The Bad Son (Suddenly a Parent)

by Linda Warren

  “Me, too.” Macy glanced toward Zoë.

  Joanne came back and handed him a copy. “You have two hours. That’s all I can give you.”

  Beau strolled away with the note in his hand. He needed a miracle. In his truck, he called Liz.

  “See if you can locate Judge Brampton. I’m on the way to the office.” Judge Roland Brampton was known for his fairness and being a diligent advocate for children’s rights. If Beau had a chance of getting the guardianship paperwork done today, it would be with Roland.

  “He’s going to love being bothered on a Saturday.”

  “Just do it, Liz.”

  As he arrived at his outer office, Liz was on the phone. In a minute she followed him into his office.

  “The judge’s wife said he’s playing golf this morning.” She laid a piece of paper on his desk. “That’s his cell if you have nerve enough to call him.”

  “Did his wife give you his cell number?”

  “Of course not.” She lifted an eyebrow. “Remember the Dobbins case?”

  “Sure.”

  “The judge’s daughter was having a baby and he gave me his cell to call when I had the papers ready for him to sign. I jotted it down for future reference.”

  “You’re a marvel.” He picked up a pad and handed it to her. “We’re going to file a motion for temporary guardianship with these names on the document.”

  Liz stared at the names. “Macy…”

  “I don’t have time to explain. Just get the paperwork done.”

  She gave him an indignant glance and walked out.

  Without a second thought he poked out the judge’s number. He’d been on the receiving end of a judge’s ire before and this was probably not going to be an exception. It rang several times before he heard the judge’s voice.

  “McCain, this had better be important.” Obviously he’d looked at the caller number before answering.

  “It is, judge.” He told him about Macy, Zoë and Delia’s disappearance.

  “The mother left a note?”

  “Yes, and I have a copy of it. The baby makes a wheezing sound when she breathes and the doctor has run tests to determine the cause. The results aren’t in yet, but this child may need special attention. In foster care, you know that’s not going to happen. Macy Randall is her aunt and a neonatal nurse who will love and give the baby all the care she needs. I’m sorry to bother you on a Saturday, judge, but a child’s welfare is at stake.”

  “I’ll be in my office in an hour. You better have the paperwork in order. I’ll go over it and if it reads to my satisfaction, I’ll sign it.”

  “Thanks, judge. I’ll see you in an hour.”

  In less than an hour, Beau walked into the judge’s office. The motion was granted in less than ten minutes. He then hurried to the hospital.

  Macy was in the nursery, sitting by the incubator watching Zoë. He didn’t bother her. He walked on to the supervisor’s office, where he’d agreed to meet Joanne. He handed her a copy of the signed papers.

  She glanced through it. “You are a miracle worker.”

  “I’ll need a copy for our records,” Harriet said, handing the papers to a nurse. “I’m so glad Macy will have custody of this baby. She’ll be well taken care of and that is everyone’s main concern.”

  Joanne picked up her briefcase. “I’m glad I don’t have to find a home for her. Foster homes for babies who require special attention are scarce.”

  Beau headed back to the nursery with a copy of the papers in his hand. Macy was coming out and her eyes grew big when she saw him.

  “What happened?”

  “It’s done. You have legal guardianship.” He gave her the papers.

  “Oh, my.” Her hands trembled against her mouth. “Thank you.” She threw her arms around his neck and hugged him.

  He breathed in her scent and felt the softness of her skin, her body. For a moment he allowed himself to enjoy the sensation. Then he removed her arms and looked into her eyes. “Don’t thank me. I would have done it for anyone.” With that, he walked toward the elevator.

  “Beau.”

  He stopped and hated himself for that reaction. Why didn’t he just keep walking?

  As he stared at her, she brushed back her hair with a nervous hand. “You’re angry with me.”

  “Yes.” He had to be honest. “I’ve known you forever and I thought we could talk about anything. But when things get personal like last night, you shut me out and back off. I know it has something to do with your marriage, yet you refuse to talk about it. That means we don’t have much of anything—not love or trust and certainly not friendship.”

  She bit her lip and didn’t speak.

  “Goodbye, Macy.” He took the stairs, needing the exercise.

  MACY GAZED AFTER HIM, trying to still the quakes in her. She gulped for air. Dredging up every ounce of strength she had, she went back to Zoë. She’d made a choice and she now had to see it through—no matter how much it hurt.

  Slipping into her scrubs, she saw Dana, a friend. Dana was petite with dark hair and eyes. She used to work nights with Macy, but after the birth of her daughter she’d switched to days.

  “Hey, I just heard. That’s a bummer about your sister, but that little baby is going to have a great mom.”

  “Thanks. I’m a little in shock at the moment. I didn’t expect Delia to bail this early.”

  “How are you going to handle working nights and a baby?”

  “I haven’t even thought about it, but I haven’t taken a vacation in years. I’ll probably take some time now and hopefully Delia will surface.”

  “Good luck. If you need some help, just holler.”

  “Thanks. Has Dr. Pender been by this morning?”

  “I haven’t seen him, but he did call earlier wanting a report. He’ll probably come by later.”

  “Yeah.” But Macy wanted to talk to him now. “How does Zoë seem to you?”

  “Her breathing is raspy, but all her vitals are strong. We see these cases occasionally and she’ll outgrow it. You know that, so stop worrying. And everyone is keeping a close eye on her.”

  “Thanks, Dana.” Taking a seat by Zoë, Macy never felt so alone in her life. She’d pretty much alienated everyone close to her. Tears burned her eyes and she forced them away. No more tears. She would survive. She always had.

  BEAU HEADED FOR Jake’s farm outside of Waco. He crossed the cattle guard and drove to the old farmhouse with the dark green shutters. Jake had renovated the place, but it looked much the same as when Beau was a kid. He’d lived the first years of his life here, learned to ride a bike down the dirt road, jumped out of the hay loft as a super hero, breaking his arm, and spent many days running through the cotton fields playing with his dog, Willie. So many memories—some good, but most were bad.

  Although it seemed a lifetime ago, Joe McCain’s abusive nature was still imprinted upon his memory—the yelling, cursing and hitting. He never wanted to be that kind of man, feared by his family. He didn’t have to worry about that. The way things were going he’d never have a family. Unrequited love was hell.

  CHAPTER FIVE

  STOPPING AT THE GARAGE, Beau saw Ben, Katie and Wags, their dog, playing in the backyard. Ben and Katie were throwing a baseball to each other. With Ben’s coordination, he missed it almost every time, but he’d improved so much over the years and he was always eager to try new things, much to Jake and Elise’s dismay and worry.

  With the glove and ball in his hand, he got out. Ben and Katie came running, Wags loping behind them.

  “Uncle Beau! Uncle Beau!” They threw themselves at him and he held them for a moment, knowing it was going to be hard not being able to see these two every week. He pushed such thoughts away and drew back.

  “Look what I brought.” He showed Ben the glove.

  “What is it?” Katie asked.

  “Your dad said that Ben was going to play in Little League so I bought him a baseball mitt to fit his hand. I bought a
new ball, too.”

  “Wow!” Ben’s brown eyes grew enormous. “A real baseball glove like…like real players use. Thanks, Uncle Beau.” Ben sometimes had problems with words and he often paused to finish a sentence.

  “It sure is,” Beau told him. “Try it on and see how it fits.”

  Jake and Elise came out the back door. “Hey, Beau,” Jake called.

  “Daddy, Mommy, look…look what Uncle Beau got me.” Ben held up the mitt. “It fits…good.” His face all smiles, he worked his fingers in the glove.

  The brothers’ eyes met. “Thanks, Beau,” Jake said.

  “That was so sweet of you,” Elise added, giving Beau a hug.

  “Now let’s see if you can catch with it,” Beau said. He, Jake and Ben walked off into the yard. Elise, Katie and Wags watched from the sidelines.

  They spent the afternoon playing ball. Though Ben could barely catch the ball with his hand, he did much better with the glove. And that surprised all of them, especially Ben. The boy’s enthusiasm made up for anything he couldn’t do.

  By the time Beau left he was in a better mood, but now he was having more than second thoughts about moving to Dallas. Family was important to him. It always had been.

  He needed a beer and a friend to talk to, so he called Tuck. They agreed to meet in Salado, a small historic town between Waco and Austin. When Beau walked into the diner, Tuck was already seated at a table.

  Beau pulled out a chair. “You beat me.”

  “As a Ranger, I’ve traveled all these back roads and I know all the shortcuts.” With dark hair and eyes, Jeremiah Tucker could easily pass for a McCain. He also had a tender heart and he and Beau got along well. “How about a steak? I haven’t eaten much all day.”

  “Me neither. Sounds good.”

  They placed the order, and a waitress brought two beers. “How are Eli and Caroline?” Beau asked.

  “Fine. But Eli is about to drive Caroline and me crazy. He’s bought every book he can find on childbirth and pregnancy and has actually read them, reciting parts to Caroline, who is about ready to strangle him. I’ve never seen anyone so nervous about having a baby. We might have to sedate him before this is all over.”

  Beau smiled. Eli and Tuck were foster brothers and lived not far from each other on the same property where they were raised. Big Eli was frightened to death of a little baby. It had taken Caroline two years to get him to think about being a parent. It was probably the way he was raised as a young boy—without a father. Joe McCain left scars on all his sons. But Eli and Tuck had incredibly good foster parents who loved them and had given them all that had been missing in their lives.

  “He’ll make a great father.”

  “Yeah.” Tuck took a swallow of beer. “So how was your week?”

  Beau told him everything that had happened in the past few days, even the part about Macy.

  “Hell, man, we need something stronger than beer.” Tuck leaned closer. “You told Macy how you felt and she basically said goodbye.”

  Beau nodded. “That’s about it. She acted as if she didn’t hear what I’d said.”

  “That’s cold. It doesn’t even sound like the Macy I’ve met.”

  “It isn’t. I know something happened in her marriage that she won’t talk about. I’m not sure how to get her to open up.”

  Tuck leaned back. “I’ve seen a lot of abuse cases and women that have been hurt tend to avoid another relationship, unable to handle the pain again.”

  “Macy knows I would never hurt her.”

  Tuck nodded. “Women who have been sexually abused avoid intimacy. Maybe that’s what Macy’s afraid of. As long as the two of you are friends, she’s fine.”

  Beau swiped a hand through his hair. “Man, I don’t even want to think anything like that happened to her. That would tear me up.”

  Tuck twisted the beer bottle. “Maybe that’s why she hasn’t told you. She knows you can’t handle it or feels you might think differently about her.”

  He took a big gulp of his beer. “Macy knows me better than that. She knows…hell, I can’t say anything for sure. For two people who are so close, we seem to be miles apart.”

  Tuck didn’t say anything for a moment. “You think moving to Dallas is going to change the way you feel about her?”

  “Nope. But I have to get away. I can’t live the rest of my life like this—seeing her every day and not…”

  “Then move across town. That way you won’t be so close to each other.”

  Beau fiddled with label on the bottle. “This offer in Dallas is a deal like I dreamed about in college.”

  “I dreamed about being a rock star in high school, but I adjusted my thinking.”

  Beau laughed. “You? Quiet, unflappable Jeremiah Tucker, wanted to be a rock star?”

  “I play a pretty mean guitar.”

  Beau held up his beer. “Here’s to dreams.”

  Tuck raised his. “And change.”

  The waitress laid two sizzling steaks in front of them. “Can I get you boys anything else?” she asked.

  “No thanks, ma’am,” Beau replied.

  The waitress pinched Beau’s cheek. “You’re so sweet. Holler if you need anything.” The woman had to be in her sixties with heavy makeup and bleach-blond hair.

  Beau cut into his steak. “Don’t say a word,” he warned.

  Tuck complied with a silly grin.

  After a moment Tuck changed the subject. “Have you told Caleb you’re planning on moving?”

  Beau swallowed and took a swig of beer. “No. Telling my family is like walking through a minefield. They keep exploding in my face without warning.”

  “Your mother didn’t take the news well?”

  “No, and neither did Jake.”

  “Then stay in Waco and make everyone happy.”

  “Mmm.” That’s what he always did—tried to make everyone happy, but himself. Maybe it was time to change that, too.

  He glanced at the adjoining poolroom, where country music hummed on a jukebox. A couple of cowboys were playing at one table, but the other was empty. He didn’t want to think anymore. He needed action. “Finish your steak and I’ll beat your ass at pool.”

  “In your dreams.”

  Beau downed the rest of his beer and headed for the pool table.

  MACY STAYED at the hospital until Dr. Pender arrived, but he didn’t have any information. He hadn’t received the test results and he didn’t expect them to show anything. Zoë was doing fine. He said if that continued Macy could take her home at the end of the week.

  End of the week.

  That’s when Beau had to make a decision about Dallas. She tried not to think about that as she fed Zoë. She didn’t take the nipple well and a lot of milk ran out her mouth. But it was the raspy breathing that bothered Macy. Being a nurse, she had seen this before, so why couldn’t she shake this internal fear?

  Zoë was so tiny and Macy held and cuddled her. This was Zoë’s time out of the incubator. Babies needed that human touch. A baby needed a mother. Zoë needed Delia.

  How could Delia leave her own child? How could she expect Macy to take on this responsibility? This was a human life, not a goldfish Delia wouldn’t feed or a chore she wouldn’t do. When Macy thought about it, she just became sad.

  Delia had never learned responsibility or how to deal with life and its ups and downs. And she was ill-equipped to cope with a new life. Delia knew her limitations. That’s why she ran. Please come back. I will help you. Macy pushed the plea out of her mind, concentrating on the fragile life she held. It was late when she finally went home.

  There wasn’t a light at Beau’s so he must be out. It was almost ten and he was usually home by now. She wanted to thank him again for what he’d done today. Maybe that wasn’t a good idea. But she still wondered where he was.

  Though it was late, she called her mom so she’d know about Delia.

  “That’s typical Delia. What else did you expect?” Irene asked.

&nb
sp; “I expected her to care for her own child.”

  “Macy, she’s not like you. When are you going to see that?”

  Probably never, Macy thought, because she loved her sister. Her mother seemed to have washed her hands of her youngest daughter.

  “I have legal guardianship of Zoë,” she said in a rush.

  There was a long pause. “Oh, Macy. Is that wise?”

  “They would have put her in foster care.”

  “Macy, what are you going to do when Delia returns for the baby? She won’t think about your feelings. “

  “I know, but Zoë has a wheezing sound in her chest when she breathes and the doctor has run some tests. We don’t have the results yet.” She took a breath. “I was concerned it might be her heart.”

  “Oh, no.”

  “The doctor says it’s stridor that she will outgrow, but I have to be sure.”

  “Macy, the doctor would know immediately if it was her heart. You’re a nurse, you know that. Don’t overreact because of what happened with Sabrina.”

  “I’m trying not to. I deal with babies every day, but this is different. I feel this uneasiness.”

  “Would you like me to come to Waco for a while?”

  Macy was surprised by the offer. “No. I can handle it.”

  “I might come for my own peace of mind.”

  Her mother said the right thing for a change and Macy felt uplifted by her concern. “Thanks, Mom. For now I don’t think it’s necessary, but you might want to see your granddaughter. She’s very tiny and has this patch of strawberry fuzz like Delia had when she was born.”

  “She sounds very sweet. Please keep me posted.”

  She hung up and thought she should call her father. It didn’t take her long to decide against it. If he were concerned, he would have called back to check on Delia, but he hadn’t. He knew Delia was pregnant, yet he chose to ignore them once again.

  Hearing a noise, she hurried to the window. It wasn’t Beau—only a neighbor across the street. Where was he?

  She sank onto the sofa and gathered her animals into her lap. “We’ve going to have company in a few days,” she told them.