“Emma, anything you tell me won’t go any further. I swear it.” She was silent for several long moments debating, he knew, over breaking the confidence of her friend. Then she sighed.
“You might be embarrassed.”
“I’m fighting for my marriage,” he said simply.
“Okay. You know Jess and I have lunch every week?
“Yes.”
“Well, she talks to me about things that are bothering her.”
“I bother her?”
“Not you specifically.”
“What specifically?” he demanded, the pencil he’d retrieved snapping in two. He tossed the pieces in the wastebasket.
“Her feelings for you.”
“What do you mean?” That could be good or bad.
“She used to feel guilty because she was attracted to you. You know, because of Frank.”
“And now?” He held his breath waiting for the answer.
“She rarely mentions Frank.” He let the breath out slowly.
“Okay. What does she say about me?”
“I told you. She’s attracted to you.”
“You said something about my being embarrassed?”
“She told me about your kissing her, and about seeing you in the bathroom.”
“Was she angry about the kiss?”
“Hardly,” Emma said with a chuckle, “but she thinks she forced you into it.”
“I wanted to kiss her.” He still did.
“That’s what I told her. But she can’t imagine why you’d be interested in her.”
“Why not?”
“She thinks she’s fat.”
“She’s pregnant.”
“Hey, I told her we all think she looks beautiful, but she didn’t believe me.”
“I’ll make her believe me,” he promised, then asked, “What did she say about the incident in the bathroom?”
“I’ll only say that she liked what she saw.” The corners of his lips turned up in a pleased grin.
“Then do you think there’s a chance that I can make her love me?”
“It’s only my opinion, but I wouldn’t be surprised if she doesn’t already.”
Dan hung up the telephone, relief coursing through him. Maybe everything he’d been doing to show his love for her was getting through. Now he’d have to find even more ways to make them closer.
He was contemplating his options when the door to his office was thrown open. He looked up to see Jon, white as a ghost.
~~~~~
Emma said Dan wanted her. Jess doubted it, but couldn’t stop thinking about what her friend had said. She thought about the way Dan was with her, the things he did for her, his infinite patience, and wondered if she might be right.
Whenever he passed her now, he touched her. A light caress on the arm, a squeeze of the hand, a quick hug. Sometimes not so quick. And he was kissing her frequently. Not like the kiss in the bedroom, but quick kisses when he left for work and came home. And, sometimes, for no reason at all.
She tried to remember Frank, and that he’d only been gone eight months, but it was becoming increasingly difficult to remember Frank at all. Her thoughts centered on Dan, and not all of them were of the wholesome kind she could share with anyone. Not even Emma. No, those were private thoughts she kept entirely to herself.
The telephone rang, bringing an end to her musings. Probably Dan calling to check on her, as he did several times a day now. She smiled when she heard his voice.
“Jess, it’s me.”
“Well hi, me,” she teased.
“Hey, I just wanted to let you know I’m on my way to the hospital. Ed’s been shot.” Jess’s smile vanished and she gasped.
“Oh no. How bad is it?”
“I don’t know. I guess he put all of us down as next of kin, and someone called Sam. But they didn’t say what his condition was.”
“Which hospital is he in?”
“Sparrow.”
“I’ll be there as soon as I can,” she promised.
“Jess, you don’t have to come. I’ll let you know when I find anything out. I just wanted you to know that I’ll probably be home late.”
“I’m on my way, Dan,” she insisted firmly. “I’ll see you in about half an hour.”
~~~~~
They had all come, Jess noted, as she entered the surgical waiting room. Dan, Jon, Sam, Cal and Darby. And all of them looked sick with worry. Dan hurried to her side, wrapping his arms around her tightly, and burying his face in her hair. She hugged him hard, then looked up and asked,
“Is he okay?”
“He’s in surgery,” Dan said, leading her to a sofa and helping her to sit before he joined her.
“All we really know is that he was going off duty and getting into his car when someone shot him,” Sam said quietly.
“Where was he hit?” she asked softly, fearing the answer.
“In the shoulder,” Sam told her, pacing back and forth between the window overlooking the parking lot, and the hall that led to the surgical wing. Jess felt some of the butterflies wreaking havoc in her stomach settle down a little. The shoulder wasn’t as bad as in the chest. It wasn’t good, but Ed shouldn’t die like- No. She wasn’t going to think about that night.
“What I’d like to know,” Darby muttered, “is how a police officer can be shot in the police parking lot, and they couldn’t find the shooter.”
“How long do you think they’ll be in there?” Jon asked. As always, he seemed to be holding up better than the others, Jess noted. She also noticed the way he kept turning and turning the Styrofoam coffee cup in his hands.
“As long as it takes to fix him up,” Dan said, sounding more confident than he looked. “It’s what we’re going to do with him once he’s out of here that worries me.” Jess knew he was lying.
“What we’re going to do with him?” Sam wanted to know.
“You know he’s stubborn enough that he won’t stay with any of us so we can take care of him.”
And thus began a lengthy discussion on how they could best care for the coach during his recuperation. It was not, however, long enough to carry them through the duration of the surgery, and any relief the planning had allowed soon dissipated.
“I was wondering about something,” Jess finally said, breaking the uncomfortable silence. “Do you think it’s possible that Ed might have stumbled into something in the parking lot?”
“What do you mean?” Dan asked, squeezing her hand.
“Do you think he got shot because someone was afraid he’d seen something?”
“In the police parking lot?”
“Yeah.”
“I don’t know. Why?”
“Because if that isn’t what happened, why was he shot?”
“You mean the shooter might try again?” Darby guessed, nodding her head in agreement.
“Exactly.” Jess heard a couple of groans. “I mean, it might have been just an ‘in the wrong place at the wrong time’ kind of thing. It probably was. But – what if it wasn’t?”
“Then I’d say we’re in trouble,” Jon said. “The coach has been arresting people for what? Twenty years?”
“Enough time to make a lot of enemies,” Dan murmured. “Has he mentioned anything about trouble with anyone prior to this?”
“Not that I’ve heard,” Sam told him, beginning to pace again. “How would anyone even begin to figure out who it was, if that’s the case? It could be anyone from someone he busted from a minor drug violation to a murderer.” Jess noted that he closed his eyes, wincing, when he realized what he said.
“You know, I don’t think we shouldn’t get worked up until we find out what the police come up with,” she suggested quickly. “I probably shouldn’t have said anything.”
“No,” Darby told her. “It’s something we have to consider. I mean, the circumstances are a little bizarre. Wouldn’t you think it was kind of risky to be shooting a cop in a restricted area?”
“People get shot ev
erywhere,” Sam muttered. “It doesn’t mean anything. And I refuse to believe someone is out to get Ed based on what happened today.”
“It’s hard to say. We’ll just have to keep an eye on things and see how it goes,” Dan decided. “That’ll be easy since he’s going to be having the pleasure of our company a lot over the next few weeks.”
~~~~~
“How are you feeling?” Dan asked softly, a little shaken at how pale Ed looked, lying in the hospital bed.
“Like I could golf eighteen holes easy,” came the weak reply. Dan, Jon, Sam and Cal had been allowed in recovery for a few minutes, and they chuckled at the joke.
“I’ll check with your doctor,” Cal told him with a smile. “We could have you on the course in thirty minutes.”
“Ha-ha,” Ed groaned, struggling to keep his eyes open.
“You in a lot of pain?” Jon asked.
“Na, not too much.”
“You sure? I can get a nurse.”
“I’m fine. Did you get the number of the car that hit me?”
“Car?” Dan asked. Ed tried to grin.
“Sorry. Bad joke. Did they get the shooter?”
“Not yet,” Dan told him. “Any idea who did it?”
“Not a clue. I didn’t see anyone.”
“It was probably just a random act of violence,” Cal said. “And you were the unfortunate victim.”
“I gotta say, after this experience, that I prefer being on the investigative end of a crime. This whole victim thing kind of sucks.”
“Yeah, I’ll just bet it does,” Sam said with a chuckle, as Ed’s eyes drifted shut.
~~~~~
“In through your nose, out through your mouth,” he was telling her now. By unspoken consent, they had decided to confine all practice sessions to the living room. Good thing, too, because Jess feared she might actually stoop low enough to attack him at this point. “Good job, sweetheart.”
That was another thing, she thought in frustration. He’d taken to using terms of endearment on a regular basis. Assaulting her senses both physically, with all of the touching, as well as emotionally, with everything he said. Even the poetry he read to the baby now contained romantic overtones. Did he have any clue what he was doing to her?
“We practice, and we practice,” Jess complained, “and it seems like the baby will never come.”
“Less than a month now, sweetie. Then it’ll be over.”
“I can’t wait. I can’t roll over in bed without waking myself up. I waddle like a duck. I can’t even see my feet when I’m standing up, and I can barely get my shoes tied.”
“I can help with the last problem,” he said, his tone meant to soothe. She’d rather he’d offered to help with the first.
“Great. You’ll tie my shoes like I’m a baby.”
“Never a baby, Jess.”
“Then a big, fat cow.”
“Not that either. You’re very beautiful. In all the time we’ve been together I don’t think I’ve ever seen you look quite so lovely.”
“Yeah, right,” she said sarcastically. “I look so much better with a puffy face.” Dan ceased the circular motion on her stomach, and held her against him.
“You’re having a rough day, aren’t you, sweetheart?”
“Yes.”
“Is there anything I can do?”
“Make it April.” Dan chuckled, and kissed her hair.
~~~~~
“I would if I could.” He’d move heaven and earth to grant her wish, but that was a little out of his realm. “Let’s run over to The Depot for some ice cream, after we drop supper off at Ed’s.”
Everyone was taking turns keeping the coach fed, and his small apartment clean. Dan had noted some suspicious envelopes on the days he collected the mail, but Ed said they were just junk. Jon had noticed the same thing, but no one else had noticed anything out of the ordinary. Dan was tempted to open one, just to reassure himself that they weren’t something they needed to worry about.
“Sure. Why not? I want ice cream. Lots and lots of ice cream. What difference does it make? My body is so stretched out of shape I’ll never look good again. I might as well start buying tents and cutting holes in the tops so I can get them over my head.”
“You look good now,” he assured her, using the arm of the sofa to heft himself up from behind her. He held out his hands.
“You’re just begging for a hernia, aren’t you?” He laughed again, pulling her to her feet and into his arms.
“Jess, Jess, Jess. We’re going to have to find some way to cheer you up.”
“I’ll cheer up when I’m not carrying fifty pounds around in front of me.”
“The doctor said you’ve only gained twenty-three pounds,” he said, then realized he’d made an error in judgment when her eyes narrowed, and her scowl deepened.
“You try carrying this around all day,” she snapped, pointing irritably at her stomach.
“Jess, what’s the matter?” he asked gently.
“Nothing.”
“I know something is wrong. Tell me,” Dan urged. To his horror, she began to cry. “Jess.”
“I can’t sleep. I can’t get comfortable, and when I do manage to doze off, I have these dreams sometimes.”
“What dreams, honey?” He stroked her hair softly.
“That Mr. Bentley is going to get the baby.”
“No one is going to take our baby, Jess, especially not him. I won’t let that happen.”
“But he said-”
“Jess, we haven’t heard a word from him since he called the apartment. And we haven’t seen him since the trial. He didn’t even say anything to us then. I’d go so far as to bet that he’s forgotten all about it now.”
“I wish I could believe that,” she wept. “I’ve been so scared.”
“Don’t be. I’ll keep you both safe. I promise.” He raised her face, and wiped the tears away with his thumbs before kissing her tenderly. “We’re going to raise this baby, Jess. No one else. Just you and me.”
“You’re sure?” she asked uncertainly.
“I’m sure. And I’m also sure you’ll sleep well tonight. Now let’s get going. The sooner we see to Ed, the sooner we can get you that ice cream, okay?”
“Okay.”
~~~~~
Her stomach full of a hot fudge brownie sundae, and four mozzarella sticks, Jess returned home in a much better frame of mind. Dan was probably thankful for that. He didn’t deserve to bear the brunt of her moodiness, and she wondered why he didn’t just toss her out on her ear sometimes. Still, he must not be completely sick of her, asking that she come to his room after she got ready for bed.
Dressed in a billowing pink flannel nightgown and matching robe, she knocked hesitantly on his door. When he opened it, he only wore a pair of grey silk pajama bottoms, and she swallowed hard. There was that chest again.
“Get into bed,” he said with a nervous smile.
“Excuse me?”
“You’re sleeping in here from now on.” He could have said, only until the baby came, but he hadn’t. She wondered if he realized it.
“Um...” Jess wasn’t sure how to respond.
“Don’t look so frightened. You need your rest, and I’m going to make sure you get it. We’ll be sleeping together, nothing more.”
Rather than feeling assured by his promise, Jess was disappointed as she walked over and crawled under the covers, surprised at how comfortable and warm his waterbed was. She held her breath as he slid in beside her.
“Come here.”
“What?”
“Put your head on my shoulder.”
Jess did as he asked, holding herself stiffly when his arms went around her. She wasn’t comfortable at all, not really sure what she should do with her arm. It felt awkward trying to hold it on her belly. Sighing, Dan took her hand and placed it on his chest, flattening it against all of those curly hairs. Yes. Yes, it definitely felt as nice as she’d imagined it would. No, it felt even be
tter than that.
“Now would you relax, and get some sleep? I won’t bite you.”
“I didn’t think you would.”
~~~~~
Now it was Dan’s turn to have trouble getting to sleep, though he tried to keep his breathing even so Jess wouldn’t be alerted. He didn’t want her to suspect that her nearness was doing everything but relaxing him. He knew she wasn’t sleeping either, though he’d thought she drifted off soon after he began caressing her back.
Did it seem strange, he wondered, being in bed with him? From little things he’d gathered over the months, he knew that Frank had been the only man she’d ever slept with, and then not until their wedding night. Did this bring back those memories? He hoped not. He wanted her thoughts to be of him, not the ghost of husband she had lost.
“Dan?” He started at the sound of her sleepy voice.
“What, hon?”
“I was thinking.”
“Hmm?
“Wouldn’t it save us a lot of hassle if we just listed you as the father on the baby’s birth certificate?”
“It probably would.”
“Would that be okay with you then?”
“Nothing would make me happier, Jess.”
“Good.” She yawned softly. “‘Night, Dan.”
“Good night, sweetheart.” He was glad it was dark so that she couldn’t see the tear that slid down his temple.
~~~~~
“So, what do you think, Dad?” Dan had spent the last few minutes filling Nate in on the new sleeping arrangements, and Jess’s desire for his name on the birth certificate.
“I think it sounds promising.” Nate was sitting in his customary spot on the edge of the desk, staring out the window at the bright April sunshine.
“So do I. Especially the part about the baby. I mean, Frank might have fathered it, but I’m the father in every way that counts.”
“I hope you didn’t tell Jess that,” his father said dryly.
“No, of course not. I know she cares for me, but I don’t know how she feels about him anymore.” He pulled a file out of a desk drawer in preparation for his next client.
“Dan, you mother wondered if you’d like to come to dinner on Saturday,” Nate said hesitantly.
“No. I made myself pretty clear on that.”
“The invitation includes Jess.” Dan looked at him suspiciously, and Nate shook his head. “I don’t know. But that’s what she said.”