by Tina Gayle
He hit the send button and logged off. Let’s see what Mr. Evan thinks about no longer having a bodyguard to protect him. Maybe that will straighten the jerk out.
Chapter Eight
Tears dripped down her checks. Jillian sat on the floor with her head over the commode. For the past few weeks, she’d paid homage to the shrine. Breakfast, lunch, and dinner, no time of the day was safe.
“Jillian? Where are you?” Karen Ann’s voice thundered down the aisle of the store.
Pushing up from the floor, Jillian closed the bathroom door, locked it, and flushed. After a splash of water hit her face she heard the knock on the door.
“I know you’re in there, now come out.”
Uncertain how to face her friend, she slid the door open and caught a glimpse of her friend’s face. “What’s up?”
“We need to talk. Let’s go to your office.”
Jillian followed while warning bells clamored in her head. She’d tried very hard to keep her pregnancy a secret but the jig was up.
“Sure. What’s up?” She hoped she was wrong.
“What the hell is going on?”
“I’m not sure what you’re talking about.”
“How about the fact, that I’ve found you throwing up twice this week?”
“I’m not feeling well?” It sounded like a feeble excuse, but she had to try.
“Funny, I just had a client who suggested a very interesting reason why Ms. Jillian Marie Wilson might be sick.” Karen Ann’s hands were flapping with her agitation.
“Apparently Cheryl is under the impression that you’re pregnant and has the sources to back up her story. Her sister, you see, works at Dr. Snider’s office in Longview, and she, the sister that is, heard the nurses talking about your pregnancy, something about you losing weight.” Her hands landed on her hips, and with her legs spread wide, she looked ready to fight. Her gaze burned with hurt and anger. “Cheryl was more than willing to tell me all about it. So what do you have to say for yourself?”
Jillian couldn’t lie. “She’s right.”
Karen Ann slumped against the door. “Why didn’t you tell me?”
“I...”
“Do you even know who the father is? Or was this just a one-night stand to further your grand scheme to have a baby?”
“No, I know the father and so do you. Derek Harris, Jason’s brother. He's out of the country at the moment. That’s the reason I didn’t tell you. He made me promise not to tell anyone until he got back to the States.”
“Right, you haven’t heard from him in over a year and now, you’re telling me he’s the father of your baby? The truth. Who is the baby’s father?”
“Karen Ann, it’s not a lie. He's out of the country. He and I have been e-mailing each other for the past few months since he left the country. He wrote me yesterday saying he’s hoping to come home soon. Honestly, I am not lying.”
“Jillian, I know how important having a baby is to you. You told me yourself, that you would gladly sleep with any guy if he would disappear and let you raise the baby alone.”
“I know I’ve told you that, but it isn’t what you think. Derek is my baby’s father. He knows all about the baby, and he wants to raise his child.”
“What I think doesn’t matter. What were you thinking? This town is made up of senior citizens. They’re going to crucify you.” Karen Ann pointed her finger at Jillian like a mother scolding her daughter. “I told you when you thought up this plan that you’d lose customers.”
“But—he's real.” She rushed to her computer. “Look, I’ll show you the e-mail he sent. Then you’ll have to believe me.”
She searched through the list of messages then clicked on his latest e-mail.
Should be home in the next week or two.
Take care,
Derek
Karen Ann read the message. “That’s all he wrote?”
“He is a very private person and doesn’t want his messages read by the wrong people. His e-mail is not very secure so he prefers to keep it simple. I write short little messages as well. Matter of fact, I still haven’t responded to this one. I’m not sure what to say.”
“And this is the stone-faced military guy you dated last summer?”
“Yes.” Jillian, overwhelmed by her best friend’s comments, realized she needed her friend to lean on. “Look, why don’t you come home and have dinner with me tonight? I’ll explain everything about how we got back together, but first let me respond to his e-mail.”
Karen Ann scanned the note again. “You better tell him the cat is out of the bag.”
“Right, like he’ll want to hear that.”
Happy that you will be coming home soon. With the problems I’ve been having with junior, and the natives getting restless, I’m looking forward to see you.
Love,
Jillian.
She hit the send button, unsure if Derek would read her note as the call for help that she intended it to be. “Let’s lock up and get going. It’s been a rough day.”
****
Several hours later, Derek walked into his office and booted up his computer. His stomach and head were bothering him, again, and his patience was skidding along on thin ice. He retrieved an aspirin from his desk drawer and washed it down with a gulp of cold coffee.
This assignment stunk, and the stench was getting to him. Restless and uneasy from the beginning, he reviewed everything that had happened. With his short leave and the fight with Jillian, he’d been jaded against this mission from the start. Mark Evan’s irritability, lack of terrorist information, difficult negotiation sessions, and even the staff’s edginess was making him nervous. Derek's gut reaction was to get out. And, although he wanted to shut the whole operation down, he couldn’t pinpoint the problem.
Scanning his e-mail, he saw her message Home and opened it. Reading the message, he suddenly caught his breath. Was she having a boy, a son? Why else call her baby junior?
What did she mean about the natives? And what kind of problems? Was someone in town harassing her?
Love?
His gut churned and he jumped from his chair. “Kevin! Get in here.”
He hit the reply, and sent a short note. Then he followed it with another quick message to his brother.
Kevin stood in the entryway. “Yes, boss.”
“Snag the corporate pilot and meet me by the car in ten minutes. We’re getting out of here. ASAP.”
His assistant raced down the hall, not bothering to question Derek’s reasons for their sudden departure.
Derek stalked into the conference room on the second floor. Mark wouldn’t be happy about their sudden departure, but Derek didn’t care. This assignment is so over. Being in charge of security meant he called the shots. Whether Evan liked it or not, they were leaving.
Mark, conducting the meeting, stood at the head of the table. Derek stared out the window while waiting for a break in the conversation. The street below busy with people, they were hurrying in every direction bent on getting to their final destination. Cars sat in traffic, just like they did in every other city across the globe.
Hearing a lull in the discussion, Derek announced. “Gentlemen, there will be a short break while I talk to Mr. Evan. Please excuse us.”
Glaring at him, Mark rushed through the conference room door before turning and demanding, “What the hell is the meaning of this?”
“We’re leaving.” Derek closed the door and marched down the hall.
Mark fired off questions. “What do you mean, we’re leaving? Who gave you the authority to walk into my meeting and drag me out? I have important business to conduct, and if I suddenly leave, it will look bad for the company.”
“I’m in charge of security, and I say we’re leaving. You have been fighting me through this whole assignment. Now I’m telling you, it’s time to go.” Not caring what Mark did, Derek continued down the stairs, heading toward the back of the building. “If you choose to stay, it will be without me. M
y staff and I are leaving for the airport, right now. We’ll lay over in Germany at the branch office and get directions from there. Now, you better decide what you want to do.”
Mark followed, ranting at Derek about his future with MEOC. “If this is some kind of joke, Mr. Harris, I assure you it is not funny. Your boss will hear about this. I plan on giving him a full report when we get back to the states. This little stunt is going to cost you your job.”
Not slowing his fast pace, Derek stepped out of the building and stopped next to the car, his fists clutched at his sides. “If you don’t shut up, I’m leaving you here. Now get in and be quiet!”
He slid in the back seat beside Mark, with Kevin and John in the front.
“Let’s head to the airport. I want to be out of here within the hour.” Derek’s bark allowed for no questions.
Driving out of the back entrance, Kevin turned right and exited the parking lot. The street took them along the side of the building. When they stopped at the light, Derek studied the building they had just exited. He never planned to see it again. This was his last trip to the Middle East. He couldn’t leave Jillian again.
The light turned green, but with the heavy traffic, the car crawled through the intersection.
A thunderous noise exploded out of nowhere, deafening in its intensity. The back windshield shattered. He shoved Mark to the floorboard as the car vibrated.
"Get us the hell out of here." His scream rang over the wail of the people on the street.
He glanced out the hole in the back window at a burning car. The flames sizzling high in the air from the middle of the street. Glass from their office building peppered the people below causing mayhem as pedestrians ran from the disaster. Blood and bodies lay scattered across the pavement. He brushed his hand over the back of his neck and swallowed the sickening bile in his throat.
“We could have been in there.” Mark’s white face showed the shock of the nightmare before them.
“Stay down.” Derek shoved at the man's shoulders. Pain pounded through his head. “Kevin, step on it. Let’s get as far away from here as we can.”
His bloody hand stained the man's white dress shirt. His vision blurred and his body went limp.
“Jillian,” he whispered and his world turned black.
****
In bed, Jillian lay trembling. The nightmare she’d just had replayed over and over in her head. A sea of red swam before her vision. She couldn’t escape the blood.
The phone rang.
Startled, she glanced at the device. Fear gripped her. Coming on the heels of the dread that had awakened her, the call couldn't be good news. She tried to calm down and steady her harsh breathing before grabbing the receiver. Her gaze landed on the bedside clock—3:52.
“Hello?” Her muddled mind listened intently. In her heart, she knew something terrible had happened.
“Jillian, it’s Jason. I’m sorry to wake you, but I have some news about Derek.”
“What’s wrong?” Her heart thundered in her chest. “Is he okay?”
“He’s in the hospital in Germany.” Jason spoke slowly, as if he, too, struggled to believe it.
“Why? What happened?” She whispered, the words trapped in her throat. A picture of Derek bleeding melded with her earlier dream of death.
“There was an explosion. He was hit in the head by flying debris. He has a concussion and…” Jason's voice wavered. "He's confused and experiencing some memory loss.
He paused, and she heard his exhale. “He says you two are married. Is he delusional?”
Her mind raced. How could she explain? “No,” she cried, letting her inability to help the man she loved on the other side of the world lead the way. “He’s not.”
“You can’t be married!” The sharpness of his voice cut into her like a knife. “You two quit dating over a year ago.”
“I know Jason, I’m sorry.” She hated hurting him, but he’d get over it. Right now, all she could worry about was Derek. “We met up again the weekend I came to Dallas, and got married right before he left. He made me promise not to tell anyone until he returned.” Tears clogged her throat. She stopped and intertwined her fingers through the black lace on the bottom of her gown. “I wanted him to be here when we shared our news.”
“Is this why you told me you’d given up on your plan to get pregnant?” he asked suspiciously.
“Yes.” She waited, but the line remained silent. Working to unwind her fingers from her gown, she tried to relax. “What exactly happened?”
“A piece of debris from a car bomb flew in through the back window of the car he was in. It caught him on the back of the head. He's in Germany at...” Jason’s voice broke.
She could hear him taking deep breaths. He feared for his brother’s life. She ached with the same worry.
“It also made him sick, which according to Kevin, is not unusual for a concussion. It's the additional problem that really has me worried. He can’t remember any of the facts about his last assignment. They called me around eleven to fill me in.” He paused, his voice stronger when he continued. “After I got off the phone, I checked my e-mail. Derek had sent me one saying that I should keep an eye on you. I didn’t understand until I got the second call a few minutes ago. He’s asking for you—his wife.”
She wiped at the tears streaming down her face. “I’m sorry, I know that this has upset you, but he really thought that you would be happy for us.”
“Don’t cry, Jillian, I’m just upset with Derek.” Gruffly, he tried to soothe her. “This sounds like a stunt he’d pull.”
“Don’t be mad. He’s...” Sobbing, she couldn’t think. “I just want him home.”
His soft spoken words, offering reassurance. “Now, Jillian, you have to pull yourself together. Derek will need us to be strong when he gets here in a few days.”
“I know, but he could’ve been killed.” Tears continued to fall, she wiped at them frantically.
“Yes, but he’s fine now. You’ll see that once he gets home.” His calming words showed his concern for her outweighing his own.
“When did they say he could come home?”
“Right now, they’re saying Saturday,” he answered. “I think it would be best if he stayed here in Dallas with me for a while.”
“He’ll never go for it.” She argued, not wanting to be separated from him, not with him sick. “He’ll want to be here with me. Please, I don’t want him in Dallas. I want him here.”
“Let’s wait and decide when he gets home,” Jason reasoned. “We’ll know more then.”
“All right. I’ll come to your condo Saturday. Then we can go to the airport together.” She knew Derek would want to be with her, so she decided not to fight over the point now.
“Are you going to be able to get away from the store?” he hedged. “Aren’t you open on Saturday?”
“Yes, but I’ll close early if I have to, or I’ll get Michael to run it.” She stuck to her guns. “I want to be at the airport when Derek arrives. I need to be there.”
“Okay, call me if you need anything. I’ll let you know if I hear more. Otherwise, I will see you Saturday. Bye, Jillian.”
“Bye, Jason.” She slumped back on her pillow. The weight of what she’d just done closed in on her.
She was now a married woman.
Sort of.
What else could she have done?
Derek believed they were married. He wanted it. She wanted it. How could it be wrong?
His brother believed her.
Now, all she had to do was convince the rest of the world, starting with Karen Ann, who knew the truth.
Chapter Nine
The clock read 4:27, the same as the last time she looked. Jillian sighed and threw back the covers. It was no use. She couldn’t go back to sleep.
The light from her lamp lit the area around her. Pink lacy curtains adorned the windows. French provincial furniture gave the room an elegant grace. A white crocheted cover decorated the
bed in a feminine style that she felt sure Derek wouldn’t like.
They wouldn’t both fit in her full sized bed, anyway.
Her mind wrestled with a solution. The master bedroom had a king-size bed and plenty of closet space. But could she move into her parents’ room?
She stepped down the hall, and looked into the master bedroom, taking in the décor with fresh eyes. A ten-year-old flowery bedspread covered the bed. The faded navy curtains drooped over the windows. The wood floors were dull.
Her mother’s earrings in the silver jewelry holder caught Jillian’s eye. They winked at her with sparks of light. Her father’s class ring lay nestled next to her mother’s tennis bracelet. An aged doily covered the rich oak dresser-top.
Around the room, she found other items. The porcelain wedding cake topper, the couple dressed in old-fashioned gown and tux, which sat on her father’s nightstand. A wedding anniversary portrait hung on the wall above the bed, showed a happy couple smiling down at her. Her father’s worn slippers rested on the floor by the bed where he'd always kept them.
Tears dripped onto her cheeks.
****
Several hours later, Jillian rushed through the back door of the store so she could open on time. After putting her purse in her office, she unlocked the front door. Karen Ann stood there waiting with a cup of coffee in each hands. “Morning.”
“What’s the matter with you?” she asked, setting down their coffees on the counter. “You look flustered. What’s going on?”
Jillian twisted her hands in front of her, trying to hold herself together. “Jason called me this morning. Derek has been hurt.”
The explanation made her think of the pain he must be suffering. “A car exploded, and he was hit by flying debris. He has a concussion. He’s in a hospital in Germany.”
“Wait a second, how did Jason know to call you?” Karen Ann eyed her suspiciously.