh, Tristan.”
“Hey don’t feel sorry for me. Like you, I’ve grown since then.” And I found you, he mused. He couldn’t imagine one day without this crafty attorney in his life.
“We’ve both grown,” Lizzy said. “I’m so glad.”
SEVEN
Two days later, Lizzy was still floating on cloud Tristan. After their confessions about their previous marriages, their feelings for each other, Lizzy figured the hard part was over. The hard part was just beginning.
Although she’d had no contact from her ex in the last forty-eight hours, she couldn’t help thinking the worst was yet to come. Besides, Izzy had a doctor’s appointment that morning, Lizzy couldn’t shake that feeling of doom either. To make matters worse, she couldn’t attend her sister’s doctor’s appointment due to the mayor calling an impromptu meeting. She had to be at work, no excuses.
Her assistant announced she had an incoming call. Lizzy hurriedly picked up the line and blurted into the phone, “Izzy?”
“No, honey,” her mother said. “I was just wondering if you had heard from them. We were getting worried. Her appointment was over two hours ago. Normally, they don’t take this long.”
Her mother was seldom anxious. Maybe years ago when Izzy rebelled and ended up in destructive affair with a drug dealer. But fate had intervened and Izzy was set on the right path. Nowadays, her mother was a picture of calm. “I was thinking the same thing, Mom. We just have to keep positive thoughts. Cam is with her, so she’s in good hands.”
“I know, but she’s still my baby.” She took a deep breath. “I hope everything is all right.”
“I’m sure it is. She’s twenty-one weeks, so maybe there’s more tests or something.” She didn’t want to think about the fact that her sister was also in the high risk category since she was thirty-five.
Both she and her mother needed something to keep their minds off of the inevitable. Although Izzy was a doctor herself, even that couldn’t interfere with destiny. Izzy had been on medical leave from the hospital since her marriage to Cam, because her blood pressure had skyrocketed, and she was having other issues as well. Both families tried to help out as much as possible, but Izzy had fought long and hard for her independence. It was always a battle of wills.
“Lizzy, I have a great idea.” Her mother interrupted her thoughts. “Why don’t we plan a celebration for Izzy? You know, her getting married and pregnant. Providing it’s okay with Cam and she’s feeling okay.”
“That sounds like a great idea, Mom. I can get started on it. Why don’t we plan it for two months from now? That way it will be about two months before the baby comes.”
“Sounds wonderful. And it will be close to her birthday, too.”
“Well this is going to be one big celebration,” Lizzy said. Tristan walked passed her office door with the mayor. Drat. The meeting. “Mom, I have to go to a meeting. I’ll see you this evening.”
“Okay, baby.”
Lizzy placed the phone back in its holder, grabbed her notepad and headed down the hall to the conference room. She took her seat across from Tristan. They shared a smile as the mayor began the meeting.
“Thank you for coming. I know Campbell is out for the rest of the week. I’ve already touch on the highlights of this meeting with him on yesterday. I wanted to talk about the Freedom Concert in DC.” The concert had been just an ugly rumor for months.
“I thought that was just a rumor?” One of the attorneys asked.
The mayor nodded. “The rumor has just been confirmed. With Spring Break just over, the concert is scheduled for early June, just in time for tourist season. Since we’re only about an hour away, I’ve been asked to keep things on high alert. We’ve only got about six weeks to coordinate security with other neighboring cities. ”
Lizzy knew instantly what the mayor wasn’t saying. Homeland Security. She had also heard the rumor of the Freedom Concert. The top mainstream, rap, and hip hop artists were slated to appear. The concert was in support of the slain victims at the hands of the police. The latest case of a young African-American male dying at the hands of an over-zealous police officers had sparked national outrage and rightly so. That meant there was going to be a lot of people converging on the nation’s capital. The spill-over to Turners Point would be enormous, Lizzy didn’t know if her hometown could stand it. If the concert did go as rumored then that would mean they would need more security. More security meant more room for error as well.
What Lizzy didn’t want was her city being on the news for making the same mistakes as the cities referenced on the nightly news almost daily.
The mayor cleared his throat. “Yes, this means that there will government agents underfoot trying to keep the peace. The White House would prefer not to relive the fiasco in Colorado last month.”
Lizzy nodded. No one wanted to relive that incident. After the concert, the audience demolished the arena as well as most of the city. There was millions of dollars of damage. Luckily, no one was killed, but countless police officers were injured. “I agree. Are you going to enlist Callahan Securities again like we did for the Independence Festival?”
“Most likely, since we have also received a grant from the Department of the Interior to cover security.” He glanced in Lizzy’s direction. “There’s a little paperwork involved and I was hoping you could look it over today.”
“Yes, sir.” Drat! There went her hopes of leaving early and checking on Izzy. She glanced across the table at Tristan. He smiled at her as he shrugged those broad shoulders. He mouthed the word ‘sorry’. Lizzy smiled back. Not even reading a boring document could ruin her day. She was in love.
Later as the meeting broke up, Lizzy gathered her notes and headed to her office. Tristan was right behind her and closed her door. “Hey sorry, you got stuck reading that grant. I know you’re dying to see Izzy.”
“Have you heard from Cam yet?”
He shook his head as he walked around her desk, standing next to her. “No, I haven’t. He texted when she first went in, but nothing since. I’m a little worried.”
“Join the party,” Lizzy said dryly. “Mom called just before the meeting. I think we’re all on pins and needles, especially since she’s been on medical leave.”
“I know, baby. You just gotta keep good thoughts.”
“When did you get this optimism thing going on?” She glanced up at him. The urge to kiss him was very strong, but she knew that was definitely off limits during work hours. They had both agreed, especially with Tristan being the city manager and she was the lead attorney for the city, no office smooching.
“Since I met you.” He caressed her face gently. “Why don’t we have lunch before you delve into that document? I just finished reading Kori’s divorce settlement, my eyes still hurt. I think her ex’s lawyer used the smallest font possible to type that document.”
“A quick lunch. I really want to get started on this for the mayor,” Lizzy said.
“Sure, baby. Your wish is my command…Within reason.”
“Spoken like my man.”
After a quick bite of lunch with Tristan, Lizzy settled down at her desk. In her absence, her assistant had placed the document on her desk. It was more than fifty pages, she reasoned. Better start now before someone drops something else on her already cluttered desk.
She had barely gotten through the first page when her private line rang. This had to be Cam, she hoped, as she picked up the phone on the second ring. “Lysette Carter-Hall,” she announced.
“Hey, Lizzy,” the caller said.
“Izzy!”
“Yes, I actually dialed the phone myself.” She laughed. “You know I can still function as a human being. I’m just carrying a life, not losing all my brain cells.”
“I know. It’s just Cam always calls after a doctor’s appointment. Where is Cam?
“Passed out.”
“Say what? What happened?”
Izzy took a deep breath. “Do you want the short story or the long one?”
Lizzy took one look at the thick document. “The long one, of course. Don’t you dare leave out one juicy detail.”
“Just remember that you asked,” Izzy reminded her sister. “First of all, we’ll both be staying overnight at the hospital. My blood pressure was high and I have a fever. Cam will be staying because when he fell, his head hit the edge of the counter as he went down to the floor. He just got back from X-ray and is still out. Reminds me of how we met.”
“Oh, dear. Why on earth did he pass out?”
“The doctor was doing some tests on me and he got the curiosity bug. She was getting ready to do an amniocentesis and that’s when he hit the floor. They had a time reviving him. So to be on the safe side for both of us, we’re staying overnight.”
Lizzy tried so hard not to laugh, but it was impossible. “I’m sorry, Izzy. I can just imagine his face when they brought out that long needle and stuck it in your belly. He can’t even watch you throw up. He definitely doesn’t have the stomach for this.”
“You know those first few months of morning sickness, he was hovered over the toilet with me. He might be a great district attorney, but he has a weak stomach.”
Lizzy agreed with her sister. Although, she loved her brother-in-law dearly, Cam couldn’t stomach much. In the few short months Izzy and Cam had been married, his weak stomach had become the family joke. “Back to you both being in the hospital, does his family know?” Cam’s family was just as protective of both him and Izzy as the Carters were.
“Yes, his parents are on their way up here. You know when a Callahan is in the hospital it becomes a family reunion. Aunt Amelia and Uncle Kieran are also on their way here. We didn’t even get the chance to call her. One of the nurses called and ratted us out. ”
“Wow and was I worried you’d be on your own with Cam being out of commission. I kept forgetting how big Cam’s family is,” Lizzy said. Cam had five siblings, three still lived in Turners Point. Then there were the cousins, their wives, children, the list could go on forever.
“You got that right. I’m sure a few cousins and their wives will show up. I called Mom and you know she freaked out about us having to stay overnight in the hospital. I tried to reassure her that everything was okay, but you know she doesn’t believe me. I’m only a doctor,” Izzy said. “Good thing she has to pick up PJ and Tatum from school or she’d be joining the party too, with Dad in tow.”
Lizzy shook her head as she imagined the chaos of the Callahan family. There was no doubt that love ruled that family. There was a mixture of Irish and African-American, intelligence agents, nurses, lawyers, artists, and teachers. They were definitely an all-around family. She loved being a part of the large family.
“I bet she’ll come up after I pick up the kids,” Lizzy said. “Sorry, honey, but you’re going to have three sets of parents on your hands this afternoon. I hope Cam wakes up by then.” Lizzy hoped he’d help fend of the parents, but with the force of the Callahan women, the newlyweds didn’t have a chance. She felt sorry for the hospital staff.
“I’m sure he will. He didn’t hit his head that hard.”
Lizzy laughed at her sister’s tone. “Izabella Carter-Callahan, shame on you! Cam was just curious. I’ll bet he’ll stay on the other side the sheet from now on!”
EIGHT
Paul sat outside of Lizzy’s house. Where was that woman? He glanced at his gold watch, a present from Lizzy in much better times. He really messed up this time. Never in a million years would he have thought his simple plan would have become so complicated.
His plans to bring a case on her got blown straight to hell. It was simple: claim she was neglecting the kids with her job. Who knew she started keeping text messages? Now he was back to square one. He had to find a way to get into the house. All he needed was a chance. He had hoped to charm his way into her life again, but she’d started dating her white boss.
It was past six in the evening, and his ex-wife and kids were still not home. He knew she left work over two hours ago, she’d picked up their kids, and he thought she was headed home. Not wanting to get caught, he took an alternate route, and his ex gave him the slip.
He had to be sure it was in the house, first. For all he knew, she might have thrown it out or worse yet, given it to his son. That would be all he needed was to find out that PJ had traded it to one of his friends. If that had happened he was as good as dead.
Against her better judgment, Lizzy listened to her kids and went to the hospital to visit Izzy. After finding out her sister’s room number, she ushered her kids into the elevator. The kids were anxious to see their aunt and uncle. PJ almost dragged his mother down the hallway.
“Hurry, Mom,” he said. “It’s this way. I have to make sure Uncle Cam and Aunt Izzy are okay. Grandma and Pops was really worried. She was crying when we were eating dinner. Pops said women did that when they were upset or happy.”
The things her father said, Lizzy mused. Just like a man. A woman is upset, she cried, happy, she cried. “I’m sure Grandma was just happy, baby. You’ll see Aunt Izzy and Uncle Cam are doing just fine.” She scanned the hallway for the room number, but all she had to really do is follow the noise.
They stopped at the opened door. “Wow, there’s a lot of people in there,” Tatum said. The room was standing room only. It was wall to wall Callahans.
“Yes, there is. It’s Uncle Cam’s family.” She took a deep breath and motioned her kids inside. “Mom! How did you beat me here?”
Her mother was seated next to Cam’s mother, Moira and his Aunt Amelia. “We were just waiting for you to pick up the kids. I didn’t know if you wanted us to bring them here or not.”
“They wanted to see Izzy and Cam.” Lizzy pointed to her kids. “They talked about nothing else. There was no way I was getting out of coming here.” She noticed Cam’s brothers and sister, and several cousins in the room.
“I’m so glad you’re guys are doing better. I can’t believe they have both of you in the same room.”
Izzy shrugged. “You know I’m a doctor here, and he’s the district attorney. They had to give us a room together.”
Lizzy agreed. Only an idiot wouldn’t have put them together. She noticed no one came to kick anyone out of the room, either. Not even a ‘keep the noise down’ warning. Lizzy’s lawyer sense told her that the staff had been already been well advised. Sometimes it was nice to be connected. “The kids wanted to see you guys before we went home.”
PJ and Tatum walked between the two hospital beds, inspecting the couple for themselves. Izzy was in one bed, hook up to several machines, probably monitoring her and the baby. Cam was sitting up in bed, looking like his normal self. PJ was the more curious of the two, and questioned his aunt about the machines beeping around her. “How is the baby?”
“The baby is just fine, PJ,” Izzy reassured her nephew. “Here, feel your cousin as he or she is practicing dance moves.” She took PJ’s small
hand and placed it on her protruding belly.
Lizzy wiped her eyes as she watched her son’s excited expression as he rubbed Izzy’s tummy. PJ had grown up so much in the last year during the divorce. He was her rock. When she doubted her choice to end her ten-year marriage, all she had to do was to look into those big brown eyes, and she knew she was doing the right thing.
“I want to touch!” Tatum exclaimed. She rushed to the other side of Izzy’s bed. With a little help from one of the cousins, Tatum got her wish. “Mommy! The baby kicked me!”
Lizzy walked closer to the beds. “Really baby! The baby is probably ready for a nap. We’d better go, so Uncle Cam and Aunt Izzy can get their rest.”
The kids looked around at the crowded room of visitors, but did as their mother suggested. Soon they were out of the crowded room and on their way home.
It was a quiet ride on the way to the house. Lizzy was thinking about the day’s emotional rollercoaster. Izzy’s pregnancy had been trouble since day one and was proving to be a rocky ride all the way to the finish. She thought about the celebration she had to plan. Might as well include the kids. “Hey guys?”
Nothing. Not a sound from the backseat. She glanced in the rearview mirror and smiled. They had both fallen asleep. Lizzy sighed. Well, she’d talked to the kids about the upcoming celebration tomorrow.
Her cell phone rang, interrupting her thoughts. She knew in an instant it was Tristan. “Hey,” she said. Then she remembered she was on the speakerphone option while she was driving. “Keep it clean.” She reminded Tristan her kids were in the car.
“Oh, okay. How was Izzy? I called Cam’s phone and didn’t get an answer. Was he still at the hospital with Izzy?”
She chuckled. “Oh, yeah. He has to stay overnight. He has a concussion.”
“What?” He said a little too loudly. Tatum woke up for a split second.
“It’s okay, baby. I’m talking to Tristan. Go back to sleep.”
Tatum closed her eyes and snuggled deeper into the seat. “Okay, mister. I have sleeping children.”