by Judy Duarte
“How old were you?”
“Seventeen. And at an age where I thought I was as smart as I’d ever get. You know what I mean?”
Walter nodded.
“Ray had family and friends in the Los Angeles area, so he wanted to live there. And I, of course, agreed, thinking we were in love and that I was the luckiest girl in the world. That is, until I learned Ray didn’t take marriage vows seriously—his own or anyone else’s.”
“He cheated on you?”
“More times than I probably even knew about.” She chuffed, still amazed at her own naïveté. “I was so starry-eyed that I couldn’t see reality. And when I got pregnant with Danny, I thought nothing of all those late nights Ray worked, believing he was trying to be a good provider.”
“But he wasn’t always working?”
“No. I started hearing rumors, and when I confronted him, he admitted to having an affair. But he swore the woman meant nothing to him, that he loved me. And I believed him. When Sara was only six weeks old, I asked one of the neighbors to babysit so I could pick up something for a special dinner. It was our anniversary, and Ray was working late. Or so he’d told me. On the way to the market, I spotted his truck parked in front of the Starlight Motor Inn.
“I couldn’t believe he’d do that to me again. Not after begging for another chance the time before. So I made a U-turn and parked near his truck. Then I began to bang on doors until he answered. A half-dressed blonde stood behind him.”
“It’s a shame you had to find him like that.”
“It wasn’t even the first time I’d caught him with another woman, but I swore it would be the last. Sofía was actually relieved when I left him. So she invited me and the kids to move back home with her in Fairbrook. I took her up on it, and shortly after arriving, she quitclaimed the house to me.”
“The one you live in now?”
Maria nodded. “It’s where I grew up. Anyway, about six months later, my aunt died in her sleep.”
“I’m sorry to hear that.”
“I was devastated. Sofía was actually my father’s aunt, and she was the only family I had. So when Ray came to Fairbrook eight months ago, apologizing and offering me the moon and all that glittered, I should have known better, but I was lonely. And he promised we’d make a fresh start in a new town. So I welcomed him into the house and into my life again.”
“So that’s when the baby was conceived.”
Maria nodded. “I can’t believe I was that stupid. But because I desperately wanted our family to be whole again, I believed him. He went on to swear that he’d seen the light. And he promised to change, saying he wanted to be the kind of man the kids and I deserved. And for three days, it was a dream come true.”
She should have known better, though. Men like Ray Huddleston might make babies, but they didn’t know the first thing about being a father.
Or a loyal husband.
“On the fourth day, the police showed up at the front door with a warrant and found Ray playing the part of a loving family man. But it had only been an act.”
“What’d he do?”
“He’d gotten involved in a confrontation with his lover’s husband. Things escalated until Ray pulled a gun and shot the man. He claimed it had been in self-defense, although he couldn’t explain why he had a gun on him. It hadn’t taken me long to realize why he’d come looking for me. He was hoping he could sweet-talk me into providing him with an alibi for the night of the shooting.”
“I hope you didn’t.”
“No way. His ditzy blond lover might not have had a problem lying for him, but I refused to, and now he’s facing the next twenty years in prison.”
“Did your testimony put him away?”
“I’m sure it helped. But they had his fingerprints and his gun. He’d been the one who’d pulled the trigger.”
“At least it’s all behind you now.”
“I hope so. When I was summoned back to L.A. to testify, I stayed with friends in the old neighborhood. The trial and resulting publicity were a nightmare, especially for Danny, who had to tolerate the whispers and taunts of kids who knew his father had killed someone.”
“I’m sure it was tough on you, too.”
“At times, it still is. I’ll never forget the embarrassment, the pointed fingers, the knowing looks, the whispers…” She blew out a heart-weary sigh. “After the trial, I couldn’t get back to Fairbrook fast enough.”
“When did you find out you were pregnant?”
“Believe it or not, I lived in denial for months. I thought the stress caused me to skip my…” She turned her head, caught his gaze. “Well, that it caused some irregularity, and that, under the circumstances, a little bloating was to be expected. And now look at me. Still hoping this is just a bad dream and that I’ll wake up.”
Before Walter could comment on her stupidity or maybe even offer words of sympathy or some sage advice, the nurse returned.
“Let’s see how you’re progressing.” The nurse, who’d introduced herself earlier as Mandy, pulled the privacy screen and slipped on a pair of gloves.
Walter, as had become his habit, ducked behind the curtain.
“Good.” Mandy removed her hand, then peeled off her gloves and disposed of them. “You’re nearly nine centimeters now. It shouldn’t be much longer. I’ll call Dr. Overstreet and set up the room for delivery.”
This was it. Maria would just have to get used to the idea of having a new baby and make the best of it.
Mandy pulled back the curtain and smiled at Walter. “You can have your seat back, if you’d like. Or you can stay behind the screen.”
Walter merely stood there.
“Sir?” Mandy asked. “Are you going to stay or go?”
Trevor lay in bed listening to Katie, who was in the bathroom that separated their bedrooms. It was almost six o’clock in the morning, and she’d already thrown up about a hundred times since she got home last night.
“I think I’ve got food poisoning,” she’d told him around midnight.
After that, she mostly groaned.
But now she mumbled, just loud enough for him to hear through the closed door. “I think I’m gonna die.”
He sure hoped she wasn’t serious. “Do you want me to call 9-1-1 or something?”
“No. I…” She cleared her throat, then made that gasping, coughlike sound and…There she went again, puking her guts out.
If rotten food had made her sick, Trevor figured she should have barfed it all out by now.
He threw off the covers, climbed out of bed and made his way to the bathroom, where he stood before the closed door. “Are you sure you’re okay?”
“I…just…need to…lie down.”
“Don’t you have to go to work today?” He hoped not, but the first of the month was coming pretty soon, and she always got stressed about her paycheck and bills when the rent was due.
Once he caught her crying about it, and she said, “Don’t worry. It’s just a little PMS.”
When he asked what that was, she’d told him it was “girl stuff,” so he dropped it. But she did go on to say that it sucked for the rent and PMS to both hit at the same time of the month.
And now she had to deal with this.
“I’m supposed to work today,” she said, the bathroom door still shut. “But I can’t. I need to call in…” She started gagging again.
Oh, man. The puke hit the toilet water like a kid cannonballing into the deep end of a pool. Just the sound was enough to make Trevor sick. So he backed away a few steps.
There was only one bathroom in the apartment—and Katie was locked in it. So if he suddenly had to throw up, he wasn’t sure where he’d go.
At the house where he used to live, it wouldn’t have been a problem. There’d been lots of bathrooms to choose from—upstairs and down.
“Do you want me to call someone at the diner and tell them you can’t come in to work today?” he asked.
“Would you? Please?�
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He could hear water running from the faucet, which was a good sign that the barfing was over for a while. And that she hadn’t passed out or anything.
“Just ask to talk to Marlene,” she added.
“Okay. Should I tell her why you’re not coming in?”
The faucet shut off, and he heard the squeak of the metal bar as she pulled a towel from the rack. “Yeah. Tell her that I ate something bad last night. All I had was a bowl of clam chowder, but it didn’t taste right. But then again, maybe I have the flu. I think it’s going around.”
“Do you know anyone who’s sick?”
“I served an old man yesterday afternoon, and then he decided to leave without eating. He had me box up his food to take home and said he was coming down with something. If so, maybe I caught it from him. Who knows?”
“Okay. Should I call now?”
“Yeah, the diner’s already open. Thanks, Trevor. You’re the best.”
The door opened, and Katie came out wearing her blue nightgown. Her hair was damp around her forehead, and her face was almost the same color as those ghosts in that movie he’d watched while he’d waited for her to get home last night. Of course, he’d turned the TV off before it was over because he got freaked out and thought he heard noises coming from the upstairs apartment, like chains rattling and stuff.
As Katie walked slowly to her room, shuffling her bare feet, Trevor thought about Mrs. Harper calling yesterday—twice. But he knew Katie wouldn’t want to talk to anyone right now. Maybe not for the rest of the day.
“Hey, Katie.” He followed her as far as the doorway to the bedroom. “A girl at the park asked if I could go to her house, and I wondered if that would be okay with you.”
“You met a new friend?”
“Not exactly. She’s just a girl. And she’s only going to be in second grade. But she’s okay for a little kid.”
Katie paused by the dresser long enough to look at her alarm clock and turn it off. “What’s her name?”
“Analisa. The lady babysitting her is pretty nice, and I told her you wouldn’t mind if I went to play.” Trevor watched Katie climb back into bed, kind of like a wounded soldier dragging himself into the safety of his trench.
“I’m glad you’re making friends, Trev. But I probably should talk to the lady first, although I’m not up for it now.”
“That’s all right. Maybe I better hang out here with you instead. I could take care of you. Get you food and stuff.”
“Thanks. That’s really sweet, but I plan to sleep the rest of the day—if I can.” She rolled to her side and pulled the sheet up to her chin. “Just in case this is a virus or something I picked up, I’d hate for you to catch it. So maybe it’s best if you don’t stay around the house too much.”
“Okay.” He leaned against the doorjamb for a while, watching her. Listening to her moan.
She sure sounded as if she was gonna die, but she would have let him call an ambulance if she was afraid of that happening. So he wasn’t going to worry too much.
He just hoped she got better fast. Maybe that would happen if it was quiet and she could get some rest. “You want me to get you anything?”
“No. Not now.”
Too bad he ate the last of the chicken noodle soup last night. That was supposed to be good food for sick people, wasn’t it?
There were a couple of cans of chili beans still in the cupboard, though. Maybe that would work just as good.
Trevor yawned, and for a moment, he thought about going back to bed himself, since he was pretty tired and had woken up each time Katie had last night. But he hadn’t eaten much for dinner, and a bowl of cereal sounded pretty good right now.
He also had to call Marlene at the diner.
Maybe afterward, he’d take his skateboard and go to the park early—just so he wouldn’t accidentally make noise and wake Katie up.
No one would be at the park yet, but that was okay. He’d just practice by himself.
He was getting pretty good. Well, not like Danny Way or Tony Hawk or some of the other guys in the skateboarding magazines, but he didn’t fall all that much anymore.
Hey, maybe Analisa would show up and invite him over to her house again. Katie hadn’t exactly said he could go, but she didn’t want to talk to anyone on the phone today. And she thought it was best if he stayed away from the house.
What would it hurt?
Besides, it’s not like she ever got mad at him. Why would she?
They didn’t have anyone else in the world but each other.
When Mandy had asked Walter whether he was going to stay during the delivery or leave, he didn’t really answer. Heck, he didn’t really know.
Funny thing about Maria’s room. It was kind of homey, with floral window coverings and matching chairs—not at all like Hilda’s, which had a real hospital feel to it.
Maybe that’s one reason Walter had ended up staying the night.
And why he was still here.
While the medical personnel focused on Maria and the baby, he stayed behind the scenes. He expected someone to pull the curtain, but they didn’t, so he stood near the door and out of the way.
He didn’t have a bird’s-eye view by any means, but the whole scene unfolding was surreal. Of course, that was probably because the lack of sleep had made him fuzzy-headed. Yet even though he had the urge to skedaddle when the excitement started and the homey setting was suddenly transformed into a delivery room, he couldn’t quite bring himself to leave.
In a way, he suspected taking off now would be like cutting out of a movie theater during the last ten minutes of a blockbuster action flick—just as reinforcements arrived to help the good guys.
As Mandy encouraged Maria to push, he remained near the door and watched in awe as a scrawny, dark-haired baby, its body streaked with white, cheesy goo and blood, entered the world.
He’d seen puppies born a couple of times, and a quarter horse foal once at his uncle’s ranch, but he’d never experienced anything like this. It was pretty amazing, actually.
Of course, the poor kid was kind of a mess. He was an odd color, too, which was too bad. Walter had hoped Maria would get attached to the little guy as soon as she laid eyes on him, but that might not be so easy.
The silence in the room was unsettling, though. And so was the blue tinge to the baby’s skin.
Walter expected Dr. Overstreet to grab the baby by the heels, dangle him upside down and whack his little butt, but he didn’t.
Instead, the doctor, a hulk of a man with beefy hands that appeared better suited for handling a football than a newborn, turned the kid this way and that while using a small rubber bulb to suction out his mouth.
Weren’t babies supposed to make a fuss?
“Is everything okay?” Maria asked. “He’s not crying.”
“We’re working on that,” Mandy said, as the medical personnel in the room seemed to kick into ER-mode.
Walter backed up against the wall, then stopped, as immobile and useless as a statue in the middle of a town square.
“Oh, God,” Maria cried. “No. No.”
Walter picked up the chant in his own mind. No, no.
Time stretched out, the seconds reverberating in his head.
Aw, come on, he thought. If you’re up there, God, let this little guy breathe, okay? His mom didn’t really mean it. She wants him. And she’s been through more than her share already. Don’t leave her to wallow in a slew of guilt and grief.
A small gasp tore into the silence, followed by an all-out wail. Well, not really a wail, but the kid had lungs. And they were working.
The sound was music to an old man’s ears and almost enough to make Walter drop to his knees, if he were inclined to be religious and believe his silent plea actually had an effect on anything.
Or had it?
“Is he okay?” Maria asked.
“It looks and sounds like it to me,” Dr. Overstreet said. “But Dr. Crandall, the neonatologist, is go
ing to take him to NICU for a better exam. So Mandy, bundle up that little guy and let his mom take a quick peek before he goes.”
Mandy swaddled the kid up like a burrito and stretched a little pink-and-blue cap onto his head. Then she stopped briefly at Maria’s bedside and held the baby close to her face. Walter watched as the mother brushed a kiss on her new son’s cheek and heard her whisper, “Hang in there, buddy. Mommy loves you.”
A look so warm, so tender, crossed her face. And Walter knew it was all going to be okay. Maybe not the financial stuff, but he saw love in her eyes.
He’d seen that same look on Margie’s face many times, particularly that day Blake had climbed the umbrella tree in the front yard, even though Walter had warned him time and again about brittle branches.
And sure enough. Snap.
The poor kid had taken a hard fall and was knocked unconscious. When he’d finally come to and started squawking, Margie had gotten all teary-eyed and mushy. Yep, Walter knew the look. And Maria had it, too.
“Don’t worry. Sending the baby to the NICU for an exam is just a precaution,” Dr. Overstreet said, as he continued to tend to Maria. “What’re you going to name him?”
“I don’t know. I hadn’t given it a whole lot of thought.” Maria looked at Walter. “Any suggestions?”
Just one. So he tossed it out. “Carl Witherspoon was the finest man I ever knew.”
Maria’s gaze locked on Walter, and her smile nearly squeezed the heart right out of him. “I’m looking at the finest man I ever met, so I think I’d better call him Walter Carl.”
Emotion snaked inside Walter’s throat, making it impossible to tell her he wasn’t worthy, yet was honored just the same. But he hoped the tears welling in his eyes conveyed it all.
“Thanks for sticking it out with me.” Her gaze glimmered with emotion.
“The pleasure was mine.”
She slid him a smile. “After staying up all night, you probably need to go home and take a nap.”
“Yep. I need a shower and could use something to eat, too. But I’m not in that big of a hurry.”
He’d stay a tad longer, just to make sure little Walter Carl was really going to be okay.
