by Diane Hester
When she’d finished the call, Chase closed the phone and set it beside him. Zack lay between them, clutching their hands, fearing that after all they’d been through, these people who now meant everything to him might somehow disappear.
They were both still there, cradling him, when the police arrived an hour later.
Chapter 84
Zack scuffed aimlessly along the corridor from the nurses’ station to the vending machine at the opposite end. It was the first time he’d been out of his room since he, Chase and Shyler had arrived at the hospital two days ago. Physically he was fine, if still a little weak. It was just the not-knowing, the growing, twisting lump in his stomach, that was making him feel so restless and sick.
At Chase’s request the two of them had been allowed to share a room, with Shyler close by, just up the hall. Zack had slept pretty much the whole first day and all that night. An easy, totally dreamless sleep of exhaustion and relief. But the very next morning the nightmare had returned – when he’d had to tell the police his story.
Shyler and Chase had insisted on being with him as they questioned him and, while he knew why they’d done it, their presence had only made things worse. When he’d come to the part about Reece and Corey – how he’d left them behind, how they’d died because of it – it wasn’t the policeman’s face he’d been watching, it’d been Shyler’s. And when she’d bowed her head and started crying, his own hot tears had forced out as well.
The doctor had given them both something then to make them sleep again. But even as he’d drifted off in Shyler’s arms he’d known it would probably be the last time she ever held him.
It seemed he’d been right. For this morning the nightmare had only deepened; so much so, he just couldn’t lie still any longer. He’d learned they were going to be released in a few days. Yet so far neither Shyler nor Chase had said anything to him about where he’d be going.
Having reached the vending machine yet again, he turned and started back in the other direction. His stomach hurt, but pacing at least helped take his mind off it.
If they wanted him with them, surely they’d have said something about it by now. Yet as the time for their release drew nearer it seemed less and less likely it was going to happen. And who could blame them? Who’d want a kid who ditched his own brothers to save himself? Especially when they ended up –
He trudged on towards the nurses’ station, stopping as he neared Shyler’s room. Through its open door he could see her in the chair at the foot of her bed, Chase beside her in a wheelchair, talking to the stranger who’d been in there for ages. The guy wore street clothes so it wasn’t a doctor. And it wasn’t the cop who’d asked him questions. What did that leave?
The thing in his stomach started twisting again.
When the stranger suddenly got up to go, Zack darted behind a linen cart that stood against the wall. He listened to footsteps fade up the hall, then peeked out – in time to see the man get on the elevator.
A social worker. It had to be.
Zack stepped out and stood staring after him. Maybe he should just run away. Better than having to hear them say it – that they didn’t want him, that he’d be going to yet another new foster home. Or, even worse, back to the Learys.
But, no, it was no good. He had to know. Head down, he went through the door.
Chase sat helping Shyler thread her injured arm through the sleeve of a sweater. A bandage encased his sprained left ankle. A second on his head concealed Vanessa’s handiwork – the bullet wound that had split his scalp, requiring a dozen stitches to close. Once Shyler’s arm was through the sleeve, he gently slipped the sling back around it, then bent and kissed her on the lips.
Zack stood watching, feeling the tightness build in his throat. He gritted his teeth – he wasn’t going to cry, no matter what. ‘Who was that guy?’
They both looked around at him.
‘What guy?’ Shyler said.
‘The one who just left.’
She glanced at Chase before replying, ‘Just another doctor.’
Zack clenched his fists. Why was she lying? To his horror he felt the Bad Boy stirring. ‘No, he wasn’t. He didn’t have a white coat or one of those things around his neck.’
Chase smiled. ‘Not all doctors wear white coats.’
‘Zack, one of the nurses has a son your size and brought you some clothes.’ Shyler pointed to the stack on the tray top. ‘Would you like to –’
‘No! I don’t want to try on stupid clothes, I want to know who that guy was.’
A knock from behind him. Zack turned to see a cop poke his head in – the same one who’d asked them all the questions.
‘Got a second?’
Chase wheeled himself from the room. ‘Be right back.’
Zack walked after him, stood in the door and watched the two men go up the hall. They stopped in front of the nurses’ station, the cop sitting on a bench facing Chase.
‘Zack?’
Ignoring Shyler’s summons, he kept staring. The cop was doing most of the talking. Chase sat nodding, hand to his chin. Zack felt the lump in his stomach do a flip.
He turned around.
Shyler patted the covers beside her. ‘Come here, I need to talk to you.’
Despite his growing urge to run, his feet dragged him forward. He reached her bed and slumped against it.
She stroked a loose bit of hair off his face. ‘You’ve been through a terrible ordeal, something no child should ever have to face. But you are also the strongest, bravest little boy I have ever known. That’s why I think you can understand that sometimes things can’t work out exactly how we’d like them to.’
So, there it was. That familiar opening line. The heaviness changed into something else – he couldn’t feel his body at all now.
‘Over these days that you and I have been together you might have noticed me behaving a little strangely at times. I’m not even sure myself everything I might have done. But I need you to know that I never ever meant to hurt you.’
He nodded dully. Never meant to hurt you. Yeah, he’d heard that one, too. Despite what he’d vowed, his eyes were burning.
‘Those things I did were because of something that happened to me before I met you. You don’t need to worry about any of that. What you do need to understand is that when a person has these sorts of problems they’re not in the best position to take care of someone else.’
Right, so that’s the excuse they were using. Zack pushed up. He’d heard enough.
‘Sweetheart, wait. It’s not that I don’t –’
‘Yeah, whatever.’
She grabbed his arm with surprising strength and turned him back. ‘Don’t you imagine, even for a second, my heart isn’t big enough for two sons.’
Her tears were too much. He pulled free and hurried away, determined she wouldn’t see his reaction. Whatever she’d meant by that last statement, the reality was the same – they weren’t going to be together.
Blinded by his tears, he ran out the door – straight into Chase who was just returning.
‘Whoa, there, partner.’ The man caught his arm. ‘Where are you going? Don’t you want to hear what that policeman told me?’
Zack swiped his eyes. ‘What?’
‘Reece and Corey are still alive.’
The words zapped through him like a jolt from an outlet. ‘But . . . but Vanessa said they –’
‘For whatever twisted reason, she lied. Either that or she just didn’t know.’
Zack moved his fingers, touched his legs. Every part of him seemed to be buzzing. ‘You mean it? They’re really –’
‘With the information you gave the police, they tracked down Lazaro’s men at the warehouse and have already made some initial arrests. They found Reece and Corey recovering in a motel room, safe and unharmed.’ Chase’s hand settled on his shoulder. ‘You saved them, kiddo. Just like you promised.’
Zack bowed his head. The hand rocked him gently as he cleared his throat
. ‘When can I see them?’
‘Well, now that’s the only bad part. Not for a while, I’m afraid. You see, Child Welfare has already lined up a new home for the two of them.’
The two of them. So this was why he’d been reluctant to believe – deep down he’d known there was something else coming.
He raised his chin. ‘Then what about –?’
Just up the hall the elevator opened and a woman stepped out, pushing a man in a wheelchair. To Zack they looked like somebody’s grandparents but Chase raised his hand to catch their eye and they started towards him.
‘Thanks so much for driving him in,’ Chase told the woman when they stopped before him.
Zack waited as the adults talked, then Chase turned their attention to him.
‘Zack, I’d like you to meet my father, Allen, and Shyler’s mother, Mrs O’Neil.’
The pair greeted him, said a few more words, then the woman looked around uncomfortably. Chase nodded towards Shyler’s room and she gave a brave smile and walked through the door.
Sensing the interest of the two men in wheelchairs, Zack watched with them as the woman crossed the room and stopped just short of the patient in her chair. Shyler slowly pushed to her feet, her expression first stunned, then growing distressed. Zack took an unwitting step towards the door.
Chase put his hand out. ‘Give them a minute. They haven’t seen each other in a long time.’
‘How come?’
‘To be honest, I don’t know the whole story, but . . . Well, sometimes people have disagreements and it takes them a while to get over things.’
Zack found himself pinned to the spot. Shyler’s mother. No other word had this effect on him. He felt his whole body leaning forward, eager, hopeful. Waiting to see what would happen between them.
They were talking now. At least the mother was. Shyler just stood with her hand to her mouth.
‘Mrs O’Neil lives here in Presque Isle,’ Chase whispered, as though he was feeling their tension as well. ‘Since Shyler’s going to be staying a while to get treatment for another condition I was hoping maybe . . .’
Mother and daughter stepped towards each other and enfolded one another in a tearful embrace.
‘You thought Shyler could live with her mom until she gets better?’ Zack finished for him.
‘Looks like maybe it could work out. We’ll just have to wait and see.’
They turned from the door to find Allen eyeing Chase’s wheelchair. ‘Guess I won’t be the only one doing exercises now. Hope that ramp of yours holds up.’
‘It’s just a sprain, Dad. I won’t need the chair at home.’
Allen gave Zack a nudge in the side. ‘What do you say – think I can take him in a drag down the hall?’
Zack cocked his head. ‘Are you really his dad?’
‘Hard to believe, isn’t it? Me being so much better looking. So,’ said the man, returning his scrutiny, ‘are you the young fella that’s going to be living with us?’
‘What?’
Chase laughed. ‘Actually, Dad, I haven’t discussed it with him yet but . . . Yes, if that’s all right with him.’
Allen grunted. ‘Thought you never got anyone pregnant.’
Zack stood speechless. He’d been waiting ages to learn his fate, and now everything seemed to be happening too fast.
He opened his mouth, but found his gaze drawn back to Shyler. Never imagine, even for an instant, my heart’s not big enough . . .
‘We’ll drive here and visit her every weekend until she comes home to us,’ Chase whispered.
Zack swallowed and accepted his hand.
Chapter 85
‘So what’s our defence? Same as last time?’ Chase stood hunched in the middle of his back lawn, hands on his knees, breathing hard.
Zack narrowed his eyes in thought. ‘No, let’s swap. They’ll never expect it.’
‘Good idea.’
They broke their huddle and turned to face the opposition – Reece, Corey and Wayne Seavers, the boys’ new foster father.
‘Stop the clock!’ Wayne quickly knelt to tie Corey’s shoelace. His shaggy blond hair was nearly as pale and wind-blown as the boy’s.
Chase heard a tapping sound behind him and turned to see Shyler at the dining-room window. She held up two fingers, then flashed him a smile that warmed the chilly November afternoon.
‘Just got the two-minute warning, guys,’ Chase announced as the teams squared off again. ‘Dinner’s almost ready. This’ll be our last play.’
Wayne called out a series of numbers ending with ‘Hut!’ then tried to hand off the ball to Reece, who promptly dropped it. When the man bent to grab it, Zack charged and shoved his hip, and he fell to the ground with a satisfying grunt.
Before he could rise, Reece and Corey jumped on top of him.
‘What are you doing? You’re not supposed to tackle me – I’m on your side!’ He started tickling them.
As they tumbled about in a giggling heap, Chase felt the knot inside him ease. No matter how many assurances he’d given Zack that his brothers had gone to a caring home, Chase knew he’d harboured secret concerns these last two months. Seeing now how happy they were was hopefully putting his mind at rest.
He reached out and placed a hand on his shoulder. ‘Feel better?’
Zack looked up, smiled and nodded.
Shyler set a dish of stuffing on the table, lit the candles and crossed the dining room. At the window she raised her hand to the glass, then stopped and lowered it.
Behind her, the final-stage bustle from the kitchen – Allen carving the turkey, her mother making gravy, Janis Seavers mashing the potatoes – created a soundtrack for the scene being played out on the lawn beyond. The talk and laughter of family and friends, mixed with the sights of their love for each other.
Feelings welled and swirled within her. Nostalgia, hope, a measure of sadness but, above all, gratitude. Though she still had a long way to go in her recovery, though there were surely still downs and setbacks ahead, one thing was certain – she had far more good days than dark ones now. And it was all because of the support of these people.
At the sight of Wayne struggling across the lawn dragging two small boys from his legs, a sound escaped her at once so fragile and unfamiliar it startled her to silence. Laughter. Dear God, how long had it been? She gave it another tentative try, discovered it carried no after-effects, and let out another unrestrained burst.
She watched as Wayne fell to the ground and Reece and Corey piled on top of him. Janis had confided over setting the table that they’d commenced proceedings to adopt the boys.
With the same joy she’d felt at hearing that news, Shyler turned her gaze to Chase and Zack. One day she too would be ready. When she was well. And perhaps the only hurdle remaining was a lack of closure. The thought the men who had taken Jesse might never be caught . . . But with help she’d deal with that as well.
She reached out and tapped her knuckles on the glass.
‘Dinner’s ready,’ Chase announced, at seeing Shyler’s wave from the window. ‘Come on, let’s eat!’
They trooped across the lawn to the patio, Reece riding high on Wayne’s shoulders, Zack with Corey astride his back.
As the others filed through the back door, Chase paused to pick up his phone from a bench. Even as he touched it, it started to ring. ‘Hello?’
‘Is that Doctor Hadley?’
‘Speaking.’ He stifled a sigh. It wouldn’t be Thanksgiving if he didn’t get a call just as he was sitting down to dinner.
‘Doctor, I don’t know if you’ll remember me. It’s Greg Linnell.’
Chase shot a quick glance through the window. The others were finding their seats at the table. He turned away and said into the phone, ‘Shyler’s ex-husband. Yes, I remember. What can I do for you?’
‘I’m sorry to disturb your holiday, Doctor, but I was wondering if you were still in touch with Shyler. If you know where she is.’
‘I am and I do. As
a matter of fact she’s here right now. Would you like to speak with her?’
‘Shyler’s there?’ A beat of silence. ‘Oh. I see. No, actually I’d rather not. If you could just pass on a message for me.’
Coward. ‘What is it?’
‘I thought she should know . . . Well, she’ll have to, if this goes ahead. I mean, if it’s what I think it is.’
‘Know what, Mr Linnell?’
An intake of breath. ‘There’s been an arrest. Three men were caught mugging a woman in Eastwich, New Hampshire. Apparently they ambushed her . . . on a bridge.’
Chase felt a tingle crawl up his spine. Shyler had long since told him her story. The possible significance of what he’d just heard –
‘The police who handled Jesse’s death were notified because . . .’ Linnell cleared his throat, ‘one of the muggers had a snake tattoo and another had a scar at the side of his mouth.’
Make that indisputable significance. ‘Well, I certainly agree. Shyler will be very interested to hear this.’ Chase fought down the urge to say more.
‘That’s all they’ve told me at this stage. I’ll be in touch as soon as they get back to me. Of course, if these are the same men, Shyler will have to identify them, there’ll be a trial . . .’
‘I’ll make sure she knows.’ In fact, better that it comes from me than you.
Silence stretched.
‘Was there something else?’
‘So, Thanksgiving and Shyler’s there. Am I to take it you two are together?’
‘We are, very much.’
‘Well you must be relieved, then.’
‘Relieved?’ Chase frowned. ‘Why is that?’
‘After what I told you back in September, about the way the police said it happened . . . I just thought you might have had some concerns.’
Chase laughed outright. ‘No, Mr Linnell, I wasn’t concerned. I never had the slightest doubt things happened just as Shyler said they did.’
Shyler placed the last bowl on the table and looked up as Chase came through the back door. She’d seen him take a call on his mobile and hoped it didn’t mean he was leaving.