‘Right back at ya, Saddlebags.’
Lila almost snorted her juice out of her nose. ‘That’s so cruel, but hilarious. I’m going to be huge soon at this rate.’
‘You could be the size of Madison Square Garden and still be the most beautiful girl in the world.’
‘Honey tongue!’ She giggled as he doffed a pretend cap. ‘Stop flirting with me, Chuckles, I’m gestating.’
‘Fair point,’ Charlie sighed. ‘Look at that view. God, I miss this city.’
Lila swigged a gulp of orange juice. ‘You could always move back here.’
Charlie looked over to her and smiled. ‘I can’t follow you around my whole life, sweetheart. Besides, if you want me to get with Tinsley again…’
Lila threw her arms in the air. ‘Yes!’
‘There you go.’
‘I want you to get married and have a million kids.’
‘Steady on, girl.’
‘Then come live here in Seattle.’
Charlie sighed. ‘Jeez.’
Lila grinned and then gasped, bending forward and clutching her belly. Immediately Charlie was alert. ‘What? What is it, Lila?’
Lila didn’t answer for a moment then looked up, her eyes shining. ‘She just kicked. That’s the first time I’ve felt it. Oh my god, Charlie, give me your hand.’
She grabbed his arm and placed his hand over her belly. She stared at him, smiling. Charlie started slightly then removed his hand.
‘This isn’t right, it should be Noah…’
‘He’s not here, doofus,’ she grabbed his hand. ‘Noah knows how these things work, you can’t have perfect timing, He’ll just be glad I had someone I love to share the moment.
Noah tried to smile as he balanced the phone between his neck and shoulder and changed out of his white coat. ‘Darling, that’s wonderful. I can’t wait to get home but my dad’s asked me to meet him for dinner after work. Will you be okay for a couple of hours?’
‘Of course, I’ll order takeout, get Charlie to stay with me. I’m so excited though, Noah, I can’t wait for you to feel her.’
Noah chuckled. ‘You’re convinced it’s a girl, aren’t you?’
‘You betcha. Well…say hi to your dad for me, tell him I’m looking forward to meeting him.’
‘Probably better if I tell him about you first…then somehow try to work in ‘Hey, dad, also, you’re going to be a grampy!’.’
Lila laughed. ‘Well, good luck with that, buddy. I love you.’
‘Love you too, beautiful.’
On his way out, he stopped by to see Joanne and Mackie. Mackie was asleep and Joanne was sitting by his bed.
Noah – ever the doctor – checked Mackie’s charts. He tried to keep the grimace off his face but Joanne knew him too well.
‘Yep,’ she said, ‘Mackie’s circling the drain. His words, not mine. But he won’t buck up and take responsibility for his health. He eats, Noah, from the minute he gets up to when he goes to sleep. Maybe not always unhealthy stuff but you know as well as I do, anything in excess…’
Noah nodded, sighing. ‘Sure do. Look, has he tried any psychotherapy to deal with his eating disorder?’
‘A bunch of them. Nothing sticks. He’s resigned to dying, Noah, says he’d rather die happy.’
Noah was irked. ‘And what about you?’
Joanne just looked at him and he nodded. ‘Yeah, I know. Listen, I have to go meet my dad.’
Her eyes lit up. ‘You going to tell him about the baby?’
Noah smiled at her expression. ‘Yeah…wish me luck. Hey, listen, don’t say anything to Lauren, will you?’
Joanne rolled her eyes. ‘As if I would. Good luck with your girl, Noah, you deserve a sweetie.’
‘I’ll come by tomorrow, see how things are.’
As he drove to the restaurant to meet his father, he thought about spending the next fifty years with Lila, as Joanne had done with Mackie. Would they still be as devoted? He had never been more sure of anything. He and Lila were best friends, They were each other’s protector, mind, body and soul.
Noah Applebaum had grown up seeing first-hand what an unhappy marriage could do. His father, Halston, had been a terrible, violent husband to his mother, even when she was dying of cancer. More than once, he, Noah, had stepped between them and taken his father’s blows. When his mother had finally died, she’d kissed Noah and told him that she was happy to go and to get away from his father.
But his mother’s death had changed his father. A full-on breakdown followed and intensive therapy at the most expensive spas in the world and his father was someone else entirely. The first thing he’d done when he returned to Seattle was seek Noah out and apologize. And it wasn’t some sappy apology culled from a program; it was a genuine from the heart plea, not for forgiveness but for a second chance. And his dad hadn’t held back; he began a foundation to combat domestic abuse, gave interviews where he freely and ashamedly admitted to being an abuser, and was a committed public speaker on the subject. Noah, already in his twenties and cynical hadn’t been convinced of the turnaround until he reluctantly attended one of his father’s events. After some speeches, his father asked for a volunteer from the audience, for a woman who had been badly abused. There was hesitation and eventually a small bird-like woman had come to the front.
Hal Applebaum had asked her to stand opposite him, and then he met her gaze. ‘I am your husband, your brother, your demon, your nightmare. I am standing here stripped of every bit of anger. Say what you always wanted to say, scream your rage at me, tell me everything you wanted to say when you were being abused.’
The woman had been nervous at first, her voice barely audible, but as she began to speak, to vocalize her hurt, her pain, the atmosphere in the room was electric. Noah found himself almost unable to breath as the woman started to yell, scream pull at his dad’s shirt, express every ounce of pain her abuser had visited on her and his dad just took it. When the woman’s sobs had quieted, Hal took her hands.
‘I’m not your husband,’ he said softly, ‘and you’re not my wife. He never apologized to you and my wife never heard me apologize. This won’t make up for that but I think it will help both of us. I’m sorry. I’m so sorry that this happened to you, there is no excuse for all the hateful things you heard, for the pain inflicted on you. You are strong and kind and beautiful and any man who treats you less than a goddess is not worthy of you. I’m so, so sorry.’
The look on his dad’s face – Noah knew that not only was he talking to the tormented woman in front of him, he was talking to Noah’s beloved mom.
Afterward, he’d approached his dad. The two men stared at each other, then Noah held out his hand and his dad broke down. Tears rolling down his face, he pulled his son into a hug.
‘I know this doesn’t make anything right,’ he said, his voice breaking, ‘but I’ll spend the rest of my life trying.’
It hadn’t solved their problems overnight but they worked on it. Now Noah enjoyed a warm but separate existence from his father. He had remarried, a lovely woman called Molly, and now his father lived in Portland with her and Molly’s teenage son, Kyle. Kyle and Noah bonded quickly and now Noah considered Kyle a brother. The younger man had graduated summa cum laude and now worked as a journalist in Kuala Lumpur.
Noah walked into the restaurant and saw his father and Molly waiting for him. They hugged him hello and they chatted easily while they were seated.
Halston smiled at his son. ‘I hear great things about your work, son. Saul Harlow says you could be the youngest Chief of Surgery in a generation.’
Noah thanked him. ‘But, actually, Dad, Molly, there’s something else I have to tell you – something pretty big.’
And he told them about Lila and the baby. Both Hal and Molly were surprised, shocked and then delighted. ‘Well, this is extraordinary news,’ Hal clapped his son on the back, ‘Congratulations, Noah, that’s wonderful.’
‘So exciting,’ Molly squeezed Noah’s hand, he
r soft face lit up. Noah grinned at them.
‘So, I want you to meet Lila – you will love her.’ His smile faded a little. ‘I should tell you…she used to be engaged to Richard Carnegie.’
‘Wait,’ his dad frowned, ‘She’s the young woman who was attacked, right?’
‘She was stabbed, yes,’ Noah’s mind went back to when he’d first met Lila, ‘They still haven’t found the person who did it so we’ve had to up security.’
‘Awful,’ Molly looked upset. Noah smiled at her.
‘Lila’s much better now; I mean, there’s still some way to go with her range of motion but we’re waiting until after the baby is born to complete her rehab.’
‘When is she due?’
Noah cleared his throat. ‘About three months.’
His dad’s eyebrows shot up. ‘And you’re just now telling us?’
‘It’s a long story.’
Seattle
Charlie Sherman left Lila at the condo and went to meet his compatriots at the Seattle police department. The detective he met with, a middle-aged tired looking man named Cabot Marin, greeted him with a resigned sigh. ‘If I earned a dollar for every nut-bag stalking a woman…’
Charlie filled him in on Lila’s case. ‘No, I have to be fair, apart from Riley’s disappearance and what we found at his apartment, we have no other evidence to suggest Riley is the man who stabbed Lila, or that he has ever committed any crime. But he is our only lead and the fact he went missing on the day we linked him to the attack…’
‘Yup. Sometimes we have to go where the investigation points, even if it is somewhere that’s uncomfortable. Well, look, we already know that Dr. Applebaum had employed extra-security – they applied for concealed weapons licenses, which they were granted. Miss Tierney appears to be well-protected, both out on the island and at the doctor’s condominium. Is she the type to follow instructions to keep herself safe?’
Charlie half-smiled. ‘Not in the least, which is what worries me. Lila is street-smart but headstrong – she rubs against any restrictions. She says she won’t take unnecessary risks but if I were Riley, I’d wait for the necessary risks and strike then.’
Cabot Marin nodded. ‘Yup. Well, all we can do right now is be vigilant.’
Charlie shook his hand. ‘I appreciate it.’
He left the police building and walked back to his hotel. He had told Lila he would meet Noah and Lila for breakfast the next day and then fly back to New York. He pulled out his phone and dialed a number, smiling when he heard Tinsley’s Australian accent. ‘Hey, you,’ he said warmly, ‘you got any plans for tomorrow night?’
Seattle
Noah crept quietly into the bedroom, pulling his clothes off and hanging them over the chair, as quiet as he could be. Lila was asleep, lying on her side, one hand under her cheek, the other reaching out towards his side of the bed. Noah slipped in beside her and she stirred, opening her eyes and smiling at him.
‘Hey gorgeous.’
Noah brushed his lips against hers, tasting her minty toothpaste on her breath. ‘Hey yourself, baby.’ He nuzzled her nose with his, then slid his arms around her and pulled her close. She smelt of sleepy warmth and fresh linen, and her skin was so soft, he couldn't help but run his hands over her bare skin.
‘Your hands are cold,’ she grumbled but giggled when he tickled her.
‘I love you when you’re all sleepy like this,’ he ran his fingers through her hair; ‘you’re so funny.’
She grumbled something unintelligible.
‘What was that?’
Lila rubbed her eyes. ‘Sorry, I said, how was your dinner with the parental units?’
Noah smiled. ‘Good…they can’t wait to meet you but they had to go back to Portland tonight, so Dad suggests we go down there for the weekend. What do you think?’
‘I’m in. Hey, the baby’s kicking again.’
Noah slid his hand onto her belly and she guided it to where the baby was kicking her. Noah’s eyes widened. ‘Wow…that feels so weird.’
‘Doesn’t it? God, she’s a little bruiser too, I swear, she’s been kicking up a storm all day. Go to sleep, Matty Apple.’
Noah grinned. ‘Matty Apple?’ Lila smiled and kissed him.
‘I maybe know a way to, um, rock her to sleep.’ She pulled herself up and straddled him, reaching for his cock.
Noah lay back, and relaxed as she stroked him gently between her hands then traced the tip up and down her sex.
‘Do you want me?’ Lila asked softly and he nodded, unable to tear his eyes from her body, lit by the moonlight flooding into the room, her dark hair tumbling down in messy waves.
They made love slowly, each movement sensual and languid, drinking each other in. When they had finished, Noah wrapped her in his big arms and they fell asleep.
The phone woke them both a little before three am. Lila groaned as Noah reached for it. ‘Yup? Okay. Okay. I’ll be right in.’
Lila protested as he slid out of bed. ‘What is it?’
‘A patient took a fall…Mackie; he’s sort of a friend. He wasn’t even supposed to be out of bed…damn it.’
‘Did he hit his head? Is that why they called you in?’
‘Yes…god, I’m sorry, baby.’ He was frantically pulling his clothes on, now.
‘Don’t worry, I hope he’s okay.’
He leaned over to kiss her. ‘Will you be okay?’
‘Of course, go, go.’
‘Lock the door behind me.’
She followed him sleepily to the front door and kissed him again. ‘Go save a life, superman.’
She closed and locked the door behind him and went to bed, not seeing the alarm pad blinking. She curled up beneath the covers and was asleep in minutes.
She didn’t hear the doors to the balcony being slid open and a figure entering her home. The intruder made their way to the bedroom and stood at the side of Lila’s bed, watching her sleep…
Noah went to look for Joanne just after six am. The woman was staring out of the window of the relatives room at the dawn creeping over the horizon. She saw his reflection and turned and by the expression on her face, she was already prepared for his news.
‘I’m so sorry, Joanne.’
She nodded once. ‘I know. I felt him go…not just tonight but years ago. It wasn’t a life, Noah, he’s at peace now.’
‘What about you? Will you be okay?’
She smiled at him and patted the seat beside her. Noah sat down and took her hands in his. She smiled at him. ‘I will be,’ she said, ‘and probably sooner than I ought to be. What was it in the end, the fall?’
Noah nodded. ‘The hell of it is that if he had been healthier, he might have made it but because of the smoking, he was already depriving his brain of oxygen. His cause of death will be hypoxic brain injury due to fall and life style choices.’
‘Well,’ Joanne was stoic, ‘that’s just it. They were his choices.’ She sighed and got up. ‘Guess I’ll just go home then. Will they take care of Mackie until I can get things arranged?’
‘Of course,’ Noah stood and hugged her. ‘I’m so sorry, Joanne, again, if there’s anything I can do.’
‘You’ve done plenty,’ she said, ‘if Mackie’d had any chance after that fall, it would have been you that handed it to him. Some people can’t be saved.’
After she’d gone, Noah slumped down into a chair and buried his head in his hands. Jeez, how quickly lives can change. He thought of Joanne going home to an empty bed for the first time in fifty years. God…
An image of Lila in that fitting room all those months ago…okay, so he hadn’t been there but he’d seen enough stabbing victims – and now he pictured her, curled up in a fetal position, her blood pooling around her, her hand pressed hard against her belly as she tried to stem the blood….stop it. That’s in the past.
He got up and strode to the doctor’s changing room, stripping off his scrubs and dumping them in a laundry bin.
He didn’t know if it
was the combination of losing Mackie, the lateness of the hour or the visions of Lila bleeding that haunted him, but he knew that right now, there was only one thing he wanted to do.
Get home. Now.
Barely breathing, she kept her eyes closed but her senses were on the edge as she listened to the intruder walk around the condo. She’d woken – but thankfully not opened her eyes – when she heard the floorboards creak and immediately felt the presence next to the bed. She waited for the knife or the bullet or hands on her body but none came.
She risked opening her eyes a crack. She saw the figure through the doorway in the living area, and mentally ran a scan of anything in the bedroom she could use as a weapon. Her eyes lit upon a small marble lion’s head sculpture on Noah’s nightstand.
She smiled grimly to herself and shifted slowly across the bed to grab it. She sat up and slid out of bed and to the door, peaking around it to see where the intruder was. The kitchen area. Good.
Lila slipped into the living area silently, her bare feet making no noise on the carpet. As she reached the intruder, they turned and Lila raised the sculpture. The intruder batted her arm away but Lila let go and the marble lion’s head smashed down on the intruder’s shoulder. A high-pitched yell – feminine – made Lila lose concentration for a moment then the assailant was on her, hands around her neck, choking, pushing her down to the floor. Lila rammed her fingers into the attacker’s eyes and there was a scream – this time, Lila was sure. It was a woman.
‘Get off me, you fucking bitch,’ she kicked the attacker in the groin and she rolled off of her. Every single emotion that Lila used to feel defending herself on the streets came back to her, and she darted around the prone attacker, yanked open a drawer and pulled out the biggest knife she could find and held it in front of her.
‘Come at me, bro,’ she growled, fury raging through her, daring the attacker to try again.
Instead, the attacker gave a sob and crumpled to the floor. Lila stared at the figure in black in disbelief, then reached over, flipped on the lights and yanked the mask from the attacker’s very blonde head. The young woman didn’t look at her.
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