One Night That Changed Everything

by Tina Beckett

  Bethany…such a pretty name. A wave of sorrow washed over her. She hadn’t even known Greg’s sister’s name. But hearing him say it suddenly made her real. Made Hannah even sadder for Greg’s loss. The urge to reach across and squeeze his hand came over her.

  She stood as well, in an effort to banish the need. “Yes, thank you for talking to us. I appreciate it.”

  Bill looked from one to the other and smiled. “You’re welcome. And good luck. Call me if you have any further questions. Either of you.”

  With that, he handed Hannah a business card and excused himself, closing the door with a soft click.

  “There, do you feel better now?” she asked.

  “Not really, no. I still don’t know who the hell the father is. Or if I’ve unintentionally passed something on to it.”

  This time she didn’t resist the urge. She wrapped her hand around his and squeezed. “Look. I wanted a baby and went to a fertility clinic in order to have one. Yes, not knowing whose child it is has put a spanner in the works, but I still want the baby, regardless. If you’re feeling guilty, don’t. This child is going to be loved more than you could possibly imagine, no matter who the biological father is. Please believe that.”

  Greg’s fingers tightened around hers. “I know it is. You’re going to be a wonderful mother. I just wish I could undo what happened between us. That you could have the child you planned to have.”

  “I already do. Please believe me.”

  He released her to brush back a short wisp of hair that had fallen over her forehead, smoothing it back with gentle fingers. “Thank you.”

  “For what?”

  “For being you.” He leaned over and kissed her cheek. “I’ll let you get back to the office.”

  The meeting had only lasted a half hour so after phoning the clinic to make sure their two o’clock patient hadn’t arrived early, Hannah decided to drive the long way back. She needed some time to think before facing anyone at the office. Tiny snowdrops floated across the windshield and blurred the road in front of her. Perfect for her current state of mind, which was just as hazy and indistinct as the view ahead.

  Greg’s voice had sounded strange when he’d thanked her for being “her.” No more insisting that he was going to do right by the baby. If anything, he seemed to be checking things off some invisible list and with each mark he made he backed a little further away from the situation.

  It’s what she wanted, right? She’d wanted things between them to go back to being simple and uncomplicated. Hadn’t wanted any involvement in her life—in her child’s life.

  But something inside her heart cramped at the thought.

  Why? Greg didn’t have time for anything else in his life besides work. He’d proven that time and time again. He wasn’t likely to change. Not for her. Not for an accidental pregnancy.

  It would still just be her and the baby.

  She switched on the windshield wipers, and noted a car about a hundred yards in front of her. As she adjusted her speed to maintain a safe distance, something dark and large loomed out of nowhere, moving directly in front of the other car. The vehicle swerved, missing whatever it was—probably a bull moose after a female—but in trying to stay on the road, the driver over-corrected, sliding sideways into a dangerous skid.

  Hannah tapped her brakes, praying for the other driver, even as she saw the vehicle leave the road, its passenger door slamming into a nearby tree before coming to a sickening stop. The moose paused, looked in the direction of the accident and then trotted toward a neighboring field as if it hadn’t a care in the world.

  Oh, God.

  After clicking on her hazard lights, she dug for her cell phone, dialing 911 and reporting the accident. She then edged her car forward, getting as close to the other vehicle as she could. Keeping her eye on the moose, which was still visible, she opened her door and half stumbled down the slight embankment as she made her way to the other car. If the moose really was chasing a female, he could turn aggressive in the blink of an eye. As if taunting her, the creature stopped halfway across the field and turned to glare at the two metal interlopers.

  Please stay there. She did not want to have to face down a thousand-pound animal while trying to help the occupants of the other vehicle.

  She peered inside the driver’s side window and saw a woman leaning against her seat belt, the air bag having done nothing to cushion the sideways force of the crash. A trickle of blood made its way down one side of her mouth and dripped from her chin. Hannah tried to open the door, but it was locked.

  A cry from somewhere in the back caught her attention, and her eyes widened as she saw an infant carrier strapped into the backseat. It was facing the rear of the car so she couldn’t tell what age the child was, but the baby had to be young. The cries grew louder, cutting through the soft plinking of falling snow, which was coming down faster now.

  She heard a car stop and glanced up, hoping it was an emergency vehicle, but there’d been no sirens. Nope, it was just another car like hers. Just then a female voice shouted something out the window that sounded like, “Hey, watch out! He’s coming back.”

  She straightened to look, and the blood thrumming through her head rushed straight to her feet. Because the car wasn’t the only thing she saw.

  The bull moose hadn’t drifted away, like she’d hoped it would, but was now headed their way. Although he wasn’t moving particularly fast, Hannah knew that could change at any second. He was still on the other side of the road but it wouldn’t take much to rile him up. Not at this time of year.

  It was then she saw the other moose—a female. The bull had evidently scented her, as evidenced by the animal’s head swaying from side to side, white puffs of mist rising from his nostrils as he exhaled. Maybe this was what he’d been after when the woman’s car had cut between him and his goal.

  Several things went through her mind at once. The car’s windows and doors were locked tight, so she couldn’t get in, neither could she get the occupants out. The baby inside the car was crying louder now, his wails turning to piercing shrieks, which could serve to further agitate the moose.

  And the most terrifying thing of all was the realization that she was standing directly between the huge bull moose and his prospective mate.

  Just as that last thought registered, the moose lowered his head and charged.

  CHAPTER ELEVEN

  GREG’S head swiveled to the right as a familiar name hit his ears.

  Hannah Lassiter. The words moose, roof and unknown injuries also came through. His blood turned to ice in his veins just as the cell phone at his hip began to vibrate.

  He glanced at the readout, noting it was the office. He punched the talk button, but before the person on the other end of the line could get in a simple hello, he barked into the receiver, “Where’s Hannah?”

  Stella’s answer came through the line. “I was calling to let you know she phoned here a few seconds ago. She’s at the scene of an accident.”

  “Is she hurt?”

  “I don’t think so. But a moose has evidently gone on a rampage, and she’s trapped. State troopers are on their way and Dispatch is sending an EMT unit, as well.”

  “Where?”

  “Mountain View Road.”

  “Mountain View? Are you sure?”

  “That’s what she said.”

  “Okay, Stella, thanks. I’m heading up there. Page me if there’s an emergency.”

  He clicked off and raced to the hospital parking lot, where he gunned the engine of his BMW and tore out. He had no idea how far out she was, but he could already hear the wail of a siren, probably heading to the scene. He’d just follow behind them.

  Hell, had the meeting with Bill Watterson upset her so much that she’d needed to get away from everything? There was no other reason for her driving up Mountain View Road when Debarr was a straight shot to the clinic. Unless she’d needed to think about things.

  He pressed the gas pedal in an effort to catc
h up to the emergency services vehicle. Not many cars were on the road at the moment, so he wasn’t worried about creating a problem. All he wanted to do was reach Hannah and make sure she and the baby were okay…that they’d simply come across an accident and had called for help.

  Five minutes later, he saw he was wrong. Hannah was perched on top of the roof of a small SUV while a bull moose—as big or bigger than the vehicle itself—stood a few feet away. The black car had a big dent in the driver’s side door, whether from the accident or from being charged by the moose, he had no idea.

  Even as he thought it, the animal snorted then lowered its head and pushed against the vehicle with its enormous spread of antlers. The wheels on that side of the car left the ground, sending Hannah scrambling for a handhold on the roof racks. The vehicle came crashing back down as the pressure was suddenly released.

  Damn.

  The EMT guys got out of their vehicle but remained behind the open doors, not daring to make a move toward the enraged animal.

  His heart in his throat, he knew if the moose somehow flipped that vehicle, Hannah could be crushed in the process. Or if she wasn’t, moose had been known to stomp people into the ground, killing them. Even as he thought it, the moose repeated the act and the vehicle tipped higher than it had the last time.

  Without thinking about the consequences, Greg opened the door to his car and got out, rounding the hood as he yelled. “Hey! Over here! Come this way!”

  The moose’s head came up and the car dropped back into place so fast that Hannah was thrown sideways, her legs coming over the edge right in the space between the moose’s antlers. If the animal’s glance swung back that way…

  Even as he thought it, Hannah kicked, scrambling back onto the roof and hunkering down low. She was from Idaho, from what he understood, but he had no idea how much experience she had with large game.

  Moose could be unpredictable, appearing calm one second and then striking out with shocking speed the next. He’d heard of instances where tourists had tried to approach a resting moose, not realizing the calm demeanor could change in the space of a heartbeat. Tragedy had happened on more than one occasion.

  Greg took another step, anger rising up fast and quick in his gut. Where the hell were the state troopers? He yelled again, waving his arms to keep the animal focused on him. Maybe it would abandon Hannah and come after him instead. The moose swung around in a ninety-degree arc, one of its massive antlers scraping along the length of the SUV as it did. Hannah looked at him, her frown apparent even from this distance. She shook her head, silently trying to warn him off.

  The EMT guys had ventured a little farther from their truck, probably wondering what the crazy cancer doctor thought he was doing.

  Just then Greg heard the sound of twin sirens and before he had time to think, two state troopers squealed off the road and in front of his car.

  The noise and growing number of bodies was evidently too much for the moose to handle, and he gave one last snort, before whirling and trotting away from the vehicles. Greg waited a second or two to make sure he wasn’t coming back, then hurried around the police cars, shouting that he was a doctor when they acted like they might stop him. He met the EMT guys at the stricken SUV and reached up toward Hannah. She let him wrap his hands around her waist and pluck her from the roof.

  “You okay?”

  She leaned against him for a moment, her body trembling in reaction. “Fine, but we need to get inside the car. There’s an injured woman.”

  One of the EMTs tried the doorhandle then called for everyone to stand back. Greg, his arm around her waist, edged Hannah back and to the side so that she was facing away from the vehicle. The paramedic broke the window with a metal instrument and then reached in to click the automatic door locks. The child in the back, who’d finally stopped crying, started up again at the sound of the glass shattering.

  Hannah pulled away and went to the back door, opening it. She quickly checked the child for injuries while he was still strapped into the seat. Her heart wrenched when the child’s arms went up in an age-old request to be picked up, “Just a second, sweetheart. I’ll get you.”

  “We’ve got a broken left clavicle and possible rib fractures up here. Get the back brace.” The EMT met her eyes from across the seats. She recognized him from the hospital, and he evidently recognized her as well, because he didn’t even question her qualifications. “What have you got back there?”

  “I’m not seeing any obvious injuries, the car seat did its job. I think he’s just scared.”

  “Great. We’ll transport him anyway, just to be safe.”

  Hannah unclicked the car seat and gingerly lifted the child from it, ducking down to bring him out of the damaged vehicle. She propped him against her shoulder, rubbing his back through his thick layers of clothing and murmuring softly to him.

  The whole world seemed to fade away as she held him, a sense of magic and mystery flowing from his small frame to hers. His crying stopped almost immediately. She turned to Greg with a smile she couldn’t contain.

  He came forward a step. “He’s okay, then?”

  “I think he’s perfect.”

  Some dark, powerful force flashed through his gaze as he eyed the pair of them, one side of his mouth finally curving up in a half smile. He started to reach toward her, then his smile faded and he averted his eyes. Without a word he moved away to check on the woman’s condition, although the EMTs looked to have everything well in hand.

  The two troopers came over and asked for a quick rundown of events, which Hannah relayed to the best of her ability, although she was still shaking both inside and out. One of the officers jotted everything down on a clipboard and then turned it, asking her to sign the statement. She couldn’t. Not while holding the baby. “Hold on for a second.”

  She hurried over to Greg and held the infant toward him. “Can you take him for a minute? I need to sign something for the police.”

  He looked like he might refuse, but finally took the child from her, holding him awkwardly under the arms. The poor thing’s legs dangled straight down, a bemused expression coming over his tiny face.

  “No, like this,” she instructed, helping him slide an arm under the baby’s legs while guiding his other hand to the baby’s chest to stabilize him in a kind of modified swing position. Greg seemed stiff and uncomfortable, but something in her chest melted at how he looked holding the baby. He looked…

  Like a father.

  Biting her lip, she swung away before he saw anything in her eyes. Going back over to the officers, she signed the paperwork. “Let me know if you need anything else.”

  “We will. Thank you, ma’am. We’ll call for a tow truck for the vehicle. Do you have a ride home?”

  “Yes, I have my car.” She motioned to the emergency lane of the highway, where her car was still sitting, emergency flashers engaged.

  As the officers each got into their respective vehicles, filling out papers and talking on their radios, she wrapped her arms around her waist, realizing how very cold she was all of a sudden. She’d leaped out of her car without her coat when she’d seen the accident, her thin turtleneck and camisole the only coverings she’d had on. Everything was damp, including her hair.

  The snow had stopped falling at least, but the temperature felt like it was still dropping, or was that because she’d been trapped on top of a freezing car for the past half hour?

  Something warm and familiar settled across her shoulders, his scent filling her senses. Greg. But where was…?

  “The baby?” she asked.

  “The EMTs are loading him and his mom into the truck. They’re both going to be fine.”

  Another hard shiver went through her as more of the cold air made it through her sweater to her skin. A soft curse ruffled her hair. “You’re half-frozen. Where’s your jacket, Hannah?”

  She had to think for a second. “The accident happened so fast, and I wanted to make sure everyone was okay. There was no ti
me to grab it from my car. Then the moose came back…there was no time to do anything but get on top of the SUV.”

  “Come on, let’s get you someplace warm.”

  Pulling her away from the gathering crowd of onlookers, he helped her into his vehicle and reached over to switch it on. The still-warm engine sent heated air swirling around the interior and Greg got in the other side, holding her icy hands in his own. Between the car’s heater vents and the body next to her, warmth slowly penetrated her frozen core.

  “Better?” he asked.

  “Mmm…” she murmured, leaning closer with another shiver. “Your hands are so warm.”

  He shifted to put an arm around her and pulled her toward him. Hannah had no idea how his body could generate so much heat, especially as he was coatless and hatless as well. All she knew was that if she could wriggle her way beneath his skin right now, she would.

  They sat there for what seemed like forever then he broke the silence. “Give me your car keys.”

  She sighed, not moving, as the heat continued to work its magic. “They’re in the car, along with my purse.” She needed to go, but couldn’t work up the energy to prise herself from Greg’s body or from the interior of the car.

  “Wait here. I’ll be right back.”

  She cringed when he pulled away, depriving her of his warmth. The sensation was even worse when he opened the car door and slid out. Then he shut it again and Hannah leaned back in her seat, letting her eyes close. The combination of the meeting with the geneticist and the adrenaline from the moose attack did what several sleepless nights had been unable to accomplish: send a wave of exhaustion over her. She yawned and let her body go utterly limp.

  Just a second or two, that’s all she needed. Then she’d be able to drum up enough energy to drive back to the clinic and see to the rest of their patients. She tried to remember whose names she’d seen on the schedule that morning, but there was nothing inside her head but a big black hole. It was as if she’d been drained of everything. Her hands went to her stomach, rubbing it softly as she gave way to the tiredness seeping through her.