“I set the bacon on fire one time. One time! And I get grief for it the rest of my life.” Dave rolled his eyes and Melissa smothered a laugh.
Lauren opened one eye to peek at Melissa. “It was twice,” she whispered, “but he made me promise not to tell Mom about the second time.”
Melissa winked. “Your secret is safe with me.”
She was still trying not to laugh when Richard wandered in, looking as if he hadn’t slept at all. Her heart rolled over at the sight of his tousled hair and bleary eyes.
It was only a leftover crush or a rebound infatuation, she told herself. She wasn’t falling for him. She wouldn’t repay his kindness by putting him in the awkward position of having to fend off her unwelcome advances.
She managed a bright smile for him, but it was Angela, handing out cereal bowls, who took the words out of Melissa’s mouth. “Richard, you look like something the cat dragged in.”
“Thanks, sis. Good morning to you, too.”
She stood on tiptoe to plant a kiss on his cheek. “I’d love to stay and talk, but I’ve got to get dressed and run. Girls, I’ll be home late. Be good for Melissa.”
“We will,” Samantha said, pouring herself a bowl of flakes before passing the box to Lauren.
Angela waved as she hurried out. Richard poured himself a cup of coffee, then stood at the counter beside his brother-in-law. “What are your plans for tonight?”
Dave dragged a hand down his goatee. “I’ve got two houses that need their final electrical inspections today but they are on the same side of the county. If all goes well, I should be done by five o’clock. Maybe I can pick up supper on my way home. What would you girls like?”
Lauren shot up out of her trance. “Pizza!”
“Tacos!” Samantha cried.
Dave shook his head. “Melissa, what would you like?”
“Me? Steamed broccoli, or maybe pickled beets. Oh, I know—dill pickles and pistachio ice cream.”
“Ugh.” Lauren looked at her in disbelief.
Dave and Richard were giving her the same kind of look.
Melissa glanced from one man to the other. “I’m kidding, y’all.”
“Oh, good.” Dave put down his empty cup. “For a minute there, I was having flashbacks to my wife’s last pregnancy. With Lauren, all she wanted was guacamole.”
Melissa wrinkled her nose. “I never really liked the stuff. I hope I don’t start craving it.”
Richard tipped his head to the side. “Hmm, I hope you do. I love the stuff.”
“You would, because it’s loaded with calories.”
“Avocados are a vegetable. I distinctly remember my doctor telling me I could have all the vegetables I wanted. Even baked potatoes.”
She crossed her arms. “As long as you leave off the sour cream. Besides, avocados are a fruit. Don’t you have an extra mile to run this morning?”
He raised his coffee cup in a half salute. “Nope, I passed up all the sweet stuff last night.”
She looked down and cupped her hands around her mug of tea. Was he referring to their almost kiss? No, of course not. He was talking about ice cream. Still, she couldn’t stop the faint flutter of hope that skidded sideways through her chest. It would be nice if he thought of her as sweet stuff.
When Melissa arrived at her desk in the Hamilton Media building, she dropped off her purse and her jacket before heading down to the archive vaults. She had half an hour to look through the microfilm rolls before she had to start working. It wasn’t much time, but she could at least narrow her search to the years Lettie had been employed by the paper and expand from that later. She hadn’t yet asked Ed Bradshaw if she could pursue the story on company time. First, she wanted to make sure she had the facts to back up her idea.
When she came up from the basement twenty-eight minutes later, she was surprised to see Tim, Amy and Heather standing in front of her desk. From the look on their faces, something was wrong. She could think of only one thing. Her dad.
Tim caught sight of her first. “Where have you been?” he demanded.
“In the basement. Is it Dad? Has something happened?” She looked from him to her sisters.
Amy came forward and took her hand. “Dad is fine.”
“Until he sees this,” Tim added. He handed Melissa a folded copy of the paper.
Melissa was totally confused. “I don’t understand.”
“Look at the paper,” Heather said gently.
Melissa opened the copy she held. It wasn’t the Dispatch, it was this morning’s copy of the Observer. She blinked twice before she could be sure of what she saw. There on the front page were a pair of pictures. One was of her with Dean outside a Nashville nightclub taken some time at the beginning of the summer. The other one had to have been taken yesterday. It was a picture of her and Richard leaving Dr. Miller’s maternity clinic. The caption below the pictures read, Punk Rocker or Debonair Attorney—Who Fathered Unwed Hamilton Heiress’s Baby?
Aghast, Melissa sank into the corner of her desk. “They make it look like Richard and I are…”
“Are having an affair,” Tim finished.
“We aren’t. We never.” She stumbled over the words as she struggled to regain her composure. She looked at each of her siblings in turn. “Richard has been nothing but kind to me. Who would smear his name like this?”
“A better question might be, who knows you are pregnant?” Heather asked.
“No one outside of our family and Richard’s family. I can’t believe this.” Melissa couldn’t take her eyes off the photo of Richard. He was smiling down at her and she was grinning at him as if they shared some great secret. Of course they had both been amazed and excited by seeing the baby on the sonogram. That’s all it was. Why would someone at the Observer try to turn it into something dirty?
She knew the answer. Because dirt sold papers. Suddenly, she surged to her feet. “Daddy can’t find out like this. I have to get to the hospital. I have to see him.”
“I’ll take you.”
She whirled around to see Richard walking toward her. He held a copy of the same paper in his hand. “Oh, Richard, I’m so sorry about this.”
“It isn’t your fault.”
“How can you say that? I’ve dragged your name down in the mud with my own willfulness and foolish behavior. Please forgive me.”
Amy laid a hand on Melissa’s shoulder. “The only people down in the mud are the ones trying to make money off your situation.”
Richard stopped beside Tim and the two men shared a look. Richard said, “When I find out who’s behind this, I intend to see that they are exposed for the malicious cowards they truly are.”
“You can expect the full support and resources of the family to back you up.”
“Thanks.”
Richard reached for Melissa and took her by the arm. His grip was firm but gentle. She sensed his anger but he managed to keep it in check. “My car is outside. I’ll take you to see your father. I’m sure he’ll have a few words for me, too.”
At the hospital, Melissa walked quickly with Richard from the parking lot toward the wide entrance. As she drew nearer, her steps lagged until her feet seemed to be rooted in the pavement. The sight of those doors had made her weak with terror. Richard took her hand and squeezed it.
“Courage, Melissa.”
“I can’t do this.”
“What do you see?”
“I see Jenny gasping for breath. I can’t breathe, either.”
“Yes, you can. Look at me.”
She did, happy to avert her eyes from the building.
His eyes were serious, unsmiling, filled with determination. “Take a deep breath.”
“I can’t.”
“Yes, you can. Do as I say.”
He had never spoken to her like this. She took a step back, but he held her hand.
“Jenny isn’t here. Your father is here, and he needs you.”
“I know. Only…I can’t.”
“Lo
ok at that building.”
“I don’t want to.”
“Just look at it,” he coaxed.
She turned her eyes.
“Why are you here?”
“Because I don’t want Daddy to find out about my pregnancy from that stupid paper.”
“Why not?”
She looked at him in confusion. “Because it will hurt him.”
“Good. Do you love your father?”
“Of course I do.”
“Then you are going to see him. I know you are frightened, but I’m here. I’ll be with you every step of the way.”
Swallowing hard, Melissa managed to nod. Richard slipped his arm across her shoulders and drew her close to his side. She leaned into his strength and tried to absorb some of it into herself.
“One small step at a time, Melissa. That’s all the Lord is asking of you.”
“He’s got big expectations.”
She felt Richard shake with a silent chuckle. “You’re up to them, Melissa. I believe in you.”
More than anything, she found she didn’t want to let him down. Richard believed in her. If he believed, perhaps she could, too. “One small step, right?”
“Right.”
Together they began to move toward the hospital. Melissa closed her eyes as they neared the door. She didn’t care how it looked to others. She leaned on Richard, trusting him to guide her. She felt the rush of air as the outside doors slid open and then they were inside. Her knees were trembling.
“You’ve got it, sweetheart,” he whispered. “The elevators are just ahead.”
Once they were inside the lift, she managed to open her eyes. Fortunately, they were alone. “Thank you. I never would have made it this far without you.”
“That’s what friends are for.”
Friends. Yes, he was her friend and so much more. How could she ever repay him?
The elevator doors slid open. Melissa looked down the long hall and knew that her fear would not hold her back after having come this far. She stepped out with Richard still at her side. Off to the left was a small waiting area with vending machines. She turned to Richard and laid a hand on his chest. “I’m all right now. Would you mind waiting here? I should do this alone.”
“Are you sure?”
“No, but I’m going to do it anyway.”
“All right. I’ll be here until you send for me. He’s in the last room on the left.”
“Thanks.”
Melissa walked down the hall knowing he was watching her. At the room he had indicated, she pushed open the door and paused inside. Her father was lying quietly on the hospital bed with his eyes closed.
He had aged. How could he not, with all that he had gone through? Now she was here to add to those burdens. She walked in and stood at the foot of his bed. Her hands were shaking, she realized, and she clasped them tightly around her purse.
“Hello, Daddy,” she said quietly.
Her father’s eyes flew open, wide with surprise, then narrowed in a glare. Her newfound courage wavered sharply.
“It’s about time you came to see your old man.”
“I know and I’m sorry. That sounds lame, but I mean it. I’m sorry I haven’t been here before. May I sit down?”
“Suit yourself.”
She came around the end of the bed and sat down at the foot.
“If you came because of this, you could have saved yourself a trip.” He tossed a rolled-up copy of the Observer toward her. “So you’re pregnant. Like them, I find myself wondering who the father might be. Do you even know?”
Mortified beyond belief, she closed her eyes to shut out the sight of his angry face. “I’m sorry, Daddy. I didn’t want you to find out like this.”
“It’s that musician, isn’t it?”
“Yes,” she answered, her voice so small she wondered if he heard.
“Melissa, where did I go wrong with you?”
“I’ve made a lot of mistakes, but I’m trying to turn my life around.”
“How? By having your picture smeared on the front page of that rag?”
“You know I had nothing to do with that.”
“It’s bad enough that you embarrassed me, but think about your mother.”
“Mom knows about my pregnancy. She’s supporting me.”
“Giving you money, you mean.”
“No, not money. She’s giving me moral support while I figure things out.”
“Well, you’re not planning on keeping the child, I hope. If you haven’t got enough sense and moral fiber to keep from getting pregnant in the first place, you’ve got no business trying to raise a child.”
“That’s a little like the pot calling the kettle black, isn’t it? I’ve read a few things about you lately, too.”
“You watch what you say to me, Melissa Hamilton.”
“No. I don’t think I will. I dreaded coming to see you because I knew exactly how you would react. Like this. Everyone said to give you the benefit of the doubt, but they were wrong.”
She rose to her feet. “I’m done being afraid of disappointing you. I had planned to give my baby up for adoption. Do you want to know why? Because I knew that’s what you would expect me to do.
“It’s a girl, in case you were wondering. But I don’t want to give her up. I want to keep her, and love her till the end of my life, so I’m going to disappoint you one more time, Daddy. I’m keeping this baby. And I’m going to raise her without any help from you!”
Tears blurred her vision as she turned and fled the room. She heard her father calling after her, but she didn’t stop. She had to get away. Down the hall, Richard stepped out of the waiting room beside the elevators. Melissa turned blindly toward the exit door at the stairs. She didn’t want Richard to see her like this. She didn’t want him or anyone trying to talk her out of her decision.
She darted out the door, but not quick enough. She heard him calling her. “Melissa, wait!”
“Leave me alone,” she shouted. She glanced back over her shoulder to see him coming after her. Blinded by her tears, she misjudged the next step. Suddenly, she was falling.
Chapter Thirteen
Horrified, Richard watched Melissa fall. He reached for her, but she was too far away. Like a puppet with severed strings she tumbled down the steps and came to rest, unmoving, at the bottom of the landing.
Dear God, no!
With his heart hammering painfully in his chest, he rushed to her side. “Melissa, can you hear me?”
She moaned. To his relief, she opened her eyes, although she quickly squeezed them shut as a grimace of pain contorted her face.
Richard gently swept her hair out of her face. Her cheek was already darkening with a bruise. Blood trickled from a scrape on her temple. “Don’t try to move. Where does it hurt?”
She held her left hand clutched close to her chest. “That was so clumsy of me.”
“Never mind that, tell me what hurts.” With hands that shook slightly, he palpated her legs.
She struggled to sit up. He tried to stop her with a hand on her shoulder, but she cried out.
His gut clenched in dread. “What’s wrong?”
She grabbed his hand and looked at him with fear-filled eyes. “I think I hurt the baby.”
“Don’t move. I’m going to get help.”
“Please, hurry.”
“I’ll be right back.” He hated leaving her, but he had no choice. He pulled open the nearest door and stepped out into the corridor. The large giraffe and lion on the wall told him it was the Pediatric Ward. He ran down the hall to the nurses’ station. One look at his face and his breathless explanation sent the women there into immediate action. Help came from every direction in a matter of minutes.
Richard stood back out of the way as the hospital staff, led by a young doctor, examined Melissa, then transferred her to a gurney and headed toward the emergency rooms. Picking up her purse from where it was lodged in the corner, he followed behind them. All the way to the
E.R. the same phrase kept running over and over in his mind.
Please let Melissa be all right, Lord, and please let her baby be unharmed.
As the staff whisked her into an empty trauma room, he was stopped from following by one of the nurses. “I’m sorry, you’ll have to wait out here.”
He nodded his understanding, too upset to speak. She closed the door, shutting him out. He listened to the murmur of low voices inside, wishing he had the right to be at Melissa’s side. Up until the second he saw her plunging down the stairs just beyond his reach, he had no idea how much he loved her. Now, he couldn’t believe that he had deluded himself into thinking his affection was only friendship.
He loved everything about her. He loved the way she made him smile. He loved the sound of her laughter. He loved the way her chin came up when she was ready to argue with him. He loved the way she struggled so valiantly to turn her life around. She might not believe in herself, but he believed in her.
Just then, he heard the sound of weeping coming through the closed door. He leaned his head against the wall and squeezed his eyes shut as hot tears stung them.
Please, Lord, I’m begging You to spare the life of Melissa’s unborn child. You know Melissa’s heart. You know that she loves this baby. Please, don’t let it end like this.
How long he stood outside praying for the woman he loved, he had no idea. Finally, the door opened and the young doctor looked out. “Are you Richard?”
He looked up, hopeful yet fearful at the same time. “Yes.”
“She’d like you to come in.”
“How is she?”
“She has a few bruises and a possible sprain. We’ll know more in a little while. Come in.” The doctor stepped aside.
“Thank you.” Richard tried to brace himself for bad news as he stepped inside the bright white room. Melissa lay on a narrow bed with her face turned toward the wall. Another nurse finished taking her blood pressure and stuffed the black cuff into a wire holder on the wall. When both of the staff left the room, Richard crossed to Melissa’s side. She lay still, looking pale and sad. Her left hand rested on a pillow beside her. The right hand she held splayed over her stomach.
“Lissa, I’m here.”
Prodigal Daughter Page 14