On Shadow Beach

by Barbara Freethy

He was wishing he was anywhere else. But she was his little sister, and he couldn’t let her do this alone. He just hoped that Lauren could talk her into getting help.

  “What else is going on with you, Shane?” Kara asked. “There’s something between you and our parents. I can feel the tension every time you’re near each other, especially when Mom is in the room.”

  “You’re imagining things.” He couldn’t get into this now; Kara had enough to worry about.

  “I’m not,” she said, shaking her head. “Dee, Michael, they’ve both noticed it, too. Even Dad, I think, although he’s always kind of adorably clueless. Can’t you tell me? Maybe I could help.”

  He shook his head. “That’s a story for another day.”

  “Will you tell it another day? Or just stonewall me?”

  “I don’t want you or anyone else to get hurt.”

  “Like you’ve been hurt?” she asked, her gaze searching his face.

  “Me? I’m fine,” he replied, wishing she wasn’t trying to distract herself with his problems.

  Kara gave him a shaky smile. “You always say that, but it’s not true.”

  “It’s not true for you, either, Kara. You need medical attention. You can’t just wish this labor away.”

  “Later,” she promised. “Give Colin a chance. I know he’s coming back to me.”

  Shane got to his feet as Lauren flew through the door. Her hair was damp from the rain, her blue eyes worried. He’d never been so happy to see her.

  “What’s wrong?” She looked from Kara to him.

  “Kara is in labor, and she doesn’t want to leave,” he said shortly.

  “Colin knows I’m here,” Kara told Lauren. “When the contractions come, I put his hand on my belly so he can feel the baby. I read about a man who woke up when his wife went into labor. He knew he was needed, and that’s going to happen to Colin. That’s why I’m staying here.”

  He could see by Lauren’s expression that she was just as flummoxed by Kara’s declaration as he was.

  “We should call Charlotte,” Lauren said immediately.

  Kara shook her head. “No way. She’ll try to make me go to the hospital.”

  “We could just ask her how long she thinks you have before the baby comes,” Lauren said. “I know you want Colin to wake up, Kara, but you have to think about your child, too. You don’t want to do anything to jeopardize your baby’s life.”

  “The baby is fine,” Kara said firmly. “She’s kicking. I can feel her. She wants to see her daddy. Oh, God, here comes another one.” Kara grabbed Colin’s hand and put it on her abdomen as she gritted her teeth against the pain.

  Shane couldn’t stand it a second more. He was not going to sit idly by while his sister made a huge mistake. He grabbed Kara’s purse, pulled out her cell phone, and found Charlotte’s numbers. Kara was too caught up in her contraction to stop him. He reached the receptionist in Charlotte’s office and told her it was an emergency. A moment later, Charlotte’s voice came over the line.

  “It’s Shane,” he said. “Kara is in labor. She’s in Colin’s room, and she won’t leave.”

  “When did it start and how often are the contractions?” Charlotte asked.

  He looked to Kara. “How long have you been in pain?”

  “I told you not to call her.”

  “Answer the question,” he ordered.

  “A little while. We have plenty of time for Colin to wake up. First babies take forever to be born. ”

  He gave his sister a grim look. “She says not long, Charlotte, but I don’t believe her.”

  “She can’t have her baby at a long-term-care facility. They’re not set up for that,” Charlotte said.

  “Well, unless you want me to throw her pregnant body over my shoulder, you’re going to have to come here and tell her that.”

  “I’ll be there in ten minutes. In the meantime, keep her calm, comfortable, and time her contractions.”

  Shane hung up the phone. “She’s on her way.”

  Kara glared at him. “I hate you.”

  “I don’t care. You need a doctor.”

  Kara stood up and leaned over the bed, cupping Colin’s face. “It’s time to wake up, honey. This is it—our big moment. Our little miracle is ready to be born.” She pressed her mouth to his lips. “Come back to me,” she whispered. “Come back to us.”

  Kara’s pains began coming one on top of the other. Lauren held her hand and offered reassurances while Shane paced around the room. She’d never seen him so rattled, but couldn’t blame him. She was counting the seconds for Charlotte to arrive. The medical center was only a couple of miles away and Charlotte should have been here by now.

  Shane sent her a pleading look, clearly wanting her to do something, but she didn’t know how to answer him. When Kara wasn’t gasping for breath, she was talking to Colin, telling him she needed him, that their baby needed her father. Every word made Lauren’s heart break.

  “Kara, let me take you to the hospital.” Lauren tried again. “You don’t want to have your baby here. Or I could get one of the nurses or doctors to give you something for the pain.”

  “I don’t want drugs. I have to be alert for Colin. And if either of you leaves this room to get someone, I will never speak to you again.” Kara’s fierce gaze turned desperate as she looked at Colin. “Honey, please, I can’t wait much longer.” She gripped his fingers tightly. “I need you.”

  Lauren walked over to Shane. “She’s so stubborn. I hope Charlotte can get through to her.”

  “So do I. This is killing me.”

  “It’s killing her. She can’t accept that Colin might miss this.”

  “He might miss everything,” Shane said grimly.

  “Don’t say that, Shane,” Kara ordered, her ears acute to any negative judgment regarding Colin’s condition. “Either believe in Colin or get the hell out of here. And that goes for you, too, Lauren.”

  “We’re not going anywhere,” Lauren said. “We’re here for you, Kara, and for Colin.”

  Charlotte finally came through the door wearing her doctor’s coat and carrying a medical bag.

  Kara sat down and put up a hand to ward her off. “I can’t leave, Charlotte. Colin needs to be here for this. It will make him wake up.” She gasped as another contraction hit, and doubled over.

  Charlotte squatted in front of her. She glanced down at her watch, timing the contraction. “How often are they coming?”

  “Every now and then,” Kara said vaguely.

  “One right after another,” Shane interjected. “She’s lying. She needs to go to the hospital.”

  “You can deliver the baby here. Please, Charlotte, this could be the moment that brings Colin back to life,” Kara said. She had barely finished speaking when she let out a sharp scream and grabbed her abdomen.

  “Shane, get the nurse and tell her I need a gurney in here,” Charlotte ordered.

  “I’m not going anywhere,” Kara repeated as Shane left the room.

  “You’re going to lie down,” Charlotte told her. “I’m going to check your cervix and see where you are. Then I’m going to make a decision.”

  A moment later Shane returned with a nurse, an orderly, and a gurney. Charlotte explained what was going on to the nurse while Lauren helped Kara onto the gurney.

  The nurse wanted to call an ambulance, but Charlotte asked her to wait until she examined Kara.

  “We don’t have time to move her,” Charlotte said a moment later. “You’re already dilated ten centimeters, Kara. Your daughter is on her way.” She turned to Shane. “Why don’t you stand by Kara’s head and be her coach?”

  Shane swallowed hard, then did as Charlotte requested.

  Now that Charlotte had taken charge, Lauren felt confident that everything would be all right.

  Kara held out her hand to Shane. “I need you to be strong for me. I can’t concentrate on Colin and the baby at the same time.”

  “Just concentrate on getting this baby o
ut,” Shane said, taking his sister’s hand.

  She gave him a pained smile. “Push me as close to Colin as you can. I want to hold his hand, too.”

  Shane moved the gurney next to the bed while Charlotte laid a sheet over Kara’s lower half and checked her cervix. When another contraction hit, Kara hung on to Shane and Colin, gasping through the pain. Lauren hovered nearby, not knowing what to do except pray. Kara was fighting for her family, for her love, for her future, and Lauren had never admired anyone more.

  Time passed in a blur of chaos. A doctor from the facility stopped in to offer help. Then it was time for Kara to push. Shane moved behind his sister, holding her shoulders as she sat up and leaned against his chest. His strong, calm voice seemed to keep her panic down. She clung to her brother, to her husband, to her belief that everything would be all right.

  Charlotte coached Kara through the contractions with a calmness that impressed Lauren, and she watched in amazement as a tiny head finally appeared, followed by shoulders and a body, squirming arms and legs. Then she heard the baby’s first cry.

  Kara collapsed on the gurney, breathing hard, as Charlotte told her she had a perfect baby girl, with ten fingers and ten toes. The nurse wrapped the baby in a blanket, and Charlotte placed the child on Kara’s chest. “Here’s your daughter,” she said with a smile.

  Kara’s mouth trembled. “I can’t believe it. She’s really here.”

  Shane moved next to Lauren, his hand slipping into hers as they stared at the baby. She had red hair and her brown eyes were filled with wonder, as if she couldn’t believe what had happened.

  Kara turned to look at her husband. “Colin, we have a daughter. Our baby is here. She wants to see you. She wants you to hold her, to talk to her, to be her father.” She waited, long seconds ticking by, the silence in the room growing louder.

  Lauren squeezed Shane’s hand, her heart about to break. Kara’s face began to crumple, then she broke. “God dammit, Colin, wake up! Wake up. Wake up,” she cried.

  Charlotte took the baby out of Kara’s flailing arms and Shane rushed to his sister’s side, trying to take her hand, but she jerked away, her attention only on Colin.

  “I can’t bear this anymore. I can’t do it,” Kara said, choking on her sobs. “I need you, Colin. I need you. You have to come back to me.” She started to shake, the agony of her loss ripping through her. Shane put his arms around her, and she finally collapsed against him, the grief pouring out of her.

  Tears slid down Lauren’s cheeks. Why couldn’t Colin come back? They were good people. They loved each other. And they had a child who needed two parents. Sometimes life was unbearably cruel.

  Charlotte moved next to her, the baby in her arms. “Can you hold her for a minute? I want to get Kara ready to go to the hospital.”

  Lauren took the baby and gazed down at the tiny, angelic face. She could see Kara’s features in the shape of her daughter’s nose, the curve of her lips, the downy red hair on her head. The baby’s mouth turned down and she began to whimper and squirm, obviously not happy about the situation. She wanted her mother, but Kara was lost in her own pain right now.

  “It’s okay, sweetie,” Lauren whispered, trying to comfort the child in her arms. “Your mommy will be back. She just needs a little time. But you are going to be loved like no other child, because your mother has more heart than anyone I know. Your daddy, too.” Lauren blinked back the tears. “He loved your mommy from the first second he saw her, and he’s going to love you when he wakes up.” Kara couldn’t fight for Colin anymore, but Lauren could—and that’s what Kara would want her to do.

  Fifteen minutes later, Colin’s room had been cleaned up and an ambulance had taken Kara and her baby to the hospital, with Charlotte following close behind. Lauren had stayed with Shane to gather up Kara’s things. Now that everyone was gone, the room seemed unbearably quiet.

  Shane’s hair stood on end, and there were beads of sweat on his forehead. There was also frustration and disappointment in his eyes. “This should have been the happiest day of Kara’s life,” he said.

  “I know. But she did it the way she wanted—with Colin by her side.”

  Shane glanced over at the man who slept on. “Kara has loved him since she was a kid. I don’t think there was ever anyone else. She had such hope that the baby would wake him up. If this didn’t do it, I don’t know what will.”

  “I don’t, either. I kept praying he’d open his eyes.”

  Shane pulled her into his arms, then rested his chin on the top of her head. “I’ve never believed in miracles, but for a while there I thought Kara might get one. She had such faith.”

  “Maybe she still will,” Lauren said, unwilling to give up completely.

  “Right now she’s so devastated she couldn’t even look at her baby. I don’t know how she’s going to be a mother all by herself.”

  “She’ll figure it out. She’s a tough, stubborn Murray. We certainly saw that today.” She gazed up at him. “You were great, Shane. She couldn’t have done it without you.”

  “Or without you. Thanks for coming when I called.”

  “Thanks for asking me. I think it was the first time you ever have,” she said, realizing how much it meant to have Shane need her for anything. How pathetic was that? She stepped out of his arms. “You should get to the hospital.”

  “In a minute.” He gave her a long, thoughtful look. “It might have been the first time I said it, Lauren, but not the first time I felt it.”

  She didn’t know how to respond to that. The more they were together, the more confused she became. Shane was the king of cryptic comments that were close to being what she wanted to hear, but not exactly. He was like a dancer on hot coals. He could never put his foot all the way down, never commit fully to the heat. But maybe that was good—because, in all honesty, she no longer knew what she wanted him to commit to.

  “You should call your parents and siblings,” she said, changing the subject. “The Murray clan will want to meet their newest member. I wonder if the ladies at the quilt shop have Kara’s baby quilt ready yet.”

  He didn’t reply, his gaze on her unnerving.

  “I should go home, check on my dad.”

  “You’re not coming with me to the hospital?”

  “No. I need to spend some time with my dad.” She walked over to the bed, pressed her fingers to her lips, and then to Colin’s forehead. “We’re still counting on you to come back,” she said, then headed toward the door.

  As they walked out of the facility, Lauren said, “In all the excitement, I forgot to ask if you heard about Mark Devlin’s accident.”

  “Yes,” Shane replied. “The marina was buzzing about it. I also had a message from Chief Silveira to give him a call. I must be on his list of suspects.”

  “I already spoke to him. I told him you don’t have a car.”

  “That probably won’t matter. I could have borrowed one.”

  “Well, if you are under suspicion, I am, too, because Jason Marlow saw us together last night. Anyway, the chief said he’s worried that Abby’s killer might be getting nervous—which means he believes that her killer is still here in town.”

  “It certainly looks that way.”

  A chill ran down Lauren’s spine. “I wonder what Mark Devlin knows that we don’t.”

  “Let’s hope he gets a chance to tell someone, before something else happens.”

  NINETEEN

  Joe spent the better part of the afternoon rereading the notes Devlin had compiled on Abby’s case. He also sent officers door to door in the vicinity of the accident to locate possible witnesses. Every body shop and mechanic within a hundred miles had been alerted to be on the lookout for any cars brought in with front bumper damage.

  He checked in with Tim Sorensen, Lisa Delaney, Kendra Holt, Lauren Jamison, and a number of others who were featured in Mark Devlin’s notes. He left another message for Shane Murray and had a long conversation with Jason Marlow about his relations
hip with Abby and Lisa while in high school. He very much wanted to believe that Jason wasn’t involved in the case, but for now he asked Jason to step aside from the hit-and-run investigation. He couldn’t afford a potential conflict of interest.

  As Joe pulled into the hospital parking lot, he automatically scanned for anything out of the ordinary. He’d asked hospital security to place a guard outside of Devlin’s room—not just for Devlin’s sake, but for Rachel’s as well. She hadn’t left Mark’s side, and he didn’t want her in the line of fire.

  He sighed, remembering the way Rachel had looked at Mark when she’d first seen him after surgery. He wanted to believe that his marriage would survive this bumpy patch, but how long could he tell himself they were just having growing pains?

  He didn’t believe in quitting just because things were tough. He could fight for Rachel’s love. But he didn’t know how to fight this deep friendship she had with another man. Was he being ridiculous not to want his wife to be so emotionally connected to Devlin? Or was he a blind fool not to see what was happening right in front of his face?

  He shook his head as he got out of his squad car. First things first—he needed to get Rachel to come home with him.

  When he got to the room, Rachel was sitting next to Mark’s bed, watching television with the sound turned down low. Mark was dozing. She clicked off the TV and met Joe at the door, putting a finger to her lips as he started to speak. She walked into the hall with him and down the corridor, out of earshot of the security guard.

  “Have you found out who did this?” she asked.

  He saw the dark shadows under her eyes. She was exhausted, but also angry. She wanted someone to pay for hurting Mark. She expected him to deliver that person to her, and he really wanted to.

  “Not yet.” He felt like he was letting her down again.

  “Someone must have seen something.”

  “Everyone in the department is working on the case. In the meantime, I’ve asked the hospital to make sure Mark has twenty-four-hour security.”

  “You think someone would still try to hurt him?”

  “I just want to be careful. How is Mark doing? Has he said anything to you? Did he see the car that hit him?”