Danger Deception Devotion The Firsts

by Lorhainne Eckhart

  The door opened, and the doctor stepped in, wearing a dark sweater. He’d shed his white doctor’s coat but still had a stethoscope draped around his neck. This time, when he took in Laura and then Andy, his expression changed to something that had Andy holding Gabriel a little tighter.

  He sat at his desk, opened the file he was carrying and scribbled a few notes before setting down his pen and looking at them both. “The twins look great, if you could sign the transfer papers from your pediatrician in North Lakewood, I’ll get the records up here,” he began. “Jeremy appears bigger than his sister, which happens sometimes with twins. Both are right on track as far as growth and weight development, which is good. Now, I just wanted to ask, because I have both Chelsea and Jeremy as O negative blood types. Laura, you said you’re O, and you too, Andy, but Gabriel is A negative, so…” He stopped talking, and Andy didn’t miss what he was getting at. Laura obviously didn’t either, as she’d already lowered her head as if she had something to be ashamed of. Andy wasn’t just angry but pissed. It was as if this guy knew exactly which buttons to push with him.

  “I’m not really sure what you’re getting at here, and I really don’t appreciate what you’re insinuating or the way you keep talking to my wife,” Andy snapped.

  “What I’m getting at, is that you couldn’t have fathered Gabriel. The father would need to be blood type A or B, and you are neither, as you said. How old are you, Laura?”

  This was the first time Andy could remember feeling as if someone was judging him and Laura, questioning their business. What was this guy trying to do, asking Laura's age? Yeah, if he was Gabriel’s father, it would have been statutory rape. He knew it, and obviously everyone here did, too, making it the elephant in the room.

  “I’m Gabriel’s father in every way that counts, so what is this really about?” Andy said. He glanced over at Laura’s flushed face. He wasn’t about to allow this prick into his private business—he was walking a fine line as it was.

  The doctor gestured as if everything was cool, but he didn’t even look Laura’s way. “Well, for one, I need to have all the information. A complete history is essential for a proper diagnosis. How old were you when you had him?”

  “I had just turned sixteen,” Laura whispered, and Andy could hear her pride take a hit.

  “What are you doing? What the hell does her being sixteen have to do with any of this?” Andy glanced down at Gabriel, who was cuddled against him. His eyes fluttered open and then closed again. Andy hoped he wasn’t really listening to what was being said.

  “I just want to get a picture of the situation,” the doctor said.

  “Picture of the situation? Sounds more like you’re trying to stir up trouble.”

  The doctor set his pen down, and his leather chair whooshed as he leaned back. “Look, I just don’t like parents hiding things. Before you get upset, I need to run more tests on Gabriel. From the blood we drew, the lab reported his white cell count is unusually high.”

  “What does that mean?” Andy asked. Laura’s eyes widened, and she looked to him for help. He could tell the doctor had not only pushed all her buttons but also had her teetering on the edge of a breakdown.

  “It means there could be some infection,” the doctor said. “Until I get all the tests back, I won’t know for sure. I don’t like to just hand out prescriptions for antibiotics. If there’s an infection, I want to know why and what’s causing it—whether it’s viral or bacterial. If it’s more serious, I also need the father’s medical history as well. That’s why I asked, because neither of you shared the fact that Gabriel is not Andy’s biological child.” He looked at each of them in turn.

  Andy hadn’t thought too much about the boy who had fathered Gabriel, and as Gabriel snuggled in closer and gripped his shirt, he liked it even less that Gabriel wasn’t his. “He’s not in the picture, so what about in the meantime?” Andy asked.

  The doctor slid the paperwork across the desk. His expression was concerned enough that Andy felt all kinds of alarm bells going off. “Well, until I get Gabriel’s records, I need to know from you what has been prescribed in the past. Would you be able to find out the father’s medical history?”

  He looked to Andy for the answers, even though he had only come into the picture a year ago, when Gabriel was four. Andy had never spoken to Laura about the father. All he knew was that the boy had wanted nothing to do with Laura after finding out she was pregnant, and that her parents had asked her to leave. Maybe Andy had left her past alone for too long. He was pretty sure Gabriel had missed out on medical care and dental appointments. Andy had just assumed everything had been taken care of, but Laura wouldn’t have had any health insurance. She and Gabriel had barely been getting by.

  “I don’t think he’s ever taken anything, has he, Laura?” Andy said. He hadn’t meant to put her on the spot, but Laura just shook her head. He didn’t miss the shadow that fell over her as she slouched a bit, trying to hide. She swallowed and looked to Andy, and now she was wringing her hands. Andy wondered what that was about. What he did know, was that he and Laura needed to sit down and have a heart-to-heart. Maybe it was time he found out everything that had happened to his wife and Gabriel before he knew them, before she ended up a maid in the Friessen mansion.

  Andy reached for the orders for blood work, glancing at all the boxes checked off. It was a lot of tests for his little boy and Andy worried now about whether it was even the flu.

  “Oh, I put a rush on the tests. If you could go downstairs to the lab right now, they’ll have the results back to me today,” the doctor said. He closed up the file and scooted back his chair, giving them a practiced smile before he left.

  Chapter 8

  “I know we’ve never talked about it Laura, and I didn’t ask, because it didn’t matter-but I’m asking now. I need you to tell me everything,” Andy said. He crossed his arms and leaned against the counter, looking down at Laura as she scrubbed the skillet she had used to brown the chicken before setting it in the oven. She scrubbed vigorously over a spot he could see was already clean. He could tell by how hard she went at it that she didn’t want to talk about a past that he knew was painful, though it had shaped her into who she was today.

  “Hey.” He set his hand on her shoulder and rubbed until she looked up at him, he could see just how much she still hurt over those lost teenage years.

  She blinked for a second, fighting against the memory. When she opened her amazing green eyes, even the gold flecks that always sparkled with life had dimmed with sadness. “I never took Gabriel to the doctor before because I couldn’t afford it. There was a free clinic on Fridays, but I could never get there because I had to work. He never got sick anyway. He had the odd cold or sore throat, but he was fine. Am I a bad mother?”

  “No, of course not. I know how you struggled. I saw what you had to live in. You did the best you could.”

  Laura set her hands on the rim of the sink and stared out the window. “I don’t know, Andy. I wondered, at times, if I was selfish for not giving him up, but I couldn’t. He was mine. I love him.”

  “Hey, that’s not selfish. None of that matters now, anyway. If you hadn’t made the choices you made, I wouldn’t have met you and Gabriel,” he said. That got a smile out of her.

  “Yeah.” She tapped the sink with her fingers.

  “I know your parents asked you to leave when they found out you were pregnant, and that the boy who knocked you up wasn’t involved. Did he even meet Gabriel? Tell me everything,” he said. He waited for her to respond, watching as she squeezed her hands, touching the wedding ring he’d set on her finger, turning it around and around. He knew it meant something to her—meant everything to her.

  “Dad was an elder in our church, one of the youngest, and Mom was so proud. Her father was a Lutheran minister, so we had a strict household, you could say. We were raised in the church in Arlington, an Anglican Church called The First Savior. We attended every Sunday. I even helped run the Sun
day school when I was fifteen, with my mom.” She sighed. “You know, today, at the doctor’s office, I realized you’ve moved us right back into the Bible Belt. I swear Andy, I will never set foot back in a church, but here we are. I may be young, but I know communities where the church is the hub. I know how people respond to us ‘sinners.’”

  “I think you’re reading too much into it. That doctor could just be a prick, is all.” Andy had never considered religion when he bought the house, even though he was aware that some counties and communities were run by their churches. It was something he had heard in passing, but he had never given it much thought. He wondered, could she be right?

  “I first met Tyler at church, when his family moved nearby. I was twelve and he was a year older than me. We also went to the same school. His sister, Melinda, and I were friends. We were all part of the youth group at our church.”

  Laura was still gripping her wedding band and she wouldn’t look up at him. Andy wasn’t religious. With his family, walking into a church was all about politics, who you knew, and what you were trying to get. It was about keeping up appearances.

  “We were only together once, Andy. It was on a school ski trip. He snuck me into his room when everyone was on the hill. I didn’t enjoy it, it hurt and we used no protection. I didn’t plan it. I got pregnant. I knew something was wrong, because I didn’t feel well and had missed my period. Mom took me to my family doctor, who told me I had to tell my parents, because otherwise he would. That was the first time I lied to Mom, said the checkup was fine. I couldn’t tell her then. I tried to tell Tyler first-but ever since…”

  She was having trouble finishing, and Andy had a pretty good idea about what had happened. The kid was all about sex. He had screwed her, so he was done with her and had moved on to the next girl. Her eyes were streaked with tiny red lines as she fought to hold on to all her sorrow and heartache.

  “He avoided me after we had sex. I think he was disappointed, because it got awkward and weird. Anyway, I cried for days and Mom kept asking what was wrong. I didn’t want to tell her, but I was running out of time. My waistline was starting to disappear and I knew I wouldn’t be able to hide it much longer with the clothes I had. I was four months pregnant. Mom noticed and started asking me why I was gaining weight. I knew I had to say something, so I waited until after church one Sunday, after our Sunday dinner, and then I asked Mom and Dad if I could talk to them. Maybe I thought they’d be more forgiving of me, it being Sunday. When I told them, Mom started crying and then yelled at me. She called me a slut and slapped me across the face. Dad…I’d never seen him look at me with such disappointment before.

  “They made me feel ashamed and dirty and I wanted to crawl into a hole and die. I had never imagined it could get much worse, but I was so wrong. It was awful. They sent me to my room and then forbade me from going to school the next day. My two younger brothers—Chad was eight and Brian was twelve—knew something was wrong and they kept asking why Mom and Dad were so upset. They thought I had been kicked out of school and they asked me what I’d done, but I couldn’t tell them. When they were at school the next day, Dad came home early and he and Mom sat at the kitchen table, side by side, holding hands, looking across at me as if I was a stranger. I felt so alone.

  “It was Mom who said I had to get rid of it. I was shocked she would even say it, as the church is so against abortion. I couldn’t do it, Andy. No matter how terrified I was, there was a life growing inside me and I couldn’t abort him. I said no. I don’t know where I found the courage to stand up to her. Mom handed me a suitcase and said I had to leave. She wouldn’t allow me to remain under their roof as a bad influence on my brothers, putting a blemish on the values they had tried to instill in us. I was fifteen and terrified, a disappointment to my family. Dad didn’t say a word. He wouldn’t even look at me as he got up and walked away. It was horrible. I begged Mom. I even got down on my knees. I was crying, and she just shook her head and told me to leave. So I packed the suitcase and walked out the front door. I was humiliated-the neighbors were outside, watching. I’m sure they’d heard the yelling.

  “I just started walking. I went to Tyler’s house and waited around the corner until I saw his car pull into the driveway. I thought for sure he’d at least help me—after all, it was his child. When he opened the door and saw me standing there, with a suitcase, he got worried. At first I thought it was for me, but I quickly realized when I heard a girl inside that he was worried for himself. I told him I was pregnant, that he was the father and that my parents had thrown me out. He just told me to go away and he shut the door in my face. I never saw him again-and I never saw my parents, either.”

  She dipped her hands in the water, and Andy could see her shaking. He stepped behind her and slid his arms around her, holding her tight. He rested his cheek against her head.

  “I’m so sorry, Laura,” he said. He wanted to kill her parents. He wanted to seriously hurt them—and Tyler, too.

  She nodded, choking back a sob. “You know, it was so hard, Andy. I was terrified. I walked for hours and I didn’t know where to go or who to call. I went to a shelter, and they asked me how old I was. So I lied. I said I was sixteen because I was afraid someone would try to take my baby from me or force me to get an abortion. I got a job at a fast food restaurant, but I started to show-and the social workers came sniffing around. They asked me who my parents were, how old I was, telling me I had a future ahead of me and was too young to raise a child. They kept asking what I was going to do with the baby.

  “When I went into labor, I took a cab to the hospital. Someone there called the social worker, who showed up when I was in labor. I thought they were going to take Gabriel from me. I called my mom and she said I could come home if I gave up the baby. She said everything would go back to normal. I hung up that payphone and left the hospital with Gabriel. We left Arlington and that was how we ended up in North Lakewood. I met Aida, and she got me the job at your parents’ mansion.”

  Andy just held her. He had heard the last part of her story from Aida, and he knew it was worse than she was saying. He couldn’t imagine how tough it had been for her to feed Gabriel, let alone herself. She had been forced to work and find someone else to look after her son. Andy lowered his head as he remembered Aida, that sweet old woman, who had put up with no crap from him and had called him out on every dumb-ass thing he’d done. Aida had killed herself and left him a tape recording so he’d know just how horrible his mother was. Caroline Friessen had discovered Aida’s past. The fact that she’d been in prison and had jumped parole. Caroline was blackmailing the old woman to secure her help in getting rid of Laura. In the end, Aida hadn’t been able to live with the threat and she had taken her life instead—leaving the evidence for Andy. He still didn’t know what he’d do with it. If Laura knew the truth, if she found out that Aida hadn’t simply died in her sleep, it would destroy her.

  “It’s okay. You know I’m never going to let anyone hurt you and Gabriel, or our babies,” he said.

  She nodded again, turning in his arms and pressing her face against his chest. “I love you so much, Andy,” she said. He held her as he whispered, “I love you, too.”

  Chapter 9

  “Andy, can you grab the phone while I get dinner on the table?” Laura called out. The babies were in their swing, going back and forth and Gabriel was propped up on the sofa. The TV was on and he was watching Spiderman. Laura wondered whether he was actually watching, considering he kept closing his eyes and nodding off. She set her hand on his forehead, and he barely responded. “Are you feeling any better?” she asked. “Do you think you can eat some dinner?”

  “No,” he grumbled in a sleepy voice.

  When Laura looked up, Andy was standing in the archway between the kitchen and living room, wiping his scruffy face with his hand. His expression was grim and he was still holding the phone when he gestured her over.

  “Andy, what’s wrong?” she asked.

  He set h
is hand on her shoulder and guided her just inside the kitchen. “That was the doctor. Gabriel’s white blood cell count is too high—we have to bring him in to the hospital now,” Andy said. He had to clear his throat. “Laura, he has leukemia.”

  Laura couldn’t form a thought. She felt the floor soften beneath her even though she was standing there with Andy. She felt cold and numb. For a moment, all she could do was breathe. She couldn’t understand what he was saying. Maybe he realized that was exactly what was happening, as he set his hand on her shoulder and squeezed, leaning in and really looking at her. She could see the glassy look in his eyes, as if he was fighting back tears, and she knew it was bad. She threw her arms around his neck and just held on. “Andy…” She choked as a tear slipped down her cheek, then another and another. She didn’t let go of him.

  She could feel him tighten his hold on her, rubbing her back as he breathed her in. “We have to go now, Laura. The doctor’s going to meet us at the hospital.”

  She was shaking when she pulled away. She glanced at the chicken she’d just taken out of the oven and set on the table. It was only a momentary thought; dinner was ready, they couldn’t go yet. It was so surreal. Suddenly, she was with Andy, bundling up the twins and going out of the door and into the truck. Andy simply scooped up Gabriel and buckled him in the back with the twins. Gabriel continued to sleep as they drove to Columbia Falls—to the new children’s hospital.

  ****

  Doctor Bruce Siegel had been waiting for them when Andy carried Gabriel in. Laura followed with both babies in their carrier, side by side. Gabriel was settled into a bed in a private room and a nurse helped him into a hospital gown. A hospital ID bracelet was fastened to his wrist. Laura just watched helplessly while Gabriel cried as he was stuck with a needle and an IV was threaded into the back of his hand; Andy stepped in and talked him through it. Laura was still reeling, trying to wrap her head around the fact that her little boy didn’t just have the flu. They’d just moved to another state, they hadn’t even unpacked the boxes and her son was now in a hospital bed—and Andy was the one trying to calm him down.