by Carrie Carr
The door opened and Amanda came in, carrying a large bouquet in one hand and a piece of paper in the other. "Hi honey." She walked over to the bed, put the flowers on the adjustable table and gave Lex a kiss. "How are you feeling this morning?"
"A lot better. Do you think you can talk to the doctor and maybe get me out of here today?"
Amanda ran her fingers through Lex's hair. She was relieved to see the confining head gear missing. "We'll see." She held up the paper she was holding. "Lorrie colored this for you." It was a picture from a coloring book, with a cow eating grass. Scribbles of different shades of crayon were scratched across the page.
"It's great." Lex closed her eyes at the gentle head massage. "I want to go home." She caught Amanda's hand and held it close to her chest. "I missed you last night." At least she did whenever the pain would wake her and she lay in the darkness waiting for relief. That quiet time, when no one stirred in the halls and it took what seemed like forever before the nurse arrived to assist her, was the loneliest part of the night.
"I missed you, too. Lorrie keeps asking where her Momma is. Do you feel up to a visit?"
Lex's heart swelled at the thought of seeing their daughter. Knowing that she was missed made her aches fade and she found herself looking forward to seeing Lorrie. "I'd like that. Do you think it would scare her, seeing me laid up like this?"
"I don't think so. As long as I explain it to her, she should be fine. She's pretty sharp." Amanda brushed her thumb across Lex's cheek. "You're hurting, I can tell."
"Some," Lex admitted. "But I don't want to stay hopped up on drugs all the time. I'd rather be able to talk to you."
Amanda smiled at that. "I'd rather not see you in pain. But, I can appreciate where you're coming from." She gestured toward the vase of flowers. "Lorrie helped me pick these out. She liked the ivy, but it was too big to carry."
"I love them and the picture." Lex brought Amanda's hand to her lips and kissed the knuckles. "I love you."
"I love you, too. Were you able to get any sleep at all?"
"A little."
"Yeah, I didn't, either. Lorrie kept singing the new song Gramma taught her in the tub last night. I thought she'd never settle down."
Lex grinned. "What song was that?"
"Eeebee 'pider."
"What?"
Amanda held out both hands, twisting them so that her pinky fingers were pointed in opposite directions. She touched the tips of her thumbs together. "Well, at least that's what Lorrie called it. Itsy, bitsy, spider." She moved her hands up and down, so that her pinky fingers waved in opposite positions.
Rolling her eyes, Lex mentally pictured the little girl's antics. "She got into it, huh?"
"Oh, yeah. I may have to do some serious harm to my grandmother for that one. Old MacDonald is bad enough."
"As I can see from the artwork you brought, she still has that thing for cows, doesn't she?" Lex remembered Lorrie's excitement every time she saw one of the animals.
"Uh-huh. And now, she's also going on about dogs. One of the kids at the church brought pictures of his new puppy and I think she's a little jealous."
Lex considered that. As a child, she was never allowed to have a dog. The times she would ask, her father would refuse. He claimed it would upset the cattle, but Lex thought it had more to do with his fear of the animals. He had mentioned one time that when he was a child, he had been bitten by a neighbor's terrier. She mentally shook off the thought. "What do you think? Should we get her one?"
"I don't know. I thought I'd mention it to you, so that you'd know." Amanda propped one hip against the bed. "It might give her something to concentrate on, besides the baby."
"Maybe so." Lex touched Amanda's stomach. "How are you feeling?"
Covering Lex's hand with her own, Amanda sighed. "A little nauseous. But it's a lot easier to tolerate now that I know what's causing it." A rueful smile touched her face. "Although I'd gladly give up the constant trips to the bathroom. And, speaking of which, I'll be right back." She rolled her eyes and went into the adjoining washroom.
As the outside door opened, Lex looked up to see Charlie and Martha walk in. "Hi."
"Hey there, kiddo." He lightly squeezed Lex's good leg. "Aren't you about through lazing around?"
Lex laughed then grimaced. "Ow. Don't make me laugh, Charlie. Hey, why aren't you at work?"
"Like he could stay away from here." Martha straightened the bedcovers. "You're looking a mite better than yesterday."
"Thanks. I'm doing all right." Lex grabbed her hand. "Stop fussing."
Amanda came out of the bathroom. "Who's fussing?"
"Martha." Lex soaked up the love from her family. She looked up into Martha's eyes. "I'm fine."
"Damned kid." Martha sniffled. "Don't you dare scare me like that again, you hear? I'm getting my gray hair fast enough without you helping."
Lex clasped her hand tighter. "I'm sorry. I'll try to do better." She looked over at her lover. "Have you given them the news?"
Charlie turned his gaze back and forth between Lex and Amanda. "What news? Are you getting released?"
"Nope. Better." Lex grinned at Amanda. "You haven't told them?"
Amanda shook her head. "No, I wanted to wait until we were together." She stood on the other side of Lex and placed her hand on her shoulder. "I'm pregnant."
Martha raised her hands and clapped them together. "I knew it!" She turned to her husband. "See? I told you."
"You sure did." His smile almost covered his whole face. "Congratulations, you two. That's wonderful news."
"Wait a minute. What do you mean, you knew it?" Amanda asked Martha. "How did you know?"
"Please, honey. Even I knew that you had all the classic symptoms. Surely you had some inkling." Martha hurried around the bed and hugged Amanda. "You're so cute."
Amanda returned the embrace and pulled away slightly. "There has been so much going on lately, that I didn't realize how long it was since we had seen the doctor. I had to have Gramma tell me."
Lex turned to look at her. "Your grandmother figured it out?" She started laughing. "I would have loved to have heard that conversation."
"Hush." Amanda crossed her arms over her chest, then chuckled herself. "It was pretty funny. I can't believe, after wanting this baby so badly, that I didn't realize what was going on in my own body."
"Don't you worry about it." Martha shook her finger at Lex. "And don't you be giving her a hard time. Just because you're stuck in that bed, it doesn't mean I can't take my spoon to your behind."
Holding up her good hand, Lex surrendered. "I'll behave, promise." She turned her eyes to Charlie. "Are you going to stand there, or are you going to help me?"
"Oh, no. Don't get me involved in this." He backed away from the bed. "I'm afraid you're outnumbered this time."
"Gee, thanks." Lex tried, but was unable to keep the grin from her face. She was too excited about Amanda's pregnancy to care.
THE BANDAGE COVERED his nose and close to half of his face. Hubert grimaced at his reflection and straightened his tie. He had one more idea to make some quick money. Picking up his jacket from the bed, he left the house. Hubert looked in the driveway and cursed. Losing the car upset him more than the loss of his wife. He took off down the sidewalk, still grumbling under his breath.
It took him almost half an hour to reach the diner. When he stepped inside, he noticed his old friend sitting in a corner booth. Ted Hotchiss only lowered his newspaper when he realized someone had sat in the booth across from him.
"Hubert? I heard you were in town. What on earth happened to your face?" Ted laid his paper on the seat next to him. He wasn't too surprised to see Hubert. Once he heard he had returned from prison, Ted figured it was only a matter of time before Hubert looked him up.
"Long story." Hubert waved to the waitress, who took her time coming over to the table. "Hey, babe. Get me a coffee."
Francine wrinkled her nose and shrugged. "All right." She checked the table. "Woul
d you like anything else, Ted?"
"No, I'm fine. Thanks."
With another disdainful look at Hubert, she turned and left.
Hubert stretched against the back of the booth. "So, how are you doing, bud?"
"Not bad. Business has been pretty good."
"Uh-huh." Hubert leaned forward. "Listen, I'm in a bind. Someone closed up my old office while I was gone and now the damn place is a sewing shop." He took the coffee Francine placed on the table and brought the cup to his lips. Blowing on the hot liquid, he took a cautious sip. "Since your business is so good, what do you say to having a partner?"
Ted felt a sudden chill at those words. The last thing he needed was trouble and he knew the man across the table from him was chock full of it. He had been trying to distance himself from Hubert since he'd been in jail, for that very reason. "I don't think I have enough clients to justify that, Hubert. Wouldn't it be better for you to reopen somewhere else?"
Slamming his coffee mug onto the table, Hubert cursed as some of the drink spilled onto his hand. "Dammit!" He sucked on the skin between his thumb and index finger in an attempt to squelch the pain. "Are you saying you're not going to help me? After all I've done for you?"
"Give me a break." Ted had heard enough from his former friend. "You never do anything for anyone else, unless it suits you. Now if you'll excuse me," he picked up his paper and opened it, "I've got things to do."
Hubert glared at him. He waited several minutes for Ted to say something, but all he got was a rustling of the paper the other man held in front of himself. "You've got to be kidding me." He grabbed the paper and yanked it down. "Hey, dammit. I'm talking to you."
Ted shook out the paper and resumed his previous position. "Goodbye, Hubert."
"Goddammit!" Hubert slapped his hands on the table and stood. "This is bullshit. You haven't seen the last of me, asshole!"
Watching him leave, Ted shook his head. "That's what I'm afraid of."
LEX'S GRIMACE TURNED into a smile when Anna Leigh stepped into her room, balancing Lorrie on one hip. The little girl squealed and held out her hands.
"Momma!" Lorrie wriggled in her grandmother's grasp. She continued to struggle until Anna Leigh brought her next to the bed.
"Hold on there, lil' bit." Lex raised her good arm and caught Lorrie's hand. "Put her here next to me."
Anna Leigh continued to hold the squirming child. "Are you certain that's a good idea, Lexington? She's quite rambunctious today."
"Please." Lex bit back a groan as Lorrie joined her on the bed. She was glad Amanda had left the room a few moments earlier, otherwise she might not have gotten away with having Lorrie with her. "How's my girl? Have you been good for Gramma?"
"Yep." Seeming to sense her mother's pain, Lorrie lightly touched Lex's injured shoulder. "Momma's owie hurt?"
Lex nodded. "A little." She kissed the tiny hand that touched her lips. "But it's feeling a lot better since you're here."
"I brought--" Amanda came into the room, holding a paper bag. Her words died on her lips while she watched Lex with their daughter. She stood next to her grandmother and kept her voice low so as not to disturb them. "Thanks for bringing Lorrie in, Gramma. Lex has been dying to see her."
Anna Leigh leaned closer to her. "It was my pleasure. I did try to explain to her that Lexington wasn't feeling well and she had to be easy on her. And from the looks of it, I believe she understood."
Lorrie lay against Lex's side and propped her head on her uninjured shoulder. She closed her eyes and snuggled as close as she could. In no time at all, she was asleep.
Lex put her arm around Lorrie to keep her from falling. Once she realized the child had fallen asleep, she looked up and noticed Amanda in the room. "Oh, hi."
"Hi, yourself." Amanda put the paper bag on the small table beside the bed. "I brought you something to eat."
"Please tell me it's barbequed ribs."
Amanda shook her head. "I'm afraid not. But I did think about it.
I didn't know how you would have handled eating them." She took a wrapped package from the bag. "You'll have to settle for a barbeque brisket sandwich, instead." She used the controls to raise the top of the bed, until Lex was upright. Lorrie never stirred. Amanda unwrapped the top portion of the sandwich and handed it to her lover.
After the first bite, Lex rolled her eyes in ecstasy. "Mmm. That's fantastic." It didn't take her long to finish her lunch and she wadded up the paper the best she could. She exchanged it for a paper napkin from Amanda and wiped her mouth and chin. "Thank you."
"You're very welcome." Amanda tossed the trash into a nearby receptacle. "Has the doctor been by?"
"No, not yet. I'm hoping that means I'm getting out of here today."
Anna Leigh placed her hand on Lex's uninjured leg. "Please don't rush things, Lexington. I know you are tired of being here, but you need to follow the doctor's orders."
"Don't worry, she will." Amanda pinched several strands of Lex's hair and tugged. "Isn't that right?"
"Yes, ma'am."
Bending over to kiss her lover's lips, Amanda whispered, "Good." She straightened up and looked down into Lorrie's peaceful face. "She's been going nuts without you."
Lex stroked the sleeping child's hair. "I've missed her, too. You never realize how much you love and care for someone until you almost lose them."
"Yeah." Amanda brushed her knuckles across Lex's cheek. "Let's keep that from happening, okay?"
"You bet. I plan on being around to see her kids graduate from college." Lex put her hand behind Amanda's head and pulled her forward. "Come here, beautiful." Their lips touched and neither of them noticed when Anna Leigh slipped quietly from the room.
Chapter Nineteen
IT HAD BEEN a long week. Lex had spent the majority of it relegated to the lower floor of the house. When she was very lucky, she was allowed to spend time sitting on the front porch. She had conveniently "lost" the sling for her arm not long after returning from the hospital. The sturdy brace she wore on her injured leg made it hard for her to walk. Refusing to use the wheelchair Amanda rented for her, she instead relied heavily on a cane.
Martha came outside and placed her hands on her hips. She stared at Lex, who used her good foot to push the porch swing back and forth. "Are you still pouting?"
"I'm not pouting."
"You could have fooled me." Martha wiped her hands on her ever-present dishtowel and sat next to the sullen woman. "She did it for your own good, you know."
"Hmph." Lex didn't care for the reason behind Amanda's betrayal. At least that's what it felt like. She had hoped, of all people, her partner would understand. But no, Amanda had sided with Martha. She assumed Amanda would remember how it felt, to be stuck at the house all the time with nothing to do. Surely she would have realized Lex's feelings on the matter. Lex lowered her gaze to her feet, which were only covered with heavy socks. "She hid my damned boots."
Failing in her attempt to stifle her laughter, Martha patted Lex on the leg. "That's what you get for trying to go riding, Lexie. You know you're supposed to be taking it easy."
"I feel like a bum." Lex fussed with the sturdy brace that covered her right leg, from mid-thigh to her ankle. "I'm tired of lazing around. There are things I need to be doing."
"Like what? Roy and the others have everything under control. And how do you plan to do these things? You can barely walk." Martha understood where she was coming from, but refused to allow Lex to injure herself further by over-stressing her knee.
Straightening in the swing, Lex crossed her arms over her chest. It was the same argument she had heard from Amanda. It's wasn't like she wanted to go out riding or anything. Only a short trip to the barn to see the horses. Surely that wasn't too strenuous. But both Amanda and Martha took turns not letting her out of their sight. If it hadn't been for getting to spend time with Lorrie, Lex would have mutinied sooner. "I'm using the cane, aren't I? Besides, it's not that far to the barn."
"Ahem."
> Lex turned to see Amanda leaning against the door jam. "Um, hi."
"Don't hi, me." Amanda's arms were also folded across her chest, and she wore a perturbed look on her face. "Has she been giving you a hard time, Martha?"
Not wanting to get into the middle of another disagreement between the two women, Martha stood. "Actually, I believe now would be a good time to bake that cake. And I'll see if Lorrie is up from her nap." She went in the house.
Amanda didn't move. Although she thought Lex looked adorable when she didn't get her way, she knew it wasn't the right time to admit it. She continued to stare at her lover, unwilling to break eye contact. "Well?"
"What?"
"Are you still mad about your boots?"
Lex turned away and found the grass in the front yard fascinating. She didn't like being treated like a child and couldn't understand why a short walk to the barn was such a big deal. "No."
"Liar." Amanda pushed off from the door and joined Lex on the swing. "I suppose we have been a little rough on you. Will you ever forgive us?"
"I guess."
Amanda snuggled against Lex. "How about," she unfastened a button on Lex's shirt and sneaked her hand inside, "tonight, after dinner," her nails lightly scratched Lex's belly, "Lorrie and I go down to the barn with you?" She noticed her partner's eyes closed. "Lex?"
"Mmm?" Lex inhaled and trapped Amanda's hand. No longer upset, she forgot what she had been mad about to begin with. She turned her head and easily found Amanda's lips with her own. The barn could wait. It was turning out to be a nice afternoon. Very nice, indeed.
CLEVE TURNED HIS head first one way, then the other. No matter how he looked at his reflection, his flattened nose mocked him. The purple bruises beneath his eyes were still dark and the jagged tear across one cheek would leave a nasty scar. He blamed Lex for his appearance. The men who beat him worked for her and he believed they were only doing her bidding. There could be no other explanation for their behavior. He was a great guy. No one would do him harm, unless they were paid to do so. He touched the scab on his face. The bitch would pay.