Double Play

by Nikki Duvall

  “You can change his mind.”

  Halee snorted. “You’re assuming I want him.”

  “Every woman wants the man who wins the Series, Honey. Power is an aphrodisiac. J.D. is a superstar and he needs a woman like you to reach his potential.”

  “Well, he made a different choice.”

  “The wrong choice. Catrina Hiett is nothing but an embarrassment. What’s it going to take to get you to make a move?”

  “I’m a little traditional, Tony. I wait for the man to make the move.”

  “Maybe he doesn’t think he’s good enough.”

  Halee studied King for a moment. “What’s in this for you, King? Because, if I know you as well as I think I know you, you’d only play matchmaker to win a bet or make money. Which is it?”

  King moved closer. His breath was heavy with alcohol. “J.D.’s shoulder is shot,” he said in a near whisper. “This season could be his last. If he’s got you waiting in the wings, he’ll make it through.”

  “You’re overestimating my influence…”

  King grabbed her by the arm. “Don’t be stupid! He’s in love with you, Halee. He’s putty in your hands.”

  Halee peeled King’s fingers from her arm with an air of disgust and took a step backward. “In case you haven’t noticed,” she spit, “you and a few hundred other people have just spent the evening celebrating J.D.’s engagement. To someone else.”

  “That’s all your doing,” King spit back.

  “What?”

  “He wanted you all along.”

  A slow burn colored her cheeks. “He’s got a funny way of showing it,” she muttered. She slapped her full champagne flute on a nearby table and tried to control the rising tide of anger at the back of her throat that threatened to break free in a tidal wave of words she’d only regret later. “Good night, King,” was all she said.

  She headed for the sanctuary of the Waldorf’s luxurious powder room, anxious to spend a few minutes alone and clear her head. How comforting it would be to believe all the lies that came from Tony King’s lips. But her head was too full of conflicting emotions to even begin to sort through the rubble left behind from the past few months.

  Pulling out her lipstick, she hung her head over the marble sink and sighed deeply. When would this nightmare be over? She needed a pillow and a stiff drink, something to make her forget the worst day of her life. Her eyes were misty, blurring the reflection in the mirror. She blinked and caught sight of Faye Shaw sitting in a dark corner looking very fragile and very small.

  “Mrs. Shaw?”

  Faye smiled slightly. “Hello, Halee.”

  Halee dropped her lipstick back into her purse and approached slowly as if the older woman might spook. She looked a little shell shocked, like she might be hiding from the party and the city itself. She had dressed in a simple floral sheath, a white cotton sweater, and the same wedge sandals she’d worn the first time Halee had met her, probably the best outfit she owned. “I didn’t see you all night,” said Halee. “Have you been in here the whole time?”

  Faye clutched her purse and sighed. “Sorry to say.”

  “Where are you staying?”

  “The Federals put me up here. I got a big room overlooking the park.”

  “That’s nice.”

  “I guess so.”

  Halee took a deep breath. “I thought you would have stayed with J.D.”

  “He wanted me to. But that woman he’s marrying wouldn’t allow it.”

  “I see. Well… it sounds like you have a nice room.”

  “I do.”

  “You could stay with me.”

  Faye’s blue eyes brightened. “I wouldn’t want to be any trouble.”

  “I would love for you to stay with me,” said Halee. “I have so many bedrooms I don’t know what to do with them. And Ty would be so happy to see you again.”

  Faye smiled wide. “Is he here?”

  “No. He’s at home with a new sitter.”

  Faye looked concerned. “Does he like her?”

  “It’s a he, actually. Comes highly recommended by the service.”

  “I see.” Faye studied Halee’s face. “Ain’t you worried?”

  “Yes,” Halee confessed, taking her hand. “Yes, of course, I am. Every time we’re apart I’m worried. Do you ever get over this crazy protectiveness, Faye?”

  Faye shook her head. “I worry about Johnny every day.”

  “Let’s go find him,” said Halee. “Let’s tell him you’re coming to stay with me.”

  ***

  “Congratulations, J.D.” Sam pecked her friend on the cheek and glared toward Catrina, surrounded by a hoard of male admirers.

  J.D. put his arm around Sam’s waist and pulled her close, planting a kiss on top of her head. “I can’t believe you came all this way for my party.”

  “Don’t get too confident, Hon. I had a gig at the Carnegie. I thought I might drop by and try to sort out this mess.”

  “Well, I’m glad to see ya.”

  “You look good enough to eat. If that arm of yours ever gives out, you’ve got a career modeling, my friend.”

  J.D. pulled at his tie. “Uncomfortable as hell.”

  “I heard you blew them away on the field today. It sounds like everything’s going just as planned.”

  J.D. nodded. “Gettin’ there.”

  “Uhha.” Sam sipped on her drink. “Your fiancé is a real looker,” she said, watching Cat entertain her admirers. She turned back to J.D. and stared him straight in the eye. “I like Halee better. And from the way I’ve seen you look at her, so do you. What are you up to?”

  J.D. chuckled. “Sam, Sam, Sam. You never mince words, do you?”

  “Don’t avoid the question.”

  “I know what I’m doing.”

  “Clearly not.”

  “Just trust me.”

  “Is that what you said to Halee?”

  “Halee and I ain’t seeing each other.”

  “That’s obvious. Why not?”

  “Simple. I don’t need a wife.”

  “No one needs a wife, J.D. Men want a wife. Men marry women because they love them.”

  “It’s a requirement of my contract, Sam. They want me married. ‘Cept I don’t want to be married. Neither does Cat. Cat’s just a decoy till they change their minds.”

  “And I say the gig’s up. Maybe it was a requirement to have a wife a month ago. Today, after the performance you just gave them, they don’t care if you show up with your gay lover. They just want you in a Federals uniform.”

  “I told you, I know what I’m doing.”

  “I don’t understand you. I’ve never watched you bow to anyone. Whenever someone asks me to compromise what I stand for, you are my role model. J.D. always stands up for what he believes in; that’s what I tell myself. Now look at you, ready to take up with that little viper and tell the biggest string of lies ever told just so you can land a big paycheck.” Sam shook her head. “What’s happened to you, J.D.?”

  Catrina came up from behind and wrapped her arms around J.D.’s waist. “Let’s go, Baby,” she cooed, glaring at Sam. “I’m in the mood for love.”

  Sam continued to stare J.D. right in the eye. “I’ve got someone I need to talk to, Cat,” said J.D. “You go on home without me.”

  “Baaay...beee,” Cat whined. “I’m tired. I don’t want to go home by myself.”

  J.D. released Cat’s arms and turned on her. Her dress had all but fallen from her chest. She was three sheets to the wind. “Wiley,” he called across the room. He tossed his friend his car keys. “See Cat home, would ya?”

  “Sure, J.D.”

  J.D. turned and headed in the opposite direction.

  ~EIGHTEEN~

  Halee couldn’t remember a night when she’d felt more tired. She hadn’t had but a few sips of champagne, so she couldn’t blame the alcohol. She’d even managed to fit in a quick nap before the party. Maybe the emotional exhaustion of watching J.D. throw his life
away had her energy reserves all used up. More likely it was something she didn’t want to think about.

  She calculated back to the day J.D. had driven her to his secret swimming hole and given her the most memorable afternoon of a lifetime. Exactly four weeks since the hottest sex of her life, exactly three months since the night of ecstasy on Sam’s boat. Since J.D. had announced his engagement, there hadn’t been any reason to continue birth control. The pills made her nauseous, anyhow. She’d been glad to be done with them. At the lake, she’d thrown caution to the wind, praying she’d get away with it. Something told her she hadn’t.

  She pulled her light jacket over her sleeveless dress and took Faye’s arm, gently leading her toward the exit and the line of cabs waiting outside. She’d texted J.D., who looked far too busy to talk to her, that his mother would be coming home with her. After his rejection in Oklahoma, it was hard enough to face him, but the thought that she might be carrying his child was enough to render her speechless in his company. What could she say to a man on the night of his engagement to someone else? I think I’m having your baby?

  She caught sight of him moving deliberately their way just as she reached the hotel’s front lobby. He had that showdown look on his whiskered face. She wasn’t up to an argument with J.D. She just wanted him to hold her in his arms and take away all the lies of the past three months. She wanted happily ever after.

  J.D. walked right up to his mother and took her into his arms. “I’m sorry, Mama,” he whispered against her hair. “I didn’t mean to leave you all night. Are you alright?”

  Halee watched as Faye closed her eyes against her child’s shoulder. For the first time in her life, she recognized the look on Faye’s face, a mirror of that deep emotion cursing through her own veins. The love of a child was overwhelming. To be loved in return was God’s greatest gift.

  “I don’t like it here, J.D. I want to go home.”

  “I’ll take you home,” J.D. assured her. “I can stay with you tonight if you’d like.”

  “I’m staying with Halee,” Faye announced cheerfully. “I’m going to see Ty.”

  J.D. broke into a wide grin. His gaze turned toward Halee. He looked apologetic, humble. “I’d like to join you if you don’t mind,” he said in a beseeching tone. “I’d like to make amends.”

  Halee glanced through the crowd, confused. “Where’s Cat?”

  Cries from the front entrance cut his answer short. “Miss McCarthy!” A tall young man dressed in a tee shirt and jeans came crashing toward them, shouting Halee’s name between bouts of breathlessness. “I came as quickly as I could…”

  “Where’s Ty?” Halee demanded, grabbing his arm.

  “I tried to call you. You didn’t answer.”

  “What’s happened to Ty?” Halee’s voice reached crescendo. J.D. tried to calm her. She pushed him away and raced for the nearest cab.

  “He’s gone!” the young man called after her.

  “What do you mean, he’s…”

  “They took him away. They left these papers.”

  “Oh, my Lord,” Faye gasped.

  Halee leaned against the side of the cab like she’d taken a blow to the chest. Her face wore a look of abject horror. Faye went to comfort her while J.D. took the papers from the young man’s hands and read them through.

  “What the hell…?” He whipped out his phone and hit speed dial. “Dale, it’s J.D. Remember that custody case you helped with a couple months back? Social Services came and took the child tonight. Said they found his mother and she wants him back. I’m in New York. Can you find out what’s going on?” J.D. nodded and asked a few more questions, then disconnected and turned back toward Halee. She could barely stand.

  “There’s nothing we can do tonight, Halee,” said J.D. in a comforting tone. He took her arm. She pushed him away. “Come on, Honey, let’s get you home.”

  “No!” Halee screamed. “He’s somewhere out there! He needs me!”

  “Dale will track him down. He’ll call as soon as he knows more.”

  “Take me to the nearest police station,” Halee ordered the driver. She yanked open the cab door and slid onto the back seat. J.D. and Faye slid in beside her.

  “I don’t need help,” Halee insisted. “I can do this alone.”

  “I know you can, Honey,” said J.D., “but we’re worried, too.”

  The cab driver darted out into traffic.

  “They can’t just take him,” Halee mumbled to no one. Her shaking hands patted her knees in a frenetic rhythm, in time with her tapping feet. She stared out the window, snapping her head sideways every time she caught sight of a dark skinned baby. “Drive faster,” she told the cabbie.

  Faye rested one hand on hers. “It’ll be alright, Dear. You’ll see.”

  “She can’t give him away and then demand him back,” Halee insisted. “He’s mine…she gave him to me…” She met J.D.’s earnest stare in the low light of the cab. “Where is he?” Her lower lip trembled. One fat tear dripped from her right eye. Her chin dropped to her lap and she held herself around the middle, releasing a deep guttural groan.

  “What’s wrong, Dear?” asked Faye, taking her arm. “Halee?”

  “I… don’t… know.” Halee’s words came out staccato. She felt another sharp pain and cried out. A warm rush of water burst out between her legs. She looked down in the light of the passing street lamps and gasped at the pool of red blood running down the seat and onto the cab’s floor. “Take me…take me to the hospital,” she whispered. And then the world went black.

  ***

  Grim faces filled the waiting room. Faye sat silently in a corner, staring at the posters that warned of high blood pressure and heart disease as if in a narcotic trance. Sam visited the nurses’ station every five minutes, desperate for an update on Halee’s condition and getting no answers. Cam rubbed Stephen’s back and refreshed his supply of Kleenex periodically. J.D., on his fifth cup of coffee, paced back and forth, driving Rita to distraction.

  “Land already!” she called out more than once. But J.D. didn’t hear a word. He was too busy beating himself up.

  How stupid could he have been? Why hadn’t he read the signs? After years of running cattle, he should have recognized a pregnant female. Weight gain, fatigue, emotions gone wild. She hadn’t had a drink all night.

  Halee carrying his child. Sweet, kind Halee. Why couldn’t he be granted this one gift, this one chance at the life he’d always wanted?

  His cell phone buzzed. He glanced at the text message, hoping for good news from Dale.

  Where R U? Cat demanded.

  Hospital.

  What happened?

  Friend collapsed. He didn’t need Cat’s wrath right now. He’d deal with her later.

  Who?

  Fill u in later.

  She texted something back. He slid his phone back into his pocket, filing her and her incessant demands away. He caught Faye’s image in his peripheral vision and slowly approached. She sat still, her eyes closed. He took the chair across from hers. She opened her eyes.

  “I ain’t much on religion,” he began.

  “I know it,” she said. “I been prayin’ for the both of us. What about the child?” she asked. “What about Ty?”

  “Dale says he’s back in Chicago. Says we can sue for custody, but it’s a long shot.”

  “We?”

  “You don’t think I’m gonna let her go twice, do ya?”

  Faye smiled. “We all make mistakes, Johnny. It’s a fool who doesn’t learn from ‘em.”

  “I just hope I get a second chance.”

  Rita plopped down beside him, spitting vinegar. “You want to tell me how this happened?”

  J.D. opened his mouth to respond.

  “Never mind,” said Rita. “I can guess how it happened. I want to know why. I want to know why you’re engaged to Catrina Hiett while Halee is pregnant with your child. Because unless I was dreaming, you and that bimbo in the red dress were looking like you were r
eady to create your own Johnny Jr. up on that stage tonight.”

  “You got it all wrong, Rita.”

  “Me and three hundred other people. Or maybe you’re a better actor than you think. Maybe you’ve been acting all along. Maybe Halee is the last to know.”

  “I never meant for this to happen.”

  “See, that’s the trouble. You didn’t want this, but Halee did. She’s been in love with you since the first time you went out.”

  J.D. sat back, completely stunned.

  Rita smacked him on his bad shoulder. He winced in pain. “How stupid are you, you big jerk? Girls like Halee don’t sleep with guys unless they mean it.”

  The double doors leading to the surgical suite flew open and a woman in scrubs approached the gathering. “McCarthy family?”

  “That’s us!” shouted Rita. She raced over to the doctor and pushed to the front of the crowd. “How’s Halee? Is she ok?”

  “She’s holding her own.”

  “And the baby?”

  “I’m afraid we couldn’t save the child,” said the doctor gently.

  J.D. turned away. Faye came to his side, stroking his arm. Rita swallowed hard. “Can we see her?”

  “She’s resting.”

  “Does she know?”

  “Yes, she knows. She needs to stay sedated for a few hours. She’s lost a lot of blood. I’ll allow one visitor. She’s asking for someone named J.D.”

  J.D. stepped forward.

  “Are you the husband?”

  “No,” he said. His voice held a touch of regret.

  “The father?”

  “I reckon so.”

  “Follow me.”

  He walked silently three steps behind the doctor down a polished corridor, his gut filled with raw emotion. What would he say to her? Sorry was the only word that came to mind. But sorry couldn’t quite cut it anymore.

  After several right turns, the doctor motioned to a room on the left. “Keep it to ten minutes, ok?” She touched his arm. “I’m sorry for your loss.”

  J.D. lingered a moment outside Halee’s room until the doctor had turned a corner. The sickening smells of antiseptic and death took him back to the night of his father’s accident, restoring memories he had tried hard to bury. Carlos Carmenas, for good or bad, had been all a small boy had to cling to with one parent already gone. If it hadn’t been for Faye…