by Pat Ballard
She produced proof that she was approximately three months pregnant. Sam speculated the baby was John McHill’s. He wondered if she actually thought he was too stupid to have blood tests done, if this farce proceeded much further.
Miranda’s lawyers even produced pictures of Nella dancing at the company party in Hawaii. Whoever took the pictures was good, because each shot had caught Nella in a pose or look that seemed to appear as if she were flirting with every man there.
It infuriated Sam that they would try to make her appear unfit to care for Jake. He knew her behavior at the party had been innocent. His only regret was that he hadn’t spent more time with her that night, instead of abandoning her like some jerk.
He had to fight constantly to keep his mind on what was being said. He kept thinking about going home and making love to Nella all night long. But he knew he had to stay here and win the fight, or the life he wanted so desperately to return to would not exist.
By Friday, the snow had melted enough that Nella felt safe in taking Jake and heading for Bowling Green. They had a wonderful day. They ate, they shopped, they saw a movie, and they even stopped by a small circus was set up in a parking lot.
When they got home there was a message on the answering machine from Sam.
Nella was so distraught that she had missed him that she automatically picked up the phone and called him, only to hear his answering machine come on. She left him a message that the snow had melted and how they had spent the day, and assured him they were fine.
Later that night, the phone rang and Nella ran to answer it. Her heart pounded in anticipation of hearing Sam’s voice.
“Hello,” she breathed expectantly into the receiver.
“My, my, you have a sexy voice,” John McHill said from the other end of the line.
Stunned at hearing his voice, and disappointed that it wasn’t Sam, Nella didn’t speak for a few moments. A sudden thought filled her with panic. “What do you want? Is something wrong with Sam?”
“No, nothing’s wrong with Sam. I’m just doing you a favor. The court ruled today that Jake’s grandparents will get custody of him. I just wanted to let you know. They know where you are and they plan to fly up and get the kid on Monday.”
“Why are you telling me this?”
“Because I like you and I know you have Jake’s best interests at heart. I just thought you might want to know.”
“Well, of course Sam will be with them when they come after Jake, won’t he?” Panic and despair filled her at once. She was going to lose Jake, and in so doing she would lose Sam.
John McHill hung up the phone receiver and looked at Miranda. “I sure hope you know what you’re doing. We could be in a lot of trouble if this backfires on us.”
“Trust me, John, this is a foolproof plan.”
Nella stared at the phone she had just hung up, then looked at Jake as he quietly sat and watched cartoons. She felt her heart slowly breaking. She would lose him, but the pain she felt was more for him than for herself. He’d made it plain on many occasions that he didn’t like his grandmother. Now he’d be forced to live with her. His happiness as a child, and the way he would turn out as an adult, was truly at stake here.
How had this happened? How could any judge rule that Sam was an unfit parent? Unless—maybe there were things about him she didn’t know.
No! She’d watched him with Jake over the past few months, and she knew he loved his son. And he was a wonderful father. No matter what his past had held, Nella knew Sam would always do the right thing toward Jake.
What was she going to do? She had to think of a way to keep those horrible people from taking Jake on Monday. If Sam just had a little more time, she knew he could turn this thing around.
“Look, Mommy,” Jake interrupted her train of thought. “See all the water. That looks like our ’nother home where you lived.”
“That’s it!” Nella came alive. “Jake, you’re brilliant! How would you like to go visit our other home?”
“But what if Daddy comes home and can’t find us?”
“I’ll let Daddy know where we are, but if anyone else calls on the phone, we mustn’t tell them where we’re going, okay? No one but Daddy gets to know. It’s our secret, okay, Jake?”
“Okay, but why do we have a secret?” The question caught Nella by surprise.
“Well, because—uh, because we don’t want anyone to know we’re leaving this house empty.” She knew her explanation was weak, but it seemed to satisfy Jake.
“When are we leaving?”
“Tomorrow, darling. Now let Mommy think.”
The plan came swiftly and completely. She would pack their clothes tonight, and early in the morning she and Jake would get in the Jeep and head for South Carolina. Tomorrow was Saturday. By Monday she and Jake would be somewhere on the interstate, or maybe already there if the trip went smoothly.
She could feel excitement build as she made plans. It would take them a while to figure out where she was, and the added time would give Sam a chance to try to turn their situation around.
Without stopping to consider the possible consequences, Nella started packing their bags.
Before she went to bed, Nella called Sam’s number, but the answering machine picked up again. Disappointed that he didn’t answer, and wondering where he was, Nella reluctantly left a message. “Hi, Sam, it’s Nella. John McHill called today and told me you’d lost custody of Jake. I just can’t believe it.
“I’m taking him and going back to South Carolina. We won’t be here Monday when they come to pick him up. Maybe this will give you a few days to come up with a solution on how to beat them in their dirty little games.
“Jake and I miss you. Don’t worry, I’ll take good care of him.”
John McHill and Miranda high-fived each other as they taped Nella’s message from the van they’d parked in an inconspicuous area just close enough to tap into Sam’s phone line.
“Now, all we have to do is cut and splice this tape and make it say exactly what we want it to say, and it’ll look like we have a kidnapping on our hands.” Miranda’s wicked smile made John McHill wonder why he’d ever gotten involved with the woman.
Exhausted from a long day of legalities and paper shuffling, Sam stumbled into his apartment. The day had gone well. Soon this whole mess would be over, and he and Nella and Jake could relax with the farce of a lawsuit far behind them.
His in-laws looked desperate today. They knew they were losing the case. It bothered him a little that he hadn’t seen John and Miranda in the courtroom at all. Where were they? They were usually right there under foot.
He glanced at the clock. Seeing that it was one a.m., he decided to wait until the morning to call Nella. She’d be so happy to hear the good progress they were making. If Monday went well, the case would surely be finished by Tuesday at the latest.
Without even checking his messages, Sam stumbled to bed and was soon fast asleep.
Exhausted from the long, stressful week, and knowing the next day was Saturday, Sam slept straight through until nine o’clock the next morning. When he woke up, he made coffee, then headed for the phone to call Nella.
Realizing he had messages, he listened to them first. When Nella’s voice came on, he smiled just to hear her. But as he listened to her message, he stared at the machine, dumbfounded.
He played the message again just to make sure he’d understood what she was saying, then jerked the receiver up and dialed the Kentucky number.
“Come on, baby, answer the phone,” he pleaded, as the phone continued to ring. But the recorder came on, with his voice saying to leave a message.
“Damn!” he exploded. “Nella, if you’re in the house, pick up the phone. Come on, honey, hear me. Pick up the phone. Jake? Can you hear Daddy? Jake, pick up the phone, if you can hear me. Nella, if you’re still there, don’t leave. I don’t know what lie John McHill told you, but we’re winning this case. Don’t go anywhere!”
He waited
a few more moments, hoping she’d hear him and pick up the phone, but soon he heard the sharp tone telling him he’d run out of time.
“I ought to beat the hell out of John for this. And Miranda too,” he yelled to the empty room around him as he dialed John McHill’s number. No answer. He dialed Miranda’s number, and John’s sleepy voice answered.
“What the hell are you up to?” Sam exploded into the phone.
The drowsiness immediately left John’s voice. “Hey, man, what are you talking about?”
“Don’t try to bullshit me, John. I got a message from Nella saying you told her I’d lost the case. What’s your game, John? Answer me, dammit.”
Suddenly Miranda’s voice was on the line. Sam had never actually realized how shrill it was.
“Sam, you heard the judge. He said this case wasn’t over until he said it was over, and any new evidence will be used. I think the judge might frown on kidnapping, don’t you?” She slammed the phone down in Sam’s ear.
“Bitch!” Sam exploded at the phone. So that was it. As a last-ditch effort, they’d fed Nella that cock-and-bull story about losing the case so she’d take Jake and run. Now they’d try to convince the judge Nella had kidnapped Jake.
He must act quickly. He picked up the phone and dialed his lawyer’s number.
Nella pulled up to her house late Sunday night. Jake was asleep in the back seat.
It had been a long, two-day drive. Nella had tried to make the trip fun, and Jake did enjoy the trip, but Nella was so full of sadness at the thought of losing him that each time he laughed or did something really cute, her heart felt as if it would burst with sorrow, knowing that if Jake’s grandparents took him she wouldn’t be able to revel in the little things he did anymore. And that she would never even see him again.
After she had Jake tucked in bed for the night, Nella walked through the house and checked everything. It was good to be home, but the house didn’t have the same emotional hold on her as it once had. She realized that she didn’t care where she lived as long as she could be with the two people she loved most in the world.
What would happen now? Would Sam sell the house to someone else? He had no use for it if he lost Jake.
With a heavy heart, and not knowing what was ahead for them all, Nella finally fell asleep to dark, shadowy dreams of clutching Jake close in her arms and running, running, running.
Chapter 12
Monday morning when Nella awoke, the feeling of doom still hung over her. She couldn’t shake the vague, haunting feelings from her dreams the night before.
Would Sam tell anyone she had taken Jake and run? Or would he just let his in-laws waste time going all the way to Kentucky looking for her? How long would it take them to figure out where she was?
The sky was gray and overcast, with the promise of a storm blowing in. Nella felt as if she had to get away from the house. She woke Jake and dressed him, and headed into town.
They ate breakfast at McDonald’s. Nella sat outside and let Jake play on the playground equipment. She watched each move he made. Her heart was filled to the brim with love for the little boy.
He seemed completely rested from the trip. He laughed and called to her constantly to watch some new trick he was about to do.
Nella was amazed at how complete her life had become since Sam and Jake were a part of it. Especially Jake. Her future seemed so bleak at the prospect of him not being in it.
“Look, Mommy!” Jake called. Nella looked up to see him standing at the top of the slide, not holding onto anything.
“Jake, honey, sit down. You should never stand up like that. You could fall and hurt yourself very badly,” she admonished, as she went and stood under him in case he lost his balance and fell.
Just before Jake sat down, Nella was aware of a bright flash close beside her. After seeing that Jake was safe on the ground, she looked around to see what had caused the flash.
She immediately recognized the sleazeball who had tried to snatch Jake from her once before. He stood leering at her, clutching a 35 mm camera in his grimy hands.
“This’ll look real good to the lawyers. You lettin’ that little boy get in such a dangerous situation like that,” he gloated through tobacco-browned teeth.
Not considering any danger to herself, Nella made a lunge for the camera, but he was too fast for her. He bolted from the playground and ran down the street. Nella knew there was no use in trying to chase him.
“Who was that man, Mommy? Why did he want a picture of me? Do we know him?”
“He’s not a nice man, Jake. If you ever see him, you come straight to me, okay?” She didn’t want to cause Jake any unnecessary fear, but she had to make him cautious of the man. “And,” she continued, “if he ever tries to pick you up, you start calling for help as loudly as you can, okay?”
“Okay, Mommy, I will,” Jake promised, and headed back to the slide.
After letting Jake play for a time, Nella took him to a few toy stores and bought him several toys he wanted. After lunch, they went to a Disney movie. By the time the movie was over Jake was getting tired, so she reluctantly headed back to the house, knowing this might be the last day she ever spent with him.
When she pulled into her driveway an unfamiliar car was parked in front of the house. Afraid that the car could belong to someone trying to take Jake, she was about to head back to town when an all-too-familiar figure came around the corner of the house.
“Nick?”
Nick, in all of his carefree beauty, looking as if he’d just stepped off a surfboard. Nick, with his bronze skin and his long brown hair blowing in the salty sea breeze. Beautiful, carefree, shallow Nick.
“Hi, baby,” he said, approaching her as if a whole year hadn’t passed since they’d broken their engagement. “I’ve missed you so much! Can we try to work things out?”
At that moment Jake, who’d been asleep on the back seat, raised his head and called, “Mommy?”
“What the hell?” Nick stepped back from the embrace he’d been attempting to give Nella. The look of bewilderment on his face was so complete that Nella had to laugh. She leaned into the car and lifted Jake into her arms.
“Nick, this is Jake. He’s my stepson.”
“Your whaat?”
“My stepson. I’m married now.”
The wind was blowing harder, and it was beginning to rain. “Come on in, and I’ll explain,” she said to the open-mouthed man standing in front of her. They’d soon be soaked if they stood outside any longer.
Nella carried Jake and gently placed him on her bed. He was soon back asleep. She made a pot of coffee and proceeded to explain the circumstances of her marriage. She told Nick the incidents that had led to this point. She let him know how much she loved the little boy sleeping on her bed. The only thing she left out was how things had changed between her and Sam.
“Well, why don’t you just get a divorce and marry me?” he asked after she’d finished. “And why didn’t you call me when your world fell apart like that? We could have worked something out.”
“Now, Nick, you and I decided over a year ago that we shouldn’t be married. What good would it have done for me to call you?”
“No, you decided. I didn’t have much choice but to go along with that decision whether I liked it or not. But there’s no reason for you to stay married to someone you don’t love.”
“But I do.” Her answer was soft with memories of Sam and the times they’d shared.
“You do what?” Nick asked, not following her line of thought.
“I do love my husband.”
“Oh, no! Surely you haven’t gotten in that deep.”
“’Fraid so,” she answered, trying to keep the sad note from her voice.
“Does he love you?” Now Nick sounded truly concerned.
“I don’t know.” Nella shook her head.
“What a mess! I wish now I would’ve just insisted you marry me, and you would never have had to go through all this.”
Her reasoning fell on unhearing ears.
“We could both work on our differences. We could both change a little, and come to a compromise.”
“Nick, I’ve had a really bad few days. I’m real tired. I need to go to bed and rest. Could you please leave now?” Nella saw no reason to continue their conversation.
“Are you really going to send me out into that storm? Listen to the wind blowing. And those waves sound like they’re landing on the patio outside.”
Nella had been aware of the building storm outside, so she reluctantly gave in. “Okay, you can spend the night, but in the morning you have to be on your way, okay? I’ve got too much to deal with right now to even consider what might or might not could be between you and me.” She didn’t want to hurt him anymore, but because of her love for Sam she could never consider trying to get back into a relationship with Nick.
“Thanks, I’ll sack out here on the couch, and in the morning I’ll leave. But as soon as this thing with the kid blows over, I’m coming back and we’re going to try to work things out.”
Nella didn’t try to argue with him. At this point she didn’t have the strength. Wearily, she went to bed to spend another restless night.
The next morning, she came dully awake to a fierce pounding on her front door. Fear shot through her like a bolt of lightning. Were they already here to take Jake from her? Surely they wouldn’t have found her this soon. Then she remembered Sleazeball with his camera. He probably called yesterday as soon as he’d found she was back in town.
By the time she managed to get her robe on, the pounding had stopped. And so did her heart when she came through her bedroom door and surveyed the picture before her.