Blue Bloods of Bois D’Arc

by Brown,Dick

  A few minutes later, someone knocked on the door. Dr. McCombs asked if she was dressed before he entered. “Debbie briefed me on her examination and I don’t think we’re looking at anything serious, so I won’t prescribe anything until after we get the lab results. I want to see you back here next Thursday and we will go over the test results. Meanwhile, you stop worrying and try to get some rest. Give your mother and father my best,” he said.

  Chapter 62

  Thursday the following week

  Anxious to find out the results of her examination and blood tests, Cass arrived fifteen minutes early for her follow-up appointment. She flipped through a magazine without paying much attention. When Debbie opened the door leading to the examination rooms and called her name, she jumped up and hustled toward her.

  “Have a seat in Room Three.” Debbie motioned to a chair by the desk tucked away in the corner. “How have you been feeling since we saw you last week?”

  “No better. I feel bloated and heavy all the time now. What did the tests say?”

  “I’ll let Doc tell you. He’ll come in shortly.” Debbie closed the door behind her.

  There she was again, sitting and waiting for the doctor, wondering if she had cancer and trying to push the thought away with Rod Stewart’s Tonight’s the Night spinning in her head.

  “Good morning to my favorite Worthington.” The doctor’s voice startled Cass. She didn’t hear him knock or open the door.

  “Good morning, Dr. McCombs. Well, do I have cancer? It’s okay, you can tell me straight out. I can take it.”

  “Okay,” the doctor said, “What you have is going to be long term and there’s nothing I can prescribe for it. You will have to deal with it the rest of your life.”

  Her head dropped. “Come on, doctor, just tell me. What’s wrong with me?”

  “You’re pregnant,” he said with a broad smile.

  Her head popped up and she let out a loud squeal that bounced around the bare walls of the examination room. Next, a flood of tears flowed down her face. “Are you absolutely sure?” She remembered after her miscarriage, the doctor said she may have trouble conceiving when she hemorrhaged after Eddie raped her.

  “You’re farther along than my usual patients since you waited so long to come in. But you’re fine and should have a normal pregnancy. Sorry to tease you, but you were so sure something was badly wrong with you I couldn’t resist. Congratulations! I look forward to delivering the next generation of Worthingtons.”

  “Thank you, thank you so much,” Cass said through her tears as she hugged her doctor.

  “You’re welcome, but you did all the work,” he said as he helped her back into the chair.

  “I’ll be seeing a lot more of you in the coming months. Debbie will take you to the front desk and get your schedule worked out. I want to keep a close eye on you just in case after the circumstances of your miscarriage. Don’t worry—it’s just a precaution. I don’t anticipate any problems. Give your mother and father my best regards.” And he was off to another patient.

  Cass bounced out of the doctor’s office and into her T-Bird, still in shock over the news of her pregnancy. She fired up the T-Bird, laid rubber out of the parking lot, drove to her mother’s house, and rushed in the front door calling, “Mom, Mom, you won’t believe it.”

  Margaret came running to meet her. “What’s the matter? Why are you crying, is something wrong?”

  “No, no, everything’s perfect.” Cass threw her arms around Margaret, grasping her in a crushing embrace. “I’m pregnant, I’m pregnant. Can you believe it?”

  “Thank the Lord,” Margaret responded. The two women continued to embrace and cry tears of joy.

  “What’s all the commotion goin’ on in here?” Essie inquired, coming from the kitchen.

  “She’s pregnant, Essie. I’m going to be a grandmother!

  Cass gave Essie a hug. “I have to call Rod,” she said and went into the kitchen to use the phone.

  “Cass, wait a minute. Why don’t you wait until he gets home from work and surprise him with a romantic dinner by candlelight? Then tell him.”

  “Mom, I can’t believe you just said that.”

  “You’d be surprised. Your father and I were young once, too,” she said with a smile.

  Cass stayed for lunch and announced the good news to Gramps and her father when they came home for lunch. John had lived in Margaret’s shadow as long as Cass could remember. He was seldom vocal nor conversational in family matters but was always there for Cass.

  “Essie, break out that bottle of vintage Bordeaux,” John C. Worthington said. “We have a very special occasion to celebrate today.” He surprised the family when he wanted to propose a toast. When everyone was served, the father who seldom expressed himself began his toast.

  Beaming with the biggest smile they had ever seen, he said, “Raise your glasses, everyone. A toast to my wonderful daughter. I’ve loved you more than my own life since I first held you as a newborn in my arms. I watched you grow, pushed you in the backyard swing, built sand castles in the sandbox with you, and read you stories, just to name a few things I loved doing with you.

  “I’m sorry I never let you know that side of me after you became a teenager, but I never stopped watching you and loving you as you grew into the beautiful woman you are now. I know you will make a wonderful mother because you have so much love to give as you have given to me all these years. Now you are going to present me with a grandson . . . I hope it’s a boy. But I will love a granddaughter just as much as I love you.” He finished his soliloquy to the astonishment of the other family members. “Drink now to my beloved Cass and our expected grandchild.” Everyone lifted their glasses in unison. “Cheers to the new grandchild.”

  When she got home, Cass’s excitement got the best of her— she couldn’t wait any longer to call Rod. He was out of his office, but his secretary transferred his call to the portable cellular telephone he was beta testing for the engineering department.

  “Hi, sweetheart, what’s up?”

  “I hope you will be home early this evening. I have a surprise for you.”

  “Can’t you just tell me now? I might be tied up here for a little while.”

  Her back stiffened and her lips pursed as she stood rigid at the kitchen counter with rising anger. She took several deep breaths and calmly responded, “You need to come home early, it’s important. Dinner will be served at six o’clock sharp. No excuses, Mr. Vice President.” With great effort, she placed the phone gently in its cradle. “Dammit! That man is going to drive me crazy yet,” she screamed as loud as she could, then set about preparing a special dinner menu.

  Cass was standing just inside the front door ten minutes before six o’clock. She strained for the sound of a car coming in the driveway. Total silence. She peeked through the clear leaded glass panel beside the door. Nothing. She walked back to the dining room for the seventh time to check the perfectly set table, adjusted the rheostat to make sure the lights were soft enough. There were enough plates and silver utensils in the two place settings to feed her entire family. It was her big moment, she had pulled out all the stops and done it completely by herself. She straightened the napkins she had folded into a swan figure like the ones at the Crowne Plaza Hotel in Acapulco on their honeymoon. She wasn’t angry yet. He still had five minutes, but she was getting there.

  “Hello, anyone home?” Rod called out.

  “Oh my God, you’re home early,” she called back as she flew toward the front door.

  “It’s so dark in here I wasn’t sure you were home. What’s going on?”

  Cass met him with a how-was-your-day greeting just like June and Ward Cleaver on Leave It to Beaver. She took his arm, led him into the softly lit dining room, and sat him down at the head of the table. She lit the candle
s and adjusted the lighting rheostat even lower. The large flower centerpiece was reflected in the highly polished silver chafing dish in front of him—a wedding gift that had belonged to her deceased grandmother. Little wisps of steam escaped from the still simmering steaks being kept just the right temperature by a warming candle. Polished casserole dishes in the same pattern contained Essie’s famous creamed potato recipe and Rod’s favorite green beans, a veritable feast of his lifelong favorite dishes.

  “Wow! This looks great, even in the dark,” he kidded. “Now, will you please tell me what this is all about?”

  “You have to eat your dinner first then I’ll tell you,” she said with a wicked smile, beaming in the flickering candle light.

  He pushed his chair back and stood up, walked over, and put his arms around her. “You’re going to have to tell me what the occasion is before I can enjoy that steak. I know you well enough that you can’t keep a secret.” He softly brushed her lips with his and worked his way across her cheek and slowly down her neck. Her breathing became deeper and more rapid the longer he caressed her neck.

  “That’s not fair,” she said almost in a whisper. “You know what that does to me.” She gently took his face in her soft, warm hands and pulled him within an inch of her quivering lips. “I got some really good news today from Dr. McCombs.”

  “Why were you at the doctor’s?”

  “Just listen and don’t ask questions.”

  “I’m listening.”

  She couldn’t contain herself any longer. Her grip on him tightened and she blurted out, “I’m pregnant!”

  “You’re what? I thought you couldn’t get pregnant.”

  “So did I, but the rabbit died and Dr. McCombs says I’m fine and should have a normal pregnancy.”

  “Oh my God, I’m going to be a father!”

  “I can’t believe it, we’re going to have a baby!” Suddenly, they were laughing and Rod smothered her with kisses.

  “That explains the weight gain, all the throwing up, tender breasts, and going to the bathroom all the time. I should have recognized the symptoms, but I really didn’t believe I could get pregnant.”

  Rod pulled away from Cass, stepped over, and punched the play button on their stereo loaded with their favorite songs and flooded the house with music. No words were spoken. He took her in his arms and swirled around the dining table, dancing throughout the house and ending up in their bedroom.

  “You couldn’t give me anything I would love more. I love you so much.” He kissed her again as they danced. The single lamp projected their silhouette on the wall as they moved slower and slower until they stopped next to their king-size bed. Cass stepped back and slipped off her little black dress exposing her growing baby bump in the soft light.

  “What about the steak?” he said with a grin.

  “What you’re going to get is better than any steak.”

  “This won’t hurt the baby, will it?”

  “No, but I’m going to hurt you if you don’t shut up and get out of those clothes. I made a pit stop before you came home, and don’t worry about touching my tender breasts. It’s just growing pains getting ready for our baby.”

  Chapter 63

  Three weeks after plea bargain

  Eddie told Troy to come by his office for a final briefing before reporting to his new job.

  “Monday’s your first day at work, Troy. How do you feel about that?”

  “I feel great. I just want to thank you again for what you’ve done for me. I mean it, man.”

  “That’s our job, Troy. We help people solve their problems. I want you to think of me as sort of your guidance counselor since Judge Hamilton left you in my custody. I’ll want you to check in with me from time to time to tell me about how your job is going. You understand?”

  “Sure thing. That’s okay by me. I never had a father or anybody take an interest in me. I might have amounted to something if anyone gave me some guidance—like you’re doin’. And I’m doin’ like you said, staying off weed, can’t blow this job. It’s the best one I’ll ever have.”

  “Good thinking, Troy. I think you’re going to make me proud.”

  “I’ll pay you back for the clothes when I start gettin’ a pay check. Hope to get my own place soon, too. Haskel’s gettin’ out next week and it gets kinda awkward when him and Janett get goin’ at night; know what I mean?”

  “Yes, I think I do. Okay.” Eddie stood to signal the meeting was over. “Be sure you get to work on time Monday and every day, okay? Now go out there and make me proud.”

  “Yes, sir, I sure will. Just you wait and see,” Troy said over his shoulder as he left Eddie’s office with a brand new positive attitude on life.

  “You surely will make me proud, Troy, my friend,” Eddie said aloud with a sinister smile. He reared back in his executive chair and propped his five-hundred-dollar custom snakeskin cowboy boots on his desk. He would allow Troy a few months to make friends, get a feel for the job, and learn his way around. Then he would put his sinister plan into place. Troy was so indebted to him, he wouldn’t be able to refuse his part in Eddie’s diabolical scheme. Eddie’s lousy court-appointed fee was going to bring him millions of dollars’ worth of satisfaction as he sunk deeper into a delusional state of mind. The only loose end was what to do with Troy afterward.

  Monday morning

  Troy stopped at the guard shack to sign the entry log as hundreds of workers flowed through the guard gate. He picked up his temporary badge until his permanent clearance came through. There was a man sitting on a three-wheeled motor scooter holding a hand-written sign with Troy Blackmon written on it. He approached the man when he passed through the gate with the other employees.

  “Good morning. I’m Troy Blackmon. You waitin’ on me?”

  “Yep. Glad to meet you, Troy. I’m going to take you to Brent’s office. Climb aboard.”

  Troy hopped in the scooter’s open bed, sort of like the bed of a pickup only much smaller. Besides Troy, it was carrying power tools and boxes of electronic parts. He grabbed hold of the side quickly as the driver hit the gas and made a sharp U-turn, almost tossing Troy over the side. The scooter whizzed through the facility past the engineering and administrative buildings toward the long row of hangars where he would be working. The driver wheeled the scooter into Hanger Number Four where Brent Ferguson’s office was located. They came to a stop just outside his door.

  “This is your stop, Troy. Welcome aboard,” he said and left to deliver the parts in the bed of the scooter. Troy approached the office and timidly tapped on the door.

  “Come in, Troy. I’ve been expecting you. Have a seat. As I told you in the interview, your job will be an all-around handyman. I’ll be asking you to do various jobs that come up. For the first couple of days, I want you to ride around with Levi, the guy that brought you here. He works out of the motor pool delivering parts and tools all over the facility. That will be the quickest way for you to learn your way around and know where things are. A word of warning. You chose not to join the union, and trust me, they already know you didn’t join. So I wouldn’t broadcast it around the hangar bays. Some of the union boys can get a little testy, so watch your step. Just do your job and things will work out fine.” Brent paused, trying to think if there was anything else he needed to tell Troy.

  The sudden loud sound of a motor scooter muffler broke Brent’s concentration. “Here comes Levi now.” They stepped out of the office to meet him. “Levi knows you’re going to be riding with him. I’d advise you to sit down in the bed of the scooter,” Brent said as Levi stopped his scooter within a foot of where Troy stood waiting.

  Brent turned to Troy. “Do you have any questions?” Troy shook his head and climbed into the back of the scooter and sat down immediately. Brent watched the two men on the scooter as they roared out
of the hangar. He shook his head and said, “I hope I don’t regret this,” as he returned to his office.

  Chapter 64

  Payday

  Eddie had contacted Roger Helms’s dealer and acquired a kilo of cocaine. Against Roger’s threat of bodily harm, Eddie couldn’t resist calling him to gloat about the plan he was about to set in motion to destroy Rod Miller.

  “Eddie, I told you—don’t ever contact me again. My relationship with Cass is history. I don’t have anything against her new husband. I fucked up and I’ve paid my dues. I have a new life now. This is your vendetta and I’m sorry I ever agreed to get involved. Keep me out of it. If you get caught and mention my name as part of your crazy scheme and get me sent to jail, you are a dead man. That’s not a threat, it’s a promise, and you had better believe it.” Roger slammed his phone down without another word.

  Later that week, Troy Blackmon had received his first paycheck. He sat in Eddie’s office, fidgeting with his hair, looking at the clock and tapping his foot, waiting for Eddie to show up. He knew it must be important for Eddie to have called him while he was on break to come by his office after work. Troy wasn’t told what the meeting was about. He assumed he wanted to make a copy of his first paycheck to show the judge. The longer he waited the more fearful he grew of Eddie and the power he held over him.

  Eddie swooped in the door, late as usual. “Good to see you, Troy, how’s the job going?” Before Troy could respond, Eddie held up his hand to shush him. Then Eddie made a big show of putting his briefcase on the desk. He slowly opened it up. Still standing behind his desk, he casually flipped through the contents in his briefcase with a wild look in his eyes. His gaze shifted to Troy. “You have been out at RJ Systems for a while now. You must know your way around pretty well, right?”