Just Believe

by Manning

  He closed the door. Annabelle listened to the fading sound of his footsteps, feeling more alone than she could ever remember.

  “So, Gaelen came with you,” the doctor stated as she stared at the chart in her hand.

  “Yes, we went to dinner. Gaelen offered to stop here before he took me home.”

  “Dinner. A date?”

  “I suppose so,” Annabelle replied, her attention still on Erin's pale and still face.

  Dr. Duncan scribbled a note on the chart and closed the cover very gently. Annabelle could feel a tension in the air.

  “Ms. Tinker, I feel I ought to say something, yet, I'm not sure how you will react. It's about Gaelen.”

  “What about him?” Annabelle answered, hoping her jittery reaction didn't give her away.

  “He's a very handsome, charming man, and I have known many young women who have set their hearts on him.”

  “Dr. Duncan, I don't think—”

  “Hear me out, please,” the doctor interrupted, holding up one tiny hand. “In my profession, I see a lot of young women like Erin who have put all their hopes on a man only to have them dashed, then weren't able to deal with their heartbreak. Some of them have been driven to the very precipice of despair.”

  Precipice of despair? Dr. Duncan was certainly poetic for a shrink.

  “Erin will come around.”

  “I'm not talking about Erin now. Gaelen and Lucas Riley are cut from the same bolt of cloth. They are users and cannot be trusted to do what's right.” A light flashed across her eyes accompanied by a whisper of a smile. “Actually, it's worse than that. You see, women find Gaelen attractive, and he is, but you see ... well, he's not fond of women.”

  “What?”

  “My dear, Gaelen is a fairy.”

  Annabelle bit her lip. “A fairy?”

  “Yes.”

  “You mean he's...gay?”

  “Oh, my dear, Gaelen is very gay.”

  Annabelle thought of the undercurrent between Dr. Duncan and Gaelen she'd sensed earlier today. She'd thought it was sexual.

  So much for my powers of observation.

  The doctor sighed. “I know how he affects women. Gaelen is, well, an old friend of mine. I've known him for a...long time. He doesn't realize women find him attractive, since his attentions are directed elsewhere.”

  Well, wasn't that just the way? Annabelle's luck continues unchecked, she mused. The most gorgeous man she'd seen in years and he's a fairy.

  Still, something in the doctor's assertion didn't ring true.

  “Thank you for the advice, Doctor. But I assure you, I'm not attracted to Dr. Riley at all,” Annabelle lied. “I just met the man.”

  Dr. Duncan nodded, obviously not convinced. “Well, then, we'll just forget I said anything.” She smiled and set the chart under her arm. “Shall we?” she asked, holding her hand out toward the door.

  Annabelle allowed herself to be ejected from Erin's room, all the while feeling there was more to the story than Dr. Duncan had said.

  “Your mother was here earlier and left in quite a state, I'm afraid. Will you let me know if she needs anything to help her cope? I gave her another sedative, but I'd really like to check with her physician before prescribing more. At any rate, she is not taking these latest developments very well.” They stopped at the elevator. “In fact, Ms. Tinker, I fear your mother is being drawn into Erin's delusions.”

  Her mother wasn't the most emotionally fit person Annabelle had ever known. She didn't doubt for an instant the situation was weighing on her.

  “I'll keep an eye on her, Doctor. Thank you.”

  “Yes, Doctor. Thank you,” Gaelen echoed. He had come from nowhere to stand by Annabelle's side, and she could have wept with relief for the support, even if that was all she could hope for. “We'll certainly keep an eye on Mrs. Tinker, won't we, Annabelle?”

  “That is very kind, Dr. Riley. Goodnight.” Duncan turned and walked silently away.

  Gaelen squeezed Annabelle's elbow and led her into the waiting elevator.

  “Come on, let's get you home, so you can check on your mother.”

  “Thank you, Gaelen.”

  They walked silently to his car. As though neither could bear to be first, they rode with no words passing between them.

  When she could stand it no longer, Annabelle finally asked, “Did you see her, Gaelen?”

  “Uh-huh.” He reached over and took her hand. It was so comforting, she held on. “Don't you worry, dear. Erin will be all right.”

  In the light of Dr. Duncan's revelations, Annabelle peeked over at the tall, handsome man holding her hand so tenderly. They had passed such a lovely evening, and his company was so easy, so comfortable.

  It occurred to her then, maybe part of her ease with Gaelen was only because on some level, she must have known he wasn't interested in her sexually. This knowledge, even if it were only subconscious, removed the usual tension of a first date and explained why she was so comfortable being with him.

  A deep sigh of disappointment escaped her.

  He reached across the small compartment and took her hand.

  “Don't worry, Annabelle.” Raising her hand, he brushed his lips along the bones, tracing each one with a butterfly touch.

  A flutter of reaction blossomed throughout her body.

  Oh, it wasn't fair. How could he tease her like this? He had to know how such a caress would affect her?

  Or maybe not. Maybe he didn't think anything of it. Maybe it was just kindness. Whatever it was, in spite of her unwanted reaction, his gesture did help.

  Gaelen pulled into the driveway, stopping behind Susan's battered wood-paneled station wagon. Annabelle didn't even see him come around to her side, didn't hear the door open.

  “Annabelle,” he said, his hand offered to help her out of the car. He held her hand as he walked her to the front door.

  “Do you really think Erin will be all right?” Annabelle asked, desperately needing his reassurance, wanting someone else to say the words out loud.

  “Yes. She will be. I promise.”

  Why did she want to believe him? Why did she want to believe his promise had any meaning at all?

  “I'm going to hold you to that,” she said.

  “You can count on it.” Gaelen leaned forward as he tipped her head up with a gentle touch of his finger. His lips, so warm, so gentle, touched hers. “Good night, Annabelle.”

  CHAPTER EIGHT

  Annabelle let herself in and softly closed the door, Gaelen's kiss still fresh and tingling on her lips. Admittedly, her experience with men left quite a lot to be desired, but even so, she couldn't convince herself Gaelen's kiss was merely a gesture of sympathy. Perhaps Dr. Duncan's powers of diagnosis weren't what they should be.

  Okay, maybe it was only wishful thinking on her part. There couldn't be a bigger waste for womankind than for Gaelen Riley to have no interest in women. But Annabelle couldn't believe herself so clueless that she couldn't tell she was being kissed by a gay man.

  Still, Dr. Duncan claimed to have known Gaelen for a long, long time. And Gaelen supported that by his comments, uncomplimentary as they were, about Dr. Duncan.

  “Enough already.” Annabelle waved her hand in impatience. “I've got enough to worry about.”

  Still, she decided to trust Gaelen's prognosis. His promise. Erin would be fine.

  “So, you've finally come in,” a deep male voice came from the shadows.

  Annabelle jumped at the sound, her heart hammering. As her eyes adjusted, she saw Lucas standing in the living room on the other side of the waist-high bookcase that formed a partition. A frown furrowed his brow, several day's growth of beard adding to the impression of exhaustion.

  “Lucas! You nearly scared me to death.” Annabelle glanced around. “Where's Mom?”

  “In her room, keening like a very banshee.” He tipped his head in the direction of the bedrooms. “Do you not hear her?”

  The howl was faint, but audible, n
ow that Annabelle paid attention.

  “So, what set her off? Do you know?” Lucas asked, as he set his large well-formed hands on the bookcase and leaned forward.

  More than anything, Annabelle wanted to just go fall into her bed and sleep, and forget everything for just a bit. But, she nodded wearily and waved him to follow her into the kitchen.

  “Yes, I know. Dr. Duncan told me she thought Mom was buying into Erin's delusion.”

  “You were at the hospital? Is Erin all right?” Lucas asked, anxiously.

  “I was there for a few minutes. The doctor sedated her. She said Erin was getting paranoid. Erin was sleeping when I was there.”

  Lucas slumped down at the kitchen table. “So, where have you been all evening?” Clear accusation rang in his tone.

  “With Gaelen.”

  At Lucas's stare, Annabelle stopped. “What's wrong?”

  “You went out with Gaelen?”

  “Yes. He asked me to dinner,” Annabelle answered, pulling off her wrap and hanging it over the back of a chair.

  “He did?” Lucas asked, his eyes wide with disbelief. “That's a surprise. Unless....”

  “Unless what?”

  “Oh, nothing. Well, just that Gaelen's tastes must have changed somewhat.” He glanced at Annabelle. “I didn't mean anything about you. It's just that Gaelen....”

  Lucas's pause further depressed Annabelle with its confirmation of Dr. Duncan's diagnosis of Gaelen's preferences. She sighed.

  “Don't worry, Lucas. I didn't think he wanted to spend time with me. Dr. Duncan filled me in already.”

  “Filled you in?”

  “She told me about your brother.” At Lucas's expectant expression, she explained. “She told me he's gay.”

  “Gay? Gaelen?” He threw his head back and laughed, a big, booming laugh that tickled Annabelle just hearing it.

  “Why is it funny?”

  “This was Linette Duncan?”

  “I guess. The doctor on the psych ward,” Annabelle said.

  “Linette Duncan said Gaelen was gay?”

  “Well, actually, she used the word ‘fairy.’ Not very politically correct, is she?”

  “Clever girl,” Lucas said softly, laughing again.

  “What does that mean?”

  “Oh, nothing,” he answered, still chuckling.

  “Well, is he?” Annabelle demanded.

  “What? Gay?” Lucas shrugged. “I don't know if I'd use that word, but ‘tis true Gaelen has little use for human women.”

  “Human women?” Visions of all sorts of strange practices passed through her mind, with the satyric, gorgeous body of Gaelen Riley right in the middle.

  “No, no,” Lucas spit out in the middle of a gigantic guffaw, “nothing depraved! I don't know why I said it like that. He's actually perfectly normal ... for Gaelen.” He eyed Annabelle. “How did it go?”

  Not exactly reassured, Annabelle answered, “Fine. It was very nice.”

  Lucas nodded. “Gaelen always knew how to show a lady a good time.”

  “Lucas, is he gay?”

  “My dear Annabelle, Gaelen loves women more than any other male I've ever known.”

  That was almost worse than thinking he wasn't interested at all.

  “What does that mean? Why would Dr. Duncan lie?”

  “Dr. Duncan was one of Gaelen's, ah, friends.”

  “Dr. Duncan?”

  “Oh, aye. They were not involved for very long, however. Gaelen dislikes possessive women.” Lucas chuckled. “Possessive ones are the only ones he dislikes. Linette holds a grudge a good long time, though. I suspect she was just trying to get Gaelen's goat.”

  “So, he's not....”

  “No. He's not. Straight as I-95.”

  A little reassured, but still wary, Annabelle shrugged. “Well, I'm certain it wasn't my charms that induced the invitation anyway. I expect he only asked me so he could find out if I knew where you are.”

  “I expect you're right.” Lucas laid his hands on Annabelle's shoulders and rubbed. “Why don't you turn in? We'll go over in the morning and check on her.”

  “All right.” Annabelle turned toward her room, but stopped and faced Lucas. “Gaelen told me not to worry. He promised me she'd be all right.”

  An expression of wonder crossed Lucas's face, followed by a soft smile. “Did he now? I expect that's as good as gold.” With a wink, Lucas disappeared through the door to the basement rec room.

  Annabelle felt her spirit rising, in spite of everything. When her head hit the pillow, her dreams were filled with Gaelen Riley.

  ~*~

  As he drove back to the hospital, Gaelen wondered why he didn't just probe her mind to find out if she knew where Lucas was. After all, it was in a good cause. Instantly, he chided himself.

  “You've lost more than wonder, boyo. You've lost your sense of justice.” Even as he spoke the words, he knew they weren't quite true. He hadn't violated her mind. But now he knew he was left with following her to find Lucas.

  Before anything else, though, Dr. Duncan was going to get another visit.

  He didn't trust himself to even speculate on what the pixie witch had planned for poor Erin, but the sight of the girl in a drug-induced haze surely presented a universe of possibilities.

  Parking in the underground garage, Gaelen hid in a dark corner and squooshed. Flashing up the empty stairwells, he arrived at the eleventh floor and gave himself a moment to recover from reconstituting.

  “Whew,” he whistled, peering around the door into the empty hallways. The Brute Squad was nowhere to be seen.

  Gaelen stepped into the hall, softly walking toward the nurse's station. At Erin's door, he pushed it gently open and took a quick look.

  She lay as still as death, only the faint movement of her breathing indicating any soul still occupied her body.

  Gaelen let the door shut silently.

  Voices echoed down the hallway.

  Reaching into his memory, Gaelen tried to remember the form for inducing glamour—the enchantment of making a mortal see what the fairy wanted him to see.

  Right now, Gaelen wanted the mortals to see nothing.

  Stepping out into the path of the speakers, he waited. Neither noticed him. In fact, he had to jump out of the way so they wouldn't run into him.

  “Ah, we never lose it, do we?” he whispered.

  “What was that?”

  “What?”

  “Didn't you hear it? It was like a breeze blowing.”

  Gaelen smiled. He still had it. After years of shunning his fairy nature, he still had the gift. He strutted a bit as he sought out Linette Duncan.

  “I'm ready for you, you little pixie.” Scanning around for signs of her passing, he picked up a sense that she was straight ahead. He followed his feelings and stopped before the door marked “Women—Staff Showers.”

  With a smile and a rising sense of anticipation, Gaelen pushed the door open and walked in.

  Heads turned, though not one expression showed any alarm.

  “Close that door!”

  “Jeez, Louise! Were you born in a barn?”

  “I didn't open it!”

  Gaelen stepped out of the way as a tall, lean blonde wearing only a towel around her waist nearly knocked him over.

  He snapped his gaping mouth shut, stifled a whistle, and sought his target.

  The fiery red mop atop Linette's head betrayed her. She stood at an open locker, still drying off. Several other women stood in the same aisle. Gaelen came up behind her and ran his fingertip up her spine.

  Her yelp rang through the shower room.

  “What's your problem, Doc?” one of the women shouted. “There're are no ghosts in here, are there?”

  Linette swung around, bumping into Gaelen's large frame.

  “Gaelen,” she whispered, wrapping her towel around her.

  “Yes, darlin', ‘tis I. Your once beloved Gaelen.”

  “What are you doin’ here? Get out!” She more mout
hed the words than actually spoke them. Grabbing his sleeve, she dragged him behind the lockers and shoved as hard as she could.

  Gaelen laughed. “Such a feisty, wee thing. I used to appreciate that aspect of your character, Linette.”

  “Hey, Doc, are you all right?”

  “I'm fine.” Her lips snapped shut like a turtle.

  “It's probably better if you don't talk, Linette. Wouldn't want the doctor to be admitted to the ward, would we?”

  Linette looked ready to skewer him on a rusty spit.

  “Now,” Gaelen continued, “about Erin Tinker.”

  The only response he got was a pair of burning green eyes promising pain and death.

  Ignoring her silent threats, Gaelen went on, “I don't know exactly what you're planning to do with that girl, but you're going to cancel your plans right now. You'll release her tomorrow and then, my dear Linette, you will remove yourself from the affairs of Faerie for good.”

  His eyes strayed, following a well-formed brunette with the most exquisite....

  “And, what's more, you'll stay away from Annabelle Tinker.”

  “That's what this is really all about, isn't it?” Linette asked, oblivious to the stares of the woman drying off next to her. “That woman has bewitched you, and now you're thinking of flaunting the law just as your brother did.”

  “What I do is my concern, and none of yours.”

  A different expression crossed the pixie features. “When did you become so interested in anybody else?”

  Gaelen ignored the jibe. “Just pay attention, Linette. Release Erin tomorrow.” In the ultimate last word, Gaelen squooshed and flew out of the shower room.

  Linette seethed. How dare the man tell her how to do her business? She'd never tell him how to do his job. First, he dumped her—for no reason she could ever see—then, he becomes infatuated with this plain Jane mortal woman. Not only that, but a woman who had the power to destroy them all.

  She shook her head at the stupidity of men. Why they couldn't be happy with their own kind, she didn't know. She accepted that the men of Faerie lusted after mortal women; she just didn't understand it.

  More, though, she'd been hoping somehow to reconcile with Gaelen. He was the one she'd never gotten over. Now, this Annabelle Tinker had bewitched him, and her stupid sister and Lucas, the criminal, had created a situation putting Gaelen and Linette on opposite sides.