The Secret Heir

by Gina Wilkins

  So maybe he had a bit of a chip on his shoulder when it came to Laurel’s wealthy associates. He figured that was natural enough when a man measured his accomplishments by how well he provided for his family. Yeah, sure, he and Laurel had met at a fancy society party, but he’d never tried to pretend to her that he was one of the upper crust, or even particularly aspired to being one. A hard worker who made a good living—that was how he saw himself.

  He’d never taken a dime he hadn’t earned himself, unlike the rich kids who’d inherited their wealth. He’d worked his way up from hammer-swinger to job foreman and he aspired to someday own a small construction firm that would turn a tidy, if modest, profit. A nice house, an occasional family vacation, a decent education for his kids—that had been enough to satisfy his parents, and it was all he asked for himself.

  He’d thought at the beginning that Laurel felt the same way. She’d never asked for more, though, of course, Laurel never asked for anything. But when she had chosen to return to work rather than devoting herself to the full-time responsibilities of motherhood, he’d had to assume there was something missing in their life. And since her only explanation had been vague statements about needing to feel “fulfilled,” he still didn’t know what the hell she found in her work that he couldn’t provide for her at home.

  He also couldn’t understand why she allowed herself to look so vulnerable in front of Leslie Logan when she refused to show any weaknesses at all in front of her own husband and in-laws. Sometimes it seemed almost as if there were three Laurels—the friendly, outgoing, witty social worker most people knew; the loving, devoted, infinitely patient mother to Tyler; and the quiet, self-conscious, defensive outsider in the Reiss family. With him, she was a combination of all those Laurels, but there was still a part of herself she kept hidden even from him.

  He wondered if any of her friends from work ever saw a glimpse of that hidden Laurel. He found himself wanting very badly to be the one she smiled at the way she had smiled at Morgan and Leslie. Maybe it was his fault that she didn’t, his failure to make her feel as valued as they obviously did.

  Leslie gave Laurel one final hug, then made her way out of the waiting room. Acting on impulse, Jackson moved immediately across the room to join his wife. “You holding up okay?” he asked her.

  She gave a little sigh and pushed a strand of hair away from her pale face. “Barely.”

  It was a more candid response than he had expected. He slipped an arm around her shoulders. “We should be hearing something any minute.”

  She nodded against his shoulder. “I hope so.”

  “I’ll be glad when this is all over and Tyler’s back home again.”

  Her reply was heartfelt. “So will I.”

  “We’ll take him to see the penguins as soon as the doctor says it’s okay.”

  “He’ll like that.”

  “Yeah. And we’ll all go this time. All three of us.”

  She nodded again.

  He put his hands on her shoulders. “We could have lost Tyler without ever knowing anything was wrong. But we’ve been blessed with a second chance, Laurel. With Tyler and with each other. Let’s try to do it a little better this time, okay?”

  There was a soft shimmer of tears in her eyes when she gazed up at him. The sight of them was so rare, and so unexpected, that he felt his chest tighten. Ignoring everyone else in the room, he brushed his lips lightly across hers.

  “We’ll get through this,” he murmured. And for perhaps the first time since he’d been told about his son’s illness, he began to believe it.

  “Mr. and Mrs. Reiss?” Irma, the volunteer, looked as though she were hesitant to interrupt them.

  Without releasing Laurel, Jackson looked around. He felt Laurel clinging to him a bit more tightly as he asked, “Is there news?”

  “Your son is out of surgery. He came through just fine. The doctor will be out to speak with you soon.”

  Laurel seemed to sag just a little. Jackson tightened his hold on her. “When can we see Tyler?”

  “Tyler will be taken to PICU, where you’ll be able to see him as soon as he’s settled in.”

  “Thank you, Irma.”

  The older woman smiled and moved on to the next family waiting for news of a loved one.

  “I’d better tell Mom the operation’s over,” Jackson murmured, glancing across the room to where his parents sat anxiously watching him.

  “Yes. Your mother doesn’t seem to be handling the stress very well.”

  Jackson had noticed that, himself though he was rather surprised that Laurel had. Donna had been acting downright oddly for the last couple of days, in Jackson’s opinion. He’d never seen his mother so jittery and introspective. But then, she’d never faced open-heart surgery for her utterly adored grandchild before either, he told himself. “Let’s go talk to her.”

  Laurel held back a bit. “You go ahead.”

  He kept a light grasp on her arm. “I thought we were going to work on this team thing,” he reminded her.

  After only a momentary hesitation, she nodded. “All right. We’ll talk to them together.”

  Satisfied with whatever small victories he could get, Jackson led her toward his parents.

  Five

  Laurel had thought the time had passed slowly while Tyler was in surgery, but it seemed to creep by even more sluggishly afterward. She and Jackson had already met briefly with the surgeon, who had assured them again that Tyler had come through the operation very well before he’d somewhat apologetically rushed away to his next patient. Kathleen O’Hara had promised to let Laurel and Jackson know the minute they would be allowed into the ICU to see Tyler. And now it was a matter of waiting again.

  Carl and Jackson talked Donna and Laurel into accompanying them to the cafeteria for an early lunch. Laurel wasn’t hungry, and didn’t particularly want to leave the waiting room, but Jackson convinced her in whispers that his mother needed the break. Because even Laurel was starting to be concerned by Donna’s visible distress, she reluctantly assented. Maybe it would make the time pass a bit more quickly, she reasoned without much optimism.

  Leaving word where they could be found, they took the elevator down to the cafeteria. Carl and Jackson ate hungrily, neither having eaten much breakfast, but both Laurel and Donna only picked at their food.

  Donna jumped every time someone spoke to her. Laurel watched her mother-in-law surreptitiously, wondering what, exactly, was going through the other woman’s mind. She couldn’t help remembering the puzzling snatches of conversation she’d overheard between Donna and Carl, and it seemed obvious to Laurel that Donna was still obsessing about whatever had been bothering her then.

  Whatever the problem, Laurel hoped it wouldn’t be too upsetting for Jackson when he found out—and she didn’t doubt that he would find out, given the way Donna was acting, all but advertising that there was something she was trying to hide.

  For the first time in quite a while, Laurel was feeling a bit better about the state of her marriage. Maybe Tyler’s illness would forge a stronger bond between her and Jackson than they’d had before, a new level of trust and communication. He seemed to be trying for now anyway, and she was willing to give it another shot, for Tyler’s sake, if for no other reason.

  It would be just the way their luck went if Jackson’s mother did something, even unconsciously, to put a new wedge between them.

  A tall man with salt-and-pepper hair and a shorter woman with brown hair and a sleeping toddler in her arms stopped beside their table. Both of them smiled at Laurel. “Laurel, it’s good to see you,” the woman said. “How are you?”

  “I’m fine, thank you.” Laurel gave them a cordial nod as she made a quick mental search for their names. Oh, right. Anne and Bob Hulsizer. And the child’s name was… “How is Gregory?” she asked, nodding toward the little boy.

  Both parents beamed. “He’s wonderful,” Anne said, lightly patting the sleeping boy’s back. “Worn out at the moment, but he’
s usually running a mile a minute. It keeps us young chasing after him.”

  “He’s the greatest kid in the world,” Bob boasted without a hint of self-consciousness. “Anne and I will never be able to thank you enough for helping us adopt him, Laurel. We just can’t tell you how much he has enriched our lives.”

  “I’m sure Gregory feels very fortunate to have you as his parents,” Laurel replied. Then, because she didn’t want to seem rude, she quickly introduced Anne and Bob to her husband and in-laws.

  Anne looked at Laurel’s companions as she explained eagerly, “Several adoption agencies turned us down because of our age, but Laurel really went to bat for us when we signed up with Children’s Connection two years ago. She knew how desperately we wanted a child and she knew we would be good parents, so she was willing to fight for us. Fortunately, Gregory was available, and since he was a special child with visual impairments, there weren’t a lot of people willing to take him.”

  “Their loss,” Bob added. “He’s smart and funny and loving, all of which more than make up for his poor eyesight. Thanks to Laurel, we’re the lucky ones who’ll get to watch him grow up and develop his full potential.”

  Laurel was beginning to be a bit embarrassed by the Hulsizers’ gushing, though she was glad they were so happy with their special child. “I’m glad everything is working out for you all.”

  Bob grinned. “Even better than expected. We’ve just left his doctor’s office. Gregory is scheduled for an operation that should prevent him from losing any more of his sight and may even restore some of his peripheral vision. It’s a new procedure that’s been showing extremely positive results.”

  “That’s very good news,” Jackson said. “Congratulations.”

  Laurel saw no need to mention Tyler’s ordeal at the moment, and apparently Jackson didn’t, either. The couple moved on, leaving silence at the table behind them.

  “You should eat a little more, honey.” Carl placed his hand over Donna’s. She hadn’t spoken at all to the Hulsizers, which, Laurel thought, was yet another indication that Donna wasn’t herself. Usually she would have been the first to ask a dozen questions about Gregory and to congratulate them on their positive medical news.

  Donna gave Carl a wan smile. “I’m just not hungry.”

  “Tyler’s okay, Mom. You’ll get to see for yourself in a little while,” Jackson promised.

  “I’ll feel much better then,” she said.

  Laurel wasn’t so sure. She was certain that there was more to Donna’s behavior than worry about Tyler’s condition.

  As though she sensed that her uncharacteristic preoccupation was drawing attention, Donna made an effort to contribute to the conversation. “I know Beverly’s looking forward to seeing Tyler, too. She made me promise to call her as soon as he’s allowed visitors outside the family.”

  Laurel had always been uncomfortable with the way Donna had bonded with Tyler’s nanny. Donna often stopped by their house to see Tyler while Laurel was working, and apparently she and Beverly spent those visits drinking coffee and chatting.

  Laurel had tried not to be so paranoid as to think that those chats ever revolved around her fitness as a mother. She honestly doubted that the nanny would be so unprofessional or her mother-in-law so disloyal. But it still bugged her sometimes.

  “I’ll call her myself, once we’ve seen Tyler and have an update on his condition,” she murmured.

  “Oh, I’ll take care of that for you. You know what good friends Bev and I have become.”

  Donna’s artless comment made Laurel’s frown deepen. Surely Donna hadn’t intentionally implied that she had developed no such friendship with her daughter-in-law.

  “Laurel has a good relationship with Beverly, as well,” Jackson murmured, perhaps picking up on his wife’s sensitivity.

  “Oh, yes, Beverly gets along well with everyone. But of course, she and I have spent more time together since poor Laurel works so hard. I can’t tell you how much I admire your choice of a nanny, Laurel. Since you have to spend so much time away from Tyler, it was wise of you to choose someone so capable to watch over him, even though I know Beverly’s services are rather expensive. And her nursing experience will certainly come in handy during his post-surgery care, after you return to work.”

  Maybe Donna wasn’t being so innocently offensive, after all, Laurel thought as her fingers tightened in her lap beneath the table. She found it a bit hard to believe that some of those digs hadn’t been deliberate. “I won’t return to work until Tyler has fully recovered. I told Morgan that I was taking an indefinite leave of absence to take care of my son.”

  “Tyler’s needs come first with Laurel, Mom. You know that.” Jackson’s tone sounded rather chiding, which was a rarity from him when it came to his mother.

  “I know that,” she muttered, though Laurel wondered how anyone could possibly believe her tone was sincere.

  Carl spoke quickly. “Can I get you any more tea, Donna? How about you, Laurel? Is there anything else you would like?”

  “No.” She pushed her chair back from the table and rose. “Thank you, but I’d like to get back upstairs now.”

  Jackson followed suit. “Yeah. Me, too.”

  Donna started to rise, but Carl stopped her by placing a hand on her arm. “We’ll be up in a minute,” he said. “I’d like just one more cup of coffee first.”

  Donna seemed about to speak, but a look from her husband made her bite her lip and sit quietly instead, as Jackson and Laurel walked away.

  “You always accuse me of imagining that your mother disapproves of me,” Laurel couldn’t help saying as soon as she and Jackson were alone in the elevator going up to the surgery waiting room. “Are you going to tell me she wasn’t making a few digs at me just then?”

  His first instinct was obviously to defend his mother. But even as he started to speak, he fell silent and shook his head. “I don’t know what’s going on with Mom today,” he admitted. “She did seem to be taking her anxiety out on you, and that wasn’t fair. I apologize if she hurt your feelings.”

  “Why would you apologize?” That was just the sort of thing that annoyed Laurel. “You don’t control what your mother says or does. And at least you defended me this time.”

  “This time? Implying that I don’t usually—” He stopped and drew a deep breath. “Never mind.”

  She supposed he was trying to stick to their agreement not to quarrel today, and she reminded herself that she should do the same. Just as Jackson shouldn’t have to apologize for his mother’s behavior, he shouldn’t have to take the blame, either.

  “I’m not trying to imply anything,” she told him quietly. “Just…thank you for standing up for me.”

  “We’re a team, remember?”

  Laurel couldn’t help wondering which team he would choose if Donna’s newly revealed hostility toward her daughter-in-law escalated into real competition.

  Seeing Tyler for the first time after surgery was difficult for all of them. Laurel had to lock her knees to keep from sagging against Jackson at the first sight of her baby with needles in his arms and a plastic tube down his throat.

  Jackson made a rough sound low in his chest. Donna gasped, then burst into tears. Laurel tried to be annoyed at her mother-in-law’s melodramatic reaction, but she was trying too hard to hold back the tears herself.

  The PICU staff had been lenient in allowing all four of them to enter Tyler’s unit, and they permitted them to stay for a short while, but then they insisted that only two could remain. Space was limited, and the staff needed plenty of room to monitor and care for their patient.

  Carl convinced Donna to let him take her home to rest, leaving Jackson and Laurel to sit by their son’s bed. Donna made them promise to call if there was any change at all in the child’s condition. She didn’t look at Laurel as she left, and Laurel wondered if she had done anything that day to offend her mother-in-law. If so, it had been unintentional. But she had more important things to worry
about now, she told herself with a slight shrug.

  Putting Donna and her problems out of her mind, she sat quietly in a chair beside Tyler’s bed, studying the numbers on the monitors and watching the heavily sedated child’s chest rise and fall in the steady rhythm of the ventilator.

  Jackson sat in a chair next to Laurel’s, on the other side of the room from most of the equipment the staff needed easy access to. They sat without speaking for quite a while, both lost in their own thoughts, their eyes rarely leaving the bed or the monitors. They responded when anyone spoke to them, but neither initiated conversation.

  Jackson finally seemed to rouse from his reverie. He glanced at Laurel. “He looks pretty good, don’t you think? Considering, I mean. His color’s good. Numbers look positive, from what I can tell on those monitors.”

  He needed reassurance, and Laurel gave it to him, though she thought good was a poor choice of an adjective for the way their son looked at the moment. “He’s doing fine,” she said. “As soon as they can take him off this ventilator, I’m sure we’ll see a big improvement.”

  “Just as well they’re keeping him sedated now, I guess. He’d be afraid if he woke up and couldn’t speak or pull that thing out of his throat. And I’m sure there’s going to be pain, even when they do bring him out of sedation.”

  “Some pain, of course,” she agreed, trying to sound as calm as Jackson about the next steps. “But he’ll be given as much medication as he needs to control it.”

  “We’ll make sure of that.”

  Since neither Jackson nor Laurel were exactly the passive type when it came to their son’s medical care, neither of them accepting everything the medical professionals said or did without question, she didn’t doubt that Tyler would get the best care they could obtain for him. She was much more concerned with the time after they took him home from the hospital, when his care would be up to her. She still felt so much guilt that she had missed the early signs of his disability. What if she missed something else?