Saving Hannah

by J P Barnaby

  “Bullshit. He put me in prison in the first place.”

  “I asked him to look into this Aleksander Sanna. He said that the guy looked respectable, but the fact that you were getting together so fast concerned him. Like it concerned me. I didn’t tell him why he wanted to marry you, only that he did,” she said when Thomas tried to interrupt.

  “Aleks is a good person. He just wants to help.”

  “Then where has he been since you got out of prison? Where was he when you got sent up? I raised that little girl, and you’re taking her away to live with some guy you barely know.” Her voice rose, and she looked toward the stairs. She didn’t like for Hannah to hear them fighting. Just like she never wanted Thomas to hear her and his dad fighting before she threw him out.

  “He didn’t know. He saw the article in the Journal.”

  “And then decided to buy you like you were on sale at Macy’s?” she asked, and it cut across him.

  “You cashed the check pretty fast to buy this house.”

  Her face registered shock and then hurt. She pushed past him and walked to her room, her spine stiff. The door didn’t slam behind her, but it closed pretty hard.

  Sickened with himself, he went back downstairs, wondering if she’d come down when it was time to leave.

  The doorbell rang, and Thomas glanced at his watch. Three o’clock on the dot. The precision of Aleks’s punctuality kind of annoyed him, though he didn’t know why. Maybe it was the perfection with which Aleks did everything that got on his nerves.

  Hannah didn’t pay any attention as Thomas stood up and walked over to answer the door. Her doll had apparently arrived at the fashion show via scooter, because Hannah changed her clothes for the fifth time in an hour. Thomas opened the door and then stood to the side to let the man in. Aleks surprised him with a small peck on the cheek as he passed.

  “Hey, are you ready?” Aleks looked over to see Hannah playing quietly on the floor.

  “In a few minutes. I want to show you something first, privately.”

  Aleks raised both eyebrows so high that they could have disappeared completely into his hairline.

  “Not that.” Thomas grabbed the laptop from the table where he’d been analyzing the files he’d downloaded that morning.

  “You found something about my father?” Aleks’s mood went from buoyant to serious in an instant.

  “Yes. I hacked into your company’s project files, and—”

  “Wait, you what? Tell me you didn’t do that from here.” Aleks grabbed both of Thomas’s arms and held tight.

  “Of course I didn’t. Number one, we don’t have internet. Number two, I’m not an idiot. I went down to a coffee shop in Hapeville that has strong Wi-Fi and a gap in their camera coverage. Besides, I used Tor to hit the dark web.”

  “You’re sure it’s safe?”

  Thomas rolled his eyes. “Do you want me to look into this or not? Nothing is 100 percent safe, but I am very good at what I do.”

  Aleks let go of Thomas and rubbed a spot on the side of his stomach. “You’re going to give me an ulcer. What did you find?”

  Thomas set the laptop on the counter. “I’ve been going through your company’s projects around the time your father was murdered. They had about twenty-seven major projects across all divisions. Most of them are pretty harmless—social media integrations, mobile apps, some kind of defense contract I can’t get access to, and this.” He turned the laptop around to show Aleks the information.

  “What is it?”

  “It’s banking software. The kind of software they use to analyze transactions. Your father, the CEO of the company, accessed this project and this software every other Saturday for a year preceding his death.”

  Aleks cross his arms and frowned. “I don’t understand. Why would he do that?”

  “I don’t know.” Thomas shrugged. “I’m going to have to get the source code for the project to see exactly what it does. There should also be logs for what he did within the system.”

  “And you can get around our security and do that?”

  “You need new network security people. I meant to tell you that. Wait until I’m done and then fire them all. They’re stupid.” He held a hand out, asking Aleks to sit down.

  Aleks sat, but he remained tense. “We’ll have to figure out how to approach that since I can’t exactly tell them my fiancé has been hacking into our servers.”

  “Think of it as a wedding gift.”

  Aleks relaxed. “I think that’s a fabulous wedding gift. Speaking of, the tuxedoes are all pressed and ready. The purple sets them off nicely.”

  “Yeah, that’s the color Hannah found for the dress she liked. I think it’s a nice color.” Thomas logged out, which started the encryption sequence.

  “I had Wes take a tie to the florist, and they designed the appropriate pieces. They look amazing set through the backyard.”

  “Okay.”

  “Okay? You’re not going to argue and tell me I’m being extravagant.” Aleks held up his hands in surprise.

  “No.”

  Aleks eyed him as if trying to figure out the punch line and then continued. “I’ve hired movers to bring your stuff over after the wedding. They should have everything moved on Monday. I didn’t think we’d want to worry about it tonight. Go ahead and grab Hannah’s car seat and dress. We can take the Prius. I’m looking for an alternative to the Jag—it’s not really conducive to little riders.”

  “Movers aren’t necessary. We don’t have anything we can’t take in a car. Besides, my mother is already upset about us moving. I don’t want to exacerbate that with sweaty moving men all over the house.”

  “I can understand why she’s upset, but we’re not moving to Alaska.” Aleks put a hand on his arm.

  “The FBI guy that I worked with to bring down Jonesboro, he keeps in touch with me from time to time. Apparently he keeps in touch with my mom too, because she had him check you out. She’s serious about the family.” Thomas whispered so his mother wouldn’t hear.

  “How’d I do?” Aleks asked with a grin.

  “Fine. And you don’t need to find an alternative to the Jag. You have a Prius.”

  “You have a Prius. You’ll need something to get around in, get Hannah to appointments in, and a way to come and see your mom.”

  Thomas shook his head. “The car stays in your name.”

  “After today, everything will be in both our names. So it doesn’t really matter.” Aleks shrugged.

  Thomas studied Aleks’s handsome face. “Are you sure about this? You only proposed, what, a week ago? I’ll help you figure out what happened to your father. You don’t have to marry me for that.”

  “And Hannah?”

  Thomas closed his eyes. “The doctors say that she needs a bone marrow transplant or some other kind of miracle drug. We haven’t been able to get her on the list because they went through our finances and we didn’t pass the test. We wouldn’t be able to afford her aftercare, so they won’t do it. It’s thousands of dollars even after the insurance.” He opened his eyes to meet Aleks’s gaze. “I can’t ask you to do that, Aleks. It’s too much.”

  Aleks cupped Thomas’s face. Thomas blinked rapidly but didn’t stop him.

  “I’m alone in this world, Thomas. Alone. I’ve been alone since my mother died when I was just a few years older than Hannah. My father sent me off to school as soon as he could find one far enough away. The only time in my entire life I’ve ever not felt alone was those years I spent at Georgia Tech, sleeping four feet from you.” He paused and took a breath, but he didn’t meet Thomas’s gaze. He seemed to be steeling himself to continue. “I have more money than I know what to do with, and on top of that, I have my father’s money. It’s more than anyone can spend in a lifetime, and I have no one to leave it to… no one to share it with. Even if you only stay for the three years, even if we’re just really good friends, that’s three years I don’t have to be alone.”

  Aleks finished, hi
s eyes on his hand where it cupped Thomas’s cheek.

  “And I had Wes look into Gleevec, that wonder drug. He doesn’t know much about her medical history, but it looks like the real deal for leukemia. We’ll find a doctor first thing Monday morning.”

  Thomas swallowed… hard, past something aching in the back of his throat. “Aleks?” he asked in a choked whisper.

  “Yeah.”

  “Let’s go get married.”

  Thomas reached down a hand, and Hannah perked up. She held her doll close as she eyed Aleks.

  “Hannah, put your doll away, honey. It’s time to go.” Thomas paused and set the laptop aside.

  Hannah held her doll tighter. “Can I take her with us, Daddy?”

  Thomas smiled at her. “Yeah, I think that’s okay. You should thank Aleks for the doll. He bought that for you, and the pretty dress.”

  “Thank you, Aleks,” Hannah said with a small, shy smile.

  “You’re very welcome, Hannah. Are you ready for today?” Aleks moved gently to one knee so he and Hannah were level with each other.

  “I get to carry the flowers?”

  “Yep, you get to carry the flowers. And then you can stand with Grandma while your dad and I go through the ceremony. There won’t be many people there, so I don’t think you’ll need to wear a mask.” Aleks looked to Thomas for confirmation, and he nodded.

  “I got you a pretty headband too, to go with your dress,” Charlotte said from the doorway as she held up an arch of lace with supple purple and white flowers along the top of one side. Hannah’s eyes lit up, and she dropped the doll to run for her grandmother, who looked amazing in a sharp blue dress. She’d refused Aleks’s offer to buy one for her and had found it while shopping in the back of her closet. Thomas admired her conviction. She hadn’t said anything else about their wedding except how it would affect Hannah. Charlotte had made it clear: she had raised Hannah, and she didn’t like the fact that her granddaughter would move into the city with them.

  Hannah wrapped her arms around Charlotte, and Charlotte picked her up with surprising ease. “You’re gonna look so pretty today. I can’t wait to see.”

  “Grandma, why can’t you come and live with us in Aleks’s house?” The sadness in her voice choked the air from Thomas’s lungs. For all of about five seconds, he’d considered letting her stay with his mother. After all, his mom had taken care of Hannah all her young life. But he couldn’t stand the thought of being without her, and she’d have everything she could ever want with Aleks—everything except her grandmother each day.

  Why does shit have to be so hard?

  “This is my home, honey. But don’t you worry, we’ll see each other all the time.” Charlotte threw a hard look at Thomas.

  “Do you have everything?” Aleks asked Thomas, looking desperate to get away from the awkward moment in his new family.

  “Yeah, pretty much everything I own is in that suitcase there. My tux is already at your house. I just need to grab the laptop.”

  “And Hannah?”

  “We have her dress and everything she needs for today. Since she’ll come back here with Mom tonight, we can pick up the rest of her stuff tomorrow.” Thomas shivered deep in his spine about later that night, their wedding night. They hadn’t talked about it, when everyone left and they were alone. Thomas had a feeling Aleks would let the decision rest with him, and he had no idea what that decision would be. He hadn’t been with anyone since before he went to prison. And he couldn’t get those kisses out of his mind—not the one from ten years ago or the one they shared in Aleks’s kitchen just the week before.

  “Hannah, do you want to ride with Grandma or Daddy?” Thomas picked up the suitcase and handed it to Aleks. Hannah looked between them, clutching her doll by its little floral dress. Her longer looks remained with his mother, like she wanted to go with Grandma but didn’t want to make Daddy mad.

  “Why don’t you come with me and let Daddy and Aleks talk?” Charlotte reached out a hand for Hannah, who grabbed it like a lifeline.

  Thomas kissed Hannah on the forehead and gave her a hug before grabbing the laptop and following Aleks out the front door. Hannah, her doll held tightly in her arms, followed with Charlotte a minute or so later. Aleks climbed into the driver’s side of the Prius while Thomas watched Charlotte getting Hannah settled in the back of her car.

  “She’ll be okay, Thomas.” Aleks leaned across and spoke to Thomas in a low, soothing voice. “I promise. We aren’t moving her to Kansas. We’ll be just up the highway. She can see Charlotte whenever she wants.”

  Thomas finally, reluctantly climbed into the car. Aleks put a hand on Thomas’s leg, touching him for just a moment before sliding the key into the ignition. “Plus I may have bought them both iPhones so they can FaceTime. Don’t let your mother kill me.”

  They passed the drive in silence, the radio playing something soft and indistinct that Thomas didn’t recognize. Everything in his life had changed the instant Aleksander Sanna walked back into it. The fact he would be getting married that afternoon didn’t seem real. He’d never been married, never seriously considered marriage. By the time he’d found out Sherry was pregnant, he was already in jail. It felt like such a big deal that he’d be doing for, maybe not the wrong reasons, but certainly not the right ones.

  Across the miles back into the city, Aleks let Thomas be alone with his thoughts, and for that, Thomas was grateful. He sat in quiet contemplation, trying to guess at how many more turns Fate would throw in his path before he had peace.

  With a bit of traffic on the highway, it took a full hour to get back into the city. By the time they reached the house, preparations for the wedding were in full swing.

  Thomas closed his eyes, took a deep breath of warm summer air, and prayed that God would have mercy on his soul.

  AN HOUR later Thomas stood in front of a full-length mirror in the spare bedroom and scrutinized his appearance. He should have gotten a haircut. His eyes had purple bruising underneath them because he hadn’t slept well in days. Worry about Hannah, worry about the wedding, worry about the future—everything seemed to give him terrible insomnia. Maybe he should pop some generic Benadryl like his mother did.

  A knock on the door interrupted his musings just as he finished tying the purple necktie. Thank God no one had insisted on bow ties, since Thomas had no idea what to do with them.

  Wes opened the door a bit and popped his head in.

  “The ceremony starts in about ten minutes. Everything okay in here?”

  “Yeah, everything is tied and zipped the way it’s supposed to be.”

  “That sounds kind of kinky,” Wes said with a laugh, and Thomas chuckled more from nerves than humor.

  “It’s going to be fine. Very low-key,” Wes reassured him.

  “I know.” Thomas wished he believed it. His mind remained full of buzzing bees of anxiety.

  “Okay, then, let’s go downstairs. Hannah looks amazing in her little dress.”

  Thomas shot Wes a glance. “I didn’t want her to see me freaking out up here,” he admitted.

  Wes stepped closer and put a hand on his back. “Take a breath. I know this is scary, but Aleks is a good man. He really just wants to help.”

  Thomas wondered what Wes knew about their relationship and where Aleks wanted that relationship to go later that night. “Let’s do this,” he said at last and walked through the doorway before he lost his nerve.

  ιβ͵

  THE FOYER sat empty when Aleks came down the stairs. He glanced around for Thomas and found him standing in an entryway, watching the servers working in the kitchen. Aleks waited for a moment, marveling at how Thomas only got more handsome over the years. They’d been kids when Aleks had fallen for him, but now Thomas stood tall, a man’s stance. Hard-won gray hair started to show itself at the temples. Most people wouldn’t have noticed, but then most people weren’t looking.

  Servers rushed past Thomas, who now stood at the glass door overlooking the backyard.
Aleks moved over to stand just behind him. A small contingent of chairs had been set up on either side of a small aisle—the aisle they would walk down. The florist added sprays of purple and white flowers at the front of the yard, where they would stand and take their vows. He’d asked them to keep it simple; Thomas didn’t need anything else to make him nervous. One wrong move and he could bolt, a deer racing from headlights.

  Hannah moved up between them and took her father’s hand. She was a vision in that dress. Her bright eyes showed every emotion: happiness, excitement, apprehension. Color stained her cheeks, and even Aleks knew it was a good sign. He’d never get over the memory of her pallid and bruised, with sunken eyes from the hospital. For Thomas, and for her, he’d never let that happen again. They were his family now.

  “I’ve got my flowers, Daddy,” she said, her arm swinging as they held hands.

  “I see them. They look amazing. You look amazing,” he said as he kept them swinging, though Aleks saw it for the nervous gesture it was.

  “We’re just waiting for Aleks and then we can get started,” he said, and Wes grinned with a look over Thomas’s shoulder. He turned, and Aleks loved the sheepish, shy smile that graced his handsome face.

  “Who is officiating?” he asked to cover his embarrassment.

  “A judge owed me a favor.” He straightened his tie and stepped closer to them. After a moment he put a hand on Thomas’s arm. “Can we talk for a minute before things get started?”

  Thomas handed Hannah off to his mother and followed Aleks to the formal dining room. Delicacies surrounded another small collection of coordinating flowers spread across the table. The walls remained bare because Aleks hadn’t had time to move the artwork. That would all be coming on Monday. But the wedding décor took the focus away from the emptiness.

  They stepped to the far side of the table, out of earshot from everyone, including the kitchen staff.