Alexander (19 page)

“
You let him go this minute, Heather Colleen. You filthy slut. Right here where everyone can see you whore your ways on this man. Have you no decency?”

“
Who the fuck are you? And what the fuck did you hit me for?” Alex saw her raise the cane up and knew that she was going to hit him again. He had just enough time to put his hand up before he thought the thing should hit him. But she was suddenly on the floor and Tom was standing over her.

“
I knew that was you coming in here like you owned the place.” Without taking his eyes from the woman on the floor, Tom made the introductions. “Alexander James, meet my daughter and Heather’s mother, though I use that term because it wouldn’t be proper to say what she’s really been. This is Victoria Laird, the bitch who tossed her only child out onto the streets.”

~Chapter
19~

Heather tried not to think about what had happened. She glanced up at Alex again and dropped her head when she realized he was looking at her. She just wished the stupid doctor would come so she could go back and pack up. Alex cleared his throat and had her looking up at him.

“
Come here, Heather. Come here and let me see you.” His voice was husky and it did things to her system she wished she could control. “Heather?”

“
I’m sure you can see me just fine from here.” She flushed when she remembered he was only here because she’d come into his home. “I’m sorry about this. I didn’t even know she knew where I was. I will try and pay for this hospital stay too.”

Her mother had hit him hard enough that he needed stitches. The nurse said it would probably be around ten of them. She looked up at him when he laughed.

“
Come here. Please.” She looked up at him. “I want to hold you.”

“
Why?” But she got up and went to him anyway. “I don’t understand you. My mother beats you with her cane and you end up in the hospital, and now you want to hold me. What do you think your mother will say about this?”

He pulled her onto the gurney with him and held her. “She will probably say that I should have ducked faster. Or paid attention to my surroundings instead of making love to a woman on a table top.”

“
You were not making love to me. And you won’t either. I’m so sorry for all this.” She started to pull away when the nurse came in.

“
No. Don’t go. I need you to stay. Please. Stay until my mom comes by.” She was nearly ready to stay when the nurse spoke up.

“
I’m sorry, Mr. James, she can’t stay. She’s not family. We’ve bent the rules enough to let her stay back here until now.”

She started to turn away when Alex spoke again. “If you leave, I’ll find you. I mean it, Heather. I will find you.”

“
I won’t be hard to find. I’ve already told you where we’re going. Goodbye, Mr. James. I’m sorry about everything.”

“
Damn it, Heather, get back here. Heather.” She kept walking.

Heather told her grandda to gather their things at the house. He’d not been happy about it, but he said he would. Jack was less happy about leaving, but did what she’d asked him to do. She told him that Vickie wouldn’t stop, wouldn’t stop hurting those that they cared about.

It was bitterly cold out when she left the hospital. She had to walk to the shelter because her things, including her bus pass, were still at the bakery. She didn’t know how she was going to get it back before Monday, but knew that Caroline would take care of it. If she still had a job.

Her mother had been there, kept playing in her mind. Her mother had said…poor Jack. She could still see the hurt on his face when her mother had called him a spawn of the devil.

“
You should have gotten rid of him when I told you to. At the very least you should have drowned him when he was an infant. To think I thought you’d be smarter than this.” Vickie had spewed her hatred of her and Jack relentlessly before the police arrived. Then she’d shut up.

“
You don’t know what the hell you’re talking about. She’s a great mother, and this boy loves her.” Grandda had stood up to his daughter for all of ten minutes. Then he’d crumbled when she turned on him.

“
You couldn’t even save Mother, could you, old man? There she lay in her bed calling your name and you were out working. Couldn’t be bothered to come home and be there when she died. Some judge of character you turned out to be.” Vickie turned to Alex then. “And you. What do you think she’s going to give you but some disease? She lured my poor husband to her bed then accused him of raping her.”

“
And the other girls he’d done the same thing to, I suppose they all lured him there as well? Is that the way it happened, or have you colored things to look the way you want to? I read the transcript of the trial. I know what happened in that bedroom. And it was just like she said it was.” Alex took the cane from her that she still held in her hand like a weapon and broke it over his knee. “You raise a hand to any of them again and I’ll hunt you down.”

“
You think to threaten me? Why, I have money. Money enough that would make you look like a pauper. What do you do anyway? Run this little bakery? Make your little cakes? You haven’t got a clue who I am.” Her mother started to rise and Alex put his foot on her chest.

“
I’m Alexander James and my family owns and operates the largest hotel business in the world. I know just who you are, Victoria Elizabeth Laird, only daughter to Thomas and Colleen Laird. You got your money the old fashioned way, through divorce and greed. Well, I’ve got news for you. I’ve got more money than you’ll see in three life times.”

Alex had shoved her back down and then dropped to the floor. Heather hadn’t noticed that he’d been bleeding quite badly from the wound on his back. When he looked up at her, he smiled. “Stay with me for a bit longer, Heather. I might need to be sick and I want you there.” Then he closed his eyes.

Her heart had broken then. He’d only wanted her there to clean up after him. She held him until they medics came and then went to the hospital with him. He’d woken in the ambulance and reached for her hand. She gave it to him and didn’t say anything as he squeezed her too tight. Her mother was on her way to the station and her family was going back to the house.

She walked for a bit longer when she realized that she was near her old apartment building. There was nothing left of it; the bulldozers had already come in and knocked it all down. Her tears weren’t so much for the loss as the memories they’d made there. And some of the things they’d never get back.

Pictures, for one. There weren’t all that many because they’d never had the money to pay for a camera, but there had been a few. Jack’s birth certificate was another thing she’d lost. Of course she could get another copy, but this one had been hers. There were the things he’d made her in his classes. The noodle-covered shoe box that held her few pieces of jewelry. The ornaments he’d made and they’d hung on the tiny artificial tree they’d gotten from the Goodwill they used every year. Her cook books that she’d picked up here and there at garage sales and tag sales. And the hundreds of other things she couldn’t think of right now.

There were Christmas lights in the building next door. Lights that she knew that Jack would marvel over and want. She’d never had the money to spend on lights before, and she had wanted to do it this year. She’d been saving her change to do just that for him and now it was gone as well.

Steven Baxter had taken so much from her, so much that she’d never get back, but he’d given her one thing that she would gladly do it all over for and that was her son. Jack was her world and her life, and she didn’t…couldn’t think what she’d do without him. She turned and started walking toward the shelter again.

She saw Grandda first then Jack. They were both standing next to a large car and talking to a man Heather had never seen before. The closer she got, the more nervous she got until Jack saw her and started running toward her. Even as bad as things were, she still smiled when he hugged her.

“
Mom, this is Mr. Stone. He said he was sent to pick us up. And we get to ride in this big limo.” Jack was dragging her to the car and the man and woman standing there. “She’s his wife, Mrs. Stone. And guess what? They are the mom and dad of Mr. Stone that I work for.”

“
Hello, Miss Laird. You have a wonderful family. I was wondering if we could persuade you to come along with us? Jared said that Alex needs you.”

“
Alex? What’s wrong? My mother didn’t come back, did she?” She looked at the woman then. “He sent you to fetch me back, didn’t he?”

“
Yes, I’m afraid he did. His mother is at the hospital with him now and we were sent to find you here. I must say he has quiet a temper, doesn’t he? He is refusing treatment unless you come back to the hospital. The man was yelling at the doctor when we left.” Mrs. Stone laughed. “I’m not sure who was more upset by his language, the doctor he was yelling at or his mom.”

“
Yes, he can be…colorful when the mood strikes him. I’m sorry to have wasted your time, Mr. and Mrs. Stone, but my family and I have other plans. We appreciate you coming here, but as you can see—”

“
I was afraid you were going to say that. Well then, I guess I’ll have to tell you the real reason we’re here. Alex said you’re pregnant and he told us to bring you to him so that he can make things right between you. Now, if you wouldn’t mind—”

She cut Mr. Stone off. “I assure you, I’m not pregnant. I don’t…” Heather looked down at her son who was staring at her with his mouth open. “I don’t know what he’s talking about. If you would be so kind as to just go back and tell him that I said leave me alone, then—”

“
I can’t do that. He told us what happened and I…well, I believe him. Alex hasn’t ever lied to me before so I’m willing to bet he’s not now.” He opened the car door. “Please get inside, Miss Laird, and if this turns out to be a complete misunderstanding then I’ll personally bring you back here myself.”

Heather looked up at her grandda and could see that he was shocked as well. When he nodded at her, she felt as if the entire world was against her and went to the door. Jack scrambled in before her and Grandda got in the front.

“
You’re going to feel really bad when this turns out to be a bad joke, Mr. Stone. I believe Mr. James is a few crackers short of a picnic basket. You have to know this isn’t right.”

He nodded. “Maybe. But he said that the last time you had sex, the condom broke. As much as I think that’s sharing a bit much, I can’t let him not try and make a home for his child. Too many people don’t care if they make a child, and even less should be raising one.”

Heather could feel the tears threaten. “He wants his child then.” She got in the car and ignored the man getting in behind her. Mrs. Stone got in beside Jack and talked to him in low tones. Heather turned away from the people in the car and stared out the window.

Heather tried to think about the last time they’d had sex. The sex part was easy to remember, but the part about the broken condom she had no idea. She wasn’t sure how quickly they could tell if she was pregnant or not, but she was pretty sure that they wouldn’t be able to tell from two days ago. But it would be her luck that he was correct and she was now carrying another man’s child.

She glanced over at Jack. She wondered what he thought of his mother being pregnant, or for that matter, her grandda. He’d gotten in the front of the car for a reason she was sure. He was ashamed of her. Well, she thought as she turned back to the window, she was as well. When the car slid to a smooth stop, she didn’t even wait for the driver to come around, but got out and went into the emergency room.

“
Thank goodness,” Mrs. James said as soon as she saw her. “You scared us all leaving like that. Come on, he needs to see you.”

She let herself be lead to another part of the department. There was a door on this area and once it was open, Heather could hear him yelling at someone. She moved the curtain out of the way and stood there until he turned to look at her.

~~~

Alex knew the moment he saw her she was mad. Well, he’d fix that soon enough now that she was here. He didn’t notice when everyone left the room. He could only stare at her.

“
I’m glad you came back. I needed you here with me.” She moved to the chair without a word and sat there. “Heather, you might be having my baby. I can’t let you live in the shelter knowing that.”

It had been a long shot using that. Jared had used the same thing on Wills when she wouldn’t marry him too. He didn’t like to do it, but he needed her. He started to move off the bed when the doctor came in.

“
Ah, there you are. You’ve caused us quite a stir leaving like you did.” Heather nodded, but still didn’t speak. “Are you ready now, Alex? I do have other patients.”

“
Yes, I’m ready. Heather, will you come here and hold me?” She stood and he thought she was going to leave again when she looked at the door. “Heather?”

She walked to the side of the bed and took his hand. Hers was cold and he wondered what she’d been doing. Before he could ask, his mom walked in with Jack.

“
He wanted to see you for just a minute. I couldn’t turn him down.” Heather put her arm around Jack when he stood close to her as his mom continued. “His grandpa Tom said to tell you he’d see you at the house. He said that hospitals make him nervous and that he’d rather not be here.”

“
Mr. Alex, is mom really going to have a baby?” Alex glanced up at Heather at Jack’s question.