by Beth Shriver
“Open it.” He stared at her intently as she lifted the lid and it clicked open.
She gasped. Inside the box, hung a gold chain with a locket. It was an oval shape, and fluted around the edges with an engraved cross in the center.
“It’s gorgeous.” She looked at him with a smile. “Did you pick this out all by yourself?”
He stuck out his chin and sat up straight. “I saw this and instantly knew it was for you.”
“I love it.” She put her arms around him for a moment. He held her tighter and ran his hand down her hair.
“Can you put pictures inside?” She pulled away from him and held out the locket. He reached over to open it for her.
She took in a breath and laughed. “Where did you get this?” A picture of Liz at age five was perfectly set in the right side of the locket. She had pig tails, and her wide grin showed off her missing two front teeth.
He leaned closer and admired it with her. “Your mother helped me this morning while you were sleeping. She did a great job. I just gave my nod of approval as to which picture to put in. She did the rest. You look cute with freckles.”
“I still have a few.”
Their eyes locked for a few seconds.
He smiled. “I know.”
She grinned back at him. “What goes in the other side?”
He snapped it shut. “That’s for you to decide.”
She thought of the picture in his office of him about the same age as she was in this picture. They would look cute together in that locket.
Liz handed him a small white box wrapped in green and red ribbons.
“I wasn’t expecting this.” His lips curved down, and his brows lifted slightly, showing her he really was surprised.
“Well, it’s Christmas, and even those on the naughty list get something.” She smirked and sat back on the couch hoping he would like the gift and not think she was being too bold.
He stopped pulling on the ribbons and grinned. “A lump of coal?” He lifted the lid of the box and tilted his head. “Impressive.”
Her eyes widened. “You like it?”
He nodded and looked in the box inquisitively. “Are those Roman numbers?” He pulled the bracelet out to study it. The flat, half-inch wide, silver band had Roman numerals along its length. He slipped his wrist through the slot and admired it.
“Look on the inside.”
He turned the bracelet to the side and looked at the inside of the bracelet. “What does it say?”
“The ten commandments.”
“Are you trying to keep me in line?”
“Do I need to?”
“Probably.” He read through them, held the bracelet out and admired it.
“It’s not too much for you?” Liz knew some guys didn’t like to wear jewelry and thought he might be one of them.
He shook his head. “No, I really like it.” He held his arm down to his side, watching the bracelet slide down to his hand. He pulled her to him. “Thanks. This means a lot to me.”
“I’m glad you like it.” Liz looked down at the necklace hanging around her neck and wondered what exactly this meant to him. And what it should mean to her.
“I’m impressed that you and my mom could pull this off without me knowing about it.” She liked the thought of her mom and Alex going through all those pictures together. Liz was sure her mother drove him crazy with all the stories, and was also sure he saw quite a few she would rather he had not seen. “It was very thoughtful of you.”
With the festivities over, they all went into the family room to relax. Her dad put on the tie she gave him and looked over at her for approval. She gave him the thumbs up and he turned his attention to Alex. “So how do you like being a police officer, Alex?”
Alex put down the little local paper he was reading. “I like my job, Lee. There’s never a dull moment, especially when I work with your daughter.”
Liz gave him a scowl and motioned with her finger across her neck. “No,” she said in a low voice. Her dad’s bad ear was in her favor, so only Alex heard her. Alex nodded in understanding.
She moved to her father’s good ear. “Alex’s father and three brothers are cops too.”
“Is that right? It’s dangerous work. Have any of you ever been hurt?” Joel asked.
Alex shook his head. “Yeah, it can be. But compared to Chicago where my dad patrolled, Denver isn’t so bad. He’s had a couple of close calls, but so far, none of us have been badly injured.”
Marie and Dotty came in and continued to interrogate him. Liz eventually wandered off to the basement for a game of pool with her dad. Alex came down a bit later to see Lee hit in the last ball, beating Liz fair and square.
She walked over to him. “You finally got away. How was it?”
“Thanks for leaving me up there alone,” he teased, taking her pool stick.
“Sorry, Dad loves to play pool. Was it that bad?”
“I’ve been through worse interrogations. But your mom isn’t looking too good. You might want to check on her.” He played a game with her dad and Joel while Liz went into the family room to check in on her mom.
Dotty was lying on the couch with her hand to her forehead. Marie was sitting next to her.
“Mom, you don’t look so good.” It was then Liz noticed there was no smell of a turkey cooking in the oven, potatoes boiling or pies baking.
“I’m so upset. I have all the food ready for a wonderful Christmas dinner, and I don’t feel well enough to cook.” She closed her eyes.
“It’s okay, Mom. We’ll figure something out.” Liz started to feel a little panicked and looked at her sister. “Should we make it?”
“We could, but it would be pretty late by the time it was all ready,” Marie evaluated, looking at the clock and then back to Dotty.
Liz went downstairs to inform the rest of the family. “Dad, Mom can’t cook. She’s not feeling very well. But maybe Marie and I can do it.”
Alex turned to them, setting his stick down across the pool table. “I’ll help out.”
Dad looked at his watch. “No, I’ll take care of it.” He went upstairs and left with Joel. When they returned, they had a carload of bags filled with food. Alex and Marie’s husband helped carry in the bags, and Liz unloaded, while Marie and Joel’s wife looked after Dotty.
It actually brought them all together to chip in and get everything done. They gathered in the kitchen to examine the food.
“Did you see the name of the restaurant this food is from?” Alex pointed to the bag, Antonio’s Greek Cuisine.
“How are Greeks at making Christmas dinners?” Liz quipped, looking at Alex.
“This should be interesting.” He raised a skeptical eyebrow as they opened the containers to see what was inside. Greek lettuce salad, chick pea soup, lamb potatoes, lima beans with artichoke, bread, zucchini pie and a turkey.
Liz turned to her dad. “Dad, you bought Greek food for Christmas dinner?” She gathered the plastic lids and threw them away. She hoped putting them in Mom’s nice bowls and platters might help.
“It was the only place open. How does it look?” He peered over her shoulder to see what they had. Liz didn’t want to make him feel bad, but it didn’t look good.
Dad shrugged. “Alex, you’re Greek, it’s good food right?” He grinned with satisfaction and went to get the grandkids ready to eat.
Liz groaned.
“No comment. But I don’t think your mother is going to want any of this.”
Marie inspected the food. “I’ll fix her some soup.”
Joel shrugged. “I’m starved. Let’s eat.” He leaned in to see what they were eating and turned up his nose. He looked at Marie. “We’re going to have fun getting the kids to eat this.”
That got the attention of their spouses who both came over to take a look. One sighed, and the other cringed. Liz couldn’t help but giggle at the situation which started a domino affect that grew into laughter from the entire group.
Dad w
alked back in and clapped his hands together. “Let’s eat!”
Lee said grace and they muddled through the unusual variety of foods. It was actually fun trying to figure out what was what, except for Dotty. She sat as politely at the table as she could and turned a light shade of green as the food was passed around. She drank the tea Liz made her and stirred her soup around to avoid the smell and sight of it.
They finished and turned on It’s a Wonderful Life , watching Jimmy Stewart make the Christmas spirit sparkle. Later, when it was time for leftovers, Liz opened the fridge and stared at the Christmas dinner they had eaten earlier. They decided on turkey sandwiches and passed on the rest.
Liz’s parents turned in early, and the rest of them stayed up talking. She wasn’t surprised at how quickly Alex fit in with her family. He was an easy person to talk to and fun to be with. Her brother and sister seemed to like him, and the kids kept coming back for more tickles.
The nieces and nephews started bickering and getting tired. Liz’s siblings packed up their families and left, leaving Alex and Liz to some peace and quiet.
Liz grinned. “What will your mother think of your Christmas dinner?”
“I don’t want to give her any ideas. We may be Greek, but I’m fond of a traditional Christmas dinner.”
“I’m sorry.” She chuckled. “But it’s a Christmas you’ll never forget.”
He took her hand to his lips. “No, I won’t.” He held her hand, and she followed behind him up the stairs.
They stood in front of the big grandfather clock, his hands cradling her face, their eyes locked together. He moved his hands to her waist, pulling her close. They held each other for a moment listening to the tick of the old clock and the beating of their hearts.
He led her down the hall, and they said their good nights. Alex went in his basketball room, and she went in with the horses.
They woke up fairly early the next morning. Liz got up and ready but let Alex sleep while she went down to get a cup of coffee. Her mom was sitting at the table waiting for her.
“You look better. How are you feeling?” She took a coffee mug from one of the hooks above the stove and poured herself a cup.
“Much better. I feel so bad that I couldn’t make Alex Christmas dinner.” She looked down into her steaming coffee regretfully.
“He understood, Mom. It was fine.” Liz sat next to her and patted her hand.
Dotty chuckled. “No it wasn’t. I keep remembering all of your faces when you ate that horrible food.”
Liz laughed with her. “It wouldn’t have been so bad if we were going out to try Greek food, but since it was Christmas, it just didn’t feel right.”
They giggled for a moment, then she gave Liz the look, the one that only moms can give to their children. It could be good or bad and usually out of the blue, but Liz knew to prepare herself. “Is there something wrong, Mom?”
“I think Alex is a delightful young man. How serious are you two?” One brow lifted in question.
“I don’t know. We actually just started spending time together.” What her mother asked made her realize for the first time that maybe they really were a couple, and she liked the thought of them being together.
“I’m so glad you both came to see us. It meant a lot to your father and me.” Her smile was gentle and sincere. Dotty had no idea that her persistent pestering had actually turned out forcing Alex and Liz into a good thing.
They talked until the guys came down for breakfast, and they made some waffles. Then Alex gave Liz the nod that he was ready to go. They packed up and were on their way. The visit had been short and sweet, but Liz figured it was plenty long for Alex.
“Do you see what I mean about my parents’ house? It’s so quiet. That’s why I didn’t mind the craziness with your family.”
He tilted his head thoughtfully. “I actually appreciated the solitude. I guess we always want what we don’t have.”
She smiled at the truth in that. They had good talks and some laughs on the way home and got back early enough to enjoy an evening alone. Liz unpacked while Alex checked in with the station. He disconnected and shook his head. “I’m going to be swamped tomorrow.”
“I’m sorry, but my mom really appreciated you coming with me. So did I.”
He took a step closer to her and held her hand, leading her to the couch. “When are we going to see each other again?”
When they sat down, she sank into him, feeling the warmth of his body. He slowly wrapped his arms around her and kissed her softly on the lips. She kissed him back, feeling his hands move to her hair, his fingers running through it. They had waited for this moment, and she could feel he didn’t want it to end any more than she did.
A short time later, he stood and led her to the door. He gave her one last kiss good night and turned to leave. Neither of them needed to say a word. The kiss said it all.
Chapter Twenty-One
“You might want to take this call, Liz. It’s dispatch.”
She had almost made it. She stared longingly at the door for a moment and then gave Margie a sideways stare. “Can the emergency worker take it?” She really wanted to see Alex, a feeling she hadn’t experienced in a long time.
Margie shook her head, her dangly rhinestone earrings swaying as she moved. “Already on another call.”
It wasn’t like Margie to put her on the spot unless it was important, and her conscience was telling her to go, but she thought she’d try one last time. “What’s the call?”
Margie’s eyes were wide and unwavering. “PD found an abandoned newborn.”
“Put the call through to my cell phone. I’m on my way.” Liz’s night didn’t seem so important anymore. Liz quickly took the elevator to the underground parking and hurried to her car. She popped the trunk of the Honda and pulled out her plastic filing bin to check for files. There were plenty of copies for placements, abuse reports, and consent forms which she might need. She found the resource notebook to make community referrals and stuck it in front of the filing bin. Getting in the car, Liz plugged the cell phone and laptop in the cigarette lighter to charge.
As she drove downtown to Denver General Liz called to see if Brenda was still on duty. Brenda was on her way out, but said she’d go back in and meet Liz in the maternity ward.
She reached the hospital in record time, parked the car and entered the building. A sterile smell permeated the hall as Liz passed by the nurse’s station. The squeak of her shoes on the white tile floor drew the attention of a nurse who asked if she needed any help. Liz explained the situation of finding the baby, and she directed Liz to the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit. They walked across the hall to a huge glass window, and the nurse showed Liz the baby.
Small and frail, the infant was suffering from exposure after being left by the mother. Liz felt an urge to pick her up and hold her. The baby girl was lying on her back, sleeping. It didn’t feel right for that little person to be in there without any human touch. The incubator, warm and dimly lit, created a comforting atmosphere for the newborns. There were two others smaller than she and three others that were each with their mothers being fed or rocked.
Brenda came over and gazed at Liz, then turned to look at the baby. “Gets to you, doesn’t it?”
Liz admired Brenda’s intuition. “I suppose you feel that way a lot of the time, delivering babies everyday.”
Denver General took the low-income families who needed financial help and got state-paid medical assistance, and Brenda was used to these types of situations.
“Yeah. They are so helpless, and you want to do so much for them.”
Liz looked at Brenda with a new awareness. “Maybe it’s our motherly instincts that keep us going back to dating again.”
“Well it sure isn’t because of the guys we’ve dated.” Brenda found the paramedic who brought the baby in to find out more information.
“How much does she weigh?” Liz stared at the tiny chest expanding and contracting.
; “Almost four pounds,” the paramedic answered as she wrote some notes on a folder. She set the clipboard on her large chest as she wrote.
“Do you think she’ll be all right?” Liz asked hopefully, still looking at the baby.
The medic let out a breath through her big red painted lips. “She has a chance, but with little body fat, no clothes and the moisture from the last snow, she’s lucky someone found her so quickly, or she wouldn’t be here.”
She started writing again, and Liz watched the little bundle as she waited for Brenda to find out where the mother’s room was. “She’s in 204, and her parents are in the waiting area. I knew you’d want to speak to her alone.”
“Thanks, Brenda. How’s she doing?”
“Not well. She gave birth alone in a field. She walked to the nearest road to get a ride to the hospital. She’s weak and scared.”
“Okay, I’ll try not to take too much time with her. I know she needs her rest.”
“Yes, but you need some answers.” Brenda pointed in the direction of the room and went to the nurse’s station.
When Liz walked into her room, the girl opened her eyes. She was hooked up to a monitoring system and an intravenous bag.
The dark-haired girl was a little heavy, maybe from the pregnancy, but it looked like that was her natural body structure. Her eyes had large dark bags under them, and her face was drawn.
Liz introduced herself and started in with questions. “How are you feeling, Megan?”
“Better. Thanks. How’s Christina?” A slight smile appeared hesitantly, as if she didn’t know if she should have said the name.
Liz was surprised and glad to hear she’d given the baby a name. That was a good sign this girl had been scared, not heartless.
“You’ve named the baby?” Liz took a few steps closer to the bed.
“Even if I don’t get to keep her, she still needs a name.” Megan waited for Liz’s response with unwavering eyes.
“I agree.” Liz gave her a warm smile, feeling Megan’s sense of uncertain motherly instinct.