Southern Secrets (The Southern Series Book 2)

by Shelley Stringer

  “No, the lady in the Parish clerk’s office said there was once a Catholic Church there, thus the location of the cemetery. Some of the headstones are in French and date back to the Seventeen-hundreds. The church was used as a hospital during the Civil War, and it burned sometime during.”

  “This is all great, Andie. I can’t believe you found out so much about the house. I’m proud of you.” He leaned over to kiss me, pulling me in close to him.

  “It makes it feel as if it’s really home, to know so much about it. Now we know Mr. Jackson actually has a tie to the house, maybe he can tell us more. It sounds as if his great-grandmother worked for Mrs. Johnson. I want to go back down to see him, and maybe get him to walk to the cemetery with us.” I looked up at him excitedly.

  “Sure. Sounds fun. You know what else sounds fun?” He mumbled as he pulled my sweater over my head.

  * * *

  Banton and I sat patiently waiting in Dr. Lane’s office the next afternoon. “Well, Chandler…Everything is right on schedule. The tear in the placenta has healed some, so I want to go ahead and do the amniocentesis today, with your consent.” Doctor Lane passed by us, patting Banton on the shoulder as he moved around the desk to sit behind it.

  “Are there any risks involved, Doc? Any danger to the babies?” he asked.

  “There is some risk, but the knowledge we can gain will be useful in helping her carry the babies to term. I think in light of everything going on with this pregnancy, being multiples, the venom introduced to their systems before the first trimester was even over…we need to do this. I will warn you, Chandler, it’s not pleasant. It will hurt.”

  “What will the tests show?” Banton asked as he squeezed my hand.

  “It will show any abnormalities, problems with their blood, development, the sex of the babies. And we can begin some genetic testing.”

  I sat for several minutes, studying my hands. I began to speak as I gazed at Banton. “It doesn’t matter what you find, abnormalities, problems…I won’t terminate the pregnancy. Not for any reason. I love them no matter what. So I don’t see the point.” I watched Banton’s eyes mist.

  “I don’t anticipate the worst. This will just prepare us better for when they do come. And it will help determine if what you’re eating is what the babies need. We can gage their development so much better with some of these tests. We can also determine if anything in the babies’ blood or genetic makeup will put Chandler’s own body at risk.”

  I snapped my head around to look at Dr. Renault. “And as I said, if you do find anything, we do nothing to hurt the babies. Do you understand?”

  Dr. Renault took my hands in his across his desk. “I understand your feelings. We just want to be informed, so we can anticipate problems and deal with them ahead of time. You have to understand this is a first for all of us. We don’t know what to expect, whether they will be normal human children who carry the gene as you both were when you both were little, or if introducing the venom transformed them already. We don’t know if the gene blocked the venom properly. There is the possibility they could have fully transformed.”

  “What happens then?” I whispered apprehensively.

  “I’m afraid it might jeopardize your own health. They will get the nutrition they require, one way or another. We have to take special precautions when we have human mothers and Aldon fathers. We may have to put you on special injections and IV’s, to supplement your diet so the babies will get the proper diet for them. Sometimes there are complications that can’t be overcome.”

  I sat in silence several minutes.

  Finally Banton cleared his throat, and addressed Dr. Renault. “I want to stay with her if we do this. If Chandler doesn’t want to have the test, then we won’t,” He answered him firmly as I shook my head.

  “No, please. I want to. If we can start helping the babies now, I want to know. But you both have to promise me, if you find anything wrong, with them or with me, I carry the babies full-term. Period.” I stared at Banton, and he nodded slowly. “And I want you to stay with me.”

  He pulled me into his arms and whispered in my ear. “I’m not going anywhere.” He kissed my neck as he held me.

  “If you will come back into the exam room, we’ll get started.” Dr. Renault stood and led us back into the room where he’d just done my examination and sonogram.

  After I had the gown on and settled on the table, Dr. Renault brought Banton back into the room. He walked over beside me and pulled a chair up to sit next to me, drawing my hand up in his.

  “All right now, Chandler…lay perfectly still.” Dr. Lane pulled the sheet back, exposing my abdomen as Dr. Renault turned on the sonogram machine, and then squeezed out a small amount of lubricant on my stomach.

  “We use the sonogram to watch as we insert the needle. We want to stay as far away from the babies as possible,” Dr. Lane explained.

  “This is going to be unpleasant, and I will need to draw quite a bit of fluid.” Dr. Renault picked a large syringe up off the table as Dr. Lane took the probe to the Sonogram machine. Banton watched the screen as the babies came into focus.

  As Dr. Renault started to insert the needle, I held my breath. Banton squeezed my hand, watching my face intently as I continued to concentrate on his. Just when I thought the doctor must have drawn my entire insides through the needle, he finally removed it, and declared us done. I released my breath, and so did Banton.

  “Are you all right?” He caressed my cheek, wiping the beads of sweat from my forehead.

  “I’m fine,” I smiled reassuringly at him.

  “Chandler, you may have some discomfort, such as mild cramping. You can take Tylenol every four hours if you need it. If you have any severe cramping or bleeding…anything in the next couple of days, call us immediately.” Dr. Lane patted my leg. “After an amniocentesis, it is best to go home and relax for the remainder of the day. Don’t exercise or do anything strenuous or lift anything. You also need to avoid intimacy for a couple of days. You can get dressed now, and we’ll get this sample to our lab. We’ll call you with the results in a few days.”

  “Thank you, Dr. Lane…Dr. Renault,” Banton replied as the doctors left the room.”

  “Here, let me help you.” Banton helped me up from the table, and then out of the gown as he gathered my clothes to help me dress. “That was intense, was it bad?” he asked as I nodded.

  “It wasn’t pleasant,” I replied. I finished dressing, and then walked with him hand-in-hand out to our SUV.

  “I’m sorry you had to go through this. I’m sure the babies are going to be fine.” Banton kissed me as he helped me buckle my seat belt.

  “I know. They have to be.”

  We rode along in silence, both of us lost in our own worries. When we turned on to Rue Dauphine, I noticed a strange car parked at the curb of our house.

  “Who is that? Do you recognize the vehicle?” I asked. He shook his head and pulled into the driveway behind Ty’s pickup. As we climbed the stairs to the front porch we could hear angry voices in the house.

  “What’s going on here?” Banton demanded. A man I’d never seen before turned to stare at us. John sat silently on the sofa in the living room, and a small woman sat on the loveseat next to where the man stood.

  “Are you Lieutenant Gastaneau?” he demanded.

  “Yes, I’m Banton Gastaneau. And you are?”

  “Haven Adams. I’m Gabriella’s father. We’re here to get some answers from you people.” He continued to glare at Banton as the woman rose and crossed the room.

  “I’m Gabriella’s mother, Denise. We understand you were with Brie, when she was kidnapped. We have some questions for you and your wife.”

  “There isn’t anything else we can tell you. We’ve already told the Navy and the police everything,” Banton answered as he placed his hand on the small of my back.

  “Yes, well, we want to hear it from you. From her,” he pointed at me, and I could feel my face turning pale. My heart began
to race as I thought about what I could and couldn’t say.

  “What did the officials tell you?” Banton asked softly as he guided me over to the sofa to sit beside John.

  “That you were the last ones with her, and your wife and Brie stepped outside this party at the downtown hotel, and some gang you’ve been hunting nabbed her.”

  “Yes, that’s right,” I answered quietly.

  “Why did they take her, and not you?” he asked abruptly.

  It was exactly the question I’d been struggling with since the attack. I shut my eyes, and answered him slowly. “Brie stepped outside first. I was still looking for a coat. As I pulled the door open, they grabbed her and took off.” I opened my eyes, fighting the tears back threatening to spill over.

  “Then what happened?” he asked as I searched for the right answer to give him.

  John spoke up. “I’ve already told you, she told the doorman to come and get us, and she took off after them. When we finally caught up to Chandler, they were gone with Brie…”

  “Who are these people? How are they involved with the SEALs?” Mr. Adams demanded.

  “Mr. Adams, we can’t discuss this with you, I’m sorry.” Banton offered, taking my hand.

  “Yes, you’re going to give me the old ‘it’s classified, and you don’t have clearance’ bullshit the Navy officials gave me, is that it? I’m sick of this, and the promises I made the Navy and the N’awlins Police no longer apply. I’m going to the press…then maybe we’ll get some answers.”

  Mr. Adams motioned to Brie’s mother, and she rose to follow him into the foyer. The tears began to spill over as I watched her mother, her shoulders hunched over in defeat. Then Brie’s dad turned abruptly, and strode back over to me, pointing to me as he came closer.

  “And I’ll see you again, when all of these SEALs aren’t around to shield you. You’re not protected by the Navy, and I will get the answers I need…You can bet on it! I know you’re covering something up!” he exploded at me. John moved swiftly to get between us.

  “You just stay away from us, kid! You’re responsible for this. You took my daughter away from us, got her to marry you, and then got her involved in God only knows what. My daughter is missing, gone…because of you!” he bellowed, turning on his heel and storming out the front door. I could hear Brie’s mother sobbing outside on the front porch.

  After Banton shut the front door, he crossed the foyer and came back into the room. “What’s wrong…are you all right?” he asked gently as he sat down beside me.

  I shook my head, taking a deep breath as I did. Spasms were beginning to creep across my lower back, and I was cramping, much like I’d experienced in Colorado after the Orco attacked me. Banton reached up and wiped the sweat from my forehead. Without saying a word, he placed his arms under my knees and around my back, lifting me from the sofa.

  “What’s wrong?” John asked.

  “She had an amnio this afternoon, and the doctors said this might happen…she needs to rest. I’m going to take her upstairs,” he replied over his shoulder as he carried me up the staircase. He pushed the door to our bedroom open, and then carried me to the bed. Pulling a quilt up off the chair, he placed it over me.

  “Chandler, you’re cramping, aren’t you?” he asked softly, pulling his cell from his front pocket.

  “Yes, since we left the clinic. But it’s getting worse.”

  “I’m calling Doctor Lane.” Banton strode out into the hallway.

  “Can I get you anything?” Constance asked as she came through the doorway around Banton.

  “Yeah, the Doctor said I could take Tylenol, could you get me some, and some water?”

  “Sure. I’ll be right back.” She disappeared down the staircase.

  After several minutes, John appeared at the bedroom doorway.

  “Chandler, are you awake?” he whispered as he eased around the door.

  I turned over to face him. “Yeah, come on in, John. It’s all right,” I answered.

  “I’m so sorry. I was hoping I could get Brie’s parents to leave before you got home. I never meant for them to be able to interrogate you.” John sat down on the bed beside me.

  “I understand, John, don’t worry. I’d want answers too if I were her parents. I feel so sorry for them; I just wish I could give them the answers they want. I wish I could tell them something that makes sense.”

  “I know this is extremely upsetting to you. I don’t want this to cause you any problems. You absolutely do not have to talk to them, Chandler. I’ll do my best to keep them away, and we’ll make sure they can’t get to you without one of us with you. I didn’t like him threatening you.” He frowned, clasping my hands in his.

  “This isn’t your fault, John. I’m just no good at the not saying anything routine. I know there isn’t anything I can tell them to give them answers or closure, and it’s frustrating,” I sighed as he leaned over to kiss my forehead.

  As Banton slipped back into the room, Constance was close on his heels with the pills and a glass of water. John rose, and then turned to me.

  “If they are able to contact you again, or corner you in any way, just tell them there isn’t anything else you can tell them, and leave. Don’t feel guilty. There isn’t anything you can do for them, and this isn’t your responsibility. It’s mine.” He turned, and strode from the room. Banton patted him on the shoulder as he left.

  “Here, take these.” She handed me the pills, and after I’d swallowed them, I handed the glass of water back to her.

  “Try to get some sleep, Darlin’. I’m just next door if you need me,” she called over her shoulder.

  “Kay. Thanks,” I responded.

  Banton sat down on the bed next to me. He lay his head down on the pillows, pulling the quilt over on himself and drawing me into his chest.

  “How’s the cramping? Is it any worse?” he asked as he stroked my cheek.

  “It’s about the same, maybe easing a bit. I’m all right. The doctor said this might happen,”

  “That little episode downstairs didn’t help.” He reached down and felt my abdomen just as the babies decided to do a few flips. “Man, they sure are active tonight. I’ve never felt them like this!” He grinned as he watched me smile.

  “Maybe it’s a good sign. Movement is good, right?” I asked as I placed my hands over his.

  “Doc says so. Wow, this is great!” He grinned even bigger, continuing to feel the babies move. We cuddled for several minutes, feeling for movement, and watching each other’s reactions. The ringing of my cell intruded on the moment.

  He rose and crossed the room to retrieve my phone from the dresser. “It’s Laurilee. Do you want to talk to her now?” he asked as he turned to hand me the phone.

  “Sure. I needed to call her tonight anyway.” I took the phone from him as he settled back down on the bed beside me.

  “Hey, Laurilee, I was just about to call you.”

  “Yeah, yeah…that’s what you always say. I haven’t heard from you in weeks!”

  “I’m sorry, so much has happened,” I began.

  “Chandler, what’s wrong? You don’t sound like yourself,” Laurilee commented intuitively.

  I looked up at Banton as he listened to our conversation. “Well, I have some bad news. Gabriella…Brie’s…Brie’s dead.”

  “What? How? What happened?” Laurilee gasped out.

  “It happened the night of the masque ball in New Orleans. The same people who kidnapped me before Christmas. They kidnapped Brie, and we think they killed her.”

  “Chandler, I’m so sorry! Oh, my God, how is John?”

  “He’s devastated, Laurilee. We’ve all had a rough time of it, and it makes it harder, the Navy being involved. They’ve just listed her as missing, and can’t confirm her death. It’s all classified, and her parents are demanding answers. They were here tonight, and it’s making it even harder on John.”

  “How are you holding up?”

  “I’m all right. I wen
t through a rough few weeks, after the incident. I was the last one with her, before they took her. But Everett has helped me pull out of my depression, and Banton has been wonderful.” I glanced over at him, and he smiled back at me.

  “And the babies? How is the pregnancy going?” she asked.

  “Good. We had an amnio today and I’m hurting a little tonight. The doctor said this might happen. But I’ll be fine in a couple of days.”

  “Now I know you need a change of scenery. I still want Banton to bring you home for the rodeo…Have you had a chance to talk to him yet?”

  “Yes, I was going to call you. We want to visit. We’ll come in before the parade, and stay through Sunday.”

  “Great! I can’t wait to see you!”

  “I’ve missed you!” I exclaimed as I began to tear up thinking about my first trip home.

  “I know, me too. I love you, Chandler. Tell Banton hello for us, and take care of those babies.”

  “I love you too. Bye,” I touched the screen to turn the phone off, and then glanced up at Banton as he eased back down beside me on the bed. I handed him the phone to put on the nightstand, and then he turned back to me and pulled me up on his chest.

  “Are you okay?” he asked as he kissed the top of my head.

  “Oh, yes. I’m just…it’s just hard, thinking about going home for the first time since my parents died. It’s weird not having a house or family to go home too. It doesn’t feel like home anymore.”

  “I hadn’t thought of it, are you sure you want to go?” he asked softly.

  “Oh, yes, definitely. I want to see Laurilee and Dan, and I want to show you where I grew up. I’ll be all right once we get there.”

  “If you’re sure, then, let’s set it up! I can’t wait to see where you grew up. It must be one special place, to have produced such a special girl.” He grinned down at me. “Now, snuggle down here, and get some sleep.” He wrapped his arms around me, and I went to sleep as I listened to the calming beat of his heart.

  Chapter Thirty-Five

  I woke to Banton’s warm hands on my back, gently rubbing the muscles on my shoulders. I moaned and stretched.