Dark Secrets: A Paranormal Romance Anthology

by Colleen Gleason

  “I know,” he said bravely. “I guess… well, it’s just kind of a lot going on, that’s all.”

  He was trying to be courageous and Cord patted him comfortingly on the shoulder before holding out his hands to Rose to see if she wanted to come to him. She slithered into his big arms because she thought he was going to take her to her mother. Cord carried her outside with him, following the gurney to the ambulance, as Sean brought up the rear.

  “Did you see the baby, Rosie?” Cord asked.

  Rose looked over at the incubator they were rolling towards the ambulance. She nodded, sniffling, before looking back at her mother. “I wanna go with Mommy.”

  Cord kissed her cheek. “I know,” he said, watching them load Alix up in the rear of the ambulance. “But Mommy has to see the doctor right now. We’ll come right back.”

  With that, he handed Rose back over to Sean and leapt into the back of the ambulance with Alix. A pair of firefighters slammed the doors closed, bolted them, and then banged on the doors to let the driver know they were closed. The ambulance took off.

  Chris, Kyle, Cole, Sean and Rose watched it drive away, followed by two rigs and a battalion chief car. As quickly as the firefighters had arrived, they were gone, following Cord and Alix to the hospital. Chris and Kyle looked at Sean, standing there holding his weeping sister.

  “Let’s go,” Chris said. “We’ll take my truck over to the hospital.”

  Sean nodded, somewhat numbly, as Chris and Kyle took charge. Kyle ran to get Rose’s car seat out of Alix’s car while everyone else went into the house, turning off televisions, lights, and making sure the dogs were corralled. By the time they locked the house and ran back outside, Kyle had the car seat in the back of Chris’s truck and they coaxed Rose into it. Once she was secured, everyone else climbed in and Chris took off for North Shore.

  As they pulled out of the driveway, no one noticed the small girl watching them from the master bedroom window. It was Rose’s face, looking through the glass with big black eyes. They were sad eyes. But then the mouth opened, the great fanged teeth were bared, and the image faded away as the sound of child’s voice filled the air.

  “Goody Good, Goody Good,

  ’ere bird and snake could;

  Mother dies with blood in mouth,

  Mercy is revenge in Bebe’s house”

  There was a new baby in the house. The evil had returned.

  CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

  By the time they got to the hospital with Alix, she was fading in and out of unconsciousness with weak vital signs. The trip over had seen her deteriorate considerably, leaving Cord struggling not to lose his composure completely. As they rushed Alix into an examination room and whisked the baby up to Pediatrics, Dr. Potts and Debra made Cord stay out.

  “I need to be in there,” Cord was angry as well as panicked.

  Debra kept her hands on his big chest, preventing him from pushing past her as Dr. Potts raced into the exam room after Alix.

  “Cord, go up with the baby to Pediatrics,” she said calmly, steadily. “We’ll take care of Alix, I promise. She’s in good hands.”

  Cord wasn’t convinced. “Please,” he begged softly. “Just let me go in there. I swear I won’t get in the way.”

  Debra felt for the man. She was pretty emotional herself. She had heard the call go out for Alix and she had prepped the exam room for her arrival. Alix had become a good friend and to see her friend in distress deeply upset her. But she had to stay calm if there was any hope of keeping Cord calm. She shook her head, keeping her hands on his chest as if the gesture would hold back a man twice her size.

  “You know and I know that it’s much better that you stay out here,” she said firmly. “Cord, I want you to listen to me; you know she’s in good hands. They’ll do everything they can. If you want to stay, you’re going to have to stand here with me because you know I’m not going to let you go in there. Okay?”

  His gaze was on the exam room door where Alix had disappeared. He could see people moving around, quickly, and a call went out to Gynecology. He could also see the paramedics milling around in the room, now assisting the doctors. So many people assisting his wife as he stood there helplessly. A hand suddenly went to his mouth but he caught sight of the dried blood all over it, realizing it was Alix’s blood, and tears sprang to his eyes.

  “Oh… God,” he breathed. “It can’t be that serious, right?”

  Debra could see that the man was verging on a breakdown and she quickly ushered him over to the wall where a bank of seats sat beneath a bright window. It was a private spot and she pushed him onto a chair.

  “Cord, sit,” she directed firmly. “I want you to sit here and I’ll go find out how she is. Okay? Stay here.”

  He nodded, staring at his hands. Then he put them over his face and hung his head. Debra, gazing at him with great concern, had another nurse come over and sit with him while she went to Alix’s exam room. She had no sooner entered the room than they were lowering the bed and wheeling her out.

  “We’re off to surgery,” Dr. Potts was pushing at Alix’s head. “We need to get in there and clean her out.”

  Debra stood back out of the way, watching them push Alix past her. She turned around to tell Cord, but she bumped into the man because he was standing right behind her. As they wheeled Alix past, Cord clamped on to her hand and was pulled along as they went.

  Alix had regained some level of consciousness. She felt Cord’s hand in hers and she opened her eyes, gazing up at him as they moved her bed into the elevator.

  “Hi,” she whispered, smiling weakly.

  Cord didn’t trust himself to speak. He held her hand tightly, gazing down at her with a lump in his throat. But he couldn’t stop the tears and by the time they got on the elevator and the door closed, he was struggling not to sob.

  “Hi,” he said in a strangled whisper.

  Alix, as dazed as she was, could see how torn up he was. She squeezed his hand as tightly as she could.

  “I’m going to be fine,” she whispered, trying to sound confident. “They’re going to do a D & C on me to clear out any remaining tissue. I’m going to heal up just fine, okay? I don’t want you to worry.”

  He nodded, but his face started to crumple and he hung his head, tears coursing down his cheeks. Alix, seeing him so distraught, was starting to tear up herself.

  “Please, baby,” she murmured. “Please, don’t cry. Everything will be okay. Please? I love you.”

  He let out a choked sob. “I love you, too,” he wept, wiping furiously at his cheeks with his free hand. He took in a deep breath, struggling to recover. “I’m sorry. I’m usually better at holding myself together.”

  She squeezed his hand, a faint smile on her face. “Remember when you were injured in the roof collapse?” she whispered. “I was a mess, remember? I know how you feel.”

  The elevator doors opened and they wheeled the bed out. The doctors and nurses were trying to ignore the conversation going on between Alix and Cord but it was difficult. It was sad, in so many ways. Dr. Potts even got a little misty-eyed though he pretended otherwise. When they reached the big doors that led into Surgery, Dr. Potts stopped Cord.

  “She goes in alone from this point,” he said. “Dr. Sutton is already waiting for her inside, so have a seat out here and we’ll let you know when she’s done.”

  Cord still had Alix’s hand even though they were trying to wheel her into surgery. “Okay,” he said reluctantly, looking down at his wife. He held her hand up to his lips, kissing it tenderly, before bending over and kissing her on the lips very sweetly. His big hand was on her head as he gazed steadily at her. “I’ll be right here. I swear, I won’t leave.”

  Alix put up a hand, one with needles in it, and stroked his cheek. “I’m going to be fine,” she murmured. “I want you to go over to Pediatrics and see how Kitty is, okay? That would make me happy.”

  Cord took another deep breath, nodding reluctantly, and kissed her hand once more
before letting it go. The last he saw, they were wheeling his wife into surgery and he struggled not to come apart again. She had asked him to check up on their daughter and he would oblige, although it was difficult for him to leave the area. He very much wanted to be near Alix, but he had promised her he’d go see the baby. Hesitantly, wearily, he made his way to Pediatrics.

  * * *

  Katharine Mary Hendry-Trevor was nine pounds and eleven ounces, and twenty-one inches long. As Cord stood over her incubator, watching her scream, he could see that her pale blond hair was drying in the warmth and her fat, little hands were waving furiously. He had to grin at his daughter, a big, healthy girl that had wreaked havoc on her mother. When the pediatrician declared the baby healthy, Cord sat in a rocking chair and gave the baby her first feeding.

  Kitty was an angry and hungry girl, but the moment Cord put the nipple in her mouth, she settled right down and fed eagerly. He held her close, watching her eat, seeing Alix in that little face. The nurses in Pediatrics were aware that Alix was in surgery and they called up to Surgery every few minutes to get updates. So far, Alix was still in surgery, so an hour after she was wheeled in, Cord sat feeding the baby, praying that his wife was going to be all right. He just couldn’t stomach the alternative.

  He was in the process of burping the baby when he glanced up and saw five familiar faces looking at him through the nursery glass. Chris, Kyle, Cole, Sean and Rose were watching him burp the baby and he grinned when he saw the kids, taking the baby over to the glass so they could see her better. Chris and Kyle thumped on the glass to get the baby’s attention while Cole just kind of stood there and looked at her. He wasn’t much into babies. Sean and Rose, however, seemed the most distant and Cord could see that they were very worried for their mother. Cord gave the baby back over to a nurse and went out into the hall.

  “Dad, how’s Alix?” Chris asked him before he could speak.

  Rose wanted to go to Cord so he held out his arms for the little girl, who snuggled up to him. “Where’s Mommy?” she wanted to know.

  Cord kissed her cheek. “Mommy is still with the doctors,” he told her. “You can go see her soon, I promise.”

  “Is she okay?” Sean asked, his expression sad and apprehensive.

  Cord felt bad for the young man who was very close to his mother. “She’s going to be fine,” he said. “I told you that sometimes women have issues when they have babies. It’s a big event for a body. The doctors are taking care of her right now.”

  “Where is she?”

  “In surgery.”

  Sean took a deep and rather startled breath, as if that thought hadn’t occurred to him. He averted his gaze and hung his head, staring at his feet. Cord watched him a moment, knowing he had to stay strong for Sean. His boys were concerned, of course, but Sean was the most affected. If for no other reason, Cord had to remain strong and confident for the young man.

  “She’s going to be fine,” he said again, putting a hand on his shoulder. “They just needed to fix her up. She should be out soon and you can see her then. Okay?”

  Sean drew in a deep breath before nodding his head. “Okay.”

  Cord patted his shoulder. “Meanwhile, your new baby sister is doing great,” he said. “It looks like she’s going to have blond hair like you.”

  Sean smiled weakly. Cord was about to suggest they go down to the cafeteria and get something to eat when his parents came around the corner from the elevator. Cord lifted his hand in greeting as Mary practically ran to him.

  “Chris called us,” she said, urgency in her voice. “How’s Alix? How’s the baby?”

  Cord hastened to reassure his mother. “Alix is in surgery but she’s going to be fine,” he said steadily. “They just had to clean her up a bit. And your new granddaughter is doing great. Nine pounds, eleven ounces. She’s big and healthy.”

  Mary shrieked with glee. “Chris said it was a girl!” she said, clapping her hands happily. The nursery window was right there and she went straight to it, like a moth to flame. “Where is she?”

  Cord, with Rose still in his arms, pointed to the bassinet at the end of the very first row behind the glass. “There she is,” he said with pride. “Katharine Mary. We’re going to call her Kitty, after Grandma.”

  Mary was all over the situation. She sighed with delight at her first granddaughter, desperate to hold the baby. All she could talk about was how she wanted to kiss her cheeks and eat her up, which concerned Rose a bit until they explained the figure of speech to her. As they all stood there and admired the pink and rosy infant, a nurse emerged from the nursery.

  “Cord,” she said quietly. “Your wife is out of surgery. She’s in recovery.”

  Cord immediately handed Rose over to Sean and assured the young man he’d send word to let him know how his mother was doing. Racing down to the second floor, he very nearly ran the entire way to the surgical recovery area. When he gave the attending nurse his name, she let him into the dim, quiet room.

  There were two other patients being tended to other than his wife. The nursing presence was heavy as women in scrubs moved about, silently checking monitors and drips. Dr. Potts was standing over Alix along with the OB/GYN who had been on-call. There was also another doctor in scrubs that Cord didn’t recognize. When they saw Cord approach, they moved their conversation in his direction.

  “Cord,” Dr. Potts greeted. He indicated the unfamiliar physician. “This is Dr. Ranj. He’s a cardiologist.”

  Cord wasn’t particularly comforted by that knowledge but shook the man’s hand. “Nice to meet you,” he said. “Uh… why does my wife need a cardiologist?”

  Dr. Potts put a hand on Cord’s shoulder. “We lost her pulse when she was on the table,” he said as gently as he could. “We were able to get a rhythm again, but I wanted her checked out by the cardiologist. That’s what took so long. Dr. Ranj is one of the best.”

  “She’ll be fine, Mr. Trevor,” Dr. Ranj, an older Indian-American man, spoke softly. “Her cardiac enzymes are fine and all of the tests are coming back acceptable. I’m just going to watch her for the next couple of days to make sure everything is okay.”

  Cord felt sick. He swallowed hard. “Oh, God,” he finally breathed. “She went into cardiac arrest?”

  Dr. Potts nodded. “She had lost a significant amount of blood,” he said. “Her body was reacting to the stress. But she’s doing much better now. She should be able to go home in a few days if she continues to improve.”

  Cord merely nodded his head, feeling overwhelmed and anguished. “But…,” he said, his throat tight with emotion. “She’s okay? Her uterus – everything – is okay?”

  The OB/GYN nodded. “She’ll be fine,” he said. “We cleaned her out and she should recover fully.”

  Cord breathed a heavy sigh of relief. A lump welled up in his throat and he could hardly speak. “Thank you,” he whispered. Then he gestured at Alix, lying pale and sedated on the gurney. “I’d really just like to sit with my wife now.”

  The doctors let him go. Cord made his way over to Alix, gazing down at her sleeping face, and he couldn’t help the tears. God, he was all shook up. Taking the chair next to her, he sat down and wiped away the tears. Then he took her hand and held it tightly. He didn’t know what else to do but give thanks.

  He thanked God she was going to be okay.

  CHAPTER NINETEEN

  “Alix?” Cord called up to his wife. “Honey, do you want something to eat? I’m making the boys sandwiches.”

  Eleven days after the birth of baby Kitty, the situation in the Hendry-Trevor home was back to normal. The dogs were sleeping where they weren’t supposed to be, the boys were taking over the television in the den with their war games, and Cord had let Hester go because he had taken four months off to tend Alix and the baby after the harrowing delivery. They didn’t need a live-in any longer, although it had been a good parting. Hester wanted to go home to Louisiana, anyway. Truth was, Cord was thrilled and content to be a house-hu
sband now, in charge of everything. He was exactly where he wanted to be.

  Alix had been home for seven days and had recovered rapidly. In fact, Cord was having a tough time keeping her down. She was supposed to be on bed rest for a couple of weeks but that wasn’t panning out because she wouldn’t stay down. Physicians made rotten patients and Alix was no exception. The more Cord tried to keep her down, the more she resisted him. Even now, he could hear her moving around upstairs. He finally put Chris on finishing the sandwiches and went upstairs to see what she was doing.

  Cord found Alix sitting on the floor of Rose’s pink princess room with the baby in her arms as she and Rose were picking up the clutter. Alix would pick a book off the floor and hand it to Rose, who would then put it on her bookshelf. As Cord stood in the doorway, he watched Rose put away two books and a doll. When Alix finally looked up and saw him, she smiled.

  “Hi, babe,” she said.

  He smiled in return, coming in to the room. “Hi,” he said. “What are you doing?”

  Alix picked up another toy and handed it to her daughter. “Cleaning up,” she said. “What are you doing?”

  He bent over and scooped the baby out of her arms, cradling his precious little daughter, who was swaddled tightly and sucking furiously on her pacifier. “I was making the boys some lunch,” he said, gently rocking the baby. “Do you want a sandwich?”

  Alix rolled onto her knees, stiffly, and crawled over to collect another toy for Rose to put away. “I guess so,” she said. “I’ll come help you.”

  He shook his head. “You don’t need to help me,” he said. “In fact, you probably shouldn’t be crawling around on the floor like that.”

  She eyed him as she sat back on her heels. “I’m fine,” she said. “I feel a lot better when I’m moving around and not lying like a slug on the bed.”

  He grinned. “Doctor’s orders,” he pointed out. “You’re supposed to be taking it easy for the next two weeks.”