by Linda Warren
“Never, Doug. Never.”
“Tell her what else you did,” Ethan prompted, his eye on the gun, waiting for an opening.
“I didn’t do anything else.” Sweat beaded on his forehead.
“Sure you did,” Ethan kept on. “Rudy told his mother where he and Devon left us, and she told you. Being the coward that you are, you decided to keep that information to yourself. You didn’t want dear ol’ dad to find out what you’d done, so you left us out in the searing heat to die of thirst and be incinerated in a fire. Besides, if Abby died, you’d be a grieving single father and your dad couldn’t fault you for that. Right? He’d hand over that CEO job without any more demands.”
“Shut up, man. I couldn’t stop anything. I couldn’t, Abby.”
“You selfish, egotistical...”
Abby was trying to wiggle her left arm free, which was wedged between her and Doug. He had to keep Doug’s attention.
“I didn’t mean for you to get hurt,” Doug said. Sweat trickled down the side of his face.
“You just didn’t want daddy to find out.” Ethan kept up the pressure.
“You didn’t have to tell my father.” Doug’s attention was completely on Ethan.
Now, Abby, now. Knock the gun away. He silently willed her to act.
“Oh, he knows every—”
Abby’s arm came up and shoved the gun toward Doug. The revolver tumbled to the floorboard. Ethan yanked Doug out onto the pavement while Ross took care of Abby. Cops converged on Doug and he was in handcuffs in seconds.
“Abby!” Doug called. “Tell my father I didn’t mean to hurt you.”
Ethan shoved his gun into its holster. “Read the bastard his rights.”
Abby cried out and he dashed around the car to her. She held a limp Chloe. The child’s head fell backward over Abby’s arm, her arms and legs dangling lifelessly.
“What happened?”
“Doug drugged her.” She kissed Chloe’s cheek. “Wake up, baby. It’s Mommy.”
Ethan reached for the child’s neck to find a pulse. He couldn’t find one. Fear congealed in his throat. Oh, God, no!
“Ross!” he shouted. “Call the lieutenant and get the chopper back. This baby needs to get to a hospital. Now!”
Ross ran for the squad car. Several officers gathered round to see if they could help.
“Abby, I have to give her CPR,” he said gently.
“Oh,” she choked out, but handed Chloe to him. Someone pulled a child’s blanket from the car and Ethan laid Chloe on it. The September sun beamed down and the pavement was hot, but no one noticed.
Ethan tilted Chloe’s head, held her tiny nose and blew into her mouth. He did it over and over until he felt her small chest move. “She’s breathing.”
Abby gathered her child into her arms. “Wake up, baby. Wake up.”
“The chopper’s coming!” Ross yelled. “Get the patrol cars out of the way so it can land.”
The officers immediately went into action and a large part of the highway was cleared. As they waited, Ethan said to Ross, “Get a car to pick up Abby’s parents and bring them to the hospital.”
“Will do.”
In less than a minute the chopper was on the ground. “I’ll carry her,” Ethan offered.
“I’m not letting her go,” Abby said with tears in her eyes. He swallowed hard and they ran for the helicopter. Ethan lifted them inside. Luckily, the helicopter wasn’t a two-seater. A small cargo space was behind the seats. Abby held Chloe, softly talking to her.
“Call the hospital and let them know we’re on the way,” Ethan told the pilot as they took off.
“The lieutenant already has,” the man replied.
“What did Doug give her?” he asked Abby.
“He said Tylenol, but I’ve given her Tylenol before and she’s never had this kind of reaction. He must have given her too much. How could he do this to his own child?”
“Shh.” He tucked her hair behind her ear, eyeing the matted bloody hair. “Did he hit you?”
“Yeah. With the gun. He...he wouldn’t let me go to Chloe.”
Ethan’s hands curled into fists. He wanted to break something. Preferably Douglas Bauman’s head.
“We’re landing,” the pilot called. “E.R. team is waiting.”
The doors flew open and Chloe was placed on a gurney and rushed into the E.R. He and Abby ran behind. The doctor and nurses tried to keep Abby out of the room, but soon found they couldn’t keep the mother from her child. He paced outside, waiting.
Everett and Gayle Baines rushed in. “Is it true? Doug is behind everything?” Everett asked.
“Yes. He drugged Chloe and the doctors are working on her. He also hit Abby. They both need medical attention.”
“Oh, my poor babies,” Gayle cried, and they both hurried into the room. He heard sobbing. It was Abby and he steeled himself not to go in. She had her parents. He kept waiting, though. Waiting for Chloe to cry or wake up.
Wake up, Chloe. Please.
Ross walked in. “How are they?”
“They’re still working on Chloe.” He paced back and forth. “She has to wake up.”
“She will. Did the Baineses make it?”
“Yeah. They’re in there.”
Wake up, Chloe. The longer she was out, the more danger she was in. Suddenly, a loud cry echoed through the E.R. followed by a faint, “Mommy. Mommy.”
Ethan let out a long agonizing breath. “Thank God, she’s okay.”
“Are you coming to the station? They’re booking Bauman.”
“I’m not leaving here until I know they’re okay.” He ran a hand through his hair. “I should have listened to the lieutenant and stayed off this case. Then I would have been there to protect her and that bastard wouldn’t have been able to hurt her again.”
“Come on, Ethan. This isn’t your fault.”
“Oh, yeah? How many times did I lose my perspective, Ross? How many times did you warn me? How many times did Hal warn me?”
“I don’t care if you were on the case or off it. You couldn’t have stopped Bauman until we had all the facts and you’re the one who got those. You stopped him from getting on that plane with her. Enough with the guilt. I’m heading back to the station, but I’ll be back.”
Ethan continued to pace until a doctor came out of the room. “How are they?”
The doctor looked at him and then at his badge. “Did you bring them in?”
“Yes.”
The doctor closed the chart he was holding. “You got them here just in time. The little girl has been given more Tylenol than any three-year-old should have. We had to pump her stomach and she’s fine now. She just wants her mommy. We’re going to keep her overnight for observation. They’ll take her to a room in about an hour.”
“And Abby?”
“The nurse is dressing her wound now. It’s just a bad bruise. She’ll be fine, too. Hope you got the guy who did this.”
“Yes. He’ll be locked up for a while.”
“Good.” The doctor walked off and Ethan continued to pace. He wasn’t sure why. They were fine so he should go, but he couldn’t make himself leave.
“Ethan.”
He swung around to see Abby standing there, a small bandage on her hairline.
“Why are you still here?”
“I wanted to make sure you and Chloe were okay.”
“We’re fine.”
He stared at her, the sadness and pain in her beautiful eyes tearing at his heart. “I’m sorry, Abby. For everything.”
“Me, too.” She looked down at her hands. “I’m numb inside. And angry. And disillusioned. At what I allowed Doug and his dad to do to my life. I have only myself to blame for being so naive, stupid and tru
sting. You see...” She blinked back a tear. “I kept believing in love. In the fantasy.”
“Abby...”
She held up a hand to stop him. “Then I met you. Even the robbery and the fire couldn’t stop me weaving a fantasy about you. The connection was so strong and I wanted it to be real, but it wasn’t. I have to step back now and take control of my life. I have to live in the real world where love and trust are just an illusion. And through this mess I have to find me. Never again will I allow anyone to take advantage of me.”
Her face suddenly softened. “I will always be grateful for what you did for me and I’ll never forget you. Goodbye, Ethan.”
“Goodbye, Abby.” He walked away. He’d always heard that strong men didn’t cry. Cowboys didn’t cry. Cops didn’t cry. So he wasn’t sure what the wet stuff was on his face.
He took a cab back to the station and went straight into the lieutenant’s office. He took off his badge and laid it on the desk. “I’m done. I quit.”
“What’s wrong with you?”
He turned and left without another word.
“Ethan.”
He didn’t look back. There was no need. His job meant nothing to him now. He got into his truck and headed for the only place he’d ever found peace.
He went home.
CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
THE NEXT FEW days were rough for Abby. She wanted to hide beneath the covers and never come out. But even though she had that debilitating feeling inside, she wouldn’t hide. She would not let her daughter down, and Chloe needed her. She became agitated when Abby was out of her sight. Abby had to undo all the damage Doug had caused.
Her dad and Gayle wanted her to stay at their house again for a while, but she refused. She had to stand on her own two feet and in the weeks that followed she found she had more strength than she’d ever imagined. Reporters were a nuisance, wanting interviews. She gave a statement and asked that they please respect her family’s privacy. After that, they left her alone. Occasionally, there’d be a guy with a camera trying to get a photo of her and Chloe. She ignored them.
The lady from the day care visited and apologized profusely for what had happened. They’d hired a new girl and she hadn’t had time to familiarize herself with the files. She went on to say Doug was very persuasive, saying they were going on a family vacation and that Chloe was glad to see her father. The woman never suspected a thing was amiss. Abby knew how persuasive Doug could be and she couldn’t blame the day care. He would have found a way to take Chloe. She accepted the woman’s apology, but wasn’t sure if Chloe would return. Their world had once again been turned upside down and Abby was struggling to make a stable home for them.
She received three calls from Richard Bauman wanting her to see Doug. He was asking for her. She told him in no uncertain terms that she would never see Doug again. Nor would Chloe. He had never reached out with an apology. Just demands.
Then he called to ask if she would testify that Doug meant her and Chloe no harm. She hung up on him.
He called again to ask if he and Celeste could see Chloe. She told him no, and that she would be hiring a new lawyer to make sure that never happened. She just didn’t know where she was going to find a lawyer to take on the Baumans.
So she enlisted Holly’s help. After asking around, Holly came up with two names. One had the personality of a potato and Abby knew the Bauman lawyers would shred him like confetti. The second one suggested she agree to a huge settlement and allow them to see Chloe every now and then. She told him where he could stick that idea.
“What am I going to do, Hol?” she asked that afternoon in her apartment. She sat cross-legged on the rug while Holly lounged on the sofa. “There aren’t any good lawyers willing to take my case, or should I say take on the Baumans.”
“You might have to hire someone from Houston or Dallas.”
“I’d like to know something about them first.”
Holly reached for Abby’s laptop on the coffee table. “Let’s do a search and see what happens.” Her hands flew over the keyboard. “You know, this would be a good question to ask Ethan. He probably knows the good, the bad and the ugly of lawyers.”
“Hol, I cannot involve Ethan in my life anymore.”
Holly stopped typing and looked at her. “Why?”
“I just can’t, okay? It’s complicated.”
“Uncomplicate it.”
“Ethan is married to his job.” Her words came out sounding hurt and she didn’t mean them that way. Or maybe she did.
“Ah, I see. Solving the case was more important to him than you?”
“It’s not that,” she denied. “We got in too deep, too fast. We didn’t even know each other.”
“But you knew what was important. He risked his life to save yours and you trusted him. Ah.” Holly eyes widened as if she’d discovered something important. “He broke that trust.”
“It’s more than that. Ethan has a twelve-year-old daughter he’s trying to be a father to. I have a three-year-old who’s been traumatized. And the girls do not like each other. Both girls need the love and reassurance of their parents. What kind of parents would we be if we put our feelings before theirs?” She shook her head. “Ethan and I weren’t meant to be.”
“Abby, there are divorced couples all over the world with kids and they adjust.”
“Could we talk about something else, please?”
“Sure.” Holly went back to the laptop and Abby searched for lawyers on her phone.
“Did you know Ethan quit the force?”
“What? When?” Holly had her full attention and she was sure that’s exactly the reaction her friend had intended.
“Right after Doug was arrested. Rumor is he turned in his badge and said he was done.”
“Why?”
“I heard he said he lost his perspective and made bad choices.”
“Oh.” She was dumbstruck. Ethan loved his job and he was good at it. They both had made so many mistakes, but she never wanted him to give up something he loved.
The doorbell rang and she leaped to her feet to answer it before it woke Chloe. She’d been whiny and clingy all day.
Her parents stood there and Abby smiled. “Checking up on me, huh?”
“Yes.” Gayle hugged her and her dad kissed her cheek.
“We thought we’d take you and Chloe to get ice cream and go to the park so Chloe can play.”
“Thanks, Dad, but Chloe’s down for a nap and Holly and I are searching for lawyers. I can’t find one in Austin willing to seek full custody so Holly and I were thinking we might need to look in Houston or Dallas.”
Holly scooted over, and Gayle and her dad sat on the sofa. “That’s going to be expensive,” Everett said.
“I know.” Abby sank into the comfy chair. “I can get a loan at the bank and...”
“Nonsense,” Gayle interrupted, digging in her purse. “I’ll sign a blank check and...”
“Gayle.” Her dad stopped her.
“Don’t worry, Everett. I won’t use my money. I’ll write it on our account.”
Her father laughed out loud, and Abby hadn’t heard him do that in a long time. He put an arm around Gayle. “I love you.”
Gayle kissed him. “I know, honey.”
“Please.” Holly made a face. “Don’t make me barf.”
Everett grinned. “Now you young girls need to find a nice young man.”
“You’re preaching to the choir,” Holly told him.
The room was full of love and happiness, and Abby felt it in relation to her father and Gayle. It had been a long, hard road, but they were now a family.
“Thank you, Gayle, for the offer and I might take you up on it, but I don’t know what a lawyer is going to cost. I have to find one first.”
“If I had known Doug had caused you all that misery, I would have beaten him with Everett’s golf club that day he tried to take Chloe.”
“My tiger.” Everett squeezed Gayle.
“Mommy. Mommy!” Chloe screeched from the bedroom.
Abby and Gayle were on their feet at the same time. “I’ll get her.” Gayle took off down the hall and Abby let her. She wanted to see how Chloe did with someone else. Standing in the hall, she listened closely.
“Grandma.”
“Hi, sweetie. How’s my baby?”
“’Kay.”
“Let’s wash your face and fix your hair.”
“’Kay.”
Abby stepped back as they went into the bathroom.
“Would you like to go to the park and get ice cream with Grandpa and me?”
“Yeah. Can I go on the big slide?”
Abby went back to her chair, happy her child was doing better. She wasn’t screaming for her mommy.
In a few minutes, Chloe crawled into her lap. “I’m gonna go to the park with Grandma and Grandpa.”
Abby kissed her. “Have fun. Mommy will be here with Holly.”
As they left, Abby whispered to her father, “If she cries...”
“Don’t worry. I’ll have her back here in a flash.”
Abby went back to searching for lawyers with Holly, wondering how long Chloe would stand being away from her. But her baby was better. That was the important thing.
A few minutes later there was another knock at the door. Abby glanced at her watch. “Ten minutes. That didn’t take long.”
“Ten minute is ten minutes.” Holly raised her head from the computer. “She’s just a baby and wants her mommy.”
Abby opened the door to a dark-haired woman in a business suit, not her parents with Chloe. Handing Abby a card, she said, “I’m Lissa Malone, an attorney. I read about your situation in the paper. If you want custody of your daughter, I’ll do my best to make that happen. My number is on the card.” She turned and headed for the stairs.
“Wait,” she called. “Come in, please.”
“There’s no need for discussion until you make up your mind.”
“I need an attorney. Come in so we can talk.”