Second Chances: A PAVAD Duet

by Calle J. Brookes

  Chapter 44

  Dan met her at the entrance to her office, and took a moment to study her face. She hadn’t slept well, probably no better than he had. He had spent several hours talking to Gracie and Emma about the changes in their lives. It was a good discussion, with both girls opening up to him. He’d just wished Kelly had stuck around to be a part of it.

  “Doc? How are you feeling?”

  “Fine. I spoke with Kelly. Yelled at Kelly. Right before I left. I don’t know if it did much good.” She shook her head. “But Ryan doesn’t hate me or you as much this morning. Aislin wants to take the babies for show-n-tell. What about yours?”

  “Gracie and Emma are ok with things. Seem to think you and I are old enough to make our own choices. Especially me.”

  “Ryan thinks you and I are too old to be doing it. But the timing could certainly be better. Apparently he found out online that his dad is getting remarried. Then a day later we drop two babies in his lap. No wonder he was so angry. He wants me to tell you he’s sorry for being a brat.”

  Dan smiled. “He’s a good kid. They all are.”

  “Yes.” The doc unlocked her office and attached lab and he followed her inside. He wasn’t quite ready to go upstairs just yet. He needed to be with her for a few moments, maybe touch her just a bit. “So what did Kelly have to say?”

  “Basically what I expected. Snark, sarcasm. Underneath it all, she feels like we betrayed her. Which is ridiculous.” She slipped into her chair, then looked up at him. “I realized that on the drive over. Why should Kelly have a problem with us being together? It doesn’t change how either one of us feel about her. She’ll realize that, eventually. She is an adult, and a relatively reasonable one. She’s just hurt and on the defensive. But it sure made it tense this morning.”

  “I’ll bet it did.” Dan dropped his hands to her shoulders and rubbed. He pulled her chin up so that their eyes met. He was conscious of the security cameras that Ed had had installed in every section of the building after Georgia’s ordeal, but he didn’t care. He needed to touch her. “So we just wait her out?”

  “Hope that by the time the babies are born she’s forgiven us the unpardonable sin of being together?” The doc sighed. “She’s a very volatile person, Dan. And very vulnerable to hurt. I hated hurting her. I still do.”

  Dan dropped a kiss to her forehead before he thought. “I know. And deep down she knows you care about her. How are you feeling? Any sickness?”

  Ally shook her head. “Not really. I think I was too busy to even notice. I’ll need to speak with Marianna today. There will be some extra precautions I’ll need to take in the lab. And she’ll need to be aware of when I need to take off for appointments.”

  “I’ll speak to Hellbrook and Ed today. Ed has mentioned needing someone to help coordinate the CCU from St. Louis while the three teams are in the field. I’m thinking of putting in for the position. I’d be home most nights, with you and the kids.” The first time Ed had mentioned the position Dan had discounted it. He belonged in the field with his team. But things had changed. He had kids at home who needed a father, despite the fact that two of those children were adults. He had lost so much time with his girls that he thought they deserved all the time he could give them. The position had started to look good to him.

  In the last day or two, it had looked perfect to him. He suppressed a small smile. Dan Reynolds signing up for a nine-to-five life, complete with a pretty soccer mom sharing his bed—who would have ever predicted that? “We need to talk about when you and the kids will be moving in. I know you wanted to wait, but I think getting it over with for the kids will be easiest. Don’t you?”

  “I don’t know. I need to think about it. What about us?”

  “Us? You and me?”

  “Yes. We’ve made plans for the kids, Kelly, the babies. But what about you and me?”

  Dan paused and looked down at her for several long moments. Should he tell her exactly what he wanted from her? Maybe not exactly what he wanted. Not yet. And definitely not while at work. “I expect we’ll spend time together. Get to know each other. Do the best we can to form a life together for our family. And doc?”

  She looked up at him and he smiled, knowing what he meant was very clear on his face. “I want you and me to build on what we discovered weeks ago. I just hope you feel the same way.”

  Chapter 45

  His words stayed with her throughout the day. As did the fire in his eyes. He wasn't just making the best of the situation. He meant it. He did still want her. That warmed her, more than she thought possible.

  Kelly was cool to her, speaking only when necessary. Ally just ignored the other woman's attitude and finished what needed done. Kelly was an adult, she could either accept what had happened and deal with it, or she could move on. Ally wasn't coddling her any longer. She didn't need the extra strain.

  Marianna had been absolutely floored when Ally had told her, and Ally couldn't help but smile remembering the other woman's reaction. Then Mari had hugged her and promised to help her however she could. And had told her that Kelly would adjust and not to worry. Then Marianna had promised to take her shopping so they could pick out baby things. Little bitty clothes and toys and blankets, all of it. And had promised to help babysit when needed.

  She was a good friend, and Ally was thankful for her.

  Ally's attention returned to the project in front of her when she heard footsteps. Familiar ones. She suppressed a sigh. She wasn't up for another confrontation with Kelly. She pulled the tape off the envelope in front of her and turned to face the door to the lab.

  "Kelly. Are you finished with the chemical analysis for the CEPD team?"

  "It's on its way upstairs." Kelly wouldn't meet her eyes. She placed a few files in the out trays, then looked back at Ally. "Look..."

  She paused. Started again. "I just don't get it, ok? My father is nothing like Jack, and you are nothing like my mother. But then again, maybe that's it, right? Was he a rebound? A way to get back at Jack?"

  Ally leaned back in her chair. "No. It wasn't like that. At all. I just needed someone that night, Kel. And I think your dad felt the same way. And why not him? I like and respect everything he's done. He's a good man. There was nothing wrong with what happened between us. And if he wasn't your father, I'd probably have continued the relationship with him."

  "So it's my fault you didn't? Makes me kind of the bitch, doesn't it?"

  "Don't be stupid, Kelly. We both know you're not. We just decided it wasn't a good time for all of our children for us to be together. At the time we had that option. Now we don't. I can't deny your father the chance to be with these babies while they're growing up. How could I? Not after what he's been through. And Ryan and Aislin deserve a man in their lives who loves and supports them. Why am I the bad person for wanting that with your dad?"

  Kelly stared at her a moment. Her lips twitched, though her eyes were still filled with turmoil. "You're not. He's not, either. But dammit, Al, my dad? Do you know how weird that is? I mean, ew. He's old! You're not."

  "Yet, anyway." Ally felt a weight lift off her shoulders at Kelly’s conciliatory tone. Kelly wanted forgiveness, but didn’t know how to ask for it. Ally had seen her be that way before. “And he’s not too old. Trust me.”

  Kelly covered her eyes. “Stop. Bad thoughts.”

  Ally laughed and stood, placing the small package she still held on the desktop, where it rolled slightly to one side. Then her tone turned more serious. “Kelly…we really didn’t think, and we didn’t mean to hurt anybody. It just…happened. I hope you can forgive us, someday.”

  “I’ll admit it. I’m not happy about it. Neither family really needs this right now. But I guess that doesn’t matter. The babies are coming. And of course Dad had to hit doubles this time. Classic over-achiever. Ally, are you sure you can handle this?”

  “I’m not too sure I have much choice. There are twins coming. They need their father. He has a house big enough for
all of us. And he…” Ally felt her cheeks heat as she remembered she was speaking not only to one of her best friends, but to the man in question’s daughter.

  “And he…”

  “And he has said that he wants me. To be with me. And I want to be with him.”

  “Oh, god. You’re talking about sex with my dad again.” Kelly crossed her eyes. “Please stop. There are some things I don’t want to know. Or picture. My best friend and my dad. Eww. I think there are laws against that in thirty of the continental US states.”

  “So I’m still your best friend?”

  “Well, I guess.” Kelly’s expression turned serious. “Unless you all get married. Then I'm changing from best friend to red-headed stepchild.”

  Ally laughed, then hugged her. “I’ll remember that. And I think you’ll have competition for that roll considering all of our children have red h—”

  A hissing sound interrupted her, and Ally turned back to her desk. The package she’d opened, addressed to her from the Indianapolis lab, was hissing and her eyes widened seeing the smoke pouring out of it. “Kelly?”

  The package popped, once, twice. Again. The smoke increased. Tripled. Again and again. What the hell? Ally pushed Kelly toward the door. “Kelly, get out!”

  Skinny arms went around Ally. Kelly jerked her around and down to the floor, covering Ally’s body with her own, just as fire rained around them.

  Chapter 46

  Fire alarms sounded throughout the building, and Dan immediately left his office. Fire alarms in a federal building were nothing to joke about. Not in today’s world. Everyone was following protocol and heading to the exits. They'd meet up outside and do a head-count, while waiting for emergency responders to check the building. It went against Dan’s grain to go out of the building, instead of checking for injured himself.

  What the hell was going on?

  Once outside he looked around for his team. Present and accounted for, except Josh. Where was the boy?

  Ed Dennis ran by, shouting to Dan as he did. “Multiple explosions in the lab! Not sure about the status!”

  Ed was heading down to the basement, and Dan was only steps behind him, protocol be damned. His family was down there.

  ***

  “Dan! Go down the left, hallway A! I’ll take hallway B!”

  The doc’s office was down hallway A. Dan hadn’t thought of going anywhere else. The doc and Kelly would be in hallway A. Glendower and some of her team would be down hallway B.

  Smoke rolled through the hallway as Dan ran down each corridor, checking each room one by one. He heard shouting, people trapped inside the storage room. He pulled the handle, unlocking the door. Two people ran by, and he vaguely recognized them through the smoke as Richison and the little blonde computer tech who’d come with the doc’s team from Indy. “Where’re Dr. Brewster and Kelly?”

  Richison scooped the blonde into his arms, holding her as she coughed and cried. He yelled at Dan as he carried her toward the emergency exits. “Last I saw they were in Brewster’s office! Fifteen minutes ago! Sam’s asthmatic!”

  “Go! Get that girl out of here! Responders are on the way!”

  Dan turned toward the doc’s office, where he’d left her just that morning. He took the final turn in the hallway into the area where he knew her lab was located next to her office. She and Kelly should have been there somewhere, but smoke made it nearly impossible for him to see the doors. There was far more smoke than fire. That was good, wasn’t it? The sprinklers were raining down, but the smoke seemed to be getting thicker. He covered his mouth and moved as carefully through the smoke as he could. Where was the doc? Was she already outside? He was not stopping until he’d searched every nook and cranny of the lab and offices.

  His foot hit something. He heard a moan. He’d found someone. He dropped to his knees and felt around. It wasn’t the doc; someone taller. He pulled Kelly into his arms. She coughed. Thank God. His daughter was alive. But where was the doc? She and Kelly were partners. Were never too far away from each other while working. “Kelly! Where’s the doc?”

  “Somewhere. She was right here.” His daughter cried out after she spoke, then bit back a moan. She was hurt. But alive.

  Dan pulled his daughter to her feet, hoping she'd be able to stand. “Go. Get out of here, now!”

  “Not without Ally!” Kelly pushed his hands away though she was obviously struggling. “Get her, Daddy! Hurry!” She dissolved into a fit of coughing.

  “Get out, kid. I’ll get the doc. You, go!” Black smoke made visibility nearly impossible. “If I’m not out within three minutes, you send help down here! I’m not leaving without her! Go!”

  "Not without you two!"

  "Dammit, Kelly, I don't have time to argue! Go!"

  “I’ve got Kelly, Dan!” Josh’s voice came through the smoke, strong and assured, over the sound of fire alarms and the tin voice instructing everyone to evacuate. “You have two minutes to join us!”

  Dan wasn’t sure where the boy had come from, but he was eternally grateful Josh was there. “Go! I’ll get the doc!”

  He could hear Kelly yelling at Josh as he dragged her out of the burning lab. Could hear her yelling for him and the doc.

  Dan stayed low to the ground where faint visibility remained. The office and attached lab weren’t very big, maybe thirty by fifty. She was in here somewhere. It took him precious seconds to find her though she wasn’t far from where he’d found Kelly, lying partially behind the mangled remains of her metal desk. What the hell had happened in here?

  The smoke was getting worse, and the flames had spread from her desk to the rug on the floor. It took him more precious time to get her over his shoulder. He felt his way to the door, and carried her into the hallway. She hadn’t moved. How bad was she hurt? What the hell had happened in here, anyway? A bomb or something? Chemical leak?

  He carried her out the emergency exit as fire personnel rushed the labs. He yelled at them to keep searching when one tried to take the doc from him. He had her, he could get her out. They still needed to make sure everyone else on the basement level made it out.

  Outside, he was met by a scene of controlled chaos. Ambulances waited, and fire responders had swarmed the building. He’d passed two more on his way out, but he refused to give her over to them. Little Doctor Bellows, his teammate, oversaw a triage area near the ambulances, directing her medical staff in treating minor injuries, while paramedics saw to more complex.

  Dan carried the doc straight to a waiting ambulance. He shoved uninjured people out of his way and laid her on the gurney. “She’s pregnant with twins! I found her in the lab near the source of the explosions.”

  “Step back, sir. We’ll take it from here!” The EMT tried to push him aside. Dan stepped out of the man’s way, but stayed at her side.

  “Sir, we'll take good care of her.” The EMT’s impatience was clear as he strapped an oxygen mask over the doc’s face.

  “I stay with her! She’s mine!” Dan waited until they lifted her into the ambulance. “And I’m the father!”

  Chapter 47

  Someone was holding her hand, talking to her. It took Ally a moment to recognize the voice. She opened her eyes to see Dan’s middle daughter leaning over her. Where was she? It took her another moment to recognize where she was. A hospital. Why? What had happened? The last she remembered was avoiding Kelly all afternoon. “Emma, what happened?”

  The girl smiled, through her obvious worry. “Hey mommy-dearest. About time you woke up and joined us.”

  “Why am I here? Was there an accident? Where are the kids?” Ally tried to sit up, but the IV in her arm prevented it.

  “They’re fine. Gracie has them, with the Hellbrooks. Dad had them picked up at the school when the Hellbrooks picked up their little boy.” Emma’s hand brushed the hair off Ally’s forehead. Hair that smelled like smoke. Why would her hair smell like smoke?

  “Oh my God! Where’s Kelly? Was she hurt?”

  The doo
r opened before Emma could answer. Ally’s eyes darted to Dan’s. He was pale and smoke streaked. “Doc. You’re awake.”

  “Dan? What happened? Where’s Kelly? Was she hurt? Was anyone? I don’t really remember…” Anything. Other than her and Kelly ignoring each other through most of the day.

  “Kelly’s down the hall. She’s had some burns. Parts of your chair hit her and landed on her. She’ll eventually need plastic surgery for the scars. The doctor believes she can have the surgery at the same time they handle the gunshot scars, as well.”

  “What happened? The last thing I remember is lunch with Marianna.”

  Dan motioned Emma out of the room, then he closed the door. “Someone set off several explosions in the labs and basements using chemical technology we haven’t identified yet. You and Kelly were less than five feet from one of the detonations.”

  Ally gasped. That close?

  “Yeah. Apparently you and Kelly were talking. You hugged her, then you both realized what was happening. She pushed you to the floor and covered you with her body just as the charge exploded.”

  “That’s how she got the burns.” Oh, Kelly. Ally felt tears hit her eyes.

  “And you hit your head on your way down. And had some chemical and some smoke inhalation.”

  “And the babies?”

  “They’re fine. The doctors checked, then I made them double check. You—we—were all lucky.” He sat on the mattress beside her. His hands trembled when he touched her abdomen, then her cheeks. “I could have lost you. All of you today. I can’t do that. You’ll need to promise me that won’t happen, doc. I can’t go through that kind of loss again, ok?”

  Ally looked at him, her headache fading away, her worries for the rest of the people she worked with dissipating. He wasn’t telling her that he wanted her just because of the situation. He was telling her that he cared for her. More than cared for her. “I can do that."