by Jamie Davis
The car stopped and Winnie jumped out, emptying her stomach and painting the highway guardrail with her shame. The retching passed and tears followed.
There was a light hand on her shoulder. Mr. Gunderson handed her a linen napkin.
“Thank you,” she whispered, her throat raw with bile and emotion. She dabbed at her mouth.
“You’re welcome. I’ll return to the driver’s seat. Please take your time.”
After a few moments, Winnie regained her composure and climbed back into the limo. She looked at Artos. His eyes were now so much softer than they had been before.
“I’m sorry. It must have been something I ate at the detention center.”
“Indeed. Do you feel up to eating something else? I can have my cook prepare something back at my office.”
“No, thank you. I’d like to go home. My mother will be worried about me, and I have a lot to think about.”
“I understand. Mr. Gunderson, to Miss Durham’s apartment in the Enclave.”
CHAPTER 37
It took two days for Danny to call after Winnie was let go. That made it four since his own release. The delay made her angry, and suspicious. She didn’t recognize the number or she probably wouldn’t have picked up the call, and only caught it on the fourth ring as it was.
“Winnie, thank God you picked up. I had to borrow the maid’s phone. You alright?”
“Am I alright? Is that what you want to lead with? How about I’m sorry, Winnie, or It’s been two days Winnie and I’ve been in a coma until now? No, Danny. I’m not alright.”
“I know it’s been a long time, but I couldn’t reach out to you sooner. My parents have me on lock down.”
“You’re a grown man, Danny. No one can keep you from doing what you really want to do unless you’re in jail.”
“What was I supposed to do? They took my car and my phone. They told me I couldn’t leave the house if I ever wanted to get them back.”
Winnie laughed out loud, unable to believe that she’d ever fallen for such a spoiled asshat. “A real man would have left everything for the real world. It’s hard out here, but we get by. You made your choices, Danny. Now you can live with them. We didn’t get charged in the end, despite your best efforts.”
“I heard. I was thrilled that … wait … my best efforts? You don’t think I had anything to do with the operation failing, do you?”
“I’ve been doing a lot of thinking, what with being locked up, then out here on the street. The shop is permanently closed, you know. I don’t know if that was part of the plan or not. But it worked. And now I have nothing left in my name.” Winnie stopped talking and choked back her tears.
“I didn’t have anything to do with this. I couldn’t betray you. You have to believe me.”
Winnie wiped tears from her cheek. “Is that the only thing you called to say?”
“No, I wanted you know that my father’s forbidden us from seeing each other again.”
Perfect.
“You have to understand. I need his money right now. But give me time and I’ll find a way around this. I don’t know how long it will take, but I promise that I will.”
She’d had enough of his posturing. “Take your time, Danny. There’s no hurry. We’re finished. Have a good life. I hope your choice was worth it.”
Winnie killed the connection. Danny had a lot of balls calling after his betrayal. Her stomach heaved again and sent her running to the toilet. It happened every time she thought about him, and talking made it worse. Hopefully, now that she’d dumped Danny, her illness would go away.
She was glad that her mom wasn’t home. She would have wanted to know who was on the phone and why she was crying. She’d been keeping much of what had happened secret from her mother, though she suspected her mother knew more than she let on. Elaine was at the market down the street getting ingredients for dinner — Winnie was glad she hadn’t been around to witness the exchange.
Winnie stood beside the cold porcelain, steadying herself as she stared at her red-rimmed eyes in the mirror.
The phone rang again.
Damn, if that was Danny calling back, she’d hurl the thing across the room. She looked down at the screen and saw that it wasn’t.
“Hey, Joey. What’s up?”
“Winnie! Get to the market now. Your mom’s collapsed and we can’t wake her up!”
———
The Chanter’s Hospital in the Enclave wasn’t much of a facility, but it served as an emergency room and clinic for the community. Winnie sat by her mother’s bed in the ER, awaiting word from the myriad of tests they’d done on her mother’s arrival, wondering how much all of that would cost. Yet one more thing to prove her life sucked.
Her mother still hadn’t regained consciousness, and was occasionally moaning. The doctor said she was showing signs of a bad reaction to her meds. That surprised Winnie, because she knew all of her mother’s medications, and none caused her problems beyond the usual side effects listed on the packaging.
While running down her mother’s diagnosis, the nurse practitioner asked if anyone else was sick at home. Winnie told her about her nausea and vomiting. She’d never forgive herself if she had brought home some illness from being in jail that had hurt her mother. The nurse didn’t think it was related, but drew some of Winnie’s blood and had her pee in a cup just to be sure.
Now came the waiting. Lately, that was all she’d been doing. Artos wanted her to come and work directly for him. She’d put him off for a while, professing the need to tend to her mother. But now that her mom was actually ill, she’d have to take Artos up on his offer, if only to pay the new bills.
Winnie looked up, then stood as her mom’s nurse practitioner entered the room.
The woman shut the door, asked Winnie to sit, then pulled a wheeled stool out from the other side of the bed and sat, settling her mother’s chart on her knees. She smiled at Winnie, though the expression seemed somehow grim.
“We’ve got most of the tests back and know a bit more about what’s going on with your mother.” The nurse smiled again, but this time it seemed warmer. “She had an allergic reaction to her primary arthritis medication. It sent her into shock and caused her to collapse at the market.”
“But that’s impossible. She’s been taking that medication for years.”
“Unusual, but not impossible. Our bodies change with age. Sometimes our allergies change as well.”
“How long will she be like this?”
“It’ll be touch and go for a while. We think she’s through the worst of it, and we caught it in time to reverse some of the effects. She’ll have to stop taking the Elara, of course.”
“But that’s the only thing keeping her arthritis in check.”
“I’m afraid it’s do that or she’ll die the next time she takes it.” She stood. “There is another, newer medicine on the market. It’s twice as expensive and devilishly hard to get, but it might do the trick, once she’s recovered enough to start taking it.”
Twice as expensive?
Well, that was it. Winnie would have to call Artos. She needed the work now more than ever. First Danny and now this. The day couldn’t suck any more.
“Oh, and one more thing.”
Winnie looked up. The apprehension must have showed in her eyes.
“Don’t worry,” the nurse assured her. “It’s a good thing. You’re pregnant.”
CHAPTER 38
Winnie looked at the hands clasped in hers, knuckles were gnarled by disease. Broken hands, yet also the caring hands that had helped dress her as a child, wiped away her tears, and picked her up when she fell. Some of her biggest moments had been lived in those hands.
Now, holding her mother’s hands at yet another momentous occasion, Winnie couldn’t share the news. She needed her mom more than ever, but this time, she wasn’t there. Winnie searched her mind for someone, anyone to turn to.
She considered Cait or Tris, but they were dealing with the after
math of their own incarcerations. They didn’t need to hear her problems now. It should be family. But Joey wouldn’t be any help. He was a boy and boys tried to fix things.
This couldn’t be fixed, at least not by him. Joey would want to hunt Danny down and beat him up. He’d probably get pummeled himself.
She pulled out her phone and tapped through her contacts — it was late, but she’d reach out anyway. Winnie tapped out a message to Morgan, seeing if she was available to meet for lunch the following day. Recent events had pushed the girls closer. She could give Winnie advice; they were close in age and Morgan would understand the difficult situation with Danny’s betrayal and might have insight as to what she should do with her unexpected pregnancy.
She sent the text, stowed her phone, and gripped her mother’s hand.
Winnie leaned against the side of her mother’s bed, resting her head, listening to her mom’s steady breathing, its rise and fall soon matched by Winnie’s regular breathing as she met her mother in slumber.
———
Morgan sighed as her climax subsided.
She rolled off Victor and settled in bed beside him.
This was the love of her life. That might seem dramatic to some, but Morgan felt it in her soul. This man represented a solid, steady presence that she’d never known before. Her father had never been steady, wavering in his devotion to his family and fathering a child with another woman.
She winced, thinking of Winnie. The betrayal had killed her. Though Morgan was still angry at her father for his adultery, she’d grown close to her sister over the years. Only through Victor’s insistence that this was for the best — that they were saving Winnie from the unholy influence of Artos Merrilyn — had she agreed to continue her deception.
Morgan’s phone buzzed on the table. Victor’s heavy breathing had settled. He slept so easily. She envied his peace.
Rolling out of bed without disturbing him, Morgan padded across the bare floor, feeling the cool wood on her soles as she crossed the small studio apartment to pick up her phone. Activating the screen, she saw the text from Winnie. They hadn’t talked since the raid on the shop and everyone’s arrest. Morgan had assumed that Winnie had figured out that she was the rat.
But Victor explained that they’d twisted Danny’s early release, because of his father’s connections, to be seen by Winnie as a potential betrayal. It was for the best. He wasn’t right for her, anyway. He didn’t care for Winnie the way a man should, not like Victor cared for her.
Morgan looked at her phone again, trying to interpret the meaning behind her message. Winnie wanted to meet for lunch the next day. Morgan had time after her morning classes, before she had to report for the academy’s afternoon session. Her training to become a Red Leg was fast-tracked at the request of one Constable, soon to be Inspector, Holmes.
Everyone saw Victor as a rising star in the force and knew of his personal meetings with Director Kane. Morgan couldn’t have been prouder. She saw their future on the force as he rose to become a chief inspector, or maybe even a superintendent in the police arm of the Department of Magical Containment. With Director Kane’s backing, the sky was the limit for the force’s golden boy. And Morgan would rise right alongside him.
Morgan tapped out an answer, suggesting that they meet at the pub on the university campus, then set her phone on the table and went back to bed.
Victor’s gentle snoring didn’t bother her, and soon, she was sleeping beside him.
———
Morgan saw Winnie enter the pub and waved.
God, she looked like hell. The girl was gaunt, with heavy dark circles under her eyes. Another twinge of guilt stabbed at her. Morgan hadn’t thought her sister would be affected this way. She was always so strong and resilient.
“Hey, Winnie, how are you? Sorry I didn’t reach out, but I didn’t want to get caught up in the whole police investigation going on.”
“Don’t worry about it,” Winnie said sitting in the booth across from Morgan. “I’m just glad you didn’t come back to the shop with everyone else. You would’ve been arrested, too. You’re lucky. Danny must not have considered you important enough to mention in his reports to the Red Legs.”
“So you think Danny turned you guys in?”
“It’s the only thing that makes sense. He’s playing dumb, but I’ve ended it with him.”
Morgan tried to smile. “Hey, don’t let a stupid guy get you down. Try one of the microbrews. Drown your troubles. No tears.” She raised her hand and a waitress came over. “I’ll have a Red Thunder draft, please. Winnie, you want one, too? I’m buying.”
Winnie sister shook her head. “I’ll just have water for now.”
“Okay, hon,” the waitress said. “Let me know if you want something else later. I’ll come back in a sec and grab your order.”
Morgan watched the waitress leave then she turned to her sister. “What’s up? You look awful, and I’ve never seen you turn down a beer. This can’t all be because of the arrest.”
Winnie looked up. “Mom’s in the hospital. Some sort of reaction to her meds. She’s in a coma. I’ve been there all night thinking about taking care of her … and about something else.”
Morgan leaned forward and put a hand on her sister’s forearm. “Winnie, what is it? What did you find out? More about your mom?”
“No, it’s me.” Her voice found a whisper. “I’m pregnant.”
“What? No. Winnie how could you be? Weren’t you careful?”
“No, Morgan, obviously, I wasn’t,” Winnie snapped back. “It all happened so quickly. It was the night after we planned the job. Everything was going great. Danny and I were the last ones out of the shop. I snuck him back to our apartment and took him into my room. I don’t know what I was thinking. Before I knew it, we were going at it hard and I didn’t want him to stop.”
“It’s alright, sis. Sorry I asked.”
“What were the odds of my getting pregnant the first time?”
Morgan stifled a wry chuckle. “Pretty good, apparently. So, what are you going to do?”
“I don’t know. Normally, I’d talk to Mom. What do you think I should do?”
“I don’t know,” Morgan said, not sure if she felt more stunned or honored. “Do you want to take care of a baby right now? What if she takes after Danny and isn’t a chanter?”
“The baby will be a chanter. Power comes from the mom’s side.”
“What about your other activities? Are you finished with charm running?” Morgan hoped the answer was yes. She wanted to help her sister. Stopping the illegal activity would be the best way to do that. No baby deserved to be raised in a criminal enterprise.
“I don’t know yet. I just found out that a different drug is available for Mom. It costs twice as much as the old one, which I already couldn’t afford. She needs this drug or her arthritis will progress and she’ll become even more crippled. I have make money however I can. Artos has offered me a larger place in his organization now that the shop is closed. I’m thinking I have to take him up on it.”
“Do you think that’s wise? Won’t magic harm the baby?”
“Not if I’m careful. I have to shield the child, then cast. It’s another step in the process. So what?”
“Sounds like you’re thinking about keeping it.”
“I guess it does.” Winnie smiled for the first time. It warmed Morgan’s heart, despite her concerns. They stopped talking as the waitress returned with their drinks. They ordered burgers and fries and waited until the waitress left to resume their conversation.
“Thanks for helping me talk this through. College wisdom is rubbing off on you … that, or your experience with men is better than mine.”
Morgan snorted, nearly spilling her beer.
“What? You’ve got a new guy? Tell me more.”
“Just a guy I met at school.”
“Is he in one of your classes, a student?”
Morgan took a beat too long.
&nbs
p; Winnie pressed forward. “It’s not a student? Oh my God, Morgan. You’re dating one of your professors. Are you crazy?”
“Relax, Winnie. He’s only a little older than I am. He knows so much about the world, and he gets me, you know? He understands what I want in life and is supporting my choices way better than Dad does. He wants me to succeed.”
“Wow, I thought Danny was a risky choice, and here you are dating a professor. Please tell me he’s not married.”
Morgan laughed, shaking her head. “No, sis, believe me, I know better than to get involved with a married man.”
“Good to know.” Winnie paused and looked down into her water. “Thanks, Morgan. I feel a lot better. I needed this, and you.”
“What are sisters for?”
Their burgers came and conversation returned to boys, and how they could ruin everything. Morgan made plans to take a side trip to visit Victor on her way to the academy. She wanted to tell her man about this new development. Victor’s goal to bring Merrilyn down was slipping from his grip. He would want to act fast, find a way back inside Winnie’s operation, if possible.
Morgan only hoped it wouldn’t bring down her sister or her unborn child in the process.
CHAPTER 39
Winnie went about her week preparing the apartment for her mother. Elaine had finally awakened, and though still weak, she was almost ready to come home. There was now a hospital bed in her mom’s bedroom and other medical equipment scattered about the apartment. Thanks to Artos. He’d made the arrangements after Winnie had accepted his offer, conditional on her mother’s care. He even arranged for round-the-clock nursing care so Winnie could work odd hours.
It was too much to accept and yet also too expensive to turn down. Winnie accepted the aid even though it put her further into a cunning man’s debt. While she wasn’t on the hook for the actual cost, she knew how this worked. The extra help and equipment would only be around as long as she did what Artos asked and used her rare abilities to hide the enchanted nature of magical items distributed to the highest bidder.