by Dana Mason
Johnny fumbled with his own clothes for a minute, before stopping and taking a deep breath. Relax, just calm down and relax. His hands shook and his heart beat painfully in his chest. Once he got his clothes off, he stared at Ali’s pale body, the remaining bruises standing out boldly. He reached out for her, his hand jittering as it rested on her cheek. Her eyes opened and the emptiness of her gaze was startling.
He had to bring her back, make her feel something before he lost her. He missed the golden glow of her skin and the shine of her eyes. It was as if she were fading before him and he was powerless to stop it.
He moved over her, sliding his hand between her thighs. She grew wet slowly, and eventually lifted to his touch. He was pushing her for too much too soon, but he needed to make her feel something other than despair.
He flipped her onto her stomach and gripped her waist, lifting her to him. Her bare back rested against his naked chest. He held her for a moment, his lips resting on her shoulder, enjoying the taste of her, and the scent he’d missed so much.
She shuddered and inclined further back, snuggling into his arms. Johnny held her tight with his hands on her breasts and moved into her, gently at first, then harder and faster until she cried out and pushed against him.
“I’ve got you, sweet Alison. Oh God . . .” He needed her more than he had realized. The last few days of loneliness and fear slipped away as his tension faded.
Johnny pushed her back down on the bed and pulled her hips again, lifting her rear in the air. He wouldn’t slow down until her tension gave too. Her body curved and she dropped her head, crying out as she climaxed. He fought not to come with her. She needed more. He kept pushing until she clutched the sheets. He threaded his hand in her long mane of blond hair and pulled her head as she arched her back. She grew tighter and he couldn’t hold back any longer.
Johnny collapsed on the bed and drew her into his arms. It took him several minutes to catch his breath and he could feel her quick breaths brush his chest. Damn it, he shouldn’t have pushed her. He deserved for her to throw him out.
He ached for her like nothing he’d ever felt before. How had he gotten through his life until now without her? What would he do if he lost her . . . and Micah? He stroked his hand down her back and lay silent, praying she didn’t hold it against him. The air in the room grew heavy and sweat popped up again on his forehead. He glanced down at her. She was staring into his chest, her face content, her lids heavy.
“Are you okay?” he asked. “Did I hurt you?”
She lifted her hand and stroked his bare chest. “No. Did I hurt you?” she whispered.
Johnny lay quiet for a long time, not sure how to answer. Honestly, yes, those words ‘I hate you’ were akin to a hot branding iron on his heart even when said in desperation. He tugged her closer and said, “I’m just glad you’re back to life. You scared me.” He couldn’t care what she said before. The words didn’t compare to the pain over her missing child.
“I’m sorry I scared you,” she said. “I don’t deserve to have you, I don’t deserve this.”
“Yes, you do, stop with the guilt. What happened to Micah is not your fault.”
“This has to get easier right? It can’t possibly get any harder.”
“I don’t know, but I’ll help you. If you’ll let me.” He squeezed her tighter. “We’ll get through this together.”
“I’m sorry . . . this is hard for you too.”
“It’s harder when you don’t let me help you. Stop pushing me away and let me take care of you.”
She turned and cupped his face in her hands and kissed his lips gently. “Thank you.”
Ali watched Johnny eat while waiting for her food. She honestly couldn’t remember the last time they’d eaten. Her days were blurred together, a mix of confusion and sorrow. Pain. Even sleep didn’t bring relief to the pain she felt when she thought about her baby. Never in her life had Ali felt so helpless. She closed her eyes and tried to inhale a steady breath, pins and needles attacked her senses, the numbness from laying in one place for so long fading completely, now she just felt exhausted. She had no idea of the day . . . or the time and she didn’t really care. It seemed to her, counting the days only made everything more excruciating.
After she and Johnny finished eating, they sat at the table staring at each other, waiting for news. She looked around the room at the other faces also waiting. Mark, Brian, even Agent Simms looked exhausted.
Agent Peters and Melissa were gone . . . she had a faint memory of Julie being there before also . . . but she couldn’t be sure. Before Ali had a chance to ask, the dining room door swung open and Melissa stepped in, her face pale and drawn.
“What is it?” Brian asked.
“They’ve identified the body,” she said, her voice trembling. “Agent Peters is on his way back here.”
“It’s about damn time,” Mark said.
“How do you know?” Brian asked.
“They just showed him leaving the Coroner’s office on the live news coverage.”
Ali swallowed hard and looked at Johnny, but he looked just as withdrawn as she felt. She turned back to see Melissa’s face crumple and tears seep from her eyes. Ali’s heart raced at the sight of Melissa’s tears. What if it was Micah? She stared, unable to stand and comfort her sister, unable to move at all.
Brian wrapped his arms around Melissa and held her while she cried. “Lis, shh . . . stop crying. It’s going to be okay,” he said trying to sooth her. “I’m sure it’s not Micah.”
“You don’t know that,” Melissa cried and Ali lost the slight grip of control she had too.
Her hands started to tremble and the food she’d just ate was turning in her stomach. “What if it is Micah, they wouldn’t have told us over the phone. Peters would tell us in person.”
“It’s not!” Brian’s voice was raised, but he waved Mark down, who was pacing now. “It’s not, come on, hold it together, guys. Don’t do this,” he said against Melissa’s shoulder. He sat Melissa down in the nearest chair and with a shaky voice said, “Just relax and think positive here—damn it—send good vibes. What’s the word—ju-ju, we need some good ju-ju.” He looked up at the ceiling then he started pacing the room too.
“Ju-Ju,” Melissa snorted through her tears.
Johnny chuckled. “And he said I was a mess.”
Brian shot a finger at Johnny. “Shut up, Bennett!”
The dining room door opened slowly and they all turned as Agent Peters peeked around the corner. “So?” Melissa said impatiently as Peters inched into the room.
“What the hell, Peters?” Brian asked.
Bill Peters shook his head. “It’s not Micah.”
A collective gasp sounded throughout the room, and at the same time, Ali bent over gasping for air. Johnny grabbed her and pulled her to him in a tight embrace.
“Oh my gosh,” Ali breathed with a quivering voice. “Oh thank God.”
“It’s not him, sweetheart,” Johnny whispered with his face buried in her hair. When Johnny pulled back, Ali turned toward Agent Peters and her heart sank a little more. “It’s not right to celebrate,” she said, wiping her face. “This wasn’t my baby, but it was somebody’s. Do you know who he was?”
“We’re not sure. He was very small, only a few weeks old. We’re running on two assumptions. Abandonment; someone could have left him to die there alone . . . or he died of natural causes and the mother was too scared to take him to the hospital.” He looked down at his feet then back up at their appalled faces. “We’re sincerely hoping for the second.”
“Wow,” Ali said. “My baby was stolen to be sold on the black market while other babies are being abandoned and left to die.” She covered her face with her hands again. “What is this world coming too?”
“Sweetheart, let’s focus on the positive.” Johnny grabbed her wrist and pulled her hands from her face. “It wasn’t Micah, which means, he’s still out there.”
Ali nodded but she couldn�
��t stop the tears as they fell from her eyes. She had nothing left to give, nothing left to feel and nothing left to think about, but the constant emptiness in her heart.
“Let me take you upstairs so you can lie down,” Johnny said.
Ali dropped her hands and followed him up, hoping to succumb to the numbness and stop feeling.
Chapter Twenty-Two
Ali turned to see Brian and Melissa standing in the doorway of her bedroom. She’d only been lying down for a couple of hours. The sun was starting to set and the room was growing dark. They didn’t sleep, couldn’t after the long hours spent fearing Micah dead. She and Johnny had just lay there in silence, holding each other, longing for the ordeal to be over and to have Micah back home. Johnny turned when they entered too, sitting up when they approached the bed.
Melissa clicked the light switch and Ali said, “What’s going on?” Their expressions—both of their expressions—made her heart jump out of her chest. “Has something happened?”
“We have some news,” Brian said and a smile lit his face.
Ali gripped her chest and tried to breathe, but the air got stuck in her lungs.
Brian approached her with his hand outstretched. “Breathe, guys, it’s a positive development.”
“Come on, just tell us what?” Johnny said, lifting his feet over the side of the bed and dropping them on the floor. “Brian, what the hell is going on?”
“Newman got a call on the hotline from a firehouse in Sac. The Chief there says he got a baby dropped off a while ago. They thought he was a safe surrender, but just in case they called the hotline.” He held up his phone. “He texted a picture”—Brian’s smile widened—“Sure as hell looks a lot like our little Micah.”
Ali snatched the phone, bringing it close to her face. “Oh dear God! That’s Micah!” She jumped off the bed, bouncing on her feet, hugging the phone close to her chest. “It’s my baby!”
“There’s live coverage,” Melissa said, grabbing the remote and clicking on the TV. She switched to Channel Two just in time for a banner to flash, “BREAKING NEWS.”
Live footage cut to the front of a firehouse and a fireman being interviewed by a reporter. The ticker at the bottom of the screen flashed the firefighter’s name. Fire Chief Handley, West Sacramento, and the headline, ‘Baby Found.’
“He was right there”—he pointed—“cuddled up in a blanket inside a baby car seat.”
Ali gasped and threw her hand over her mouth as tears flooded her eyes.
“ . . . We’re not positive it’s the missing baby, but it sure looked like him,” the firefighter said.
“Where is the baby now?” the reporter asked.
“Our paramedics took him directly to Davis Med Center to be checked out.”
Ali gasped again, then held her breath and whimpered, “Is he hurt?”
The reporter asked, “Did the baby appear to be injured?”
“No—no, he seemed fine, but we wanted to have him looked at. I called the hotline after the ambulance pulled out of the station.”
Ali jumped into Johnny’s arms, squeezing him with everything she had. Then she pulled back and reached for Brian. He trembled in her arms, agitated and nervous. “He’s okay, right?” she asked, releasing him.
Brian nodded and said, “We haven’t confirmed anything yet, but it looks good.” His voice wavered and more tears dropped from Ali’s eyes when she smiled at him.
“Let’s go!” Ali said. “Let’s go to Sacramento and get him.”
“Ali, slow down,” Brian held his hand up. “Peters is already on his way out there. We’ll know in an hour or two, depending on the traffic.”
They all turned when the front door opened and slammed shut. Loud, pounding footsteps sounded up the stairs, and then Mark burst into the room. He stopped suddenly and exhaled as if he were holding his breath. “Any more news?” He glanced from Melissa to Ali. “It’s him right—it has to be Micah?”
“It is!” Ali said, holding out Brian’s phone with the photo.
Mark laughed and hugged Ali, bringing more tears to her eyes.
The front door opened and shut again. “Who the hell could that be?” Brian asked, turning out of the room. They all followed, but Ali stopped abruptly on the bottom step when she saw her mother standing in the foyer in tears.
Susan rushed forward and embraced Ali. They both sobbed. When Ali caught her breath, she pulled back and met her mother’s eyes.
“I saw the news. Have you heard anything yet?” Susan asked.
“It’s him, Mom,” Melissa said. “Look at the photo.”
Ali stepped back and held up Brian’s cell phone with the picture displayed.
Susan’s gasped and gripped a hand over her mouth and mumbled, “That’s him, Alison . . . it’s really him.”
Ali and her mother chuckled through their tears. “Yes. That is my Micah,” she said, turning to find Johnny. He was standing in the shadows . . . and who could blame him for being uncomfortable? She had to find a way to smooth things over between the two of them. She wanted Micah to come home to a tension free family.
Melissa and their mother made coffee and with the addition of caffeine, Ali’s house looked like a weird party for nervous speed addicts. Almost everyone was pacing, but they also had smiles. Julie showed up and was in the corner talking with Melissa. Ali thought about high school when they were inseparable, only now instead of standing with them, Brian stood at a distance, head bowed but with his eyes on the two of them.
Her mother had Johnny cornered and was thanking him for his heroics in the parking lot when Micah was taken. Ali stood close, ready to rescue Johnny if needed. Her mother was humble, and hugged him with tears streaming down her face. Johnny was taken aback at first, but then he relaxed and wrapped his arms around her, meeting Ali’s eyes. He smiled, looking a little boyish and uncertain. Mother didn’t often admit to being wrong, and now having done it twice in just a matter of days was huge and gave Ali hope for her yet.
Ali turned to check the status with Brian again when cheers erupted from outside, and the front door opened. Agent Peters rushed in, carrying a baby. Ali’s breath caught in her throat and Johnny grabbed both her arms tightly to keep her from collapsing.
“Micah,” she gasped. Her tears falling freely as she rushed to take her son from him. Her heart soared, the all-consuming fear fading as she looked Micah over from toes to nose. She held him close, forgetting about the room full of people behind her. Her baby. Her little boy was home and safe.
Intense relief flowed through her. He felt so good. She rubbed her face against the top of his head and kissed him, reveling in the softness, and the pulse of pleasure at the touch of his skin. Thank you, God, thank you for giving my baby back to me. Johnny slipped his hands around them from behind and held them close and Ali felt him shudder next to her.
“Thank you for bringing my baby back to me,” Ali said to Agent Peters as tears dropped from her chin.
Johnny let her go and she turned to see tears in everyone’s eyes too. Her mother hugged her and Micah first, then Melissa, and in turn Mark, Brian, and Julie.
“I’m going to run home and tell Jamie and Sarah before they see it on the news.” Mark looked at Ali, wiped a tear from her cheek then kissed Micah on his fuzzy head. “I’ll bring Jamie back tomorrow morning so you can have tonight with Micah.”
“Thank you for everything,” she said, smiling through her tears.
He nodded then turned to leave.
“Us too,” Brian said. “I’m going to go check out the video surveillance from the firehouse with Peters, but we’ll do it in my office and leave you guys alone.”
Ali reached out and hugged him. “Thank you, Brian. Thank you for everything you’ve done, I’ll never be able to . . .”
“Stop. That’s what friends do.” He withdrew from her hug and shook Johnny’s hand. “Call me if you need anything. See you, guys.”
When they were gone, Ali was left with her mother, Melissa and
Johnny while Agent Simms packed up their equipment. She turned to her mother and sister, her arms still gripping Micah to her chest. “I can’t believe he’s home.” She laid her cheek against his head. “I need to go make some bottles; the ones in the fridge are too old.”
“I’ll do it,” Susan said. “Go sit down and enjoy your son.”
“And I’m going to make sure the kitchen is clean so you don’t have to worry about it,” Melissa said.
When they were gone Ali started crying again and turned to Johnny. He wrapped his arms around both her and Micah and they cried together while Micah squirmed between them. Her world was right again. She took a deep breath, feeling like it was the first time she’d tasted the air.
Johnny caught his breath and said, “He smells funny, not like Micah.”
Ali gave a watery chuckle. “I don’t care.” She pushed back. “Here, you can have a turn. Sorry I took so long.”
Johnny’s breath caught as she handed Micah to him. “Hey, little guy,” he said, taking Micah and wrapping him in his arms close to his chest. “We missed you.” His voice shook, but he had the biggest smile on his face. He met Ali’s eyes and said, “Don’t apologize, you’re his mother. I could’ve waited.” He reached out for her and pulled her too him. “Come here, sweetheart.”
Chapter Twenty-Three
Johnny maneuvered the crib out of Micah’s room and pushed it into the master bedroom to keep him close all night. Ali smiled as he fought with the crib, warmth spreading through her, happy with the knowledge that he wanted Micah close too. Well . . . really . . . happy about everything. She didn’t think anything could ruin her mood. Micah was home, both her boys were safe and she had Johnny here, all to herself.
When he finished moving the crib, she placed new sheets and clean blankets in it. “Would you like to help me give him a bath?”
“I have a better idea.” He went into the hall bathroom and grabbed all the baby bath supplies and carried them into Ali’s master bath.