Love Plus One ('G-Man Series')

by ANDREA SMITH

  “Do you want me to take her to her appointment? I asked. “I can probably handle both her and Bryce.”

  “I want to clarify some things before she gets here, okay?”

  I nodded.

  “I truly appreciate the sacrifice you’ve made in doing this. I don’t want you to totally give up your life. I’m going to be leaving for Baltimore on Tuesday. I won’t be able to help at all for the next week, maybe longer.”

  “Baltimore?” I asked, as if this was news to me.

  “Yeah. I’m on assignment. I’ll be calling in when I can though. I’ve arranged for a home healthcare nurse to come in once a day for a few hours so that she can help your mother shower and change, prepare dinner for them so you can get out for a few hours. She’ll also check your mother’s vitals and report her condition to the doctor. I know it’s not much, but you’re going to need a breather being cooped up here 24/7. So I encourage you to take advantage of it for your own wellbeing, got it?”

  “Yes. Thanks, Slate.”

  “Also, I have a cleaning service that will come in once a week to do the major cleaning. All you need to do is keep the house picked up from this little whirlwind here, handle him and do laundry. Will that work?”

  “It’s no problem at all, Slate.”

  “Okay, good.”

  Bryce was squirming in my arms now, starting to fuss.

  “He’s probably ready to go down for the night, Lindsey.”

  “I’ll handle it,” I said, heading towards the nursery with him.

  I gave Bryce a quick sponge bath and put a clean diaper and jammies on him. He had his thumb in his mouth. That was a sure sign he was tired.

  I put him in his crib and wound up his musical mobile. He rolled unto his side; thumb in mouth and within five minutes, his eyelids closed. I pulled his little blanket up to his waist. The poor little guy was probably confused with all the commotion in his life recently.

  I left his nightlight on, leaving the door to his nursery slightly ajar.

  When I got out to the main hall, Mom was coming in the door. Slate had his arm around her. I was surprised at how pale she looked.

  “Lindsey,” she said, her face brightening. “I’m so sorry that you had to come home like this, honey.”

  “Mom, stop. I mean it. The most important thing is getting you into bed so you can rest.”

  “Rest is all I seem to be able to do lately. The pain medication that doctor put me on sees to that.”

  “I’ll help her get ready for bed, Slate.”

  “Thanks, Linds.”

  I helped Mom change into a comfortable nightgown after she used the bathroom. She climbed into her bed and snuggled down under the covers.

  I sat on the bed next to her my worry lines apparently showing.

  “Lindsey, everything is going to be fine. I see my own doctor on Monday. Slate is taking me so don’t worry about that. The pain I am having is not related to everything else. Apparently, I have a fibroid tumor in my uterus that was causing the excruciating pain. The good news is as my uterus grows in the next couple of weeks, the pain will subside. The main concern is the TTTS. I could lose one or both of the babies.”

  I saw her tear up and immediately, I took her hand in mine.

  “I’m sure there is something they can do, right?”

  She nodded, wiping a tear from her cheeks.

  “There are a couple of options I guess. Periodic amniocentesis to drain off the excess fluid which would continue throughout term; or perhaps laser surgery to seal off the connection between the blood vessels depending upon where the placenta is implanted on the womb. We just don’t know anything definitive yet. That’s the hard part.”

  “Mom, you didn’t even know you were pregnant? I mean hadn’t you skipped a couple of periods?”

  “Well, the strange thing is that before Bryce was born, my cycles were like clockwork. After that, my periods were helter-skelter. That’s why we were having trouble conceiving this time. As it turns out, the fibroid tumor was responsible for that as well. So, it just didn’t strike me odd until that day when I was with your grandmother at the lawyer’s office, and I felt so much pain.”

  “Well, the important thing is that you’re home now. Slate and I will take care of you. I am here just as long as you need me, okay?”

  “I don’t know what I would do without you, Lindsey. I love you so very much.”

  “I love you too, Mom.”

  She was asleep within moments. I turned off the light and left the door open to her room in case she needed anything.

  Slate and Taz were still in the family room. I could tell they were discussing bureau business. They looked up as I came into the room.

  “Mom’s sleeping comfortably, Slate. I’m thinking maybe I’ll sleep down here after you leave.”

  “That may not be a bad idea, Lindsey. I’m gonna to check on her. I didn’t give her a goodnight kiss.”

  I thought it was so sweet the way that Slate fussed over her. It was usually the other way around. It did my heart good to see how he reciprocated.

  I looked over at Taz after Slate left the room.

  “I’m beat, Taz. I think I’m going to say goodnight. I guess you’ll be pretty busy over the weekend with your school work and getting ready for whatever it is you will be doing in Baltimore, right?”

  He came over to where I was standing, pulling me into his strong chest.

  “Hey, how about we spend some time together tomorrow? It’s Saturday, Slate will be home to handle things. It will probably be the last chance to hang out before I leave.”

  “I’m sure we can work something out.”

  “Good. I’m running that key to the lab in Quantico tomorrow morning. I’ll give you a shout sometime tomorrow afternoon, okay?”

  “Sounds good,” I said, yawning.

  “Get to bed,” he ordered softly giving me a quick kiss. “When Slate gets back out here I have to fill him in on that key.”

  “G’nite, Taz.”

  “G’nite, Linds.”

  CHAPTER 30

  I got up early and tended to Bryce while Slate helped Mom get her shower and dress in clean sweats.

  I brought breakfast to their room later. Slate was lounging beside her on the bed, channel surfing the flat screen television mounted on the opposite wall. At least she would be able to watch movies and stuff while confined to her bed. Her iPad was on the bedside table for reading and internet surfing. Hopefully, it wouldn’t be too bad.

  “I’m going to start some laundry and then take Bryce and run to the store, if that’s okay,” I said to them. “I need to get some stuff for me this week.”

  “Sure,” Mom said. “You don’t have to take Bryce though. He’ll be fine here with us.”

  “I kind of wanted to,” I replied. “He’s good company.”

  “Okay then, Lindsey. Be careful.”

  “Always, Mom.”

  I fed Bryce his lunch and then got him bundled up. We headed out. I stopped at the grocery, then the pharmacy and then treated him to a stop at ‘Toys’R’Us’. He was reaching for practically everything he set his eyes upon as we walked through each and every aisle.

  I finally bought him a stuffed turtle whose head would retract into his shell when you pressed a button underneath, and reluctantly gave in to his whining and pointing when he saw a toy gun. It was a plastic gun that made a ‘popping’ sound when the trigger was pulled.

  That apple hasn’t fallen far from the tree I thought, as he giggled with delight clutching the gun to his chest instead of the stuffed turtle.

  I was fastening Bryce into his car seat when my cell phone rang. My heart did a little flutter thinking it was Taz. I felt disappointed when I saw it was Darcy.

  “Hey Darce,” I greeted.

  “Hey yourself,” she said. “I’m ho-o-omme!”

  “So you are,” I said. “I suppose you are booked all weekend with your G-Man though.”

  “Yeah right,” she scoffed. “He’s
tied up all day today doing some sort of ‘counter-terrorist’ simulation that was announced last minute. We won’t be able to get together until tomorrow."

  “That blows,” I said, getting into the driver’s side and fastening my seat belt.

  “So? Wanna go out clubbing later?”

  “Taz is supposed to call me when he gets back from Quantico this afternoon. He wanted to spend some time together. He is leaving on some mission Tuesday so it will be our last chance to hang out.”

  “It’s like after two now. You haven’t heard from him yet?”

  “Nope,” I replied, feeling a hint of irritation myself.

  “So how long do you intend to wait for his booty call before you decide to salvage the rest of the day?”

  “It’s not a booty call,” I halfway snapped.

  “Really?” she said, drawing the word out as if she found it hard to believe.

  “I’m on my period,” I retorted, getting a tad short with her.

  “Oh, then perhaps booty call was the wrong terminology. Perhaps I should have referred to it as his ‘blow job’ call under the circumstances.”

  If I hadn’t already felt a bit irritated about it anyway, I would have laughed at Darcy’s banter. The fact was it shouldn’t have taken all of this time for Taz to drop some freaking key off at the lab and get back to Falls Church. This would be my last opportunity to get out for an evening in a while anyway.”

  “Tell you what, Darce. If I don’t hear from him in the next couple of hours, let’s make plans.”

  “Sounds good,” she said. “Call me one way or the other?”

  “Sure will,” I said, starting the car and heading home.

  When I got back to the house, I changed Bryce’s diaper. He had managed a shit explosion of major proportions. I ran out of baby wipes after using the last in the container. This was going to require a wet wash cloth.

  I was changing him in his crib so I raised the rail up putting a blanket over his wee-wee so he wouldn’t pee all over himself while I went to the bathroom to get one. I had learned that lesson the hard way.

  “Don’t move,” I said to him, tickling his chubby little chin. God, he was cute.

  The bathroom was off of his nursery. It was the same bathroom shared by the master suite.

  I opened the door from the nursery, breezing in to fetch a wash cloth not realizing that Slate was occupying it. He was standing at the toilet, penis in hand taking a leak.

  Oh my God!

  I stopped in my tracks, my face turning crimson, my hand flying up to cover my mouth. He looked over at me mid-stream unable to do anything but finish peeing.

  I backed out, eyes widened, stuttering an apology as I felt for the doorway, whirling around and beating a fast exist.

  I slammed the door behind me leaning against it. I was horrified at what I had done. It hadn’t occurred to me that someone using the bathroom wouldn’t have locked the access door from the nursery. I suppose he hadn’t figured Bryce would be barging in any time soon.

  I went over to the crib. Bryce’s eyelids were heavy. I checked his bottom. It definitely needed more cleaning. I went out the other door from the nursery, heading to the kitchen. I wet a paper towel, scurrying back to the nursery avoiding any risk of running into Slate.

  I wiped his bottom clean and fastened a fresh diaper on him.

  I pulled his blanket to his waist and watched as he drifted off to sleep, clutching his new toy gun instead of his turtle which made me smile.

  I left the nursery and quietly slipped upstairs to my room. How in the hell would I ever face Slate again? I didn’t want to think about it.

  I slipped into the shower, taking my time washing my hair, shaving my legs and waiting for my cell phone to ring. After I emerged from the bathroom thoroughly clean, conditioned and blown-dry I checked my phone. Nothing. My clock said it was 4:16 p.m. Screw this. I phoned Darcy.

  “What up?” she asked, putting on her ‘gangsta’ tone. God, she must be bored.

  “I haven’t heard a thing. What do you want to do?”

  “Listen to this, Linds. I ran into Jess and Sonya, remember them from Dazzle?”

  “Not the lesbians?” I asked.

  “No, they are the bartenders that hooked up and got married.

  “Oh yeah, so what about them?”

  “Well, they told me that Dazzle has booked a previously famous alternative metal group for tonight in a surprise concert to launch their major comeback tour.”

  “Who?” I asked.

  “Hot Addiction,” she all but screamed. “You have to remember them.”

  “Vaguely,” I replied, not nearly as stoked as she was.

  “So, here’s the deal,” she continued. “Their surprise appearance will be to open for the regularly scheduled pop rock band they have starting to play at nine. We need to get there no later than 7:30 p.m. to get an up close table so we can see them.”

  “So, what time are you picking me up?”

  “Here’s the thing. I have no problem picking you up but I plan to party. Can you just plan on sleeping over here and I will bring you back in the morning?”

  “Oh, Darcy, I don’t know. You understand the situation with my Mom. The whole reason I’m here is to help out with Bryce.”

  “Well, isn’t Slate there still?”

  “Well, yeah.”

  “So, just see if he as an issue with it? I can have you back my like nine tomorrow morning. I’m promise I’ll be sober by then.”

  I couldn’t deal with having to approach Slate on anything right now. If it was possible to avoid him until he took off for Baltimore on Tuesday that would have been my preference. I knew that was unrealistic.

  Okay,” I sighed. “I’ll be ready at seven.”

  “Wear something that totally rocks. We are going to party,” she replied, bubbling over with enthusiasm.

  Mom was napping as I discovered when I peeked in on her to search out Slate.

  I was still in my long, terrycloth robe. I traipsed into the kitchen looking for Slate. He was kicked back in the family room, his cell phone up to his ear.

  As he saw me approach, he held his finger up as if to signal me to hang on; he’d be right with me. His demeanor seemed no different than usual.

  “So, how’d you shoot?” he asked whoever was on the other end.

  “That good, huh? I thought you might be a little rusty being you haven’t been on the range for a while.”

  He paused, waiting for a response at the other end.

  “Yeah, yeah, don’t give me that shit. You only did as well as you did because you were trying to impress ‘Dirty Diana’, you horny bastard.”

  Slate was chuckling over some private joke.

  “What do you mean, how did I know she was even at the range? It’s called Intel, Taz. I have the pulse of everything that goes on at Quantico, no matter what or where.”

  Slate looked over at me winking. He was totally enjoying fucking with Taz. I was totally starting a slow burn.

  “Naw, I talked to Hatfield earlier. He told me you did a double stint at the range this afternoon after Dee Dee got there. He figured you were working on some best laid plans before we take off for Baltimore. Hey, enjoy brother. I gotta run.”

  All thoughts of being embarrassed in front of Slate evaporated. Who the hell was ‘Dirty Diana’ or ‘D.D’ for short? Obviously, she was the reason I hadn’t heard from Taz all afternoon.

  Slate looked over at me.

  “Sorry about that, Lindsey. Did you want to speak to me?”

  “Oh, yeah,” I stammered, trying to focus on the purpose of my visit. “Darcy called and a great band is playing at Dazzle tonight. She’s going to pick me up at seven. The thing is that Darcy is planning on partying and lives really close to Dazzle, so she said she could run me back here in the morning. Can you handle Bryce until I get home?”

  “Are you really going to be with Darcy?” Slate teased. I was in no mood for this shit.

  “Slate,”
I said, my voice not masking my irritation. “Stop treating me as a teenager. I’m not asking your permission to stay out all night. I’m simply trying to ascertain if this will create a problem for you handling Bryce until I get home. That is why I dropped out of school and came home, remember?”

  “Oh, yeah, I was just teasing, Lindsey. Sure, it’s all good. Have a good time and be careful.”

  “Good,” I said turning to leave. I stopped then and turned back to look at him.

  “Oh, Slate, there is one more thing?”

  “Sure Linds, what is it?”

  “Start locking the bathroom door on the nursery side when you’re in there.”

  I turned back around and left the room.

  Once I got back upstairs, I was fuming. I switched my television on and got my nail polish out. I put a towel down on my bed and started painting my toenails.

  When I was sure they weren’t tacky any longer, I got up and went through my closet to find an appropriate dress for this evening. I decided on a short, form fitting red dress that had a matching red bolero jacket trimmed with black embroidered scrollwork. I would accessorize with black four-inch heels, and black jewelry.

  I had hung my dress out on the door of the closet when my phone rang. It was Taz.

  Go figure. I mean it was only a quarter till six!

  “Hello,” I answered, frostily.

  “Hey, baby girl,” he greeted as if it were the most natural thing in the world for him to diss me all day long then give me a last minute shout out. “

  “Taz,” I said.

  “Are you busy?” he asked.

  I could picture his brows arching up the way they do when he is puzzled.

  “Just getting ready,” I replied, going into the bathroom to plug in my flat iron.

  “For what?”

  “Darcy is picking me up around seven. We’re going clubbing.”

  That was met with a moment of silence.

  “I see,” he replied, tersely. “I thought we had plans.”

  “Yeah, I thought so too, Taz, but when I didn’t hear from you for the better part of the day, I figured that we didn’t. I made some of my own.”