“Will you still be my nurse?” Abby asked.

  Celie shook her head. “No, I work the ER, but Roberta, the lead nurse on the floor, is my best friend. If it is okay with you, I’ll tell her about my dream.”

  Feeling Celie had probably already confided in the woman, Abby managed a smile. “I guess she wouldn’t be considered a stranger if she’s your best friend.”

  Celie bobbed her head in agreement. “Great, plus I’ll check on you from time to time. Now, let me go check on your transfer status. Do you need anything else?”

  “A telephone?” Abby said sheepishly.

  “I’ll see what I can do, but not until you get upstairs where there’s less chance of you’ll be overheard,” Celie said and disappeared around the curtain.

  Left alone with her thoughts, Abby turned to her side and focused on the machine that monitored the baby’s heart rate. Watching the line rise and fall while counting the beats, she placed her hands on her abdomen. “Hang in there, little one; Momma’s working to keep you safe,” she said, then pulled her feet up and closed her eyes.

  “Knock knock,” a man’s voice called out as the curtain slid along the metal rail. She felt more than heard him enter the room and knew the greeting was more a formality than an expectation of being welcomed into the room.

  Abby turned to see a man who looked to be in his early twenties, with golden brown arms and straight, brilliant white teeth, standing at the edge of her bed. Oh, Kevin would love you, she thought. That she hadn’t thought to claim him for herself spoke merits.

  He moved to the side of the bed, unhooking wires and pulling the bags from the IV pole as he spoke. “Sir Albert Nuez, at your service, my lady.”

  Okay, so not the name she’d expected, but at least he was polite.

  “I’ve come to take you to your room. There’s no use looking around for a chariot. You’re already in it. We’ll switch you out to a more comfortable model once we get you to your room.” He walked to the chair and gathered her clothes, placing them in a white plastic bag, which he then placed on the end of the gurney by her feet. He looked about the room. “No shoes?”

  Abby craned her neck, searching the nearby floor. Not seeing any, she searched her mind, wondering if she’d been wearing any when she went to the roof. For the life of her, she couldn’t remember. She shrugged.

  “Not to worry. I’ll be back in a jiff,” he said, leaving the space.

  Celie came into the curtained area several moments later carrying Abby’s purse. “I don’t reckon you’ll be wanting to leave this down here.”

  “No, I don’t suppose I would,” Abby said, clutching it to her chest. “The cell phone?”

  Celie shook her head. “Not yet. You should have a phone in your room, but I’m not sure you’ll be able to call long distance. I could probably get you a prepaid one and bring it up to you.”

  Abby reached into the purse and pulled out a hundred-dollar bill. “Will this cover it?”

  “And then some,” Celie told her.

  “Okay, maybe you can get me some shoes too? Size seven. Albert looked but didn’t see any.”

  Celie smiled. “You met Albert.”

  “I met him, and I assure you I’m not interested.”

  “Good, because he’s gay.”

  Abby thought of Kevin once more and smiled.

  “Not the reaction that comment usually gets,” Celie told her.

  “Just thinking of my friend Kevin, also gay. He’s going to be so bummed he left town and missed all the fun.”

  Celie laughed. “You have a warped sense of fun.”

  “I assure you, Kevin would be in heaven not only with Albert but by all the rescuers too.”

  “It’s probably for the best he’s not here. Albert has a boyfriend. The dude really hit the jackpot, as Benji is even cuter than he is,” Celie said with a sigh.

  Before Abby could comment, Albert returned with a pair of thick yellow socks. “Okay, Princess, out with the feet.”

  Abby stuck her foot out and watched as Albert ran his fingers firmly along her ankles for several moments, then placed the sock on her foot. She looked at Celie, who smiled a knowing smile, then stuck out the other foot as he lowered the first and picked up the second sock.

  He took the time to massage the ankle, then covered it as well. Albert smiled. “My sister is pregnant; I know a thing or two about swollen ankles.”

  The heck with Kevin, Abby mused, rethinking her original thought. I want you all for my own. Not that she was interested in anything more than having him rub her feet.

  Albert pointed at her purse. “Are you sure you don’t have a pair of shoes stashed in there?”

  “I’m sure,” Abby said, clutching the bag tighter. Worried he’d further question the bulk of the bag, which was loaded with the cash she’d found hidden in Jacob’s office before her escape, she shrugged. “To be honest, I couldn’t tell you what all is in here. I saw the water coming into the house and just started cramming stuff inside. I guess I was in panic mode because it’s mostly stuff I thought the baby would use.” Okay, not a total lie.

  Celie moved up beside the bed. “She wasn’t wearing any shoes when she came in.”

  Something about the comment bugged her. Then again, her mind wasn’t the clearest at the moment.

  “You two best be going,” Celie said, stepping aside. “They’re shipping us more patients, and we are going to need the bed.”

  “Come on, fair maiden,” Albert said, pushing the bed forward. “We’ve been kicked out of the lair. If we’re lucky, we shall find you a room with a view.”

  “I’ll settle for a room with walls,” Abby said as they passed through the curtain.

  “Oh, well, in that case, I am sure we can find something suitable.” He maneuvered the hospital bed through the ER and into a wide hallway. He stopped in front of the elevator and pushed the up button. The door opened almost immediately. Albert pushed the bed inside and pushed a button on the panel.

  “Do you know what you are having?” he asked as the doors closed.

  “A little girl,” Abby replied.

  “Do you have a name picked out?”

  Abby shook her head. “No.” Each time she brought it up, Jacob had refused his input, saying they had plenty of time to worry about the details. It struck her as odd at the time that a man as meticulous as Jacob was so blasé when it came to naming their child. Never in a million years could she have guessed the reason for his indifference, that money meant more to him than having a child born of his blood.

  “My sister is naming her child Clennie Cloyce,” Albert said, interrupting her thoughts.

  Abby looked over at the man. “You’re kidding, right?”

  Albert placed his hand on his chest and then palmed the air as if willing her to believe him. “Girl, I wish I was. Can you imagine what her life is going to be like in fourth grade?”

  Abby raised an eyebrow. “Only fourth grade?”

  “I find fourth grade to be a turning point in a kid’s life. Sixth grade is even worse.”

  “Spoken like someone who knows.”

  “Received my first kiss and my first heartache in the sixth grade. Bonnie Sue Crawford was the cutest girl in school. That rejection made me what I am today.”

  “Does she know she turned you gay?” Abby asked.

  He laughed and shook his head. “Girl, you don’t make someone gay. I was already gay, and Bonnie Sue knew it. She was just playing along so I could make Carl Horst jealous. I thought that maybe he was gay but wasn’t sure, and it’s not like you can just walk up and ask a kid that kind of thing. The plan was to have her kiss me so I could judge his reaction. Only I didn’t count on how good of a kisser Bonnie was, and it went on a bit longer than either of us expected. The moment we stopped, Carl walked over, and instead of professing his love, he punched me in the nose.”

  “Punched you in the nose! Why?”

  “It turns out I had Carl pegged wrong. He wasn’t hanging around me because he liked me; he was hanging around because I was friends with Bonnie.”

  Abby worked to keep from laughing. “And Carl liked Bonnie.”

  “Yep, I may have been born gay, but it took years to perfect my gaydar.”

  Abby laughed. “Wait, you said the rejection made you what you are today. How?”

  “Because Carl Horst could throw a punch. My nose bled so much that my mom thought I was going to bleed to death. She took me to the ER, and my nurse ended up being…”

  “Gay?” Abby asked.

  Albert chuckled. “I have no idea. As you recall, my gaydar was not honed back in the day. But he was a guy, and he was good at his job. And from that moment on, I knew that was what I wanted to do.” Albert smiled a brilliant smile. “My family isn’t really the college type. So, I have to put myself through nursing school. I go to school by day and work here in the evenings and on weekends. When I graduate next spring, I will be working here as a nurse full-time and will have done it all on my own.” The elevator dinged as it came to a stop. The doors opened, and she and Albert were on the move once more.

  As he rolled her to her room, Abby thought of her own life. She’d had plans of going to college, and then she’d married Brian. She’d thought about going to night school, and Brian had thought it was a good idea, but then he was dead. Shortly after losing him, she’d lost both her parents and needed a life ring. Perhaps if she’d had something to aspire to, she might not have been desperate enough to think of Jacob as the only solution to her problems. She waited until they were in the room, and she could look him in the eyes. “Good for you, Albert.”

  His face turned serious. “I like to think that I, too, may be an example for someone else someday.”

  “You already are, Albert. You’re a real class act. You just make sure to keep true to yourself and don’t ever let anyone destroy that fire.”

  “No, ma’am. Ain’t no one going to put this baby in a corner,” he said with a wink.

  While she’d been prepared to answer a barrage of questions, there were none forthcoming, and for that, she was grateful.

  Chapter Five

  Much to Abby’s delight, she now occupied a single occupancy room complete with walls, a door, and a locker to stow her purse. While the window didn’t offer much of a view, it was rather large and allowed plenty of sunshine to fill the space. While she’d still not been allowed out of bed to take a shower, the continuous fluids being pumped in through the IV in her arm had her feeling better than she’d felt in days. Physically, at least. Mentally, she was still at war with herself over what she’d done. As she sat listening to the monitor beside the bed that tracked her baby’s heart rate, she fought the urge to pick up the hospital phone and call Kevin. She knew the man had to be beside himself with worry but feared the conversation would turn to things best spoken about on phones that couldn’t be listened in on. She would wait until Celie brought the cell phone she’d promised.

  Abby turned on the television and was immediately immersed in news reports regarding Hurricane Katrina. Tears trickled down her cheeks at seeing the severity of the damage and the enormity of the flooding. While she’d known it to be bad, she hadn’t known just how bad until seeing the footage. Houses were gone, multi-story hotels ripped from their foundations, and yachts lay capsized in the middle of the street. The report switched to the area where she and Jacob lived, showing the houses submerged in coffee-colored water. A chill raced up her spine when the reporter stated there were reports of snakes and alligators swimming in the murky water.

  The scene changed to a helicopter rescuing a family from the roof. Abby thought of Gomez, Kennedy, and the crew and wondered how they were faring. It dawned on her that there could be footage of her rescue on the news as well. She turned up the volume and listened as a different reporter told of the trouble in the Coliseum and of evacuees being without water and basic supplies needed. A person being interviewed told of the violence she’d seen, then she shook her fist in the air and said the government should be ashamed of themselves.

  Abby rubbed her arms as she recalled Jacob asking if she wanted to go to the Coliseum. She recalled Pearl’s warning; she had repeated the last line with a tone that had held an eerie warning. The only way you live. The only way your bebe is safe. It struck her now that if not for Pearl’s warning, she would have agreed to go. Abby turned off the television and placed the remote on the table. As she pulled her feet up and curled into a ball, she recalled Jacob’s words. Even if I’m not here, they will find you. It is the way things work. They paid good money for the child. Unless you die in this house with me, they will come after the child. Abby prayed the man had only been messing with her mind. Pearl had seemed adamant that she and the baby would be safe if she followed her instructions. The way up is the way out. Only one must go up. It’s the only way. Had the woman known the enormity of the words? Could she have known her advice would mean Jacob would die? Abby shivered once more; of course she had. But what about what Jacob had said? Was he just trying to scare her, or did he know something Pearl didn’t?

  Abby splayed her hands across her stomach. “Don’t worry.” As the words came out of her mouth, she wondered if she was speaking to the baby or trying to comfort herself. Unable to find comfort in either her words or the television, she closed her eyes and allowed herself to give in to sleep.

  Abby woke to find the room dark. Not only were the lights off, but the curtains were pulled closed with the only light entering the room coming from the hallway and via the machines near the bed. She struggled to remember if she’d closed the curtains, then further wondered if she’d slept the day away. As she became more aware of her surroundings, she knew without seeing that she wasn’t alone in the room. Her heart rate increased as she scanned the dark confines of the room. Her gaze settled on the shadow of a person sitting in a chair near the window. Though it was dark, she could tell by the outline that the person was a man wearing a suit.

  “Hello, Abigail.” The voice was smooth.

  Jacob. He’s not dead. A mixture of fear and relief washed over her as she worked to push the cobwebs from her mind.

  He rose and walked to the bed, but instead of approaching her, he walked to the other side. She followed him with her gaze, blinking in horror as he bent and lifted something from a cart beside the bed. Though her mind told her what that something was, she refused to believe it. She held her breath to keep from screaming as she fumbled for the bedside remote and turned on the lights.

  He turned toward her, pulled back the blanket, and showed her the infant he was holding. The baby wiggled in his arms, and she saw its red peach-fuzz hair.

  “You made me a very happy man today, Abigail,” Jacob said.

  Her hands flew to her stomach, flat and devoid of child. How could that be and why couldn’t she recall giving birth?

  Jacob smiled. “Don’t worry, my dear. You can always have another one.”

  “Another one? I don’t understand.”

  “Your mind is a little fuzzy. I told you I had friends in high-reaching places. After that little stunt you pulled in the attic, I knew you couldn’t be trusted, so I had the doctors sedate you until after you gave birth. I couldn’t take a chance of having you run off again. Not when there was so much at stake. I would let you hold her, but that would not do well for your mental wellbeing. Besides, her parents are eager to meet her.”

  Abby started to get up and found that her hands were tied to the bed rails. She struggled against her restraints. “No, you can’t take her.”

  Jacob laughed a haunting laugh, then took hold of Abby’s chin and made her look at him. “Don’t you see, Abigail, I already have. We are linked forever, and I will take what is mine again and again! You think about that while I am gone. I’ll be back for you as soon as I hand off the delivery. When I do, we’ll have a nice little chat about how you left me in the house to die.”

  “Jacob!” she screamed as he walked out of the room. “She’s mine. You can’t take her from me!” The door closed behind him, and the room grew dark once more.

  Abby opened her eyes, saw the sun streaming into the room and felt a flutter of movement from the life within her. She felt her stomach and the distinct mound of her growing pregnancy. Tears welled in her eyes. It was only a dream.

  She heard a faint click and looked to see a woman in white scrubs with pink and white teddy bears standing near the locker that held her purse.

  Still reeling from the dream, Abby screamed at the woman. “WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!”

  The woman turned and held up a shopping bag. “Celie asked me to give these to you.”

  “Stay out of my locker!” Calmer now, Abby lowered her voice, but it still held an edge.

  “Take it easy. I wasn’t trying to steal anything; I thought you were sleeping and didn’t want to wake you,” the woman said, closing the distance. “I’m Roberta, Celie’s friend.”

  Abby took the bag she offered and worked to still her nerves. Opening the bag, she looked inside and breathed a sigh of relief at seeing the cell phone and a pair of adjustable sandals. “I was sleeping,” she said, easing her tone. She wanted to add that she wished the woman had come in sooner and woken her from her nightmare, but it was too late for that now.

  “Wow, and I thought I was a light sleeper,” Roberta replied.

  Abby thought to tell her she hadn’t always been a light sleeper, that she’d developed the attribute as a survival technique to keep from being taken unaware by her deranged husband, but offered a shrug instead. The dream had rattled her. The last thing she wanted to do was talk openly about the man who was just as scary in death as he’d been in life. “New surroundings, I guess.”

  “That’ll do it. I don’t know many who can sleep in a hospital bed.”

  Abby doubted she would do much more sleeping after the dream she’d just had. She glanced at the monitor. “Is my baby okay?”

  Roberta stepped up to the monitor and watched the screen for several moments. “Everything looks just fine. Have you felt her move lately?”

  Abby nodded. “I felt her a few moments ago. The first time since I’ve been in here.”

 

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