Second Chances: A PAVAD Duet

by Calle J. Brookes

  After about an hour or so, Ana’s contractions became much more concentrated, and the doc helped her get prepared. Dan knew what that meant, and he grabbed the elevator phone to both demand and give an update.

  That baby was on its way.

  It wasn’t a quarter of an hour later that the infant’s first squall sounded. The doc wrapped the new little girl in Dan’s button down shirt he’d donated, and handed her quickly to her colleague. Glendower held the infant tight to her body, sharing body heat as the doc efficiently cut the umbilical cord, and tended to Ana.

  It was then that Dan saw the blood staining McLaughlin’s coat.

  The doc looked at him and he saw the knowledge in her eyes, and knew his fear had to be visible for her to see as well. “Dan, call them, tell them to hurry. She’s bleeding badly, and I don’t know if I can stop it.”

  Chapter 10

  Dan immediately dialed the phone while Ally dropped to her knees beside Ana. She didn’t have to say anything for the elevator’s occupants to know that something was wrong. Bad wrong.

  Ally was woefully unprepared for this. Still, what options did she―or Ana McLaughlin―have?

  Dan’s voice rose behind her. “Get this cart moving! I don’t care what you have to do! Pry the damned doors open if you need to! Use a blowtorch if need be!”

  Ana’s hand wrapped around Ally’s. “What’s wrong?”

  Ally hesitated. The woman deserved honesty; she could give her no less than that. “You’re bleeding a little more than you should be. We’re going to have to take care of that.”

  “But my baby? The baby’s alright?” Ana’s eyes were glued to the infant Marianna had passed to Ana’s husband. His eyes were trained on his redheaded wife. He passed the baby back to Marianna, then dropped closer to Ana.

  Ally could never remember seeing that kind of fear on an agent’s face before. “The baby’s fine, let’s get you taken care of now, ok?”

  “Is she going to be all right?” McLaughlin’s voice was low, but Ally had no trouble hearing him. “What’s going on?”

  “The baby was a pretty big one, and your wife is a small woman. There was some additional tearing. I don’t have anything to stitch her up with. I’m going to try to get the bleeding to slow down. But I won’t lie to you. The sooner we get your wife out of this elevator, the better, understand?”

  The elevator jerked once in protest. Both Ally and Ana screamed. Marianna clutched the baby tighter and Ana’s brunette friend gave a small prayer. Dan and McLaughlin both released hot curses.

  Ally turned to Dan. “What’s happening?”

  He already had the phone at his ear. Within seconds he’d replaced it on the receiver, and clutched his cane determinedly. “McLaughlin, I’ll need your help. Carrie’s found one tiny loophole in the programming. It’ll raise the cart enough to fool it into thinking we’ve come to a floor. The door will open partway. When it does, we have to be ready. Because once it senses we’re between floors it will automatically close again. And won’t open until it’s reset.”

  “What are you going to do, Danny?” The brunette asked.

  “Gonna’ get us out of this damned box, kiddo.” He twirled the cane in the air. “Knew this danged thing would come in handy sooner or later.”

  Ally focused all her attention on the patient, trusting the others to implement whatever plan Dan had devised. Her main concern was stopping―or if not that, slowing, bleeding enough to buy Ana McLaughlin some much needed time.

  She silently echoed the brunette’s earlier prayer as the cart gave one more lurch, and started rocketing upward. It rose two feet at the most before the bells started dinging and the doors slid open.

  Fin McLaughlin placed his prosthetic arm between the two panels. “Hurry, Reynolds. I’m not sure this thing could withstand being caught between the doors.”

  Dan’s cane was placed between the doors just as they started closing again. Everyone inside held their breaths as the wood bowed slightly, then held.

  A lobby full of anxious faces peered down into the cart at them. The silver-haired man who’d spoken earlier was the closest. “McLaughlin, Reynolds, everyone ok in there?”

  “No, Dennis,” Dan said, taking the baby from Marianna. He shoved the infant into the other man’s arms as gently as he could―while still moving quickly. “We got medical standing by?”

  “Dr. Bellows and her team are just behind me.”

  “Good. Ana’s comin’ through. She’s bleeding pretty bad.” Dan didn’t waste any more words and Ally watched in admiration as the silver-haired man handed the infant off to someone behind him then he and another man reached into the cart as Dan lifted Ana from the floor. McLaughlin stayed beside the elevator doors, keeping his body between the steel doors. His eyes never left his wife’s face. Hers never left his.

  Then she was out, and Ally couldn’t see where they’d taken her. McLaughlin was replaced by the big man Ally recognized as Hellbrook. He immediately grabbed the brunette woman and pulled her to his chest before lifting her out of the cart. Marianna went next, helped out by the silver-haired man.

  “You’re up next, doc.” Dan said. Ally nodded, anxious to follow her patient. Not that she didn’t trust the medical team; she just would prefer to finish what she’d started. His hands were warm on her waist as he lifted her to the waiting arms of an attractive man with dark hair and blue eyes. Then he was climbing out―refusing any assisting hands.

  Ally’s attention shifted from Dan back to her patient. A woman a few years younger than herself was directing a team of three around Ana and the infant. The woman handled it with calm and competence that Ally respected.

  It spoke of many long hours in emergency situations.

  In less than two minutes the entire McLaughlin family was out of the lobby on their way to the nearest hospital. But Ally was reassured, the bleeding had stopped. Ana McLaughlin would most likely be fine.

  Chapter 11

  Dan ran a quick eye over Georgia, Dr. Glendower and the little doc, checking for any injuries. While in the damned elevator Ana had taken obvious precedence, but now that that was done, it was time to take stock.

  The little doc had swelling forming on her forearm, by the looks of it. She’d obviously hit something pretty hard. Other than that, everyone seemed fine. Hellbrook still held Georgia, and her father stood at her side near the new ERT teams. Glendower’s people were swarming her and the little doc, everyone wanting their attention. Probably just to reassure themselves that their teammates were alright.

  One hell of a first day. But the doc had handled herself just fine. Earned even more of Dan’s admiration.

  Paige Daviess came running up to his side, her dark eyes worried. She was followed a few steps behind by Compton. “Danny? You ok? I heard you were trapped in there.”

  Dan smiled. It was well-known throughout the division that this girl hated to be confined in any way. The saying was You can’t cage Paige. Being trapped in an elevator would have seemed horrible to her.

  Dan felt he held the place of honorary uncle to the girl. And he liked that just fine. They shared a love of music that he’d once shared with his oldest daughter. They also shared a house. Paige rented one of the two basement apartments from him, and had for the last eighteen months. She'd been the one to 'keep an eye on him' the entire time he'd been off. She was a good kid. “Yeah, kiddo. All in one piece. Not even the little bit worse for wear.”

  “You didn’t reopen anything?”

  “All good, Paige, I promise.” He laughed, ruffled the dark hair that always smelled like strawberries. He loved this kid, with her all black clothes, brown eyes, dark hair, and pale skin. Something about her made the entire unit feel the same way. They all protected Paige.

  “If not, you’ll see the doctor?” She persisted. “Promise?”

  Compton chided her softly, telling her to leave him be. The two were close, of an age and good friends. Dan thought it was good, he worried about them both.

 
“Promise. I promise. Shouldn’t you be out incognito, or playing Sam Spade or something?” Paige was a member of the smallest team in the division. Undercover Operations three people in it, Paige, Alessandra Brockman, and Max Fulton. The three could assume almost any identity in hours. If they couldn’t pull it off, they’d borrow from other units to fit their needs. Dan himself had played undercover in a few operations. He’d played Carrie and Josh’s father in two separate cases. Had actually gone to the beautician for darker red highlights to better look the part. Even worn brown contacts, since both the younger agents had darker eyes. It had been fun.

  “We’re working a local angle.” Paige shrugged. “Was down in the lab waiting on results. But when I heard it was you in the elevator I had to come check, make sure you weren’t causing trouble.”

  “I’m always trouble, kid. Don’t you know that by now?” He led her toward Dr. Brockman. Malachi was a favorite of Paige’s and Dan liked the man. If there hadn’t been such an age difference between the nearly forty-year-old Brockman and twenty-something Paige, Dan would have tried his hand at some matchmaking between the two. Paige needed a strong man to take care of her, but one who’d understand that she was a free spirit. You couldn’t cage Paige.

  “Yes.” Paige nodded, as the two of them moved closer to where Brockman was speaking with his sister and Dr. Glendower. Doc Brewster stood behind them speaking earnestly with the orange and purple haired girl. Dan suppressed the urge to cringe at the wild coloring.

  “Well, here’s the man of the hour.” Paige motioned to Dan with one skinny arm. Girl was tall, but had no real curves to speak of. “Hero Dan! How many of us has he pulled out of the proverbial fires in the last year alone?”

  “Cute, Daviess.” Dan bumped the back of her head with one chiding hand.

  “It’s true, though,” Georgia said from behind him. “Dan does seem to be in the right spot at the right time for the rest of us―and the wrong spot at the wrong time for himself.”

  “By the way, Reynolds, I think your cane has finally given up the ghost,” Malachi Brockman said. Dan turned back toward the elevator. The cane had bowed completely, and all watched as it finally snapped. The doors slid shut with a loud shudder. Paige shivered. Dan rubbed her arm.

  “Not much of a loss, I was tired of the damned thing anyway. Only so long a man can feel like an invalid.” Dan was conscious of the little doc and her companion moving closer. “Doctors said I could be done with it in a month. I think today is as good a day as any.”

  “Danny...” Paige and Georgia both said. Georgia continued. “Don’t be a stubborn idiot.”

  “Am I ever?” Dan smiled at the two dark-haired, dark-eyed women.

  “Only all the time.” Paige said, as the little doc finally moved to their group. The wild-haired girl was at her side.

  “Are you hurt, Dan?” the doc asked, her pretty eyes filled with worry.

  “Nothin’ new.” He felt a hint of red tingeing his cheeks, as she moved closer. “Just rattled a few leftover shrapnel and things. Will be just fine.”

  “Are you sure?”

  “Completely. Doc Brewster, you met Malachi Brockman earlier; this is his sister Alessandra and her partner Paige Daviess. Alex and Paige are from UO. Their offices are located one floor up from your lab.”

  Paige nodded. “My desk is actually right over your mass-spec. Sometimes if you really get it going my desk vibrates. Weird, since the MS is a silent machine. But we figured it out one night.”

  “Back when she was extremely bored with paperwork,” Alex said. “Was running back and forth between the two places, checking the reactions of every machine. It was fun to watch.

  “It’s nice to meet you both. This is my lab partner, Kelly Reynolds. Kelly, this is Agent Dan―“

  “Daddy?” The girl’s voice rose, carrying over the entire crowd as her green eyes narrowed.

  Green eyes just like Dan’s.

  Chapter 12

  Ally’s eyes widened in tandem with half the people’s surrounding Dan and Kelly. Marianna moved closer, her hand wrapping around Kelly’s arm in a show of support.

  Ally had never asked Kelly about her parents, just knew that the girl and her mother rarely spoke. Kelly’s youngest sister, Gracie, often spent time with Kelly, and Ally had met her. The younger girl looked even more like the man standing gawking at her purple-haired partner.

  Kelly and Daniel Reynolds obviously were related; it was hard to overlook seeing them standing facing each other. They shared the same eyes, same profile. Same stubborn chin and relatively thin lips. Kelly had his nose, his coloring, and his build. Less than two inches separated their height, and both were lean and rangy.

  They both had a certain spark in their eyes that Ally couldn’t quite put her finger on. It said that this person has seen the world and understands it. And was not quite sure where they fit in it.

  Dan stepped forward, his left hand rising slowly. “Kelly Danielle? Kiddo?”

  Kelly stepped back. Her eyes were wide, her mouth trembled. She looked nothing like the full-speed ahead, not afraid of anything Kelly that Ally was used to seeing.

  She looked young, unsure, scared. Hopeful and angry. It was all there on the younger woman’s face. Ally felt a wave of protectiveness flood her. “Kelly?”

  Kelly looked at her, then turned and did something Ally never expected―Kelly left.

  She didn’t run, didn’t say anything. Didn’t look back, just took the stairs.

  Leaving everyone staring at her father.

  Marianna moved, then, taking charge in her customary way. “Allison, take care of Kelly!”

  Ally ran.

  It took her less than two minutes to catch up with the girl. Kelly’s hair made it pretty easy to spot her, even in a crowd. “Kelly! Kelly, wait!”

  The girl kept walking, her head down, her eyes on the sidewalk. Ally grabbed her elbow, not expecting the quick jerk as the taller Kelly resisted. “She said he was dead!”

  “Who?” Ally asked, though she had a good inkling of who the she was. “Kelly, let’s stop and talk for a minute, ok?”

  “I don’t want to talk.” Kelly said. “I just want to go home.”

  “You’re walking in the wrong direction for that.” Ally told her, leading her to what looked like a small coffee shop. The rich smells of coffee and pastries filled her nose. “The house is east of the building. Not west.”

  “Fifteen years.” Kelly let Ally lead her to a table near the front. Ally ordered two regulars, heavy on the cream, then hurried the barista away.

  “Fifteen?” Ally didn’t know what to say to her. Not without knowing the whole story. “Want to start at the beginning for me?”

  “My dad died when I was eleven.” Kelly said. “Or...at least, that’s what I believed until today.”

  Shit. That was all Ally could think, as she felt her eyes widen. “So Dan Reynolds is your father?”

  “Yes.” Kelly sipped her coffee slowly. “That’s him.”

  “What exactly did your mother tell you?” Ally asked slowly. “About your father?”

  “That he’d gotten shot, line of duty.” Kelly said. “And that he’d left her nothing, no money, no way to take care of us, so we were moving that day with Uncle Joe.”

  “Uncle Joe?”

  “My father’s partner, from when he was on the police force. And my former step-father. They’d been friends for years, as well. Mother and Joe. I found out later they’d been having an affair. The bitch. They married six months after we moved. Wasn’t sure Gracie was my full sister.”

  “She is.” Ally said, thinking of the young redhead. “She looks just like the man I was trapped in an elevator with.”

  “At least, I think mother married Joe. I don’t know anything anymore.” Bitterness coated Kelly’s words, a bitterness Ally had never heard before. “Maybe my father just said hell with us all, and that’s why she dragged us to Canada?”

  “Maybe.” Ally certainly knew some fathers wanted no
thing to do with their children. Hadn’t Jack the Jerk made that abundantly clear when he’d chosen the cat over their children? “It’s a possibility, I guess.”

  “But why? He was the one who took care of us. He did everything: doctor’s visits, bath time, parent-teacher conferences. And then one day she said he was dead, and we left. Just like that. Now I know why she didn’t take us to the funeral. There was no funeral.” Kelly fought tears as she to break a collection of toothpicks into small pieces; her green eyes were wet, even though her face showed nothing but anger.

  “I don’t know, Kel. But the only way to find the answers lies with the man back there.” Ally knew the girl appreciated honesty. “I think the only way to answer those questions is to ask him.”

  “I don’t think I can.” Kelly shook her head.

  “Well, if you’re going to stay here in St. Louis, I think you’re going to have to.”

  Chapter 13

  Dan closed his eyes briefly, certain his vision had played tricks on him. It wasn’t Kelly. Couldn’t have been. Kelly was gone; her mother had taken her and the younger girls away from him a long time ago.

  It wasn’t probable that she’d just appear in the midst of the field office he’d worked at for the last twelve years.

  “Reynolds?” Edward Dennis moved to his side. “You ok?”

  Dan looked at him, seeing a portion of the shock he felt echoed on his contemporary’s face. “What just happened here?”

  Edward Dennis knew the story, Dan knew that. Hell, almost everyone in his division probably knew. Dan had made no secret of what he did nearly every free weekend.

  How many hours had he poured over everything? Every little snippet of where Beth might have been, who she might have been with. Where the girls might have been.

  His former buddies on the Kansas City police force had opened a case the week Beth had left. They’d searched for her, even opened a warrant on her for custodial interference. They’d not been divorced, but she’d taken his kids where he couldn’t see them.