"Really?" Jamie asked, privately thinking that she would have believed it more likely that her mother wouldn’t have wanted another child. "Why was that?"
"You were five, and he liked the fact that you were turning into a ‘person’ by then. I don’t think he wanted to deal with the stress that a baby brings into your life."
"So–just because he didn’t want to, you didn’t do it?"
"No, that wasn’t the end of the discussion. It took me another year or two, but he finally agreed that we could try." She looked pained as she went on, "It just didn’t happen. I tried to talk your father into going to a fertility specialist, but he wouldn’t hear of it. He said that if it didn’t happen, it didn’t happen, and there was a reason for it." Catherine tried to smile, but it looked forced. "At least I didn’t have to use birth control any more," she said, a touch too brightly.
"I’m sorry, Mom," Jamie said softly, reaching out to grasp her mother’s hand. "That must have been very disappointing for you."
"It was, Dear," she admitted. "I think I would have been a better mother if I had tried again when I was older and a little more mature. It would have been nice to have another opportunity."
"You’re doing pretty well now," Jamie said, giving her a loving smile. "And I think you’ll be a kick-ass grandmother!"
"I don’t think I’ve ever been a kick-ass anything, Honey," Catherine said, a bemused smile covering her face. "It will be fun to try."
"Hey, Grace, will you take over for me for a while?" Ryan asked her teammate, though Jordan’s hair was less than one-third finished. Heather had given up long ago, replaced by Amy, who was lagging so far behind Ryan that the older woman had called a halt to the bet.
"Sure," Grace said amiably, watching Ryan get up to leave the room. "You coming back?"
"Yeah," she said, stretching languidly. "I’ve gotta call Jamie while it’s still a decent hour on the East Coast."
"Don’t forget to tell her your new nickname," Jordan called after her. "I’m sure she’ll find it apt."
"You’re a funny, funny woman," Ryan drawled, smiling at her friend even though she tried not to.
The cell signal was weak, but Ryan didn’t want to spend the time going outside, so she pulled her calling card from her pocket, dialed the number for her partner’s cell phone, and counted the rings… one… two… three…That’s funny, she usually picks up immediately… four… five…
"Hello, Ryan."
Catherine’s soft voice surprised her a little, but Ryan quickly replied. "Hi, Catherine. Are you serving as Jamie’s new answering service?"
"Actually, I’m serving as her pillow." As she spoke, Ryan realized that Catherine’s voice was even softer than usual, and she immediately conjured up a mental image of the small, elegant woman cradling Jamie’s head while she slept.
"I’ve been there," Ryan laughed. "Sometimes I think that’s my main appeal."
"Trust me, Ryan," Catherine said softly, "your position is secure, even if you loose your squooshy qualities."
Chuckling softly Ryan said, "Once she falls asleep on you, you might need some help to get her off. She’s absolutely dead weight! Can you use the cell phone to call for assistance?"
"We’re in the car, driving back to Rhode Island," Catherine informed her. "Luckily, the chauffeur is a burly sort–I’m sure he can lend a hand."
"Where did the Evans women take off to today?" Ryan asked, having no idea how her partner had spent the day.
"We went to New York," Catherine reported. "The shops of Newport weren’t big enough to hold us!"
"Well, well, well," Ryan laughed. "I assume New York is still reeling from the influx of capital?"
"They were repaving the streets and adding police officers by the busload," Catherine agreed, fully enjoying the easy banter with her charming young daughter-in-law.
"How deep is the coma?" Ryan asked, well acquainted with the varying levels of her partner’s sleep.
"It seems quite severe," Catherine opined, picking up her daughter’s hand and letting it drop onto her leg. "I think there’s a fire extinguisher in the trunk. I could give her a good spray to wake her…"
"Nah…I’m going to bed soon, so I’ll just call her in the morning. If I don’t catch her, tell her that we’re playing an intra-squad match in the morning, then we’re taking off. I’ll be home by dinner."
"I shall, Ryan. Thanks for calling."
"Um…Catherine?" Ryan’s voice was uncharacteristically high, evincing her discomfort. "When she wakes up, will you tell her that I love her?"
"Of course, Ryan," she agreed, smiling broadly. "She loves you too. You’re all she thinks about, you know."
"I feel the same," Ryan said, her embarrassment diminishing as she experienced Catherine’s obvious support. "She’s absolutely precious to me, Catherine."
"I echo your feelings, Ryan. We’re both lucky to have her."
The next morning, after Jamie got out of the shower, she heard her mother moving around her room, so she slipped on a robe and knocked softly on the adjoining door.
"Come in, Honey."
Opening the door, she found her mother, fully dressed and sipping a cup of coffee, the telephone receiver cradled between her neck and shoulder while she made some notes on a pad. Catherine gestured to her, and she crossed the room to look over her shoulder. A myriad of notes was hastily scribbled on the legal pad, and Jamie was just able to make out that her mother was doing the research that she had promised Adam she would handle.
A coffeepot was sitting on the table in front of the two upholstered chairs, and Jamie poured herself a cup and refreshed her mother’s. The older woman was speaking in Italian and seemed to be making good progress. After a while she concluded her business and hung up, letting out a heavy sigh. "My, but it’s fun to try to get information out of hospital administrators."
"Any luck?"
"Yes. I think I’ve found a good facility for Stephanie. It’s near Milan, which would be nice since that’s near the school they want to send the girls to. It sounds like a well run place."
"How did you find it?" Jamie knew that her mother was eminently resourceful when she needed to be, but she had feared that this task would be beyond even her impressive skills.
"I have quite a few contacts in Milan," Catherine explained. "Just a few phone calls, and I had some recommendations."
There was a knock on the door to the hall and Catherine called out, "Come in."
Carolyn poked her head in, looking at Catherine and Jamie. "Is this a good time?"
"Certainly," Catherine said warmly. "Join us for coffee."
Carolyn sat on the window seat after pouring a cup of coffee for herself. "Have you had the opportunity to make any calls for us yet, Catherine?"
"Yes, I have," she said. "I think I’ve located a good place for Stephanie. It’s right outside of Milan, and they have availability. Have you spoken to her about it yet?"
"No, not directly. Adam hustled her over to David’s doctor yesterday afternoon, and we got the news this morning. Regrettably, our fears were confirmed. She tested positive for opiates. That must have been heroin that you found, Jamie." Carolyn looked absolutely ill, her face drawn and pale in the early morning light. She was dressed neatly, as always, and her hair and makeup were flawless, but she looked as though she hadn’t slept in days.
"I’m sorry," Catherine said, moving to join the shaken woman on the window seat, and covering Carolyn’s trembling hand with her own. "I was hoping that she was covering for Trey."
"I was too, Catherine." Carolyn shook her head slowly, as she said, "I’m so disappointed in her…not to mention how I feel about Trey. Adam won’t hear of it, but I have half a mind to report him to the police for this. I think a good long stint in jail might give that young man some perspective!" Her eyes were shining with fury and both Catherine and Jamie could empathize with her, even though neither thought that was the best solution for Trey’s problems.
Directing the conversat
ion away from Carolyn’s anger, Catherine asked, "What will you do now? Will you leave immediately?"
"Oh, we must!" she said. "I don’t want her to miss too much school. We talked to the headmaster at the academy we want them to attend, and school starts at the end of September. If we get her into treatment immediately, she might be able to start on time."
"Is there anything I can do to help you prepare, Carolyn? Anything at all?"
"You aren’t, by any chance, going to be in Italy soon?" Carolyn asked hesitantly. "We could really use some support in getting her settled."
"I can leave immediately," Catherine decreed, looking to Jamie for agreement.
"I definitely think you should go, Mom. Since you know Milan so well you can help get Julia ready for school."
"That’s another issue," Carolyn said. "Neither of the girls speaks Italian well enough to get by. They’re both going to have to take an intensive course just to get ready for school."
"That settles it," Catherine said. "I’ll go to Milan with you. Of course, you’ll all stay with me. Julia can attend a language academy and we can all speak only Italian to her. She should be fine by the time school starts."
Carolyn was shocked at the gracious offer. "Are you certain that you don’t mind, Catherine? This is such an imposition."
"Nonsense," she insisted. "I’m only too happy to help in any way that I can. What are your travel plans?"
"We thought we’d leave tomorrow and spend a week in Long Island getting packed and taking care of details. But if Stephanie can be admitted sooner, I suppose one of us will take her over and then come back."
"I’d be happy to take her," Catherine offered, much to Jamie's surprise.
"That might work," Carolyn said slowly, "although you should know that she’s very angry with both you and Jamie."
"That makes sense," Catherine said. "I won’t take it personally if she refuses to speak to me." She smiled slowly and added, "Although I would request that our seats not adjoin. That’s far too long a trip to sit next to an angry teenager!"
"Let me talk to Adam and see what he thinks," Carolyn suggested. "I want this to go as well as possible."
"I assume we don’t want the older generation to know what’s going on, correct?" Catherine asked.
"Oh no!" Carolyn replied, shaking her head briskly. "We’re telling Adam’s parents that we’re moving because of his Formula One commitments. We’ll just say that you’re going along to help up get settled."
"There’s a good deal of truth in that," Catherine reminded her. "I’m sure this will work out fine, Carolyn. Let me know what Adam thinks."
"I will. And thank you, Catherine. This doesn’t seem like such an unbearable thing when we have your support."
After Carolyn left, Jamie looked at her mother and said, "That was a very generous offer, Mom. I’m proud of you."
Catherine blushed a little and said, "I wish I could accept your praise, but my motives are not totally altruistic. This just illustrates how much I’m ready to leave. I’d rather go on a trans-Atlantic flight with a drug-addicted, angry teenager than stay here without you!"
Jordan fought her way out of the tangle of sheets that had wrapped around her legs during the night. She grabbed her shower supplies and smiled at Ryan as her friend joined her to clean up. "This is your last day to wake up with me, Beastie. Can you feel the loss already?"
"Oh, yeah, Jordan. It’s gonna be soooo horrible when I have to wake up with Jamie nestled in my arms. I just hate to have her warm body pressed up against mine. It’s positively awful to feel her skin react to my touch, and hear her sharp little intake of breath when I nibble on her neck while she’s still half-asleep. It’s just torture…" She stopped abruptly when Jordan darted into the shower room and slammed the door in her face.
"What’d I say?" Ryan asked plaintively as the closed door. "I was agreeing with you!"
Through the long week of practice, the team had worked diligently on the individual elements that, hopefully, would bring them success during the season. On this, the last day of camp, they finally got to put it all together and play a five-game match. The staff split the team up into two six-member squads, with two extra defensive specialists who would rotate between the teams as needed. Coach Placer announced that he was merely an observer, with Erin coaching Ryan’s team and Ken taking the helm of Jordan’s.
The match got under way at precisely ten a.m. Erika served the first ball. If my team doesn’t win this match, I’m going to have to put up with her banging on me for the rest of the season, Jordan and Ryan thought simultaneously. I’ve got to go all out today!
"I think we’ve got everything organized," Catherine informed her daughter over lunch by the pool.
Jamie looked up from her cold lobster salad and cocked her head. "What’ve you come up with?"
"I had a long talk with Sara after you came down to swim," Catherine informed her. "She was upset to hear about Trey’s relapse, but I think she’s calmed down now."
"That must be so hard to hear," Jamie agreed, musing about how disheartening it must be for parents to have to go through such a thing with their child.
"Yes, but I’m glad that she was willing to talk about it rationally. I’m not sure Skip would have done the same."
"So Trey’s going back to Betty Ford?"
"No, after talking about how to keep this quiet, Sara decided to send him to the same place Carolyn is sending Stephanie."
Catherine looked very pleased with herself, but Jamie furrowed her brow and asked, "Is that really a good idea? I think they’ve proven that they can’t be trusted together."
"Oh, no, dear, they won’t be in the same program. Stephanie will be with the teenagers, and Trey will be with the adults. They won’t have any contact at all. The good news though, is that Sara is going to go with both of them tomorrow morning to check them in. I can take my time and go over when Adam and Carolyn go in a week or so."
"Oh, that works out much better," Jamie agreed.
"Indeed it does," Catherine smiled. "Now I can go home with you tomorrow and prepare properly. The clothes that I brought here just won’t work in Milan."
"You could buy everything new in Milan," Jamie teased, her eyes twinkling.
"I think you’re trying to live vicariously through me, young lady," Catherine laughed.
"Well, Ryan will never let me be as frivolous with my spending as I used to be…so maybe I am," she winked. "You don’t mind, do you?"
"Not a bit, Honey. As soon as lunch is over I’m going to switch my flight to tomorrow, and then go speak to Uncle David. He’s not going to be happy to have all of the women leave, but our minds are made up."
"What about Skip? What will Sara tell him?"
"Everything but the truth, I’m sure," Catherine smiled, rolling her eyes a little.
After the first two games, the teams were even with one win each. Jordan’s squad had won the first match all too easily, and Ryan’s competitive fires were stoked for the second, which they finally won at 15-13. They had a ten-minute break between the second and third games, and Ryan used her time wisely, putting in a call to her partner.
"Hi, Love," she gasped as the line connected.
"Hi, Sweetheart! It’s so good to hear your voice! But you sound winded…what’s up?"
"We’re playing our first intra-squad match. We’ve got ten minutes between the second and third games, so I thought I’d try you again."
"Sorry I wasn’t here earlier, Babe. I was in Mother’s room, and I forgot to take my phone with me."
"No problem. I was just about to go into withdrawal so I thought I’d try again." She took in a few deep breaths, trying to slow her heart rate. "You know, I’ve spent more on phone calls this week than I think I have in my whole life! You’re a very bad influence, my pet."
"It’s worth it, Honey. I couldn’t have stayed the whole week without talking to you every day. As it was, I was denied your sweet voice last night."
"And I assume
you lay in bed all night long, unable to sleep a wink," Ryan teased, knowing that her partner slept like a log in almost all circumstances.
"Well, no," Jamie replied honestly, "but I missed you nonetheless."
"I miss you too, Love, and I can’t tell you how much I’m looking forward to having you back in my arms again."
"That goes double for me, Babe. Call me tonight, okay?"
"From our bed," Ryan promised. "I doubt that I can sleep well without you, even at home, but at least I’ll be able to smell you on the pillows."
"Maybe I’ll just have to relax you more effectively," she growled, giving a clear indication of her relaxation regimen.
"I appreciate the offer, Love, but I’ve waited this long…I might as well wait another night. I’ll give Lefty a thorough rest so she can get busy on your lovely body as soon as you step off the plane."
"Uhh…Mother’s coming home with me, Babe. There’s been a thousand things happening here–too many to tell you on the phone. But one offshoot is that she’ll be with me tomorrow. So you might have to keep Lefty in check long enough to be polite."
"It won’t be easy," Ryan grumbled, "but I’ll try. I’ll call you tonight, Love. I love you."
"I love you too, Sweetheart. Be careful driving home today."
"I will. Bye."
Twenty-four hours, Jamie sighed as she looked at her watch. I can get through twenty-four hours, can’t I? I mean, I waited twenty-one years for her, twenty-four hours can’t be that bad… can they?
"Why don’t I buy you lunch?" Jordan asked as they loaded up the Lexus with their gear.
"We already ate lunch, Jordan," Ryan grumbled, still smarting from losing, three games to one.
"Yeah, but you didn’t eat much. I was watching you, pal. You’re not getting sick are you?"
Fidelity - SF6 Page 29
