Divining Elise

by Jody A. Kessler

  Rob stared at the wrapped bundle. Only her round, pink face showed above the swaddling and below the hat. A small amount of blonde hair peeked out from under the pink cap.

  He hadn’t held a newborn in years, maybe never. He tried to think of any infants he’d met and couldn’t recall a single one. Him and babies didn’t mix. They didn’t play hockey or go to law school. They didn’t drink beer and watch sports on the weekends. Sure, he’d seen one before, but he’d never paid much attention to them. They looked like little wrinkled aliens. He didn’t know what to do with one, or how to handle it.

  Martha replaced the chart then reached for the sleeping infant.

  “Let her sleep,” Rob said. He stepped back.

  “Have a seat in the chair.” She nodded at the rocking chair to his left.

  Rob hesitated. It became evident that Nurse Whitfield wasn’t a woman you said no to. He planted his butt in the chair.

  “It’s time for Ms. Allison to eat.”

  Rob sat back in the cushioned rocker and she carefully placed the newborn in his arms.

  “I’ll get a bottle and be right back.”

  Baby Allison’s tiny mouth puckered and her lips began to move. Her eyes shifted behind the thinnest eyelids he’d ever seen. Small sounds the like of which he’d never heard before began emitting from the newborn. A little grunt, followed by mewling, then a cry convinced him he held some type of kitten, not a baby.

  Then Allison’s eyes opened and Rob forgot his discomfort and how he wished a nurse would put her back in the clear plastic bin. Rob stared into blue eyes the color of a late evening sky, then noticed the tiny nose, and the delicate pink lips. He stared, transfixed on the most captivating face he’d ever laid his eyes on. She was perfect. Not like Delaney, but the perfection of innocence and purity. A beautiful girl had landed in his lap... and needed him, just like the man at his doorstep had predicted. Allison’s mouth made the small sucking motions again. Tears welled in his eyes. His chest suddenly ached. He swallowed hard. Could she really be my daughter?

  Rob was doomed. Absolutely doomed to fall in love with this tiny person.

  * * *

  The chaos that consumed Rob’s next forty-eight hours resembled nothing he’d ever experienced before and could never have imagined.

  The hours spent talking on the phone gave him a raging headache. Through friends, he discovered that Delaney’s cousin Michaela and her husband, Ashton, were touring Italy and Europe for the next week. He called his family to let them know about the current situation. His mother and father arrived at the hospital within a few hours so he could take care of the necessities. Rob had to turn over the keys to the condo today or risk violating the contract terms. If the new owners wanted to be jerks, they could demand changes to their negotiated deal. He was late to the appointment, but the sale was final. He was now free and clear of his downtown condo and his bank account received a hefty deposit. The moving trailer had to be moved out of the parking garage, but after informing the superintendent of his emergency, he agreed to let Rob pick it up when he was able.

  Rob took Delaney’s keys with him when he left the hospital, intending to stop by her condo and find Delaney’s father’s contact information. When he arrived, the keys didn’t fit the lock. For a moment, he thought he’d gotten confused and was in the wrong complex. It’d been a long time since his last visit, and his stress level and sleep deprivation didn’t help the situation. A neighbor poked her head out the door and asked if she could help him. Rob asked if Delaney Allison lived here and was informed she moved out months earlier.

  Delaney’s phone was password protected and he couldn’t access any information. Her office was closed until Monday, so he was unable to inform her boss and associates of the tragedy or speak with anyone who may know where she’d moved to.

  Rob sat in his truck, baffled. He dialed his brother, Shane. “Hey,” he said.

  “What’s up? Am I still meeting you at your house around three?”

  Shit. “I’m not going to make it today.” He’d forgotten that Shane was going to help him unload the moving trailer. He filled Shane in on the necessary details.

  “That’s rough, man. You all right?”

  “Not really. I don’t know. It’s messed up. I need you to look up some information for me. And I need it as soon as possible.”

  “Sure. Whatever.” Rob’s brother was the co-owner of Thompson and Everett Investigative Solutions. He had access to personal information that Rob couldn’t dream of.

  “Can you find me a number for Delaney’s father? And I need to figure out where she moved to.”

  “Have you tried contacting her friends online?”

  “I’m not ready to explain that she died while giving birth. I could ask them and not explain myself, but when they find out later, I’ll be the asshole who didn’t inform anyone. Can you just look it up for me? If you can’t find her new address or her dad, I’ll send some private messages to her friends. This isn’t easy and I don’t want to talk to a bunch of people right now. I didn’t love her, Shane. That sounds horrible, but we broke up for a reason. She had to know, which is why she didn’t bother telling me about the baby. Who does that? Shit. I’m a wreck right now.”

  “I’ll look up what you need. Try to chill out, man. Stressing out will not help speed this along. Public utility records should have her address. I’ll call you back in a few minutes and I’ll call Bodie for you, too. He was planning to meet us later today at the new house.”

  “Thanks. I owe you one.”

  “You don’t owe me anything.” Silence held the line for a moment, then Shane said, “I can’t believe you’re a dad. That’s screwing with my head.”

  “Tell me about it.”

  * * *

  Rob returned to the hospital and spent time with baby Allison. Not knowing her name compounded the mystery of her existence. He wished Delaney had told a doctor, nurse, or had written the name somewhere, but the staff had nothing to offer him.

  “How about Annabelle?” his mother, Carolyn, asked. “It’s such a pretty name for a pretty baby.”

  “I don’t think so,” Rob said.

  “You can name her after one of your grandmothers. Mary Lynn or Beatrice.” Carolyn glanced away from baby Allison’s face to ask Rob’s father, “What was your mother’s middle name?”

  Marshall Everett stood by the window, hands clasped. The hospital had given the baby and Rob a room until she was discharged. “Viola.”

  “I’m not so sure I like Beatrice. It’s antiquated. Although that’s very much in style nowadays, but Viola is beautiful,” Carolyn went on.

  “I’m not going to make any quick decisions, Mom,” Rob said.

  “I think you’re making a smart move,” Marshall said. “What if you find out she’s not yours and the real father changes her name again. It’s best to wait.”

  “I’m not waiting to pick a name because of the results of the paternity test. I’m fairly positive Delaney wouldn’t have written my name down as the father if it weren’t true. Out of respect for her mother, I’m going to do everything I can to find out if Delaney chose a name before I change it. That’s the least I can do.”

  “Another sound reason,” Marshall said. “I’m sorry you’re going through this, but I know you can handle it.”

  Carolyn squeezed his arm. “We’re here for you, too,” she said.

  Rob stared at the infant’s tiny fist closed around his finger and inwardly sighed.

  “We need to check into the hotel and find some dinner. I’ll bring you something to eat in a couple hours,” his mother said.

  “Thanks,” Rob said.

  He spent the night at the hospital and had his first experience with a newborn. The nurses’ sympathies went above and beyond. They woke the baby up every couple of hours to eat, taught Rob about proper bottle feeding, the correct room temperature for the baby—which made Rob sweat—and, of course, the necessary diaper changing schedule. For crying out loud, th
e baby needed changing every couple of hours and couldn’t even hold up her own head. This had to be a design flaw. Rob didn’t sleep a wink.

  The passing hours officially changed days on the calendar, but it was one never-ending blur for Rob. Given the circumstances regarding Delaney, Rob met with Social Services and continued the phone calls and preparation for taking baby Allison home. At some point, baby Allison was discharged and strapped into his brand new infant car seat and carrier contraption. They drove away from the hospital and straight to his parents’ home in the mountains. Carolyn and Marshall Everett lived about an hour away from Granite Lake, which was better than commuting to the city. His mother agreed to watch the baby while he and his brothers unpacked the moving trailer and set up his new house.

  He’d lost count of the hours and days since he’d left the firm to have drinks and celebrate the start of a new career and a new life. If only they could see him now, purchasing a crib and every other necessary item that accompanied parenthood. Holy hell. In the blink of an eye, his entire world had shifted.

  Rob left Granite Lake to return to his parents’ house and another sleepless night of bottles and diaper changes. He wondered how long he could keep going like this before becoming totally comatose when he rounded a bend in the road and saw a red sedan coming at him head on.

  “What the? No!” No sooner had the words left his mouth than he realized he was the one on the wrong side of the road.

  He swerved in time to miss killing the other driver and punched the brake. The other car careened onto the soft shoulder. His truck skidded to a stop and he threw it into park. Rob ran to the car and saw the smashed bumper against a pine tree. His heart hammered in his chest and adrenaline powered every movement.

  A stunning young woman with black hair sat behind the deflating airbag and there was a child in the backseat. They were conscious. He silently thanked a God he rarely acknowledged that they were alive. What had he done?

  Four

  “WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE?” Elise looked Rob up and down, careful to keep her face impassive.

  The gorgeous man from her dream stood with his hands jammed in the pockets of dusty, but well-fitting jeans. She had to admit that when he came to her in the vision, he’d been clean shaven and wearing a suit, but there was no doubt this was the same person. She had no idea what the suit represented in her dream, but the details of a premonition were often hard to interpret and would no doubt be revealed to her later.

  “I wanted to check on you,” he said. “Make sure you were both all right and see if I can do anything to help.”

  She looked up, disconnecting from her emotions for a moment. “We’re fine,” she said with a measure of control.

  Elise couldn’t afford a new car, or even the repairs for this one. Every dollar she saved before moving was needed for the tuition at Colton’s new school, and the co-pay on his cochlear implants. She prayed that the car insurance would cover the damages, but what was she going to do in the meantime? Her and Colton knew exactly no one in the area. They were alone and now she had no way to get around. The owner of the bookstore, where she now lived and worked, wouldn’t arrive in Granite Lake for a week.

  He appeared genuinely concerned, and as if he hadn’t slept for a week. Had the universe delivered her a meth head with a heart of gold? Some tweaker? Hadn’t she dealt with enough drama and drug addicts in Arizona to last her a lifetime?

  “I didn’t stop in to upset you, but I overheard you tell the paramedics you were new to the area.”

  Elise sat on the emergency room hospital bed, waiting for whichever doctor or nurse could sign off to have her and Colton discharged. Colton, thankfully, received a physical exam and was given a clean bill of health. He was in the chair by the bed playing on her phone. Thankfully, the phone kept her son occupied while the wait dragged on.

  A woman wearing navy blue scrubs pushed the dividing curtain aside and introduced herself. “Good evening. My name is Katherine Tully and I’m your physical therapist. I brought your knee brace and crutches. I’ll be going over your self-care instructions for when you’re at home.”

  Elise pressed her lips into a frown. The knee sprain was going to be a problem. Not to mention that her shoulder didn’t feel much better. She lied to the doctors about the pain level in her shoulder to avoid a sling, MRI, and who knew what else. She’d take care of her shoulder herself. There was no hiding the knee injury since she couldn’t walk on it without limping.

  “Let’s put this on your leg and see how you handle the crutches,” the therapist said.

  Rob moved out of the way but didn’t leave. She thought her tone with him would have conveyed her point to be left alone, but he didn’t get the message.

  The therapist took her time and Elise did her best to pay attention, but her gaze and her curiosity kept straying toward Rob. He was even showing Colton something on the phone and her son was smiling and signing to him. Rob didn’t interrupt the therapist to ask Elise what Colton said, which was a thank you for helping him move past the level on the game he played.

  “I think you’ve got it,” the PT said with a warm smile. “Do you have any questions and do you have a ride home? I can get you the number for a taxi service if you need it. There’s only one to choose from around here. We’re a small community, but there’s a local charity group with the Methodist church who will take you home if you can’t afford the cab fare. Sometimes they’re slower to arrive because it’s run by volunteers.”

  “I’m staying in Granite Lake. Do they go that far?” Elise asked. The ambulance drove for nearly an hour to reach the hospital. She couldn’t fathom how much a cab ride would cost. Add that to the cost of getting her car out of impound and she was looking at a month of Colton’s tuition down the drain. Super, she thought.

  “That is a long drive. But yes, I think they drive to Granite Lake.”

  “If you have the number handy, I’ll take it, please,” Elise said.

  “I’ll let the nurse know. She’ll bring your discharge papers as well. Sorry about your accident, but you’re a young and healthy woman. You should heal in no time at all.” The therapist smiled at the three of them and left the room.

  Rob moved away from the wall. “I’ll take you wherever you need to go. I had the tow truck driver deliver your car to the parking lot of my building in Granite Lake. I hope that wasn’t a mistake. They were going to bring it to the impound lot in Evergreen Heights.”

  “You did what with my car?” Elise asked.

  “I was talking with the officer on scene when the tow truck arrived. I’m sorry if it comes across as presumptuous, but I assumed you wouldn’t want to pay the storage fees if they impounded your car. He asked for an address, so I gave him mine. The brewery is on the main street through Granite Lake. You won’t be able to miss it.”

  Okay, so this guy wasn’t a drug addict. She’d become wary and suspicious of just about anyone she didn’t know since her ex developed a problem. However, he definitely looked exhausted.

  “If you think I’m going to ride inside a vehicle with you, think again. You ran me off the highway.”

  “And I noticed you didn’t tell the officer. Why is that?”

  Elise rolled her eyes heavenward, searching for the short explanation. “I don’t have to explain myself to you. But it’s probably a similar reason to why you didn’t let the tow truck take my car away. To save me, or you, a few extra expenses and hassles.”

  The truth was more likely that the warmth and concern in his eyes tugged at her empathy. And she didn’t want him to be in trouble with the law. His honesty and remorse for the mistake he made was obvious.

  “I appreciate it, Elise. The way things have been going lately, I don’t need a traffic ticket on top of everything else. I shouldn’t be driving, either. What if I find you a reliable and safe driver to take you home? Would that be all right with you?”

  “You’re going to pay for my cab?”

  “I can, but I thought I would cal
l my brother. He’s a licensed paramedic and the safest driver I know.”

  “Was he one of the medics in the ambulance?” she asked.

  “No, but he’ll drive you home if I ask.”

  “Can you come over here for a second?” Elise gestured to the space in front of her legs.

  Rob stepped closer. Elise glanced at Colton to make sure his attention remained on the phone.

  “I would rather walk across the entire mountain range than get in a vehicle with either you or your brother,” she said with venom. “What do you think I am? Some needy and desperate chica?”

  Fates be damned. She would not allow herself to fall for any man the universe brought her way. The last time she’d fallen head over heels in love by order of universal destiny was with Colton’s father. After the long, drawn out years of non-stop stress, she’d finally dug her way out of the miserable hole she’d been stuck in. Choosing her future was the only way she would move forward with her life this time around.

  “Whoa!” Rob put his hands in the air and backed out of her personal bubble. “I didn’t think anything of the sort. My bad.”

  “Stay away from me.” She narrowed her eyes and tried to summon her inner demoness.

  Of course, she didn’t really have an inner demon side at all. She was a librarian, not a seductress. Although, if she had any kind of powers of transformation, she would definitely give life to a gargoyle and keep it as a pet. His name could be Grozroc, or some other appropriate magical creature name. Then she would let Grozroc protect her and chase off men who appeared first in her dreams, then in real life. She’d even let him chase Rob down and bite him in the ass. All this skittered through her mind as she stared Rob in the eye and wished he weren’t so crazy sexy. The slight widow’s peak in his hairline and the five o’clock shadow—that looked more like a couple days of unshaven sexiness—tugged at her libido. His hair looked soft to the touch, and he had corded muscles running down his neck that met bulging shoulder muscles. The universe really had it in for her this time, but she wasn’t falling for its trickster ways. No way. “Mi biblioteca es grande y la usaré para hacer la guerra contigo!” she hissed the rapid-fire curse at Rob. If this didn’t scare him away for good, she wasn’t sure what she would do next to discourage him.