by Debora Ryan
“It’s not my fault you had plans all weekend and you were busy on Tuesday.”
Somberness lit his eyes, and it penetrated her soul. “You have no idea what being away from you does to me.”
“Will,” she began, but she got no further. Her strength was nothing compared to his. He crushed her in his arms and ravaged her mouth. His tongue traveled the seam of her lips, demanding entrance. When she opened to him, he groaned, plundering her mouth, stoking the passion between them. Leah gripped him hard and her fingers dug into his shoulders. She clung, unwilling to release him. Time ceased to exist.
A knock at the door interrupted them, returning Leah to her senses. She pushed past Will to open the door.
Anne waited on the other side. “Sorry to interrupt.” She grinned, not sorry at all. “But Sunshine Acres called. They said it was important.”
Leah nodded. “Okay. I’ll call them back now.”
Anne wiped away a spot of smeared lipstick at the corner of Leah’s mouth before she closed the door, leaving the two of them alone again.
“Anne knows?” Will mouth dropped with incredulity. “You told her?”
Leah picked up the receiver, but paused with her hand over the number pad. “She isn’t blind,” Leah said. “And she’s very intelligent. I know it’s hard for a man to look past a woman’s appearance to see things like that, but try.”
Surprise crossed Will’s face. “Put away your claws, kitten. I work with Anne every day, remember? I know firsthand how smart she is. I just didn’t think you would tell her anything. I didn’t think you would tell anyone anything.”
Leah relented. “I didn’t tell her. She knew. I wasn’t going to lie to her. Look, we can talk about this tomorrow. I need to make this call.”
He began to say something, but stopped before the first word formed. Nodding, he smacked a peck on Leah’s cheek and left her alone.
When the receptionist answered, Leah gave her name. “Oh, yes, Ms. Keenan. Marian wants to speak to you right away. I’ll put you right through.”
The line clicked as Marian answered. “Thank you for getting back to me so quickly.”
Leah picked up on the urgency in Marian’s voice. “What’s wrong?”
“Cecelia is in the hospital.”
Icy calm washed over Leah. Cece had a number of health problems because of the accident. Something like this was extreme, but not unexpected. “What happened?”
“She had a miscarriage.”
Air left Leah’s body. She felt as if someone had punched her hard in the stomach. With deceptive calm, she asked, “How can she have a miscarriage? How in hell did she get pregnant?”
Marian’s deep breath could be heard over the phone line. “Cecelia didn’t want you to know yet. Leah, you have to understand that she is physically an adult. She had feelings and urges just like any other thirty-one year old woman.”
“But she can’t possibly understand the implications of her actions. Why was this sort of behavior allowed?” Leah kept her voice calm. As a response to shock, her management demeanor took over. “She is not mentally able to consent.”
“I don’t have that information,” Marian answered. “She’s been very careful about this. I had no idea she even had a boyfriend until the nurse mentioned that Cecelia hadn’t had a period in several months.”
Several months? “How far along was she?”
“Five months.”
Leah pressed her fingers to her eyes and squeezed the bridge of her nose. She thought Cecelia had gained weight, but she hadn’t said anything. Cecelia took everything Leah said so literally, and Leah hadn’t wanted Cecelia to develop a complex about it. She had meant to discuss the matter with Cece’s dietician, but she had been too preoccupied with her own problems.
“I’m really, really upset that this was allowed to happen, but I recognize that now isn’t the time to discuss it. What hospital?”
When Leah emerged from the tiny, unused office, she found Will and Anne waiting in the hall. She looked from one to the other. “I have to leave. I’ll let Eliza know I’m going. If anything comes up, Will, I expect you to handle it.”
Then, grabbing Anne by the arm, she dragged her away to relate the contents of her conversation with Marian. Curiously, Anne didn’t share Leah’s outrage. “Leah, Marian is right. We don’t actually know what’s going on in Cece’s mind. Maybe she’s in love.”
Leah stiffened. “She’s mentally a child, Anne.”
Anne looked away guiltily. The look didn’t escape Leah’s notice. “You knew.”
“Cece talked to me about him. She made me promise not to tell you. She didn’t think you’d understand. Sometimes, Leah, she’s very adult.”
Leah’s jaw dropped. She had never felt so betrayed in her life.
“She’s my friend, too.” Anne lifted her chin defensively. “No matter what happens or what has happened, she’s my friend. I keep your secrets, too. The network printer is in that room. You don’t know how close you and Will came to being discovered.” With that, she flounced away.
Leah didn’t waste time dwelling on Anne’s words. She rushed to the hospital, knowing Cecelia would be upset by the changed surroundings. She was just coming out of surgery when Leah arrived. She awoke groggy, asking for her stuffed frog and a cup of coffee. Leah nearly cried at the paradox. Nothing with Cece was as it seemed. What part of her was child and what part was woman?
“How are you feeling?” Leah asked, stifling tears.
“I wanted to have a baby, Leah.” Cecelia’s quiet voice was slurred from the anesthetic. “I miss Mom and Dad.” Her eyelids drooped from the stress of surgery and from her medication. “Will you get my frog? I really want my frog.”
“I don’t want to leave you alone,” Leah said. “How about if I call Anne and ask her to get it?”
“I want you to get it. I need new clothes, too. I don’t like the clothes Anne gets me. She never gets them warm enough.”
Leah laughed. Anne liked her body, and she liked clothes that showed it off. When she shopped for Leah or Cecelia, she chose clothing she thought would do the same for them, whether or not it was practical. It might be July outside, but it was cold in the air conditioned hospital. Cece needed clothes that would keep her arms and legs warm.
“Okay, I’ll get that. You go ahead and sleep. I’ll get your stuff and some things for me. I’ll stay the night with you so you won’t be alone. What do you want for dinner? The food here can’t be any good.”
“Chocolate pudding,” Cecelia said as she drifted off. “And macaroni and cheese. Remember when we used to eat that all the time?”
The tears began when Leah reached her ancient white-and-rust Taurus. Cecelia remembered far more than Leah had given her credit for. They had shared a house in college. Night after night, they had eaten macaroni and cheese for dinner. They would buy the frozen tray from the grocery store and cook it up once, then eat leftovers for days. Leah still did this all the time. It was quick, filling, and easy.
The left-turn light changed to green. It wasn’t yet rush hour, and the streets were nearly deserted. Leah followed the car in front of her through the intersection. The next thing she knew, a bank of ornamental evergreen trees cast a shadow over her car. She wondered where they’d come from.
Chapter 9
A knock on her window pulled Leah from her reverie. Numbly, she rolled down her window and fixed the woman standing there with a quizzical look.
“Are you all right?” The tall, African-American woman had beautifully regal features. Her hair fell over her shoulders in tiny braids, and she wore minimal make-up.
Leah reached out and touched the woman’s hand to see if she was real. “I’ve never met a princess before.”
“Oh, honey, you did bump your head,” the woman said. “Can you move?”
Leah looked down at the latch of her seat belt. Slowly, reality began to return. “What happened?”
“You’ve been in an accident. Someone ran a red light
and plowed right into you. I’m a doctor at the hospital. I was on my way in to work and I saw the whole thing.”
Leah stared at her blankly. “I hit someone?”
The woman shook her head. “Someone hit you. Don’t worry, it wasn’t your fault.”
Just then an ambulance pulled up. Icy fear chilled Leah to the core. A paramedic jumped out. “Dr. Scott,” he said. “Is she stable?”
“She’s in shock.”
Dr. Scott circled to the passenger side of the car, which had sustained little damage. She slid in next to Leah and unbuckled her seat belt. Leah stared at Dr. Scott in awe. She couldn’t shake the surreal quality everything seemed to have.
“Where are you feeling pain?”
Leah’s head floated back and forth. “I feel fine,” she said. “I’m fine.”
“Let’s get you out.” She nodded at the paramedic, who reached in to help Leah.
Leah recoiled. “I’m fine.” Her voice was firm. “I’m not going anywhere with you.”
The paramedic nodded and backed away a few inches. “We’re not going anywhere. I just need you to get out so we can make sure nothing is broken.”
Leah looked to Dr. Scott. “I’ll be right by you.” Her voice soothed Leah.
Slowly, Leah got out of the car. Her legs buckled beneath her. The paramedic, who appeared to be fresh from high school, caught her. “How about we sit over here?” He steered her expertly to the portable gurney. Leah found herself seated before she knew what was happening.
The paramedic shone a light in her eyes. “She might have a concussion,” he said to Dr. Scott. “And she’s not coming out of shock. We need to get her inside.”
Dr. Scott nodded. “Honey, what’s your name?”
“Leah.”
“What day is it?”
Sun glinted from something in the distance, temporarily blinding Leah. Her eyes watered. “The worst day of my life.”
“I meant the date.”
“No, I was wrong. It’s the second worst day. Maybe the third. I’ll have to see how it ends. My first date with Will was pretty bad."
“Who is the President?”
Leah frowned. “Mr. Dannaker, but I can’t see how you would know him.”
“Let’s get you in the truck,” the paramedic said gently.
Leah popped up. “No.” Her head shook in manic refusal. “I don’t want to die.”
“The ambulance will take you to the hospital.”
“I can walk,” Leah said. “I’m not getting in there. I’m not going anywhere with you.” Panic suffused her voice. She couldn’t control it. “I don’t want to die.”
Dr. Scott said, “How about if I go with you?”
“I have to call Anne,” Leah said. “Anne will know what I should do.”
The paramedic handed her a phone. “Use mine.”
Leah dialed, but each time it went directly to voicemail. Anger gave her clarity. How could Anne have her phone turned off when she knew Cecelia was in the hospital? The next time she dialed, numbers written across the top of her planner floated across her memory. She called Will. She had never called him before.
He answered on the first ring.
“Give the phone to Anne.”
“Leah? Are you okay?” he said. “Your voice sounds odd.”
“I need to talk to Anne,” she repeated.
Leah heard the frown in his voice as he called to Anne, but she didn’t care.
“What’s wrong?” Anne asked.
“They want me to get in the ambulance. I don’t want to get in there.”
Anne’s voice rose an octave. “Why do they want you to get in the ambulance? What happened?”
“Somebody hit my car.” Leah looked back at her car, seeing the damage for the first time. The driver’s side was completely crushed, giving the car a curved, banana shape. The red flashing lights from the police cruisers reflected eerily from everything around her. She hadn’t noticed the police were there before. She knew they hadn’t just arrived. They were already in place, directing traffic so the tow trucks could clear away the damage. “I don’t think it’s fixable. I don’t know how I’m going to get Cece’s things.”
Leah looked around. The landscape was too different and the hospital had moved. It took her a minute to get her bearings. Then she realized her car had been moved at least a quarter mile down the road. Whoever had hit her had been driving very, very fast.
“I’ll get Cece’s things. You get in the ambulance and go to the hospital. I’ll make sure Cece’s all right. Don’t worry about her.”
“She wants her frog. And her clothes, but warm ones.”
“I’ll get everything she could possibly need. Give the phone to the paramedic.”
Mechanically, Leah passed the phone back to the young man. “She wants to talk to you.”
Dr. Scott pressed a cloth to Leah’s temple. Leah hadn’t known she was bleeding until then. It explained the wetness on the side of her head and the heaviness of her hair. The paramedic listened to Anne, thanked her, and hung up.
“Leah,” he said. “My name is Gilbert Larkin. I’m going to put you in the ambulance. I will stay with you the whole time. It’s a short ride and the roads are not icy. It’s July and the skies are clear, so we don’t have to worry about slick roads. Nothing is going to happen. Your friend Anne said she’ll meet you at the hospital as soon as she can.”
Leah nodded.
“Lie down,” Dr. Scott said gently. “Let us take care of you.”
Leah kept her eyes on the pretty doctor the entire time. Dr. Scott stayed with her until they entered the emergency room. At that point, she handed her off to a waiting doctor, spouting a jumble of medical jargon that made no sense to Leah.
She squeezed Leah’s hand one last time. “You’re in good hands. I’ll stop down to see you later.”
Leah looked at the kind doctor and, in all seriousness, said, “I won’t be here.”
An hour later, as a resident finished gluing the gash over her left eye, Will rushed into the room.
Surprised, Leah gasped. “What are you doing here?”
Will looked from Leah to the resident. “Is she okay?”
The resident smiled. “She’ll be fine. I’ll be finished patching her up in a minute, but we’re still waiting for X-rays.”
“I don’t need X-rays,” Leah said. “After you’re finished here, I’m leaving.”
Will raised a well-manicured brow. “How do you plan to get home?”
The resident wiped the periphery of her cut and placed a bandage over it. Thanks to the localized numbing shot, she felt the pressure, but not the pain. “Don’t get that wet for seventy-two hours.”
Leah dismissed the young doctor before he had left the room. He scurried out quickly. Having already been the object of Leah’s temper, he was afraid of her. Leah’s attempt at scowling at Will was unsuccessful. Moving those muscles in her face hurt. “I’m not going home. I’m going to see Cece. She’s upstairs.”
Will’s eyes roamed over Leah. “Do you really want her to see you like this?”
“Like what?” She got up, wobbled a bit, and righted herself. “I’m fine.”
He pulled her to him and held her against his chest gently. “You’re not going anywhere until the doctors say you can leave. I’ll sit on you if you if I have to.”
Leah’s body began shaking. She didn’t know why and she couldn’t stop it.
Will looked down at her. “Honey, are you okay?”
Leah nodded. She tried to force words through chattering teeth.
“I’m calling the nurse.” He leaned over and pushed a button.
A tiny, leather-skinned woman of about sixty burst into the room a minute later. She smelled of lavender and nicotine and disapproval. “You should be in bed.”
“She’s shaking,” Will said. “It started all of a sudden, and she can’t seem to stop.”
Leah closed her eyes and clung to Will, desperately trying to draw strength from h
im.
“Come on, Ms. Keenan. Do you mind if I call you Leah? Good. Let’s get you in bed.” She reached for Leah and guided her onto the bed. Even if Leah had been at full strength, she doubted she could have resisted the powerful nurse. “That’s a good girl. My name is Mary. How old are you, Leah?”
“Thirty.” She had to force the word out.
“Thirty. What a great age. I have a daughter who’s thirty. She’s a veterinarian. She racked up almost a hundred–thousand in loan debt. Now she wants to start her own practice. What do you do?”
“I’m in marketing.” Those words came easier.
“And is this handsome young man your husband?”
“No.” The mattress felt good under muscles she was just beginning to recognize as sore.
“Boyfriend?”
“No.”
“Leah!” His shock had little effect on her.
“Well, you aren’t. Boyfriends don’t threaten and blackmail.”
“When have I ever threatened you?”
“You just said you’d sit on me if I tried to leave.”
Will sighed. “Obviously you need to be here.”
Mary laughed a throaty, smoker’s laugh. “She’ll promote you back to boyfriend status once she calms down.”
“You think so?” Wistfulness lay under the tension of worry in Will’s voice.
“Never,” Leah said vehemently. “Ouch.” She looked down to find Mary had started an IV in her hand while she was distracted. “I don’t need one of those. I’m not staying.”
“I know, but this will help you to stop shaking. You’re waiting on an X-ray anyway, so we might as well do this while you wait.” She smiled. Her teeth were curiously white for a smoker.
“I have to make sure my sister is all right,” Leah insisted. “She’s staying upstairs. Room 618.”
“I’ll call up and check on her. You stay here and make up with your boyfriend.” Mary scampered from the room seemingly assured her orders would be obeyed.
Leah felt as if she was a child who had just been chastised. “Well, she has some nerve.”
Will laughed. “She’s good. I like her.”
“You would,” she muttered. “You’re both dictatorial and overbearing.”