Eyes

by Joanne Fluke

  “Then you wouldn’t mind changing a diaper?”

  “Of course not. Isn’t the whole object to keep them warm and dry—and full of milk and happy?”

  Jill’s laugh was like sunshine in his ear. She sounded absolutely delighted. “That’s it, Doug. You can babysit for me anytime you want. You’d be absolutely terrific!”

  Doug was grinning as he hung up. He hoped Jill was serious and she’d really let him babysit for her. He was going to love her baby. He knew that already. And maybe, once in a while, he could pretend that he was the baby’s father and Jill was his wife.

  * * *

  There was a grim expression on Connie’s face as she pulled in to park. She’d overheard Neil’s plans on the extension phone in her room, so she knew who he was meeting. Lisa, his former teaching assistant, was coming to his office at seven.

  “Maybe I should kill her, too!” Connie’s eyes glittered as she fingered the knife she’d taken from Willy Rossini.

  No, Connie. You can’t kill her. That would be murder. And we’re not murderers.

  “Alan!” Connie drew in her breath sharply. “Darling! I’ve missed you so much!”

  I’m always with you, Connie. Alan’s voice was clear. And I’m stronger now that you’re about to reclaim what was taken from me.

  Connie smiled. “I’m so glad you’re with me, darling. But . . . I don’t understand. Why wasn’t it murder when we killed the others?”

  Because they would have died without my gifts of life. You simply took them back and let nature have its way.

  Connie didn’t want to argue with Alan, but she wasn’t sure she understood. “I guess that’s true. Willy and Mark would have died without your kidneys, and the reverend’s heart disease would have killed him. But how about Neil? He would have gone blind without your gift, but he’d still be alive.”

  You’re wrong, Connie. I’m in a place where I can see what would have happened. Without the gift of my eyes, his depression would have driven him to suicide. I saved his life, Connie, and you are entitled to take it from him. It’s not murder, it’s a question of justice.

  Connie nodded. “I see. But I’m not entitled to take Lisa’s life?”

  That’s correct. Leave her alone, Connie. Lisa will suffer her own fate, but not at our hands. You must wait until she’s gone before you take my gift of life from the professor.

  “All right.” Connie settled back to wait. She’d parked in a perfect position to see the entrance of Neil’s office building. As she watched, a woman approached it, glanced at her watch, and then sat down on one of the benches to wait.

  “That must be Lisa.” Connie tried her best to see the woman’s face, but it was in deep shadow. Then she noticed the lights of an approaching taxi. “He’s coming, Alan! And he’s right on time.”

  He must be hot to trot. Right, Connie?

  Connie gasped at the phrase Alan had used. “Alan! I’ve never heard you say that before!”

  I’ve learned a few things, Connie. That was a favorite expression of Turner’s, if memory serves me correctly. Now watch. He’ll kiss her, and they’ll go up to his office.

  Connie watched as Neil kissed the woman, and they climbed the steps. He unlocked the door and they went in, locking it again behind them.

  “I have a key. I could—”

  No, Connie. You must be patient and wait until she leaves. We’ll spend our time talking about the baby and how we’ll all be together soon.

  “Yes, Alan.” Connie smiled and rolled down the window, letting in the cool night breeze. The rain they’d had that afternoon had freshened the air, and the scent of the flowers in the planters outside was very pleasant.

  ” Do you ever miss it, Alan?” There was an expression of dismay on Connie’s face as she considered Alan’s plight. “I mean . . . the flowers and the sun and just being alive to see it all.”

  When Alan answered his voice was soft, so soft and caring Connie had to strain to hear it. No, darling Connie. I don’t miss the things of the world because I still have them.

  “But . . . how can that be?” Connie’s voice was shaking with emotion.

  Our love has joined us for all eternity. I feel your pain, and I know the sacrifices you’ve made for me. Soon, my darling . . . very soon now . . . I’ll feel your joy as you hold our baby.

  * * *

  “Do you want a ride, Neil?” Lisa smiled as he unlocked the outside door. “It’s still early. We could go back to my place and pick up my car.”

  Neil shook his head. “I’d better call a cab. She could be home early, and I don’t want to take any chances.”

  “You’ve never been this worried before.” Lisa began to frown. “Don’t tell me she’s finally got you running scared!”

  “Not really. But I don’t want to do anything to upset her. She’s been a trooper for the past ten months, and I owe her something for sticking it out.”

  Lisa nodded. “I guess that’s true. You sure as hell couldn’t have been easy to live with! So what are you telling me, Neil? Are you going to be a faithful husband from now on?”

  “I don’t owe her that much!” Neil laughed. “I’m just being more careful, that’s all.”

  “We can keep on seeing each other?” Lisa reached out to hug him.

  “Yes, if you’re careful, too. Once she has the baby she’ll be so busy, she won’t even notice whether I’m there or not.”

  “How long does she have to go?” Lisa stood on her tiptoes to kiss Neil.

  “She’s due seven weeks from now, but you can never tell with first babies. The doctor said it could be as early as the end of August or as late as the end of September.”

  “Maybe she’ll go in on Labor Day.” Lisa started to giggle. “That’d be perfect, wouldn’t it?”

  Neil laughed at her joke, and then he looked thoughtful. “It’d be perfect in more ways than one. If she’s in the hospital, we could spend a couple of nights at the house.”

  “Great!” Lisa kissed him again, but then she drew back. “Wait a second. I thought you said you had a live-in housekeeper.”

  “We do, but she’s very dedicated to Jill. If I suggest it, she’ll sleep over at the hospital to keep Jill company. They’ll have Jill so drugged up, she won’t even know whether I’m there or not.”

  “Sounds like a plan.” Lisa snuggled up close and began to unbutton his shirt.

  “Hey, cut that out.” Neil pushed her away, a playful grin on his face. “If you keep that up, I’ll never get home tonight.”

  “That was the general idea.” Lisa gave him a last hug. “But you’re right, Neil. We don’t want to make her suspicious now. It’s just like you said. Once she has the kid, she’ll forget all about checking up on you.”

  Neil grinned as Lisa walked away. It was great having two women who were both dying to sleep with him. Between Connie and Lisa, he was spending more time in the sack than out of it. Two women were manageable, but there might just be a real drain. Thank goodness Jill hadn’t been interested in sex for the past two months!

  He’d played things just right with her. At the end of May, when things had started to heat up with Connie, he’d told Jill that he was concerned about her comfort. He’d offered to move into the guest room across the hall, just to give her more room to stretch out. Jill had objected at first, but he had convinced her that her comfort was more important to him than anything else. They could visit back and forth, whenever she wanted, but he could live without sex until the baby was born. He’d told her that even though the doctor had said it was perfectly all right, he was concerned about hurting her or the baby.

  After she’d gotten used to the idea, Jill had seemed pleased with the new arrangement. She hadn’t knocked on his door, and he hadn’t knocked on hers. She went to bed early most nights, and she slept straight through until it was time to get up. That suited Neil just fine. He usually spent the night in Connie’s room, but he always woke Jill in the morning. What she didn’t know wouldn’t hurt her a bit, and
he was having more fun than he’d ever had before.

  And there was Lisa. Neil grinned as he went back to his office. She was even hotter than Connie, and she’d moved into a new apartment, right across the street from the men’s gym. Connie thought he went to the weight room before lunch, to keep in shape. She’d never guessed that his only workout consisted of a roll in the sack with Lisa while her roommate was at work.

  Neil called a cab, then chuckled as he went back downstairs to wait. He was the luckiest man alive. He had two beautiful, sexy mistresses and a pregnant wife who thought he was the most considerate man in the world. How much better could life get?

  At the sound of approaching footsteps, he turned to see who it was. “Connie! What do you want?”

  “I want you.”

  Neil started to grin. Lisa had just left, and now Connie was here. He was one popular guy! “I just called a cab, but now that you’re here, I can save the fare. You can give me a ride home. I guess it’s fate . . . right, Connie?”

  Connie nodded, but there was a strange expression on her face. She didn’t look angry. That wasn’t it. She just looked very determined. “Is something wrong?” Neil asked.

  “No, nothing’s wrong.” Connie’s hand came up to expose the knife, its sharp blade glittering in the moonlight. “It’s like you said, Neil. It’s fate.”

  CHAPTER 32

  Doug pulled the tape up and fastened it to the other side of the diaper. Then he picked up the life-size, rubber baby doll and handed it to Jill’s matronly instructor, “Okay, ma’am. I’m ready.”

  “Very good!” The instructor smiled. “And very fast, too. Have you done this before?”

  “No, ma’am. I’ve never had the pleasure. But it’s a lot easier than roping steers.”

  The instructor smiled, but she had the last word. “That may be true. However, we’ll wait until you actually have something in that diaper, and then we’ll see how you feel about it.”

  The whole class cracked up, including Doug. Jill laughed the hardest of all. She’d never had so much fun in class before, and she knew it was because Doug was there.

  The instructor glanced at her watch. “It’s time for our tour. Follow me and I’ll show you around the maternity wing.”

  Doug took Jill’s arm as they rode up in the elevator. After they got off at the fifth floor, the instructor led them past the labor rooms and Jill was surprised at how beautifully they were decorated. The rooms were private, with only one bed, and each was furnished with a full-size sofa, a table with two comfortable chairs, and a console television set.

  The instructor led them into a vacant labor room, and Doug raised his eyebrows. “This is nicer than my apartment. I thought it would look like a hospital room.”

  “That’s exactly what we don’t want.” The instructor smiled at him. “We find our mothers-to-be are much more comfortable in a setting that looks like home.”

  One young wife looked very nervous, and she gripped her husband’s hand tightly. “How long will I be here?”

  “That’s a good question. I’m afraid I can’t give you a definite answer.” The instructor smiled at her kindly. “It varies with each woman. First babies usually take a while. That’s why we want the labor rooms to be as attractive as possible.”

  Another young woman spoke up. “My doctor told me to stay home until the contractions were twenty minutes apart. He said I’d spend less time in the hospital if I didn’t come in too early.”

  “That’s usually good advice, especially if you live close to the hospital. But if you’re anxious about getting here on time, you should feel free to come in any time after labor has started.”

  “But then you’re stuck here.” An older woman, who was having her first child, spoke up. “When you come in, you have to stay in bed . . . don’t you?”

  The instructor shook her head. “Not anymore. Things have changed in the past few years. When you arrive, a doctor will check to see how far your labor has progressed. If you’re in the early stages, you have quite a few options. You can go down to the courtyard to walk around, talk to the other couples in the reception area, or play cards in the game room. You’re also welcome to stay here and watch television or read, but we encourage you to stay on your feet for as long as you can. It speeds up the process.”

  A tour of one of the delivery rooms was next, and Jill noticed that several of her classmates looked visibly nervous.

  “You won’t be in here for long.” The instructor smiled at them. “You won’t be brought in until you’re ready to give birth, and the average delivery takes less than fifteen minutes.”

  “Where do we go when we get out of here?” The older woman was curious.

  “You’ll be taken to a regular room on this floor, and your baby will be carried to the nursery. Follow me. I’ll show you.”

  The regular room was nice, too, and Jill noticed a bassinet by the bed. “That’s for mothers who choose rooming in?”

  “That’s right.” The instructor nodded.

  “I wanted to room-in with my baby.” One of the young women looked very disappointed. “But when I checked with our insurance company, they said they’d pay for only one night. It seemed kind of silly to choose rooming-in when the baby and I have to leave in the morning.”

  The instructor nodded. “Most insurance companies pay for only one night in the hospital. But our doctors are convinced that mothers and babies are much healthier and have fewer medical problems if they stay for two full nights.”

  “But that extra night is expensive, isn’t it?” One of the husbands looked worried.

  “Not at all. You’ll have to fill out a questionnaire every month for the first year, but it won’t cost you a penny. We’re fighting to change the insurance coverage. We’re hoping our statistics will convince them that allowing two nights in the hospital will save them money in the long run.”

  The young woman who’d looked so disappointed only moments before was smiling now. “Is it too late to change my mind and choose rooming-in?”

  “It’s not too late.” The instructor smiled back at her. Then she motioned for them to follow and headed down the hallway. “And now . . . the place you’ve been waiting for all night. Let’s take a quick peek at the nursery.”

  The nursery was at the end of the corridor, behind a huge plate-glass window. When they arrived, one nurse was seated in a rocking chair, feeding a newborn infant. Jill watched her for a moment and then her eyes traveled to the rows of bassinets. Two baby boys, wrapped in blue receiving blankets, were sleeping peacefully. A little girl, wrapped in a pink blanket, was yawning in preparation for waking up, and the baby boy in the next bassinet was trying to eat his fist.

  Jill smiled as she watched the baby boy try to capture his fist with his mouth. He wasn’t having much luck, and his mouth opened in a wail. Almost immediately, another nurse walked over to pick him up. She was smiling as she held him up to her shoulder and patted him softly.

  “I never knew they’d be so little.” Doug turned to Jill in amazement. “Look at the one she’s holding. I’ve caught bigger trout that that.”

  Jill laughed and nodded. “They really are tiny, aren’t they? It makes you wonder how something that small can be that perfect.”

  Everyone was silent, staring at the babies for a long moment. Jill became lost in her private thoughts, her innermost worries. Her doctor had told her that her pregnancy was normal, that the baby appeared to be healthy and thriving. But what if he had made a mistake and something was terribly wrong?

  Doug seemed to know what she was thinking because he reached out to take her hand. “Don’t worry, Jill. Your baby will be perfect, too.”

  “It’s time to go back to the classroom.” The instructor motioned to them. “Since tonight is our last meeting, we’re having cake and punch.”

  With the other members of the class, Jill and Doug followed the instructor down the corridor. When they got back to the classroom, Doug was still holding her hand and Jill
pulled away reluctantly.

  “Hi, Jill.” A couple in the class came up to them. The woman smiled at Doug and shook his hand. “I’m so glad you could make it tonight, Mr. Bradley. I’m Jean Olsen, and this is my husband, Fred. It’s a real pleasure to see you’re just as excited about the baby as Jill is.”

  Jill opened her mouth to explain that Doug wasn’t her husband, but he was already shaking the woman’s hand. “I’m glad to meet you, but I’m not Jill’s husband. He couldn’t be here tonight. I’m standing in for him.”

  “Oh, I see.” Jean looked very flustered. “You seem to care about each other so much. I guess I just . . . Well . . . it’s really nice of you to come with Jill.”

  “Thank you. It’s been a real education for . . .” Doug stopped and reached for his pager. He glanced at the number displayed on the screen, then began to frown.

  “Is it an emergency?” When Doug nodded, Jill’s heartbeat quickened. The last time his beeper had gone off, the serial killer had struck again. She reached in her purse for her cell phone and handed it to him. “Here, Doug. You can step out in the hall if you want privacy.”

  “Thanks.” Doug turned to Jean and Fred. “I’m sorry, but I’ve got to call in. It was nice meeting both of you.”

  After he had left, Jean pulled Jill to the side of the room. “Your friend is certainly handsome! What does he do?”

  “He’s a detective.” Jill smiled. “We’ve worked together a lot in the past. Doug’s a good friend, and he’s my contact with the police department.”

  Jean nodded. “That’s right. I’d forgotten that you were with the DA’s office. Is he married?”

  “No. He’s single.”

  “Good!” Jean looked delighted. “Do you think he’d like to meet a friend of mine? She’s single. She wants to get married, but she just hasn’t found the right man. If I tell you all about her, will you give him her number?”

  “Well . . . uh . . . sure. I can do that.”

  Jill’s heart sank as Jean told her all about her beautiful, talented, and successful friend. She had to admit that the woman sounded perfect for Doug.

  “Well? What do you think?”