“But what if he wasn’t?” Jenny leaned on the table, whispering, “If it ever got out that Hastings used ESCs in his wife’s treatment, he’d need to go into protective custody to save him from the pro-life groups that spent millions getting him elected.”
“And if Mark’s company supplied him with the line when he’s only supposed to be working with CBSC and the one diabetes ESC...” Mark’s company would be in jeopardy. But it was all so far-fetched. “This is crazy. Maybe we’re worrying for nothing.”
Jenny shrugged and sat back in her seat. “Maybe.”
“How can we find out for sure?”
“Ask.”
“Like Edward or Mark are gonna tell me? Especially now?” Skye leaned forward, whispering, “Oh, my God. What if they don’t know?”
Jenny’s chewing slowed, and her eyes sparkled with interest. “I hadn’t thought of that.”
“If Edward thinks they used CBSCs and it was later exposed that he used ESCs, even if he denied knowing it, who’s going to believe him?” Not his pro-life benefactors. They’d be furious.
“It’s the perfect blackmail opportunity,” Jenny mused.
“We need to find out.” Skye pushed her tray away. “We need to get our hands on Noelle’s chart. I bet the answers are in there.”
“And how’re you going to do that?”
“We. We’re in this together.”
“Me?” Jenny looked at her sideways. “I’ve no incentive to get mixed up in this.”
“Your story.”
“Nope. Yours. If I’m right, this is going to blow your piece on Hastings out of the water—hell, out of the ocean.”
“I’ll share the byline.” Skye knew it was a weak incentive, but she was in over her head. She needed Jenny.
Jenny looked sideways at her and frowned. Her phone buzzed, and Jenny read her text. Her frown deepened. “I’ll help you if you dig up all the latest info on stem cells and Huntington’s disease for me. ASAP.”
Since Skye had the rough draft of her article done and Karen hadn’t given her a definite deadline, she could squeeze in a little research. “Okay. But why not put an intern on it?”
“It’s private, and I trust you to be discreet.”
“Do you want research or treatment options, too?”
“Everything. I’ll explain later.”
“Okay.”
* * *
Skye wandered through Target looking for a present for Faith’s birthday next week. She reached for the box that housed Gray’s Anatomy Season One. Faith liked Gray’s Anatomy. Noelle loved the medical drama, too. Hmmm. Probably not so much now. Perhaps Modern Family would be a better choice for Noelle. Something to make her laugh.
Wonder if she had a DVD player in her room. Probably, considering there wasn’t a lot new quadriplegics could do besides listen and watch things.
Skye picked up season one of each show. If Noelle didn’t have a DVD player, she’d buy her one. Skye paid for the DVD sets and climbed in her car. She wondered if Noelle knew about the revealing articles and hated her as much as her husband did. Knowing Edward, he’d find a way to shield her. He wouldn’t want Noelle upset—and she didn’t blame him. Noelle had enough to deal with.
Skye looked at the bag on the seat. No point in wrapping Noelle’s gift. She’d just pop it in the cute little flower bag she bought and run it in on her way home. Since it was the middle of the week, Skye was pretty sure Edward was in D.C., so she needn’t worry about dealing with his hostility.
Outside Fisher Rehab, Skye peeled the rectangular price tag off the boxed set and put the present in the daisy gift bag with some cheery green tissue paper artfully stuffed around the box. She slid out of the car, locked it, and headed toward the brick building. The usual person wasn’t at the reception desk, so Skye signed in under Noelle’s room number and headed for the stairs.
On the second floor, Skye wound her way around to the east wing of the building. Passing the nurses station, she smiled at the guard sitting outside Noelle’s room and flashed her driver’s license at him.
“Um, Miss Kendall?” The guard called out.
Skye pretended not to hear and slipped into room 232. Noelle sat in a wheelchair, with her back to the door. The nurse bending over her adjusting the arm straps looked up and saw Skye. She patted Noelle’s hand. “I’ll be right back.”
She gestured for Skye to move into the hallway. The nurse tugged on her sleeve and urged her past the officer now standing in the doorway. “I’m sorry, Miss Kendall, Mrs. Hastings is not up to visitors right now.”
“Really?” Skye craned her head to look around the older woman but the officer blocked her view of Noelle. “She looked much better than the last time I saw her.”
“I’m sorry. You’ll have to go.”
A flush stained the woman’s cheeks, and she wouldn’t meet her eyes. She fidgeted with a roll of tape hung around her stethoscope. So Edward had banned her from Noelle’s bedside. What’d he think she’d do? Slip a secret camera in and sell photos?
“If you need to help her back to bed, I can wait. I really just stopped by to bring Noelle a little gift.” She lifted the bag.
The nurse held out a hand. “I can give it to her.”
Skye smiled. “I’d really like to give it to her myself. I won’t stay long.”
“I’m sorry, there’s no polite way to say this. Senator Hastings doesn’t want you visiting Mrs. Hastings.”
As she’d guessed. “Can I just drop this off? It’s a DVD—a set actually. One of her favorite shows.”
The nurse slowly raised her arm and took the bag. “I’m sorry. He gave strict orders where you’re concerned.”
She’d been blacklisted. How embarrassing to have her suspicion confirmed. “It’s okay.” Skye backed away. “Please tell Noelle I came by to visit and that I asked about her. I don’t want her to think I don’t care.”
If Edward hadn’t told Noelle about her supposed betrayal, she didn’t want Noelle to think she’d abandoned her.
Skye froze and looked back over her shoulder at the nurse. “Excuse me?”
The woman stopped pawing through the package—no doubt looking for a bomb—and lifted her head.
“How’d you know who I was? We’ve never met before.”
“He described you to a T.” She walked forward and withdrew a paper from her pocket. Unfolding it she handed the paper to Skye. “But also gave me this picture.”
A black and white picture of herself from the newspaper’s website stared back at her. The only thing missing from this wanted poster was her name and the reward. Skye studied the year-old photo. That naïve, impetuous girl didn’t even exist anymore. Heart heavy, she nodded and handed the photo back.
At home Skye paced her apartment. She watered her plants and pushed some leftovers around her plate. Emptying the dishwasher and dusting the apartment still left her with a surplus of frustrated energy. She called Mark and left yet another message asking him to call her.
This was ridiculous. Mark and Edward were treating her like a pariah. This had gone far enough. Skye was going to make Mark listen to her. She glanced at the clock. Eight.
Skye thrust her arms in her coat, hopped in her car, and drove to Mark’s house. Lights gleamed through the kitchen windows, brightening the white snow. She pictured him feeding the dogs and watching TV as he ate a late dinner. Gathering her courage, Skye left her car and stepped out into the cold night. She rang his doorbell.
The puppies scrambled to the door, barking, but she didn’t hear any familiar heavy footsteps. She rang the bell again. Her warm breath frosted the freezing air in front of her. He must be home. After three more tries over five minutes, Skye banged on the boor with her fist.
“Come on, Mark. I know you’re home.”
The door swung open. Feet spread far apart, Mark stood blocking the doorway. With hostility written all over his face, he stared at her.
“It’s cold out here. May I come in?”
Mark
stood still as a granite statue. “Why are you here, Skye?”
Skye looked around the deserted, snowy street. He was really going to make them talk out here on his front porch? “You won’t answer the phone or return my messages.”
“I don’t want to talk to you.”
“Yeah, I got that. But we need to talk.”
“We have nothing to say to each other.”
“I didn’t betray your trust, and I did not break Noelle or Edward’s confidences. I need you to believe that.”
“Then who?” Mark watched her carefully. “Who did?”
Skye looked away. She’d give up Daniels in a heartbeat if she could be sure Edward would go after him and not turn his frustration and worry on Jeff. Only, lately, Edward had been so emotional, Skye wasn’t at all certain that that’s what would happen. She doubted very much that Edward and Jeff’s relationship could withstand any more strain. Besides, if Jenny’s suspicions proved true, both Edward and Mark had greater problems than this leak.
“Exactly.” Mark pushed his hands to his hips. “I trusted you. I told Ed he was wrong about you. I brought you into their lives, and you used me to get to Ed.” Mark spit out each word.
Skye shook her head. “I didn’t. I wouldn’t.” But wasn’t she?
Skye was using information gleaned from her friendship with the Hastings in the article she was about to turn in. If she’d never fallen in love with Mark, she wouldn’t have gotten as close as she was to the Hastingses to see the real people behind the political front. She really was a little guilty—but not of what he was accusing her of.
“I have to admit; acting like you hated Ed was brilliant.” Mark slowly shook his head. “I did not see that coming. You knew I’d work harder to bring you two together, wanting you to get to know him if I was convinced you had a good reason not to like him.”
“What?” She frowned. Mark thought that she’d planned this all along? That was crazy.
“Wow, I am clever.” Skye stared at him, burying the hurt of his accusations behind sarcasm. “You really don’t have a very high opinion of me, do you?”
“Cut the act! It wasn’t just me you hurt. You went after Ed through his wife and kid.” Mark’s eyes narrowed and his face twisted in disgust. “That’s despicable.”
“It would be—if it was true.”
“We’re through.” Mark quietly closed the door in her face.
Skye stared at the door. What happened to the sensitive man she’d fallen in love with?
She’d been fooling herself hoping he’d understand—even appreciate the sensitive story she’d written about Edward and his struggle. His intractable attitude tonight proved with certain finality that if she turned it in, she’d lose Mark forever.
Chapter 29
“Tell me again why we’re here.” Faith tossed the scarf over her shoulder and leaned close to Skye.
Skye smiled at the freckle-faced cheerleader with the small nose ring and handed her a ten for their admission. Bracing for that initial chill, Skye pushed her sister through the glass doors into the arena.
“Jeff has a hockey game. With Edward in D.C., Mark will be here and he won’t be able to run away from me or shut a door in my face. I have to try one last time.” Before she handed in the article tomorrow.
Faith flinched and pulled back as bodies rammed the boards ahead of them. “And why am I here?”
“He likes you. A lot more than me right now.”
“Sooo... You’re using me?” Faith said. “For the past month, I hardly see you ’cause when you’re not working at the bar or at the paper, or meeting with the architect, you’re out with Mark, or at the hospital visiting the Hastingses, and now that we get to spend a few hours together, you bring me here?”
“That’s a very negative way to look at it,” Skye said as she craned her head, peeking into the stands. She took her sister’s mittened hand and dragged her forward. “Come on.”
“If he wouldn’t listen to you the other times, why would he this time?”
Skye held up a folded piece of paper. “Names and phone numbers of the guys who wrote those articles. He needs to hear from them that they don’t know me and I didn’t tell them anything.”
“Why wouldn’t he think that they’d lie for you?”
Skye stopped and faced her sister. “He can’t. He just can’t ’cause I can’t think of any other way to convince him I’m innocent.” She started walking again.
“What if he’s not here? You wasted ten bucks.”
Skye searched through the fifty or so dedicated parents and energetic teens. “He’ll be here.”
Skye made sure they arrived a little bit into the first period, so Mark would be paying attention to the game. The rink echoed noisily with cheering, music, and sounds of bodies smashing into the boards. Skye looked left to the area where they’d sat last time and, sure enough, he sat in the same spot.
Skye gasped and froze. “Oh, no.”
“What’s the matter?”
“He’s not alone.”
* * *
Jeff glanced up into the stands to find Uncle Mark sitting in his usual place. Grandpa sat to his left, but then somebody else sat with them. He squinted to get a better look. Dad? No way. Dad wasn’t due back from D.C. until tomorrow. The puck whizzed by his stick—he’d missed a pass. Shit.
He sprinted after the puck. Twenty-one on the other team had it. Jeff slammed twenty-one into the boards and took the puck back. With an easy flick of the wrist, he flipped it to Evan, who, shot and scored. Yes.
Stick in the air, he circled behind the net and bumped Evan. Yeah, man. Nice and smooth. His dad and Mark were on their feet cheering. For once Dad wasn’t on the phone. He’d actually seen his assist. And from the ass-splitting grin on his father’s face, he’d finally done the old man proud. Jeff coasted back to the centerline.
The rest of the game blurred past, like a dream. Jeff scored twice, but with a last-minute grab the goalie caught his shot and robbed him of his hat trick. Still, it was one of his best games ever—and in front of Dad. Pretty cool.
Too bad Mom hadn’t been there, but he’d seen Dad pointing a camera in his direction. Dad didn’t know how to work the thing. The video would probably come out all jiggly and blurry, but it was better than nothing.
After the game, Jeff stifled the impulse to skate over to the men like he used to run to his parents after a little league game. Instead, he filed out with his teammates, took a record fast shower, threw his gear together, and sauntered out of the locker room. Dad and Grandpa were standing with some lady, while Uncle Mark talked to Skye—and neither looked happy.
Jeff hadn’t seen Skye since that time in the Village. Her eyes were overly bright, and if Uncle Mark’s back got any stiffer, he’d snap in two. Uncle Mark took some paper she handed him, crushed it, and threw it in the nearby garbage can. Skye’s eyes opened wide as she looked up at him.
Jeff’s pace slowed, and he frowned. Wonder what they’re fighting about. He hefted his sports bag and walked over to the others. As soon as his dad spotted him, he raised an arm and thumped him on the shoulders. “Great game, Jeff. You’ll get that hat trick next time. Well done.”
“Hey, Dad. What’re you doing here?”
“I cut out early to watch your game.” He looked at the lady. “Much more entertaining than listening to Ted Stevens go on endlessly about the internet.”
His dad left work early just to watch him play? He puffed out his chest. That was a first. Thank God he’d played well. From the way Dad had been cheering, he must have had a good time.
“I’m sure,” the lady said.
“Jeff, this is Mrs. Lynch. Ms. Kendall’s sister. They came to watch your game.”
Ms. Kendall’s sister didn’t look anything like her. She was a tall, skinny blond with bright blue eyes. Maybe they were steps.
“I don’t know anything about hockey, but you looked terrific to me,” she said with a warm smile.
Jeff grinned and bobb
ed his head. He’d had one of those rare magical games where everything went his way. “Thanks.”
“Yes, good job, Jeff,” Grandpa said.
“I was on.”
“I’ll say, and I caught a bunch of it.” Dad held up the video camera. “Recorded it for Mom.”
“Where’d you get that?”
“Bought it—well, I had Ben research it and pick it up for me this week. It’s been too long since we’ve had family movies.”
Had they ever? Maybe when he’d been young. Since his dad became a senator, only Mom took pictures. Uncle Mark came up on his right. Skye trailed behind, her nose red and her eyes glossy, like she’d been crying.
Uncle Mark raised his fist for Jeff to bump. “Way to go, kid.”
“Another great game, Jeff,” Skye said.
“Thanks.” His glance flickered away. Her over bright smile made him uneasy. He shifted his bag to the other shoulder and turned to Dad. “What’s for dinner? I’m starving.”
“How about we go out to celebrate?”
Really? “It’s only five-thirty. Don’t you have to work, or go to a meeting or something?”
“It can wait. Tonight we celebrate.”
Jeff grinned. “Great. Where?”
“Where do you want to go?”
“Little Tony’s?” They had the best burgers in town.
“Let’s do it.” Dad took his equipment bag and slung it over his shoulder. He’d never carried his gear before. Jeff could get used to this.
Jeff looked back at Uncle Mark, Skye, and her sister. “Comin’?”
“Your dad’s buying? I’m in.” Uncle Mark stared hard at Skye. “But I think the ladies have other plans.”
Skye blushed. “I... Yeah, thanks for the invitation, but we’ve got to get home. I just wanted to...ah... Faith loves hockey and I was telling her how great you were, so I thought we’d have a ladies afternoon out and watch you play.”
The Lives Between Us Page 33