The Bad Son (Suddenly a Parent)

by Linda Warren

  He grinned. “It is sticking out in different directions.”

  “Beau McCain.” She lifted an eyebrow. “You could at least say something flattering.”

  I do, but you never hear me.

  “I think it’s rather fetching like that.”

  Her hand stilled. “You do?” For a moment she paused and he wondered if his opinion of her looks meant something to her, then she came back with one of her usual remarks. “You’re such a diplomatic lawyer and an even better liar.”

  He winced. “Ouch.”

  “Don’t pretend your feelings are hurt.” She stood with both dogs in her arms. “I better go back to the war zone and see what Delia’s visit is all about.”

  Beau walked her to the door. “Let her talk and try not to pressure her. Just be patient.”

  “I’ll try. I just worry about her.” At the door, she stopped. “How was your trip?”

  “Fine.” He refrained from saying anything else.

  “I miss you when you’re not here.”

  For a brief second, his heart knocked against his ribs in excitement, then he had to remind himself that they were just words. Nothing else. Now was the time to tell her he was planning on moving, but she was too upset about her sister. He’d do it later.

  MACY WALKED BACK to her condo, feeling the dried grass beneath her feet. She’d forgotten to put on her shoes. Oh well. She took a moment to breathe in the crisp February air. Soon spring would arrive, heralding new life and new beginnings. Maybe there was hope for her and Delia to start again.

  Delia came down the stairs, her corn-colored hair orange in spots from being bleached so much. Why Delia had to do that to her hair, Macy didn’t understand. She never understood a lot of things about her sister, but she loved her and was going to be patient and listen like Beau had said.

  She was so glad he was back. Her world just wasn’t right when he wasn’t around. There weren’t many people in her life she could trust, but Beau was…

  Her thoughts stopped as Delia went to the refrigerator and grabbed a Coke, some chips and cookies. “I’m starving,” Delia said, and plopped her large frame into a chair.

  “I can fix you something to eat,” Macy offered.

  “No, thanks. I live off junk food.”

  But it’s so bad for the baby. No, don’t say a word. Be patient.

  She took a long breath. “So, how are you?”

  “Big as a cow. My back hurts and I can’t sleep. I hate being pregnant.”

  Macy sat at the table and stopped herself from running her hands through her hair. “It’ll be over soon.”

  “Yeah.” Delia wolfed down two chocolate chip cookies. “The sooner the better because this is hell.”

  Macy counted to three. “Have you talked to Mom or Dad lately?”

  Delia stopped in the process of stuffing food into her mouth. “How likely is that?”

  Macy let that pass. “We worry when we don’t hear from you.”

  “Yeah, right.” Delia chuckled in disbelief. “You’re happy when you don’t hear from me. At least I’m not bugging you for money.”

  “That’s not true.”

  “Well, the last time I visited dear ol’ Mom, I met her new hubby. He has to be ten years younger than her. She couldn’t wait for me to leave—I think she was afraid I’d make a pass at him. And when I saw Dad and his young wife, they wanted me out as soon as possible. Didn’t say it, but every question, every nervous glance, made that crystal clear. So please don’t try to make me believe that my so-called family is worried about me.”

  “I am,” Macy said quietly. “I worry about you all the time.”

  “But that’s you, Macy. You worry about everyone, including every animal on this earth.” Delia took a swallow of the Coke. “Thought this place would be like a zoo, but you have only three critters. That has to be a first.”

  Macy let that pass, too. “You’re my sister. I love you.” She paused. “Are you still on your meds?”

  “Nope. Don’t see the need.”

  Macy bit her lip. “Are you having an easy pregnancy?”

  “I feel so keyed up, I can’t sit still and sometimes I feel as if I’m going crazy.”

  “You’re not,” Macy assured her. “I’d like for you to see a doctor while you’re here. I’ll help all I can.”

  Delia swung back her yellow hair and stretched her back, her large stomach protruding. “Don’t razz me. I just need a place to stay for a couple of days. I’m waiting for a deal to go through and when it does, I’ll be outta here.”

  Macy frowned. “Deal?”

  “No questions, because you wouldn’t like the answers.”

  What was Delia up to? Be patient. “Do you know the sex of the baby?”

  “A girl.”

  “A little girl. How nice.” Warm, precious memories surfaced and she quickly forced them away.

  “You would say that.” Delia pushed to her feet, her hands rubbing her back. “God, my back is killing me. Do you have any pain pills? I could use something, the stronger the better.”

  “You shouldn’t take anything without a doctor’s advice. It could hurt the baby.” Her patience ran out and she couldn’t stop the censure in her voice.

  “Don’t tell me what to do. That’s what I hate about you—you’re always trying to run my life.”

  Macy sucked in a deep breath. “It’s for your own good. You have to think about the baby. I’ll give you a massage, that will help to calm you.”

  “Go to hell,” Delia said in anger, then waddled to the stairs and soon Macy heard a door slam.

  Macy sat there for a moment. Like Beau had said, Delia had been living on her own for a long time and there wasn’t much she could do. But an innocent baby was involved. That’s what got Macy the most—the baby. Who was going to love her, care for her and give her a home? She didn’t think Delia was capable of doing any of those things. No, she corrected herself. She knew Delia wasn’t capable of doing any of those things.

  Before she could change her mind, she picked up the phone and called her mother. Irene wasn’t too concerned.

  “Macy, I’m not sure what you expect me to do. Delia has made it very clear that she doesn’t want me to interfere in her life.”

  “What about the baby?”

  There was a long pause, then her mother replied, “That’s Delia’s responsibility.”

  “I see.”

  “Macy, you know how Delia is. She won’t listen to me or take her meds. I’ve been through hell with her and I’m not putting myself through that again.”

  “Okay. I just wanted to let you know that you’re going to be a grandmother.” Saying that, she hung up and realized she was trembling. And she was angry.

  That anger driving her, she phoned her father, something she wouldn’t normally do. Ever since he’d walked out on their mother, Macy had a hard time talking to him. But this was important.

  His wife answered and tension coiled inside her at the thought of her father’s new life. A life that neither Macy nor Delia had a part in. It was hard to get past the resentment, but she kept trying. Soon her father was on the line. His response was the same as her mother’s.

  “Delia never listens to me. There’s nothing I can do.”

  She gritted her teeth. “I just thought you might like to know.”

  “Macy…”

  She hung up, not wanting to hear anything else. She had to take several deep breaths to calm herself. Picking up Freckles, she walked to the window. It was dark, but from the streetlight she saw Beau jog by.

  Beau usually asked her to run with him. Why hadn’t he tonight? Because of Delia—that had to be it. Beau had seemed different earlier. He didn’t have a lot to say and he usually told her all about his business trips. Maybe he was just tired.

  Dear, sweet Beau—her knight in shining armor. When everyone else in her life had let her down, Beau was always there. He’d been her best friend forever. She wondered what he’d say if she told him that she
’d had a gigantic crush on him when she was a teenager. She and his younger brother, Caleb, were the same age and she’d make all kinds of excuses to see Caleb in the hopes of seeing Beau.

  When Beau went to college, he lived in the dorm and when she’d spot his car at home she made sure she got to see him. Then she started college, then nursing school and met Allen. They dated but he graduated and moved on to a job in Baltimore. He worked for a large drug company and a year later they met again and renewed their relationship. Soon they were in love and planning a future. She forgot about Beau and her silly crush.

  But at the wedding, when Beau had wished them well, for a brief moment she remembered thinking it could have been you. Because he was older, she was sure he only saw her as the kid down the street.

  And she’d thought that Allen was the answer to all her dreams. He wasn’t—far from it. She shuddered and forced herself not to remember. Not tonight.

  Fate had landed her and Beau in condos next to each other. It had been a big surprise when they realized they were neighbors again. That had been seven years ago. And not once in all those years had either of them crossed the line of friendship. At times, she wanted to and she couldn’t explain why she hadn’t. She wasn’t a kid anymore, but she sometimes wondered if Beau still saw her that way. She was an adult woman and a part of her needed more. Beau never seemed inclined to change their relationship. That was fine with her. Their friendship was more important.

  Was that it? Was it safer as friends? That way she could never be hurt again. She nuzzled Freckles. With animals it was so simple. You shower them with love and attention and they return it tenfold. There were no feelings of rejection—the way it should be with humans.

  She’d given her father her love and he’d walked out on them without one word of explanation. He wasn’t happy. Big deal. She never would understand that. How could a man turn his back on his wife? His daughters?

  Allen had done the same thing, she reminded herself. He’d left, but at least she’d known why. She was less than perfect and he didn’t want a flawed wife. Tears stung her eyes and she resolutely refused to cry.

  Freckles purred and she cuddled her. Would she ever trust a man again? Probably not. But she trusted Beau. That felt strange to her, especially since she’d sworn off men for the rest of her life. Beau was different, though. She knew him inside and out and he was wonderful and nice and sometimes too damn handsome for his own good. He made her laugh and he made her feel good about herself. Then why had she never told him that?

  Fear. Like monsters under the bed. You know they’re not there, but when it’s dark and the silence mingles with your breath, your mind believes. If she told Beau her true feelings, the light would come on and expose her for the woman she was. A woman a husband couldn’t love. A young girl a father couldn’t love. She couldn’t take anymore rejections—especially not from Beau.

  So where did that leave them? Friends.

  As that thought warmed her heart, Beau jogged to his condo. She watched until he disappeared up the walk. Sweat poured down his face and his breathing was labored. She didn’t need to be close to him to know that. That’s the way he was every time they ran and she teased him about his age. He teased her about her frizzy hair. They laughed a lot. Macy needed that and a part of her knew that she needed Beau.

  Would she ever be able to tell him? Would she ever be able to expose the monster under her bed?

  CHAPTER TWO

  BEAU TOOK A QUICK shower, pulled on pajama bottoms, grabbed bottled water out of the refrigerator, and flopped onto the sofa. He wasn’t hungry so he didn’t bother with food. Picking up the remote control, he found a basketball game and settled in for the night. He kept his mind a blank, concentrating on the plays instead of what he had to do tomorrow—tell Macy goodbye.

  The sound of the phone ringing woke him. Opening one eye, he looked at his watch—2:00 a.m. Who was calling this late? He quickly clicked off the TV and yanked up the phone.

  “Beau, Delia’s in labor. Could you please drive us to the hospital? I’m too nervous.”

  “Sure,” he answered without a second thought. “I’ll bring the car to your front door. Be there in a minute.”

  He slipped into jeans and a T-shirt. Within minutes he was parked in front of Macy’s condo. She came out holding on to Delia and Beau hurried to help. He hadn’t seen Delia in a while and she looked as bad as he’d ever seen her.

  “Hey, Beau,” Delia said in between groans.

  “Delia.” He took her arm. “Doesn’t look like you’re feeling too good.”

  “Got knocked up. Can you believe that?” A desperate laugh escaped on a moan.

  “Yep.”

  Delia laughed. “At least you’re honest.” She clutched her stomach and cried out in pain. Between the two of them they managed to get Delia into the backseat. Macy sat with her and Beau crawled into the driver’s seat. They sped toward the nearest emergency room.

  Delia continued to scream with pain.

  “Take deep breaths,” Macy instructed.

  “Don’t tell me what to do,” Delia snapped. “You know I hate it when you do that. And I’m not in labor. It’s too early.” She let out an earth-shattering scream that said otherwise. “Dammit. I can’t have this baby now. Macy, do something. You’re a nurse. Make it stop.”

  “We’ll be at the hospital in a minute,” Macy replied in a calm voice, but Beau caught a thread of panic in her tone.

  “I can’t have this baby now. Macy, do you hear me?”

  “Yes. People three blocks away can hear you. Calm down.”

  “Dammit, this hurts.”

  Beau pulled into the emergency area and a nurse was waiting with a wheelchair. Evidently Macy had called ahead. Smart woman.

  “Beau, thanks,” Macy called as the nurse wheeled Delia away.

  He drove around, looking for a parking spot. What was he doing? He should go home and let Macy handle her own life. When he left for Dallas, she would have to. This is where he drew the fictional line in the sand. This is where he walked away.

  But Beau had learned something about himself. He couldn’t leave a person in need. His mother raised him to be kind and caring and he wasn’t the type to abandon a friend.

  He hated himself for that—for caring too much. Nice guys finished last. Isn’t that what they said?

  In the maternity ward, he looked around but didn’t see them. A door opened and Macy, dressed in scrubs, came out talking to a doctor. She noticed him and immediately came over.

  “Beau, I thought you’d gone home.”

  “No. I wanted to make sure Delia was okay.”

  “As much as she denies it, she’s in labor. She’s dilated ten centimeters and it shouldn’t be much longer.”

  “Isn’t the baby early?”

  “Yes. But who knows? Delia could be further along than she realizes.” Macy tucked a stand of hair behind her ear. Beau noticed her hair was tamed and clipped behind her head. “I’ve asked about the father and all she’ll say is that he’s not in the picture anymore.”

  “That explains why she showed up at your house.”

  “Mmm.”

  “She knows you’ll take care of her and the baby.”

  “Yeah. She keeps muttering something about a plan and I don’t have a clue what she’s talking about. When I ask about her plans for the baby, she gets angry.” She glanced toward the hall. “They’re giving her an epidural so I better get back in there. I want to be present when the baby arrives.”

  “I’ll wait out here.”

  She gave a warm smile that felt as soothing as a towel fresh from the dryer. “Go home. I’m sorry I bothered you, but I didn’t know who else to call.”

  “No problem.” He eased onto a sofa in the waiting area. “Let me know when the baby comes.”

  “Beau…”

  “What?”

  “Go home. You can’t rest here.”

  “I’ve slept on worse.” He leaned his head on the cushion. “
Go back to your sister.”

  “You’re a special man, Beau McCain.”

  “Mmm.” He closed his eyes. “I’ll remind you of that one of these days.”

  Her lips brushed his forehead and his eyes flew open. The scent of her filled his nostrils—lilacs and fresh soap—and for a moment he was lost in the sensation. But damn, his mother kissed him like that. He didn’t want those kind of kisses from Macy. He wanted the real thing.

  Macy disappeared around the corner and he made himself as comfortable as he could on the hardest sofa he’d ever slept on. He stared up at the ceiling, sleep the furthest thing from his mind. Here he was with Macy because that’s where he wanted to be. He blew out a hard breath, knowing he was in so deep that putting distance between himself and Macy was not going to make a difference.

  Why was he trying to fool himself?

  BEAU NAPPED ON AND OFF. At six he stretched and went in search of coffee. A nurse finally gave him a cup. As he sipped it, he saw Macy down the hall talking to a doctor. He walked over and realized she wasn’t talking, but arguing in a way he’d never seen her do before.

  “I insist you run a full battery of tests,” she was saying.

  “I’ve been doing this a long time and in my opinion I feel it’s unnecessary,” the doctor replied.

  “I want the tests done,” Macy repeated in a stubborn voice Beau knew well. Evidently the doctor did, too.

  “Fine, Macy. Just calm down and let me do my job.” The doctor strolled away to the nursery.

  “What’s wrong?” Beau asked.

  “The birth went smoothly and the baby seemed fine. But when we checked her in the nursery we detected a low-pitched intermittent inspiratory sound. Dr. Pender feels it’s stridor which we see in some newborns.”

  “And he doesn’t feel it’s anything serious?”

  “No.” Her chin jutted out.

  “And you do?”

  “Yes. Something’s wrong. I know it is.” Her voice wavered slightly.

  “What do you think it is?”

  “Her heart. Dr. Pender feels I’m overreacting. I told him how our sister died from an atrial septal defect when she was two days old but he thinks I’m just being paranoid.” She paced back and forth in agitation. Beau had never seen her quite like this. She didn’t trust the doctor and he wondered why.