All The King's Horses: A Tale Of Eternal Love (10 page)

“Say, Kent,” Don had moved forward to the helm to be near the skipper, “do you know a good restaurant in Paihia three hungry American’s could get a good meal?”

Kent thought on it for a moment.”There are a lot of good restaurants in town,” he concluded. “I guess it depends on what sort of food you’re into.”

“We’re into all kinds of food,” Don admitted. “We aren’t overly fussy. So what do you suggest?”

Kent cast his eyes over the weary bunch for a few seconds. “How about coming back to my place for dinner?”

Don shook his head. “We couldn’t possibly put you out like that. Besides, I don’t think your good lady would be too pleased if you arrived home with four strangers smelling of fish.”

“My wife is one in a million,” Kent assured him. “And I come home smelling of fish every day and she hasn’t complained yet. Besides, “he said, thinking back to her encounter with the dolphins, “she’s part mermaid, so fish is her thing.”

CHAPTER TWELVE

“Now I must warn you,” you Kant said, as he led the four men up the path to the front door, “my father-in-law lives with us and he’s a bit eccentric.”

“Define eccentric,” Simon said.

“You’ll discover soon enough. But I will advise you not to be offended by what he calls you. He quite simply is the worst person I’ve come across for remembering names.”

“Sounds like quite a character,” Ted chipped in.

“Oh, he’s that alright,” Kent replied, grinning from ear to ear. “I can’t wait to see what he comes up with this time.”

Christy and Jack were in the kitchen working on the dinner when Kent came in. She left what she was doing and walked into his arms. “I’ve missed you terribly,” she whispered.

“I’ve missed you too.”

“Thank you for calling ahead about bringing your clients home for dinner. It’s still three quarters of an hour off being ready yet, but it’ll be worth the wait.”

“You’re wonderful,” he murmured.

“Alright, that’s enough of that nonsense,” Jack said irritably. “While you two are whispering sweet nothings to each other I’m desperately trying to keep all these pot lids on,”

Christy gazed up into Kent’s eyes and smiled. “I’d better help him or I’ll never hear the end of it. Could you take your clients through to the lounge and keep them entertained for half an hour? We’ll come out and meet them as soon as we’ve got dinner under control.”

Taking the four men through to the lounge Kent kept them occupied with his photo albums of various fishing expeditions he had been on. By the time Christy called them through for dinner the four men were excitedly planning their next fishing trip.

“Introductions first,” Kent said, as they entered the dining room. “This is my wife Christy.” He was pleased to see all four men’s eyes widen as she came up and held out her hand for each to shake. She looked as stunning as any woman possibly could, and he knew they were thinking the same thing. “And this gentleman is my father-in-law Jack. Kent ushered him forward. “Jack…I’d like you to meet Don, Simon, Ted, and Rich.”

Jack repeated the names quietly to himself. “Don…Simon…Fred, and the other fellow.” He stared at each in turn. “That’s a whole heap of names to be remembering,” he said nervously.

Kent grinned to himself. The evening was certainly going to be entertaining; Jack had forgotten the names of two of them already.

Christy had done Kent proud. The meal was sensational. But then everything she attempted always turned out that way. He watched her as she effortlessly engaged each of the men in conversation, appearing genuinely interested in what each of them had to say. She had, without intending to, completely charmed them all.

They were discussing their work with her now, each in turn carefully explaining what his role was in the research lab. She was totally absorbed, and he knew she was thinking that at last there was some hope for her. Oh, it only it could be true. If only these men really were onto something that would cure Christy’s cancer, then he would be the happiest man in the world.

Dom was sliding a card across the table to Christy. “Now, if you decide at some stage you want to be a part of this,” he was saying, “then contact me on this number. Ask to speak to Don Nelson and they’ll put you straight through to me.”

“Thank you, Don.” She picked up the card and studied it briefly. “I’m so glad there are men and women like you who dedicate their lives to help people like me,” she said gratefully.

“I lost my mother to cancer,” he said sadly. “That’s what got me into this line of work. I couldn’t bear the thought of anyone else going through what she did. So you could say I have a vested interest.” He smiled grimly. “The saddest thing is that if she were alive today modern medicine may have saved her. We’ve come along in leaps and bounds these past twenty years.”

“Daddy,” Christy turned to her father, “could you go and get that bottle of wine from the kitchen for us? I think we would all like to toast the advances made in medicine.”

As Jack got up and shuffled past, Kent heard him quietly muttering to himself. “That one’s Don, that fella’s Simple Simon, make the bed Fred, and…blast it, I’ve forgotten the other one.”

Kent smiled to himself. Jack was right on form. He couldn’t wait for the goodbyes to be said, there was no telling what the old man would come out with.

With the wine flowing and happy stories being told the evening couldn’t help but be a pleasant one, and both Kent and Christy were sorry when the time had arrived for their guests to return to their motel.

“Well, thank you for a delicious meal, Christy,” Don said appreciatively. “And thanks for the wonderful conversation as well.”

“You’re most welcome, Don,” she answered as she walked with them all to the door. “It’s been lovely having you here.”

Don shook Kent’s hand. “You’re a lucky man, Kent,” he said sincerely, jerking his head in Christy’s direction. “I envy you.” He turned and grasped Jack’s hand tightly. “It’s been a pleasure, Jack.”

“You too, Don.”

Christy sighed in relief. Maybe he was going to get them all right.

Jack peered over Don’s shoulder at Ted. “Make the bed, Fred,” he muttered, as Kent’s grin grew bigger by the second. “No, Ted isn’t it.”

Kent’s grin faded. Blast, the old fellow was actually getting it right for a change. There was no fun in that.

“Yes, it is,” Ted said amiably, “and I hope our paths cross again.”

“So do I, Ted, so do I.” He extended his hand to Simon. “And Simon,” he said casually, “couldn’t forget that one it’s an easy one to remember.”

“How so?” Simon asked.

“Just needed to remember the old Simple Simon ditty we used to say when we were kids,” Jack explained.

“Word association,” Simon said, “that’s very clever, Jack.”

Jack spotted Rich standing by the door. “And the quiet one,” he mumbled. “Ah…I’ve got an itch…it’s on the tip of my tongue,” he said, hopping from one foot to the other. “Mitch…no that’s not it…don’t tell me…Rich the Bitch,” he suddenly blurted out triumphantly.

Christy’s hand went straight up to hide her rapidly reddening face. “Daddy, how could you?”

Kent started to giggle. Then he started to laugh. Before he could stop himself he was hooting with laughter, his sides aching with the effort of it.

Christy slapped him on the arm. “Stop it, Kent,” she ordered, seconds before a little snigger escaped her throat. “Oh, Kent, stop,” she managed, before she too was laughing uncontrollably.

♥

“Wasn’t that a great night we had last night,’ Jack said, when he joined them for breakfast the next morning.

“It was until you got that poor man’s name wrong,” Christy said sternly. “I’ve never seen somebody look so mortified in my life. And he was such a nice polite man too.”

Jack waved the comment aside. “I don’t know what his problem was I got his name right didn’t I?”

“The first bit maybe. But I don’t think he’s used to being called…‘Rich the Bitch,’ somehow.”

Kent looked at Jack and cracked up. Jack was soon joining him.

“Cut it out you two,” Christy scolded. “It really wasn’t funny.” She tried hard to appear stern. “You really can’t carry on calling people the first thing that pops into your head.”

“Don’t be too hard on him, Sweetheart;” Kent said in Jack’s defense, “there were a lot of names to remember.”

“I didn’t have much time to practice them either,” Jack chipped in, hoping to take the edge off his daughter’s wrath. “I would’ve needed a day or two to get that swag right.”

“Oh, Daddy, you’re impossible.” She got up to clear the dishes off the table.

“What’s on the agenda for today, Jack?” Kent asked.

“Thought I’d do a spot of fishing off the point, I hear the snapper have been coming in close to shore the last few days.”

“Just be sure to put back anything that’s undersize,” Kent advised. “There’s been a fisheries officer on the prowl recently.”

“Wretched fellow,” Jack complained. “Was a time when we could take home anything we caught.” His face lit up with the memory of it. “I can remember my daddy taking me fishing when I was a boy. We’d fill the whole boat up with fish, enough to fill up the deep freeze with. But now,” his face took on a look of disgust, “you’re not allowed to take home more than a few, and even then they have to be great big ones.”

“Something had to be done to protect the fish stocks,” Kent pointed out, “otherwise there wouldn’t have been enough fish left for anyone to take home.”

“I know, I know,” Jack conceded reluctantly. “But I reckon they should target the commercial fishermen first, they’re the ones who are decimating the fish. Us little feller’s don’t take enough to cause any long term harm.”

“You’re probably right, Jack. But the law is the law and there’s some pretty hefty fines if you get caught with either undersize or too many fish.” He took his coffee cup over to the sink. “Goodbye, Sweetheart,” he said, kissing her tenderly on the lips. “I’ll see you this evening.”

“You be safe out there. I’d be lost without you.” She watched from the kitchen window as he walked down the path to his car. “I’m so in love with that man, Daddy,” she said, without turning away from the window.

“I know, Baby Doll,” he said quietly, “and he is with you too. You were both meant to be.”

After Kent’s car had driven off she thought about what she had discussed with Don and his friends last night. This new drug they were working on sounded promising. She was in remission now but the cancer would definitely be back eventually. And even though this drug was still in its trial stages it filled her with hope that her life might be spared. Before, she had just been a ticking time bomb waiting to explode. Maybe soon Don and his friends could turn that ticking off.

There were so many things she wanted to achieve before her time on earth was up. She would like to have a job. Just a part time job at first and then maybe if she felt up to it a little business of her own. She didn’t have anything in particular in mind just yet, but eventually she would settle on something that stirred her passions.

There was something she longed for much more than her own business though, and that was to have a baby. Not just any baby, but Kent London’s baby. To hold his baby in her arms would make her complete. A brand new person made up of her love for Kent and his for her. Nothing could compare with that. And as each day dawned and then passed away her longing to fulfill this desire grew stronger and stronger.

She plunged the dishes into the sink and began to wash them. She had never broached the subject with Kent before; she didn’t even know if he liked children let alone wanted one of his own.

She would have to raise the subject with him soon though she couldn’t carry on like this, with her maternal instincts growing stronger and stronger and her body weaker and weaker. She would miss out on that baby if she didn’t act soon, and missing out on being a mother was something she couldn’t bear thinking on.

“I’m off fishing now, Christy,” Jack called from the back door. “I’ll be back sometime this afternoon.”

“Okay, Daddy, you be careful on those rocks won’t you? Don’t go slipping into the water.”

“Don’t worry, Baby Doll,” he assured her, “I’m always careful when I’m fishing off the rocks. See you this afternoon.”

She waited until she heard the door bang shut before she carried on with the dishes. She had become a little paranoid since losing mike. She hated to let her loved ones out of her sight for fear of what may happen to them. She knew it was silly, but she just couldn’t help it. She had suspected nothing when Mike had left her that morning to go to work. When she received that knock on the door from a police officer to tell her Mike had been killed on the motorway her whole world had come to a screaming halt. She never wanted to go through that again, and although she told herself she was unlikely to lose another family member in such tragic circumstances, the possibility still hung over her like a black cloud just waiting to rain on her parade.

CHAPTER THIRTEEN

“Kent, I have something I need to discuss with you.”

“That sounds ominous.” He was lying on his back with Christy snuggled comfortably under his arm.

“No, it’s nothing like that,” she assured him. “But I’m not too sure how you’re going to react to it.”

“Okay…spit it out then.”

“I want to have your baby,” she said quickly.

He didn’t answer, just continued to lie there in silence.

“Are you going to say something?”

“I don’t really know what to say,” he confessed. “This has come right out of the blue.”

“Not really. I wanted to have a baby with you right from the start.”

“You never said anything.”

“I didn’t want to scare you. But it’s becoming a bit of an obsession for me now. I am a woman after all, and that’s what we’re designed to do.”

“Lots of women don’t have babies, Christy. It’s not seen as being wrong to be childless anymore.”

She circled her finger absentmindedly around his strong chin. “I know, but I’m just not one of them. I want to have a baby with my husband.”

“And I would love to give you one. But you know how dangerous that would be for you. A baby growing inside you would suck the life out of you. I don’t know if your body is strong enough to handle that.”

She had known that this was not going to be easy. Kent would always place her welfare ahead of anything else. “I know there is a risk involved,” she said carefully, making sure that nothing she said might be used as a reason why she shouldn’t have a baby, “but almost everything we do in life carries a certain amount of risk with it.”

“That’s true. But don’t you think this carries a substantially higher risk than those every day risks you’re referring to do?”

She feared he was beginning to dig himself in. Maybe he sensed a battle coming and was carefully preparing his defenses. “I won’t be fulfilled if I don’t have a baby, Kent,” she said bluntly. “I am maternal. That’s just the way I am.”

“I had hoped that I would be enough to make you happy.”

“Oh, Kent,” pulling away from him she rolled onto her side and lay with her back to him.

“Have I said something to upset you?” He looked at the smooth skin of her back and wondered what had just happened.

“If you don’t know then I’m not going to bother telling you,” she said grumpily.

He tossed it around in his head. She knew it was dangerous for her to conceive. The fetus would put a serious strain on her reserves. With her body needing all the nourishment it could get to keep the cancer at bay having a child would be foolhardy. It that didn’t tip the fight in favour of the Leukemia then nothing would. Surely pointing this out to her wasn’t what got her so steamed up.

Telling her he hoped he would be enough to make her happy must have been what had done it. But he couldn’t see why. She was all he needed to be happy.

“If you don’t tell me then how can I put things right?” he said eventually.

She rolled over to face him, her green eyes flashing angrily. “I want something from you that is made up of both of us. You won’t give me that.”

“I’m not going to give you something that may ultimately cost you your life.”

“Oh stop being so dramatic,” she snapped. “How can having your baby cost me my life?”

“You already know the answer to that so I’m surprised you’re playing this game.”

“This isn’t a game to me!” She was sitting bolt upright seconds after she said it. “This is about who I am and what’s important to me.” She was refusing to look at him. “I can’t believe you just said that to me.”

“What…you can call me dramatic and that’s okay?”

“Well, you are being dramatic,” she said adamantly. “I ought to know if my own body can handle having a baby or not.”

“Christy, you have absolutely no idea what it would do to you. So it’s pointless taking that stance with me.” This was their first argument and he felt saddened that it was over something as precious as a baby. “If you died having our child then I’d be left to raise that child on my own. Have you thought about that possibility?’

She folded her arms across her chest and stared straight ahead.

“Are you not speaking to me now?”

Silence was all that answered him.

“Okay, I’ve got things I need to be doing.” He swung himself out of bed and started pulling his trousers on. “Hopefully by the time I get back home you’ll be talking to me again.” He watched her as he buttoned his shirt up. Her face was set in stone. She was, quite simply, seriously displeased with him. “I’ll see you later,” he said, as he made for the door.

Grabbing his keys off the sideboard he wandered out onto the verandah. He had never seen Christy behave like this before. He absentmindedly jangled the keys in his hand. She had been almost childlike, and although he would dearly love to give her the baby she so wanted he would be a fool to do so. If the baby weakened her immune system then the Leukemia would come back with a vengeance and he would lose his precious wife.

He walked over to the car and slipped into the driver’s seat. She must know the risks. Surely she had thought it out even though her maternal instincts were kicking in. So why wasn’t her survival instinct coming into play?

He backed out of the driveway and pointed the car in the direction of Bob Thomas’s place. He had stayed in touch with Bob since the night of the storm and the two had become fast friends. Kent was heading round to Bob’s to give him a hand putting up a new fence in his backyard.

His thoughts wandered back to his wife. He couldn’t deny that he would like to have a baby with her. He had always liked children, and to have one of his own with the woman he was so in love with would be the ultimate. But it was impossible. Surely she could see that?

He gripped the steering wheel tightly as he stared at the road ahead. She could obviously be stubborn if her performance back there was anything to judge by. He hoped she wasn’t going to dig her toes in over this or there was going to be some unhappy days ahead for the pair of them. They had been blissfully happy up until this point, and he hated to think things might change between them now.

He wondered what a baby of theirs would look like. Hopefully she would like Christy. Vivid green eyes and pale skin, she would wow everyone just like her mother. He smiled to himself. She would be the cutest baby anyone had ever seen, and he the proudest father.

What was he doing? He was thinking along the lines of this baby being a possibility. He was entertaining the same thoughts Christy had. He silently scolded himself for his moment of weakness. He must be strong. He mustn’t give in to Christy’s demand for a baby. He must make sure he remained the voice of reason.

♥

Christy waited until she heard Kent’s car start up and drive away before she got out of bed and slowly dressed. Her heart was heavy to the point of breaking. She had known Kent wasn’t going to be easy to win over, but she hadn’t been prepared for the brick wall she had come up against. He had made it painfully clear to her that he was not into giving her a baby under any circumstances, and it left her feeling frustrated and sad.

She wandered out to the kitchen and made a start on the dishes. She knew she shouldn’t be angry with him. He was only thinking of her. But having his baby was all she had been able to think about these past few weeks, and she had talked herself into believing it was going to be a reality. Having Kent kybosh the whole thing had brought her fighting spirit to the fore.

It was hard for her not to feel sorry for herself, even though it wasn’t a trait she admired in anyone least of all herself. But she couldn’t seem to help it. Life had been so unfair to her. It was bad enough she had lost her first husband in such tragic circumstances, but to then end up with cancer and desire a baby so much but be denied one was too much to accept. She knew there must be other people out there who had it much worse than she did but she hadn’t come across any in quite a while.

She didn’t think Kent understood how important this was to her. How could he? He was a man, and as such didn’t have a maternal instinct.

She stacked the last of the dishes in the rack and reached for the towel. She had been rather hard on him she supposed. She had dropped this whole thing on him from out of nowhere. She started to feel sorry for him. He did love her very much and was only trying to protect her. She was lucky to have him for a husband. He always placed her first. When he came home she would tell him she was sorry and they could discuss the possibility of having a baby in a calmer manner.

She looked out the window and noticed the dark clouds gathering in the sky. There looked to be rain on the way. Hopefully Kent and Bob would get the fence finished before it arrived.

Hanging up the towel she went outside and standing on the verandah checked out the sky. The air had a chill to it that was unusual for this time of year, and so she didn’t doubt rain was on the way. That would mean no charters for a couple of days until the sea had calmed down. She would have Kent all to herself for a while, and that was always something she looked forward to.

The poor guy must have wondered what had struck him when she started sulking and refusing to talk. It was childish of her really, and now that she had reflected on it she was embarrassed by her behavior. Kent London was quite possibly the best thing that ever happened to her, and she was determined not to stuff it up with him. She suspected most failed relationships started off the way theirs had this morning, a silly tiff where neither side would back down. Then before you knew it they weren’t speaking, and from there the couple drifted apart until one day they separated. She would definitely make it up to him when he came home.

♥

“She’s getting clucky,” Bob explained, when Kent had told him about Christy’s strange behavior that morning. “Sarah was exactly the same.”

“How do I handle it?”

“You need to be understanding and gentle with her. She’s newly married so she’s going through the whole nesting instinct thing. Sometimes it wears off, and other times it just gets stronger by the day.”

“That’s what I was afraid of,” Kent confessed. “She was pretty adamant we are going to have a baby together, and when I pointed out the dangers because of the cancer she turned quite nasty on me.”

“She feels threatened. She was hoping you’d be on her side and give her what her instincts are telling her are hers to have as of right.”

“But a baby isn’t hers to have as of right is it?”

“Some people would argue that it is.” Bob tacked a board in place before he continued. “She is a woman, Kent, and having babies is what a woman has been programmed to do. So if she’s getting maternal on you you’ve got no cause to go getting all tough on her.”

“I suppose I was a bit harsh,” Kent admitted. “It’s just that no mention of babies was made before we got married, and I naturally assumed that because of her condition they were out of the question.” He handed Bob another board. “So when she broached the subject this morning I wasn’t prepared.”

“I guess the cancer doesn’t stop her from having the same desires any other woman might have,” Bob said. “She’s probably thinking it’s now or never if she’s going to have a child of her own.”

“Yes, I think you must be right. It would explain her personality change.”

“It’s understandable really,” Bob continued. “Try putting yourself in her position. She’s deeply in love, is desperate to have a baby with the man she is deeply in love with, but doesn’t know how many years she’s got left to live, or when the cancer will come back and make it impossible for her to conceive.” He hammered the new board on then straightened up to admire his handiwork. “And she wants to give you something precious, something made up of the two of you.” He looked Kent straight in the eye. “Sarah gave me two daughters and a son, and I can vouch for the fact that they are very precious indeed. If I didn’t have those kids I wouldn’t feel anywhere near as fulfilled as I am.”

“Yeah, okay, you’ve convinced me,” Kent conceded. “But what can I do about it? I don’t want have a child at the cost of my wife’s life.”

“Of course not, but here’s a suggestion for you. Why don’t you and Christy go and see a specialist? Someone who can clearly lay out the pro’s and con’s of someone in Christy’s situation having a baby. At least she’d being hearing the harsh truth from someone other than her husband. And who knows…maybe she can have a baby?”

“That’s a good idea, Bob. At the very least it will give her some hope for a while. I rather be going home and suggesting that than just telling her it’s no go. She was very upset when I left this morning.”

“A marriage is never easy,” Bob commiserated. “But yours is especially difficult because of the problems that the cancer poses. It’s only love and understanding that’ll get you through.”

Love and understanding, they were two words that Kent thought long and hard about that afternoon as he helped Bob put up his fence. He certainly had love for Christy by the truckload, but had he shown her much understanding? He would need to change. He had lived on his own so long that it had become too easy to just think of himself and not consider anyone else’s feelings.

He smiled as he thought about her outburst this morning. She could obviously be a little firebrand when she felt the need to be, and it made him love her all the more. He would put Bob’s suggestion to her when he got back home. They would see the specialist together and take things from there. If his beautiful wife felt she needed a baby to be fulfilled then he would do everything he could to give her one.