Her Best Friend Jon

by Kristy K. James

  Dan felt a little guilty that they'd allowed Ed some leeway, but after tonight, he really didn't know what to do. He loved the coach like a brother, but if the stalker was bent on murdering his friends… He couldn't bear the thought of putting Jess and Kate in danger.

  "I don't know what to do, sweetheart."

  "Let's not worry about it tonight, okay? I think we've done enough of that to last a good long while. We'll figure it all out tomorrow."

  ~~~~~

  After they made Martin as comfortable as they could in one of the recliners, Ed and Cal wound up having to help Jon get his jeans off. Even after the twenty minute ride, he was still so cold – and his jeans so wet – that he couldn't manage them on his own. After that though, he kicked them out of the bathroom, snickered at the pair of sweatpants Cal had scrounged up for him, sweats that would fit him like knickers, and then finally – gratefully – stepped under the steaming spray.

  He'd honestly believed they were going to die in the storm tonight, and he'd been furious. He'd finally found a woman he could give his heart to, that he wanted to give his heart to, and then it seemed that he would lose her. It had seemed so unfair and then, like a miracle, Ed found them. Now he could only hope she meant the words when she'd said them to him, that it wasn't just her humoring him because she'd thought they were kissing their lives goodbye. That it wouldn't matter tomorrow because they weren't going to be there to see it anyway.

  He eased the washcloth over his ribs, which were a shocking rainbow of blacks and purple…and they hurt like mad. He'd probably wind up sleeping in the other recliner since he tended to sleep on one side or another. At least this way, he'd be forced to lie on his back. He wished they'd put Martin in the guest room they'd prepared for Hannah though. Then she could sleep in the matching chair so he could fall asleep holding her hand. Except he'd rather she rested well, and she would need to be in a bed for that.

  After he thawed out a little, he stepped out of the shower, dried off as best he could with the towel Cal laid out for him, pulled on the sweats and grinned. The hem hit him just below mid-calf. He'd been wrong. They didn't fit him like knickers, they fit him like capris. Fortunately the MSU sweat jacket was so old and stretched out of shape he didn't have any trouble getting it on but still, the sleeves were way too short, and if he had to raise his arms for anything, his stomach would be exposed. Shaking his head at the sight he made, he gathered his clothes and stepped out into the living room.

  "Here. Let me have those," Darby said, taking them and heading for the kitchen. "I'll have them washed and dried yet tonight." She glanced over her shoulder, grinning from ear-to-ear. "Not that you don't look dashing in that getup, mind you. I think you should wear it when you and Hannah go out next time."

  "Ha-ha," Jon said, grinning back at her.

  "Yeah, you're looking good, buddy," Cal agreed, heading out to the kitchen behind his wife. It was a good thing being the shortest one of their bunch had never bothered him. Still, when you had to borrow clothes from someone, it was a challenge when you were more than half a foot taller than the person loaning them to you.

  "Aren't I though? I was thinking if we could come up with some long, floppy red shoes, and a nose to match, I could make a little money on the side at kids parties."

  "Only if you want to scare them. Besides, you're not stealing my gig. That's what I plan to do when I retire," Ed said. Even though he'd tried to make a joke, his voice was devoid of humor. He was sitting on the sofa looking miserable. Blaming himself, Jon knew, and he went eased down to sit beside him.

  "It's not your fault. I know you won't believe me, but it isn't. If you think that, then you'd have to blame a rape victim for jogging in a park after dark, and you would never do that. You aren't responsible for the actions of a deranged stalker, Ed. He's in the wrong, and somewhere deep inside, he has to know it. He just keeps choosing to do the wrong thing."

  "And it almost got you and Hannah killed tonight."

  "Almost being the key word here."

  "You're just lucky I spotted the four-ways. The lights were so faint through the snow that if I hadn't been looking so hard, I'd never have found you."

  "Well you did. We're both grateful, but now we need to put it behind us."

  "Yes you do, and you all need to eat. If I'd known we were going to have a party, I'd have whipped up a batch of lasagna, but you're in luck anyway. Today seemed like a chicken noodle soup kind of a day, and I made plenty," Cal said, carrying a tray with three steaming bowls. Darby followed, toting one with cups and a plate of homemade bread. Jon hadn't even realized he was hungry until he saw – and smelled – the food. "Can you move those candles so we can set these down please?"

  "We can sit at the table-" Ed started to say.

  "No." Darby shook her head and gave him a look that said he was going to stay put. "It's been a long night. Just be comfortable. Please. Now I'm going to go make sure Hannah didn't fall asleep in the tub."

  ~~~~~

  Before everyone finished their late night supper, a knock on the door startled them all. It wasn't an ambulance, but the next best thing. The hospital, it seemed, had decided to send a tow truck – complete with a nurse – after Martin. None of the ambulances or rescue squads were available, and likely wouldn't have made it down a country road anyway, but at least they'd considered his injuries important enough to send someone right away.

  Because there wasn't room for Jon and Hannah, the woman had taken a few moments to check them out while the driver, Ed, and Cal loaded Martin in the truck. She wasn't entirely sure Hannah had a concussion, but suggested they check her throughout the night anyway. She was very sure, however, that Jon had at least one fractured rib, and she wished they could take him back with them. He hadn't said anything, but he wouldn't have gone anyway. He might be hurting, but he wasn't leaving Hannah. Not for a minute. Not after what they'd been through. He just wanted to see her, to know she was all right. Tomorrow would be soon enough to get checked out.

  Finally, after the impromptu dinner mess was cleared away, blankets and pillows laid out for the guys, and their freshly washed clothes were folded on the dining room table, Cal and Darby said goodnight, reminding Hannah that they'd be checking on her every couple of hours.

  Jon was taking one of the recliners, Ed the sofa, and Hannah was sleeping in the guest room. The only thing was, she seemed to be dawdling and wasn't moving from the other chair. Jon wondered if she was afraid to be alone. She'd been through a harrowing experience so if she was, he couldn't blame her.

  "Are you okay?" he asked, reaching across the end table for her hand. She didn't hesitate to take it, and when she smiled at him, his heart beat just a little faster. He could hardly wait until tomorrow because they really needed to talk.

  "I'm fine. I'm just- I think I need to talk to Ed for a minute." He raised his brows, and after a slight hesitation, she nodded. "Do you want me to go in the kitchen or something?"

  "No, please stay."

  "Am I in trouble?" Ed asked, trying to be funny, but Jon knew he was expecting her to let him have it. He was sure going to be in for a surprise. Jon felt her squeeze his hand hard.

  "No, not at all. There's just something I need to tell you."

  "Okay."

  "I – don't know where to start."

  "The beginning is usually the best place," her father said, staring at his hands clasped between his knees.

  Jon watched her hesitate, then she let go of his hand, got up and crossed the short distance to sit on the sofa beside Ed. She wiped her hands on her the flannel robe Darby had loaned her, and looked at him helplessly. He wished he could help her say what needed to be said, but knew it was something she had to do now that she'd finally decided to stop hiding.

  "Hannah?" Ed said softly.

  "I know. Just give me a second here."

  "Maybe this will help." He shifted to one side, reached into his back pocket and pulled out his wallet. In a moment, he
held something out in front of her, and Hannah's chin dropped.

  "How- I don’t understand."

  "You look just like your mother," he said, his voice soft. "I noticed it the first time we met, I've just never been sure which one you are."

  "Annie," she whispered, wiping her eyes as she stared at what Jon now knew to be a picture. "My name was Annie. They changed it so long ago I didn't even remember. I didn't know about you, or that I'd had another name, until I found the letters."

  "What letters?"

  "Mom had them hidden in the attic. I was helping her sort through everything after Dad – the man who adopted me – died. I guess she kept them all."

  "So you know I never wanted to be out of your life."

  "Yes. That's why I moved here. I wanted to meet you." It was only then that she looked at her father, tears streaming down her face. "If you knew who I was, why didn't you say anything?"

  "Because I didn't know if you knew who I was. Whether this was some weird coincidence, or what. And I figured if you did know who I was, I needed to let you get to know me on your terms. I'd waited a long time for this, so a little while longer wouldn't make that much difference."

  Jon felt tears in his eyes when she covered one of Ed's hands with her own. It wasn't the hug he'd hoped to see, but it was a start. He just sat quietly while they talked, their voices soft.

  "I don't understand," Hannah finally said. "I mean, I read all the letters and cards, so I knew you wanted us. I know you kept saying she lied to you. But why? Why did you sign away your rights as our father? And what did my mother lie about?"

  Jon recalled how she'd guessed at the reasons that first morning, but she hadn’t known for sure. Now it looked to him like Ed wasn't too keen on answering, but after several long moments, he looked at her.

  "Your mom never liked the fact that I went into law enforcement. We got married straight out of high school, and Mary came along less than a year later. I just didn't see how I could support a family and go to college, so I trained with a small town police department, and later was hired in Lansing. She thought it was too dangerous, and wanted me to quit. By the time you came along, she was very unhappy."

  "I kind of got that impression from your letters."

  "I'm not sure when she started seeing the man who adopted you, but she left me just after you turned one. That was shortly after I got shot the first time. Although calling it 'shot' is kind of exaggerating. It was just a flesh wound, barely even bled, but she had a fit over it. Anyway, they were married the day after the divorce was final."

  "That's when she asked you to sign the papers?"

  "No. Not then. For the next year and a half or so, I had visitation every other weekend, every other holiday, the same as most fathers got. Then I got shot again and almost died that time. Your mother used the situation to start making me feel guilty. You weren't old enough to understand, but she said Mary totally freaked out, and that I wasn't being fair to either of you."

  "So you just gave us up?"

  "No, I did not just give you up." For the first time, there was a hint of anger in Ed's tone, and he took a deep breath before continuing. "Now I'm fairly sure she manipulated the situation to scare your sister, because every time I saw her, she would cling to me, and cry all the time. She never wanted to let me out of her sight because she was afraid I'd die. And it never got better as time passed. All the while your mother kept at me, telling me if I loved you, I'd do what was best for you. That you'd both have more stability if I let her new husband adopt you."

  "She is pretty good at getting her way."

  "Well she finally beat me down. I did feel guilty about Mary and what she was going through. So your mother promised me that after a few months, after things settled down, I could start easing myself back into your lives. And I was stupid enough to believe her. I don't think the ink was dry on the papers she had me sign before they ran off to Texas – and there wasn't a thing I could do about it. She made sure of that."

  They were quiet for a while, still holding hands, but each seemed to be lost in thought. Jon truly hoped he'd be able to meet that woman someday, because he'd love to give her a piece of his mind. What she'd done to Ed, and both of the girls, had been wrong. So very, very wrong.

  "After watching you all of these months, I kind of figured it must have been something like that. You didn't really strike me as a man who would turn his back on his children."

  "I wouldn't have. If I'd had any idea what would happen, I'd have told her no. Absolutely not. But I believed her, and because I did, I lost you both." He brushed at a tear rolling down his cheek and Jon felt a lump form in his throat, his own eyes bright.

  "You didn't lose us both." Hannah leaned forward and kissed his cheek. "I'm glad I found you."

  "I'm glad, too. I've always loved you and Mary." He seemed to hesitate, and then asked, "She hasn't forgiven me, has she?"

  Ed kept wiping his eyes when he learned that his oldest daughter was an alcoholic and drug addict, and Jon knew that he was blaming himself. No matter that she fell in with the wrong crowd, and that she and her sister had essentially been stolen from him, he would feel responsible if for no other reason than he'd believed the lies his ex-wife fed him.

  Eventually, long after midnight, Hannah excused herself and went to bed, leaving him alone with Ed. After he arranged the stack of bedding Cal had left on the end of the sofa, he climbed under the covers and looked at Jon.

  "You knew."

  "Yeah. Since the bonfire out at Sam and Holly's. I thought she was the stalker, but she set me straight in a hurry. I didn't even know you had kids."

  "It's not something you broadcast, you know. That you were duped by your ex."

  "You trusted her."

  "Yeah, I did. And she took advantage of that. She lied, and took my daughters and moved them more than a thousand miles away."

  "I'm sorry."

  "I know." He was quiet for so long Jon thought he might have dozed off. "So were you just pretending to date her?"

  "In the beginning. It seemed like the easiest way for her to get close to you."

  "What about now?"

  "I fell in love with her."

  "I think she loves you, too."

  "That's what she said."

  "Just don't hurt her, okay?"

  "I won't. If this ends, she'll be the one to pull the plug." He drew a deep breath, wincing when his ribs expanded, then let it out slowly. "I need to ask you something."

  "What?"

  "Would you have a problem with me proposing to Hannah?"

  "You're asking me for her hand?"

  "Yeah, I guess I am."

  "I'm the last person you need permission from."

  "She's your daughter. That makes you the first person I need to ask."

  "Jon, if she'll have you, I'd be honored to have you as my son."

  ~~~~~

  "I hate to leave you here alone," Jon murmured. He was holding her so close Hannah could feel his breath in her hair. She loved the way it felt because it meant they were both wonderfully, gloriously alive.

  Her arms were wrapped gently around his waist. Though she wanted to hug him tight, the x-rays he'd had at the hospital a couple of hours ago meant she'd have to be careful for quite some time. He'd been spot on about his injuries from their adventure the night before. Two fractured ribs. It made her want to track the stalker down and do some fracturing of her own.

  "I'll be okay, Jon. Bob Ames is sitting out front, and I think they're all going to be more careful – at least for a while. And Ed's going to bring me out later to get my car."

  "If Chris can get out there to dig it out."

  "Jon, he gets to use the plow. Do you really think anything is going to stop him?" She felt him tense, trying not to laugh, then heard him groan just before he gave in, chuckling softly.

  "No, I guess not. He'd plow the roads to get there himself if he had to."

  They k
ept an old truck with a snowplow parked on site to clear the roads and driveways in their subdivision. It was more economical than hiring someone every time they got more than a few inches. But it was Chris who considered himself the snow removal expert, something that came in handy whenever it was time to play with that particular toy.

  "Ouch. That hurts. I expect the drive will be clear before Dan drops me off."

  "Just tell him to drive carefully, okay?"

  "I'll be fine. Dan's always careful, and if anything happens, we have a couple of guards right behind us."

  "Nothing better happen. We've had enough excitement to last us for a long, long time."

  "I agree. I'm ready for some dull and predictable now. Well, maybe not dull. Hey." She looked up to see him smiling, just before he buried his hands in her hair and kissed her.

  She couldn't suppress a soft moan, mostly because he tasted so good, a combination of mint and coffee, but partly because she wanted to hold him closer and knew she couldn't. Instead, she had to settle for clutching fistfuls of his jacket … and hoping it was enough to keep her on her feet. There was just something about the touch of his lips against hers that made her knees weak and shaky.

  "Okay," Jon whispered, resting his forehead against hers. "We need to behave ourselves. And I shouldn't keep Dan waiting." When he pulled back a little, he reached out a finger to lightly trace the bandage on her forehead. "You rest, okay. I'll see you in a few hours."

  "You take it easy, too."

  "I love you, Hannah."

  "I love you."

  She could see how reluctant he was to leave, but he finally did, glancing over his shoulder just before he got to the stairway. She blew him a kiss, and he grinned before disappearing from her sight.

  Smiling, she closed and locked the door, then went to put her teakettle on. Ed would be here in time to take her to Jon's for supper, and she hoped she could talk him into joining them before he left to go back home. But she needed to make supper first, since she would be providing it. A couple of zip top bags of deboned chicken in broth waited in her tiny freezer, and she thought that, with some peas and carrots, serving it over biscuits would be a good meal for the day following a major snowstorm – and a near death experience.