Hope's Path

by Carrie Carr

  Lex smiled tenderly as she captured the hand in her hair. She brought it to her lips and held it there, waiting until Amanda's eyes were completely focused with hers. "As long as I have you with me, every day will be special, my love."

  "You're sweet," Amanda whispered. "I love you so much." She opened her hand and Lex kissed the palm. "Mmm."

  "I love you, too. You're the best birthday present that I could ever ask for." Lex's eyes opened wide when Amanda reached under a pillow and pulled out a fist-sized box. It was wrapped with brightly colored paper and matching ribbon. "You didn't have to do that."

  Amanda smiled happily. "I know that you don't like a big fuss, so I just got you a little something for now, and then a little bit more for tonight." She handed the package to the still-dazed woman. "Go on, open it."

  Lex grinned as she looked at the package in her hand. "It looks almost too pretty to tear into," she murmured. She slowly peeled the ribbon away and set it aside carefully.

  "Come on, honey. Just open it," Amanda urged impatiently. Amanda had watched intently as Lex enjoyed the wrapped package like a small child on Christmas morning. Later Amanda had told her how charmed she'd been by the way Lex savored the moment, taking her time to unwrap the box.

  When the last of the paper finally fell away, Lex was left holding a blue box with the word Seiko etched in silver across the top. With shaky hands she opened the box to reveal a beautiful silver and gold watch. "Oh, Amanda." She pulled the watch from the package and held it up. "It's stunning."

  Amanda released the breath that she had been holding in anticipation. "You really like it?" she asked.

  "It's incredible." Lex started to put it on then noticed the back of the watch. Engraved? She turned the watch slightly until the morning light from the windows reflected off its back. I will always protect and cherish your heart--Love, Your Amanda. Lex glanced up with tears in her eyes. "That's beautiful." She slipped the watch onto her left wrist and secured the clasp. "Perfect fit." Lex set the empty box down and framed Amanda's face with her hands. "Thank you, sweetheart. I will cherish it as I do you. Forever."

  Amanda leaned forward to meet Lex halfway. "You're very welcome," she whispered just before their lips touched. "Just wait until you get your other present tonight."

  Time had passed, and Lex still treasured the watch, thankful every day for Amanda's sweetness and the way she cherished other people. Lex sighed and pulled her sleeve back down. That had to be just about the best birthday that I've ever had. For a while there, it looked like I might not have another one with her. She shuddered and pressed back her feelings of fear. Then with one last quick look in the mirror she turned and left the ladies' room.

  "Ms. Walters." Nurse Hamil waved to her from down the hall. She waited patiently until Lex walked up to the nurse's station. "Good morning."

  "Good morning, ma'am." Lex smiled at her. "You've certainly put in a full day, haven't you?" She thought about the deception that she had played on the nurse last night. "I'm sorry about what I did last night. I really hope that I didn't get you into any trouble."

  The nurse waved the apology off. "Don't worry about it. Dr. Barnes had warned me that you would be showing up and told me to make sure you got in okay." She laughed at the surprised look on Lex's face. "It's okay. You weren't wearing any identification, so I normally wouldn't have let you in."

  "I kind of wondered why it was so easy to get through." Lex grinned. "Well, anyway, I really appreciate everything that you've done for Amanda. She's very important to me." That's an understatement. She's the most important thing in my life. She is my life.

  "That's what we're here for. Would you like to see her now?" The nurse patted Lex on the arm. "Come on. She should be awake any time now." She grasped Lex's forearm and led her to a nearby room.

  Lex paused at the door, suddenly unsure. She was afraid of what she might find on the other side of the door. "It's okay for me to go in?"

  The nurse nodded. "Of course it is. The doctor left a few minutes ago, and her family hasn't made it in yet." She leaned forward and whispered conspiratorially, "It's about an hour before visitors are allowed, but I won't tell if you won't."

  "Okay. Thank you." Lex smiled at the nurse. "If anyone calls for me, will you tell them where I am? I don't want my family to worry."

  "Sure. Now go on. She's probably awake already and wondering where you are." Nurse Hamil gently pushed Lex through the door.

  After last night's shock, Lex was relieved to see that all of the machines were gone from Amanda's bedside. The only thing left was the intravenous drip that stood discreetly by the headboard. She went quietly over to the bed and looked down at her resting lover. "Hi, beautiful," Lex whispered. She reached down and brushed Amanda's bangs away from her eyes. "You sure gave us a scare, you know." Lex looked around for a chair. Not seeing one, she decided to just stand by the bed. Her back still ached from carrying Amanda down the stairs the night before, but she was not about to leave Amanda's side. While one hand continued to comb through Amanda hair, her other grasped the hand unencumbered by tubes. "I would give anything to see those beautiful eyes again."

  Almost as if she heard Lex's wish, Amanda's eyelids fluttered open. She blinked several times and finally was able to focus on Lex's face. Her mouth opened, but only a strangled gasp came out. She reached for her throat in a panic.

  "Sshhh. It's okay, baby." Lex released her hold on Amanda's hand and poured her a glass of water from a nearby pitcher. "They had you hooked up to a respirator during the night. That's why your throat is so sore. Here. Take a sip or two." She helped Amanda take a few small sips of water. "How's that?"

  "Better," Amanda whispered with a grimace. "Still hurts, though." She looked up at her lover. "What happened? Where am I?"

  "Hospital. They're taking good care of you so don't worry."

  She frowned. "Hospital? What? The last thing I can remember is going to bed after dinner."

  Lex thought back to the frightening moment when she woke up with the feverish woman by her side. God. I don't think I can go through that again. Her eyes teared up, and she found it hard to breathe. "Well, I woke up, and you had a really high fever." Lex didn't realize that she'd sat on the edge of the bed until she felt Amanda's fingers tangle with hers.

  "Lex?" Amanda's voice was still raspy, but she was very concerned for her lover. Lex's eyes had filled with tears, and they didn't seem to be focused on any one thing in particular.

  "I couldn't get you to wake up. You got so sick so fast." Lex continued quietly. "We got you here, and they put you in Intensive Care." She choked back a sob. "Then they wouldn't tell me anything. I'm not family, they said."

  "Honey," Amanda could see that Lex was on the verge of a breakdown, "it's okay." She coughed slightly, then allowed her lover to help her with the cup of water again. "Thanks."

  Lex put the cup aside automatically. After the cup was taken care of, she ran her fingers through Amanda's hair, as if to reassure herself that Amanda was okay. Her other hand continued to hold Amanda's tightly. "The police even questioned me. They said that you had been poisoned and thought that I might have had something to do with it." Lex ignored the tears now trailing freely down her cheeks. "I did, you know."

  Amanda shook her head. Her natural protective instincts leapt to her partner's defense. "No, you didn't. Don't say that." Belatedly, she registered what Lex had said. "Wait. Poisoned? Are they sure? How would I get poisoned?" She could feel Lex's anguish, and it tore at her heart.

  "It's true. A kid slipped it into our drinks at the mall. He was probably trying to get at me." Lex sniffled and blinked to try and clear her vision. "It's all my fault. I killed her."

  "Who, love?" The conversation was quickly tiring Amanda, but she fought the sleep that pulled at her. She needs me. I don't think I've ever seen Lex so . . . lost.

  Lex looked down at their linked hands. "That old woman at the mall. I gave her my drink, and now she's dead." Her breathing quickened as she fought her em
otions. "And I almost killed you."

  Amanda pulled Lex forward until she was cradled against her chest. "Shhh. You did no such thing. Whoever put that stuff in our drinks did that, not you." She felt Lex tremble and then begin to sob. "It's okay. Everything is going to be okay." She heard the door open, looked past Lex, and raised one hand from Lex's back to wave at her grandmother. Anna Leigh nodded and backed through the door, closing it quietly behind her.

  "I almost lost you," Lex murmured. She had both arms wrapped tightly around Amanda as she continued to cry. "Oh, God."

  "Shhh." Amanda continued to rub her lover's back comfortingly. "I'm fine, really. It's all going to be all right." She looked at the tubes that ran down to her left hand. Guess it was pretty close. Poor Lex. But why would someone try to poison her? Oh, no. That means that someone else besides Ronnie's brother is after Lex.

  ANNA LEIGH LOOKED at the people gathered in the hallway with her. "Why don't we all go get a cup of coffee in the cafeteria? Lexington is with Mandy right now." She saw knowing smiles all around. "From what I could see, they both looked just fine."

  "That's great news," Charlie exclaimed. "I'll even buy the coffee." He took Martha's hand in his and led her down the hallway.

  Jacob looked at his wife, then at Jeannie and Frank. "We should give them a few minutes alone anyway, don't you think?" He reached for Anna Leigh's hand and followed the sheriff.

  Charlie had only taken a few steps when his pager went off. He looked down at the display and turned grim. "Let me just make a quick phone call, and I'll meet you all there." He leaned over and kissed Martha's forehead. "I won't be but a minute, sweetheart."

  "Come on, Martha. You can tell us some embarrassing stories about Lex while we wait." Jeannie took Martha by the arm and led her down the corridor.

  The sheriff watched his friends leave as he made his way to the row of payphones nearby. He sighed as he picked up a receiver and dropped his coins into the phone. After he dialed, he waited impatiently while the phone on the other end of the line rang.

  "Campbell here."

  "Hello, Robert. I just received your page." Charlie pulled out his notepad.

  The young man on the other end of the phone sighed in relief. "That was fast. Thanks for calling back so soon."

  The sheriff clicked his pen and turned to a clean sheet of paper. "No problem. What's up?"

  "I'm afraid you're not going to like it." Robert could be heard shuffling papers in the background. "We traced those phone calls that were made to Sterling."

  "Great. Where did they come from?"

  "We traced one number back to a local hotel, where a man fitting Mark Garrett's description had rented a room for the past two weeks. He paid cash, so we really have no solid proof that it was him." The prosecutor sighed wearily. "But it at least gives us a connection."

  Charlie wrote for a moment, then stopped. "A connection? What sort of connection? We already knew that Garrett posted bond for Matt Sterling."

  Robert paused for a moment. "We have a connection between Sterling and the person I believe is behind this whole mess. Seems his boss was calling from an office in his home."

  "Really? Then we have a positive ID on the employer?" The sheriff continued to write furiously. "Do we have a name?"

  The prosecutor paused a beat before answering. "The phone number was traced to a private office in the home of Michael Wayne Cauble."

  Chapter Nineteen

  THE RECEIVER DROPPED from Charlie's fingers. He watched it swing back and forth for a moment before he put the phone back to his ear. "Is that a positive identification? Are we sure that the phone number is registered to Michael Cauble?"

  "I'm afraid so. I personally ran the check three different times," Robert assured him. "I'd really like to talk to this man. Do you think that he'll be coming here to see his daughter?"

  "I'm not sure. His oldest daughter called last night to notify him and his wife of Amanda's condition. Neither one of them seemed too concerned." Charlie put his notepad back in his pocket. He looked up as the door to Amanda's room opened and a very haggard Lex walked out. "I've got to go, Robert. Page me if you get any more information, okay?"

  The prosecutor released a tired breath. "You've got it. I'll talk to you later, Charlie. Give my best to your family."

  Charlie hung up the phone and walked quickly over to Lex. "Lex? Are you okay?" She turned and fell into his arms. "What's wrong?"

  "Uncle Charlie." Lex buried her face in the older man's shirt and breathed in the familiar scent of his cologne. She cried with relief for a few moments, then pulled back, wiping ineffectually at her tears. "Sorry about that." It seems like all I do lately is cry. How pathetic is that?

  He pulled a handkerchief from his back pocket and used it to clean away the tears from her face as he asked, "What's the matter? Is Amanda okay?"

  Lex looked up at the sheriff, relieved. "She's fine. I'm a basket case, but she's okay." She looked around the hallway and then back to him. "Where's everyone else?"

  He wrapped his arm around her shoulders and led her away from the room. "They went to the cafeteria for a cup of coffee." Glancing down at Lex, he observed, "You look like you could use a cup yourself."

  "Yeah, I think I could. Are you buying?" She smiled up at the man who had always been there for her.

  "Yup." Charlie continued to lead her down the hall. "Come on. They probably make it nice and thick, just the way you like it."

  Lex laughed. "Great. Think they'll just give it to me intravenously? I'm so damned tired that I don't think I could lift the cup." She gratefully accepted the sheriff's arm around her waist as they headed toward the cafeteria.

  "YOU'VE GOT TO be kidding me." Martha almost spewed coffee through her nose. "She didn't actually do that, did she?"

  Anna Leigh nodded. "Took off all her clothes and raced through the front yard, right during shift change at the plant." She laughed with the others at the table. "I swear, the woman you know is not the same child I knew growing up. She was such a little exhibitionist as a toddler."

  Martha shook her head. "That's hard to believe. Amanda gets embarrassed just talking about anything related to that sort of thing." She met Jeannie's glance. "It embarrasses her to let me wash her underwear."

  "That sounds just like my sister," Jeannie shared. "She turned into such a prude when she grew up. I was afraid she was going to die a virgin." She felt an elbow in her side. "What?" Jeannie glared at her husband. "Well? It's true."

  Frank covered his face with one hand. "I can't believe you talk like this around your grandmother."

  Jeannie leaned over and whispered loudly in his ear, "She knows about sex. How do you think my dad got here?"

  The big man blushed. "Jeez."

  Lex sat next to the red-faced man and leaned into him. "What's the matter, Frank? You look a little flustered." She nodded and smiled gratefully to Charlie when he set a cup of coffee down in front of her. "Thanks, Uncle Charlie."

  "No problem, kiddo." The sheriff took his place next to his fiancée'. "Hello there, beautiful. What are you folks jabbering about?"

  "Just telling some old stories to pass the time. How's Mandy doing, Lexington?" Anna Leigh asked the exhausted woman.

  Lex looked up from her cup of coffee. "She's sleeping right now. But she was feeling pretty good, other than having a sore throat from the respirator." Lex bit her lip to keep from crying. She just looks so tiny and frail in that bed, all alone. I should have never promised her that I would go lie down for a while. I hate leaving her by herself. Damn.

  Jacob reached across the table and took Lex's hand in his. "I'm glad you were there for her, Lex, but you look like you're about to fall over." Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Jeannie quietly leave the table. "Why don't you go back to the hotel and get a little rest?"

  "I promised Amanda that I would take a nap, but I didn't actually tell her I would leave the hospital." Lex quickly drained her coffee cup. "I think I'll go find a quiet corner in the waitin
g room to curl up in." She stood slowly.

  Martha stood also. "I think that we can do better than that, Lexie." She smiled as Jeannie walked back into the room and gave her a thumbs up. The housekeeper was about to lead her charge from the room when a young nurse stopped them.

  "Excuse me. Are you Ms. Walters?" She had been given a detailed description of the woman, but the lady that stood before her was more beautiful than the man on the phone had described.

  "What's wrong?" Martha asked. She had one arm wrapped protectively around Lex and wasn't about to let go.

  Lex smiled faintly at the nurse. "I'm Lexington Walters. Is something wrong with my--friend?" She stammered a bit on the last word, unsure of how their relationship could best be described.

  "Oh, no. Nothing like that. There's a phone call for you at the nurses' station. It's a Mr. Dempsey. He says that it's quite urgent."

  The housekeeper scoffed. "That old geezer thinks that everything is urgent." She remembered when he would call the ranch all upset at the slightest rise or fall in the market. Joshua Dempsey had been Victoria's investment broker. When Lex's mother passed away and left a large sum of her funds to Lex, he had stayed on to make certain that unscrupulous men, like her older brother, wouldn't take Lex for all she had.

  "How did he know where to find me?" Lex looked at Martha, who shrugged innocently.

  "I wouldn't know. I called Roy before we left, so that he could keep an eye on the house for us. But he's the only one I told. I think that old man is psychic, or something." She shook her head.

  Lex sighed. "Might as well go talk to him before he has a stroke." She smiled at the nurse. "Thanks for coming to get me."

  "No problem." The nurse returned the smile before leaving the room.

  Martha squeezed Lex gently. "Do you want me to talk to him and just take a message?"

  "No, I'll talk to him. I was supposed to call him earlier this week anyway." Lex turned slightly and looked at Martha. "When I finish with him, I'm going to go hide somewhere and take a quick nap." She pulled her into a strong hug. "I'll see you later, okay, Mada?"