******
"Good morning."
Phyl opened her eyes to see Thad walking around to her side of the bed, his plaid pajama bottoms slung down around his hips, carrying their usual mugs of steaming coffee. She smiled at him as she brushed back her hair, and propped herself up against the headboard, tucking the covers under her arms. He handed her a cup, and she took a sip, watching him pull the gauzy drapes to the sides of the windows to let in the full sunlight, and he joined her on the side of the bed.
"Thank you for letting me vent last night." She sipped the hot coffee and gazed out at the sky, the sun now well above the orange and gold trees on the far side of the lake.
"I think the extreme circumstances that we've encountered the last week have put us under a tremendous amount of strain." Thad ran his hand along the white comforter over her legs. "I feel that I haven't discussed the issue of a child with you as much as I should have after the doctor's prognosis. You shouldn't have had to bear it alone, and for that I ask your forgiveness." He pursed his lips, running his hand through his short hair. "You know Phyl, there are options open to us, if we decide at some point that we want to have a child."
"Thad, I meant what I said last night." She rested her hand on his. "I feel free of worrying about it now. My mind is clear. I want to enjoy our life together. Just the two of us. Well, and Beth." She saw him smile at that. "I think I had been holding on to a tiny shred of hope, but, as I told you last night, that evaporated in an instant." She took a deep breath. "You're right, though, that our recent experiences brought it up to the surface. Thank you for understanding."
The sudden ringing of the phone made them both turn their heads toward the nightstand on the other side of the bed, and Thad walked over and picked up the receiver.
"Yes, this is he." Thad glanced over at her and mouthed the lawyer's name as he listened carefully for a few minutes. "That's very good news. We appreciate your letting us know, Stan." He nodded. "I'll tell Phyl right away. Thank you again for calling." He replaced the receiver and looked over at her thoughtfully.
"Don't keep me in suspense," she laughed. "What did Stan say?"
"First of all, that unfortunate young man you knocked out is in stable condition. His name is Jack Mulligan and he very quickly turned state's witness in exchange for leniency," Thad laughed softly as he walked back over to her side of the bed and sat down. "He is, as we speak, filling in a lot of the blanks on Sullivan's operation, which was, as we had guessed, funneling illegal drugs as well as money laundering through the Institute."
"Anything about Sullivan himself?" She raised her eyebrows.
"Yes" Thad took a swig of his coffee and continued. "He was arrested the minute his private plane landed in Rhode Island this morning."
"That's good to hear. Do they know who had kidnapped Kristin?"
"According to Stan, Kristin evidently was abducted by a group of Sullivan's drug-suppliers from one of the outer islands who wanted to get back at him for apparently shorting them in a recent transaction." He took a swig of his coffee. "He also said that Jonathan's evidence was so organized and detailed, with names and locations, that the various agencies were able to work together very quickly in making their arrests."
"Well, that makes me feel a lot safer now." Phyl sighed. "At least we don't have to worry about Sullivan's men following us."
"I agree. What a week, eh?" Thad exhaled as he rubbed her arm. "We did what we set out to do, in my opinion. And we know that Jonathan is all right."
"Thanks to you," she smiled. "Hopefully, Jonathan will move on with his life, and we won't hear from him again." She squinted her eyes at him. "I will miss Leah and Scott, though. They're good people."
"Yes, they are."
"Speaking of good people, I know Emma and Pete will want to know the news."
"You give them a call and I'll start breakfast." He leaned over to her and kissed her, then walked back to the phone and set it on the bed. "I'm thinking we deserve a couple of omelets with the works." He half-winked at her, and she sighed, thinking how wonderfully fortunate they were.
As her handsome husband headed to the kitchen, Phyl reached for the receiver and dialed Emma's number.
A Pale Paradise Page 33