Waiting for Devon

by Dee Stewart

  Jack took a deep breath. “It wasn’t your fault. You were a good wife. I just didn’t appreciate what I had until I lost it. I’ve had plenty of time to consider what happened over the last two years, and I want you to know I’ve changed. All I ask is for an opportunity to prove it. I’ll always be here for you if you need me. No pressure. No expectations. I’ll be a strong shoulder for you to lean on whenever you need one.”

  Tears glistened in Devon’s eyes, and she looked away from him. “Jack, I don’t know what to say. You shouldn’t put your life on hold for me.”

  “Let me worry about that. Friends?”

  She nodded. “Always.”

  Jack proved to be a much better friend than husband. He and Devon worked so well together that their popularity gained the attention of important contributors to the field of pediatrics, and the couple was asked to host a convention about emergency pediatric care. Jack insisted the convention be held at the Grand Hotel in San Francisco so Devon wouldn’t have to travel in her delicate condition. The convention was scheduled for the second week in November and would last three days. Representatives from leading hospitals across the United States were invited to attend. Devon’s and Jack’s co-workers assisted with the preparations for the convention, and the couple rewarded them with a night of festivity at one of the city’s popular nightclubs.

  Although the convention on emergency pediatric care gained national attention and press coverage, teaching three days of seminars took their toll on Devon. At Jack’s insistence, she remained at home during the days preceding Thanksgiving and made plans to travel to Seattle to spend the holiday with her brother and his family.

  “You shouldn’t fly by yourself.” Jack voiced his concern.

  “Emmaline is traveling with me.” Devon paused a moment before asking, “What are your plans for Thanksgiving, Jack?”

  “The usual. I’ll be at the hospital.”

  “Why don’t you come to Seattle with us?”

  Pleasure at the invitation filled Jack. “I would like nothing more, but what about Caleb? He’s never forgiven me for the way I treated you. Even though I helped rescue you from your kidnappers, he didn’t have anything nice to say to me.”

  Devon smiled and Jack thought his heart would leap out of his chest. “You make the necessary arrangements for both of us to be off from the hospital at the same time, and I’ll handle Caleb.”

  “Checkmate!” Blair cooed. “I win again, Reed.”

  “Huh. You know I always let you…” Reed broke off and froze as the lilting sound of Devon’s voice pierced the air.

  His gaze riveted on the TV. One of the cable news channels was running footage of a convention featuring Devon’s keynote speech. As he focused on her, primal love and the pain caused by her betrayal intermingled and tore through him. During the weeks Devon had been gone, Reed had convinced himself he felt nothing for her, not even anger. It was easier that way. To feel nothing. But seeing her on TV and hearing her passion-filled voice, Reed realized he had only been fooling himself. He still loved her and the knowledge devastated him.

  When the news anchor switched to another story, Blair turned off the TV and touched Reed’s shoulder. “Are you okay?”

  “Yes…no…” he responded with an absent look in his eyes.

  “It must have been a shock to see Devon again. She looked well, didn’t she? She’s gained weight since leaving Dallas, and I dare say she seemed happy.”

  “Stop, Blair. I don’t want to talk about Dr. Brooks anymore. What she did…”

  “Wasn’t her fault, no matter what you may think, Reed,” Blair interrupted. “Dad and Shane trapped Devon in a power struggle between them and left her with no alternative whatsoever. You heard what Dad said. He cost Devon her job and knew all along that the engagement was a scam. He could have put a stop to it anytime, but he didn’t. He allowed it to go on until she was hopelessly entangled and in love with you. I don’t understand how you could forgive Dad and Shane but not the woman you claim to love.”

  “She ran away.” The words tore from his taut throat. “She ran away because she didn’t trust me enough to confide the truth in me. She never even gave me a chance to prove the strength of my love for her. How I would have forgiven her without question if she had demonstrated an ounce of faith in me. I can’t forgive her for that.”

  Chapter Nineteen

  Caleb protested when Devon called to inform him to expect an extra guest for Thanksgiving. He didn’t relish spending the four-day weekend with his selfish and arrogant former brother-in-law. However, when his sisters and Jack arrived at noon on Thanksgiving Day, he discovered a softer and humbler Dr. Taylor. Happy to be included and eager to please his host and hostess, he offered to help Robin in the kitchen, much to everyone’s surprise.

  As the men settled down for a long and lazy afternoon of televised football, Caleb commented, “You’re different, Jack. Don’t take offense, but I was dreading your coming today.”

  Jack took a long swallow of his beer. “None taken. The truth is, I was dreading it, too. I know how you feel about me after what I did to Devon.”

  “I despised you for a while. But you’ve changed, and for what it’s worth, you’re good for Devon. I’m glad you’re taking care of her after what she went through because of Barrington. I’d like to get my hands on the Barrington brothers.”

  Jack grinned and saluted Caleb with his bottle of beer. “Don’t worry. I knocked Shane Barrington on his ass.”

  Caleb’s kids giggled and declared, “Ooo, you said a bad word, Uncle Jack!”

  “I did. I need my potty mouth washed out with soap.”

  “Gross.” Caleb’s daughter wrinkled her cute nose.

  From the kitchen, Robin and Emmaline peeked into the living room. “Well?” Devon whispered. “What’s going on?”

  “They’re talking and laughing with each other and the kids,” Robin reported.

  “That’s a relief. I was sure I had started WWIII by bringing Jack here.”

  “I don’t understand you at all,” Emmaline began as she poured coffee for them. “One minute you hate Jack enough to pretend you’re engaged to Shane Barrington, and now you two are bosom buddies. What’s the deal?”

  “Reed doesn’t love me anymore. And as far as Jack is concerned, he’s become a good friend. That’s it.”

  “He’s not looking at you through the eyes of a friend,” Robin pointed out. “Jack is still in love with you.”

  “Yes, I know. Sooner or later we’re going to have to talk about his feelings.”

  “Sooner,” Emmaline advised. “He needs to understand you don’t feel the same way about him.”

  A little pang of regret hit Devon. If only Jack had come to his senses long before now, she might have learned to love him again, especially when she watched him with her brother’s children. One day he would make a great father.

  During the onset of the Christmas season, Devon brushed aside her sister-in-law’s observation about Jack’s feelings for her. It seemed silly to consider it at all given the amount of time she and Jack had been divorced and the painful circumstances surrounding their separation and eventual breakup. Jack was solicitous and attentive, of course, but Devon didn’t think about his continual acts of kindness too deeply. She was only comforted to know she wasn’t facing her pregnancy alone.

  One evening after Jack helped Devon trim a Christmas tree and decorate the rest of her home, he built a fire and settled next to her on the sofa. They sipped cups of hot cocoa and watched the multi-colored lights twinkle on the Victorian tree.

  “Do you remember our first Christmas together?” Jack asked.

  “Yes,” she answered as a knot of dread formed in her stomach. She knew what was coming.

  “Our tiny apartment in Chicago could hardly fit the two of us let alone that humongous Christmas tree.” Jack chuckled. “We had such a devil of a time trying to get it upstairs. You insisted on that Douglas fir.”

  “I couldn’t resist i
t. The top hit the ceiling so we had to forego an angel.”

  “I noticed you kept all of our ornaments.”

  Devon took a sip of her cocoa. “Not everything in our marriage was terrible, Jack. We had six good years together before it went downhill.”

  “Devon, you know I’ve changed. I’m not the vain man who took the world and everything in it for granted. Living without you has made me realize what’s really important. My life, my career, all the money I could possibly make are meaningless without you, without the woman I love more than life itself. I love you, sweetheart. Please believe me. I now know what it means to say those words. I love you, and I am willing to spend the rest of my life proving it to you. I swear I will take care of you and your child if you will let me.”

  Sorrow and regret filled Devon’s eyes. “Jack, I don’t know what to say. You’ve caught me off guard again.”

  “I know you don’t love me anymore,” he acknowledged. “But perhaps in time, we can find our way back to each other.”

  Jack leaned forward and captured her lips in a gentle kiss. She didn’t protest. Perhaps Jack was right. Perhaps with time she could learn to love him again.

  Ten days before Christmas one tragedy after another besieged the doctors and nurses in the ER at SFGH. Car accident victims, gun-shot wounds by the score, attempted suicides, and a variety of illnesses and ailments kept the staff running from cubicle to cubicle.

  Devon had her hands full in the pediatric unit, shouting orders as she hurried from one emergency to another. A sixteen-year-old teenager strung out on PCP created a dangerous situation. It took several nurses and the strongest orderlies to restrain him. As Devon approached the addict in order to examine and evaluate him, the boy broke free in an instant and attacked her. One hard kick to the stomach sent her flying backward, and she crashed into steel instrument trays and carts. Before she could catch her breath, severe pain shot through her midsection.

  Ignoring it for the moment, she yelled for security as the teenager ran through the ER, bumping into the staff and upsetting the patients. A barrel-chested security guard caught him, and Devon jabbed him with a sedative. The boy was taken to a cubicle to await further evaluation.

  When Devon felt blood trickling between her legs, she cried out for help. “Page Dr. Taylor!” she gasped. “And Dr. Warren. Hurry!” And then she fainted.

  Jack’s heart dropped into his stomach when he answered his page. He rushed through the pediatric unit and found Devon lying unconscious on a gurney. Blood pooled beneath her. “What happened?” he asked Jill.

  “A kid kicked her in the stomach.”

  “We need an ultrasound stat!” Jack ordered.

  As they wheeled Devon into an empty room, Dr. Warren joined them. After Jack brought Devon’s doctor up to date, she said, “I know you’re worried, Dr. Taylor, but you need to step back and let me do my job.”

  Jill took him by the arm and maneuvered him away from Devon. “You know Dr. Warren is the best OB/GYN on staff. She’ll take good care of Devon.”

  Jack allowed Jill to lead him outside the room as Dr. Warren examined Devon. He paced the corridor as he waited for news and prayed that she wouldn’t lose another baby.

  When Devon awoke sometime later, she found herself in a private room. Jack sat next to her and held her hand in a tight grip. “You’re awake.”

  Abject fear coursed through every part of Devon’s body. “Oh, God!” she moaned as she squeezed Jack’s hand. “Oh, God, Jack! Please don’t tell me I lost the baby! Not again! Not like this! Not Reed’s child!”

  “Shh.” Jack smoothed stray strands of hair from her forehead. “Don’t panic. You didn’t lose the baby.”

  Devon sobbed as Dr. Warren entered the room. “Is the baby all right?” she asked through her tears.

  “For now. We’ve managed to stop the bleeding, but you sustained a partial placenta abruption when you were kicked in the abdomen. It’s a miracle you didn’t miscarry.” Dr. Warren paused. “I’m not going to lie to you, Devon. You still might miscarry. In order to maximize your chances of carrying this baby to term, I’m recommending complete bedrest for the duration of your pregnancy. Any physical activity at this point could be fatal to the fetus. I’m admitting you to the hospital for the next week so I can closely monitor you. If all is well at that time, I will send you home.” She excused herself after promising to check on Devon later.

  Devon’s heart burst with this solemn news. She could still lose her baby. “Jack!” she cried in pain. “I can’t lose this baby. I can’t! It’s all I have left of Reed. If I lose this baby, I’ll die, too. I swear I will!”

  “Devon, you’ve got to calm down. Getting hysterical isn’t going to help. You heard what Dr. Warren said. With bedrest you can carry the child to term.”

  She shook her head as tears slipped down her cheeks. “It’s too late,” she whispered as if Fate had already determined her future. “I feel it slipping away, Jack. I feel it slipping away like before.”

  During the next forty-eight hours, Devon fell into such a deep depression that Jack could not convince her she was healing. She turned her face toward the wall and refused to listen to him. Concerned by the fact she had given up, certain she was going to miscarry, Jack took matters into his own hands. Desperate times called for desperate measures. Even if it meant sacrificing his own desire to be the man Devon needed and wanted.

  Jack took the first available flight out of San Francisco and landed in Dallas a few hours later. He hired a taxi to drive him to the Barringtons’ homestead, and when he inquired from Mrs. Peters where he might find Reed, the housekeeper directed him toward the stable.

  Reed was grooming a magnificent horse. When he glanced toward his visitor, first surprise then annoyance glittered in his eyes. “I can’t imagine what you’re doing here,” he said in a voice crisp with dislike.

  “No, I don’t suppose you can.” Jack’s tone equaled Reed’s.

  “Cut to the chase. I have work to do.”

  “All right. Devon is pregnant with your child.”

  Every muscle in Reed’s body stiffened at the mention of Devon’s name. He snorted his disbelief. “What kind of a fool do you take me for, Taylor? Devon and I haven’t been together in months. The kid obviously isn’t mine.”

  Jack clenched his fists. He wanted nothing more than to wipe the irritating smugness from the other man’s face. “Devon is three months along. You were together one night in September, and as you well know, once is all it takes.”

  “I don’t know what kind of a game that woman is playing, but her child is not mine,” Reed insisted, growing angrier by the moment. “Maybe it’s yours.”

  “Jesus, you really are a stupid son of a bitch. Do you think I would be here if it weren’t? Frankly, I despise you and what you did to Devon. Rejecting her after she’d been kidnapped was the worst thing you could have done. I would give my life to claim her child as mine. She doesn’t even know I’m here. She’s lying in a hospital bed, fighting to save the life of your unborn baby. If she loses this child, too, she will die. She said she would and I believe her. Devon needs to know you’re there with her, Barrington. Don’t make the same mistake I did. I abandoned her when she needed me the most, and as a result I lost the only woman I ever loved. If you feel anything for Devon, anything at all, you’ll come to San Francisco and help her. For God’s sake, man, she loves you.”

  “Get out,” Reed commanded in a voice hoarse with emotion. “I’ve heard enough. Leave me alone.”

  “Well, if it makes you feel better, when Devon gives birth to another Barrington, I’ll be raising it as my own and giving him or her my name. I’ll be proposing to her after she’s released from the hospital. Maybe on Christmas Eve,” he taunted Reed.

  “Knock yourself out,” Reed tossed.

  “I’d like to knock you out.”

  “You’re welcome to try.”

  Jack threw the first punch. It knocked Reed backward over a three-legged stool. He recovered a
nd charged at Jack with a grunt of anger. Reed hit Jack with a powerful right-hand hook, followed by a left jab. Jack shook it off and let fly an uppercut to Reed’s jaw. A good, old-fashioned brawl ensued with both men punching and kicking and rolling around on the ground. They took their fight outside the stable, each trying to knock the other out. It didn’t end until their fists were slick with blood, and they were both panting and moaning in pain.

  “I love her!” Reed groaned as he tried to rise to his feet. “I do. I’ve never stopped loving her.”

  Jack’s groans equaled Reed’s, but he made it to his feet first and held out a hand to help Reed. “Neither have I. But Devon doesn’t love me anymore. She’s carrying your child, and they both need you.”

  “Let’s go to my cabin, get cleaned up, and talk this out like civilized men.” He offered a half-hearted grin, and Jack guffawed before he winced from a sore jaw.

  Over a couple of beers, as they held ice packs to their bruised and battered faces, Jack and Reed discussed what to do. They agreed Reed needed to return to San Francisco with Jack and made plans to leave Dallas the following day on the Barringtons’ private jet.

  As Reed and Jack climbed into the back of the limousine on their way to the airport, Jasper followed them. “Son, bring Devon home. We miss her. Tell her it’s not the same without her.”

  “I will. If she’ll have me.”

  Jasper clasped Reed’s shoulder through the open passenger’s door. “I pray she will.”

  During the flight to San Francisco, Jack told Reed he thought it was best not to overwhelm Devon with a reunion in the hospital. “We should wait until she’s released and in the right frame of mind.”

  “You’re right. The last thing I want to do is upset Devon. She’s already dealing with too much at the moment.”

  “In no small part due to your rejection of her. Why’d you do it, Reed?”

  Reed shrugged and avoided looking at Jack. “As you said. Mistaken pride. A foolish judgment. I expected Devon to trust me without giving her a reason why she should. And I regret it.”