The Deadline (The Friessens: A New Beginning)

by Lorhainne Eckhart

She was sitting with Gabriel even though he was asleep again. She jerked her head up and then stood, her eyes red and her lids puffy. She started toward the baby Neil was holding, and she seemed one step from falling apart.

  “Laura, you need to get some sleep,” Andy said. “Maybe you can take her home, Neil, Candy?”

  “I’m not leaving, Andy,” she said.

  He knew he needed to get her to relax, but he also needed to be with Gabriel. He swept his hand through his hair and absently noticed how uncomfortable Candy was when Neil stepped toward her with the baby.

  “Look at him, isn’t he so cute?” Neil said. “It’s the Friessen nose.”

  Candy smiled up at Neil but made no move to take Jeremy. After what she’d been through, losing her baby and undergoing an emergency hysterectomy on their wedding day, Andy had wondered whether his cousin’s marriage was done, but they loved each other, and both of them had climbed over a tremendous hurdle to find their way back to each other. Andy didn’t know, though, if he could have married her. Children were important, and the thought of his wife not being able to have his babies, of not having Chelsea and Jeremy…well, his cousin was a better man than he was.

  “And the demanding Friessen attitude, too,” Andy added, nodding at his son.

  “Hmm, we are, at that, aren’t we?” Neil said. The words should have lightened the mood in the room, but Laura was unmoved beside him.

  “I’ll take him. He’s probably hungry,” she said.

  Neil set the baby in her arms and smiled at her. He was trying to ease her stress, but Laura, being Laura, was nervous, self-conscious, and overtired. She wasn’t about to relax. Neil gave Andy a look over Laura’s head, his expression completely alert as he gestured to the door.

  Andy nodded. “Laura, I’ll be right back. Anyone want a coffee?”

  Neil said something to Candy and kissed her on the cheek, and she smiled, touching his arm and nodding in response to whatever it was he’d said. In the hallway, Neil set his hand on Andy’s shoulder and gave him a quick embrace. “You okay?” he asked.

  Andy took a deep breath and raked both hands through his hair. “Just tired, and this all came out of left field.”

  “Laura looks on edge, exhausted.” Neil gestured to the room.

  Andy could only see the side of his wife as she sat in the chair, probably to nurse his son. Candy moved away from the door. He couldn’t make out what she was saying to Laura, but hopefully it was something that would draw her from her shell, anything to help.

  “She didn’t get any sleep last night, and she was alone at home with the babies,” Andy said. “I couldn’t do anything for her, as I needed to be here for Gabriel. She’s a wreck, and…”

  “I can see that. I’m just glad you called. Mom and Dad said to call them if you want them to come, too. They’ll be on the next flight out, but Mom didn’t want to get underfoot, especially since you just moved here.”

  “Appreciate it,” Andy said. He’d been considering off and on whether to call them, too, his aunt and uncle, but for now, just having Neil and Candy there was enough.

  “Dad said to let him know if he can do anything at his end.”

  Neil just nodded to that. Although he would have liked to have Rodney and Becky here, having Neil meant a lot to him. Maybe it was just as well, as he started to wonder where to put them. They had barely moved in, and they really weren’t set up for guests.

  “So, tell me about Laura’s family,” Neil said. “I understood they’re not close. Actually, I don’t know anything about them, Andy,” he added as they lingered outside the room, far enough that Laura wouldn’t be able to hear.

  “I don’t know them, Sue and George Parnell, and I planned on never knowing them,” Andy said. He didn’t miss the mix of sympathy and shrewdness in Neil’s expression. His cousin had a way of listening completely, taking everything from what someone said and what they didn’t. That was probably why he was so successful at everything he did in business. In Andy’s eyes, anyway, whatever Neil touched turned to gold.

  “It was hard for Laura, and I only know what she told me,” he began. “Just hearing how bad something was is completely different from actually experiencing it. I saw how hard it was for her, alone with a baby. She’d just turned sixteen when she had Gabriel. She’d made a mistake. The kid who got her pregnant turned his back on her, and her parents threw her out. She struggled, working part-time jobs, living in shitholes. She wouldn’t give him up. She loves him.”

  “Wow, admirable—and unfair. Wouldn’t it have been easier to give him up to a family who could give him everything he needed?”

  Andy was surprised Neil would say that, and he had to take a step back. “She loved him. He was hers. Would you have given up your kid?” he asked.

  Neil didn’t answer for a minute, and his expression took on something dark and hard. Andy had never seen that before, and he wasn’t sure what to make of it. “No, if I had a kid right now, he’d have everything, but I don’t, and Candy can’t have any. There are so many couples looking to adopt a baby from a young mother like Laura. I can see the other side, where Gabriel wouldn’t have had to struggle, where Laura could have gone on to college and had a life without suffering. Sorry,” he added.

  Andy crossed his arms and took in a side of Neil he really didn’t like. “I hope you would never say that to Laura. She’d never forgive you, and I wouldn’t, either, if you hurt her. She’s had more than her share of pain in this lifetime, Neil, and if she had given up Gabriel, I wouldn’t have met her, let alone married her. I’d probably be the same selfish prick I was.”

  Neil reached over and grabbed his shoulder. “Hey, I’m sorry, Andy. I didn’t mean it like that, and I would never say that to your wife. I’m sorry about blurting it out now. It’s just…I planned on having a family with Candy. In Mexico, we see so many hungry kids living in poverty, and it’s jaded me. I notice it now, but I didn’t mean to lay it on you. I like Laura, and I see she loves her son. I know you love him, too. I can see that. I can see why you hate the idea of talking to her family after they abandoned her. You’re going to call them, aren’t you?”

  “Yeah, and that kid who got her pregnant. It’s just…” Andy wasn’t sure he wanted to voice his fears, but in the back of his mind, the idea of someone else being Gabriel’s father, being in his life, didn’t sit right. A whole lot of what-ifs were starting to take shape.

  “It’s just what, Andy? What are you worried about? I can see you’re tired. I can tell, because you’re not hiding things well.”

  Andy sucked in a deep breath and ran his hands over his head again. “There are just too many loose ends. Legally, Gabriel is not mine. If something happened to Laura…” He hesitated. He didn’t want to finish that thought, the one that had been there all night as he sat alone in the hospital chair beside Gabriel’s bed, watching the little boy he felt was his in every sense of the word—except in the eyes of the law. “I screwed up. With everything that happened, moving to Montana, I meant to take steps to legally adopt him.”

  “Well, first things first, Andy: You need to talk to these people. I’ll go with you. I think you need someone objective, someone who knows how to swing a deal and think fast on his feet.”

  “I can think fast, and I’ve put together more deals than I can count,” Andy snapped.

  “Maybe so, but reverse the positions, Andy. This is your kid, and you’re emotionally involved. I can bet you’d rather plant your fist in something or someone than have to sit down and be reasonable.”

  If he thought about it long enough, Andy was sure he would agree, but Neil was being far more honest than he wanted.

  Chapter 18

  Laura was squeezed in the backseat of Andy’s truck, in between Chelsea and Jeremy, in the spot where Gabriel usually sat. She had never sat back here, and the view was surreal. She was so tired that her head ached.

  Candy was in the passenger seat beside Neil, who had spoken to her only once, when keying the addres
s into the GPS. He spoke with his wife, an easy conversation that flowed back and forth, though Laura wasn’t really paying attention to what they said to each other. She didn’t miss their linked hands, their fingers resting together on the center console.

  “Laura, you all right back there?” Neil asked, and she met the amber sparkle of his eyes in the rear-view mirror. He was such a handsome man, so clean cut. He resembled Andy in many ways, and in many others he didn’t. Her husband had a shrewdness she didn’t believe Neil had.

  Candy turned her head when she didn’t answer. “You’re tired, aren’t you?”

  “I am. My head hurts. I just don’t know whether I’ll be able to sleep if I lie down,” she said, wishing she was still back at the hospital, reliving in her mind how sick Gabriel had been when they left. After his first course of treatment, he had been wiped out but had thrown up only once. He seemed to find comfort lying in Andy’s arms. “They said there would be mouth sores, hair loss, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, loss of appetite,” Laura murmured, saying out loud what had been running through her mind over and over again.

  Candy rustled in the front seat, leaning around the console. “Who said that?” she asked.

  Laura realized they were both watching her, Neil in the rear-view mirror and Candy, who looked over to her husband and back at Laura again. “The doctor did, or was it the oncologist? Those are the side effects for Gabriel. How does he deserve this? It’s not fair,” she said. Her chest ached from the sorrow she’d been trying to bottle up, all the endless tears that kept flowing. Andy was tired, too, but he was handling it better, way better than she was. She rubbed her forehead and tucked her knotted hair behind her ears. She couldn’t for the life of her force herself to smile or even make an effort through the agony. She had hoped never to feel this kind of pain again.

  “It’s going to be okay, Laura,” Candy said. “Children handle things better than we do, and he’s going to get through this. He has you and Andy, and you love him. Having parents like you two is going to get him through this. You just have to believe he’s going to be okay. It’s one day at a time, Laura.”

  Laura didn’t miss the way Neil responded when Candy spoke, running his thumb over their intertwined hands. Laura could only nod.

  The sun was settling as they started up the incline to their new home, and the familiar pickup that always stirred her anxiety came into view. “I forgot about Ladystar,” she said. There was a horse trailer attached to the truck.

  “Whose pickup is that?” Neil asked as he pulled up beside it, and Kim came from around the house, leading Ladystar on her halter. “Who’s the woman?” he added, and Candy glanced back at Laura.

  “Kim, our neighbor,” she said, wondering if she sounded as bitter to them as she did to her own ears. Candy turned her head ever so slowly to Neil, and they exchanged a look, both turning to Laura before Neil stepped out of the truck. She couldn’t make out what he said outside, but he was friendly, stepping right over to Kim and shaking her hand. She waved through the windshield at Laura.

  Candy opened the back door. “I’ll help you in with the babies,” she said. She started to lift out the car seat when Neil approached from behind and set his hands on her hips, moving her aside and lifting Jeremy out.

  “Candy, why don’t you grab the bag from the gift shop?” he said, and Candy lifted a large plastic bag out along with her purse. Neil held out his hand to help Laura.

  “I can take Chelsea,” she said, reaching for the baby carrier.

  “No, I’ve got her. You go on in with my wife. I’ll bring both the babies and our luggage, and anything else there is.”

  He was such a gentleman. That was something Andy would have said and done.

  Laura stopped at the steps. “Hi, Kim. Thank you for taking care of Andy’s horse.” She was feeling bad for being so jealous of a woman who didn’t even have to be here, helping out the way she was.

  “You’re welcome, Laura. Glad to help. How’s your little boy?” she asked as she loaded Ladystar in the trailer.

  “Sick. He’s started chemo. Andy’s still with him.”

  Kim just nodded. “My prayers are with you and your family. Let me know if there’s anything else I can do.” She locked up the back door of the trailer.

  “I know Andy has probably thanked you for taking his horse, for looking after her this way, but it helps us more than you know, not having to worry about her here all alone.”

  “She’ll fit in fine at my place with my horses. She won’t be lonely, and I’ll keep her as long as you need,” Kim said. She offered a sympathetic smile, but Laura wondered if she’d picked up on all her jealous thoughts, because she didn’t linger but waved and slid into her truck before pulling away.

  From the door behind her, Candy was watching. Laura started toward her, and an icy chill raced through her veins as soon as she touched the knob. She patted her pockets. “Oh, shit, I don’t have keys.” She touched her forehead and dug her nails in. “Dammit, I am so sorry.”

  “What’s wrong?” Neil called out.

  “Laura doesn’t have keys,” Candy said.

  “I can’t believe how stupid I am! I didn’t even think to bring any keys with me. Andy has the keys to the house. I’m sorry, we’re going to have to drive all the way back to the hospital.” She wanted to cry, and she felt horrible, as if she was responsible for this entire mess.

  “Laura, it’s okay. I’ve got Andy’s keys,” Neil assured her. He set the babies down and pulled the keys from his pocket. “This one?” He held up a silver house key.

  “Yes, that’s the one,” she said.

  He shoved it in the deadbolt and opened the door, and Laura moved ahead of Candy into the dim house. She turned on the kitchen light and shivered. The house was cold, but there was no heat and hadn’t been since yesterday. Candy set a bag on the table, and Neil set down both baby carriers.

  “Candy?” he said, gesturing to the babies.

  She nodded. “It’s okay, I’m here.”

  He leaned down and kissed her, and Laura had to look away. “I’ll grab the bags,” he said before stepping out the door.

  The babies still slept in their car seats. Laura started toward them, about to unbuckle Chelsea so she could put her in her crib, when Candy pulled a breast pump from the bag. Laura was a little confused, and maybe that was what Candy saw when she said, “I’m sorry, but Neil bought three.” She pulled all of them from the bag. “He wasn’t sure which was the best one, and I’m not much help in that area.”

  Laura reached for the blue box. “I’m sure any one of these will be fine. Why is he buying…”

  “For you,” Candy said before she could finish. “It’s just the way he is. I don’t know if your husband is the same, but Neil tends to take charge, take over and arrange, handle and deal…” she said, and for the first time Laura could remember, she burst out laughing. She was met with a bright smile from Candy. “Well, we can’t help with the twins unless you provide the milk, and you don’t even need to tell him which ones you don’t like.”

  “Thank you, Candy. Really,” Laura said. She didn’t know the woman well, but she was family, and there was something genuine about her that she couldn’t help but like.

  Chapter 19

  Andy listened to the ringing once, twice as he paced in the empty visitors’ room on the pediatric floor.

  “Hello?” A younger boy’s voice answered the phone, and Andy wondered if it was one of Laura’s brothers. There was something about the voice that was similar to hers.

  “Hello, could I speak to George Parnell?” Andy said.

  “Dad!”

  He listened to the boy call out, and there was a clatter of dishes in the background. There were other voices, and a woman asked the boy who it was. He figured that had to be Laura’s mother.

  “Hello?” a man said into the phone.

  “Is this George Parnell?” Andy asked.

  “Yeah, yeah, who’s calling?” the man asked. He said someth
ing to someone in the background that Andy couldn’t make out.

  “My name is Andy Friessen. Your daughter, Laura, is my wife,” he said. There was silence on the other end.

  “Give me a minute,” the man said. There was rustling, and it became quieter as, Andy guessed, a door closed. “Laura is married? Why? She’s so young. Is she all right?”

  This didn’t sound like a man who hated his daughter. There was concern there. “She’s fine. The reason I’m calling is Gabriel, our little boy. He’s very sick.”

  “Gabriel? You have a child?” The man was hesitant on the other end.

  “We have three, two newborn twins, but Gabriel is the little boy she had when she was pregnant at fifteen, when you asked her to leave.”

  “I didn’t know his name,” the man said. “So she kept him.”

  Andy wasn’t sure what to make of his response. “Yes, she loves him. I love him. But he’s very sick right now. He has leukemia, and the only way to save his life is a bone marrow transplant. It needs to be a perfect tissue match, which can only come from family, but Laura’s not a match.”

  “I’m so sorry to hear that, but I don’t understand how I can help,” the man said.

  Andy felt the first alarm bell go off. If that had been him and Laura his daughter, nothing could have kept him from being here and making sure she was taken care of, that his grandson had everything he needed. Hell, if his daughter got pregnant, he’d never toss her out—though he would kill the boy who did it. Andy couldn’t understand anything about this man.

  “You’re his grandfather, and we need you and your wife, as well as Laura’s brothers, to be tested for a match,” Andy said. His voice had become so humble, and it made him ill to suck up to someone this way. He ground his teeth, wanting nothing more than to reach through the phone and shake the man.

  The man took a breath on the other end. “I’ll have to talk to my wife.”

  “Seriously? I’m confused on what your hesitation is. This is a little boy who’s done nothing to you. I don’t understand why you’re not all over this. Do you hate your daughter that much?” Andy said. He was shaking, and he didn’t realize how loud he had been until a nurse passing in the hallway poked her head in and gestured for him to quiet down.